The Way It Was: Stenographer marooned on river island for 22 days

100 years ago

Oct. 16, 1917:

EAST NINTH RURAL NEWS

Mrs. Ella Jones and sister, Miss Hollums, entertained a house party at their home the later part of the week. Mrs. P.M. Morris, of 2003 Magnolia St., Mrs. E.P. McMickle and daughter, Miss Ethel, Raymond Hooks, Spurgeon Harrington and Alan Moore, of Texarkana, were the ones entertained. Part of their pleasure was seeing the hay-balers at work and riding on the big loads of hay.

Oct. 17:

BUCHANAN COMMUNITY FAIR TO BE HELD

OCT. 25-26

The Buchanan community fair will be held Oct. 25 and 26 at Buchanan schoolhouse No. 1. Last year's fair is to be outclassed this year, as there will be more exhibitors and larger displays. There will be more and better livestock, poultry, etc. Needlepoint by the women exhibitors is expected to be a delightful feature, and hosts of entries have been booked. Guaranty State Bank will have its corn show. KCS agricultural department will be the auction sale of a carload of purebred Durham cattle shipped here for that purpose.

 

Oct. 18:

STENOGRAPHER MAROONED ON ISLAND FOR 22 DAYS

David Grootch, a stenographer of Jonesboro, Ark., who was found on the small island in the Shoshone River near Cody, Wyo., told a weird story of having been marooned for 22 days on the island within sight of a wagon road over which people were constantly traveling. During this time, he said, his only nourishment was water. Grootch said he had been working on a ranch near Cody and went to Cody for a visit. He set out for a walk toward the river when his memory left him. When he regained consciousness, he found himself on the island, 200 rods below a wagon bridge. He could not swim, and the current was too swift for him to wade. Finally, Grootch said, he became so weak he could not stand and lay helpless in the underbrush until a passerby saw him.

Oct. 19:

FAIR CATALOG ISSUED

The Texarkanian has issued the 110-page catalogue for the Hempstead Country Fair, which is to be held at Hope, Oct. 23 to 27. Each day of this fair is devoted to special organizations, societies and agricultural clubs, and grand programs have been arranged. Copies of the catalog may be had on applications to Lee Giles, Hope, Ark., secretary.

 

Oct. 20:

MISS MARGARET WILSON COMING TO TEXARKANA

Miss Margaret Wilson, daughter of President Woodrow Wilson, who is touring the country in the interest of war relief, will sing at the Grand Opera House in Texarkana on the evening of Nov. 19, under the auspices of the local Red Cross chapter. "Her voice, her personality and the cause in which she sings should assure an overflowed house. Our citizenship should be moved by a threefold purpose: to honor our president, to contribute to the war relief fund and to help our local Red Cross."

Oct. 21:

FOREST FIRES BURNING NEAR HERE

Forest fires rage within Texarkana it was found last night when, at 9:30 o'clock, the Arkansas fire department was called to 18th and Ash streets and was engaged for more than an hour in fighting wood fires from 18th to 25th streets. The scene was the wooded area just east from State Line Avenue. There was no property damage.

Oct. 22:

DALLAS IS "DRY" FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER 25 YEARS

Dallas citizens awoke Sunday in a "dry" city. The city's 200 saloons finally barred their doors at the regular closing time of 9:30 Saturday night. It is estimated about 1,200 men must seek other employment. Sept. 10, prohibition won in Dallas County by a majority of 1,852 votes. In this election, the city of Dallas, the only "wet" in the county for 25 years, turned in a "wet" majority of 800 votes, but this was overcome by the vote in the rural districts.


50 years ago

Oct. 16, 1967:

ORIGINAL BOY SCOUTS ATTEND 53RD REUNION

Seventeen original members of Troop One and their Scoutmaster attended an annual reunion Saturday. J.W. Hughes of Little Rock; Howard Fuqua, Texarkana; Wainright Martin, Conway, Ark.; Scoutmaster Riley, David Tilson and Wilbur Smith, Texarkana; Jack Townsend, Sherman Oaks, Calif.; Mannie Stevens and Hugh Cavitt, both of Texarkana; Temple Webber, Diboll, Texas; Sherley Heath, San Antonio; David Nelson and Alferd Tennison, Texarkana; Joe Berryman, Hattiesburg, Miss.; Robert Maxwell, Texarkana; John Murphy, Longview; Alan Moore, Fort Worth; and Harold Waterman, St. Louis.

Oct. 17:

JEWS CELEBRATE

SUCCOTH OCT. 18

Beginning at sundown on Wednesday, Oct 18, Jews everywhere will celebrate Succoth-the "Feast of the Tabernacles" or "Booths"-the most joyous of all holidays. Reform Jews will observe Succoth for eight days, Orthodox and Conservative Jews for nine.

Oct. 18:

TEXAS STUDENTS ABOVE NATIONAL AVERAGE

Texas high school seniors rank above the national average academically, the Governor's Committee on Public School Education was told Monday. The Texas composite scores averaged 16.6-17 for boys and 16.2 for girls-compared to the national average of 15.6. The composite score was made up of the results of tests in English, mathematics, social studies and natural science.

Oct. 19:

SAILOR COMPLETES TRAINING

Cleophus Yarber Jr., son of the Rev. and Mrs. C.K. Yarber of Texarkana, is home on leave after completing basic training in the Navy. Following his visit, Seaman Yarber will report for duty aboard the USS Bennington at Long Beach, Calif.

Oct. 20:

SEAMAN VISITS

Seaman Larry East, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.L. East of 222 Bramble Courts, recently visited his parents while on leave after completing basic training at Great Lakes, Ill. East is now stationed on the USS Shasta in Norfolk, Va.

Oct. 21:

PHI SIGMA CHI

PLEDGES INITIATED

Twenty-seven pledges to Phi Sigma Chi, affiliate of Associate for Childhood Education at Southern State College, were initiated Oct. 17. New members were Linda Blanchard, Betty Green, Carol Hanvock, Judy Keenum, Gayle Leavelle and Sur Reese, all of Texarkana; Pat Quigley, Waldo; Lyn Lord, Monroe, La and Thomas Gates, Dorchester, Mass.; Judy Brown and Mary Ellen Thein, Camden; Holly Ruth Hay, Kathleen O'Hern, Nancy Smalling, Sheila and Shirley Smith, El Dorado; Melba Bussell, Emerson; Bobby Scoggins, Hope; Linda Ault, McGehee; Charni Carle, Karen Harter, Carol Kelly, Charlotte Langley and Suzanne Wynns, Magnolia; Gwen McJunkins, Saratoga; Betty Russell, Stamps.

Oct. 22:

FARMERS' CO-OP JOINS NEW INDUSTRY

DeKalb Farmers' Cooperative Association, one mile west of DeKalb on U.S. Highway 82, began storing and marketing soybeans for area growers, according to Norman Moser, president of the association. The plant, consisting of two 9,000-bushel bins and a 2,000-bushel bin, is capable of receiving 4,000 bushels of soybeans per hour.

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