The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-04-11
BANQUET FOR SOLDER
|RAPIDkH VILLAGE FOLK HONOR
SERGEANT KElLAR
Splendid Tribute Paid To Young
Man Who Went Fnom That
Place To War
Especial to Free Press.l


Rapidan Village. April 4.-The
many friends OF Sergeant William
Kellar, who recently returned from
France, gave a banquet in honor of
him Tuesday evening in the town
hall. Music was furnished by the
Sandon orchestra of Mankato which
was indeed fine, both instrumental
and vocal and was encored several
times as were also the songs rem
dered by home talent. Carl Flo,
William Just and Mr.. Mitchell gave
short and appropriate talks after
which Mr.. Kellar was introduced. He
remarked that he hadn't much to
say He said he would leave it to
the rest of the boys who are yet to
return, saying they would have more
to tell than he. Mr.. Just then read
several selections, some of which
caused much -applauding The ladies
brought baskets laden with good
things to eat, and large cream can
OF steaming coffee together with
plenty of cream and sugar was
there to go with it. At about eleven
o'clock delicious supper was spread,
there being over two hundred people
there TO partake of the delicious
supper. The hall was beautifully
decorated for the occasion with the
beautiful red, white and blue. The
Star Spangled Banner iand Home
Sweet Home were sung by the ali-
dience with Mrs. Otto Kunkle at the
piano. After the banquet was over
with the room was cleared of part
of the seats and dancing was in
dulged in by those who cared to
dance Sergeant Kellar spent nearly
two years in the service and spent
considerable of that time on patrol
duty in No Mans Land and was ex-
posed to the greatest danger. He
was wounded by a shrapnel on July
20, 1918, ats the Great Marine drive
on the third day of the battle and
thought his time had come as ne
| crawled into a shell hole wounded
severely and the shells bursting all
about him. He was afterwards taken
to a hospital where he lay for two
months and still his suffering isn't
TO an end. He is going to hospital
in Minneapolis soon for an operation
to have more shrapnel removed from
his body. We hope to soon see him
back home completely recovered
Rapidan is proud of the honor OF
having furnished more men in the
first division than any township in
Blue Earth county. Reinold Kellar.
brother of William Kellar, Matt
Weir and the Kruger brothers, Ed
ward and Edwin, all Rapidan boys. all
of whom enlisted at the same time
that William Kellar did are still in
Germany in the army of occupation.
Miss Mabel Gripp was caIf71E ze.
the Jesse Skov home last Friday at
! ernoon while waiting Tor train to
Mankato.
Adolph Kowinski of Good Thunder
has hired out for the season to WI
liam Geisthardt of this place.
AL Anderson of Indian Lake is
working for Herman Meiske.
Jesse Skov repaired a bad place in
the cross road near the William Eb-
erhardt place last Tuesday. Mr..
Skov reports finding plenty of frost
still in the ground.
The Daniel Boone trail is in bad
shape in several places this spring.
one very bad place is the one near
Housbergs. The people travelling
from Good Thunder to Mankato or
either way and are aware of. the
condition of that road drive some
distance with their cars across to the
Good Thunder Rapidan road rather
| than be stuck in the mud holes on
the famous Daniel Boone trail and
have to be pulled out by the farmers
faithful horses as has been a fire.
quent occurrence this spring. Heavy
Oil trucks driven over the road late
last fall and during the past winter
after the ground was so water soak
ed is supposed to be the chief cause
OF the bad condition of the road now.
In several places we note where
these trucks cut down so deep they
had to be dug out with spades. leav-
ing holes large enough to bury a
good sized mule In.