Local News - July 24, 1918

Columbia City Post, Whitley County, Indiana ~ Wednesday, July 24, 1918

Left to Join Husband.

Mrs. Will Rouch left Friday evening for Norfolk, Va., to join her husband who enlisted for service in the shipyards, and will make her home there as long as he remains. He likes the work and says that if he is needed he will enlist for six months longer after the first six months have expired.

Raymond Swigart Kept Injury Secret.

Mrs. Gladys Swigart, of the Model Cloak & Suit company, is in receipt of a letter from her son, Raymond, who is on a naval cruise on the Battleship Maine. the young man has been attending Annapolis for over a year and it is the custom to take students on an annual cruise, and this is the first one for him. He told his mother for the first time about getting his left army badly injured last January. He was wrestling with a young man and in some manner the arm was twisted so as to break the elbow joint. It was for a long time that he had no use of the arm but he states that he can use it some now but that he has not got much strength in it. The doctor told him that it would be a year before the arm would be normal again. He kept the news from his mother, so that it would not worry her, but since the arm is getting along very well he decided to tell about the accident. The young men are required to work very hard while on the trip and he states that they have hardly a minute to themselves. He is making plans for coming home the first of September and will be given a furlough every year after this. He likes the work very much but would rather be located at the academy than to be on a tour.

Five People Hurt in Auto Accident.

Five people all of this city, were hurt Sunday afternoon about 1:00 o'clock when a Ford automobile belonging to Joseph Reese turned over, just west of Shinneman's grove, and threw the occupants out of the car.

The car was being driven by Ruth Nelson, who was learning to drive, and the other persons in the machine were Maud Pence, Laura Oberkiser and Thora Case. The driver put on too much gasoline and the car started to one side of the road and she then made a quick turn to get the car back on the road, but the turn was so short that the car upset, spilling out all of the occupants. The driver sustained bad cuts on her right hand and was badly bruised. Laura Oberkiser had one wrist broken. Maud Pence received a black eye and Joe Reese had his right shoulder bruised and was bruised on the right side of his forehead to a considerable extent.

The machine was a new Ford and the radiator was smashed, the top torn to pieces and smashed, and the windshield was broken. Frank Kelfer who came along shortly after the accident brought the injured people to this city and Dr. Ben P. Linvill dressed their injuries.

Close Call for John Galvin and Vic Reider.

Johnny Galvin and Victor Reider were in an exciting runaway Sunday afternoon when the horse they were driving, which belongs to Grover Leslie, kicked the buggy to pieces and ran away. the young men were down to the Galvin pasture field and were returning to the city and as they came up Ellsworth street one of the tugs broke striking the horse which scared him and he proceeded to kick the buggy to pieces. Reider jumped over the back of the seat but young Galvin stayed in the rig until the horse started to run. The buggy being fastened to the horse only by one tug started to swing in the road and upset. Galvin struck on his face and arms and was badly scratched and bruised up. The skin was "burned" from his left cheek, from both arms and from his left leg. Home remedies were used and he was able to be around Monday but is still stiff and sore. the horse ran about a block after it tore free from the buggy, and then stopped.

Miller Boys in Smashup Monday Morning.

Two Miller boys, sons of J. J. Miller, south of the city, had a bad runaway Monday when the horse they were driving became frightened at a Pennsylvania train at the Line street crossing on Line street and ran away. The horse ran north on Line street to Van Buren, turned east on Van Buren to Main, and in turning the corner at main street fell down and slid clear across the street. It got up and started on, however down the street and was caught by Will Smith and taken to the Smith feed barn. The horse separated from the buggy at the start. It was badly damaged and shafts were smashed. The boys escaped injury.

Walter Weick Caught Fifty-Seven Blue Gills.

Walter, the ten year old son of Geo. Weick, demonstrated to his daddy Saturday afternoon that he was a chip off the old block by rowing their big launch across Loon Lake and taking 57 big blue gills off of the outline. He tried to start the motor on the boat but it would not work, but he would not give up, so took a pair of oars and rowed across the lake. This is the best catch that has been taken from Loon lake at one set this year and the boy feels proud of the showing.