Clark County Press, Neillsville, Wisconsin

July 8, 2009, Page 15

Contributed by "The Clark Co. Press"

Transcribed by Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon.

Index of "Oldies" Articles 

 

Compiled by Dee Zimmerman

 

Clark County News

July 1909

 

A bill was recently introduced in the legislature and passed, which prohibits saloonkeepers from bringing suit and collecting bar accounts in the future.

 

For years it has been the custom in the lumbering districts of this state to extend credit to persons working in the woods and thereafter collect the amount due either by obtaining an order on the company or by garnishment proceedings in case the delinquent refused to pay when sufficient money was due him from the company to cancel the debt.

 

Under the law enacted this can no longer be done and the saloonkeeper has no redress whatever if he extends credit to customers who refuse to pay him.

 

Undoubtedly the law is intended to have a salutary effect in protecting the wages of he lumberjack as well as others who work by the month and are sometimes subject to garnishment.  On the other hand, the state has legalized the sale of liquor on payment of a fixed license by the saloonkeeper and it is unfair to discriminate against him by thus refusing him the same protection that is afforded persons otherwise engaged in business.

•••••••••

George Trogner has taken the contract for building the new Cornelius block, also to do the purchasing of all materials and hire all the workmen.

•••••••••

Mrs. Victor Huntzicker and two children came last week from St. George, Utah, to spend the summer with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. M. C. Ring.

•••••••••

It is desired that persons who are driving carriages or automobiles through the country and wanting to see a fine piece of scenery, could drive onto the racetrack at the fair grounds. The gate is shut, but is unlocked so persons who would, could help kill out the weeds on the racetrack by driving on it.  But please close the gate of the grounds after leaving.  The stray cows might go through the gate, wanting to eat up the hay near the track that is not intended for them.

•••••••••

D. A. Sires returned to Humbird Monday after being in Neillsville where he had been for a week or more.  He informs us that he has purchased the John Wasserburger saloon and property, so will conduct the business after the first of September.  He was in Neillsville so as to make application for the license.  The stand is the same one Mr. Sires conducted twenty years ago.

•••••••••

Louis Moh of the Granton area seems to be having more than his share of hard luck lately.  It was only about two weeks ago that he had a bad team runaway at Neillsville, and now he has experienced another one.  While cultivating corn the other day, his horse took fright and ran, Louis had the driving lines around his body and in consequence was dragged a considerable distance, causing the fracture of several ribs and other minor injuries.

•••••••••

The La Crosse Water Power Company is making rapid progress in their operations on the Hatfield Dam. They have 172 employees on their payroll.

 

The Rev. Chapman family, along with a friend, will spend several weeks camping in the Dells Dam vicinity. There are numbers of fine camping locations in the area, but the only objecting feature is being with the many mosquitoes.

•••••••••

The New O’Neill Livery, with Frank Lynch as Proprietor, is now in operation.

 

Everything is New!  They have safe and careful driving horses; New and up-to-date Buggies, Surreys and Harnesses, the best and most stylish rigs in the city.  When you go out for a ride, drive the best and ride in comfort.

 

Try the O’Neill Livery.

•••••••••

The new drinking fountain has been received by the city and is being put on the Neillsville Bank corner.

•••••••••

Good heavy Castor Oil used for farm machinery can be bought for only 25 cents a gallon; Separator Oil, 10 cents a quart at Tragsdorf, Zimmerman & Co.’s store.

•••••••••

Since Mr. and Mrs. Baum assumed control of the O’Neill House, the patrons have been greatly surprised and pleased with the excellent service and improvements in the dining room.

 

Many of the patrons have expressed their surprise over such excellent meals, which have been served at 25 cents per plate.  But the price was made low merely as an advertisement, for the fact of the matter is that Mr. Baum has lost money in that service, owing to the high price of meats and groceries.  Beginning next Sunday, the price of meals will be slightly raised, with 35’ being asked, which is small enough when the quality of service is considered.

 

July 1939

 

The eighth grade graduating class of 1919 of the Oriole Hill School, district No. 2, Town of York held a reunion Sunday at Schuster Park.  All members of the class as well as two of the teachers were present.

 

A picnic dinner was enjoyed, followed by a brief talk by the teachers and each member of the class gave the highlights of their experiences during the past 20 years.

 

Those present were: Teachers, Mrs. Vivian (Brooks) Potter and husband of Neillsville, and Mrs. Zettie (Eysnogle) Young and husband of New York.

 

Pupils: Mrs. Marion (Northup) Kunze and husband and family of Neillsville; Mrs. Isla (Rowe) Bandelow, husband and family, Neillsville; Mrs. Beatrice (O’Brien) Sischo and mother of Wisconsin Rapids; Mr. and Mrs. Jerome Kipecky and son, Milwaukee; Mr. and Mrs. Archie Begley and two sons, Sparta; and Mr. and Mrs. Emil F. Pease and son, Janesville.

er

 

•••••••••

You ought to be arrested!

 

And nearly every person living in, passing through, or maintaining a business in the city of Neillsville, could be arrested practically every day of the year.

 

They could be; but aren’t.

 

For instance, the city ordinances, published in book form in 1916, and still in effect for the most part, provide that it is unlawful to drive over the O’Neill Creek Bridge or either of the Black River bridges, faster than a walk.  Penalty: fine from $10 to $100.

 

Most of us violate this one ordinance daily.  And it’s only one of the screwy city laws officials are trying to straighten out.

 

Did you know that concrete sidewalks in Neillsville are illegal?  They are.  It’s in black and white in the ordinances that the city’s sidewalks shall be constructed of good sound pine lumber with sound oak stringers. Yet one would have considerable difficulty in finding a single piece of wooden sidewalk in the entire city.

 

Funny? Of course, but listen to this: did you know that the city has an ordinance regulating the speed, which horses may travel in the city?  Yes, sir!  Four miles and (an) hour!  And, section 242 of ordinance 235 continues, any person driving a horse or horses, mule or mules across any crosswalk in the city faster than a walk is liable to a fine of not less than $2 or more than $5 for each offense.

 

The better part of common sense tells us that the cemetery is the place to bury a human corpse. But, just to insure proper care of loved ones gone to their reward, the city has an ordinance, which makes it illegal to bury a corpse in a garden.  Penalty for violation: Fine of not less than $5 or more than $100.

 

So you are going to a costume party?  You had better wait until you get there to don your costume.  City ordinance says it shall be illegal for any person to disguise himself in any manner and appear on any street, lane or alley in the city in the night time, of any purpose what so ever, or fine from $5 to $25.

 

Did you know that crossing gates should be built and maintained at the Omaha railway crossing on South Hewett Street, West Street and Grand Avenue?  Section 88 of ordinance 235 says so.  And in the next breath it says that the above shall be inactive until such time as a train or locomotive pass over one of these crossings at a speed greater than six miles an hour.  It’s being done every day!

 

Here’s one that is conceivably hard to collect on: Any person who attempts to cross the track of any railway company at Hewett, West, or Grand Avenue in front of a moving train, is outside the law.

 

Of course if he merely attempted it, the poor fellow would undoubtedly be knocked galley-west.  The City would have a pretty tough time prosecuting unless it made some special arrangement with Saint Peter, or the other fellow.

 

Well, the city ordinance are packed full of such crazy provisions, and the process of weeding them out and re-coding the ordinances of the city has been under way for several months, albeit, with great variation of enthusiasm. But the green light is on and City Attorney Claude R. Sturdevant and the city council are closing in on the matter, and vow they will bring the ordinances up-to-date in short order.

•••••••••

 

Death came peacefully today to Grandpa Jake Schiller, 84, beloved longtime resident of Neillsville and an old-time logger.

 

Confined to his bed in the North Grand Avenue residence since last Saturday, “Grandpa” Schiller, as he was known by young and old, died about 9 a.m. Wednesday.  Infirmities of old age were said to be the cause.

 

Coming to Clark County during the lumbering days of the 1890s with his wife, the former Margaret Litzen, Mr. Schiller started working as a logger for John Hein, one of the well-known lumbermen of this section at the time.

 

Mr. Schiller and his wife settled down in a log cabin near Wedge’s Creek during their first years in the Clark County wilderness.  A few years later the Hein saw mill was moved to the Town of York and Mr. and Mrs. Schiller went along with it.  Mr. Schiller was a valued employee of Mr. Hein and frequently was sent out in search of new timberlands.  He made many such trips into other sections of Wisconsin at one time his work carried him into northern Michigan.

 

After 14 years of that work, Mr. and Mrs. Schiller moved to Neillsville, where Grandpa took over a position with the city water works.  It was here that an unhappy accident overtook him, nearly a quarter of a century ago.  A piece of flying metal lodged in an eye.  An operation failed to save the eye and soon afterward blindness came to the other eye.

 

But the loss of sight only served to make Mr. Schiller more kind and consequently, more loved by those who knew him.

 

The house on North Grand Avenue was one which young and old loved to visit, for Grandpa loved to spin interesting yarns about the logging days and his experiences in the country when it was young.

 

Hundreds of friends dropped in to congratulate Grandpa and Grandma Schiller on the occasion of their 63rd wedding anniversary, February 6.

 

Mr. Schiller was born Christmas Day, 1855, in the town of Marshfield, Fond du Lac County and as a youth he was employed by his wife’s father on the farm during the years he was courting Mrs. Schiller.  Soon after their marriage in 1876, the Schillers moved to a farm in Marion County and then later removed to Clark County.

 

Besides Mrs. Schiller, he is survived by five daughters; Mrs. William Betz, Town of Seif, Mrs. Ed Wolff of Glendive, Mont., Mrs. Frances Preston, at home, Miss Mildred Schiller, a teacher in the Madison Public Schools, and Mrs. Thorwald Christofferson of Juneau; a son, Tony Schiller, well-known Greenwood merchant; 20 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.  He was the father of the late W. F. Schiller, prominent Neillsville businessman.

 

 

William Schiller was owner of the Schiller Furniture and Funeral Home business located at 430 Hewett Street, Neillsville, during the 1930s.  (Photo courtesy of Bill Roberts’ family collection)

•••••••••

 

The American Telephone & Telegraph Co. will start construction of a booster station and continue the long-halted work on a Chicago-St. Paul cable line on or before October 1.

 

This will mean the construction of a large modern building in the city and laying of a cable line through Neillsville from Baraboo to St. Paul.  The local investment will represent many thousands of dollars.

 

The announcement of the A. T. & T. plans was made to the city council, Tuesday night by City Clerk William F. Hemp.

 

Further confirmation came from W. H. Williams, who has been in the city for the last month taking care of the company’s affairs and making preparations for the laying of the cable line from Neillsville to Eau Claire.

 

The booster station, which will be one of a chain of similar stations located at distances of 50 to 60 miles along the route from Baraboo to St. Paul, will be built on the corner of Fifth and State Streets, south of the county jail.  The lot was purchased by American Telephone and Telegraph Company for this purpose.

 

(The A. T. & T. building is now occupied by The Clark County Abstract & Title business, southwest corner of State and W. Fifth Streets intersection. D. Z.)

•••••••••

Marriage licenses applications:

 

Frank Pachal, 27, Town of Beaver and Esther Karnopp, 18, Town of Beaver; Gorman Uhlig, 21, Abbotsford and Julia Pompitus, 25, Town of Longwood; William D. Eibergen, 21, Town of York and Margaret O’Leary, 18, Town of Mentor.

•••••••••

The New Farmall “A” Tractor will be on display at C. E. Seif & Son, Friday, August 4, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

•••••••••

Special Sale at Zimmerman’s Store: 30 pair Men’s White, Grey or Two-Tone Oxford Shoes, were $3.95, now $2.95 per pair.  Sailors or Softies Men’s Dress Straw Hats, now $1.19 each.  Boy’s Jersey Polo Shirts, 23’ & 39’ each.  Little Fellows Wash Pants, with Bibs, Sizes 3 to 10, 45’ & 59’

•••••••••

Save Money at Fullerton Lumber – Spar Varnish, or Outdoor Paint, $1.75 per gallon & up; Roll Roofing, 85’ per roll; Insulations, 2’ per sq. ft.; Wallpaper, 6’ per roll.

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