The Bluffton news. [volume], October 09, 1947, Image 1

About The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Live
VOLUME LXXII
McCULLOCH AND
QUATMAN WINNERS
IN PRIMARY VOTE
Joseph Quatman, Lima Attor
ney Choice of Democrats by
Narrow Margin.
Miami County Republicans Give
McCulloch, Favorite Son
Big Vote Tuesday.
William M. McCulloch of Piqua,
former Republican speaker of the
state house of representatives and
Joseph C. Quatman, Lima attorney,
Democrat, were nominated as candi
dates for the vacant congressional
seat in Ohio’s fourth district, on the
basis of unofficial returns from
Tuesday’s primary electin.
The vote was at a special primary
called for the purpose of selecting
nominees for the November 4 elec
tion for the congressional seat vacat
ed by Representative Robert F.
Jones, Lima Republican, appointed
by President Truman to the federal
communications commission.
The complete unofficial vote:
Republican McCulloch, 10,120
Fetter, 4,159.
Democrat Quatman, 2,923 Har
mony, 2,879 Dickman, 1,918 Chris
tie, 861.
Miami Vote Heavy
Voting throughout the district was
light with a notable exception of
Miami, home county of McCulloch,
which gave him a total of 4,708 Re
publican ballots. Although iMami is
one of the smaller counties, the vote
for. McCulloch was by far the larg
est given any candidate on either
ticket from any other county.
McCulloch’s opponent on the pri
mary ticket, Dewey Fetter, Allen
county Republican chairman, receiv
ed 3,011 votes from Allen county
electors
In the Democratic voting Quat
man was crowded by Roy E. Har
mony of Sidney with Mayor Reuben
Dickman of New Bremen third and
Paul Christie of Delphos, fourth.
Lions Will Sponsor
Sight-Saving Program
An expanded program of commun
ity sight conservation activities, in
cluding the purchase of eye examin
ation equipment for the Bluffton
public schools, will be financed thru
the sale of sight-saving stamps by
the Bluffton Lions club the latter
part of this month.
A new state law requires eye ex
aminations of pupils annually, simi
lar to that which was conducted in
the schools here last year with bor
rowed equipment, under Lions club
auspices.
In addition to the school program,
the club plans to expand its activi
ties in assisting deserving children
and adults of the community in sight
conservation. This will include a
continuation of a program of pro
viding glasses and treatment for
cross-eyes.
Church Of Brethren
Homecoming Sunday
The County Line Church of the
Brethren, seven miles south of Bluff
ton will hold their annual home
coming services, Sunday with a
basket dinner at noon. All are wel
come.
Church Of Christ
Homecoming Oct. 19
Bluffton Church of Christ will hold
a homecoming and services for
dedication of the new cathedral
windows Sunday morning and after
noon, October 19. it was announced
thg first of the week.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Naden Basinger,
Pandora, a girl Sondra Joyce, Thurs
day.
Mr. and Mrs. George Myers, Bluff
ton, a girl, Kathryn Lenore, Thurs
day.
Mr. and Mrs .Oscar Zimmerman,
Bluffton, a girl, Arietta Kay, Thurs
day.
Mr. and Mrs .Clyde Briggs, Bluff
ton, a boy, Ricky Lynn, Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Orwick, Ar
lington, a boy, Wednesday morning.
Mr. and Mrs. Elton Beery, a
daughter born Tuesday in Medina
hospital, Medina, Ohio. Mrs. Beery
is the former Marjory Nisw’ander,
daughter of Dr. and Mrs. W. M.
Niswander of Bluffton.
I
I
RESTAURANTS SAY
MEATLESS DAYS
ARE UP TO PUBLIC
Substitutes Available But Meat
Will be Served if Patrons
Demand it..
About Half Order Meatless
Menus on Tuesday, as Save
Food Drive Opens.
Success of “Meatless Tuesdays” in
Bluffton restaurants will be up to
the public, proprietors of local eating
places said this week in commenting
on the government sponsored pro
gram of food conservation.
Restaurant operators will be glad
to serve meatless meals every Tues
day in cooperating with the “save
food for Europe” drive, but if custom
ers order meat they will get it.
“After all, the responsibility should
be that of the individual, rather than
depending on the restaurant propri
etor to force the issue,” one restau
rateur said in a statement that fairly
well summed up the attitude at all
Bluffton eating places.
Similar Pattern Thursday
A similar attitude was apparent
with respect to planned menus for
Thursdays, on which the public has
been requested to eat no eggs or
poultry.
Bluffton’s first “Meatless Tuesday”
this week found about half of those
who eat in restaurants ordering meat
substitutes and eating less bread, as
requested by President Truman.
There was no way of determining
how many menus in private resi
dences had meat eliminated for Tues
day’s meals, altho meat market op
erators reported no apparent decrease
in sales the early part of the week.
The nation’s save-food program
was launched last Sunday by Presi
dent Truman with his request that no
meat be eaten-on Tuesdays, no eggs
or poultry on Thursdays, and that
every person eat one slice of bread
less each'meal.
Youth Home From
Japan This Week
T/5 Robert L. Weyer, son of Mr.
and Mrs. Lewis Weyer of Cherry
street has returned to this country
from Kyoto, Japan and is expected
home this week.
26 From Here At
Area F. H. A. Rally
Bluffton High school Senior F. H.
A. Girls attended a district rally at
Celina last Saturday, with 26 mem
brs of the Bluffton club in the dele
gation.
Fourteen clubs were represented at
the rally, at which reports were made
of activities of the various groups,
followed by a recreation period.
Death Takes Publisher
1854 B. F. B1ERY 1947
New College Avenue Sewer Replaces
Old Stone Slab Surface Water Drain
Outmoded Stone Sewer, Now
Beyond Use, One of Old
est in the Town
Installation of New Sewer to
Relieve Floods at Main
St. & College Ave.
Replacing one of the town’s old
est surface water drains, a new
sewer is being laid this week from
the Sinclair filling station corner on
Main street to the College avenue
bridge across Big Riley creek.
Installatin of the new sewer will
eliminate flooded conditions which
follow every heavy rain at the Col
lege avenue intersection on Main
street.
The new sewer, consisting of 15
inch concrete tile, will follow the
north side of College avenue, empty
ing into the creek at the bridge. Ex
cavation and the laying of tile were
started on Monday by Charles E.
Kohl and Son, Lima contractors.
Replacement of sewers was re
quired when investigation this fall
showed that the existing line, esti
mated to be about 75 years old, was
beyond repair.
The old sewer was constructed of
stone slabs, laid to provide a rec
tangular shaped tunnel. Its con
struction branded it as one of the
oldest existing sewers in the town.
Cost of the new sew’er is estimat
ed at slightly more than $800.
Traveler Succumbs
To Heart Attack
Albert F. Anderson, 49, Detroit
auto salesman, died suddenly of a
heart attack at Swiss Inn south of
Bluffton where he had stopped for
lunch Friday noon. Anderson to
gether with two business associates
were enroute north from Miami,
Florida.
He was stricken as he left the inn
to resume his journey.
The body was removed to the Paul
Diller funeral home from where it
was sent to Detroit. Funeral serv
ices were held at Port Huron, Mich.,
Monday followed by burial at that
place.
His wife, Mrs. Lenora Anderson
survives.
Missionaries Home
From Belgian Congo
Returning to this country after
eight years service as missionaries
in the Belgian Congo, Mr. and Mrs.
Henry Seneff are expected to ar
rive in Bluffton wdthin the next week
to visit her father, John Welty, of
Cherry street.
Mrs. Seneff is the former Lillian
Welty.
After a three-months trip across
the Atlantic by freighter, Mr. and
Mrs. Seneff arrived in New York
City last Thursday. They are here
on a furlough.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, OCT.
LONG CAREER OF
B. F. BIERY, 93, IS
ENDED BY DEATH
Publisher and Former Head of
Schools Here Dies at Home,
Friday.
Resident of Bluffton Since 1880
Funeral Services Monday
Afternoon.
B. F. Biery, publisher of the Bluff
ton News and former superintendent
of the Bluffton public schools died
at his home on Grove street Friday
evening at 7 o’clock. He was aged
93 years.
Born near Allentown, Pennsylvania,
January 23, 1854, he was the young
est son of John and Maria (Hoffman)
Biery and the last survivor of the
family.
He came to Bluffton in 1880 where
a half-brother, T. H. Biery resided
and soon thereafter began his teach
ing career in the Pandora schools.
Later he was corrected with the
Bluffton schools as instructor and
from 1894 to 1900 was superinten
dent of schools here.
Enters Newspaper Field
In 1900 he purchased the Bluff
ton News from the late I. N. Hemin
ger, who then became publisher of
the Findlay Republican-Courier.
Nineteen years later when the
business here was incorporated into
the Bluffton News Publishing &
Printing company, Mr. Biery became
secretary-treasurer and business
manager, which positions he held un
til his death.
Altho in later years he gave up
much of the routine of office work
and his visits down town became less
frequent, his mental faculties were
unimpaired and he continued active
ly interested in business affairs.
Former Town Official
In public life he was a former
member of the town council and
served two terms as town clerk. He
was active in civic affairs and a sup
porter of projects for community ad
vancement and culture, especially
those affecting the welfare of the
schools.
He joined the Presbyterian church
here in 1889 being an elder for the
past 36 years and also a former
superintendent of the Sunday school
and clerk of the church session.
Fraternally he was more than 50
years a member of the Masonic
lodge, together with the Eastern
Star and Royal Arcanum orders,
Delta Tau Delta college fraternity,
the National Editorial association
and a former member of the Lions
club.
Traveled Widely
Until the period of failing health
which preceded his death he was un
usually active for one his age and
he and his wife traveled widely. Eight
years ago they made a summer trip
to Alaska. He drove his car until past
ninety and until last fall was a
familiar figure on the downtown
streets.
As a youth he studied in Ursinus
preparatory school in Meyerstown,
Pa., was graduated from Franklin
& Marshall college Lancaster, Pa,,
in 1875 and Union Theological sem
inary, Newr York city in 1878.
He was married December 13, 1888
to Etta Milliman of Ottawa who sur
vives together with one son C. A.
Biery of Bluffton and two grand
daughters, Roberta Biery of East
Northfield, Mass., and Beverly Biery,
a student in Oberlin college.
Funeral services were held Monday
afternoon at the Presbyterian church
with the pastor, Rev. E. N. Bigelow
officiating. Associates in business
and church activities were pallbear
ers. Burial was in Maple Grove cem
etery w’ith Masonic rites.
Dr. Ramseyer Talks
On European Trip
An illustrated lecture on present
day conditions in Europe was pre
sented Tuesday night at a dinner
meeting of the Bluffton Lions club
by Dr. .L. Ramseyer, Bluffton
college president, who spent the last
summer overseas.
Shortage, of food and. houses is
most critical in the war-devastated
sections of Holland and Germany,
Dr. Ramseyer told the group. In
contrast, Belgium seems to have
made the most rapid recovery, pos
sibly due to that country’s flourish
ing trade with the Congo area in
Africa.
While overseas, Dr. Ramseyer
visited England, Holland, Germany,
France, Belgium and Switzerland.
The colored slides shown to the
group were taken by Dr. Ramseyer
on the European tour.
9, 1947
Allen _______
Special Services Are Arranged
By Trinity Lutheran Con
gregation
Minister Who Installed Rev.
Gauss Fifty Years Ago
Will Speak
Honoring Rev. John Gauss, 73,
on the completion of his 50th year
as pastor of Trinity Lutheran
church in Jenera, members of the
congregation and residents of the
community will hold an all-day cel
ebration there on Sunday
Installed as pastor of the Trinity
church on Oct. 10, 1897, Rev. Gauss
from his first year of service has
been an active community leader.
Pictures on Page 2
In tribute to his long tenure as
pastor a rare event in church cir
cles, special services will be held in
Trinity church at 9:30 a. m. next
Sunday.
Sermons will be preached in both
German and English, it was an
nounced by Rev. Walter C. Voss,
associate pastor. Rev. William
Bodamer, 78, of Rocky Ford, Colo
rado, who installed Rev. Gauss in
the Jenera pastorate fifty years ago
will speak in German and Rev.
Henry Hayn of Detroit, former class
mate of Rev. Gauss at the Lutheran
Seminary, Saginaw, Mich., will
speak in English.
Dinner
Tuesday’s Congressional Vote by Counties
Fetter McColloch
(R
-----------3,011 1,870
Auglaize ___------------ 217
Darke ______ 264 1,463
Mercer _____ 104 497
Miami ______ 193 4,708
Shelby _____ _------------ 370 850
Totals ___ 4,159 10,120
Bluffton voters gave little atten
tion to Tuesday’s primary election
and only a comparatively few w’ent
to the polls. The total vote of 212
cast here is about ten per cent of
Bluffton’s voting strength.
Richland North precinca polled a
total of 22 votes.
Vote cast in Bluffton’s four pre
cincts and Richland North precinct
from unofficial returns w-as:
Few Bluffton Voters Go To Polls
At Tuesday’s Primary' Election
Rev. John Gauss, Fifty Years Pastor Of
Jenera Church Will Be Honored Sunday
Today his church, with 401 com
municants, has one of the largest
small town congregations in Ohio.
at
Noon
Following the morning service, a
community potluck dinner will be
held at noon in the Jenera town
hall, after which an informal pro
gram will be presented.
Joining in services for the day
will be members of the St. Paul’s
Lutheran church, two miles south
east of Jenera, and the Findlay
Lutheran Mission.
In his long ministry, Rev. Gauss
has served only two charges. He
came to Jenera from Lapeer, Mich.,
where he had been pastor of a Luth
eran church for two years.
Moving into the parsonage at Je
nera on Sept. 21, 1897, Rev. Gauss
had a caller the next day who said
he had been waiting for the arrival
of a pastor so that he could be
married. The couple, Mr. and Mrs.
John Baine, were wed on that date,
and the “Barner Hannes” celebrated
their Golden Wedding anniversary
last month.
Has Associate Now
Due to advanced years and ill
health, Rev. Gauss relinquished part
of his duties a year ago when Rev.
Voss took over as assciate pastor.
For many years, Rev. Gauss has
been prominent in his denominations,
the Wisconsin Synod of the Luth
eran church.
Rev. Gauss’ wife is the former
Frieda Kraft, of Bluffton, whom he
married following the death of his
first wife. His children, seven
daughters and one son, all are ex
pected to be at the service Sunday.
Also to be remembered at the
time of the service next Sunday, will
be some of those who were members
of the Trinity congregation when
Rev. Gauss took over his ministry
there 50 years ago. Three of the
older members are George Pifer, 90
Henry Pifer, 85, and Jacob von
Stein, 80.
Men love to wonder, and that is
the seed of science.
Christie Dickman Harmony Quatman
(D) (D (D) (D)
579 315 437 1,589
2o 669 176 103
93 360 387 288
27 251 208 257
131 197 560 355
6 126 1,111 331
861 1,918 2,879 2,923
A RN
Republican
Fetter __ _, 6 5 9 6 7
McCulloch .. .25 44 11 12 4
Democrat
Christie __ 0 1 2 1 2
Dickman ..........13 10 0 6 3
Harmony ...J 4 11 2 10 1
Quatman .... 0 10 9 10 o
Total vote .. .53 81 33 45 22
BY HARRY U HAL*
Editor’s Note—This is one
of a series of articles to appear
in the Bluffton News dealing
with early Ohio history. Others
will appear in forthcoming
issues.
How Every County
Began
When Archibald Woods, of Wheel
ing, who owned the land, wanted the
trees and underbrush cleared off the
streets of Woodsfield in 1814 he set
a keg of brandy where the principal
street was to be and invited every
man and boy within five miles to
“coine in, have a rousing good time
and clear out Main Street.” They did
it and so the first trees in an unbrok
en forest which was destined to be
Monroe County’s capital city were
felled.
Early pioneers were good judges
of liquor. Everybody drank it. Whis
ky then was cheap-25 cents to $1.50
a gallon, depending on the year of
purchase and unless it was at least
seven years old it was not considered
“fitten to drink.” Every cabin had
it and it was offered to every guest.
Even the preachers, who “put up” at
pioneer cabins on their long, wilder
ness circuits, took an occasional nip.
County Beginnings
The story of the beginning of
every city in Ohio is virtually the
same, differing only as did the cus
toms of the times.
Woodsfield is mentioned because it
it a typical county seat of an average
Ohio county and because its history
from the beginning has been so care
fully preserved.
Its first courthouse and jail was a
combination log affair built two years
after the first trees were cut on Main
street. Its total cost was $137—the
woodwork $100 and some stone, $37.
The next courthouse, built in 1827,
was of brick. It burned in 1867 when
another brick, costing $40,000 re
placed it.
Hewed Log Houses and Cabins
In 1820 Woodfield had 18 houses,
six of hewed logs and the remainder
just cabins, al occupied by families
who had been there at least two
years. Just as a record for posterity
we are naming them. They were:
Joseph and Ezra Driergs, John Sny
der, Anson Brewster, David Pierson,
James Phillips, Michael Davis, James
Cole, Henry H. Mott, Stephen Lind
ley, John King, Henry Jackson, Amos
B. Jones, Mrs. A. G. Hunter, Patrick
Adams, James Carruthers and a man
named Sayers. The eighteenth cabin
was the hewed-log courthouse.
Carruthers’ son, George, was the
first child bom in the town.
Woodsfield was incorporated in
1834 and again in 1836 with Henry
Johnson as first mayor, an early sett
ler in the county.
County Formed in 1813
Monroe County, founded in 1813,
was settled first by Philip Witten,
from Wheeling Robert McEldowney,
1794 Jacob Vellom. the same year
and the Vanderwarters. Honthornes,
Atkinsons, 1798, at the mouth of Sun
fish Creek—now Clarington. The
Crows, Clinei and Dyes soon fol
lowed.
Excepting for the names, exact
dates and locations, the foregoing is
a story identical with that of every
other county’ and county seat in Ohio.
All of them began the seme wny, ex
perienced the same hardships, priva
(Continued on page 8)
BLUFFTON
A Good Place to Trade
NUMBER 25
CORN HARVESTING
IS COMPLICATED BY
EARLY FROST HERE
Many Fields in Bluffton Area
Killed By Frost 10 Days
Before Maturity
Whether to Put Green Corn in
Crib or Leave It in the
Field Is Debated
Soft corn, found in many Bluffton
area fields this fall because last
week's heavy frost caught much of
the crop before it had reached ma
turity, has presented farmers with
their most complicated harvesting
problem in many a year.
Many farm observers were pre
dicting this week that the trend of
recent years toward the use of com
pickers will be reversed this fall,
basing their forecasts on statements
by agriculture authorities that
chances of the ears drying out in
shocks are better than in a crib,
providing shocks are not too large
and are well made.
Grain can be left in shock until
dry enough to crib, even though it
should take all winter, it was point
ed out, but that harvested by corn
pickers must immediately be put
into storage.
Small, well-made shocks were re
commended, for green corn, high in
moisture content, may be affected by
mold if an average size shock with
considerable fodder is erected.
Com prevented from fully matur
ing by the late September frost ac
tually could be handled with best
results if we went back to a mode
of husking that has largely passed
out of the picture, it was pointed
out. This would entail leaving the
ears on standing stalks until they
are thoroughly dried, then proceed
ing w’ith husking.
However, those farmers w’ho want
to use this year’s com ground for
fall winter wheat, must get the com
out of the way immediately and will
have to make the choice between
cutting and shocking, or harvesting
with a picker.
It has been estimated that the
'killing frost of last week, coming
about 10 days earlier than normal
after planting of the crop had been
delayed last spring, cost Ohio corn
farmers millions of dollars. Com
specialists said, however, that the
exact extent of damage will depend
on what kind of drying weather w*e
get in October and November.
Olive Branch Church
Homecoming Sunday
Olive Branch Evangelical United
Brethren church will hold its annual
homecoming and rally day, Sunday.
Special services will open with
Sunday school at 9:30 o’clock fol
lowed by morning worship when Rev.
Walter Purdy of Rawson will de
liver the sermon.
A basket dinner W’ill be held at
the noon hour and Prof. John Klass
en of the Bluffton college art depart
ment will be the afternoon speaker.
Bank W ill Observe
Columbus Day Monday
The Citizens National bank W’ill
be closed all day next Monday in
observance of Columbus Day. Observ
ance of the day will be on Monday
since the holiday this year falls on
Sunday.
Dr. Gordon Bixel At
Optometric Congress
Dr. Gordon Bixel is attending the
Mid-Continent Optometric congress
in Milwaukee the first part of this
week, and will return to his office
here on Thursday. Principal con
gress speaker will be Dr. Ward Hal
stead, authority on human behavior
following ablations of brain areas.
Real Estate Deals
The McCabe egg interests of At
tica, Mich., have purchased from Da
vid Reichenbach the brick building on
North Main street adjoining the town
house which has been occupied by the
Reynolds Bros, produce firm.
Justin Gratz has purchased the
Railroad street property of the late
Mrs. Florence Sechler. He and his
family will occupy the property soon,
moving from an apartment in the
W. H. Gratz property on South Jack
son street.
E. C. Romey, cashier of the Citi
zens National bank who was in
jured in an automobile accident ten
days ago is improving at Bluffton
hospital.