Clark County Press, Neillsville, WI

June 14, 2000, Page 28

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

Good Old Days

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

 

June 1910

 

Tuesday morning, after employees opened the Unity Bank for business, it was discovered that some time during the night the safe cracksmen had been at work.  The bank had been robbed of $2,000 and there was no trace of the robbers.  Sheriff Eunson went to investigate the particulars of the robbery.

 

On Saturday, June 4, a big dance was held in August Wagner’s new barn.

 

Miss Anna Cardarelli and John J. Anthony were married at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on the morning of June 1st.  The couple was attended by Miss Mayme Anthony, sister of the groom and Michael Faber, both of Madison.  After the ceremony a large reception was held at the home of the bride’s parents. The bride was beautifully gowned in lavender messoline and wore a veil.

 

Both the bride and her maid carried a large bouquet of American Beauty roses and ferns.  The bride is the daughter of L. Cardarelli.  The groom is a young man of Madison, a chief car inspector of the C. M. & St. P.  The young couple will leave for Madison on Saturday where they have their flat in readiness.

 

The Annual Kinderfest of the German Lutheran Church will be held Sunday, June 19 in H. Bartell’s Grove.  An entirely new and interesting program has been prepared this year, something different.  There will be church services in the forenoon, after which dinner will be served.  The afternoon will be devoted to amusements, children’s games, something for everyone.

 

Refreshments and ice cream will be served all afternoon.

 

The Lutheran Church of Pine Valley will celebrate its annual Kinderfest in August Dux’ grove, opposite the church, on June 12.  The ladies will prepare and serve dinner.

 

Last week, Joe Lowe completed a trade, wherein he became the owner of the August Schoengarth building now occupied by the Miller saloon.  Lowe will start at once to improve the building, fix up the flat upstairs for living rooms for his family.  He will cut an arch through the wall of his present building and the rear of his new building to connect them.  The union of the two buildings will give the Lowe furniture store ample room to display and enlarge the stock.

 

Everyone has his share of troubles, even the man who owns an automobile.  The other day, Len Howard was speeding along on a country road when he met a man with a horse and buggy.  Upon receiving the sign of distress, he brought his auto to a halt and the engine was stopped.  “Why,” remarked Howard as the horse passed the auto without paying the slightest attention to it, “Your horse doesn’t seem a bit afraid of my auto.”

 

“No this one here isn’t afraid but I’ve got one at home that is,” was the man’s reply.

 

While Dr. Schultz was returning home from a call last Wednesday night, he noticed a light in Max Opelt’s store.  Upon investigating, he found burglars at work within the store.  Securing his shot gun and upon returning, he noticed three men leaving the building. He commanded them to halt and when they refused to do so, he opened fire, after which they promptly returned firing.  In all, about 15 shots were exchanged and the burglars finally took to their heels.  As far as could be ascertained, little or nothing was missing from the store.

 

Men are needed to work on construction of a dam, pulp and paper mills at Rothschild, Wis.  Wages are 17 ½ cents per hour; board is $3.50 per week at the mill site.  Permanent positions are available to good men.  Call or write: Marathon Paper Mills Co. of Wausau.

 

A quiet home wedding occurred when Rev. Chapman united in marriage Mr. Roy Fitch and Miss Clara Tragsdorf.  The bridal couple was attended by Miss Elsie Tragsdorf and Perry Wilder.  The ceremony took place in the bay window of the Tragsdorf residence under a bell of white and yellow roses.  The window was planked with pink carnations, peonies, ferns and smilax. The bride and her maid were gowned in white lingerie gowns and the bride carried white roses.  Miss Mida Kane played the wedding march and Miss Ethel Ring sang an appropriate solo.  At the conclusion of the ceremony and congratulations, an elaborate luncheon was served.  Table decorations were in red and green.  Mr. and Mrs. Fitch left Wednesday morning for Shawonet, Mich., where Mr. Fitch will be engaged in business.

 

Mrs. Fitch is the daughter of Mrs. Bertha Tragsdorf and is a most pleasant, winsome young lady.  She is a graduate of the city schools and the University of Wisconsin. During the past year, she has been on the teaching staff of the Neillsville High School.  Mr. Fitch is a sterling young man who had lived in Madison for many years.  There, he had received good business training, so with that knowledge and his capabilities of good direction he will be successful.

 

Last Saturday afternoon, quite a large crowd of Neillsville businessmen went up to the site for the proposed dam at Weston Rapids.  The new spot selected for the dam is ideal in every way.  The dam will be anchored in solid rock at both ends and the powerhouse built into the dam near its west anchorage.

 

The sale of the stock is about complete. The financial committee of the Neillsville Electric Company, appointed to negotiate the $60,000 of bonds authorized to be issued for the construction of the new power plant at Weston Rapids.  We wish to make a special appeal to the people of Neillsville and vicinity to subscribe for these bonds.  A $100 bond will cost $85.

 

The original stock of the company, $24,000, will be oversubscribed and will be paid in cash. So, the bondholders will have as security the present property of this company and $24,000 actual money paid in and to be used in constructing the new power plant.

 

The finance committee urges you to give this matter your immediate attention.

 

C. C. Sniteman, S. M. Marsh and James O’Neill, Finance Committee.

 

June 1950

 

Close to 1,000 persons gathered for the program held in the Neillsville City Cemetery on Memorial Day.

 

The address of the day was delivered by Clarence Gorsegner, Clark County District Attorney.  Excerpts from his address are as follows:

 

“Once again the eyes of the world are centered upon America. In America rests the hope of mankind.  May our republic be given the spiritual insight and dauntless courage to lay firm and solid the foundation of a new civilization worth of America’s history and tradition.”

 

“Freedom exists only where the people take care of the government and freedom does not exist where the government takes care of the people.”

 

“Our American heritage is something more than a large continent lying between two oceans.  It is something bigger than a rich land with vast resources.  It is the American ideal and idea of freedom of human aspiration.  This freedom is the foundation of democracy, of justice, of spirit and of everything we hold dear.”

 

“The only limit to our program of tomorrow will be our indecision of today.  Let us move onward with that strong and active faith, faith to live and die for, and faith to live by.  Based on that faith to live by is faith in man, faith in our country and above all, faith in our God.”

 

(Fifty years ago, 1,000 persons attended the Memorial Day services at the Neillsville Cemetery!  Through the years, little by little, the attendance lessens for the annual Memorial Day service.  Could it be that the World War II days were still fresh in the memories of the area residents?  Every family had been touched by the circumstances of the war with loved ones involved in the battles abroad, some not returning.

 

Gorsegner’s address, when read today, still conveys an inspiring message. D.Z.)

 

Billy Appleyard, 14 years old, is becomingly modest and unassuming.  You’d never pick him out of a crowd as a hero.

 

Yet to several people of Neillsville’s North Side, he became a hero last Monday afternoon when he pulled little Eugene (Genie) O’Brien from the swift waters of Black River as Genie was going under for the third time.

 

Genie, the nine-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold O’Brien of Neillsville, will tell you that he doesn’t remember much about his experience in the water at Little Eddy, just upstream from the waterworks.

 

Ronnie Yankee, 12 and Genie’s brother, Jerry, 11, who witnessed the dramatic rescue, will tell you that Genie couldn’t stand when he was pulled from the water.  Although he didn’t lose consciousness, his legs buckled under him when he was brought to shore.

 

Billy Appleyard and his pal, Bobby DeMert, were just about dressed and ready to leave the Little Eddy swimmin’ hole for home when they noticed Genie was in trouble.

 

The two O’Brien boys were accompanied to the Little Eddy swimming hole by Ronnie, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Yankee, and Donnie Shaw, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ray Shaw.

 

Thirty-eight persons of Slovenian background came to Willard Sunday from Sheboygan.  They chartered a bus which arrived at Willard about 10 a.m.

 

These visitors were members of the Slovenian organization at Sheboygan.  Many of them have friends and relatives in the Willard community.

 

At noon, a delicious dinner was served by the Christian Mothers Society in the West Side Hall.

 

After attending the 10:30 a.m. High Mass, visiting and partaking of the dinner, the happy group left that night for their homes in Sheboygan.

 

Miss Gladys Kalsow, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gust Kalsow, became the bride of Calvin Gerhardt, son of Mr. and Mrs. Willard Gerhardt, at the Methodist parsonage on June 3 at 11 o’clock.  Rev. Virgil Nulton performed the single-ring ceremony.

 

The bride chose as her gown a white taffeta street-length dress, fashioned with a shirred bodice, cap sleeves and sweetheart neckline.  Her bridal bouquet consisted of Pink Delight roses and lilies-of- the-valley.

 

Miss Artice Hubing, a close friend of the bride, acted as maid of honor.  She wore a blue taffeta street-length dress, similar to that of the bride and carried a bouquet of pink carnations and yellow daisies.

 

Dale Gerhardt of Seattle, Wash., a brother of the groom, acted as best man.

 

A petition for an increase of ten cents per hour in pay was presented to the Neillsville City Council on Tuesday evening by 15 city workers.  The effect of this raise would be to fix a minimum of 92 cents on common labor, with the higher brackets of 98c to $1.04 the petition also called for more vacation pay and a more favorable arrangement with reference to holidays.

 

A new oil station, Harry’s Standard Service, has its formal grand opening on Friday and Saturday.  Harry Rosenquist, the manager and leasee, is planning a gala event, with gifts for those who stop.

 

The service station is located at the corner of Seventh and Hewett Street, opposite the Merchant’s Hotel.  It is also the site of the former Danger’s store.  The station is completely modern and completely new.

 

The ghosts of Neillsville have passed the horse and buggy age and progressed as far as the bicycle. That has been established beyond a doubt. The proof has been gathered up by Herman Olson, our local police officer and trusted citizen.  Olson has said so.

 

The proof came about eventually.

 

Olson, as a night officer, was patrolling in the vicinity of the cemetery on Monday evening of last week, when he saw a ghost in the cemetery.  He shouted and took after the ghost, but the ghost evaporated, almost instantaneously.  Olson had always wanted to meet a ghost, but he missed his opportunity again; the ghost was faster than he was.

 

However, he did find, near the original location of the ghost, two bicycles.  In other words, there were two ghosts rather than just one. Also, there was only one white sheet left near the bicycles.

 

Officer Olson took the sheet and the two bikes to the Neillsville City Hall.  There they had a place of honor in the police room, mute evidence of the bicycle-riding habits of modern ghosts.  In a day or two, Allen Freezy came in on other business, saw a bike there which looked like his and wanted to know how it came to be there.  The last he knew, he had left it at a neighbor’s to be repaired.

 

Chief Drescher was unable to enlighten Allen on the matter.  A little later it became known that the other bike belonged to the Cram family.  So the inference was that the two ghosts had borrowed the Freezy and Cram bikes and put them into ghostly service. 

 

Mrs. Cram had tucked away clean white sheets from Monday’s laundry.  However, when she took the sheets out again, later, mysteriously, one was missing while the remaining one had many grass stains on it, just as the one at city hall.

 

Upon further questioning, it was revealed that Mr. and Mrs. Cram had gone visiting for a short time on the evening of the ghost adventure.  During their absence, their son, Richard had double-dared his sister Caroline and her friend, Maurine Freezy to play ghost in the cemetery on that evening.  The mystery was solved about the bicycle-riding ghosts; the girls had carried through on the dare.

The Clark County Courthouse and jail center, the background of this photo, was taken in the early 1900s.  The house shown in the foreground is on the corner of East Ninth and Hewett Streets.

 

 


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