April 1917

When George May learned Sunday morning that burglars had visited the Prochazka meat market, he hustled to his place of business and gave the combination to the safe an extra twist.  Monday morning, he couldn’t untwist the extra twist and the safe is both burglar and owner proof.                                                                      

•••••••••

Monday evening, the annual meeting of the Neillsville Canning Co. was held.  Robert Kurth was re-elected president, Gus Kraus vice president, L. Williamson secretary and Geo. Ure treasurer.  The affairs of the company were found to be in a very flourishing condition and a 6 percent dividend was declared.  Arrangements were also made for the building of a new warehouse and kraut vat shed.                                                                           

•••••••••

Dan Wallace has taken the position as buttermaker at the Globe creamery and has moved here from Alma Center, to take charge of the work.  Mr. Christiansen, the former buttermaker, resigned.

•••••••••

Saturday morning Co. J. W. Hommel made the discovery that sometime during the past ten days an effort had been made to set fire to the Neillsville Armory.  Underneath the stairway leading to the gallery, Col. Hommel found a pasteboard box in the bottom of which was a burned-out candle amid a scattering of matches and shavings.  The closet where the box was found was used as a storeroom for brooms and mops, but for the past few days, owing to the excitement incident to the departure of Company A troops, the closet hadn’t been opened.  The troops had left on the early morning train to go to Two Harbors, Minn., where they will do guard duty at the big ore docks in that city.

Col. Hommel had occasion to go to the closet for some purpose and he discovered the invention of the would-be incendiary.  A pin had been pushed through the bottom of a fiber packing case and a candle set upon the pin to hold it upright.  Around the bottom of the candle a quantity of matches and shavings had been so placed that when the candle burned down the shavings would catch fire.  It was no doubt so timed that the fire would catch some time during the night.

However, the plans of the incendiary went wrong in an unexpected manner.  The candlewick had burned down to the pin and then went out.

A government officer arrived here Tuesday and made an investigation of the plot, with the result that yesterday a suspect was apprehended and is now being examined.  He is being held also pending arrival of material witnesses.

•••••••••

The Neillsville Canning Factory has received its supply of seed and the farmers who desire to plant beans, cabbage, corn, or pumpkin can get seed at the factory at any time.  The food situation may become very acute during the next year and the canning factory is preparing to use every effort to put up a larger pack than ever before, and farmers can do their share toward aiding the country’s food supply by put4ting in a small acreage of any of the products of the canning factory.

•••••••••

Wednesday night, a bunch of Woodsmen members who went to Greenwood to attend the county convention hired a special train on the Fairchild & Northwestern to get them back to Fairchild that night so that they could get them back home at midnight.  While they were at Fairchild they spent some time at the Community Club and were entertained in royal style.  The Fairchild idea is one, which can be well copied by many communities in this section of the state.  The businessmen and citizens of Fairchild have rented a large hall there and have equipped it with bowling alleys, billiard, and pool tables, and have made it the social center of the village.  It is supported by voluntary contribution and is made use of by the men, women, and children alike, for an effort is made to find pleasure and amusement there for all.  In addition, it is used for various forms of social and civic lie, and is the most popular spot in Fairchild.

•••••••••

On April 15 and thereafter, we must have 8¢ per quart of milk; cream for tea is 12¢ per bottle, or 15¢ per bottle of whipping cream.  Milk, 12 quarts for one dollar if credit is given, or 13 quarts with cash in advance.  O. R. Perkins, Schmidt Bros.                                                                                       

•••••••••

Two boys, who live in West Pine Valley, were on their way to Neillsville Monday to take in the Easter dance, but did not get far when they were told of a fire in their buggy.  If the fire hadn’t been noticed by someone else the two boys never would have gotten to the dance.                                                                              

•••••••••

The Sunday night passenger train No. 8, which goes through here at 11:55, was derailed at Sydney and engineer Thomas Ryan was killed in the resulting wreck.  It is not definitely known just what caused the wreck but it is supposed that it was due either to a spreading rail or that the trucks under the tender broke and caused the locomotive to leave the track.  The engine went into the ditch just east of the Sydney Creamery, and turned over on its side, catching the engineer as it went over and pinned him under the wreckage.  The fireman was unhurt, but the baggage-man was quite badly bruised.  None of the passengers were hurt, though quite badly shaken up.

The train came down from Altoona Monday morning but it was not until Monday afternoon that the wreckage was cleaned up and traffic resumed.  In the meantime, trains ran to the wreck from both directions and transferred passengers around it, so the passenger service was not greatly delayed.

(At that time, there were various freight and passenger trains that ran daily from Merrillan to Marshfield, and back again, making several stops along the way, which included Sydney and Neillsville. DZ)

•••••••••

District Attorney W. J. Rush, and Court Commissioner R. F. Kountz of Neillsville were in Colby yesterday making an investigation of a case, which supposed to be a violation of the anti-gossiping law.  We understand that the investigation disclosed that there is a certain woman in that vicinity who has larger circulation than all of the Clark County newspapers combined.                                                                                                          

•••••••••

Youmans & Holverson have taken the agency for the Maxwell cars, and received a carload of them Monday.  They are a very fine-looking automobile and no doubt will have ready sale.       

•••••••••

While James Vanetta of Black River Falls was in Neillsville last Wednesday, he naturally dropped into a bowling alley, and while engaged in rolling a game, he slipped and fell on the floor, breaking both bones of the right leg just above the ankle.  He was brought home and Dr. E. Krohn set the broken bones.  It will be several months before he will roll ten pins again.                                                                                                         

•••••••••

In spite of the vigorous campaign carried on in behalf of a dry city, Neillsville stayed wet by a majority of 42 votes, which is a smaller lead than that of last year.  However, the loss of Neillsville to the dry column was more than offset by the vote in other parts of the county, and adjoining cities.  Greenwood, Loyal, Owen, Withee, Abbotsford, Chili, and Merrillan went dry.  Black River Falls increased her dry majority, Fairchild, Alma Center, and Stanley went wet, and Eau Claire also went wet.  Humbird voted on the question and stayed wet.

(On November 18, 1918, prior to the ratification of the 18^th amendment, U.S. Congress passed the temporary Wartime Prohibition Act, banning sales of alcoholic beverages having an alcoholic content of greater than 1.28%.  The National Prohibition Act or Volstead Act became effective as of October 28, 1919.

In 1933, public opposition to the Prohibition had become overwhelming.  Later that year, Congress passed the Blaine Act, which repealed the Prohibition Act, again allowing the sale of alcoholic beverages.  DZ)

April 1952

The absent-minded professor who threw the alarm clock out and wound up the cat has nothing on H. H. Quicker of Neillsville.

He walked off and left his truck double parked near the main intersection of Neillsville, motor idling, where it stood for two hours last Friday night.

Mr. Quicker stopped the truck in front of a grocery store to make a delivery.  When he came out he stopped, and chatted with a friend, then made his way on foot to his place of business, a block away.  Later he went bowling.

Dairy employees, unable to locate the truck in a time of need, called Mr. Quicker to seek his help.  The light dawned.  Two thousand dollars’ worth of equipment had been left on the street, motor running, lights on, and ready to go.

They found the truck, patiently waiting.                                                                                                           

•••••••••

Eighteen truckloads of dirt were hauled Monday to fill a hole left when a well caved in on the railroad right-of-way near the American Stores Dairy.

The well, which is believed to have been dug 25 years ago for cooling milk at the dairy plant, had been recapped and repointed last year.  It was bottle-shaped, about 27 feet deep, and had about 14 feet of water in it.  It had been dug down to the granite layer.

(The American Stores Dairy Plant was located at the present Neillsville Fire Station site. DZ)

•••••••••

The Moose Club boxing matches, scheduled for this Saturday night, have been postponed, LaVerne Gaier, manager of the boxing team, has announced.  The postponement of the matches came after the state boxing commission turned thumbs down on a proposal to hold the contest during Holy Week.

The April 12 date had been originally suggested by the state commission.  A future date is being selected in collaboration with the state commission.                                                                            

•••••••••

Easter outfits were conspicuously few last Sunday when a mid-April spring blizzard brought four inches of snow and slush and slightly more than half an inch of melted snow.  All but cancelled, were planned trips and Easter visiting for those who could stay home, did.

Parking lots and driveways were turned into seas of mud, resulting in a record-number of calls for wreckers.  The bus lines kept operating but the Minneapolis-bound evening bus slid into a ditch west of town and had to be towed out.  Cars parked near the churches were rendered almost powerless when the slush caused wheels to spin, even on relatively flat surfaces.

•••••••••

The Loyal Sportsman’s club Spots Show will be given this weekend at the Loyal city garage.  The program includes an indoor trout fishing pond, free movies, conservation department exhibits, and fly tying.  You can keep the trout you catch.  The doors will open at 1 p.m. Satruday and Sunday and close at 11 p.m.  A dance will be held Sunday evening following the show.  Proceeds will be used for the club’s conservation programs. 

•••••••••

Days of the Wild West!  The days of Wells-Fargo express and the Wild West were re-enacted between Madison and Neillsville last week.

There was the heavy black iron strongbox, containing the “gold” shipment ($148,000 negotiable bonds, to be exact,) armed guards and the works.  The only things missing were “Indians-on-the-Warpath” and the conniving bandits.

The modern re-enactment took place Wednesday, when John C. Brandt, city clerk, guarded by Sheriff Frank Dobes, and Police Officer William Perrine, wet to Madison to bring back $148,000 in war department bonds.  They carried the bonds in a black, iron strongbox, 18 x 24 x 12 inches.

Unlike the Wild West thrillers, however, the trip was made without incident.

•••••••••

Work will begin as soon as weather conditions permit on County Trunk N, the Colby-Longwood Road in the Town of Colby, following the approval of the $25,102 highway commission contract by Gov. Walter J. Kohler.

The contract provides for grading and construction of ballast and base course on a section of County Trunk N extending from Colby three miles west.  Eventually the road will be blacktopped, that is, given a bituminous surface; but probably not this year.

A federal aid allotment of $13,800 has been obtained and the balance will be paid by Clark County.

•••••••••

A Prize Winner for Streamlined Style! For Rugged Use! For Low Price! The Hiawatha Sioux Bicycle, $41.95 at Gambles Hardware.  Also, the 14” Park Cycles, for children 3 to 6 years old, Only $21.95, or the Strong Steel Tube Bodies, 10-inch, Red baked-on enamel, 3-wheel Velocipede, only $4.95.                                                       

•••••••••

This $25 Discount Can Save You Hundreds!

Urban’s New Engine Special will give you a Good-as-New Car that will mean a Great Savings from the Price of a New One.

Plymouth – Chrysler – Dodge – DeSoto – International.  A Factory Guarantee, 48-hour Installation.

(Remembering the early 1950s, when you bought a new car, the engine was good for about 50,000 miles, and then it would need a new or rebuilt engine.  Now, through the years, that has changed.  The greatly improved engines, along with proper maintenance, vehicles can last well beyond 200,000 miles.  In some cases, the engine outlasts the body and frame. DZ)

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤