Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-07-22
NO LONGER A HERO.
eillville'S Prominent Citizen
Thrown Into the Discard.
End Came When Committee Walked
In at Unfortunate Time While
He Was Facing Extraction
Of Aching Tooth.

Sad, isn't it, Smithers, how one
who has been looked upon as a great
hero suddenly turns out to have a yell
low streak and is thereafter consid-
cred as mere punk by the community
that erstwhile had lauded him to the
skies?"
Smithers asked Bilkins who had
gone wrong now.
We'll, l went back to the old home
village last week, only to discover that
a bronze tablet that had been erected
on the village library wall extolling
the bravery of Elphanus Moon had
been removed and was kicking about
the yard, the Billville Boys Hero club
had discarded their banner and organ
lied as a baseball aggregation. and
tina one E. Moon was in a state of
total eclipse, judging from the scath-
ing remarks the store loafers we're in
dulging in.
"Elph Moon started out in the hero
business when he was a schoolboy by
rescuing a playmate who had been car.
red to the edge of the dam, crawling
out to the lad and pulling him to safe
ty while a lot Of grown men stood on
the bank and were asking each other
why somebody didn't do something.
We started a subscription paper,
bought Elph' a watch, got him up to
the town hall and plastered him all
over with praise while we showed the
watch into his pocket.
After that being a hero came Just
as natural to 'Elph' as picking berries.
When the call came for volunteers for
the war nobody made a bulge to Sign
up, until seventeen-year-old Elphanus
Moon subscribed his name and was
mustered in. He got a silver medal
for that from the town council.
One day while a battle was raging
and the regiment to which the Billville
company was attached was In a bad
position, 'Elph' volunteered to put out
of commission a big gun that vas do.
ing terrific execution. What did he
do but crawl UP to the gun, swat the
men serving it with the butt of his
musket, spike the cannon, grab the
captain Of the battery by the scuff OF
the neck and lead him in a prisoner.
"Billville heard of this and this
time sent him a gold medal, which he
proudly wore home as a colonel. Then
we put up the bronze tablet to com
merorate his many acts of bravery, his
utter disregard Of peril, his unac
q~uaintance with fear, and that his ex
ample might be emulated, we organ
lied the Billville Boys Hero club.
His browning example of bravery
was a year ago, when he defied the
town political committee and ran or
an independent ticket at our request
as a candidate for surveyor of core
wood. We wanted to beat the comb
hation that was doing out seven fee
to the cord, and it would take a maj
Of nerve to do this in Billville. w
~on out and Elph' vas a greater hert
than ever in our estimation.
"You can imagine my surprise or
arriving at the old village last weel
on finding that 'Elph' was in disgrace
And what do you suppose had hap
pened to throw down our idol?"
"Give it up, Bilkin:, What was II
all about?"
"a committee had gone up to his
house to ask that he give a talk OIL
how it feels to have no fear. There
was to be some kind Of an entertain
ment for raising funds to procure ad
ditional books for the village library
and 1t was thought that 'Elph' coulC
crowd the town hall to the doors.
"The committee raped on the Moor
door, and getting no answer, walked