Last Thursday night the two young fellows, Harry Smith and Albert Evans, who have been in the county jail for some time, broke out by crawling through the ventilators in the ceiling of the room in which the jail is located. After making their escape, they broke into the Missouri Pacific Depot and carried away chewing gum, some passenger tickets and other small articles such as ticket punches and some money. The loot was secreted near the Oscar Flats and the boys took the push car from the section house near the depot and rode it almost to Woodston where they threw it from the track. Going to a barn just west of Woodston and near the railway track, they slept until morning and then proceeded to town where they bought some tobacco and foodstuffs, and then took to a wheat field. By this time the news of their escape had reached Woodston by telephone and S. D. Atkinson, marshal, and W. T. Smither captured the young fellows and brought them to Stockton just before noon. The boys each made a full confession of the burglary at the depot and the larceny of the property from the station. They were in jail upon a charge of robbing the home of the station agent at Palco a couple of weeks ago. Albert Evans will be taken to the reformatory at Hutchinson and his “Buddy” Harry Smith will go to the industrial school at Topeka.

Monday of this week. I. R. Elred, a real estate agent of Logan, accompanied by two men by the name of Post and Scott went to Wakeeney, Ellis and other points of that section all riding in a Ford owned by Elred. They returned by Damar in the afternoon and at that place there appeared to be some bad feelings between the trio. Some fistic encounters took place, but still there was that brotherly love that prompted them not to testify against each other. Late in the afternoon they started north. About a half mile north of Damar on the level road, the car upset with the result that Elred was pretty badly bruised up. The sheriff made a journey to the place and brought the three men to Stockton. After spending the night in jail, each plead guilty to being drunk and paid a fine of $25.00 and costs of $5.00 and were then released. There was a suspicion at Damar that Eldred’s companions had robbed him of some cash, but he steadfastly denied that he had any cash to be robbed of. There seemed to be no use to attempt to find out who had injured him when he insisted that he was not hurt. He paid his fine with the others and went his way.

Matthew McMichael, who lives on the Jim Creek Ranch northeast of Stockton, was severely burned by lightning during the electrical storm on Tuesday evening. Matthew and a brother, Howard, were in the barn and had finished milking the cows and waiting for the storm to subside. He was sitting on a milking stool with his back resting against the wall of the barn. The bolt of lightning struck a few feet above his head, followed a wire over to a nail on which it was attached, then down the side of the building where Matthew was sitting and entered his back. Portions of his body were badly burned. Howard was sitting only a few feet away from his bother, but was not injured outside of being stunned. A cow standing in a stall near Matthew was killed and two others were knocked to the ground. The electrical storm of

The search for Zelma Osborn, a Codell girl, continues a mystery with the parents. S. A. Turner, a Kansas City electrician, is charged with inducing the girl to go with him under the pretense of going to Middleton, Ohio to visit the girl’s sister. Mr. Osborn says Turner came to Codell to visit in May. He is the brother of Osborn’s second wife—the girl’s stepmother. Hearing Zelma Osborn declare she wished to visit her sister in Ohio and being dissatisfied at home, Turner proposed to take her to Kansas City in his car, promising to pay her railroad fair on to Ohio. The father remonstrated and advised the girl to remain at home to continue her music studies with her stepmother. On May 15th, Zelma left for Ohio with Turner and has not been heard from since. The father became anxious because he had not heard from the daughter, but supposed she had arrived safely in Ohio. Last week the sister from Ohio came to Codell and it was then Osborn first learned that Zelma had never reached Middleton. He immediately began a search and notified authorities. Turner is 43 years old, weighs 185 pounds, is married and has three children. He is tall, has red hair and false teeth. The girl is dark, weighs 130 pounds and her hair was not bobbed when she left home. The car was an Overland touring model number 85. Osborn has been informed that parties answering to the description stopped in Salina the day of Miss Osborn’s disappearance and ate in a restaurant. The girl was said to have expressed a wish to return home. Turner’s family in Kansas City cannot be located. The girl’s mother died of the influenza during the war. One hundred dollars in reward is offered by the father for the return of the girl or Turner.

The time for the annual Fair of Rooks County is close at hand. The officers are working hard to make this year’s Fair eclipse any former meeting of the Fair. The free acts have been contracted besides a number of other entertaining features. There will be no airplane flying and stunt work, also there will be no auto races. These features are not becoming of interest to fair patrons as in past years and the officers decided it best to bring other entertainment in place of these. Other changes of note will be found in the departments of poultry, grain and floral. The Rooks County Fair is the oldest in this part of the state, and its directors say that they hope to make the 1924 event the best ever held.

Weddings on the Society Page included the beautiful wedding of Miss Lola Grace and Willard Keeten, the Sunday morning marriage of Miss Myrtle Alice Noah to Earl D. Hinkhouse, the afternoon marriage of Miss Faye Hinkhouse and Henry Bates, and the wedding of Miss Marjorie Taylor and Raymond Biery.

Last Thursday night the store of the Damar Mercantile Company was again robbed. This time the thieves gained entrance by prying off the lock n the back door. The safe was broken into and about $40.00 in cash taken. No merchandise was molested, according to reports. The store is owned by a young man named Pugh and his losses, having three in the past year, come heavily upon him.

Willis Beckley had the misfortune to get his arm broken last Sunday. He, in the company with some other boys, was playing on top of a shed and as they went to jump down, he broke his arm at the elbow. The doctor was called and set it, and they also took him to town Monday morning to see how bad it was. The Beckleys seem to have more than their share of sickness, as Mr. Beckley has been sick all winter and not able to do much yet, and Mrs. Beckley has been sick this spring.

James Hunter. who has been working roads in Thomas County for some time, wrote to Stockton relatives that during work one day last week, the grading machine uncovered 32 quarts of hootch. It is the supposition that the liquor was transported by a rumrunner and fearing the law would nab him, buried the stuff. Plus, graders on a road near Densmore a few days ago unearthed a human skeleton. It is supposed to have been a member of the Buck party, sent out by the government in a very early day to make preliminary surveys. The party completely disappeared and years afterward the surveying instruments belonging to the party were accidently dug up not far from where the bones of the man were found.

The agricultural progress train of the Missouri Pacific proved of considerable benefit and amusement to the people of the county last Thursday. Hundreds of the citizens attended. The visitors were much interested in the exhibit and took time to study them. These exhibits were loaned to the Missouri Pacific through the U. S. Department of Agriculture. These exhibits, which are carried in four cars, are said to be the best arranged and most instructive agricultural and educational of its kind installed in railroad cars.