137. Randolph County Misc.

1866. Kidnapping At Spartanburg.

  Gus Peters, residing most of his time near Spartanburg, Ind,. created some excitement in our village on Friday evening last, by kidnapping and attempting to carry off a small child belonging to Mrs. Peters. Mrs. Peters recently obtained a divorce from the said Gus Peters on the plea of drunkenness and brutal treatment of herself and family. The court appointed her guardian for the children.
  This Peters did not like and on Friday evening he rode to the house of Mrs. Peters, watched his opportunity, and picked up one of the small children and mounted his horse and rode off on the Spartanburg road.
  Mrs. Peters ran out and gave the alarm. The bare mention of the outrageous theft raised excitement and a number of persons ran to the rescue. The race was quite spirited-men on horse-back and on foot joining in it freely. It lasted twenty minutes or more, when the gentleman was caught and made to bring back his stolen property and deliver it up to its legal owner.
  The crowd admonished Gus to leave the place immediately and not be caught here on a similar mission, under no less penalty than a good thrashing. The orders were promptly obeyed, and he has not been seen in our city since.   The Randolph Journal, October, 1866.



1865. A Little Tight.

  The man who wished his neck was as long as a 'broom-handle" was in Winchester the other day, and was a tad drunk, as usual. He seemed to think if he had a long neck it would enable him to drink more liquor, and besides, he could better appreciate its qualities, and it would require a longer time to get drunk.   Winchester Journal, June, 1865.



1924. Disrespect For The Past. 95 Years Ago.

  Young people have always looked at the views of their elders with some disapproval or contempt. This tendency is more marked than ever before. The young people of this day, are as a rule better educated than the former generation. Many of the ideas to which the older crowd cling are regarded by the young folks as completely obsolete and out of date.
  When you get into a crowd of the more thoughtful of these young folks you will be impressed with the sweeping condemnations that they utter upon established institutions. Many of the more radical want a kind of general break-down, so that the human race can start anew and build better institutions and customs.
  That is about what happened in Russia. The misery to which that country has been reduced through such destructive attack is a warning that evolution is better than revolution.
  Where institutions have lived for many years, it is a sign that in spite of their faults, they have in the main fitted the facts of human nature. Yet it will be a great mistake if the older generation fail to show a reasonable response to the demand of the younger element for great changes in the methods of society.
  The churches talk too much about creeds, too little about human brotherhood. The government is run too much for the politicians and too little for the people. There is too much grasping for money in the business world, too little of honest service, both on the part of capital and the part of labor. So one could go through all forms of human effort.
  That does not mean that those institutions should be swept out of sight, but the modern world must realize that great changes are coming. People must not become so comfortable in their sheltered nooks, that they resist the vision of youth for a nobler and more generous future.   Union City Times, July, 1924.



1978. From the News-Gazette. 41 years ago.

1-3  Grimm Pontiac-Buick-GMC will celebrate it's 3rd year in business. Salesmen pictured are Gene Davis, Joe Durbin, Chet Wolfe and Barry Almonrode.
1-3  Bob's Men's Wear, North Side Square, Semi-Annual Clearance Sale.
1-4  Helm's Meat Market, East Side Square, Ground Beef, .59 Lb.
1-4  C&M Auction Barn, 120 N. Main, Jon Morgan & Ralph Cook owners.
1-5  Overmyer Furniture, 132 N. Main, storewide sale adv.
1-5  "The Cove" restaurant, 600 N. Union, is under new management. Tom & Peggy Thornburg.
1-5  Geyer Chevrolet-Oldsmobile Inc. salesmen are Glenn Minnich, Wayne Smith, Louie Grow and Fred Gamber..
1-6  "Hair Junction" St. Rd. 32 East adv. Brenda Armstrong, Pam Howell, Kim Symmes and Conyers.
1-6   Val Discount Center, St. Rd 32 East has "Door Buster Specials" adv.
1-7   Roy Barnes starts painting the mural at the courthouse.
1-11  Walters Tire Center, 630 East Washington. Tire Sale adv.
1-11  Faye S. Fisher Real Estate Office, 105 S. Main, adv.
1-11  G.C. Murphy Co., "The Friendly Store," 117 S. Main, adv.
1-13  Sherman Armstrong enters car in the "500 Race."
1-13  Homestead Real Estate, owned by Gary Drill, adv.
1-13  Boxell's Catalog Sales Agency, 112 E. Washington, adv. Bob Boxell, owner. This was located in the former Rainbow Restaurant bldg.
1-13  Hawkins Appliances adv.
1-14  Shaffer Funeral Home, 327 E Franklin, Gene Shaffer, adv.
1-17  H&R Block, 214 W. Franklin, adv.
1-17  Blizzard of '78.
1-17  Fred Armstrong & Associates adv. Errol Klem and Danny Retz pictured.
1-19  Tom Bigelow and Mel Kenyon will drive Armstrong cars in the 500.
1-24  The 3rd story of the K of P building will be taken off. The China House restaurant is there today, 2019.
1-24  Scott Jones is Falcon wrestler of the week.
1-25  American Realty, Mike Curtner, owner. Jack Longnecker, Jim Nance and Wayne Fisher salesmen.



1971. Ridgeville Library.

  The idea for establishing a public library in Ridgeville was advocated by Rev. Robert C. Falconer of the Congregational Church, who 60 years ago suggested to members of the Senior Christian Endeavor class that each of the ten young ladies in the class give three books to start a library.
  The town librarian today, Mrs. David N. Poucher, was a member of the class of 60 years ago.
  "I never had a thought of being a librarian when I was helping gather up books to start this one," she says. Mrs. Poucher, the former Mamie Hollowell, and Mrs. Crete (Newton) Heston of Winchester are the only two members of the class now residing in the area.
  The church class collected around 50 books for the library when some Ridgeville business men took notice of their efforts. On New Year's Day, 1912, these men met and officially established the Ridgeville Public Library for the townspeople and residents of the surrounding community.
  The library was first located in the Masonic Building, which then stood on the corner north of the present Ridgeville Post Office. The library has been in two other locations before it was moved to its present site on the second floor of the City Building around 1924.
  First librarian was Mrs. Carrie Frederick, who received 75 cents per day for her work. Russell Addington served as president of the first library board, and Gail L. Bailey, still residing in the town, was named chairman of the book committee. Longest period served by any one person as librarian was by Mrs. Clara Ferguson from 1925 to 1953.
  Mrs. Poucher was appointed librarian on Jan. 31, 1963, following the death of Mrs. Fern Wilkinson,
who had been librarian for the previous eight years.
  The Ridgeville library has about 10,000 books and 400 borrowers. The library has a small reading room. The background for this room is unique - formed by three spinning wheels that were possessions of some of the town's earlier settlers. There are also several other museum items reminiscent of pioneer residents.
  Prior to 1970 any resident outside the town limits paid $1 per year for a library card. In 1970, money for the library was provided by Franklin Township and no charge now is made to township residents.
  Mrs. Merrill Painter is assistant librarian.   Muncie Star, March, 1971.



1975. Saratoga And Campbell's Soup.

   What became the Warren Harshman Canning Company, Saratoga, in February, 1912 began to produce V-8 Vegetable Juice in 1937 and continues to do so today. Campbell's actually bought the plant on April 5, 1948.
  The Campbell's plant is now getting ready to begin its heavy season when the "Pack", actual processing and canning, transpires. That period starts in early August and runs until either October 1 or the first killing frost, whichever comes first, according to Lowell Fields, plant manager.
  The company contracts with local farmers for tomatoes, most of which grow within a 25 mile radius. Operations that occur at the Campbell's plant in Saratoga include selecting the raw produce, receiving and preparing ingredients, filling and sealing cans, processing or cooking to sterilize the contents, labeling the cans and putting them in cases.
  The actual are not produced in Saratoga, but come from the nearest Campbell plant in Napoleon, Ohio, 120 miles away. This Ohio plant carries a complete soup line, bean products, juices, spaghetti, baked goods, poultry and meat products, restaurants, pet foods, garden centers and chocolates which Campbells has become affiliated with since its 1869 beginning in Camden, New Jersey.
  The majority of the canned vegetable juice is shipped by rail to Texas, but some also goes to the Chicago sales district.
  Fields, who has been a plant manager since 1953 said the majority of his 300 workers came from the county and work in two 150 man shifts. He said some migrants also participate in the season's operation. Although the majority of the work at the Campbell's company is done in two months, Fields said "We have a couple of months to do as much production as other companies have a year to complete."
  Shortly after the "Pack" is over, a skeleton crew of 16 including Fields and fieldmen begin an overhaul of equipment in preparation for the next year's work.
  Fields said within his 19 years as plant manager there has been an upgrading of equipment which became more automated and more sanitary. Included in this area was the development of a retort which is a production size pressure cooker. Another innovative piece of equipment was the continuous cooker where ingredients are blended and put in a continuous flow of cans. After cans are sealed they move through the cooker continuously in assembly-line fashion where they are cooled, labeled and cased. There have been no major increases in personnel or the scope of operations since he has been at the plant, Fields said.
  The whole progression of the area from barren ground to its present day Campbells company began in July of 1894 when Della Hinkle purchased this land along the railroad from William Brill, according to a history by the late Flossie Coggeshall, a lifelong resident of Saratoga who passed away in 1969.
  The Goodrich Brothers bought the land from Della Hinkle in September of 1899 where they built and operated the Goodrich Hay and Grain Company. Between 1907 and 1911 this territory was brought from the township of Ward into the corporation of Saratoga.
  Fletcher Warren and Tobias Harshman bought the land and buildings from the Goodrichs in 1912 to form the Warren Harshman Canning Company for canning corn and tomatoes. It was thought that tomatoes were scalded then and brought in buckets to women who peeled them by hand. Cobs from the sweet corn were hauled away by farmers and fed to hogs.
  Morrison Teegarden Company bought the factory on April 7, 1917, later forming the Morrison Teegarden Corporation in 1919. The Paul Delaney Company bought the corporation on April 15, 1925 to make canned tomato juice and canned pumpkin. One story that Mrs. Coggeshall included in her history was an incident in which mountains of pumpkins were brought and stacked along the railroad. When an early freeze came before all the pumpkins could be processed, quite a cleanup job was required.  The factory building became a community center during the 1920's where basketball games and other activities took place. After the tomato season was over, revival meetings were held there. The building was used for dances on Saturday nights.
  Edward Prichart purchased the factory from Delaney on July 14, 1925 forming the E. Prichart of Indiana Corporation to process whole tomatoes and tomato juice.
  On March 9, 1936, the Loudon Packing Company bought the plant from Prichart. During that time T.C. Hayes managed this plant as well as another Loudon plant at Terre Haute. His wife suggested that the Saratoga plant make tomato juice flavored with other vegetable juices.
  The experimentation came during the packing season of 1937. when seven other vegetable juices were mixed with tomato juice, marking the beginning of the V-8 Cocktail Vegetable Juice. One of the first purchasers of the V-8 was by the railroad to be served in dining cars.
  Standard Brands, Inc. purchased the plant and the V-8 Cocktail Juice formula from the Loudon Packing Company on May 18, 1943.
  During WW II years, coffee and sugar were packed during winter months at the plant. The coffee was received as whole beans in large bags, then ground and packed in two pound cartons. The sugar was processed was processed in the form of compressed cubes which were packed and sent to the Armed Forces overseas.
  The Campbell's Company purchased the plant from Standard Brands, Inc. in April of 1948 and continued its production of V-8 Cocktail Vegetable Juice.   Winchester News-Gazette, July, 1975. By Sue Hagen.



1888. Autograph Book Of Ida Wright. Modoc?

February 3rd, 1888.  Think of me when you are happy
                                  Keep for me one little spot
                                  In that depth of recollection
                                  I ask of you forget me not.
                                             
                                                 Truly your friend,
                                                             Etta Seagrave,  Teacher
                                                                      Modoc, Ind.

Each page has a short note or poem, name of the writer, date and location. Most are from Modoc, some from Winchester, Ridgeville and Farmland. There isn't space for each message but I'll list the names and location of the writers.

Hannah Segrave, Modoc
Annie Day,   xxx
Inda Petro     xxx
Kittie Wright, sister,    xxx
Eunice Charles, Economy
Louie Edwards, Modoc
Sula Day,    xxx
Johnnie Lee, Modoc
Ollie Conley, Modoc
Inez Conley,   xxx
Martha Howell,   xxx
Clara Gaines, Modoc
Ola Keever,    xxx
Ida? Davis   xxx
Willie Conley,   xxx
Smith Lee, Modoc
William Catey,   xxx   May your virtue ever shine like bull frogs in the sun, May your sorrow ever flee like bed bugs on the run.

Ollia Williams,   xxx     When you are at home. Drinking tea. Burn your nose. And think of me.

Belle Hunt, Modoc
Orson Wine,   xxx
J.A. Summwalt, Farmland
Lou McGuire, Farmland
Frank Retts,   xxx
Charlie Stine, Winchester
John Carter, Modoc
Ira Swain, Modoc
John T. Swindell,   xxx
Oscar Clevenger, Winchester Normal
Corwin Swain,   xxx
Jesse Oxley,   xxx
Francis C. Oxley,   xxx  To Cousin Ida
Oscar Wine, Modoc
Della Shetterly, Winchester
Glenna Shoemaker, Modoc
Anna Ford, Winchester Normal
Vic Gaines, Modoc
Lizzie Engle, Harrisville
J.H. Wilmore, Ridgeville
Jesse Retts,   xxx
Bertha Mills, Winchester
Ira Retts, Modoc
Flora Davis, Lynn
Agnes Lee, Economy   Your cousin
Lucy Millspaugh, Modoc
Blanche Burroughs, Economy
Ina Mills, Winchester
"Tod" Monks, Winchester
M.C. Coble,   xxx   "Normalite"
C.H. Wood, Winchester
L.B. McGuire, Farmland    "Winchester Normal"
Emma Engle, Winchester
L.Y. Bosworth, Winchester
Imilia Brockmann,   xxx
Cora Cheesman, Winchester
Dora E. Hiatt, Winchester
Mary Lindsey, Neff























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