The Bluffton news. [volume], December 29, 1949, Image 1

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

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
I
Happy
A
ew Year
VOLUME LXXIV
BURGLAR FAILS IN
ROBBERY ATTEMPT
AT FARM BUREAU
Office at Warehouse South of
Bluffton, Scene of Attempted
Looting
Room Filled with Gas After
After Attempt to Force En
trance of Safe
Tear gas automatically released
when the office safe was tampered
with, together with an automatic re
locking device, last Wednesday night
foiled an attempted robbery at the
Allen County Farm Bureau Co-op
warehouse, two miles south of Bluff
ton on the Dixie highway.
Potency of effects of the tear gas
bomb attached to the safe is seen in
the fact that nothing else in the office
was molested. Apparently the gas
filled office forced the burglar to
leave in a hurry, without a chance to
disturb anything else in the office.
When Wilson Naas, manager of the
establishment, discovered the attempt
ed robbery upon his arrival Thursday
morning, he found the office filled
with fumes from the bomb, which
apparently had been set off
few hours earlier.
Not Amateur’s Work
Evidence indicated that the attempt
to loot the safe was not the w’ork of
an amateur.
Authorities conducting the investi
gation said there is no evidence the
attempt to crack the Farm Bureau
safe had any connection with burg
laries of two Bluffton business places
one night earlier, Tuesday of last
week. In connection with the Bluffton
burglaries, thieves also took an auto
mobile owned by Jack Koontz from
its parking place in the business
district.
Heart Attack Fatal
To Menno Burkholder
New
only a
Tear Gas Surprise
robbery
of tear
The burglar’s attempted
met with the surprise blast
gas when he had smashed the com
bination knob of the safe. The auto-
An automobile stolen from
downtown Bluffton as the after
math to burglary of two local
business establishments Tuesday
night of last week was recovered
in a Lima parking lot. Lima
police discovered the auto and
returned it Thursday to Jack
Koontz, its owner.
There have been no further
developments in investigation of
the burglaries and the car theft.
niatic relocking device also blocked
further attempts to open the safe,
and there were indications that the
prowler beat a hasty retreat.
Entrance to the building had been
effected by prying open a portion of
the sheet metal siding and then forc
ing open an inside office door.
Footprints indicated that the burg
lary attempt was staged by a lone
operator who apparently came upon
the building from the Nickel Plate
railroad tracks at the rear of the
structure. Authorities working on
the case took impressions of the foot
prints for further investigation.
75, promin-
Menno S. Burkholder,
ent retired farmer, died suddenly at
his home two miles west of Bluffton,
Tuesday night at 12:25 o’clock.
Death was due to a heart attack.
He had not been ill.
He was born May 31, 1874 in the
Swiss Settlement near Bluffton, the
son of Samuel and Lydia (Steiner)
Burkholder. On December 6, x900
he married Lavina Augsburger who
survives. They observed their 49th
wedding anniversary this month.
Surviving are two sons Truman
and Oliver at home and a daugh
ter, Mrs. Stanley Bixel of Bluffton
also six grandchildren and three
great grandchildren.
Brothers surviving are John of
Rockport and Reuben of Everett,
Wash. two step-sisters Mrs. Lydia
Rufenacht and Mrs. Anna Rufenacht
both of Archbold.
He was a member of the Eben
ezer Mennonite church where fun
eral services will be held with Rev.
Howard Landes officiating. Burial
will be in the church cemetery. Time
for the services is announced, sub
ject to change, on Friday afternoon
at 2:30 o’clock.
The body is at the Paul Diller
funeral home from where it will be
removed Thursday to his residence,
there to remain until time for fun
eral services.
In the village administration there
will be a new clerk, new treasurer,
five new councilmen, three new board
of education members and one new
member on the board of public af
fairs. Former Mayor W. A. Howe,
who turned over the office to Arden
Baker two years ago, will return to
the village’s chief executive post
again at the start of the new year.
Many Changes
Richland township’s official family
also will undergo some changes,
there being one new trustee, one
justice of the peace and two
constables.
Forrest
Three incoming members of the
board of education are new—Rev. V.
C. Oppermann, Paul Stauffer and
Dr. B. W. Travis. They succeed
Leland Diller, Norman Triplett and
Paul Diller.
Gifts Galore Awaiting
On the township board of trustees
Fred C. Badcrtscher was re-elected
for another term, and Jesse Yoakam
was elected a new member of the
board.
Steiner,
holdover
New Year to See Many
New Town Officials
of
w Incumbents in Nine
Twelve Elective Positions
Here
Mayor, Clerk, Treasurer
and Five of Six
Councilmen
Bluffton’s turnover in elective
office holders when officials elected
last November take office on Jan. 1
will be one of the greatest in the
history of the town.
Of the 12 municipal elective posts,
including board of education, for
which new terms start at the first of
the year, only three will be filled by
incumbents.
Two of the three carryover of
ficials arc on the three-man board of
public affairs, but for the other 10
town posts, Councilman Frank Todd
is the only one now in office.
new
new
join
Five new members who will
incumbent Todd on the village coun
cil include Edwin Badcrtscher, Wil
liam Gaiffe, Clay Henderson, Donald
Ream and Everett Sutermeister.
A. J. B. Longsdorf, former super
intendent of schools will succeed
Charles Emans as city clerk and
E. M. Hostetler, assistant cashier of
the Citizen’s National bank, will take
over the treasurer
C. Stettler.
post from Sidney
Organize
the municipal of
be the board of
Two of the former
Board To
Least affected in
fice turnover will
public affairs,
members, Forrest Steinman and
Harvey Beidler, were re-elected. The
new member will be Joel Kimmel,
who succeeds Edgar Conaway.
Yoakam succeeds
Albert Augsburger is
member of the board.
Albert
Richland
peace.
dam, was re-elected
position.
Watson
the
New Constables
Winkler will be
township justice
Stanley Vertner, of
to
new
the
of
Beaver-
the same
Two new constables, both elected
by writeins in the absence of candi
dates with names on the ballots, are
John Garlinger, of Bluffton, and
O. K. Burns, of Beaverdam.
Bluffton village’s new officers all
will take over on the first day of
the new year. Mayor Howe will
relieve the incumbent mayor at mid
night on Dec. 31, and the new council
will meet for the first time next
Monday night.
Plans for a two weeks’ evangelis
tic campaign in the Bluffton-Pan
dora area were announced the first
of the week by the Tri-County Evan
gelistic association which conducted
a similar movement a year ago.
Capt. Edgar Bundy of Wheaton,
Ill., and Mr. and Mrs. Iner Basing
er of Parkersburg, W. Va., formerly
of Pandora, have been engaged as
speaker and song evangelists re
spectively.
White Christmas
Misses Bluffton
4 For Second Year
BLUFFTON missed a White
Christmas for the second succes
sive year last Sunday when mild
weather and sunny skies greeted
the Yuletide.
Altho the temperature reached
readings in the lower fifties dur
ing the day, it missed the record
for a warm Christmas establish
ed in 1932 when a mark of 61
degrees was recorded.
Bluffton’s last snow on the
Yuletide came in 1947 when
there was a blanket of two
inches on the ground.
BLUFFTON DISTRICT
WILL GREET NEW
YEAR WITH GAIETY
Watch Parties and Bands of
Carolers to Welcome 1950
Saturday Night
Busines Places and Industries
To Suspend Operations
Next Monday
holi
id-
area
Culmination of the Yuletide
day season will be reached at
night Saturday when Bluffton
residents usher in the New Year in
traditional fashion with ringing bells,
shrieking whistles, tooting horns
unrestrained gaiety.
and
will
the
Watch parties in many homes
add color and cheerfulness to
New Year’s eve observance theatre
parties are planned by some, and in
other cases the passing of the old
year will be observed by staying at
home and listening to radio pro
grams in keeping with the season.
Bands of merry carolers are plan
ning their traditional rounds of the
town and countryside, to sing the
favorite Swiss songs of the season,
as another feature marking the debut
of the year.
Holiday Monday
Announce Plans For Two Weeks
Evangelistic Campaign In January
Services will be held in St. John
Mennonite church east of Pandora
from January 16 through the 21st
and at Bluffton high school auditor
ium from January 22 through 29.
Rev. A. L. Schmidt of Pandora is
With New Year’s Day falling on
Sunday, the holiday will be general
ly observed heer next Monday, with
local business places and industries
suspending activity over
holiday weekend.
the long
mail
rural
office
no
As usual there will be
delivery on either town
routes and windows at the
will be closed thruout
or
post
day.
1949, the
the
With the passing of
gaiety of the holiday season comes
to a close and the color and cheer
of the Yuletide soon will be absorbed
in the rush of everyday affairs.
Christmas decorations will come
down for another year and the gaily
decked trees will be discarded,
symbolizing the end of another cele
bration of the community’s favorite
holiday season.
Bluffton High and Grade school
students will return to their classes
next Tuesday morning and Bluffton
college will resume its classroom
schedule on the same day.
Humans contract brucellosis from
contact with diseased animals or by
drinking raw milk from infected
cows.
chairman of the committee on ar
rangements Joe Thompson and Clar
ence Diller, both of Bluffton, are
secretary and treasurer respectively.
Committee chairmen are: Outside
services, Rev. F. S. Harder, Pan
dora finance, John Tosh, Bluffton
delegations, Noah Schumacher, Pan
dora ushers, Ralph Basinger, Pan
dora publicity, Irene Schumacher,
Pandora.
Seriously Ill
a pa
Mrs. Martha Burkholder is
tient at Bluffton hospital.
Cecil Hartman is ill at his
south of Bluffton on Bentley
home
road.
THE BLUFFTON NEWS
A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF BLUFFTON AND VICINITY
BLUFFTON, OHIO, THURSDAY, DEC. 29, 1949
Tear Gas Bomb Blocks Sale Cracker37NUMBER
A'
/A
I
Bluffton ended 1949 with a year of
unparalleled activity marking a
continuation of the* revitalized in
dustrial, business, mJ^cipal and ex
pansion program which got under
way here shortly after the close of
World War II, back in 1945.
General construction activity ano
expansion reaching into all four
fields, and marking the growth of a
bigger and better Bluffton, easily
qualified as the most noteworthy
Bluffton’s Business Men’s associa
tion has rounded out a year of busy
activity during 1949 under the di
rection of Ed Rice, retiring presi
dent.
Rice will be succeeded on Jnauary
1 by Silas Diller, new head of the
organization.
Other official changes in the or
gazation at the first of the year
will be: H. W. Raid and Forrest
Steinman, vice-presidents, to be suc
ceeded by Hiram Huser Paul Gred
ing, treasurer, to be succeeded by Al
Ingalls Hiram Huser, secretary, to
be succeeded by Harlan Swank.
Special activity promotions of the
association during the last year n
cluded the followng:
Dollar Days in February—Ed
Waitermire, Silas Diller and Ray
mond Greding, committee.
Fourth of July Rodeo (participa
tion with other community organi
zations) Paul Greding, William
Gaiffe, Silas DiBer, Morris Fett and
Clarence Brunn, committee.
Bluffton Merchants Association
Completes Busy Year Of Activity
Cleanup-Paintup-Fixup Week
May 5-12.
Summer Promotion—Dick Troy,
Bill Edwards, Harold Balmer, Ralph
Patterson, Charles Lloyd, committee.
Christmas Decoration committee—
Art Amstutz and James West.
Swimming Pool Committee—Ed
Chamberlain, E. A. Sutermeister.
i Halloween Party Dave Risser,
chairman.
Christmas Entertainment (Santa
Claus, Etc.)—James Szabo, Chas.
Aukerman.
Grievance committee—Silas Diller,
William Gaiffe, Raymond Greding
(Membership Promotion Drive—Ralph
Basinger and James Steiner, chair
men New Business Committee—
Wilford Geiger, H. W. Raid, E. S.
Lape.
During the year the organization
had a total membership of 47. Reg
ular meeting night is the last Wed
nesday of each month. Four ban
quets were held during the year.
New committee chairmen named
by Diller, the incoming president, in
clude: Joe Swank, publcity and new
business Morris Fett, membership
Raymond Greding, grievance Chas.
Aukerman, solicitation.
Arrival of Blufftons First New
,?. .X
■■v* '.
K(f
k' 7«U
Bluffton Marks 1949
as Progressive Year
events 12 months.
Bluff“king-size”
progran^^^fe$^|®^%«d mp'rove
ment» anything in many
years, was one oT’the highlighte-sf
a season marked by busy activity in
many fields.
City Improvements
Included in the major activities of
the village administration during
the year were an $8,000 program
(Continued on page 12)
Mrs. Henry Habegger
Rites Held Monday
Funeral services were held Mon
day afternoon in the First Mennon
ite church for Mrs. Mary Ann Ha
begger, 75, wife of Henry C. Ha
begger, who died suddenly last Fri
day evening in Bluffton Community
hospital of a heart ailment.
Born in Putnam county March 20,
1874, she was the daughter of Chris
tian and Marie (Welty) Zimmerly.
She married Mr. Habegger on Aug
ust 25, 1898.
In addition to the husband she
is survived by six children: Mrs.
Carl Hector, McComb Mrs. Cecil
Flick, Bluffton Route 1 Mrs. Glenn
Schafer, Findlay Route 6 Richard
and Merl Habegger, both of Bluff
ton: and Vincent Habegger of Raw
son. There are nine grandchildren,
one great-grandchild and one step
grandchild.
Also surviving are the following
brothers and sisters: Mrs. Joshua
Amstutz, Mrs. Caroline Augsburger,
Mrs. William Habegger and Mrs. Al
bert Lehman, all of Pandora Leon
ard and Arden Zimmerly, of Pan
(Continued on page 12)
Three union church services will
mark Bluffton’s observance of the
Universal Week of Prayer, Janu
ary 1 through the 8th, it was an
nounced this week by Rev. V. C.
Oppermann, president of the Bluff
ton Ministerial association, sponsor
ing organization.
First of the Week of Prayer
services will be at 7:30 p. m. Sun
day in the First Mennonite church.
Rev. Oppermann will be in the pul
pit.
to
SSSSsv. ‘"T Jtfi
Three Union Church Services Will
Mark Week Of Prayer Observance
Second meeting of the series is
set for 7:30 p. m. Tuesday in the
Presbyterian church with Rev. Frank
1
i
Stores To Close
New Year’s Eve
ftlufftoh retail stores will close
Saturday, New Year’s eve at 6
p. m., it is announced by officers
of the Business Men’s Associa
tion.
/. P. Owens, Former
Mayor, Buried Here
Funeral services were held here.
Wednesday morning in St. Marys
Catholic church for Joseph P. Owens,
67, mayor of Bluffton from 1910 to
1912, who died Sunday in Veterans
hospital at Dearborn, Michigan.
A Bluffton native, Owens had lived
in Detroit for more than 30 years
and had been an official in the De
troit post office snee 1920.
Owens was an attorney when he
served as mayor of Bluffton. He
was elected to the offee when he was
only 28 years old, and is the young
est mayor in Bluffton history. His
father, Andrew J. Owens, also had
served as mayor of the village.
After graduating from Bluffton
High School and Bluffton College,
Owens received his law degree at
Ohio Northern university in Ada.
While in high school and college he
was a prominent athlete. He was a
veteran of World War I.
Survivors include his wife, the
former Ada Whitman Longsworth
an adopted son, Laird Owens Came
ron, Defiance and two sisters, Mrs.
Zenobia Esely, Loudonville and Mrs.
Hortense Lowery, East Chicago, Ind.
Following Owens’ death in Dear
born, his body was brought to the
Basinger funeral home in Bluffton
where it remained until time for
the funeral rites Wednesday morn
ing. The Rev. C. J. Yeager officiat
ed at the services. Burial was in
Maple Grove cemetery.
Batterson appearing as the speaker.
Closing the observance will be a
meeting at 8 p. m. Thursday of
next week in the St. John’s Re
formed church. Rev. Harry Yoder
will be the speaker.
Theme for the week is “A Living
Witness for a Lost World.” The
Universal Week of Prayer is spon
sored by the Federal Council of
Churches.
On the committee to arrange Bluff
ton’s series of services were Rev.
J. N. Smucker and Rev. Paul H.
Cramer.
Happy
Yew Year
Year Baby
PARENTS TO SHARE
WITH LUCKY BABE
IN LAVISH GIFTS
Hospital Announcement to
Determine Hour of Birth
of Infant
Bluffton's Baby Derby to Start
at Midnight Saturday
Night
Gifts by the truckload will be
showered on the first 1950 baby from
the Bluffton area born in the Com
munity hospital here, with more
than 60 local business places offer
ing prizes in a gigantic New Year’s
Baby Derby.
Most of the gift-jackpot will go to
the baby, but the lucky father and
mother also will share in the awards
with a wide variety of offerings in
cluding everything from ice cream to
coal.
The first baby bom in the Bluffton
hospital after the stroke of 12 Sat
urday night will be the King or
Queen of the baby derby, if his par
ents live within a 10-mile radius of
the place of birth, participating mer
chants announced.
Complete derby rules are as fol
lows:
Rules of Award
1. The baby must be born in
Bluffton Community hospital.
(Continued on page 12)
REICHENBACH IS
NEW CHAIRMAN OF
RECREATION GROUP
Winter Program of Recreation
Committee To Start Next
Week, Chairman Says
Ed Chamberlain Named Vice
Chairman Secretary To
Be Selected
Ralph Reichenbach has been elected
new chairman of the Bluffton Recrea
tion committee and will direct ac
tivities of the organization during the
coming year.
Ed Chamberlain will sen’e as vice
chairman, and the secretary for the
organization will be named later.
Both Reichenbach and Chamberlain
have served as members of the com
mittee during the past year.
Usual winter recreation activities
sponsored by the committee, and
which have not yet been started this
year, will get under way early in
January, Reichenbach announced.
Open Program Monday
The new officers are completing
plans for the program due to open
next Tuesday at the high school gym
nasium for young men. Recreation
for women will be held every Tuesday
night in the Bluffton college gym
nasium.
Saturday morning programs for
boys and girls wlil be held from 9:00
to 11:30 A. M. each week, beginning
Jan. 7. Coach Richard Lowry will
be in charge of the boys program in
the high school gymnasium, and Miss
Theola Steiner will direct girls’ ac
tivities in the high school gymnasium.
Ed Badertscher is retiring president
of the committee.
Births
The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr. and Mrs. Lehr Reese, Raw
son, a boy, Ronald J., last Wednes
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Diller, Bluff
ton, a girl, Barbara Jean last Wed
nesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Crawford,
Jenera, a girl, Mary Jane, Thurs
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Emory Benroth,
Bluffton, a boy, Ronald Gene, Satur
day.
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Burns, Gilboa,
a girl, Tuesday.
Mr. and Mrs. Wm. Snyder, Akron,
Pa., a girl, Sharon Christine, bom
at that place, Monday. Mrs. JJnyder
is the former Lucille Steiner of
Bluffton.
Hi