Excerpts from The Chronicle
March through July, 1903
THE CHRONICLE, VOL. 16, NO. 45, MARCH 12, 1903
County uniformity of school books was adopted on Monday by the rural voters of the county by a large majority. Advices from Sac City say that returns from all townships but Wheeler and Sac have been received and that every one of the 14 but Viola gave a majority for the change. The opposition in Viola is attributed to the fact that township uniformity was adopted there not long ago and the voters did no want to make another change of books. Supt. Jump and the country voters are to be congratulated on the inauguration of a system that will increase the efficiency of the rural schools and save their patrons money.
The Engstrom & Huglin Drug company installed a private gas machine in their store last week, but the insurance companies refused to carry policies on the building or contents if the machine was used, consequently it will be shipped back. The firm ordered the machine before the municipal gas company was organized and tried to cancel the order later. The makers refused to take it back, but must do so now under their contract.
John Erickson and P. O. Hedberg returned from the Pacific coast Sunday evening.
THE CHRONICLE. VOL. 16. NO. 49. APRIL 9, 1903.
Little Albert Fisher had to submit to another surgical operation last Saturday. A quart of pus was removed, and his physician thinks that he has now a better chance of recovery than at any time since the beginning of his illness.
THE CHRONICLE, VOL. 16, NO. 51, APRIL 23, 1903
The walls and ceilings of the rooms in the First National Bank building occupied by the Masonic fraternity have been artistically frescoed, the work being done by Erik Eriksson.
Cloid H. Smith and Henry W. Petersmeyer of this place, together with parties at Jefferson interested in the New State Telephone and Telegraph company, have purchased the entire system of the Sioux Valley Telephone company with headquarters at Cherokee. The purchase includes the exchanges owned by the company at Cherokee and Correctionville and a large toll line mileage. They will immediately incorporate as the Cherokee County Telephone company, with a capital of $100,000 having headquarters at Cherokee. Ira Conger of Cherokee will be president and manager of the new company and Cloid H. Smith, secretary. They expect to spend considerable money during the coming summer on repairs and extensions.
Dr. A. Gromann expects to leave Saturday for Chicago to attend the 25th anniversary celebration of the graduation of his class from medical college. The class numbered 28 and all but two are living and expect to attend the reunion.
THE CHRONICLE, VOL. 16, NO. 52, APRIL 30, 1903
Arthur Advertiser: On last Friday about a dozen or more of the neighbors of John Scott took their teams, seeders, discs and harrows and went to his place and put in about 50 acres of small grain. They took their dinners along and thoroughly enjoyed the day. There were 56 horses in the field and every round counted. John has been sick in bed the past week and was unable to put in his crop. This is the kind of brotherly love that amounts to something and John will never forget his neighbors' kindness
THE CHRONICLE, VOL. 17, NO. 1, MAY 7, 1903
Forty-one German counts, barons and landed proprietors will arrive in Odebolt next Wednesday morning and spend the day inspecting the Cook farm and the feeding experiments now in progress there under the direction of the State College of Agriculture. Three of the party are representatives of the German government and the others are men interested in agriculture. They are making a tour of the United States for the purpose of investigating crop growing and stock raising. They landed at New York last Saturday and will come here from Ames. It has been suggested that the mayor present to them the freedom of the city and that a committee be appointed to take the distinguished guests around to the refreshment stands and quench the thirst that every true son of the Fatherland is supposed to carry with him; in order that they may be able to give a good account of Odebolt to Kaiser Wilhelm.
THE CHRONICLE, VOL. 17, NO. 3, MAY 21, 1903
Register and Leader: "The German agriculturalists who visited the college and went to Odebolt last week were undoubtedly well pleased with what they saw in Iowa," said Professor C. F. Curtiss, dean of the department of agriculture at the institution at Ames. "They were much impressed with the way in which the Cook farm at Odebolt is conducted. Some of them talked of purchasing land in this state. Mr. Von Fluegge, a wealthy land owner of Pommern, has an estate of about the same size as the Cook farm, which consists of 7,300 acres. He told me that he had about four times as many men to run his place as are found necessary at the farm at Odebolt. This is what impressed him most of all in his visit there, the economical way in which the farm is managed, through modern machinery and the most approved and up-to-date methods of handling everything."
THE CHRONICLE, VOL. 17, NO. 3, MAY 21, 1903
Compliments of the Season.
Sloan Star: Billy Hamilton's ODEBOLT CHRONICLE is sixteen years old. It is one of the brightest, best and most fearless newspapers in Iowa. It is likewise prosperous and its editor deserves to be happy.
Anthon Herald: The ODEBOLT CHRONICLE is sweet sixteen and as handsome as a peach. May it live and prosper and never have occasion to ask for a divorce from its editor, Billy Hamilton--one of the best newspaper men in Iowa and a prince of good fellows at all times.
Scranton Journal: THE ODEBOLT CHRONICLE has completed 16 years under W. E. Hamilton, one of the brainiest and best writers in the state. He is a man who has convictions and expresses them. This paper has watched him closely for 16 years and no writer of our acquaintance has kept nearer the middle of the road of progressive republicanism. We like W. E. Hamilton; he is as true to his friends as the needle to the pole and no paper in Iowa is recognized more than THE CHRONICLE. It is a splendid newspaper.
[The first Chronicle was published on May 27, 1887]
THE CHRONICLE. VOL. 17. NO. 4. MAY 28, 1903.
Nine pupils will be graduated from the Odebolt high school today. The following is the class roll with thesis subjects: Tena Anderson, Iowa's Resources; Hazel Bennett, An Ideal Home; David Beardsley, Sac County's two Great Farms; Flora Buehler, The Opportunities of a High School Graduate; Mary Crichton, The Critical Period; Flora Reynolds, Old Landmarks of Odebolt; Carolyne Schultz, The Odebolt Schools as Pin Factory; Ben Shultz, Odebolt in the Year Two Thousand; Jessie Turner, The Needs of Our Village. The class motto is "At the Flaming Forge of Life Our Fortunes Must Be Wrought." The colors are black and gold and the carnation is the class flower.
An Encampment Incident.
A special dispatch from the G. A. R. Encampment at Cedar Rapids last week Wednesday gives a very touching incident which took place at the Auditorium Tuesday evening. The dispatch reads:
"Mrs. Hutchison of the W. R. C. came forward and said that she could not make a speech and would not at that time and place if she could, but she desired to tell a story. After one of the great battles of the civil war there was a wounded soldier boy who was placed in an army ambulance and jolted over nine miles of corduroy road, every jolt causing intense agony in his wounded limb. At the end of this agonizing nine miles the army ambulance came to a field hospital and the young soldier asked the nurse if she could let him have a bed to put in the ambulance. The nurse replied that it was against the regulations, but she added: "I can steal a bed for you," and she did. She placed the bed in the ambulance and made the wounded soldier as comfortable as was in her power, bathing his feet and giving him food and drink. The young soldier resumed his journey to Washington, the suffering mitigated by the bed which the nurse had stolen for him and he finally reached the army hospital and recovered. "But he never forgot that army nurse," continued the speaker, "and last night my husband brought me a letter and a package from the post-office. I opened both and found this beautiful gold spoon and the letter said that inasmuch as the writer could not be present at the encampment and knew that I was going he desired me to bring this spoon as a token of gratitude from H. B. Smith of Odebolt to Aunt Becky Young of Des Moines."
There was a big demonstration as "Aunt Becky" as the famous old army nurse is affectionately called stepped forward to take the spoon. Her response was one of the neatest speeches of the whole evening. She said:
"Now, how thankful I am that I have a mouth which just fits this spoon. How kind of that old soldier to remember a woman of my age. If I had been sweet sixteen I would not have thought too much about it but to think of his sending a present like this to a woman of 73. I can't wear his gift next to my heart for my husband might object but tell him that I put up lots of fruit and with the fruit and this gold spoon, I shall live--perhaps always."
THE CHRONICLE. VOL. 17. NO. 6. JUNE 11, 1903.
The Odebolt people who went to Denison to see President Roosevelt last week returned home well pleased with the trip.
THE CHRONICLE, VOL. 17, NO. 8, JUNE 25, 1903
Never within our recollection has Odebolt had so many song birds as this summer. The robber blue jays have not appeared and the English sparrows seem to be greatly reduced in numbers. In the editor's yard are nesting several families of catbirds and thrushes which warble sweetly from early dawn until the evening shadows fall. The thrushes almost equal canaries in volume and purity of song, and the catbirds are surpassed in mimicry only by the mocking birds. We enjoy these morning and evening concerts, and look forward with regret to the time when the songsters shall take flight for the south.
John McFarland is building Arthur's new school house.
J. P. Goreham and Hiram B. Smith have been supplying the Odebolt markets with strawberries for the past 10 days, and finer specimens of this delicious fruit were never sold here.
Fred Frevert, who came to this country with a yoke of oxen in 1878 and has since managed to accumulate property worth $30,000, has bought a home in Charles City and will move to that town next spring. He has sold his farm to his brother Henry for $102 per acre; and we'll bet that Henry would refuse a ten-dollar-an -acre advance if it were offered.
Our esteemed contemporary, the Odebolt Record, rejoices in the possession of a new office building, erected by W. P. Adams. We congratulate Master Ray on his good fortune and commend Mr. Adams for his generosity.
Thomas Quirk and his step-son, Jeremiah Moore, left Saturday evening to visit their old home in the Isle of Man.
Mr. John B. Daniels and her four children, who left Odebolt nearly seven years ago for Honolulu, arrived here last Friday morning and will visit friends for a short time. Mr. Daniels went on to New York to see his brother, George H., who is general passenger agent of the New York Central railway. Since their departure the family have spent the greater part of the time in New Zealand. They are well and their many friends are glad to see them.
THE CHRONICLE, VOL. 17, NO. 9, JULY 2, 1903
A tornado on Wednesday of last week demolished the barn of Lincoln G. Waggoner at Dolliver. Link used to live here and his many friends regret to learn of his bad luck.
Charley Fong had business in Laurens the first of the week.
Angus McCorkindale and Joseph Mattes attended the republican state convention at Des Moines yesterday
The Kiron band is now called the Mengis band, in honor of Joseph C. Mengis, its organizer and instructor.
THE CHRONICLE. VOL. 17. NO. 10. JULY 9, 1903.
Will Ady and John Currie have purchased new Case separators.
The entertainment given in the opera house last Friday evening by Misses Laing and Weary of Sac City was very good and deserved better patronage. The street lights had been turned on that evening for the first time and proved too strong as a counter attraction.
Charley Fong, John Holmberg and Fred Corey spent the Fourth in Sioux City.
THE CHRONICLE. VOL. 17. NO. 11. JULY 16, 1903.
The name of the Hotel Bell has been changed to the Pennell House. Mr. Pennell has repapered and refurnished the hotel and is conducting a first-class house. His business is constantly increasing.
The young people of the Swedish Lutheran church will give an ice cream social on the church lawn Friday evening, July 24.
The Sac Sun reports the birth of a son to Rev. F. D. McRae and wife of Blue Earth City, Minnesota. Mr. McRae was pastor of the Odebolt Presbyterian church 10 years ago.
John W. Dinges has purchased the 120-acre farm of James L. Bruce in Wheeler township; consideration, $100 per acre. Mr. Bruce will give possession next March and will then probably move to Oklahoma.
The council has granted William Wollman, manager of the gas plant, permission to ride a bicycle on the sidewalks while engaged in lighting and extinguishing the street lamps.
Miss Kate McCorkindale left last Friday for Wakefield, Nebraska, to spend a week at the home of her uncle, Malcolm McCorkindale.
THE CHRONICLE. VOL. 17. NO. 12. JULY 23, 1903.
The open air band concerts are very enjoyable and attract large audiences.
Many farmers in this vicinity had to work last Sunday in order to save their hay.
The county is running a free ferry across the Coon [Raccoon River] where the new bridge is building in Sac City.
Spiders seem to think the street lamp burners ideal places for nests. Manager Wollman has been greatly annoyed by these pests. A web in a burner spoils the light.
THE CHRONICLE will furnish you calendars for less than outside houses ask and give you handsomer specimens. Save your orders until you inspect our samples, which can be seen at this office.
Captain William H. Hess has received notice that his pension has been increased from $6 to $10 per month. We congratulate the gallant old soldier and worthy citizen on securing his just recompense.
There are a number of cases of typhoid fever in Ida Grove which are supposed to be due to impure water. Last fall a lot of manure was dumped along the Odebolt creek above the town's pumping station and the fever is attributed to that cause. Several weeks ago Herman Gromann analyzed the water from a number of Odebolt private wells and found it full of disease germs, but thus far there have been no cases of typhoid. He found the water from the city mains absolutely free from unhealthful germs.
The hail storm Monday afternoon extended over the western half of the state and destroyed crops in many places. In O'Brien county the loss is estimated at $100,000. Stones as large as hen's eggs fell in Odebolt, but the shower didn't last long. John Currie of Clinton township reports some damage and so does Robert Miller of this township. Crops in the Gosch and Muxen neighborhood in Levey township were injured, and it is said there is a heavy loss in Hayes township, Ida county, and also in the vicinity of Holstein and Galva. Between Ida Grove and Arthur there is a strip about two miles wide in which the corn is riddled. On the whole, however, the damage in the territory tributary to Odebolt is slight, and probably not over 10 per cent. injury was done on any farm.
Harry Petersmeyer visited his aunt in Sioux City last week.
Charley Larson left on Tuesday for Minneapolis to enjoy a week's outing.
J. P. Engstrom of Dayton was in town the first of the week, visiting his son, J. A.
Most of the stores and offices are either using gas from the company plant or getting ready to use it, and many private residences will soon be piped. The Catholic, Lutheran and Presbyterian churches were beautifully lighted last Sunday. The gas gives general satisfaction and the street lights are greatly appreciated. William Sampson, who formerly used gasoline pressure and kerosene lamps to light his store, says his expense for light has been reduced 50 per cent. since he put in gas. The writer has been using it in his house for a week and wouldn't return to kerosene at any price.
transcribed by B. Ekse from microfilm
The Chronicle - August through October, 1903
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