LOOKING BACK in the Early Files by Lora Stull

Fred Mull and Clarence  Mendenhall, of Blockton were killed Thursday afternoon about 2 o’clock by being run over by a freight train on the Great Western railroad about 3 miles east of Blockton. Facts regarding the tragedy will never be known. As the train approached the engineer saw the two men lying on the track, their heads across one rail, but it was impossible to stop the train in time.

After being closed for four weeks on account of small pox, preparations have been made to begin school at Saltzman Tuesday April 6. The teacher Mrs. Huntsman has fully recovered from the small pox and her effects, as well as the school house has been thoroughly disinfected.

There is not a vehicle bridge across the Missouri River between Sioux City and Omaha. With the development of highways since automobiles came upon the scene this makes  a large demand for facilities to cross from Iowa into Nebraska without having to traverse such distances. In order to improve traffic arrangements an attempt is being made to have a bridge constructed across the Missouri River near Onawa, Monon county. There is an excellent bank on the Nebraska side and the Iowa side is not prohibitive. When the Lincoln Highway reaches Denison, Crawford county, it takes an abrupt turn southwesterly to Council Bluffs and thence across the river to Omaha. With a bridge at Onawa the Lincoln Highway would cross the river at this point and thus shorten the distance westward toward the Rocky Mountains at least 100 miles.

Obituaries in this edition were: Theodore Creveling, John William Merrill and John Wesley Bowman.  .

The Ringgold County Hospital will have a staff of 21 employees when it opens to receive patients  April 17.

Personal will include an administrator, a chief nurse, five registered nurses, six nurses aides, a laboratory technician, a bookkeeper, who will be on duty from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., a general office clerk, whose hours will be from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., two kitchen employees,working shifts of 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., one laundress, one maid and two in the maintance department.

Employees who will serve under the direction of Miss Genevieve M. Greene, registered nurse and administrator, are as follows: Registered nurses: Miss Helen Zerovich, chief nurse; Mrs. Ruth McCarroll, Mrs. B.W. Knight, and Mrs. W.O. Carter.

Nurses Aides: Mrs. Frank Moore, Mrs. Julia Henderson, Mrs. Eva Wood, Mrs. Hazel Stephens, Kay Rogers and Elaine Keller.

Laboratory and X-ray Mrs. Ilga Riemeres.

Office: Miss Roberta Hetzel, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.; Mrs. Leo Stuck, 1 p.m.-9 p.m.

Laundry: Mrs. Orville Sheldon.

Maintenance: Leonard Schlapia and Ralph Loudon.

Maid: Mrs. Floy Mathis

Kitchen: Mrs. Lulu Stuck and Zella Blunck. Relief, Mrs. Frank Kimble.

Administering the affairs of the new hospital is a board of seven trustees. Members are C.C. Lawhead, chairman; H.M. Ross, secretary; Billie Finch; William Breckenridge, of Tingley; Carl Hogue, of Kellerton; Homer C. Denney, of Redding and Paul Beymer, of Diagonal.

Births: April 3, a son, Jerry, to Mr. and Mrs. William Findley..March 28, a daughter, Judith, to Mr. and Mrs. Elbert Beal..March 31, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Gene Gunsolley..March 27, a son, Michael, to Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Morello..A daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Glen Poore.

Several weeks ago the Mount Ayr Hy-Vee store began the redecorating of the interior of their store. They hope to be presenting a new look to their customers in a few weeks in the form of new floor tile and wall finishings and new self serve meat cases.

A Tingley man has filed nomination papers for the Republican nomination for Ringgold County Sheriff.

He is Roger “Red” Trullinger, a native of the county who has lived here all of his life. He is married to the former Mary Crowson and the father of two children, Keith, 8, and Melanie, 6.

Twins are something of a rarity for cattle raisers. But one Ringgold county cattleman has three sets of twins this year.

Phillip Foltz, who farms north of Mount Ayr, has been trice blessed this year with purebred Hereford cows which bore twins. In each case, the cow bore a male and female.

Births: April 3, a daughter, Brenda, to Mr. and Mrs. Don Drake..March 30, a son to Mr. and Mrs Randy Barber..April 1, a daughter, Kathryn, to Mr. and Mrs. Brady Beaman.

Obituaries in this editon were: Edna Pearl Axtell Terwilliger, Hayden Smith, and Ernie L. Fitzwater.

Five students earn Iowa Farmers degrees. Receiving their degress were Ashley Hensel, Carrie Quick, Randy Derscheid, Robert Tidman and Andy McAlexander.

Debris was strewn over a wide area of the Albert Yoder farm south of Mount Ayr Thursday when a big storm moved through the area. Sheet metal and equipment from the farm was blown over a wide area by the storm that the National Weather Service said was caused by strong straight winds instead of a tornado.

A former Mount Ayr resident was awarded his Eagle Scout badge recently.

David Swanson, son of Martha and Mike Swanson of Council Bluffs is a member of Troop 249 in Council Bluffs.

Birth: March 20, a son, Jesse James, to Joe and Dawn Daughton.

Obituaries in this edition were: Jerry Lee Johnson, Helen O’Grady Marler, Dorothy Irene Canfield Newton, and Marie Louise Minnick Riley.

City superintendent Brent Wise informed the city council that he had been informed by officials at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources that the city’s applications for CDBG funding for future projects would be put on hold pending satisfactory resolution to the pressure problems at the city’s recently completed water booster station.

Gary and Linda Hosfield went to a party celebrating the 90th birthday of John Sickels Saturday at the First Christian Church in Mount Ayr.

Births: March 27, a daughter, Callie, to Mr. and Mrs. Scott Kinyon.

Obituaries in this edition were: William Lawrence Hanks, Retha Jeans Middleton Ness, Dorothy May Vasey White, Jackie Joy Padgitt, and Doris Irene Day Fletcher.