News Stories Various Butler County Kansas Genealogy Trails

BUTLER COUNTY, KANSAS

NEWSPAPER STORIES

THE BURNS NEWS - 1949

Aug. 4 - L. W. Obee returned Wednesday from Richmond, Indiana, where he drove out a new Wayne school bus mounted on a Ford chassis. It will be used on the east route, where he expects to haul 23 to 24 students.

Oct. 10 - An unemployed Florence man killed a town marshall, exchanged shots with a neighbor and ended his own life in a 15-minute outburst here at noon Sunday.
He was Fred Stanley, 65. The town marshall was Dave Break, 70. The two neighbors were Louis Johnson and Amos Brenneman.

Oct. 27 - The Burns High School Auditorium was filled to capacity before curtain time Wednesday evening for the presentation of a Home Talent Show sponsored by the Junior Burns Study club. The proceeds from the show about $70 net, will be used towards the purchase of a basketball scoreboard for the Burns High School, project of the club in keeping with their theme "Serving Our Youth" for the current club year.

Oct. 27 - Mr. Ollie (J. Fred) Whiting recalls, about 55 years ago when they had a newspaper in Peabody, they came to Burns, in a spring wagon full of printing material on a hot day, to establish the Burns Citizen. The Burns paper at that time was operated by Mitt Phillips. After the Whitings moved to Burns, they bought the Florence Bulletin, and leased the Peabody Graphic, later selling the Florence paper to Grant Shaw. It must have been in 1894 when Mr. Whiting established the Burns Citizen as a clipping enclosed with Mrs. Whitings letter states that he resigned a position with the Rock Island at Herington in the spring of 1893 when he purchased the Peabody Graphic and established the Burns Citizen the following summer.

Dec. 22 - W. E. Payton, a former editor of the Burns Citizen, passed away Monday at Emporia. He was a cousin of George Payton. He was born Dec. 15, 1879, in Plum Grove, Kans. He married Martha Slarer Rector in Marietta, Okla., in July, 1934, who survives him. Other survivors are three sons, William, Paul, Dwight, and one step-son Robert D. Rector. Payton was editor of the Burns Citizen about 50 years ago. He went to Florence in 1908, then to Colony and to the Iola Register as associate editor.

Dec. 29 - Mr. and Mrs. George H. Heyman were the first couple to be married at Ebenezer Methodist church, southwest of Burns. On Dec. 25, 1899, just a short time after the Church had been dedicated.

The Heyman family had come to the DeGraff area to settle in 1886, from Brownhelm, Ohio, where George was born in April, 1872. The couple farmed near DeGraff until 1919, when they moved to Burns where they have resided ever since.

Mrs. Heyman (Catherine Schwarz) had come to a farm west of Burns with her parents in 1899, from Bergmanswiler, Germany where she had been born April 11, 1877.

Children of the couple are Mrs. Esther Davis, Lester (Bud) Heyman, Edith Ward, Charlotte Mosher, Mary, George and Frederick Heyman.

THE BURNS NEWS - 1950

Feb. 2 - Dudley Doolittle, Jr., operator of the D. D. Road Show, which has been showing at the Burns High School on Saturday night, announced Saturday that he will suspend the shows, as he has been operating at a loss for the past several weeks.

April 6 - Mr. and Mrs. John Brewster of Bell, Calif., have purchased the café known as Van's Café from Mrs. Alta van Winkle. Mrs. Brewster is experienced in restaurant work and is the sister of Gordon Fink, and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Skinner.

April 20 - At the annual meeting of the Burns Union High School, it was voted to change from a three member to a five member board.

April 27 - Brice Blaine Durbin of Marysville, Kan., has been appointed to represent the Mid-West on the high school committee of the National Ass'n of Basketball Coaches.

June - A passing thief took Mr. and Mrs. William Larsen at their word last week and "made himself at home." While he was doing it, he ransacked the place, made off with an estimated $15 in cash. The farm couple, who live on Highway 77 about 2 miles north of Burns, noticed a hitch-hiker near their lane entrance as they left to attend a school program. When they returned, their house was in shambles. On the door or near it, the Larsen's had placed a large sign which said, "Make yourself at home, we will be back after the school program." It was intended for Mrs. Larsen's sister, they said.

August 31 - A gift to the City Library of a downtown lot this week provided incentive to purchase two adjourning lots as a proposed site for a new library building, whenever funds are available. The lot, located at the corner across the street west from the Farmers Union Filling Station, is a gift of Mrs. Alta van Winkle, in memory of her husband, the late Everatt Van Winkle.

Nov. 23 - Edw. F. Funke, Burns, postmaster, has received official notice effective, November 27 that Stanley van Tuyl is to be classified rural carrier for RR1, Burns. He succeeds Audress Flock who has been serving in the capacity of temporary carrier since March 1949.

THE BURNS NEWS - 1951

Jan. 4 - New county symbols for car tags effective Jan. 1, 1951. Letters will be used instead of numbers.

Feb. 22 - Saturday of this week, is set for the school bond election which will decide whether or not a new gymnasium will be added to the present facilities at District 65.

Mar. 1 - School bonds were voted down. 336 votes were cast, 90 being for the gym and 246 were against.

June 14 - Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Dauber have purchased the Holiday Inn housed in the old Skelly service station building, and are taking charge this Thursday morning.

July 19 - Florence is digging out of its worst flood in history. Our neighbor to the north is just now beginning to recover from the shock of its most disastrous flood, which left little but desolation.

THE BURNS NEWS - 1952

September 18 - The large plate glass window in the front of the postoffice gave way under pressure of sharp gusts of winds during Tuesday's night storm about 11:30. The large pane hit the sidewalk and shattered over the street in front of the building. Jake Notz, called to the scene made quick work of boarding up the window with the help of Fred Zimmerman, who obligingly opened the lumber yard to get the material. Burns apparently was just in the edge of the storm, which was more intense south and southwest of town. The wind was not unusually strong, but came in heavy gusts which took out two or three other windows around town. The expected rain, badly needed here, did not materialize.

Oct. 9 - Funeral services for Arnold Henry Rikers, 91, one of the oldest pioneer residents of burns, and the oldest member of the Immaculate Conception parish, who passed away at his home Tuesday evening Sept. 30, were held Saturday morning at nine o'clock.

Mr. Rickers who came to Kansas in 1887, was born in Wullen, Westfallen, German on April 19, 1861. He was married to Ann Margaret Hartog of Almisck Stadtlohn Germany on Nov. 21, 1893 at Burns. Mrs. Rickers died Sept. 2, 1894 and three sisters also preceded him in death. After coming to Kansas, Mr. Rickers worked on the railroad section for some time and went into partnership in farming with is brother in law, Antone (Tony) Olberding. After quitting the farm, Mr. Rickers engaged in the livery business with Mr. Olberding which they purchased from Charles Miller in 1903. It was one of the largest livery and feed barns in this section and enjoyed a prosperous business for several years. With the coming of the gasoline age, they converted to a storage garage and filling station. After the death of Mr. Olberding in 1933, the business was again sold at which time Mr. Rickers retired to his home. Survivors include a daughter, Johanna Mary of the home, and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.

Nov. 6 - Republicans swept into power in the nation, state and county, Eisenhower and Nixon are national winners.

Nov. 20 - The new street lights in the north part of Burns arranged for some time ago by the city are being installed this week by a KG&E crew.

SURBER, AARON

LATHAM MAN, 84, HANGS SELF WITH SEVEN FOOT ROPE

Aaron Surber, 84, Becomes Tired of Waiting For the Lord To Call

Aaron Surber, 84, committed suicide, Monday, May 3, at his home in Latham, by hanging. Despondency was the cause.

Early Monday morning he told his wife he was tired of staying here. She replied that they would have to stay here until the Lord called them. About 10:00 o'clock, Surber went to the stable in the rear of the premises, the roof of which was only about seven feet high, took a rope, fastened one end around his neck with slip noose, threw the other end over a rafter in the barn, pulled it down with his hands, dropped to his knees, held to the rope and strangled himself. His wife found him and cut him down, as he was gasping his last. He died immediately.

Mr. Surber was an old resident of Latham and because of feebleness and advanced years, became despondent because he feared he would become dependent upon his children.

His wife and six daughters survive, Mrs. Belle Sumwall of Latham, Mrs. Etta Asmussen of Leon, Mrs. Martha Wing, Kansas City; Mrs. Mary drury, Los Angeles; Mrs. Margaret Hearn, Oklahoma; Carrie Surber, Wichita.

Funeral arrangements await the arrival of the daughters. It was decided however, that the Masons of Leon of which lodge he was a member would have charge.

Coroner W. E. Turner, County Attorney, C. W. Steiger, and Deputy Sheriff C. C. Hall were in Latham, Monday, in connection with the case. (Walnut Valley Times, May 3, 1915)

ALICE LAHON, 7, SERIOUSLY HURT WHEN JAVELIN HURLED WILDLY

Point Perforates Clothing and Tears Way Into Flesh; Condition is Serious

Alice Lahon, 7, was seriously hurt Monday afternoon when a javelin hurled wildly through the air for 100 feet struck her in the stomach. The metal point penetrated her clothing and entered part way into the abdominal wall on the left side. Just how serious her injury was, Drs. Preston and Dillenbeck said they could not tell at once.

The accident occurred at Central school ground. A number of boys were practicing throwing the javelin in their accustomed place on the north side. When Cyril Faulders, son of the Christian church pastor, took his turn the throw went wild, the missile sailing 45 feet south of the usual course. The little came from behind an evergreen tree as the crowd was watching the javelin's wild flight. When they realized her danger, some of the spectators shouted but she did not hear. The next instant the javelin struck and the little girl fell. She was taken to the home of Dr. and Mrs. G. F. Ambrose and the physicians were summoned. Later she was removed to the El Dorado hospital.

The little girls is the daughter of Mrs. Anne Lahon, a widow who resides in the 400 block on Settler Street. (Walnut Valley Times, May 3, 1915)