The Bluffton news. [volume], August 29, 1946, Image 1

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BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
VOLUME LXXI
WOMEN’S NYLONS
ARE CHIEF LOOT IN
TWO BURGLARIES
Georgia Yerger, Clinton Balmer
Residences Looted in Day
time Robberies
Thirteen Pairs Of Nylons Bulk
Of Loot Personal Posses
sions Taken
Women’s nylon hose were the
principal loot in two daylight
burglaries of farm homes in the
Bluffton area reported over the
weekend.
Thirteen pairs of nylons and per
sonal possessions were carried away
by burglars who broke into the
homes of Georgia Yerger, three and
one-half miles southwest of Bluff
ton in Richland township, and Clin
ton Balmer, two and one-half miles
north of town in Union township,
according to reports made to au
thorities.
Miss Yerger told deputies front
the Allen county sheriff's office that
looters entered her home thru a
basement window while she was in
Lima, last Saturday afternoon.
House Ransacked
Personal possessions valued at $60
"were taken including 10 pairs of
nylon hose, a black onyx ring and
two bed sheets. A door at the top
of the basement stairs was forced
open and the house was thoroly
ransacked, with contents of desk
and bureau drawers dumped on the
floor,
While the Balmer family was at
a picnic Sunday afternoon, prowlers
ransacked their home in the same
fashion, according to a report made
to the Hancock county sheriff.
Burglars broke into the house
tthru a rear door and took three
pairs of nylons received thru the
mail on Saturday, some peaches,
women’s dresses and accessories.
Similarity of the two burglaries
has been responsible for conjecture
they were the work of the same
band.
Lima Man Buys
Elk Restaurant
C. G. Mullenhour of Lima has pur
chased the Elk restaurant on North
Main street from Don Cahill and
will take possession Saturday. Mr.
and Mrs. Cahill, who came here from
Ottawa have operated the restaurant
since last November. Their future
plans, they say, are indefinite.
Stores Will Close
Here On Labor Day
Labor Day will be observed here
quietly next Monday, with most
business places and industries sus
pending operations for the weekend
holiday.
There will be no mail deliveries
and windows at the post office will
be closed from Saturday at 1 P. M.,
until Tuesday morning.
Many residents will take advant
age of the last holiday of the sum
mer season, coming as it does over
the weekend, to make vacation trips
and visit relatives.
Bluffton Girl Will
Enter School In West
Miss Barbara Butler, daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Roy Butler left Tues
day for Bellingham, Wash., where
she will enter high school this fall
as a member of the junior class.
She attended Bluffton high school
for the past two years.
Her father is employed in govern
ment service in that region and she
will make her home with relatives.
Her mother will remain in Bluffton
for the present.
Reflecting this year’s upsurge in
general college attendance a class of
125 freshmen is expected at Bluff
ton college this fall.
It will Be the largest first-year
class since before the Avar, accord
ing to college sources, and registra
tion of upper classmen also is ex
pected to show a marked upswing
from the limited numbers enrolled
here during hostilities.
Freshmen will arrive on the cam
pus Friday, September 6, for three
days of orientation activity. Upper
class students will register on Tues
day, Sept. 10, w’ith freshmen regis
tration following on Wednesday,
September 11.
Bluffton College Freshman Class Of
125 Largest Since Before The War
Regular classroom work will be-
Farmer Slashes Foot
Hewing Logs With Ax
Fred Welty, 45, farmer, is in the
Bluffton hospital with a deep cut in
his left foot which he accidentally
slashed with a broadax, Monday
morning.
The accident occurred on his farm,
the former Sam Welty place two
miles north of Bluffton while he
was hewing logs to be used for barn
timbers. The ax slipped and sever
ed the large tendon just above the
heel. His condition is reported sat
isfactory. ..r
SCHOOLS TO OPEN
FOR FALL TERM
TUESDAY MORNING
______
Schools Will Start Tuesday
With Full Schedule of Glass
es, Superintendent Says
With Few Changes In Staff Of
Instructors, Teaching Assign
ments Virtually Same
Bluffton public schools will open
for the fall term with a full day of
class work, starting at 8:30 a. m.
next Tuesday morning, it was an
nounced this week by Supt. Ralph
Lanham.
Enrollment this fall is expected to
show little change from that of last
year, slightly under 500, and with
few teacher resignations there will
be a minimum of changes in
schedules of instruction.
New students enrolling in the
school for the first time, and others
who want to make changes, may
obtain interviews with school officials
at the office from 9 a. m. until 4 p.
m. Thursday or Friday, the superin
tendent said.
Schedule cards for all students
will be available on Thursday or
Friday during the same hours.
A teachers meeting to be held
Monday morning at 10:30 o’clock
has been announced by Supt.
Lanham.
High school teaching assignments
for the coming term are as follows:
Supt. Ralph Lanham—business
arithmetic.
Prin. Gerhard Buhler—physics and
general science.
Harry Barnes—agriculture (half
time—mornings only afternoons in
Beaverdam.)
Florence Duffield—shorthand, typ
ing, bookkeeping.
Wilford Geiger—Science 7th &
8th grade, chemistry, biology.
W. A. Howe—sociology, English,
government, economics.
Mildred Keel—English, Latin.
Elizabeth Mohr—home economics.
Theresa Slusser—history, social
science.
Sidney Stettler—mathematics.
John Martin—music, vocal and
instrumental.
Kent Cotterman—boys and girls
physical education and coach.
Mrs. Mabel Lantz—art (mornings
only, afternoons in grade school.)
Mrs. Paul Cramer—speech &
dramatics (afternoon only).
Dwight Spayth—industrial arts,
mechanical drawing.
Ocie Anderson—library science.
The grade school teaching staff
includes:
1st—Meredith Stepleton
2nd—Mrs. Dwight Spayth.
2 & 3rd—Mrs. Clayton Murray.
3rd—Minerva Hilty.
4th—Robert Ewing.
5th—Mrs. Adella Oyer.
6th—Theola Steiner.
John Martin—music supervisor.
Mrs. Lantz—art supervisor—after
noons only.
gin Thursday, September 12, for the
fall term.
Reunions
The Peter and Elizabeth (Neuen
schwander) Hilty reunion will be
held Sunday, Sept. 1 on Bluffton
college campus.
The Montgomery reunion will be
held Sunday, September 1 at Orange
Center Community house. Pres.,
Merwin Garwood Sec., Meredith
Edinger.
Hearing Aid
One out of every 300 adults in the
United States now wears a hearing
aid.
Charles Hankish Leaves For Visit
To Syria After Absence Of 42 Years
Bluffton Man Will Sail This
Week Enroute From New
York City
Local Confectioner Established
Business Here In 1907,
Shortly After Landing
A visit to his homeland which he
last saw 42 years ago when he left
to come to America will be started
this week by Charles Hankish, Bluff
ton confectioner, who will sail from
New* York City enroute to Syria.
Hankish left Monday for Toledo
where he joined a party of three
men, one of whom is his cousin, for
the overseas trip.
They will land at Beirut, Syria,
about 25 miles from Hankish’s home
town of Zlee, which he left as a
youth 42 years ago. A visit of
from three to six months is planned,
altho no definite arrangements have
been made.
Hankish has one surviving brother
in his native city. He wrote relatives
some time ago that he might return
on a visit, but told them nothing
definite of his plans and his arrival
will be a surprise.
He came to this country as a
youth of 19, being attracted by re
ports sent back from other former
residents of Zlee who had established
themselves in America.
In 1907 he came to Bluffton and
w’ith his elder brother, Peter Han
kish, established his present fruit,
ice cream and confectionery busin
ess. The establishment has been in
its same location since that time.
The brother later returned to Toledo
where he died a number of years
ago.
Real Estate Deals
Woodrow Little, Bluffton rural
route mail carrier has purchased the
residence recently built by Wm.
Lahman on South Main street. Mr.
and Mrs. Little and family expect
to occupy the property soon, moving
from the R. L. Triplett farm four
miles northwest of Bluffton where
they now live.
Leland Sechler who recently pur
chased in the Fred Mueller addition
on Jefferson street tw’o lots east of
the Eph Geiger residence sold one
adjoining the Geiger property to
Wayne Lugibill who recently re
turned here from California.
To Teach In Eastern
School For Girls
Miss Roberta Biery.w’ill leave next
Tuesday to assume her duties as in
structor in Latin in the Northfield
School for Girls, a private school at
East Northfield, Massachusetts.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Theron Ridinger,
Columbus Grove, a boy, Robert
Eugene, Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Chas W. Lora, Lima,
a girl, Nancy Ann, Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Thompson,
Bluffton, a boy, Louis Raymond, Jr.,
Saturday.
Mr. and Mrs. Morris Niswander,
Bluffton, a girl, Rosemary Elise,
Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Schnegg of
Plymouth, Mich., a girl, Gail Paula,
bom at Northville hospital, North
ville, Mich., last Wednesday. Mrs.
Schnegg is the former Cletus Adams,
daughter of Wm. Adams of near Mt.
Cory.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry McCain of
Roxana, Ill., a boy, James Albert,
bom at Alton Memorial hospital,
Alton, Ill., August 20. Mrs. McCain
is the former Elizabeth Balmer,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Albert
Balmer south of Bluffton.
Spends Summer At
University Of Mexico
Miss Phyllis Heckathorn, daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. Royal Hecka
thorn of North Baltimore, former
Bluffton residents, arrived by plane
in Cincinnati the latter part of last
w’eek from Mexico City w’here she
attended the National University of
Mexico the past tw’o months.
She will return next month to
Oxford to begin her senior year at
Miami university.
Mr. and Mrs. Heckathorn motored
to Cincinnati to meet their daugh
ter and spend the week end at the
home of Mr. and Mrs. Lester Yoder,
the latter being a sister of Mrs.
Heckathorn.
rHE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO THURSDAY, AUG. 29, 1946
COUNTER PROPOSAL
DRAFTED IN LIGHT
PLANT BOND ISSUE
Municipal Officials And Bond
Buyers Negotiate Over
Contract Terms
Foreclosure Clause And Guar
anteed Franchise Earnings
Main Objections
An impasse continued this week
in the issuance of $125,000 in reve
nue bonds to finance improvements
at Bluffton’s municipal electric light
plant, as the town council and board
of public affairs negotiated with
Stranahan Harris and Co., Toledo
bond buyers, in an attempt to iron
out contract differences.
Stalemated action in proceeding
w’ith the bond issue came unexpect
edly last week when the council
balked at signing the contract pre
sented by the Toledo firm, which
had been low bidders for the $125,
000 issue.
In what was to have been routine
procedure in the final steps of legis
lation necessary to authorize the
bond issue, councilmen objected to
terms of a stringent foreclosure
clause in the contract, and to a pro
jected 20-year franchise with guar
anteed earnings of no less than
eight per cent on reproduction cost
w’hich was to be effective should
foreclosure be instituted.
Solicitor Represents Town
In the negotiations with the To
ledo firm of bond buyers, the coun
cil and board of public affairs is
being represented by City Solicitor
Dan R. Trippiehorn.
With the deadlock continuing into
the second week, the board of public
affairs has been unable to proceed
with advertising for bids on the cost
of installing a new boiler and build
ing a new’ stack at the municipal
plant.
Bluffton’s counter proposal to the
Toledo firm was drafted Monday
night at a joint session of the coun
cil and the board of public affairs,
and whether an answer will be avail
able by next Monday’s regular meet
ing of the council is uncertain.
Bluffton Man's
Grandfather Dies
Gerald W. Clever and family of
South Main street w’ere in Lexing
ton, Ohio, Thursday to attend fun
eral services held for his grandfath
er, George Clever, 81, w’ho died at
his home in Kissimee, Floreda, on
Monday of last week.
Mr. Clever resided on a farm
northeast of Lafayette until about
five years ago w’hen he and his
wife moved to Florida.
Surviving are his wife, two child
ren, ten grandchildren and nine
great grandchildren.
Others from this vicinity attend
ing the funeral services were Mr.
and Mrs. Orvan Wirt of Lafayette
and Mr. and Mrs. Orlo Wirt of
Ada.
Two Will Teach
In Rawson School
Two Bluffton teachers, Miss Mary
Stearns and Mrs. Magdalene Oyer
Suter will teach in Rawson at the
opening of school next week, it is
announced by R. K. Derrickson,
superintendent of schools of that
place.
Miss Stearns will teach music and
English and Mrs. Suter will teach
English and Latin.
Virgil Borkosky of Bluffton Route
1 will be janitor of the school.
Two of last year’s teachers, Bettye
Lew’is of Bluffton, instructor in mu
sic and Margie Weimer of Findlay
expect to teach in Florida and will
leave the middle of September for
West Palm Beach.
With Service Men
Two Bluffton men, Frederick
Tschantz and Charles Steiner w’ho
have been in the army of occupation
in Japan are reported enroute home.
Both have been stationed in Japan
since shortly after the close of the
war.
Sgt. Richard Fett, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Pleyel Fett of Col. Grove ar
rived home Saturday after receiving
his discharge from the Army at Ft.
George G. Meade, Maryland. He
spent 20 months in the service.
Robert F. Beemer, BM 2/c, of 106
Riley street has re-enlisted under
continuous service in the Navy.
Beemer has four years naval serv
ice, the majority of w’hich w’as spent
in the Pacific area.
The second fatality in six months
struck a power line construction
crew of which Robert Kohler and
William Klass, both of Bluffton are
members, making the life of Carl
Lamb, 59, of Delaware, who lived
here at the Pine hotel last winter
while new electrical installations
were being made for the Central
Ohio Light and Power company be
tween Bluffton and Findlay.
Lamb died in a Wooster hospital
last Friday as the result of electrical
burns received four days previously
when he came in contact with a
high tension line carrying about
4,000 volts at Marshallville in Wayne
county.
At the time of the mishap Kohler
and Klass were working with Lamb
and the fatality recalled a freak ac
cident which affected the same crew
employed by the O’Rourke lectrical
Service company of Mt. Vernon
while it was working for the Cen­
Barbara Hauenstein Writes Of
Trip From Beirut to Eng
land Via France
Boats And Trains Overcrowded
Delays In Customs And
Money Exchange
Difficulties in traveling through
Europe’s post-war madhouse of con
fusion are detailed in a letter to
her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sidney
Hauenstein, of Campus drive, from
Barbara Joyce Hauenstein.
Her experiences were connected
with a journey completed on August
14 from Beirut, Syria, to England
w’here she is to be married in Edin
burg, Scotland soon to W, M. C.
Todd, a British army officer she met
in the Near East during the course
of the w’ar.
On the first leg of her trip she
was on a boat with a missionary
friend, a Mrs. Koch, enroute to
Geneva to put her two children in
school, and Alice Magarian, w’ho is
(Continued on page 2)
Bluffton Woman's
Brother Succumbs
Mr. and Mrs. Frank McElroy of
South Main street attended funeral
services held at Forest, Sunday
afternoon for her brother, William
H. Ropp, 71, w’ho died at San An
tonio hospital in Kenton, Friday
afternoon.
Besides his sister of this place he
is survived by another sister Mrs.
Ella Spearman and a brother Harley
Ropp, both of Dunkirk. Burial was
in the Hueston cemetery at Forest.
Lima Pastor To Speak
At Brotherhood Meet
Rev. J. Harmon Dutton of the
High Street United Brethren church
w’ill be guest speaker at the annual
family night meeting of the Broth
erhood of the Reformed churches to
be held at St. John’s church here
Thursday night at 8 o’clock.
A musical program is also being
arranged and refreshments will be
served. All members of the two
congregations and their families are
invited.
A Shorthorn steer raised and ex
hibited by Harry Burkholder, Bluff
ton high school youth, was judged
grand champion of the Allen county
fair at Delphos, Thursday afternoon.
The animal, sold in the annual
livestock auction, brought $425.60 or
38 cents a pound, being purchased
by a Delphos bank.
Burkholder, the son of Mr. and
Quinten Burkholder living north of
Bluffton on the county line was
graduated last spring from high
school here where he had been an
agriculture student and member of
the Future Farmers of America.
In addition to the cash return,
Burkholder will receive a free trip
to the National Livestock exposition
at Chicago next December. Other
prize winners in the junior show at
the fair who have received trips to
the Chicago exposition are Marilu
Amstutz and Roy Reichenbach of
Beaverdam.
Bluffton Man Witnesses Two Power
Line Electrocutions In Six Months
Rigors Of Traveling In Post-War
Europe Described By Bluffton Woman
Bluffton Youth’s Prize Winning
Steer Brings $425 At Auction
Arthur Nisw’ander of-Bluffton re­
ceived an award of a special show
halter for neatness of exhibit and
ability to show.
tral Ohio Light and Power company
on a contract basis here last Febru
ary.
Killed in the accident here was
Frederick F. Zimmerman, 37, who
was struck with a high tension wire
broken by flying rocks from a blast
he had set off to make a hole for
a new power pole. The accident oc
curred near the Central Ohio pla.
Kohler was working with the crev.'
when Zimmerman lost his life, and
again was present last week when
Lamb came into contact with the
line and was electrocuted. He is
the son of Mr. and Mrs. Albert
Kohler.
Klass, recently discharged from
the Navy, is a new’ member of the
O’Rourke crew. Mr. and Mrs. Al
bedt Klass, of w’est of Bluffton, are
his parents.
Kohler ws one of the pall bearers
at Lamb’s funeral in Delaware, last
Monday.
RE-SURFACING OF
FOUR STREETS IS
COMPLETED HERE
Work Done On Parts Of Kibler,
Cherry Streets College
And Lake Avenues
Hard Surface Also Put On
Grade School Grounds And
Under Harmon Stadium
Re-surfacing parts of four Bluff
ton streets and hard surfacing Bluff
ton grade school grounds and the
area under Harmon field stadium
was completed during the past week
in the town’s first stone chip-tar as
phalt treatment program since early
in the war.
Improved in the street program
were Kibler street from Main to
Grove street College avenue from
Jackson street to the College road
Cherry street from the Nickel Plate
railroad to the County Line road
Lake avenue from North Main
street to the A. C. & Y., and the
alley at the rear of the Community
hospital from Main street to Har
mon road.
Applied in the improvements to
streets were 7,800 gallons of tar as
phalt preparation and 275 tons of
stone.
Grade School Grounds
Hard surfacing of the grade
school grounds and the area under
the stadium took 6,500 gallons of
tar asphalt and 150 tons of stone.
Work on the school grounds and
at Harmon field was a part of the
town’s revived recreational program
sponsored by the recreation commit
tee of the Business Men’s associa
tion.
Application of the stone chip-tar
asphalt surface was made by Leo
Cossett and Son, Findlay road con
tractor, w’ith the Bluffton street
maintenance crew’ assisting.
Breeding Misunderstood
No aspect of animal husbandry is
less understood generally than that
of breeding, or reproduction, of farm
animals, it is said. Horses, cattle,
sheep and swine are considered.
Hancock County
Fair Next Week
Featuring a rodeo, livestock, farm
and home arts exhibits, a team pull
ing contest, machinery displays and
grandstand attractions the Hancock
county fair will open at Findlay
Wednesday of next week for a gala
showing continuing thru Saturday,
September 7.
The fair, annually one of the best
in this area, will be open day and
night during the four-day period.
Clyde Warren, of Orange towm
ship, is one of the trustees of the
fair board. Other from this area
include Levi Welty, Route 1, Mt.
Cory and E. E. Hartman, Rawson
rural route.
BLUFFTON MARKETS
Wednesday Morning
Grain (bushel prices) —Wheat
$1.89 corn $1.60 oats 73c soys
$2.15.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 19
NO MEAT PRICE
CHANGE EXPECTED
UNTIL RE-CONTROL
Prices Probably Will Remain
As Now Until Resumption Qf
OPA Control September 9
New Prices Set For Meat Ex
pected Near June 30 Levels
When OPA Was Dropped
Retail prices in Bluffton meat
markets will remain steady until the
September 9 deadline set for resump
tion of OPA control, operators of
local establishments indicated this
week.
Barring undue fluctuations of
livestock prices, no drop in meat
prices can be expected thru the
intervening week and one-half period
of free trading.
W'hat prices will be after re
control becomes effective on Septem
ber 9 is largely a matter of con
jecture this week, altho reports from
Washington where the OPA and the
Department of Agriculture are work
ing on new ceilings indicate meat
will revert to prices near June 30
levels. —v
With the resumption of OPA price
control, meat subsidies in effect on
June 29 also will be re-instated.
Meanw’hile meat market operators
say farmers are planning unusually
heavy marketing this week before
the September 1 deadline. Of this
volume of livestock a portion w’ould
not be marketed until late fall
under ordinary circumstances, but
selling now is favored while the
market remains free of controls.
In again slapping controls on
meat, which represents about 19 per
cent of the average family’s food
budget, the board said that prices
had risen unreasonably above June
30 ceilings plus subsidies.
Other OPA developments of the
last w’eek brought an 18-cents a ton
boost in soft coal prices, and 30
cents a ton on anthracite.
Evangelistic Meetings
At Missionary Church
A two weeks’ series of special
services will open Sunday at the
Miaatonary church, it is announced
by the pastor, Rev. R. R. Welch.
The Walker & Pike evangelistic
party of Ft. Wayne w ill be in charge
and meetings will be held at 7:30
o’clock every night except Saturday.
Draft Board Is
In New Location
Allen county draft board No. 3
w’ill move this week to new’ quarters
on the third floor of the Barr hotel
in Lima, it was announced Tuesday.
The board will transact business in
its new’ location beginning Septem
ber 3. It was previously in the
Lima National Bank building.
Former Resident
Opens Fourth Store
Ralph West, formerly of Bluffton,
opened a new’ sporting goods store
in Chicago last Saturday, according
to announcement received here the
first of the w’eek. He and his fam
ily live in nearby Wheaton, Ill.
West, who for many years was
employed by the Spaulding organiza
tion, manufacturers and dealers in
athletic supplies has recently en
tered the field on his own account.
The Chicago store is his fourth
others are located in Columbus,
Kansas City and Milwaukee.
Presbyterian Picnic
At Harmon Field
The Presbyterian Sunday school
will hold a picnic at Harmon Field,
Thursday afternoon and evening to
which all members of the congrega
tion are invited.
Games w’ill begin at 4 o’clock, in
cluding pony and motor scooter
rides followed by a picnic supper
at 6:30. Each family is asked to
bring one hot and one cold dish and
sandwiches.
Former Resident Is
Victim Of Accident
Mrs. Lloyd Murray of South
Main street has received word that
her sister, Mrs. Charles Bleam,
formerly of Bluffton is in a serious
condition at Sisters hospital, Hot
Springs, South Dakota.
Mrs. Bleam is suffering from in
juries received recently w-hen she
fell and fractured her leg three
places just below the hip.