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NEWS TIDBITS
Drew County Arkansas Genealogy Trails New Buildings in Monticello, Sept 2, 1873 Notary Public Appointed, Nov 24, 1883 Farmers' Union Assistant Secretary, 1909 Spider Bite Kills Girl, May 10, 1942 Short Story of Wealth at County Home, July 29, 1954 --Several new
buildings are going up in Monticello.
(Source: Little Rock Daily Republican, Sept. 2, 1873, contributed by Frances Cooley. NOTARY PUBLIC APPOINTED
J.G. Taylor has been appointed a notary public in Drew County. FARMERS' UNION ASSISTANT SECRETARY Kemp, Miss Bessie, Wilmar, Ark.-—Was employed by J. S. Turner as stenographer up to the date of the State Union, and was then appointed as Assistant Secretary by Ben L. Griffin, which place she held with credit to herself and satisfaction to the order for two years. She was untiring in her zeal for the cause. (Source: The History and Times of the Farmers' Union, 1909; transcribed by Tina Easley.) Miss
Marie Gales, 16, of Collins, Drew County , died at a Monticello
hospital Sunday, nine days after she had been admitted following a spider bite
on
April 22. Miss Gates lived with her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. R. L.
Barnett. Mr. Barnett said that she had gone to get an old shirt to wear while
helping him on the farm. The spider evidently was in the shirt and bit her on
the back.
(Source: DeWitt Era-Enterprise, May 10, 1942; contributed by Linda Rodriguez.) SHORT STORY OF WEALTH AT COUNTY HOME
Dexter, Stoddard County MO Dexter Messenger July 29, 1954 Contributed by Christine Walters A little old woman of 85 years was "left out" in front of Murrell Kirby's
home north of Bloomfield on July 19, 1954, very weak, hungry and weary, after
traveling from Southern Arkansas by train, bus and by walking to be near her
dead son, buried at the Walker cemetery. Murrell Kirby didn't know just what to
do with her, but wanted her taken care of, so he talked it over with Conley Hawk
and they called Otto Richmond who advised them to take her to the the county
home near Bloomfield.
So the little old woman with a very old battered suitcase was taken to the
county home to "rest up" and get some nourishing food as she hadn't eaten in two
days. There is a rule at the home that whoever brings the person there should
look in their purse and check on just what they have as far as finances go so if
they leave, they leave with the same amount. Mr. Kirby looked into her old
fashioned purse, to find $20.00 and Mrs. Ward, county superintendent' s wife led
the little old lady to her room, where she was cleaned up and fed. The old lady
gave her name as Mrs. Annie Beaugard Berry and told of coming from Monticello
Ark., to be near the Walker church and cemetery where her son was buried.
On Tuesday, when Dale Ward and his wife went in to see Mrs. Berry, the old
battered suitcase was at the head of the bed where it had been placed the day
before, but beside it was a fruit jar containing money, it was found on closer
examination. Superintendent Ward called Sheriff Davis and Deputy John Winchester
to investigate. They all counted the money and found a total sum of $1,880 in
the jar of money in the suitcase it contained an old dress and a pair of shoes
her only possessions. The Sheriff took the money to the bank in Bloomfield where
it would be safe and then called County Sheriff Jack Taller of Drew County Ark.,
where the lady was originally from.
Sheriff Taller arrived in Bloomfield last Wednesday, July 21, 1954 to escort Mrs. Berry back to Monticello where he hoped to place her in a rest home and let the money pay for her comfort in the last of her days. She stated that she liked it in the county near her son, saying she was very comfortable while there. The money was made into a cashier's check and taken back with Mrs. Berry. Sheriff Taller called the money a "deathtrap" to be carried with her in the fashion she had for all these years. |