Clark County Press, Neillsville,

June 9, 2004, Page 16

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

 

Clark County News

June 1884

 

Chas. Cornelius has sold his store building, at Maple Works, to August Dahlke from Marathon County.  He is selling out his stock of gents’ furnishing goods, hats, caps, boots, shoes, ready-made clothing, farming tools, horses, wagons and buggies at an auction. Charley is going out of business and will sell what stock he has at whatever price is offered.

 •••••••••

Krause has a new brand of cigars named “Minnie H.,” in honor of Jas. Hewett’s trotting horse.  This reminds us, that Minnie H. and a number of horses are training for the fall races.  We suggest that as a stimulant to the owners and trainers, the riding public frequent the County Fairground as spectators.

••••••••••

Neillsville’s Main Street is fenced off between Second and Third streets.  Piles of cobble-stones are on the ground ready to be used. The pavement will be of stone, laid or packed in gravel and sand.

••••••••••

Some of the Neillsville people spent Sunday afternoon at Geo. A. Austin’s splendid farm, a couple of miles east of here.  We admired the fine stock, ate cheese curds, gathered mandrake blossoms and rode around the fields.  Others went afoot, getting dingbustedly tired.  Everyone reveled in the big-hearted hospitality.  Some participated in a foot race, saw a dog fight, and witnessed the famous dog, Carlo, climb trees. We roosted upon a fence while watching the men milk long rows of handsome cows.  All of the afternoon happenings at the farm were after the religious exercises of the day.  The Decoration Day exercises in the forenoon and a rattling good shake-up on the sermon, “Conscience” by Rev. Brothers in the evening, made a day worth recording.

••••••••••

Last week, Mr. John Sufficoll bought from Chas. Sniteman, the Parkhurst residence property on Neillsville’s Northside.  He paid $1,174 and will soon occupy it, moving in from his farm located on the Huntley Settlement road.  John has had tardy, but liberal justice done him by the Government.  He can now afford to pass the balance of his days in such comfort as a man can get out of a life whose most vital energies have been given in defense of his country.

••••••••••

Last Saturday morning, at Perkins saw mill in the Town of Sherwood Forest, Hugh Perkins, who had charge of the mill, shot Isaac Meddaugh, a neighbor.  Sherwood Forest is in the southeastern township of Clark County, a thinly settled locality, almost wholly covered with dense forests.  Its population is very largely devoted to the lumbering interests.  Meddaugh died within half an hour after being shot.  Robert Meddaugh, Ike’s brother and Jerry Doghty were behind him when he fell.  Robert turned and fled, followed by Perkins who fired one shot, but without effect, then returned to the mill.  As Perkins walked past Ike (Isaac), who was lying on the ground, Ike asked, “Hugh, what have I done that you should shoot me?”  Perkins replied, “I have warned you not to come here, I can’t be whipped.”

 

Meddaugh had lumber at the mill and was there to get it.  Another report is that Ike, Bob and Jerry went there together to fight and Perkins claims that he acted in self-defense.  But the sworn and vital facts will not certainly be known until Perkin’s trial for the murder of Meddaugh.

 

Soon after the shooting, Perkins went to T. J. LaFlesh’s place and gave himself up to Mr. Stockwell, a justice, and was at once brought to Neillsville to be lodged in the county jail.

 

Justice Sturdevant held a coroner’s inquest over Meddaugh’s body at the Meddaugh house on Sunday.  The jury returned a verdict that the deceased was “feloniously killed and murdered by said Hugh Perkins.”  District Attorney Youmans conducted the examination of witnesses.

 

June 1944

 

St. John’s Lutheran school will close on June 2.  Following is a list of the eight grade graduates: Juliette Dux, Grace Baumann, Dixie Cardarelle, Betty Greeler, Elaine Krause, Dorothy Wieting, Ruby Stone, Marion Marg, Roland Diercks, Roland Jenni, Edgar Ott, Leroy Lenz, Raymond Gluch, Melvin Marg, Donald Marg and Althea Kluhsman.

 

Sunday, June 4, graduation exercises will be held at 10:30 a.m., picnic dinner at 12 noon and children’s program at 2 p.m.  Eric Sievert and Miss Vona Reed both plan to return to St. John’s School next year.

••••••••••

St. Mary’s Catholic School closed on May 26 and the summer session of two weeks opened on May 29.  Eighth grade graduation exercise will be held on Sunday, June 11.  On the same day, first communion for the younger children will be observed.  The eighth grade graduates this year are: Mary Sonnentag, Mary Ann Zahradka, Cynthia Feuerstein, Joan Schmidt, Mary Ellen Vandehay, Patricia Tibbett, Francis Zilk and Francis Miller.

••••••••••

Clark County may become the sponsor of an LCI boat of United States Navy.  Word has come to James A. Musil, executive chairman of the war saving committee, that the way is open.  A plaque may be permanently mounted in the cabin of the boat, in recognition of Clark County.

 

The boat, the full name of which is Landing Craft Infantry, costs $700,000 and that is precisely the amount, which Clark County is asked to raise for the Fifth War Loan.  If and when the county has reached its quota, this recognition will have been earned. The people of the county will have the satisfaction of knowing that they have bought and contributed to the war, one complete ship of a type that is of the greatest importance in this war.

 

The Landing Craft Infantry is one of the new boats, designed to meet the needs of amphibious warfare.  The need of it was first recognized by the British, who sent a message to Washington in May, 1942.  They outlined the need of a large sort of infantry landing craft.  The LCI boat was the Navy’s answer.  It is a relatively large ship, capable of carrying considerable numbers of men for small distances.  It has accommodations sufficient to care for them from the point of embarkation to the beachhead, which they are to storm.

 

The plaque to be permanently attached to the ship will have this wording: “This LCI boat sponsored and made possible by the War Bond purchases of the people of Clark County, Wisconsin.”

 

With the sponsorship of this boat as a goal, Mr. Musil feels that there is a special urgency in the coming campaign, which is slated to officially begin June 12.  The necessity is that the drive starts with a bang and that it be carried through.  To that end, Mr. Musil is holding four evening meetings in the county this week, as follows: Thorp, May 29; Curtiss, May 31; Neillsville, June 1 and Greenwood, June 2.  To these meetings have been invited the community chairmen and all the solicitors.  Each member of the selling organization is expected to attend one of the meetings, whichever is most convenient for him.

••••••••••

When the people of Clark County heard the great news of the invasion effort in Europe, the thoughts of many of them were intensely direct and personal.  To an extent unknown to them, their sons, brothers and friends were helping in that effort.  Imagination was working overtime, filling in the picture.  In general, the nature of the service to which each local man was assigned was known in his home community, the rest must be left to logical deduction and surmise, but it would not take much imagination to fill in some of the picture.  It is known that many local boys are in England and they are certainly not there to play marbles or for a picnic.

 

For instance, there is First Lieutenant Lowell Huckstead, whose service is known to be on a troop carrier in the Air Corps.  Was he in that first wave of planes, towing gliders to the strategic point in France?  And young Adolph Schaub, son of a local father of the same name; he is a paratrooper.  Was he among the first to be dropped upon French soil and was he engaged in that first sharp and vital clash with the Germans?

 

And Sgt. Kenneth K. Kannenberg, a glider mechanic; was he working day and night to make possible the rapid service of the gliders?  And what of John J. Bauernfeind, parachute rigger in the Ninth Air Force?  Was he working to the limit to make sure of a safe landing for the boys who were jumping?

 

And how about the local men in the Air Service?  Were they part of that mighty force, engaged in bombing and strafing, smashing the Nazi communications and wrecking installations?  Quite a number of them from Clark County were known to be in England: Staff Sergeant Raymond G. Giwojna, tail gunner on a Liberator; Sgt. Norman Drescher, ordnance service of the Air Corps; Sgt. Jack Crothers, bombardier on a Flying Fortress; Sgt Helner Beck, waist gunner of a Flying Fortress; Sgt. Willie Vandeberg, waist gunner on a Flying Fortress.

 

Others of this area known to have been in England for the big push, are the following whose probable activities are being surmised by those personally interested in them: Sgt. Robert Dahnert of the Army; Pfc. DeWayne J. Schweinler, member of the tank destroyer unit; Joseph Beaver, Corp. technician; Pfc. Donald Gress of the Army Ordnance; Capt. Oscar Gluck; Pvt. Lawrence Schultz; Pfc. Al Nesbitt; Cpl. Gordon W. Campbell of the Corps of Engineers; Sgt. John Genteman; Capt. William A. Ender, member of the staff of a Division headquarters; Peter Beck; Sgt. Arnold F. Elmhorst; Wallace Schwellenbach of the Army; Corp. Raymond Ackerman  of the Army; first Lieut. Arthur R. (Stir) Wagner of the Army’ Staff Sgt. Allan Clouse of the Army; Pfc. Maurice Bennett of the Army; Corp. Lloyd Sly of the Army; Marvin Benedict; S/Sgt. Fred Bick; T/Sgt. Frank El Lesniewski, shop foreman of automotive repairs shops of the Eighth Air Force; Pfc. James Cotter; Sgt. Arleigh Davis of the Signal Corps; Pfc. Thomas Sonnentag of the Army; Cpl. George Thiel of a service squadron; T/5 Glen Drake; Harrison McCray; First Lieut. Harold VandeBerg of the Army; Staff Sergeant Louis Schmidt; Army Combat Engineer; Pfc. Robert Carl, Army; Cpl. John Christie, Evacuation Corps; Pfc. John Kaudy, paratrooper, probably in England.

 

All of these persons from Clark County were believed to have been in a situation where they would naturally be called upon to help in the invasion.

 

Also, Wanda Anderson of the Nursing Corps and Cpl. Arlo W. Larson, a hospital orderly are believed to be doing their part in the invasion.

 

This list is not complete but is the best, which could be done on short notice.

 

Sgt. Lloyd Haas, of Owen, knows what it is to be in the midst of a region devastated by war.  He is a member of Co. E., First Armored Regiment and is a part of the Fifth Army, now chasing the enemy northward in Italy.  In a letter to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. T. J. Haas, of Owen, he says: “It is a consolation to know at that this is foreign soil on which we fight and not our beloved native land.  When one sees the devastation wrought by the hells of war and the people begging or stealing to get the necessary food and clothing, their families torn apart, the homes reduced to uninhabitable piles of rubble, it is then that one appreciates the fact that it isn’t our own homes and loved ones.”

 

Two young men of Clark County are included in the War Department’s list of wounded:

 

Pfc. William M. Arch, son of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Arch of Willard, has been wounded in action in Italy.  In a letter, which arrived shortly after the war department notification, Pfc. Arch told his parents that he was recuperating and had received the Purple Heart.

 

Sgt. Frank W. Malaszuk, also wounded, is the son of Mrs. Amelia Malaszuk, Thorp.

••••••••••

Mr. and Mrs. Billy Davis have purchased the Ed Kiedrowski house on North Prospect Street and plan to occupy it soon.  Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Dux are owners of the house on North Hewett Street, where the Davis family has been living.  Having residence in Owen for a few years, Duxes are now returning to Neillsville.  Mr. Dux has purchased a milk route.

 

Mrs. Viola Sonnentag and daughter, Mary, are now residing in the Mrs. Lena Northup house at the corner of West 19th and North Johnson Streets.  Mrs. Sonnentag purchased the house for her sons who are serving in the Armed Forces.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Ray Kutsche have purchased the Mrs. Joseph Wiertz house on East Ninth Street.

••••••••••

The Farm Security Administration, known frequently as the FSA, moved this week to new quarters over the Unger Shoe Store.  Those whose offices were thus transferred are Don H. Crothers, head of the office and Mrs. Dorothy Dux and Mrs. Ann Wischulke, clerks.

 

The FSA has been occupying quarters with the AAA on Court Street.

 

The AAA office of Clark County was moved this week to the old post office building, immediately north of the present post office building.  It will be used exclusively for the business of the AAA and will afford a more ample space for workers and files.

 

When the AAA moved this week, it had a big job to transfer the 30 steel files containing its records, along with the various desks, chairs and other items of office equipment.  Those 30 files contain chiefly a five-year history of 5,798 farms in Clark County, the experience of every farm, which has been in the AAA program.

 

This record shows that the 5,798 farms contain 290,585 acres of crop land, 142,184 of open pasture and enough wooded and wild land to bring the total to 574,279 acres n farms.  It will be noted that the farms in the county average almost exactly 100 acres in size.

••••••••••

 

 

In the early 1900s, every village or city had at least one railroad train depot that accommodated the train traffic that went through on scheduled daily runs.  This circa 1930 photo was taken of the Omaha depot that was in Granton.  Many of us can remember hearing the train whistle, on a quiet evening, as its engineer announced the train’s coming arrival at the nearby station.

 

 


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