Clark County Press, Neillsville,

March 9, 2005, Page 14

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

 

Clark County News

March 1895

 

A syndicate of Chicago is closing the purchase of 4,000 acres of land in Clark County, through B. W. Pulling.  They propose to locate a colony of emigrants, who just lately arrived in Chicago, to this area as soon as possible.

••••••••••

A big load of wheat, hauled by four horses and wagon, hailing from a farm close to Black River Falls, pulled up in front of the Neillsville Mill Saturday. This is one of many of that sort, eager to sell for Neillsville Mill’s high prices.

••••••••••

A dead man was fished out of Marshfield’s water standpipe on Monday, confirming the ghastly suspicions of a month ago.

••••••••••

During March, April and May, the Wisconsin Business University of La Crosse will organize special classes for country schoolteachers.  The courses will be intensely practical and decisive, thoroughly illustrating the methods by which we are enabled to secure results unknown in other schools.  The special drills in rapid arithmetical work and writing are worth ten times the cost of tuition.  Special rates will be for teachers only.  Send for a teachers’ circular.  The regular spring term begins March 11th.

••••••••••

We have some news from the Town of York:

 

Joe Randorf has purchased the necessary outfit for maple syrup making and is now patiently waiting for the warmer weather.

 

E. G. Rowe and Will Lawrence ran into a barbed wire fence, last Thursday evening, while skating and both went home minus their britches.

 

The following lively people of Granton came out to the Visgar Church to attend the exhibition on Saturday night: Herb Visgar, wife and daughter, Truman Davis, Clara Flynn, Rollie, Price and Gusta Lee, Lute Marsh, Fred Tompkins, Blanche Wright, and the Reichert Bros.

 

E. A. Bleecher is a “whale” at giving exhibitions, for which we have waited so long.  Everyone went home entirely satisfied.

 

Dutch measles are going the rounds here at present, several being afflicted with the troublesome disease.

 

Frank Turner and Will Hawks each purchased forty acres of land near Chili, last week.  Consideration was $150, each.

 

P. A. Cross hauled an elm log, last Friday, for M. O’Brein measuring thirty-two feet in length.

 

Several Indians, encamped here, are afflicted with a peculiar throat disease somewhat resembling tonsillitis.

••••••••••

A son was born to Mr. and Mrs. Tom Fahey, March 15, at Greenwood.  Mother and son are doing well, but Grandpa Frank Zetche was in a precarious condition for a few hours.

••••••••••

Oscar Counsell has taken the LaFlesh farm and will run it on his own account.  He will move from Mr. Fall’s place to the big LaFlesh house on April 1st.

 

 

Tom LaFlesh was one of Clark County’s early pioneer lumbermen, who cleared timber from land in the Sherwood and Nevins area.  In the late 1800s, he purchased farming acreage east of Neillsville, on the north side of Highway 10, now known as the Neillsville Industrial Park.  LaFlesh built a large Victorian-style home on the farm, which was located on the site of the present West Side Fleetguard-Nelson plant.  The photo shows three chimneys on the house, needed for the seven fireplaces that were located within the home.  The house was destroyed by fire in the early 1900s.  (Photo courtesy of Bill Roberts’ collection)

••••••••••

The Dignin Sisters’ Spring Millinery Opening will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday, April 4, 5 and 6th.  The display of goods will be unequalled, including all the new styles of spring hats and trimmings, collarettes and other fancy articles.

••••••••••

Just at this juncture, it may be interesting for the taxpayers of Neillsville to know:

 

That the city’s bonded indebtedness is at the present time, $18,000

 

Three years ago, our bonded debt was $15,000

 

During the past three years, we have built $14,000 worth of steel bridges, on Hewett Street and Grand Avenue and our half of the Black River Bridge west to town.

 

Three years ago, when our debt was $15,000, we had $100 or $300 in the treasury.

 

Now, with $18,000 debt, we have $2,000 in treasury and would have had several hundred dollars more, but for the witch hazel man.

 

The officers’ salaries and routing expenses cost the city $2,400 a year.

 

Our sixteen saloons pay us $3,200 a year in license money.

 

We pay $1,300 a year for wood.

 

The city collects $700 a year from water users and would get nearly $1,000 a year if the water was drinkable.

 

With no more bridges to be built and the only prospective expense above running expenses in the direction of water improvements, it is likely that our taxes will decrease from this time on.

 

With the water mains, water standpipe, steel bridges and sewers in, we have passed through the most expensive five years of city growth we shall ever have.

 

Every voter should insist that hereafter every cent expended on the city streets should be put into permanent street improvement.

 

March 1930

 

Saturday, March 1st, the local Farmers unions of Fremont, Lynn, Lincoln and Sherman met in the Chili M. W. A. hall and organized The Farms’ Cooperative Shipping Association of Chili.  The following directors were elected: Chas. Lindow, W. R. Happe of Fremont, Ray Lindow, Ed Ott of Lynn, Guy Hill of Lincoln and Elmer Horn of Sherman.

••••••••••

From now on, Frank Hemp is going to be wary of neatly dressed gentlemen who wear derby hats and buy boxes of crackers.

 

Last Thursday, a customer, who looked as though he might have stepped out of a bandbox, parked his car in front of Dangers’ Store and entered the grocery department where Frank inquired of his needs.  The man asked for a 20-cent box of crackers and gave Frank a crisp $10 bill in payment.  After Frank had counted out the change, the customer happened to think that he had 20 cents in his pocket and asked for his $10 back, giving Frank the change in his hand.

 

Walt Danger, who had his ear next to a crack in the partition between the grocery and dry goods department, had listened in on the deal and was quite sure he smelled a mouse in the vicinity.  By the time he got to Frank, the man and the crackers had disappeared out the front door.  Walt informed Frank that he probably had been skinned out of $5, but Frank was quite sure nothing of the kind had happened.  An examination of the cash register confirmed Walt’s suspicions.  The customer had dexterously slipped out the $5 bill, before he handed the change back to Frank.

 

Walt suddenly remembered he is a member of the recently organized vigilantes and made a dash for his shiny new rifle.  With the gun primed and loaded, he tip toed out the door in true vigilante fashion, looked up and down the street for the culprit but the scamp had escaped and left no more trail than a spider on a concrete walk.

 

Frank says he believes the man was a crook.

••••••••••

The first gold radio aerial has arrived in town.  F. W. Balch has strung up a gold aerial wire, one made of 24 carat gold plated wire, just, recently put on the market.  The first program Balch got over the equipment was a Mexican stringed quartet at Mexico City, the longest range he has ever received with his set.  The gold plating is said to prevent the aerial from becoming tarnished and thus increases its sensitiveness to radio impulses.

••••••••••

The Tibbett Ice and Fuel Co. have filled a large order for ice from ice dealers of Marshfield.  The mild winter prevented the Marshfield ice harvesters from getting a full crop, their storage pond being too small in area.  After the first crop was cut, mild weather prevented the formation of a second layer of ice of sufficient thickness for storage.

 

The Tibbett Ice and Fuel Co. completed its shipment of ice to Marshfield, Thursday, getting out 48 carloads in all, cut and hauled directly from the pond to the cars.

••••••••••

If this notice appeals to you and a tabby has kittens born between March 15th and May 15th, you will bestow a favor by notifying me, giving the approximate date of birth of kittens.  I will make a note of this and should I be in need of a foster mother for fox pups and your cat’s lactation stage is nearest the requirements, I will gladly pay $5.00 for your tabby cat.  Robert R. Quinnell, Neillsville Route 6

••••••••••

This community was deeply shocked Sunday afternoon when it became known that Alfred Stelloh, 17 years old, had been killed and his brother Frank, 21, fatally injured when their airplane crashed on the C. G. Frantz farm, southeast of Neillsville.

 

Frank had purchased a damaged plane, last fall, from Durward Schwarze of Greenwood.  Last week, he made a deal with Mr. Damrow, of Marshfield, turning in the damaged airplane for the American Eagle plane.

 

Sunday morning, Irvin Feirn, of this city, drove Frank to Marshfield where the plane was being kept.  Frank flew the plane back, landing on the Fairgrounds.  After several trips aloft in which Feirn and Carl Roder were passengers, Frank and his brother took off, headed southeast.  A few minutes later, spectators at the field saw the plane at an altitude of about 800 feet go into a sharp bank at which time it was believed the motor stopped and the craft nosed over into a spin.

 

Several who saw the plane diving asserted it made between four and five turns before it struck the ground.  Feirn jumped into his automobile as soon as he saw the ship go into the spin and was the first person to reach the ship.  Conrad and Robert Frantz, who had been watching the plane from Conrad’s farm, started immediately for the scene of the accident after calling Neillsville for medical help.

 

More than half an hour was required to cut away the metal framework sufficiently to remove the body of Alfred, which was placed in Art Opelt’s car and taken to Schiller’s undertaking rooms.  As soon as Frank was freed from the wreckage, he was rushed to the hospital at Marshfield in the Schiller ambulance driven by O. W. Lewerenz with Dr. Rosekrans in attendance.  Frank had suffered a broken right ankle, a broken thighbone in the left leg and serious internal injuries.  He remained unconscious and died Monday morning.

 

C. F. DeLasaux, aeronautical inspector for the Department of Commerce, flew here from Chicago Tuesday morning to examine the wreckage.  Mr. DeLasaux was of the opinion that the motor, an Aero marine, was not suited to the plane and may have resulted in throwing the craft off balance.  With a dead motor, such a craft would be difficult to manage, he said.

••••••••••

John W. Pietenpol has one of the most up-to-date maple syrup plants in Wisconsin on his farm in Section 34, Town of York.  This year, he has about the usual number of trees tapped, some 1,500 and gathering and boiling the sap requires the constant attention of Mr. Pietenpol and two hired men.

 

His evaporating pan is of a modern type.  The sap is fed in at one end and in passing through the compartments to the other end; it comes out clear maple syrup.  His average output is about 400 gallons.  So far this year, he has made about 200 gallons and the probability is that he will reach about the usual amount before the close of the season.  He finds sale for much of his product in this vicinity, but ships a considerable amount.  His syrup is of so excellent a quality that his customers come in with orders from year to year.

 

This year, Ed Krejci and Ralph Winn are helping him in the work.  Mr. Pietenpol has a comfortable living place, at the camp, where he stays nights during the syrup season.  Mr. Pietenpol has a fine 120-acre farm, with a fine herd of cows and other good stock; his maple syrup business is in one sense only a sideline, but it aggregates a considerable income.

••••••••••

The Neville brothers have moved their saw mill to the Louis Barton farm, Cawley Creek area.  They will be sawing lumber for Mr. Barton’s new barn.

••••••••••

The proposal of the State Marketing Commission to remove the radio broadcasting station WLBL from Stevens Point and consolidate it with a Madison station has resulted in widespread opposition from farm groups in this section of the state.

 

It is the feeling among farmers that WLBL fills a distinct need in this district with its market reports and because of its nearness can be heard when atmospheric conditions prevent getting any other stations.

••••••••••

The Wausau Post takes the officials of that city to task for feeding butter substitutes to the city’s poor.  It seems that for years, oleomargarine has been used in some of our state institutions and also in the National Home for disabled veterans.

 

Congressman Browne has introduced a bill in Congress forbidding the use of butter substitutes in such institutions.

••••••••••

Carl Opelt had quite a serious accident happen Friday when he fell between his horses.  One of the horses stepped on one of Carl’s legs, bruising the flesh so badly that he will not be able to walk on it for some time, it is feared.

••••••••••

Friday was a big day at F. J. Seif’s Sons machinery warehouse.  Many people came to the city from a long distance to see the moving pictures illustrating power farming along various lines.  The movie was furnished by the International Harvester Co. who also furnished the picture machine operator.  Mr. Hill of Eau Claire, one of the International Harvester men, lectured on the various features shown on other lines of power farming machines.  The Seif’s furnished the rest of the entertainment, which included a fine lunch at noon.  The meeting, of course, gave them an opportunity to show their large line of farm machinery, set up to be easily inspected.  The film shown in the afternoon was particularly for the purpose of illustrating the advantages in the use of tractors in farming, showing methods of handling them and securing the cooperation of the local dealers in service, repairs and such maintenance.

 

The Neillsville High School band furnished fine music at the noon hour.  A great deal of literature was distributed including many useful pamphlets of special and general information on all phases of farm life.

 

Drawing prizes went to Ted Linster, getting a silo fork and Wm. Krueger, a six-tine fork.

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