Iowa Old Press

Ruthven Free Press
Ruthven, Palo Alto, Iowa
Sep 24, 1930

INTERESTING NEWS IN NEARBY TOWNS

   Dooley Wagner, who lives north of Everly, was fined $400 and costs and given a sentence of one year in jail for illegal possession of liquor.
    Jim Jennings, a barber who has been employed in a barber shop at Hartley, is in the county jail charged with attempting to steal an automobile.
    Daniel H. Westergard, a pioneer of Graettinger, died from a heart attack at his home there last week. He was 63 [or 68] years of age and had lived in the vicinity of Graettinger ever since 1880.
    Clarence Eggink, a salesman living at Sheldon, was killed near Sioux Center when a new eight cylinder car he was driving ran off a grade and fell 150 feet into the Sioux river. The car was demolished.
     N. Framstead and A. Mackowitz of Sioux City, are on trial in district court at Forest City on a charge of carrying extra license plates and guns in their automobiles. Both parties have served prison sentences on the charge of carrying concealed weapons.
    H.W. Kahley of Spencer, driving a Ford coupe and a Mr. Voss of Dickens, driving a Hudson sedan, collided at a corner three miles south of the Dickens bridge Sunday afternoon. Mr. Kahley injured his right shoulder and arm, but the two children who were riding with him were uninjured.-- Spencer Reporter.

FORMER RESIDENT DIES AT CYLINDER.
    Charles H. Slagle, who was depot agent in Ruthven for nineteen years, died at his home in Cylinder, Iowa, last Monday and the funeral will be held at the St. Thomas church at Emmetsburg this Wednesday forenoon at 9:30.
     Mr. Slagle was born in Goodhue county, Minnesota, on January 10, 1858, and died on September 22, 1930, at the age of 72 years, 7  months, and 12 days. When he was twelve years old he moved with his parents to Algona. He graduated from the old Algona normal school and then taught school for some time. In 1870 he began railroading and helped lay the railroad track from Algona to Emmetsburg. He was depot agent at Ruthven from 1900 to 1919, when he moved to Cylinder where he resided until his death.
    He was married to Thressa A. Zahlten on November 18, 1880, and four children were born to this union. Two of the children died at an early age and he is survived by August Slagle and Mrs. Ray Mason, both of Algona. Mrs. Slagle died on February 22, 1898, he married Margaret Joynt of Emmetsburg, and to this union was born five children: Elmer, George, Raphael, Francis and Winnifred.
    The deceased is survived by his wife, Margaret, and seven children, also two brothers, Frank Slagle of Algona, and Elmer Slagle of Los Angeles, California.
    During the years he lived in Ruthven he took a prominent part in all community affairs. He organized a ladies' band at this place and also several other musical organizations. He served as a member of the local school board for six years, and was a member of the Masonic order here and continued to hold his membership in the local order until his death. He joined the Catholic church while in California.

W.H.M. Entertained Thursday Afternoon.
    Mrs. D.G. Logan and Mrs. H.E. Barringer were joint hostesses to the members of the Womans' Home missionary society on Thursday of last week.
    Mrs. Poppenheimer conducted an interesting and devotional service, and Mrs. Eshelman presided over the business session. The roll call was responded to by each member giving the answer to the enigma in September missionary magazine, which corresponded to her number.
    Mrs. R.L. Logan as direct treasurer gave a report of a recent district executive meeting which had been held at the home of Mrs. Lease of Algona.
    Previously the society had been divided into four groups, the group leaders being: Mrs. N.C. Bale, Mrs. Foster Reed, Mrs. H.E. Shartle, and Mrs. E.L. Wagner. Also a system of points had been adopted as follows: Attendance at meetings, 2 points; enigma at roll call, 1 point; looking up all enigmas, 5 points; reading the study book, 25 points; securing one new member, 25 points.
    The two groups having the most points in May, must entertain the losing groups. There was much interest shown in the contest last Thursday and Mrs. Bale's group led with the high score.
    The afternoon closed with a pleasant social hour and a luncheon was served by the hostess.

Two Boys Fatally Burned in Spirit Lake Explosion.
    Two 8-year-old Spirit Lake boys, Alvin Call and Francis Dolan, were burned to death when a plumber's furnace exploded and threw burning gasoline over them.
    The boys were standing in the doorway of a home watching the plumber at work when the accident happened. The clothing of the boys caught fire at once and both ran for their homes. The plumber overtook the Dolan boy and rolled him on the ground to put out the fire, but the Call boy reached his home, crawled up into a kitchen sink and turned on the water and he succeeded in putting out the fire in his clothing without aid.
    Both boys were so badly burned that they died several hours later.

S.N. WAGNER DIES AT CASEY, IOWA
Well Known Business Man Died Last Wednesday; Lived in Ruthven 21 Years.
    Sol. N. Wagner, a resident of this community for twenty-one years, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Lulu Kirkpatrick, near Casey, Iowa, on Wednesday, September 17, 1930. He had been in ill health for some time and several weeks ago he was taken to the home of his daughter, near Casey. He failed to show signs of improvement and gradually grew weaker.
    Mr. Wagner was born at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on February 24, 1845, and was 85 years, 6 months and 20 days old at the time of his death. He moved to Iowa with his parents when he was two years old, and the family settled near Muscatine where they lived until he attained his majority.
    He was united in marriage to Miss Elizabeth Funk at Danville, Iowa, in October, 1864, and ten children were born to this union, eight of whom survive him. The living children are: Mrs. Ellie Cline of Melno; Elmer Wagner of Ruthven; W.H. Wagner of Anita; Mrs. Cora Robertson of Dallas, Texas; Mrs. Lulu Kirkpatrick of Casey; Howard Wagner of Des Moines; Mrs. Maude Amarine of Ft. Morgan, Colorado; and Lloyd Wagner of Los Angeles, California.
    Mr. Wagner and his family settled on a farm northeast of Anita, Iowa, in 1873. Mrs. Wagner passed away in 1897, and in 1903 he moved to Anita. He then moved to Ruthven in 1909 and became associated with his son, Elmer Wagner, in the hardware business and continued to make his home here until a few weeks ago when he disposed of his interests in the hardware at this place on account of poor health and advanced age, and went to Casey to live with his daughter, Mrs. Kirkpatrick.
    The funeral was held at the W.H. Wagner home in Anita last Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock. The funeral services were conducted by Rev. E.L. Anderson, pastor of the Congregational church and burial took place in the Evergreen cemetery at Anita.
    During the nineteen years that the deceased lived in this vicinity, he won many friends who grieve to learn of his sudden death after his recent retirement from active business life.

[Submitted by: C.J.L. Jan, 2005]