davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
FUNERAL TUESDAY
FOR ELMER DILLER
CIVIC LEADER HERE
Heart Attack Fatal to Former
Manager of The Bluffton
Milling Co.
Civic Leadership Included Terms
On Council; Was Cemetery
Clerk At Death

Elmer L. Diller, 6s, prominent
Bluffton business man and civic lead
er for more than three decades, died
of heart ailment at $50 a. m.
Friday at his home on Spring street.
| For 81 years he was manager and
a director of the Bluffton Milling
Co., which disposed of its interests
this fall, and during the same period
he served two terms on the munich
pal council. At the time of his death
he was clerk of the Maple Grove
cemetery board of trustees and DEM
ocratic precinct committeeman. He
also was longtime member and
trustee of the Methodist church.
Mr.. Diller was born June IL,
1878, in Putnam county, the son of
John and Elizabeth (Schumacher)
Diller. He was graduated from
Bluffton high school in the class of
1898 and first became prominent in
this area while operating a general
store and serving as postmaster at
nearby Jenera, post he held for
nine years.
After moving to Bluffton he be-
came associated with the Bluffton
Milling Co. and for 81 years was
manager of the concern, which sold
out this fall to the Farmers Grain
Co. Since then he had been en-
ployed for the past month as man
ager of the J. c. Hochstettler Sons
elevator in Rawson.
Death came suddenly last Friday
morning. He had awakened and
talked for a short time with his
wife, and when she wondered why
he had become silent she found he
had died. Approximately year
ago, he had been confined to &is
home for several months because of
serious heart conditions
Survivors include his wife, the
former Bessie Thornton; two idaugh-
ters, Mrs. l.. A. Gray, of Cleveland;
and Ruth, at home; and two sons,
Lamont H., of Bluffton, and Dwight
of Ypsilanti, Michigan ! sis
Surviving brothers and sisters are
Mrs. Menno Schumacher, Miss
Bertha Diller and Mrs. Lavina
Geiger, all of Pandora; Mrs. Samuel
Bame, of Bluffton; Amos Diller of
Orville and Noah Diller of Bluffton.
Funeral services largely attended
were held Tuesday afternoon in the
Bluffton Methodist church, with Rev.
Paul II. Cramer, the pastor, Off
ciating. Burial was in Maple Grove
cemetery.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
BLUFFTON STONE
co. STARTS new
PLANT BUILDING
New Plant Will BE Equipped
With Stone Crusher And
Elevated Storage Bins
Output of Agricultural Lime.
stone and Stone Sand viii
be Expanded Here

In its first major expansion since
starting operations here 16 years ago,
the Bluffton Stone Co. is efeeting a
new building on its grounds along the
Nickel Plate railroad, opposite plants
of the Page Dairy Co. and the NUM-
cipal Light and Waterworks
Construction of the new buiking
will permit expansion of the xorlpa-
ny's facilities for manufacture Of ag-
ricultural limestone for farm uss, apd
also the making of stone-sand ~r
concrete construction work. A
Situated $50 feet east of the pres
ent plant, the nav structure has dil
mensions of Is by 25 by 40 feet. Hsti-
mated cost is $1o,soo.
A concrete block framework is be-
ing used for the new building, and
siding and roof will be of sheet metal.
Regular employees of the company are
doing the work on the building.
Stone crushing equipment and ele-
waited storage bins from which trucks
can be loaded by gravity feed will be
housed in the structure. The new
plant will have daily capacity of 200
tons of limestone and stone sand, a.
bout double the plants present capa-
city, it was stated by Raymond Con-
rad, manager of the company.
Construction of the building will be
completed by the first of the year,
according to present plans. 1t is hoped
that equipment will be installed to
permit operation of the plant early
next spring.
This is the first major expansion
in 16 years of operations and officials
of the company stated orders are now
on file to cover the entire output of
the new plant.
1t is understood a considerable por-
tion of the plants production will go
to the Bluffton Cement Block Co.,
which also has a large new plant un-
der construction here on the site of
the former Cal Ralmer sawmill. The
new cement block plant will be equip
ped with automatic machinery for
large scale production of concrete
building blocks. "a
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
Big Influx OF Hunters Will Crowd
Bluffton When Season Opens Friday
In New Locations

Mr.. and Mrs. C. D. Hilty have
moved from an apartment in the
Edgar Bixel property, the former
George Lewis residence on Spring
street, into the basement of their
new home under construction a short
distance south on Spring street.
Mr., and Mrs. Edgar Bixel have
moved from Richmond, Ind, and are
occupying the apartment in their
property vacated by Mr.. and Mrs.
Hilty.
Mrs. VIM Lightner will move next
week from Pandora into her prop
erty on Washington street which was
remodeled this fall The building
was moved to town last summer.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
Melee Over Class Flag RACES on
Campus Long After Mid
night Friday
Freshmen Pulled i'm Creek But
Tug-of-War Ends in Argu-
ment Over Who Won

A battle over class flags tha,
ragged across the baseball diamond
long after midnight, a tug-of-wal
that ended in an argument and 9
free-for-all at the homecoming game
marked the liveliest freshman-sopho-
more rivalry since pre-war days, or
the Bluffton college campus, over the
last weekend
The conflict got under way Friday
night when freshmen hoisted their
class flag in the highest tree in 9
grove bordering the baseball dia'
mond, and posted an all-nighi
guard to. keep it there.
About ne-thirty in the morning
they were tricked by a diversionary
alarm raised by sophomores, anc
when the guard at the base of the
tree rushed out to give battle, Dick
Berky, sophomore, wearing lineman's
spurs, climbed the tree and hauled
down the flag.
GUARD TIED IN TREE
One freshman guard posted in the
tree, who had tied himself to the
trunk so he could not fall in case
he dozed off, couldn't get united in
time to prevent Berky making off
with the flag and the freshmen
hopes.
Altho a free-for-all melee ragged
across the baseball field, Berkey and
his mates finally escaped with the
flag to end Chapter One.
Hostilities were renewed in the
tug-of-war Saturday morning, which
started all right for the sophomores
when they first hauled the freshman
team into Little Riley creek. How
ever, they failed to get them up the
bank, and refreshed by their dip
the freshmen then struggled back tc
their own side of the stream.
ARGUMENT ENsUEs
Hence, the argument as to wheth
er the victory was clean-cut ont
for the second-year students; a con
fab that eventually had to be set
tied by student governing bodies
which gave the sophomores the edg'
by ruling freshmen must wear theil
hats until Thanksgiving.
The final round occurred at tn,
homecoming game Saturday after
noon. Sophomores had raised theil
flag at Harmon field, pushing it on
on electric power lines, but fresh
men had their inning during half
time when they rushed out, set th
flag on fire and burned it. Anothe
free-for-all occurred when sopho
mores left the stands in an attemp
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
Arnaistice Day Rites
Monday Afternoon

Honoring Is World War ii dead,
an AFTERNOON Armistice Day pro-
gram sponsored by Bluffton Post,
American Legion was held Monday
afternoon in the high school audi
torium.
Rev. Kenneth S. Learey, of Van
Vert, American Legion state chap
plain, was the speaker The pro-
gram also included music by the
Bluffton High orchestra directed by
John H. Martin; prayer by Rev.
Paul H. Cramer; roll call of those
who made the supreme sacrifice, and
playing of taps by Ray Follas.
World War ii dead honored in
cluded James Amstutz, George Burk-
holder, Leo Basinger, Robert Crib
lez, Donald Crawfis, Gerald Carts,
Burdette Clark, Raymond Clark,
Calvin Dudgeon, Wayne DALEY, Har-
lin Dickson, Homer Gratz, Jr., Lysle
Kohl, j. Norman King, Gerald
Tripplehorn, Gerald Milestone, Rob-
| ert Wilson and Francis Wilkins.
J. Marking observance of the day,
the municipal water works whistle
was sounded at IL o'clock in the
morning, and the post office and
Citizens National bank were closed
thfuout the day.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14

French zone of occupation. They
will be gone two years and their
work will be under the direction of
the Mennonite Central Committee.
Immediate destination of the young
couple Is Chalons, France, from
where they will go to Germany to
direct the feeding of undernourished
children. He is the SON of Mr.. and
Mrs. Harvey Gratz, of north of
Bluffton. Both he and his wife at
tended Bluffton college
Miss Steiner, who served 40
months as a lieutenant with the
Army Nurse corps in Guadalcanal
and Saipan, will become superintend-
ent of nurses in new 300-bed hos
pital at Lake Maracaibo, upon her
arrival in Venezuela.
The hospital has been established
and equipped with funds provided
thru the Rockefeller foundation, but
its operation will be under the direc-
tion of the Venezuelan government.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
PAY RAISES WILL
GET MOST OF TWO
Mill SCHOOL LEVY
$4,000 Fund to be Split 60Go
Salaries and 1920 Mainten-
ance, Indication
Action by Board Expected in
December with Pay Raises
Effective Jan. 1

Of the $4,000 in additional funds
made available for operating expen-
ses of Bluffton schools with voter-ap-
proval of a two-mill school levy last
week, approximately $4,000 will be
earmarked to pPvide salary increas-
es and $4,000 maintenance of build
ings, it was indicated in an unofficial
poll of members of the board of edu-
cation.
The 60-40 per cent division of the
sum between salaries and mainten-
ance likely will be in effect during
the four-year life of the levy if senti-
ment previously expressed at meet
ings of the board may be taken as an
indication.
No official determination in the
division of the $4,000 fund, will be
made at the regular November meet
ing of the school board this Wednes-
day night, it was learned the first of
this week from reliable sources.
May Call Special Meeting
Delay in action on the matter is
attributed to the fact that Leland
Diller, member OF the board, is out
of town on one-month business
trip. General sentiment of the board
appeared in favor of deferring a de-
cision until the full membership is
present. A special meeting may be
called in December for that purpose.
Funds provided by the levy will
not be available until the December
tax collection is made, but increases
in salaries likely will become effec-
tive as of next Jan. /, according to
opinion expressed by board members.
Although there has been no official
statement since voters approved the
$4,000 two-mill levy, school board
members previously had indicated
they would favor allotting $4,000 for
salary increases to Is high and grade
school teachers. An additional 1,060
would go for salary increases to other
personnel including the administra-
tive staff, consisting of the superin-
tendent and skprincipal, the office
clerk and clerk of the school board,
together with four maintenance men
and four bus drivers.
The remaining $4,000 would go for
mounting costs of school maintenance,
according to tho previously discussed
general outline of a pattern for allo-
cation of the funds.
While the distribution of $4,000 a
mong. the Is teachers would add an
average of about $275 to the salary
of each instructor, it is expected that
length of service in the school system
will be taken into consideration in
determining individual cases. Because
of this factor, salary increases to in
dividuals likely will vary considerably
above or below the $275 average.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14

Winners and alternates have been
named in five Prince of Peace con-
tests held in Bluffton churches DUR
ing the past week. Winner in each
contest was awarded bronze medal
by the Ohio Council of Churches,
sponsor of the project, and will ap-
pear in the Allen county contest
early next month.
Winners and alternates are:
First Mennonite, Friday night:
Mary Bauman; Mary Smucker, al
ternate.
First Mennonite, Sunday night !:
Betty Bixel; Paul Bixel, alternate.
Methodist: Peggy Eckenwiler
Dora Luginbuhl, alternate.
ST. Johns Reformed: Joan Clark /;
Norma Badertscher, alternate.
Presbyterian: Marilyn Fett; Mary
J. Burkholder, alternate.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
Births

The following births at Bluffton
hospital:
Mr.. and Mrs. Lawrence Hilty,
Pandora, boy, Lawrence John, Jr.
Wednesday morning.
Mr.. and Mrs. Richard Gossman
Bluffton, a girl, Linda Lee, Monday
Mr.. and Mrs. Clarence Schnegg
Pandora, a boy, Stanley Warren
Sunday.
Mr.. and Mrs. Herbert Crates, Ar
lington, a girl, Mary Eileen, Satur-
day. Mrs. Crates is the former Lii,
lian Koontz of Blufton.
Mr.. and Mrs. Arden Hindall, Ar.
lington, a girl, Julene June, Friday
Mr.. and Mrs. Grant Barber, Lima
girl, Charlene Kaye, Friday.
Mr.. and Mrs. VIM. Weick, Lima, q
girl, Sandra Jean, last Wednesday
Mr.. and Mrs. John Van Waning
of Buffalo, agirl, Sylvia Jean, born
in that city Friday Mrs. Van Wan
ing is the former Glendoris Althaus
of Lafayette. .s53a 50
Mr.. and Mrs! Carl Males fbf Ind.
annapolis, girl, Mary Margaret
born Nov. l in that city. Mrs
Males is the former Margaret Ha
begger, daughter of Mr.. and Mrs
Joseph Habegger.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
Plenty of Hunters and Scarcity
of Game is Forecast as Open
ing Day Nears
All Rooming Accommodations
in the Town Sold Out Weeks
in Advance

Undaunted by an indicates short
age of game. an army ohhunters
will make the Bluffton ara their
center of operations for opening OF
the rabbit and pheasant season, at
noon on Friday.
All hotel and tourist h0ase ac-
commodations have been Reserved
for the weekend, and rooms5in in pri-
vate homes are at a premiu1H in at
tempting to prepare for tha horde
of nimrods expected here as Ne sea.
son opens. Likewise, restaurants
and eating houses are preparing for
a record influx.
With the prospect of heavy in
fiux of hunters from outside, farm
ers thruout the district are costing
mo Hunting" signs in larger num-
bers than usual.
FARMERS SELEcTIvE
The majority of farmers, while
readily giving consent to friends
hunting on their lands, are definitely
opposed to granting permission to
strangers and those inexperienced in
the use of firearms.
With the rush of war work over,
thousands of servicemen back in
"civies" and ammunition more
plentiful than last year, they can
be found in abundance in only a
few places, and the supply will not
nearly be up to normal. Three
consecutive wet springs dutng
Matching season are blamed for the
game shortage.
RABBITS FEWER
Rabbit hunting also is not ex-
pected to measure up to norihal
supply, and preseason indicati0 0ns
are to the effect that hunters will
have to work harder than ever Tor
the game they get
Bluffton High school will be closed
during the day to permit boys to 10
hunting. =
Hunting law will come in at IL
O'Clock noon this year. !, Open season
on pheasants will continue thru Sat-
urday, Nov. 80, giving the hunter
three Saturdays. Rabbit season will
close on January 1.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
Robert NeislUd1ider
NeU Head OF MasOns

Robert Neiswander was named
Master of the Bluffton Masonic
Lodge at the annual election of Off
GERS Monday night in the lodge hall.
Other elective officials include Will
bur Amstutz, senior warden; Edgar
Cook, junior warden; Ralph T.
Stearns, secretary; DR.. Evan Ba-
singer, treasurer; Richard Lewis,
senior deacon; Kenneth Amstutz,
junior deacon; and Bertrand Swank,
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
AUFFT0N COLLEGE
OPENS DRIVE FOR
new GY N MNASIU NJ
$3.50, 900 Gymnasium-Auditori-
um Structure Plans APP
proved by Trustees.
Announcement of Fund Drive is
Unexpected Feature at Home
coming This Year

Announcement Of the opening of
campaign for new $250,0O0 gym
nasium-auditorium on the Bluffton
college campus was an unexpected
feature of annual Homecoming fes-
tivities sat the school Saturday.
Plans have been completed for a
brick structure of regency style col
onial architecture, 16O by 155 feet.
1t will be located at the rear and to
the right of Science hall in the vi
cinity of the present outmoded GYM
nasium building.
Three major needs will be served
by the quarter-of a-million-dollar
structure, it is pointed out by DR..
L. L. Ramseyer, president of the
college In addition to the gymnas-
ium, auditorium and student recrea-
tion facilities will be provided.
BLEACHERs FOR 1000
The main gymnasium floor will be
100 by IS feet, and at one side will
be permanent bleachers for 1000. A
stage al the other side will permit
temporary seating for 500 more
spectators. There also will be a
smaller gymnasium floor for girls
laid out on the stage.
Used as an auditorium with temp
orary seats on the gymnasium floor,
the building will seat 1900 persons.
A large recreation room will be pro-
vided under the bleacher section.
There also will be locker rooms,
rest rooms, lunch room, showers,
a social room, utility room and a
hobby shop.
TRUSTEES APPROVE PLANS
Plans for the structure were APP
proved at the 6semi-annual meeting
of the board of trustees Friday.
Constructiun will start as soon as
materials and funds ar< available. Z
Announcement of the building pro-
ject was made at the homecoming
banquet last Saturday night by the
speaker of the evening, Clifton
Witty" Springer of Berne, Ind,
alumnus of the institution. Harry
Yoder was. toastmaster at the din
er, attended by crowd of $780,
Other features of the homecoming
program included coronation of the
homecoming queen in the morning,
a freshman-sophomore tug-of-war,
won by the sophomores; the Bluff
ton-Defance football game; and pre-
sentation of two Thespian plays.
"The Flight of the Heron" direct
ed by p w. Stauffer, had in its cast
Virginia Geiger, Annetta de Graaff,
Bernard jacobson, Harry Klay and
Charles Rufenacht.
The other play, "The Kickoff, !"
was directed by Barbara Springer.
In its cast were Robert Stratton,
Betty Meyer, Robert Ramseyer,
Dean Niswander and Keith Meyer.
Homecoming events were conclud-
ed with a special vesper service
Sunday afternoon, addressed by Rev.
Russell Mast, of Wadsworth, a
Bluffton graduate in 1887. His sub
ject was give Minutes To r."
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
ReU. NeuenschlUa,,der
Takes NelD Passionate

Rev. John Neuenschwander, form
erly of Bluffton and well known
here, has resigned as pastor of the
Presbyterian church in Creston,
Iowa, to accept call to a larger
church at Poplar Bluff, Mo.
Rev. Neuenschwander also is mod
orator of the Presbyterian Synod of
Iowa.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
Lyric Tenor At
Ebenezer Church

Eivin Bjornstad, lyric dramatic
tenor, will appear in a sacred con-
cert at the Ebenezer Mennonite
church Thursday night at 8 p. m.
Bjornstad, of Oslo, Norway, sang IN
leading European cities before com
ing to this country. He has pre-
viously appeared at the church here.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
Home From Overseas

TIA Dale Huber, son of Mr.. and
Mrs. Russell Huber of Bentley road,
arrived home Sunday morning from
Austria where he was property ac-
'countant for the USFA ammunition
depot at Lambach, a German bomb
d;snaeaI 5niantA s1Ha4 fi&.s.aE5
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
Real Estate Deal

Myron Meyer of Union township
has purchased the Otto Bigler resi-
dence on South Main street and will
get possession next June. Meyer,
who is engaged in electrical servic-
ing and merchandising expects to
convert the house into combined
residence and showroom
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
Concert Pianist At IN :.
Mt. Cory Tuesd0y

Frederic Sjobiarn, brilliant young
American pianist, will present con-
cert in the Mt. Cory High school
auditorium at 8. .p.y mn Thursday. In
his program he features fine old
classics, but in addition plays modern
American songs.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14

Lorain county claims an apple
picking record for two Jamaicans
who worked there this year. The
men helped in the packing shed
until 300 p. M, and then started
picking. In the five hours up to
TOO o'clock, one man picked 10
bushels of apples and the other
checked in with Ill bushels.
No cure has been found for the
new fungus disease which severely
damaged some fields of oats in Ohio
in 1946. Growers should ask county
agricultural agents about resistant
varieties.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
WINDOW EXHIBIT

Samples of corn from the Alvin
Augsburger farm near Button
which produced more than 100 BUSH
els per acre are exhibited in the
News window.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
At Insurance School

Leland Diller, Bluffton insurance
man is attending a.. school of in
struction for insurance representa-
tives in Hartford, Conn. He will be
gone for Ave weeks.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
BLUFFTON MARKETS
Wednesday Morning

Grain (bushel prices) = Wheat,
s2.03; corn,s 1.10; oats, TIC; soys,
$3.05.
Poultry-Heavy hens, 23c; heavy
springers, Sic; leghorn springers,
21c; leghorn hens, 18c. a
Eggs-Large whites, SOC; large
browns, 48c; mediums. BIC; pullet,
28c.
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
To Build NelU House
On ~. Spring Street

Gerald Berry has set stakes for a
new residence on the North Spring
street building lot which he recently
purchased from Ed Reichenbach,
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
WHERE OUR SOLDIERS ARE

Cpl. Paul Reichenbach 45035487
Hq. & Hq. Det. 18th AART Gp.s
Ft. Bliss, Texas -
The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1946-11-14
Frosh-SOph Rivalry Enlivens
Annual Homecoming At College

to prevent the attempt, but their de-
fensive tactics got under way too
late to be of benefit.
The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-27

EL1zABETHTowN, May 1s.-
Forty-niAe candidates seeking Of
lice in the May Is Democratic pri-
mary listed $2,251.9o for came
palgn expenses Carl c. Campbell.
clerk of the court, announces. Not
a single candidate listed any con.
tributions.
The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-27
ASK INSPECTION

LONDON, May 26-(PEThe Mos
COW Radio broadcast Sunday night
what the announcer said was a re-
port from the Tehran press urging
the 1ranian government to send a
commission to Southern Iran ''for
the inspection of the evacuation Of
British troops from Iranian terri
tory"
The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-27

LIST YOUR REAL ESTATE WITH US
for top prices. w. A. McGirt, Realtor,
215 Princess street. J. J Taylor. sales
man
The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-27
8O-Houses For Sale

FIVE ROOM FRAME HOUSE AND GAR
age for sale by owner. 6 North Wash
ington street. Dial 5145.
The Wilmington morning star., 1946-05-27
An Ordinance Authorizing $500
600 Sanitary Sewer Bonds

BE IT ORDAINED by the City Council
of the City of Wilmington:
Section l. That the City of Whining
ton issue its bonds pursuant to The
Municipal Finance Act, 1921, as amended,
in an amount not exceeding $500, 900 fol
the purpose of extending the sanitary
sewer system of said City, including the
installation of sewer mains and man
holes.
Section 2. That a tax sufficient to pay
the principal and interest of said bonds
shall be annually levied and collected.
Section 3. That a Statement of the
debt Of the City has been filed with the
Clerk and is open to public inspection.
Section 4. That this ordinance shall
take effect when approved by the voters
of the City at an election as provided by
law.
The foregoing ordinance was passed on
the 9th day of March, 1916 and was first
published on the 9th day of May, 1916.
Any action or proceeding questioning
the validity of said ordinance must be
commenced within thirty days after its
first publication.
]. r. BENSON,
City Clerk.