LOOKING BACK in the Early Files by Lora Stull

At a street fair in Clearfield Thursday evening Pansy Turnbull, 17 year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. Turnbull of Diagonal, was found insensible and apparently injured and in company with a strange young man one block east of the business district. She was taken to a physician, but in her distracted condition was unable to make explanation and on the advice of the physician was taken to the home in Diagonal where she died in a few hours later without regaining consciousness.

No more convincing argument that the voters of Ringgold County approved the issuance of bonds for the building of a new court house at the most opportune time is needed than the favorable contract made Friday by the board of supervisors. In the face of the fact that the architects estimated the cost of the new building at $142,000 and a budget estimate hearing was held accordingly, the bids submitted enabled the board of supervisors to contract for the building being complete in every detail for $132,533 nearly $10,000 less than the estimated cost.

A deal was consummated yesterday whereby the Sinclair Refining Co., which recently purchased the interest of the Collins Oil Co. became owner of the Collins service station in Mount Ayr, purchasing the property from O.G. Spencer. J. Ansel Williams, who has been employed by the Sinclair Co. to manage local station and assumed charge yesterday.

Marriages: August 22, Fern Jarvis and Carl Quick..July 31, Annamae Armstrong and Stephen Stansie..August 29, Ray Shifflett and Enid Horton..August 21, Marie Baxter and J.B. Wilson.

Births: August 20, a son, to Mr. and Mrs. Rothmer Scott and August 26, a son Rex, to Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Rusk.

Obituaries in this edition were: Albert Benjamin Morris, Margaret Elizabeth Layton French, Myron LaMae Millsap and William Everett Minnick.

Thirty-seven rural schools have opened for the 1951-52 school year, according to the report of Vera Dickens, county superintendent of school.

Teachers include 29 married women, two men and six single ladies.

Charles Kyle Webb, 15 year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Webb, was killed instantly Wednesday evening when the 1935 model Ford Tudor which he was driving overturned down an embankment on highway No. 344, known as the lake road, a few rods west of highway 169, two miles north of Mount Ayr.

A Bastian-Blessing sandwich unit, which is characterized  by speed, efficiency and sanitation, was installed last week in the McNeilly drugstore in Mount Ayr.

Births: August 25, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Joe Drake..August 30, a son, Dale, to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lesan..August 30, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Everett Hensley..September 2, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Lee Lorimor..September 3, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Gene Collier..September 6, a son to Mr. and Mrs. William Crawford..August 14, son  Kyle, to Mr. and Mrs. Weldon Richardson..August 26, a son Jimmy, to Mr. and Mrs. Harold Rice.

Marriage: August 18, Dorothy Muir and Blaine Tennis.

Obituaries in this edition were: Albert Thayer Bennett, John Runyan Trullinger, Beulah Fern Martin Keenan and Reuben Turner Tull.

Another change in the Mount Ayr business community has been announced this week.

Clinton (Whitey) Rice and Lee Faris have announced the leasing of the Iowa Grain Company business to Jim Webb, owner operator of Bastow Feed & Grain Co., Inc.

The Ringgold County Hospital board of trustees gave approval to the erection of an ambulance facility and the purchase of a new ambulance to be involved in an ambulance service to be assumed by the hospital.

Milt Henderson was honored Thursday, Aug. 19, at the Iowa State Fair for his long service in the promotion of the Fair. He is concluding 25 years of service as superintendent of the 4-H swine department. He had announced prior to the Fair that this would be his last year.

Michael Antone Creech, also known as Michael Antone Clayton of Mount Ayr, on August 4 was found guilty of breaking and entering the grocery store of Ed Reynolds,  in Ellston.

Michael was sentenced to 10 years at the men’s reformatory at Anamosa. However this sentence was withheld and he was committed to the Mental Health Institute at Clarinda for care and treatment.

Marriages: July 4, Janet Barker and Jim Knedler..July 24, Glenda Palmer and Robert Reasoner.

Births: August 17, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Donald Brown..August 17, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Keith Lambert..August 22, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Dale Clark..August 18, a son, Jason, to Mr. and Mrs. Larry Knight.

Obituaries in this edition were: Bessie Bell Kent Anderson and Cleta Geneva Maudlin Cobb, Joseph Lowell Irving.

Several events planned for the Autumn in the Ayr celebration in Mount Ayr September 21-23 have activities which people can begin planning for.

Some of these events include the yard decorating contest, quilt block contest, survivor games, running classic, bathtub races and Bill Riley talent search.

After years of speculation, unverified sightings, and circumstantial evidence there is finally irrefutable proof that wild mountain lions are back in Iowa.

According to Shelby County Conservation Board of Director, Darby Sanders, a free ranging cougar was killed by a motor vehicle on highway 59 northwest of Harlan shortly after midnight.

Mount Ayr Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting at the Outpost in Ellston on Friday. Cherri and Jeff Vos are the owners of the new business located on J20 by the Sun Valley Lake entrance.

Birth: August 17, Gracie, to Gregg and Amy Mobley.

Obituaries in this edition were: Lois Jean Leeper Petratis, Deanna Sue Taylor Warin and Beverly Jane Whitmore.

The annual Diagonal  Lions Club Labor Day celebration will feature three days of activities, Saturday September 3 through  Monday September 5.

The Ringgold County Conservation Board is participating in the Monarch Watch tagging program and needs your help capturing Monarch butterflies to tag.

Ringgold County sheriff officials are investigating the theft of several items in the county.

According to the incident report on August 20 Erin Main of Mount Ayr reported that two child size 4-wheelers and two child size motorcycles had been stolen from a storage building within the past month.

Obituaries in this edition were: Ethel Alma Rasmussen Campbell and Paul T. Holland.