The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-03-06

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county before the county seat contest
sprung up. Eustis was the seat of
government, and SO far as her people
know it would remain so. Sherman
Center. Leonard, Candy, Itasca and
Voltaire had ambition to grow and alb
serb some of the others and eventual
ly make a fight for the permanent
county seat. E. F. Murphy, the well
known northwest Kansas lawyer, was
a resident of Sherman Center and he
pulled for his town until Goodland was
laid out and won the title, when he
changed location. His wife is a well
known and popular club woman, and
Is the author of several entertaining
books. Her name is Eva Morley Muir
ply. She is the only woman in the
Sixth district who has run for con-
gross, she being nominated by the
Progressive party and defeated MI
and Mrs. Murphy and family are pleas
antly situated in a lovely home sur
rounded with fine shade, in Goodland,
and are taking good care of them
selves and attending to business.
Mr.. Murphy has one of the largest
law libraries in northwest Kansas, and
an office fit for a parlor.
H. V. Toepffer, of Stockton, has
held a dozen or more offices where the
compensation was made up of glory,
yet he never was a candidate FOR an
office which had a salary attached.
Heels 81 years old. He has lived IN
Rocks county since 1884. He was one
of the organizers and officers or the
Fair association. which has had a fine
record since 1890. He has served as
mayor several terms, Is president of
the Rocks county farmers institute
is the originator and president of the
Library association. is president OF the
Cemetery association and member OF
the school! board. He has been at all
times ready with his time and money
to help any movement for the good OF
humanity. He was a Prussian soldier
in the days of the first Emperor Will
liam, and was a member of the army
which, headed by Won Moltke, SUB
dued Austria and Prussianized Ger
many More than half century
later, he is every inch an American,
he fought the second Wilhelm and his
Prussianism with the only weapon an
octogenarian can use. and That was MS
liberal check book.
After prohibition had become a law
there must have been two hotels in
Norton county, one in Edmond and
another in Norton, which continued to
make money. The one in Edmond had
changed proprietors. The new land
lord and his wife were cleaning house.
They said to your itemizer: 1T looks
if all the visitors and population drank
beer, for we gathered up about
Wagonload of corkS when cleaning the
cellar. We will store them away and
use them for kindling fires" The
other hotel was the Commercial, in
Norton. Prohibition was strictly en-
forced, yet a former landlord was quiet
enough about it to handle several bar
rels of bottled beer every week. The
delivery wagon would pull up at the
back door two and three times a week
and deliver several full barrels in the
cellar. One good old w. c. T. L.
woman had noticed this several times,
so she called on the landlord and made
inquiries what was in the barrels COM
ing to the hotel every day or two.
The landlord answered her inquiry by
telling her that his guests ate plenty
Of sugar, coffee, beans, teas spices,
crackers, etc, and he bought these
articles by the barrel. The lady
thanked him for the information and
bid him good-day. The old hotel was
torn down several years ago. He kept
on selling beer for several years, and
finally quit with enough money to put
him on Easy street. Since then he has
passed on. No town in Kansas is en-
forcing the bone dry prohibition law
more strictly than Norton.
The writer of these notes was a
Smith Center visitor the day the Rock
sure railroad town. The spike was
driven in the middle of the forenoon
by Miss Mabel Corn, the first female
child born on the townsite, and in the
presence of crowd of 5000 people.
1t was great day, and it looked if
everybody was celebrating the event.
The people had been looking for the
b. & M. to build from some point in
Nebraska south to Smith Center, be-
sides it looked as if the Missouri Pa
cific would extend their Burr Oak
branch thru Salem and Cora to this
A1-gs.
feet would be heard. Finally the Rock
Island was built here. The sledge
hammer was too heavy for Miss Corn,
and the crowd was so dense, and
crowded her SO closely, she couldn't
raise the hammer. The spikes driven
| construction car was pushed to the
end of the rails, and addresses were
| made by some of the citizens and
Roadmaster Sweeney. One of the men
mounting the car said: This is Smith
Centers red letter day; everybody is
| drunk, SO am t. He was helped off
the car, and Sweeney was called on.
The crowd came to have a good time
and help celebrate the day, and not to
| listen to addresses. He spoke for a
rev minutes, saying: Napoleon built
a railroad across the Alps to conquer,
| but the Rock Island constructs great
| railroad thru your state to open up
| settlements and build up towns"
There was plenty to eat and drink,
| and everybody was satisfied. The en-
1 tire constructors force were given a
free dinner by the people of the town.
The construction bosses gave their
| track layers a holiday for the day. So
| Smith Center was the terminus of the
road for nearly a day, and early the
| next morning the termini had push
ed on west. With the building of this
broad, the town took on new life, and
frame buildings were torn down to
make room for modern brick business
fhouses. Every year sees the town
pushing to the front and growing in
! population. One of the most urgent
needs is a large modern hotel.
Herndon and Ludell are Rawlins
county towns, situated in the Beaver
creek valley. They were there before
a railroad. The latter town got a good
| start before much business was done