LOOKING BACK in the Early Files by Lora Stull

It’s McKinley! The returns indicate his election beyond all question VICTORY. New York will roll up 300,000 Republican majority, Chicago goes Republican by an overwhelming majority. The states of Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Tennessee and Illinois in the Republican column.

The vote of Ringgold county shows Republicans gains all over the county. The reports are exceedingly encourageing and indicates that Ringgold has taken an advanced stand in Repulicans.

Benton township gave McKinley a blackeye as usual. The Republicans entertained hopes of breaking even in that township, but the vote was decicdedly against the Republicans. Benton has always been the Democratic stronghold of the county, and the Democrats by yesterday’s vote evidently intend to keep it there.

Day Dunning president of the Citizens’ bank at this place, was called to the telephone Tuesday morning by his brother, Frank, at Bedford, and warned him to be on the lookout for bank robbers, and also to inform the officers here that steps might be taken to capture them if they should come this way.

There are four of the robbers, and on Monday night they over powered the night watchman at Bedford, bound and gagged him in a back alley, and then entered the Citizens’ bank by breaking a rear window. They brought drills and went to work on the vault door and soon succeeded in boring a hole through it. Dynamite was used to blow open the door, but the first explosion failed to produce the desired end, and another was necessary. They were evidently frightend after they got the door open for fear the noise had been heard, and they left leaving their tools scattered on the floor. They were found in the morning when the bank was opened, as was  also the night watch, still where they left him. They made no attempt to break open the safe, evidently fearing detection and capture in their unlawful work.

Mr. Dunning received no accurate description of the men. It is not probable that they would travel in this direction, taking in preference the trains north or south of Bedford, but still a good watch should kept for them as tramps and hobos are plentiful in present.

Marriages: October 24, Harold Beal and Francis Main..October 30, Helen Allen and Arthur Logan.

Births: October 24, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Rush..November 1, a son to Mr. and Mrs. J.H. Fairley.

Obituaries in this edition were: Ethel Adel Wilkinson Toombs, Charles Mackey, Louis Hanson Stolberg, Edith Swigart.

Fifth grade news: Our Halloween party was enjoyed by all. Norman Hohlfeld, Larry Corll, Gary Buell and Jerry Dulany won prizes for the funniest and best costumes. The costumes were judged by Lynn Sickels and Leland Dolecheck.

The Raiders’ defeat of Seymour entitles them to a record of four wins and two losses for the 1951 Blue Grass Conference football season. The results of the final game with Leon, which was played last night is unknown at this writing.

Nine senior boys have played their last high school football game. They are Merritt Buck, Charles Cannon, Russell Davenport, Laverne Kidney, James Pollock, Roger Shiffer, Kenneth Smith and Marvin Triggs.

Births: November 2, a son to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Rice..November 3, a son to Mr. and Mrs. William Klinge.

Obituaries in this edition were: Wilbur Hamilton Scott, Mary Jane Stahl King, Mack Terwilliger, Lani Rene Klinge (infant), and Rhoda Comer.

Headed for the All-State chorus are six MACHS vocalists, who qualified Saturday.  They are Joan Fisher, Mark Knapp, Fred Bryan, Helen Boese, Mike Sickels and Mary Beth Fell. Their director is Kathleen Harover.

Mount Ayr chief of police Robert Hubbell, was dismissed from his duties as a result of action taken at a town council meeting October 20. Following a vote of the town councilmen present, Mayor James Wood was instructed to dismiss Hubbell effective as of 9 a.m. Thursday, October 21.

Mr. and Mrs. Rex Sickels and Birdie Glendenning returned Saturday afternoon from Colorado. Mrs. Glendenning stopped in Loveland and visited in the Ivan Johnston home and with other relatives and friends. The Sickelses went on to Denver where Mrs. Sickels visited in the home of her daughter Mrs.  R.E. Mosier for a week and then visited her daughter, Mrs. Cliff Mosier and family. Mr. Sickels and others went elk hunting in the mountains of Colorado. Ross King and John Sickels looked after the farm while Mr. and Mrs. Rex Sickels were gone.

Marriages: October 23, Vivian Hosfield and Duane Hawk..July 24, Ruth Allen and John Zahner..September 25, Sandra Shum and Daniel Kainu..September 4, Lynette Mack and Steven Rigg..September 17, Sheryl Harper and Robert Harrison.

Janice Weddle of Mount Ayr recently received congratulations from President Jack Maruder at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO, for being selected as a National Merit Scholar. National Merit Scholars are chosen based on SAT score, high school academic performance and program difficulty, leadership, personal characteristics and contributions to school and community. Weddle was selected from approximatley 50,000 students nationwide.

A new radio station will go on the air this winter, providing weather information from the NOAA weather radio system to southern Iowa.

The new radio station will be put in service in Lenox to serve Adams, Taylor, Union and Ringgold Counties.

Births: October 25, a daughter, Elizabeth, to Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sobotka..

Obituaries in this edition were: Manlea Barber, Darl Herman Bell and Hazel Maxine Henson LeGore.

The public is invited to a celebration commemorating the completion of the renovation of the Mount Ayr Community high school auditorium.

For homecoming Tyler Hanawalt was chosen  as the 2016 prince. Tyler is the son of Josh and Lizzie Hanawalt.

This year Mount Ayr’s homecoming princess was Irais Trujilo, daughter of Salvador and Mabel Trujilo.

Community Grocers Inc. (CGI) is pleased to welcome Mike Morrill as its new store manager.

Births: October 21, a son, Clyde, to Mr. and Mrs. Tanner Rinehart.

Obituary in this addition was Catherine Monica Sheil Stryker.