Iowa Old Press
Davenport Democrat and Leader
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
October 8, 1923
Bandits Rob Mt. Pleasant Ticket Office
Locked Up Telegraph Operators and Obtained Sum of $251
By the Associated Press
Mount Pleasant, Ia, Oct. 8 - Four bandits who held up the
Burlington route ticket office here Saturday night escaped with ticket receipts
of $251 and forced Tom Walters, telegraph operator and his assistant, Frank
Morrow, into the smoking room, have not been apprehended. The men were locked in
the smoking room after being forced there at the point of a gun.
The holdup took place just after Burlington train No. 4 left
the station, and the receipts were heavy due to a number of college and high
school football fans who were departing for their homes after witnessing grid
battles.
The telegraphers got out of the smoking room in a half hour.
Davenport Democrat and Leader
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
Monday evening, October 22, 1923
BROWN FUNERAL TO BE HELD AT BUFFALO TUESDAY
Funeral services for Louis F. Brown, who was killed in the
railroad accident Saturday, will be held from the home in Buffalo Tuesday
afternoon at 2:30 o'clock. Interment will be made in Rosehill cemetery, Buffalo.
Rev. Mark A. Getzendamer, pastor of St. Mark's English
Lutheran church, will officiate.
Davenport Democrat and Leader
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
October 21, 1923
Story of Brutal Beating on Lonely Road is Being Uncovered by the Police
Mysterious circumstances which surround the finding of Jack
Black, 55, a fish peddler, in an unconscious condition at the foot of Howell
street Friday afternoon, and which resulted in the arrest of Frank Stengel, Rock
Island, and of John Walsh, Davenport, both fish dealers, are being cleared up by
police bit by bit.
That Black was brutally beaten into unconsciousness is
pointed to by C.R. Fessenden, Cook's Point, who called at the police station
Saturday afternoon to tell what he knew about the affair.
Fessenden identified Stengel as the man he had seen with his
foot on Black's stomach and Walsh as the man who had held Black's feet.
"I've got your money - you're damned right I got you
money," Fessenden says he heard Stengel say, as he bent over the
unconscious man.
Whether or not Black was robbed of the greater part of his
money is a fact that has not been ascertained by police. When Stengel was
arrested he had $21 in his possession. Walsh had $12.44. Mrs. Fessenden, who was
near the scene of the "accident" at the time it occurred, states that
she saw one of the men giving money to children.
It was thought at first that Black had sustained a fractured
skull, but examination at Mercy hospital showed that no bones had been
broken. He had been hit on the head, however, with terrific force. Cinders from
the road were ground into his face.
Both Stengel and Walsh deny knowing anything about Black's
injury. They are being held, however, with the probability that criminal charges
will be filed against them.
Davenport Democrat and Leader
Davenport, Scott, Iowa
October 26, 1923
Alex Miller's Column
Washington County News and Comment on Current Events
Special to the Democrat
Washington, Ia., Oct. 26 - The Prairie Flower Harvest Home
festival was held at the church yesterday and, as a Washington businessman
remarked who was there, "Business was real good." There was a fine
crowd, not only composed of the church members, but many outsiders were in
attendance, because you know, everybody likes a cracking good meal and that is
what they had. Rev. Unthank is pastor of Prairie Flower and also of West
Chester. He is very popular and nothing is as good for a neighborhood, as well
as for a church, as a popular preacher, one whom everybody likes and Rev.
Unthank seems to fill the bill. But what a funny name! It sound sort of
ungrateful, but it isn't. You would think one would rather be called "Rev.
Thankful," but he had nothing to do with choosing his name, and Shakespeare
or some other highbrow says there is nothing in a name anyhow so let it go at
that. They had a meal that in the city would have cost a dollar, and on a dining
car it would have cost $1.50, and wouldn't have been as good. It was a well
balanced, well cooked, well served dinner, all for 50 cents, cash in advance,
and a lot of people ate. Many went from Washington, but not as many as there
would have been if they had known how good it was going to be. One was
especially impressed by the splendid coffee. It must be that the Baptists have a
kind of a corner on making good coffee, because the Baptist church here in town,
at their Dutch lunch, always have the best coffee we get, but this at Prairie
Flower was just as good. They killed 60 chickens and we didn't have served to us
chicken fricassee, but fried spring chicken, thank you. They had 75 pies, ten
gallons of coffee and other things in proportion. And there was plenty of
everything, at least as long as we were present. Mrs. Dickens from town was out
supervising for dinner. They also had a sale of a lot of farm products. One
would never see prettier apples, and anyhow what fruit is quite as pretty as
Iowa apples, and none is as good. They had a pumpkin that looked like a
watermelon. Mrs. Roger Jones said it was a watermelon, but we suspect she did it
to befuddle this reporter. It weighed about 50 pounds. They had squash, pie
pumpkins, a dozen different kinds of apples, potatoes, wheat, oats, corn, pigs
and a lot of things that Frank Macon sold off at auction, but we have no
information as to the total of sales. It was all for the church. It is a great
neighborhood. We wish we might print the names of all the good folks who lives
in the neighborhood of Prairie Flower. It would include about the entire
population, and be dumgasted if Pressley Figgins didn't come all the way over
from Kalona just to attend the dinner, because it is near his old home, and it
is a Baptist crowd. And he was more than welcome.
Vinegar from Cherries.
Did you know that vinegar can be made out of cherries? Albert
DeLancey had two gallons of splendid vinegar, and so sour it would cut the
buttons off your overcoat, made out of cherry juice that accumulated as he was
pitting the cherries to can. It is red and looks like wine when it moveth itself
aright, but it is as sour as a green persimmon.
Mr. and Mrs. Artie Dankwardt are the parents of a baby boy
born night before last at the county hospital. This is their first born, and he
hasn't learned to talk yet, but Artie is drilling him on how to say
"Daddy."
Frank Shearer and his mother, Mrs. Wilda Shearer, drove up
from Ainsworth Wednesday. Mrs. Shearer is keeping house for her son Everette,
who lives on a farm east of Ainsworth. The father died some years ago, so it
makes it very fine for his mother to run his household.
Expect a Friend.
Mrs. Gertrude Bowman, who was formerly Miss Gertrude Stewart,
is expected her tonight from the East. She has been located at Fortress Monroe,
Va., since the war, engaged in some sort of war relief work, and she has not
been home here for years. Everybody will be glad to see her.
Spent a Night Here.
Judge Henry Wagner spent last night in town, enroute home
from Keokuk to Sigourney. That is, he was going from Keokuk, Lee county to
Sigourney, Keokuk county. How muddled up we all are anyhow. He had been holding
court for Judge W.S. Hamilton of that district who for some sentimental reason
wanted to hold court in Sigourney. It seems his wife was born in Keokuk county,
altho we were unable to figure out just the exact status. Henry says she was a
Casey, a sister to the late Sabert Casey, and if she is, we doubt if she was
born in Keokuk county. But anyhow, that is what Judge Wagner did. The case they
were on collapsed, so he went home to wait till next week, when he will go back
and finish. He had to wait here for the morning train.
Is Painting a House.
Bill Ruebsam is painting Mrs. Capt. Montgomery's house on
East Main street.
Silas Ross is painting up Dr. J. C. Boice's residence and it
looks as slick as a whistle. They changed colors from the old coat of paint and
it makes a big improvement.
Submitted by C.J.L.