August 2, 1987
I got a letter from Dorothy Threlkeld telling me she played piano at the Lincoln and Strand Theaters. George Fasules had the candy shop where the barber shop is now on the south side. His wife also played piano at the Lincoln Theater. She says that at one time they had a four-piece orchestra at the Lincoln. They were not allowed to run on Sundays so they all piled in cars and went to Melrose. This was also illegal and they were taken before Justice of the Peace Hickman and fined two dollars each. The theater paid the bill. Dorothy also mentioned that I forgot to mention that Dr. D. Q. Storie was killed in the accident that took the lives of Corwin Stuart and Coach Burkholder. Ed Anderson was the lone survivor of the four. They were on the way to Minnesota to fish and the accident was in northern Iowa, around 1922.
Here are some statistics. Joe Cowles of early Chariton and a good friend to all those men who were killed, told me he had caught 35,000 fish in his lifetime. That took in account throwbacks, little ones and all. Peco Batten had the wishbones of 690 ducks hanging on lines in her bathroom, that husband Dee had shot. Since my wife died, I have been out to the cemetery 1,257 times to date. Dr. Yocom, Jr., told me he always had a longing to farm. Had his father not pushed so hard for him to be a doctor, he might have been a farmer. However, he was always quick to say he was happy with his life. Dr. Yocom also told me the most enjoyable patient he ever had was Charles Percifield, Sr. He went to sleep telling humorous jokes, and woke up the same way.
Peanut Day at the Historical Building was a huge success in spite of the heat and a dozen other things going on. I roasted one hundred pounds in two hours and twenty minutes. It was quite comfortable with big fans going. I stood right by the hot roaster all the time and never noticed it being very warm. Everyone got a bag of peanuts and lemonade. I had lots of good help. The 100-year-old roaster performed real well. The roaster had been in my family since 1915. We bought it from George Bigley, who had it in Hart’s Grocery on the south side of the square. Hart gave Bigley the front five feet of the store free of rent because it was such a drawing card and people naturally would wander on back into his store. I grew up with the roaster and it just never occurred to me that many people had never seen a roaster. I really had a fun day. People ate peanuts, drank lemonade and looked at the exhibits. It truly is a nice place to visit and learned a lot about Lucas County.
I want to mention a magazine we had in our home when I was a youngster. It was the Youth’s Companion, which was mainly for boys. This company also put out a magazine for girls. The locale of the Youth’s Companion was in the deep south among the bayous of the Mississippi River. There was very little violence. The big story continued from week to week and left everyone breathless. It was all about their living in shacks on pilings. They had wonderful food to eat, most of it right from the area. There was moonshine, but it was played down. Revenue agents were there but they were interested in rosin and turpentine traffic. There was never a word about school. Money was earned by the whole family by helping alligator hunters and workers from zoos looking for birds and reptiles. This magazine left an imprint upon my mind. I have asked several men about the magazine and they all remembered it. It came by mail and chores had to be done before reading it. Why the magazine stopped, no one knows. It was truly a great magazine for boys.
I got a letter from Dorothy Threlkeld telling me she played piano at the Lincoln and Strand Theaters. George Fasules had the candy shop where the barber shop is now on the south side. His wife also played piano at the Lincoln Theater. She says that at one time they had a four-piece orchestra at the Lincoln. They were not allowed to run on Sundays so they all piled in cars and went to Melrose. This was also illegal and they were taken before Justice of the Peace Hickman and fined two dollars each. The theater paid the bill. Dorothy also mentioned that I forgot to mention that Dr. D. Q. Storie was killed in the accident that took the lives of Corwin Stuart and Coach Burkholder. Ed Anderson was the lone survivor of the four. They were on the way to Minnesota to fish and the accident was in northern Iowa, around 1922.
Here are some statistics. Joe Cowles of early Chariton and a good friend to all those men who were killed, told me he had caught 35,000 fish in his lifetime. That took in account throwbacks, little ones and all. Peco Batten had the wishbones of 690 ducks hanging on lines in her bathroom, that husband Dee had shot. Since my wife died, I have been out to the cemetery 1,257 times to date. Dr. Yocom, Jr., told me he always had a longing to farm. Had his father not pushed so hard for him to be a doctor, he might have been a farmer. However, he was always quick to say he was happy with his life. Dr. Yocom also told me the most enjoyable patient he ever had was Charles Percifield, Sr. He went to sleep telling humorous jokes, and woke up the same way.
Peanut Day at the Historical Building was a huge success in spite of the heat and a dozen other things going on. I roasted one hundred pounds in two hours and twenty minutes. It was quite comfortable with big fans going. I stood right by the hot roaster all the time and never noticed it being very warm. Everyone got a bag of peanuts and lemonade. I had lots of good help. The 100-year-old roaster performed real well. The roaster had been in my family since 1915. We bought it from George Bigley, who had it in Hart’s Grocery on the south side of the square. Hart gave Bigley the front five feet of the store free of rent because it was such a drawing card and people naturally would wander on back into his store. I grew up with the roaster and it just never occurred to me that many people had never seen a roaster. I really had a fun day. People ate peanuts, drank lemonade and looked at the exhibits. It truly is a nice place to visit and learned a lot about Lucas County.
I want to mention a magazine we had in our home when I was a youngster. It was the Youth’s Companion, which was mainly for boys. This company also put out a magazine for girls. The locale of the Youth’s Companion was in the deep south among the bayous of the Mississippi River. There was very little violence. The big story continued from week to week and left everyone breathless. It was all about their living in shacks on pilings. They had wonderful food to eat, most of it right from the area. There was moonshine, but it was played down. Revenue agents were there but they were interested in rosin and turpentine traffic. There was never a word about school. Money was earned by the whole family by helping alligator hunters and workers from zoos looking for birds and reptiles. This magazine left an imprint upon my mind. I have asked several men about the magazine and they all remembered it. It came by mail and chores had to be done before reading it. Why the magazine stopped, no one knows. It was truly a great magazine for boys.
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