The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-06-12
FRANK STALLS PICNIC.
A Journal Reporter Attends
a Time Honored Institution.
The Annual Stahl Picnic the
Customary Success.
Francis Murphy was Present and
Many People From Surrounding
Towns and Villages.

Once upon a time is years ago be-
fore any Of the pretty girls down
around Auburn were born. Frank
Stahl. who was a poor. Flooding farmer
and whose corn and wheat and other
grains were comparatively unknown to
dealers in Paris and Hong Kong, at
tended a Sunday school picnic.
1T was very much like all the other
Sunday Aschool picnics Of those print
Tive days. The programme was not
carried put as advertised, the ants got
on the lemon pies, the speakers spoke
from big stump and the grounds were
not cleaned out as they should have
been There weren't seats enough for
the people and the programme was so
poor that the boys preferred to throw
stones at the frogs on the creek bank
to hearing it.
That's no way to run picnic" said
Mr.. StahI. II can beat it all hollow and
I'll get one up myself next year and
show EN-"
And he did.
And he has been doing it every year
since in the grove by the Wakarusa
creek.
Frank stahl is no longer a plodding
farmer. He is a great man now, even
with honor in his own country unlike
the prophet. And the people in their
gratitude arose up and elected him
county treasurer and turned his hair
gray and his cheeks pale in a single
year and his grain is no longer un-
known in the markets of the world for
the Partisan mIIiners must have his
kafIr corn TO sew on hats for plumes
and in Hong Kong they must have his
rye straWs fer chop sticks. And now
the people Of Shawnee and Usage
counties are neabled to have at least
one picnic year at which they are
sure each and every feature viii be
produced positively as advertised and
even the ants and chiggers behave.
Yesterday was Frank Stahl day
again and the few Topeka people who
got UP at 8 o'clock and made the drive
of 20 miles southwest and back felt as
though they would like to do it again.
The attendance was not so large as
on many former occasions.
That's because of the weather we
have had this spring" the people all
said-farmers lay everything, even the
meetings of congress, to the weather
Folks are putting every good day they
get into their corn
There were ct least l. 600 or 200 peo-
pie there though and they all enjoyed
themselves.
People We're there from Topeka. Bur
Hngame, Scranton, Dover, Pauline,
Carbonate. VV2karusa, Willjamsport.
AuDuAAr E4SrA l-AeE anu lAA LlAE OAAAEA
towns within distance Of 20 miles.
Burlingame possibly had the largest
number present, since she sent over
zoe
there and so was Frank Stout of VIII
Transport ard his family and Dr. Ham
Iton Of Burlingame and DR.. Hindman
of Lyon county, w. Ell. H. Fox and fam
lily of Auburn and sam Moore and j.
MauS, and Henry Money. and c. II.
Switzer and John Mitchell and S. 3.
Johnson, James Robb Tom RObb and
a. w Padgett and father, all Of the
Auburn neighbOrhoOd. and with their
families
Most of the Topeka people present
mer u. w. Stout, and Lew Dolman
were there. r.. e. Welch and wife
were there also and among other To
paka people were w. @. Ely and wife,
J. III switzer end family and Jack
The Burlingame band with - men all
in uniform under the leadership of
Harry Smith and the Scranton band of
10 men with Robert Nelson in the lead,
We're present and gave happy alterna-
ting concerts whenever they had
chance.
The grove is at the foot Of a big hill
on the south bank of the creek about
four miles southwest of Auburn. The
grove had been cleared on both sides
of the road and on the east side We're
the seats and the stage Surrounding
one side Of the seats and part of the
stage were temperance banners, since
it was a union Sunday school picnic.
and all of them bore striking workings.
There was picture of the Devils
toboggan slide" with drunkards fall
ing into the bOttomless pit, and q pic
ture of q snake which spelled the word
saloon" There were other pictures
of the same sort. The stage was hand
somely decorated with flowers and
eVergreens.
There were refreshment stands on
the grounds and DCD wagon in the
road which the boys chased off the
premises as having no right there
though pop is generally known as
temperance drink
AIT III O'Clock the people sang. "AlI
Hail the Power Of Jesus Name and
after Bible reading by S. H. Moore Mr..
Stahl delivered the address of well
come.
y. Rogers, superintendent; Presbyter-
ian. Harry earle. superintendent. Sha-
ron. Robert Chapman, superintendent.
Pleasant Valley. ROlIa. MONTGOMERY
superintendent; Sunflower, Fred John
son, superintendent; Baptist. Clayton
Grout. superintendent; AIOselle u. An
derson. superintendent; Fountain Ridge
=. Beers. superintendent; TWinviIle
Phillip keck, superintendent: all took
part i'm the programme that was given
before dinner.
There were Rotations by Belle Town
send, A. T. Rogers. Harry Gillespie J.
NJ. Caldwell. Eva Thompson. Carrie
Lauderbaugh, Archie Burkhardt Elsie
Warner, Laura Nicholson, Bessie Lit
tie, Grace Montgomery. Mabel Warner.
Mildred Pr1ngle and Mrs Carroll The
music was furnished by the -chOols
clayton CIRCUITS orchestra. and the Eu-
terpeans of Burlingame.
Francis Murphy, who was to speak In
the afternoon. arrived with Mrs. Muir
ply while dinner was in progress and