100 years ago
DECEMBER 3, 1903 — At a meeting held in the Courthouse last Friday night in the interest of a town hall, plans were proposed and endorsed which made the prospect look more favorable than it ever has before. It was proposed to erect a ground floor hall, to cost five or six thousand dollars by the issuance of stock in the enterprise at the rate of $5 per share. Mr. J.S. Dean led off by agreeing to take one hundred shares, ($500) and others of the little company followed until fourteen hundred dollars were subscribed in this way as a starter. Committees were appointed to prosecute the work and we believe the projects is a "go," this time. At any rate, here's hopin'.
Mr. and Mrs. Orin Weimer, of Abilene, have spent this week in Marion. Mr. Weimer is tuning pianos here.
Mrs. M.A. Tyler entertained a number of relatives at her home on Thanksgiving Day. The day was spent pleasantly with games and conversation and music from the phonograph. When the dinner hour arrived, the guests repaired to the dining room where the table stood loaded with good things to eat and also a beautiful bouquet of American Beauty and LaFrance roses and fern, a gift from a nephew in Omaha who could not be present. Those present were J.W. Wickham, of Mound City and N.D. Wickham and family, of Newton, brothers of Mrs. Tyler.
The first snow of the season fell Monday — the last day of November. There was not much of it, but enough to count.
Mr. J.M. Speer, owner of Maple Lawn Farm, Randalls, Iowa, was here last week looking up a location. He wants to quit farming for a while and run a small dairy in a town having good educational advantages for his children, and was pleased with the outlook in Marion. By the way, Mr. Speer is a nephew of a noted Kansas who is identified with much Kansas history — John Speer.
Capt. L.A. Thrasher, the founder of Florence, died recently in Virginia. We cherish many pleasant memories of Capt. Thrasher. People who were here in the early seventies remember him well, and will be saddened to hear of his death.
Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Bales, of Wichita, spent several days here last week, with relatives and friends. The primary cause of their visit was a sad one — the burial of their beautiful and beloved daughter, Frances, whose death from appendicitis we recorded in our last issue. These good people, who were pioneers in Marion, have a host of friends here, some of whom drove ten miles to see them. They returned to their home, Saturday, with hearts full of gratitude to their friends here for countless words of sympathy which they ask us to express through the RECORD.
Marion County wheat looks well. Reports of destruction in the crops by hessian fly and other enemy, which came from other parts of the State, can not be affirmed of this county. Wheat seems to be all right here.
The ladies of the Altruistic Club will have a Fair and Festival at the Rest Room next Saturday, December 5th. All kinds of articles, useful and ornamental, will be sold at the Fair, which will open right after dinner, and continue through the afternoon and evening. At five o'clock and thereafter as long as hungry customers demand it, a good supper will be served for twenty-five cents. Supper time is announced at the early hour of five o'clock to give business men and others a good chance to help a good cause. Say, fellow, we have no excuse now, have we? Well, let's give our wives a rest at home and take supper (in the cities they call it dinner) at the Rest Room with these worthy workers who will put every quarter we spend with them into the reading room. Remember, day after tomorrow.
Marriage licenses reported in the "Court House Items" include William Sykes, 25, Marion and Flora Butter, 20, Marion; Henry Tiemeier, 24, Lincolnville, and Minnie Hartke, 20, Lincolnville; George D. Kliewer, 22, Hillsboro, and Emele Redelsperger, 21, Hillsboro; William R. Weyand, 22, Lehigh, and Paulina Riffel, 18, Lehigh.
Mr. L.E. Myers, U.S. weather reporter, has furnished his report for the month of November. The warmest day was on the 15th when the thermometer registered 67 degrees above zero, and the coldest day was on the 18th when the mercury dropped to 11 degrees above zero. There were seven clear days, fourteen cloudy, and eight part cloudy. Two and one-tenth inches of rain fell during the month.
(Copied by Joan Meyer from the 1903 microfilm files of the Marion Record.)
