Days Gone By In Staunton

Thursday, April 12 , 1923 -- OYSTER SUPPER. -- The Ladies' Aid of the Presbyterian church is arranging for an oyster supper to be given at the American Legion Hall on Saturday evening, April 14. Suppers will be served beginning at 5 o'clock, and ice cream, cake, pickles and sandwiches will also be on sale. On Friday evening, April 13, the ladies will give an ice cream social at the church.

FOUND $1000 IN BILLS --

While digging in a plot of ground at Greenville on Monday, John Schlup unearthed a roll of greenbacks totalling $1,280. The news of the find spread rapidly and digging for hidden treasure at once became a popular fad in Bond county's seat of justice.

It is believed that the money may be part of the loot secured in the robbery of the Panama State Bank in December 1921, as the money stolen at that time has never been recovered. If a fellow can find money digging around in the good old American soil, what's the use of prowling around the Egyptian tombs?

SURVEYING FOR HARD ROAD -- A crew of surveyors on Tuesday morning reached our city and started the work of making a survey on the hard road from Cox crossing west to Staunton. According to information we have received, present plans are to run the road over to the north and south hard road out of Staunton instead of coming in on East Main street, as was first intended. The survey is being made to the rear of the properties which face the west side of the Interurban and will probably connect up with the hard road somewhere near the switch to No. 14 mine.

Thursday, April 19, 1923 -- TWO HURT IN SUNDAY ACCIDENT -- George Goyak and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Emma Messick, both of Staunton, were injured Sunday evening shortly before 7 o'clock when the Ford car in which they were riding left the hard road and turned over on its side on the hard road just south of Sawyerville. In the car with Goyak and Mrs. Messick were the former's two children, but neither of these were injured.

According to information we have been able to secure Goyak was driving toward Staunton and ran off the concrete. In his effort to get back onto the hard surface he evidently pulled too strongly to the one side with the result that when the machine did climb back up on the pavement, it shot across the road, turned around and toppled over on its side.

Goyak was quite severely injured about the head and for a time it was thought that he could not live. Mrs. Messick was not so badly hurt. Both were taken to the St. Francis Hospital at Litchfield where they are under treatment and unless complications set in, Goyak's recovery is expected.

Cars Collide -- Chas. Spotti of our city Sunday afternoon on the hard road south of Hamel met with an accident which terminated fortunately in that no one was hurt, although it is a miracle that several were not seriously injured.

Spotti was driving toward Staunton and as he attempted to pass a car ahead of him, ran into a Ford sedan driven by J.B. Gaylor of St. Louis. Our report was to the effect that when Spotti noticed the third car and found himself unable to stop, he attempted to pass between the two other cars. His bumper caught the Ford sedan. The front ends of both cars were quite seriously damaged and were towed to the Brubaker & Smith garage in our city for repairs. Spotti had two women companions and Gaylor also was accompanied by two other persons and it is but little short of a miracle that all of them escaped injury.

SMALL FIRE MONDAY -- An alarm of fire was turned in Monday evening shortly after 8 o'clock from the Thos. Watklns place on Panhorst street. The house is occupied jointly by the Watkins family and Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Stemploskl and when the fire department reached the place, found one of the Stemploski rooms filled with smoke.

As the young people were not at home, a door was broken down and it was then found that a small quantity of rags lying in a coal bucket was smouldering and created the smoke. It is thought that the trouble was caused by dropping a cigarette butt into the coal bucket which set the rags on fire.

WILL BROADCAST -- Local friends of Harry Mlekush, formerly of our city, will be interested to know that he is at present playing with a Detroit, Mich., band. This band will broadcast a radio concert on April 26 and Mr. Mlekush invites his friends here, who have radios, to watch for the concert and tune in.

A POOR MARRIED MAN -- "A Poor Married Man" is the title of a play to be given at the Labor Temple Theatre Monday evening by the students of the Staunton Community High School. The young people of our high school have during the past several months put on a number of plays and these have been so uniformly well received that we feel we need say nothing more than that there will be a play by the high school. Of course, everyone is invited to attend and tickets are now on sale. Judging from the title, the play should be a winner.

EARLY MORNING BLAZE TAKES SHED -- Monday morning, shortly after two o'clock, the fire whistle aroused some of our populace from their slumbers and members of the Volunteer Fire Department were on the job in a hurry. The call, when first reported, said that the fire was in the second ward and as the engine was driven into that part of the city, the red glare of the flames was plainly visible.

The fire, however, was at the farm of Thos. Saatkamp just south of Staunton and the boys drove the engine out there to render what assistance they could.

A hay shed, in which were stored quantities of hay and straw, a large International truck and other machinery, was consumed by the flames. Staunton's fire engine was used in preventing an adjoining barn as well as the residence from catching fire and the boys did some excellent work. Two wells on the Saatkamp place were pumped dry in short order and several charges of chemical were used in confining the blaze to its hearth.

Mr. Saatkamp and family were unaware of the fire until some passing motorist stopped and told them about it. The origin is unknown. Mr. Saatkamp said that he came home from Staunton shortly after eight o'clock Sunday evening and on the way overtook a man who was under the influence of liquor. It is thought that perhaps this man took a rest in the hay shed and accidentally set fire to the same while trying to light a smoke. An old hat, believed to belong to the fellow, was found Monday morning near the hay shed.