LOOKING BACK in the Early Files by Lora Stull

Investigation of the tragic death of Pansy Turnbull, seventeen-year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. Turnbull of Diagonal, who was found unconscious on the streets of Clearfield during the street fair the evening of August 26, and who died a few hours after being taken to the home in Diagonal, has not been completed by the special grand jury of Taylor County, in session at Bedford, or at least the finding of the grand jury has not been made public.

At the inquest, conducted by Dr. Samuel Bailey, coroner of Ringgold County, the jury found that a fracture at the base of the skull caused the girl’s death. A post mortum examination was made by Dr. D. J. Glomset, of Des Moines, in the presence of Drs. Olson of Des Moines, Dr. Bailey of Mount Ayr, Drs. Watson and Jessup of Diagonal and Dr. Little of Clearfield.

Chemical analysis of the contents of the girl’s stomach at Iowa City showed a trace of chloral hydrate.

The verdict of the coroner’s jury, which was composed of J.W. Ostrander, D.V. Ferris and R.L. Bailey, was that the girl jumping from a running automobile and striking her head on the ground; that she jumped to save her honor. The verdict of the coroner’s jury recommended that the two young men, who were subsequently arrested and placed in the Taylor County jail, be held to the grand jury without bail.

The J.J. Holmes vaudeville and medicine tent show gave their first entertainment on the lot south of the post office Monday evening to a large crowd which packed the tent and stood in the extra spaces. The cast had clever and marked ability, and were clean and wholesome in the presentation of their program for the evening. Eight vaudeville acts, interpersed with Mr. Holmes’ advertising and selling of medicine, will show every night of this week and admission prices of 10 and 20 cents.

C.W. Green, of Ottumwa, superintendent for the L.T. Cresman Company of Ottumwa, who have the general contract for Ringgold County’s new court house, arrived in Mount Ayr last week and on Monday morning the work of excavating was begun. In so far as possible local men will be employed on the new building.

Marriage: August 31, Hazel Harris and Glen Banks..September 1, Ruth Dorn and Lawrence Miller..September 3, Doris Cornwall and Burl Main..August 27, Florence Fisher and Chelmer Prey.

Births: September 2, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Lee Leeply..September 9, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Alvin Lamoreaux..September 1, a son  to Mr. and Mrs. William Fugate..September 4, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Taggart.

Obituaries in this edition were: Loyd Gilliland, Jr., Francis Virginia Morris Hosford, Henry Clay Bunker and Albert Young.

A nineteen man all-star baseball team from five towns in the Tall Corn League will play the Creston Elks, league champions, Sunday night on the McKinley diamond in Creston.

Mount Ayr placed seven men in the all-star lineup, namely: Skip Eason, pitcher; Claire Johnson, catcher; Lefty Geist, first base; Gene Hannon , second base; Sam Newton, third base; and Joe McNeill and Jack Monaghan, in the outfield.

Robert Bastow, purebred Duroc hog breeder, exhibited the grand champion boar, the reserve champion boar and the grand champion sow last week at the Northwest Missouri State Fair in Bethany.

The opening of a wholesale auto parts store, just east of the southeast corner of the square in Mount Ayr, is announced by the Underwood Auto Supply. George Kidney serves as manager.

Marriage: Sept. 5, Vergene Reynolds and Edgar Robertson..Sept. 2, Peggy Elliott and Roger Brown.

Births: Sept. 4, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Frank Holmes..Sept. 7, a daughter, Teresa, to Mr. and Mrs. Garland Martin..Sept. 9, a daughter, Patricia, to Mr. and Mrs. Virgil Brown.

Obituaries in this edition were: John Ward, Janet Weehler, Charles S. Parsons, Charlie Kyle Webb, John Clough.

A lesser known contest at the Iowa State Fair was won this year by a Mount Ayr resident, Orville A. Anderson. Anderson won first place in the beard contest for having the longest and best full beard, in judging Friday afternoon August 27.

Ron L. Richie of Mount has been elected as presiding elder of the Mount Ayr congregation of the Lamoni Stake of the Reorganized Church of Latter Day Saints.

An ambulance, en route from Mount Ayr to Des Moines with a patient, and an automobile in which five Winterset people were riding, collided on highway 34 at the Thayer junction about 2:30 p.m. Saturday August 28. No one was hurt but there was damage to both vehicles.

A Mount Ayr student will get her diploma tonight, Thursday, at graduation exercises from Des Moines Area Community College held at Veterans Auditorium, Des Moines.

She is Debbie Sickels, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Sickels, who has finished the career education program for medical secretary.

Marriage: July 11, Denice Rossow and Ron Creveling.

Births: August 23, a son to Mr. and Mrs. James Moellenberndt..August 26, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Alan Longfellow..August 27, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Marion Jones..August 29, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Dolecheck.

Obituaries in this edition were: Winona Ruth Wilson Bonebrake, Weldon Greenman and Sarah Margaret Dyer Murray.

A three week People to People Student Ambassadors Program trip to Australia and New Zealand was a great experience for a Mount Ayr student, Misty Erickson, a junior at Mount Ayr Community School.

Preliminary enrollment figures show a big decline for Mount Ayr Community, while Diagonal and Clearfield showed increses over the same time last year.

In the Mount Ayr Comm. school district, comparable enrollment were down 69 students or 8.7 percent, the biggest drop in ten years. Comparable enrollment figures show enrollment in the elementary and junior-senior high scholl at 719 down form 828 at the same time last year.

Diagonal, preliminary enrollment jumped 11 students or 10 percnet to a total of 117 and Clearfield preliminary enrollment was also up 11 students or 22 percent to 60 from last year.

Marriage: June 2, Jody Shields and Larry Lipcamon..August 10, Amber Young and Joe Hayes.

Births: August 22, twins, boy Trevor and a girl Taylor, to Mr. and Mrs. Gary Horton.

Obituaries in this edition were: Robert Charles Beck, Beva Eileen Davenport Morrow, Vale U. Thomson, Elizabeth M. “Bette” Rusk Webster.

Ten Years Ago

(From the Mount Ayr Record-News,Thursday, September 1, 2016.)

Some citizens in the Delphos area, the owner of a nearby sawmill and a caring employee of the saw mill came together this summer to rescue, and relocate, a family of barn owls.

Some owls were spotted in a building at Graves Forestry, which is located two miles south of Delphos, in April. Eli Yoder, Jr., the enterprising employee of the saw mill, saw the birds and began efforts to move them to a safe location in one of the buildings at the saw mill. He was aided by Redding resident Chas Abarr and his son Jasper.

Ringgold County has many volunteers worthy of the 4-H Hall of Fame recognition but in 2016 two nominees were submitted .

Bobbi Bainum and Vickie Jeanes are the recipients of the Hall of Fame recognition from Ringgold County.

Elementary siblings raise over $700 for classmate. Renae and Matt Still’s children, Tyler and Kynlee, ran a lemonade stand for Tyler’s friend and classmate Willie Baker.

  Obituaries in this edition were: Vera F. Austin Moore, Larry Eugene Main and Eva Lucielle Hammons Comer.