The Bluffton news. [volume], December 09, 1948, Image 1

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BLUFFTON
A Good Place To Live
VOLUME LXXIII
COUNCIL APPROVES
NEW STORM SEWER
ON CHERRY STREET
Sewer To Handle Storm Water
Will Run From Mound Street
to Big Riley Creek
Project Marks Start of Long
Range Program Aimed at
Remedying Situation
Bluffton’s outmoded storm sewer
system, the cause of flooded streets
and basements in many areas, will
be remedied.-on a piecemeal basis as
funds are available, under a long
range program inaugurated this
week at a meeting of the town
council.
First project in a move to relieve
harrassed property owners in areas
where old sewers no longer will
handle the volume of storm water,
will involve the construction this
month of a new sewer on Cherry
street, beginning at the Mound street
intersection and continuing to Big
Riley creek.
One of the village’s oldest storm
water sewers will be replaced at an
estimated cost of $3,326.20 as the
result of a decision reached Monday
night at council meeting.
Long-Range Program
With the start of the Cherry
street program, councilmen are hope
ful of doing some storm sewer work
each year, as the availability of
funds will permit. At the best, how
ever, installation of remedial sewers
under such a program will require
years it was pointed out.
The program in no way is related
to the village’s sanitary sewer
problems, which remain the respon
sibility of individual property hold
ers, councilmen said, but action is
required on storm water drainage
because of outmoded systems still in
use in many areas of the town.
Work will be started in approxi
mately two weeks on the Cherry
street sewer, with the route follow
ing the street gutter from Mound
street to the Farmers Grain Co.
elevator.
A.t the elevator, the sewer will go
south along the railroad track ap
proximately 60 feet then under the
railroad and through the Steinman
lumber yard to Big Riley creek.
24-Inch Drain
Twenty-four-inch concrete drain
pipe will be placed through the lum
ber yard, replacing one of the town’s
earliest sewers, a box-like drain con
structed with stone slab sides and a
fence-rail top.
This old-fashioned sewer has been
breaking down repeatedly in recent
years, requiring work almost weekly
during spring and fall rainy seasons
by the town’s street department.
Provisions will be made for cellar
taps along the route of the new
storm sewer installation, but no
sanitary sewage connections may be
made, councilmen said. Several new
er sewers emptying into the sewer
in areas beyond Mound street are in
fairly good condition.
Install Masonic
Lodge Officers
Installation of newly elected of
ficers will take place at the Masonic
lodge here Monday night. Officers
to be installed are:
Worthy master, Edgar Cook
senior warden, Richard Lewis
junior warden, Kent Amstutz sen
ior deacon, Robert Ewing junior
deacon, Chas. Steiner treasurer,
Evan Basinger secretary, Ralph
Steams chaplain, Paul Cramer
senior steward, Carl Marshall jun
ior steward, Hubert Trop trustee,
Wilbur Amstutz.
Installing officers will be George
Klay, Bert Swank and Armin Hau
enstein
Preceding the lodge session a pot
luck supper will be served at 6:30
o’clock. Motion pictures of the Ma
sonic home in Springfield also will
be shown.
With The Sick
Mrs. C. Henry Smith of Campus
drive is a patient in the Dr. Ander
son sanitorium in Worthington.
John Garlinger of Geiger street
is a surgical patient in Lima Me
morial hospital.
Mrs. Edgar Hauenstein who has
been ill at her home on South Jack
son street was removed to Bluffton
hospital the first of the week.
M. M. Bogart of South Main
street continues seriously ill at
Bluffton hospital.
Mrs. M. R. Bixel, a surgical pa
tient in Bluffton hospital is improv
ing.
Mrs. Edgar Cook, a patient in the
Bluffton hospital has been removed
to her home on Spring street.
Melvin Williamson
Is On Bank Board
Melvin Williamson, Union town
ship farmer will serve the unexpired
term of the late Dr. C. H. Smith as
a member of the board of directors
of the Citizens National bank.
Action of the directors was taken
at a meeting Tuesday night. The
unexpired term will continue until
the annual stockholders meeting next
month.
TOWN MAY REDUCE
SPEED OF TRAINS
IN CROSSING JAM
Drastically Reduced Train Speed
Cited As Only Out in College
Ave. Crossing Problem
State Laws Permit Reduction of
Train Speed To 10 Miles
Hourly In Towns
Bluffton’s decade-old battle to ob
tain warning signal lights at the
hazardous East College avenue cross
ing of the Nickel Plate railroad was
heading into a new stage this week
with the municipal council consider
ing passage of legislation to limit
drastically the speed of trains thru
the town until conditions are
remedied.
Council consideration of curtailing
train speed followed filing of peti
tions signed by more than 300 local
residents demanding -warning signals,
a crossing watchman or a cutback in
the speed of trains passing the cross
ing.
In view of the stalemate resulting
from previous efforts of council to
induce the railroad to install warn
ing signals, spokesmen Monday night
notified a representative of the rail
road that restriction.' of train speed
appeared the only alternative in
complying with community protests
of the crossing hazard.
Railroad Man Here
Appearing for the Nickel Plate
at council meeting was Trainmaster
C. W. Hecker, who pointed out the
importance of railroad shipments
moving on schedule to meet close
schedules in Buffalo and St. Louis.
Speed is essential in handling rail
road consignments without delay,
and a municipal ordinance limiting
the speed of trains would seriously
affect scheduling, he told council
men.
Earlier council sentiment for speed
restrictions appeared unchanged,
however, for unless crossing protect
ion is provided, the only safeguard
for local residents at the crossing
will be a slower movement of trains,
a spokesman said-
Under state laws, a municipality
may order the reduction of speed of
trans to a rate as slow as 10
miles an hour.
Last year, a resumption of nego
tiations over College avenue crossing
lights ended in a stalemate when the
railroad proposed a $4,500 installa
tion for which the town and railroad
each would pay half.
This proposal had to be rejected
by council because limited funds
availably for municipal operations
made it impossible for the town to
share in any part of the cost of in
stallation.
Rites For Moses
Amstutz Monday
Moses J. Amstutz, 79, of Grove
street, a retired farmer, died at 4:45
p. m. last Friday in Bluffton Com
munity hospital, following a serious
illness of one week from complica
tions of diseases.
Born in Putnam county May 26,
1869, he had been a lifelong resi
dent of this community. His wife,
the former Caroline Messinger, pre
ceded him in death.
Surviving children include Mrs.
Sidney Hilty, Mt. Blanchard Mrs.
William D. Supple, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Elmer J. Amstutz, Toledo and Irvin
S. Amstutz, Bluffton.
Also surviving are two brothers
and two sisters: Mrs. Samuel Bixel,
Bluffton Mrs. Margaret Reardon,
Canton Otto Amstutz, Bluffton
and Joshua Amstutz, Pandora.
Funeral services were held Mon
day afternoon in the Ebenezer Men
nonite church, of which Mr. Amstutz
was a mmber. Rev. Howard Landes
I officiated. Burial was in the church
i cemetery.
Pandora Man Wins
Shearing Crown
Winning his third International
sheep shearing crown, Roland Burk
holder, 36, of Pandora, last week
was named International champion
at the 49th International Livestock
Exposition in Chicago.
A former Orange township man is
the center of a community contro
versy which had its inception this
fall in Darke county when Noah
Leichty, who lived near Bluffton
until a few years ago, was notified
to move from the farm on which he
is a tenant in order to make room
for two displaced
European families.
Leichty’s defense,
former local resi
presented petitions
Rallying to
neighbors of the
dent signed and
to the farm owner and management,
protesting the move and objecting to
“bringing in displaced persons from
Europe to this community and run-
Forsaking his traditional sleigh
and reindeer for the day, Santa
Claus will arrive in Bluffton by air
plane Saturday afj$rnoon and after
circling low over the town in his
ajaship will establish headquarters
in a hut on the square \wsrt fie
will distribute free gifts to all kid
dies under 12 years of age.
The modern, airborne Santa is
scheduled to land at the Bluffton
Outstanding Guest Soloists Will
Appear With Chorus of
175 Singers
Prof. Russell Lantz is Direct
ing Rendition For His
20th Season
Appearing in their 44th annual
rendition of Handel’s oratorio, “The
Messiah,” the Bluffton College Choral
Society, augmented by outstanding
guest soloists, will present the music
masterpiece that custom has made a
part of every Bluffton*. Christmas
season, at 2:30 .m. Sunday in the
high school gymnasium.
Soloists for the performance this
year will be Christine Habegger
Purves, soprano, Berne, Ind. Gayle
Howey, contralto, Lima Allan F.
Schirmer, tenor, Indianapolis,
and Wilson Jones, basso, New
City.
Of the four, Miss Howey
Jones have previously appeared here
in “Messiah” soloists roles, and are
popular with local audiences.
Prominent Vocalist
Jones, a former Limq man, now is
located in New York City where he
last summer was one of the finalists
in the second annual auditio
ducted by the Associated Cc
bureau,
a ,conc
previously
Messiah” in 1938 and 1947.
The
Modern Santa Will Forsake Sleigh
In Airplane Visit Here Saturday
44th Rendition Of “The Messiah”
Will Be Given Sunday Afternoon
Ind.,
York
and
s con
ncert
ed in
In October he appear
in Carnegie Hall.
here in
He
“The
Miss Howey, dean of women at
Lima Central High school, long has
been a prominent performer in music
circles in this area. As a contralto
soloist, she has made several prev
ious appearances here.
The tenor, Schirmer, associate
professor of voice at Indiana Central
college, Indianapolis, Ind., will be
making his 44th appearance as a
“Messiah” soloist here next Sunday.
He has appeared with many leading
choral groups.
The soprano soloist is a daughter
of Martha Baumgartner-Habegger,
Bluffton college graduate. Mrs.
Puiwes is a graduate of the Oberlin
Conservatory of Music, and is a
public
school music instructor.
175 in Chorus
175-voice Bluffton College
Society chorus also will be
Choral
featured in the annual rendition. It
will be directed by Prof. Russell A.
Lantz. A 30-piece orchestra will
play under the
Hauenstein, who
1912.
direction of Sidney
has conducted since
Mann, pianist, has
Pearl Bogart
been the accompanist since 1910.
Organized in 1902, the College
choral society first presented “The
Messiah” in 1905. Prof. Lantz
his 20th year as director.
is in
Magician At Lions
Club Ladies Night
Robert A. Wilkinson, Van Wert
magician, was the entertainer Tues
day night at a ladies night dinner
of the Bluffton Lions club attended
by more than 60 members and their
wives.
Wilkinson, an accomplished magi
cian, also has been active in politi
cal circles and has served three
terms as a member of the Ohio
House of Representatives. w
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, DEC. 9, 1948
Plan to Move Former Bluffton Man From
Farm for Displaced Persons Draws Fire
ning out our American citizens.”
Also figuring in the controversy
was Herbert Marshall, of Rockport,
manager of the farm in his capacity
with Farm Manag&ment, an organi
zation which manages farms for city
owners.
In view of the opposition of Lcich
ty’s neighbors, Marshall says there
will be no displaced families put on
the 300-acre farm which Leichty
has operated for the last three
years. Community sentiment appar
ently dictates that in view of the
circumstances no one but a native
American can be considered for the
airport at 1:45 p. m. after making
several flights over Xue village to
wave hello to ids lioBe friends be
low.
From the j^Bort ^Brill bring a
well-filled tlwKwntown hut
where he flB ir^^pew kiddie^
throughout
Arrangen«^^ofl|HpfeB appear
ance here wfre made by the Bluffton
Business Men’s association.
Blake&ley Rites Are
Held Here Monday
Funeral services were held Mon
day morning in tho Paul Diller fun
eral home for Mrs. Roscoe Blakes
ley, 53, of West Riley street, who
died in Bluffton Community hospital
at 10:35 p. m. last Friday.
Death, cauaq^J by cardiac failure,
followed an illness of 17 years. She
had been hospitalized for three
years.
A daughter of Coy and Bertha
(Cunningham) Main, she was born
in Orange township q^January 6,
1895. She married Mr. Blakesley
on July 26^919.
In addition to her husbhnu she
is survived by a daughter, Mrs.
Geneva Rammel, Bluffton a grand
son, and a sister, Mrs. Neben Fish
er, Orange township.
of
Mrs. Blakesley was a member
Riley Creek Baptist church.
Rev. Robert Turner officiated
the funeral services Monday in the
funeral home. Burial was in Maple
Grove cemetery. ..
at
Religious Visual Aid
Library Established
A religious visual aid library is
being established here by the Bluff
ton Ministerial association for the
use of churches and other interested
groups.
Picture slides and film strips will alone t:hrough
be made available at the Bluffton the river
public library where they may be Indian
checked out in the Same manner savagesI,
that books are handled, it was an­ walked
nounced this week. Half
In the library at present are a Indian
40-piece set of color slides, “Christ- cocked
mas Blessings” and a film strip en
titled “First Years of Christ’s Life.”
Under the program the association
plans to build up a large collection
of visual aids for the use of the
community.
Amos Steiner Rites
Held Here Sunday
Funeral services were held Sun
day in the Paul Diller funeral home
for Amos Steiner, 77, a native of
Bluffton and a former livestock buy
er here, who died at his residence in
Toledo, last Thursday.
Rev. David Morris, Toledo, offi
ciated
Maple Grove cemetery.
at the rites. Burial was in
A son of Joseph and Catherine
(Basinger) Steiner, he was born in
Bluffton on Jan. 15, 1871. His wife
died in August, 1947.'
Steiner had conducted a collec
tion agency in Toledo for t^e last
15 years.
Surviving are seven children, all
of Toledo a sister, Mrs. Ephriam
Amstutz, of Bluffton and a brother,
Aaron Steiner, of Ann Arbor, Mich.
Gareth Todd Passes
Embalmers State Test
Gareth Todd, son of Mr. and
Mrs. Frank Todd of South Lawn
avenue has passed the State Board
of Embalmers examination. He
finished the course at the Cleveland
College of Mortuary Science this
fall and is now employed at the
Daniels Funeral home in Lakewood.
place, he said.
Owner of the farm, Roy Jamison,
Cleveland attorney, is reportedly in
terested in the movement to settle
displaced persons in this country. It
was his idea that two displaced Lat
vian families be placed on the farm
near Bradford, about 50 miles north
of Dayton, when Leichty’s lease ex
pires next spring.
When the contemplated move be
came generally known, neighbors
lied staunchly to defense of Leichty
in an effort to protect the rights of
a fellow’ native American, who they
said was being “pushed around” for
the benefit of foreigners.
ral
o
O
U. HAL*
BY HARR.Y
Editor’s Note—This
fl one
of a series of articles to appear
in the Bluffton News dealing
with eartyOhio history. Others
will appear in forthcoming
issues. Xk'
“Rest In Peace
Adam Poe”
It is a true story that enthralled
small boys and many larger and
older ones too, 60 years ago, but
gone out of mind until one happens
to shuffle into the little Whitewater
Shaker burying-ground in the ex
treme northwest corner of Hamilton
County and finds a lop-sided, crumb
ling slab over a leveled grave on
which the bumt-in words “Adam
Poe” still are legible. The date,
obliterated by years of worms and
weather, is too rotted to read and
must be supplied by the historian
himself—“born 1745—died 1838.”
That is all left of Adam Poe,
celebrated Ohio Indian fighter and
more famous than any other, all
over America. 1
Though bom in Washington Coun
ty, Pennsylvania, Poe when young
moved to Wayne township, Columbi
ana County, where he lived with his
^ife, two sons and a daughter,
a log cabin qn the w’est fork
Little Beaver creek.
in
of
Pursue Murderers
Adam Joe’s most famed fight with
the Indians was in 1782, the day
after seven Wyandotte Indians had
found an old white man alone in his
cabin near the Ohio River below
Pittsburgh and had killed and scalp
ed him, making off with all the
plunder they, found in the hut. Poe
and his brother, Andrew, were
members of a group of eight expert
riflemen who started in pursuit of
the savages.
They hunted all night for an In
dian track but found none until the
next morning when they discovered
a trace of the Indians leading to
wards the river. Fearing an am
bush, Poe hid his party and crawled
weeds and brush to
bank where he saw the
rafts moored. Seeing no
Poe arose and stealthily
down the river bank,
way down he
and a little
and ready, peering iu the
saw “a big
one” with guns
direction of his hiddeh posse, whose
presence had been betrayed by
snap of a twig.
Deadly Combat
but
Poe aimed at the big Indian
his rifle missed fire. The click of
the gun-lock betrayed his where
abouts and one Indian raised his
gun. Too late to retreat, Poe threw
away his useless gun and tackled
both savages single handed. He
grabbed the big one by his breast
cloth and got his arm around the
smaller one’s neck and all three fell
to the ground, Poe on top.
But the little Indian jerked free,
secured a tomahawk and raised it to
kill Poe, who had been turned over
and pinned to the ground
larger and more powerful
The white man escaped the
kicking the
stomach and
of his hand,
struck—this
Poe saved himself from death by
taking the blow on his forearm,
which nearly was severed from his
body.
by the
redskin,
blow by
in the
little Indian
the weapon spun out
Recovering it he again
time successfully but
In the struggle which followed Poe
broke loose from the Indians, grab
bed up one of their guns and shot
the smaller Indian through the chest.
Then, one adversary dead, he closed
in for a death struggle with the big
Indian. First one on top then the
other, the two men struggled until,
slipping off the muddy river bank,
both fell into the water. There, each
tried to drown the other.
Race For River Bank
head
Poe finally got the Indian’s
(Continued on page 6)
Morris Musser Named
Bluffton Trustee
Morris Musser, of Smithville, last
week was elected to the board of
trustees of Bluffton college to fill
the unexpired term of his father-in
law, A. C. Ramseyer.
Ramseyer, a Smithville master
farmer, had served as a trustee of
the college for many years, and long
had been actively interested in the
school. He died aboard ship enroute
to Europe last summer.
Musser graduated from Bluffton
in 1980.
TRAPPERS HIT AS
FUR VOLUME AND
PRICES FALL OFF
’ake of Muskrat on Trap lanes
Reported Substantially
Less
Market Prices Sag Surplus
Raccoons Poses Problem
Here
of
Trapping done extensively
streams thruout the Bluffton
this year is not yielding the bonai
returns of 1944 and 1945 because
a combination of sagging prices for
furs, plus the fact that trappers
generail:
peak
this
area
a
are having a poor season,
addition to being far below the
prices paid in 1944 and 1945,
year’s furs also are bringing
than during the last season
which in themselves had slumped
from the wartime level.
In
Muskrat prices this year are
around $L75 per pelt, in comparison
with the 1947 price of $2.25. High
mark for muskrat pelts was in
when they brought $3.50.
1945
Many Raccoon
Raccoon the other principal
bearing animal trapped in
fur
this
district are very plentiful, but the
price has dropped to a low of $1.50
and few hunters or trappers are
paying much attention to them.
Last year raccoon pelts brought
$1.75, and the puce in 1945 was
$3.25.
Muskrat catches so far this season
have been lower than normal by
nearly one-half. Veteran trappers
attribute the shortage to fiver-trap
ping during the bonanza war-time
years, plus high water conditions
which have prevailed most of the
time since the present season opened.
One of the reasons for the abund
ance of raccoon in this
tributed to the extensive re-stocking
programs carried on in past years
(Continued on page 10)
area is at-
Funeral Home Opening
Saturday And Sunday
The Paul Diller funeral home on
South Main street, recently re
modeled will hold open house Satur
day and Sunday, it was announced
the first of the week.
A building program begun early
last summer has been completed
recently in which the chapel is en
larged and a display room added
together with modern preparatory
room and improved garage
for ambulance service.
the facilities
organ in
will be
Programs on the electric
the funeral home chapel
given Saturday and Sunday after
noons and evenings by Prof. Otto
Holtkamp of the Bluffton college
conservatory and favors will be
presented to all visitors.
Births
following births at Bluffton
The
Community hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Dukes, Find
lay, a boy, Christopher Wayne last
Wednesday.
and Mrs. Wm. Seyer, Jr., Ot
a girl, Jacqueline Sue, Thurs-
Mr.
tawa,
day.
Mr.
lington,,
Thursday.
r. and
Arlington, a girl, Patricia Elaine,
Thursday.
and
a
Mrs. Harry Davis, Ar
boy, Dana Frederic,
Mrs. Raymond Oates,
Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Hart, Pan
dora, a boy, Jerry Lee, Sunddy.
Mr. and Mrs. John Timbers, Con
tinental, a boy,
Sunday.
Mr. and Mrs.
Bowling Green, a
len, Monday.
I Rev. and Mrs.
Charles Edward,
Kenneth Green,
boy, Edward Al-
Leroy Thompson.
Ada, a boy, Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Justus G. Holsinger
of LaPlata, Puerto Rico, a boy, Don
ald Charles, November 27. Mr. Hol
singer taught history and political
science at Bluffton college for the
past two years.
BLUFFTON
A Good Place To Trade
NUMBER 34
STATE MAY FORCE
TOWN INTO SEWAGE
DISPOSAL ACTION
egislation Compelling Sewage
Disposal Treatment Expect
ed Next Year
Ohio Action Will Be Outgrowth
Of Pact Against Pollution
of Streams
State legislation expected to be
enacted at the next session of Ohio’s
legislature may bring to a head
Bluffton’s long-deferred action on
construction of a sewage disposal
system and plant here much earlier
than anyone had expected.
Testimony introduced last week at
the Maumee valley watershed con-,
servancy district hearing disclosed
that all Ohio cities without sewage
treatment plants may be compelled
immediately to proceed with con
struction.
The prediction was made by Fred
H. W’aring, chief engineer of the
sanitation division.
New Legislation Planned
Testifying at the hearing, Waring
said Ohio is obligated to pass
legislation ordering the construction
of sewage treatment plants in all
municipalities which do not now have
them.
He said the obligation arises from
a previous act which authorized
Ohio to sign an eight-state Ohio
river anti-pollution compact now ef
fective, but for which the state
lacks the power to proceed with
forcement.
Waring testified the bill to
troduced at the next session
state legislati
wide compliar
Bluffton would be compelled to
action, altho streams passing
here do not empty into th a
now
en-
in
the
be
of
state
Hence
take
thru
will make
Ohio
3 Sewage Systems in Area
In his testimony, the
engineer said that altho 56 munic
ipalities in the Maumee basin have
waterworks, only 13 have sewage
treatment plants. The only cities
-sewage- in this area are
Columbus Grove, Findlay and Lima.
state
Waring said further that about 40
(Continued on page 10)
Bowling Green Man
Is Dinner Speaker
tyfonthly dinner-discussion meeting
of high school principals of a five
county area will be held in the
Bluffton high school cafeteria, Thurs
day night at 6:30 o’clock.
Some 30 .principals are expected
here from high schools in Hancock,
Putnam, Hardin, Van Wert and Al
len bounties. After dinner speaker
xfcill be Dr. Ralph Geer of Bowling
Green State university who will
speak on student guidance.
i[,utterbein Estate
Valued At $11,800
Estate of A. J. Lutterbein, of
near Beaverdam, is estimated at
$11,800, of which $10,000 is in real
estate and $1,800 in personal proper
ty, according to papers filed last
week in Allen county probate court.
Letters of administration have
been issued to Mrs. Myrtle Lutter
bein, the widow.
Bluffton Man Is
Head Of Lima Club
Dr. J. S. Schultz, Bluffton college
dean, has been elected president of
the Lima Torch club, an organiza
tion of Bluffton, Ada and Lima pro
fessional men. He will address the
club’s December meeting on the sub
ject “The State, Church and Indi
vidual.”
Slight Damage In
Watkins Roof Fire
Slight damage resulted
minor roof fire at the John
residence on Cherry street,
day noon.
from a
Watkins’
last Fri-
The fire was discovered by neigh
bors, who called the fire department.
In the meantime, another neighbor
Ross Bogart had extinquished the
blaze with a garden hose.
Dr. Rodabaugh On
County Health Board
—W----------
Dr. F. D. Rodebaugh, Bluffton,
has been named bv the Allen County
Board of Health to fill the vacancy
created by the death of Dr. M. R.
Bixel, of this place. The Bluffton
physician attended his first meeting
of the board, last week.