60 years ago
MARCH 16, 1944
The house near the Rock Island station occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Juan Martinez and 10 children and Mr. and Mrs. Jose Moreno was totally destroyed by fire about six o'clock Saturday morning. All household goods and clothing were lost.
A fly-up ceremony was held March 6 at the Girl Scout room at which time six Brownies received their wings and pins and became Girl Scouts. They were Janice Meisner, Jeaneen Brose, Roberta Newsom, Eileen Hansen, Patsy Ritual, and Joyce Marie Pries. At the same time, Joyce Keazer, Virginia Write, Treva Kelsey and Iva June Avery were invested as Tenderfoot Scouts and received their Scout pins.
The final word in the case of the state vs. Ernest L. Hoefgen for the murder of Bruce Smoll came Tuesday in a letter to the Clerk of the District Court. The letter, dated March 10, states "This is to inform you that, in obedience to the command of the court as set out in sentence of February 7, 1944, punishment of death was inflicted upon Ernest L. Hoefgen March 10, 1944.
The March 14 Wichita Eagle carried the story from the United Press that Lt. General George G. Kenney, commander of the Allied Air Forces in Southwest Pacific, announced the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross for extraordinary achievement to First Lt. Melvin H. Miller of Lehigh. Lt. Miller is a graduate of the Marion High School. Lt. Miller called his parents at Lehigh Saturday night saying he had landed in San Francisco and would be home soon on leave.
Reduction of the basic A gasoline ration from three to two gallons per week, effective March 11, was announced Tuesday by the Office of Price Administration. Chester Bowles, OPA administrator, stated that such reductions are necessitated by the critical demands to be made on our limited supplies of gasoline.
S/Sgt. Forney Harris, son of Mr. and Mrs. R.B. Harris, who is in England, took a weekend off and went up to see London. He writes home of his adventures entitling it "Country Boy Goes to see London."
