What Stocktonites Were Doing 94 Years Ago
The curb, gutter, and gravel contract on South First Street was let last Saturday afternoon by the city commissioners to the firm of Cook & Ransom of Olathe for the sum of $6,378.05. Eight contractors took part in the bidding, and their bids ranged from the successful offer to the sum of $8,789.70 by the firm of McKee & Hopper. The detailed bid shows that the six-inch curb with the two feet of gutter let for the surprisingly low figure of 60¢ per running foot. While the expense to the individual lot owners has not been computed, the owners of each of the 180 lots affected by this improvement will be charged not to exceed $25.00 a lot or $1.00 per running foot of frontage.
A former seventeen- year-old Stockton boy, Bernard Hulse, was fatally injured in an automobile crash a few miles west of Towanda, Kansas on the night of December 16th. Relatives here were notified of the accident, and George F. Crane, sons Everette and Vernon, and their wife drove to Midian, the former home of the boy, for the funeral services. The Model A Ford Tudor driven by the young Hulse and a Buick Coupe driven by E. R. McCall, a tourist en route from South Dakota to Towanda, sideswiped each other. The Ford was overturned several times by the impact of the collision. Bernard had two companions in his car, Miss Josephina Bigelow and Miss Frankie Smith. They were shaken and bruised, but suffered no serious injuries. Mr. and Mrs. McCall and their small child were the occupants of the Buick. They were uninjured. No definite explanation of the cause of the accident could be learned. The cars locked the hubcaps of their front wheels just as they passed, and the lighter car was overturned. Bernard was born in Stockton and lived in Stockton and Colby until three years ago when he went with his parents to Midian.
C. V. Ordway has sold his stock of merchandise and fixtures to Harley Richmond. Harley has been a farmer all his life, and we hope for him and his good wife a prosperous mercantile business. They will come into full charge of the store on or before March 1st. Mr. Ordway, his wife, and his son Victor will move to their farm north of Plainville. And we wish them every success in life.
The PTA held their monthly meeting at the Opera House. The high and grade schools jointly gave a Christmas program, which was excellent. Afterwards, a lunch of cake, coffee, and popcorn balls was indulged.
Miss Ethel Belle Smith was slightly burned about the face and hands Sunday morning when some hot gasoline she was using to clean clothing exploded. The burns were not deep, and her clothing did not catch fire. She was on the back porch, and the porch floor and the wall of the house were scorched. The fire department rushed an extinguisher to the F. M Smith home, but it had no effect on the blaze in the cleaning pan, and the pan had to be lifted from the porch with poles before the fire could be extinguished. The only possible explanation for the expulsion is that friction in washing the garments may have ignited the gasoline.
This week, H. M. and J. O. Boylan purchased from M. E Silvers the George Martin property on South First. Mr. and Mrs. Martin have moved to the Dick Maddy property on East Main.
J. V. Kriley, living south of Stockton, was bitten on the hand by a cat a few days ago as he attempted to release the feline from a trap. The wounds were given immediate medical attention, and so far, Mr. Kriley has not felt any bad effects from the maddened animal’s bite.
Word was received on Tuesday of the death of Jack Groves in a Wichita hospital that morning. Young Groves, 20 years of age, was taken ill several weeks ago with an attack of appendicitis, and an operation followed. Pneumonia developed, and owing to his weakened condition, he was unable to combat the attack. Jack is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Groves, former residents of this community.
Why Dads Leave Home…..The haggard- looking man got into conversation with the happy, carefree bachelor on their train journey to the north. “Yes,” said the former, “I’m the father of six daughters.” “Then you and your wife have six mouths to feed,” replied the bachelor. Haggard face shook his head. “No, we have twelve,” he returned. “They are all married.”
