Dec. 1, 1930: F. W. SIEVERT OF PORTER GIVES INTERESTING FACTS ON BEE HIVE “BEESNESS”

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on December 1, 1930.

F. W. SIEVERT OF PORTER GIVES INTERESTING FACTS ON BEE HIVE “BEESNESS”

(BY JEROME KENNY)

PORTER, Dec. 1.ーF.W. Sievert , local confectionary and cigar store owner, has a unique recordーhe has eaten honey every day for the last sixty-two years. M. Sievert is a beekeeper and he certainly believes in his honey as a healthful and excellent food.

Since he was a youth of fourteen and living on a farm a mile west of here the local man has followed his hobby of keeping bees. Mr. Sievert now has 100 hives which he keeps on a hillside farm near the site of Port Williams.

“When we were kids,” says Mr. Sievert, “we used to open the hives regularly and look in, but we never knew what we were looking for. Beekeeping has changed much since that time. At least we know what to look for now.”

In following his hobby for a great many years, the experience has taught him much, Mr. Sievert has become an authority on all phases of bee culture. He is well known at meetings of apiarists and his advice is sought by many beginners in the business.

A few days ago Mr. Sievert began packing his bees for the winter. This winter he is trying out a theory that is radically different from the usual practice in beekeeping. The bees will be left outside this year instead of putting them in a sheltered place such as a basement. This will allow them to adjust themselves to the changing temperatures better, explained Mr. Sievert.

At this time of the year the bees are getting ready to survive until spring and warm weather on the honey that they stored up this summer. The bees this year, Mr. Sievert explained, went into winter quarters with a good many young bees.

“The breeding of bees depends largely upon the amount of nectar available to make money, and this year there was little or no food for the bees until fall,” he says.

Most of the honey was obtained from the fall flowers. The yield this year averaged slightly more than fifty pounds per hive. Yield sometimes goes to over 200 pounds per hive, if the weather is favorable.

Although fall honey is considered the better in food value the American public prefers the summer honey which is lighter in color. The summer honey is gathered from clover or basswood while the later product is a combination of the nectar of all the fall flowers.

During the winter only the queen bee and the workers exist. All the drones, or male bees are killed off by the workers so that the food supply will hold out. The bee colony is not a socialistic community.

Even though the workers are not as large as the male bee they are able to kill him off by using strategy. When the drone tries to eat the workers annoy him and he doesn’t get enough to eat. Eventually he is so weakened by starvation that the worker is able to sting him to death. He is then carried outside of the hive.

There is a great amount of justifiable “beeicide.” a colony with 200,000 members during the summer will have only 80,000 left during the winter. This number is greatly augmented during the advent of warm weather.

On March 15 or 20 the breeding season begins. The queen lays about 150 eggs a day. In April she increases her output to 5 to 6 hundred per day and by June she is in the height of production with 3,000 eggs per day. She continues at this rate until about Nov. 1.

According to Mr. Sievert the egg quantity is dependent upon the honey supply and a good keeper will provide his bees with all they can eat. Likewise it is essential that the swarming should be controlled scientifically. There should be plenty of room to swarm.

Nov. 26, 1930: CITY TO MARK ANNUAL FEAST DAY QUIETLY

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 26, 1930.

CITY TO MARK ANNUAL FEAST DAY QUIETLY

Family Reunions, Church Services, School Holidays and Benefit Football Game Are Features.

CITY BAND GIVES A BIG BENEFIT DANCE

(BY ENGLEBERT ZIMMERMAN)

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving day and Valparaiso and environs in conjunction with the rest of the United States, are arranging to give this oldest of American holidays fitting observances.

Pre-eminently Thanksgiving is America’s great day of family reunions and feasting. On no other day in all the year is there so much returning back to the family hearth, for renewal of family ties around about a beautifully provided board.

That is what Thanksgiving is, in the main in Valparaisoーa day of reunions and feastings. That is what it has been as long as most of the populace can recall.

Business generally will be suspended this evening, not to be resumed on any grand scale until Friday morning. A covering of snow blankets the entire section.

Dealers report that orders for turkey have been unusually large this year, due to the reasonable prices prevailing. Dealers also report heavy sales in ducks, geese, chickens and cuts of beef and pork.

City schools will enjoy a two-day holiday, closing this afternoon and not reopening until Monday, according to an announcement made by Roy B. Julian, superintendent. The double holiday will permit teachers to return to their homes for at least three and in some cases four day visits with relatives and friends. The local schools, Superintendent Julian pointed out, observe few holidays, but Thanksgiving is one of them.

Valparaiso university also marks the holiday with a break of schedules.

Religious services perpetuating the early festival established by the Pilgrim Fathers will be observed in a number of churches tomorrow morning.

Congregations of the Presbyterian, Baptist, Methodist and Christian church will participate in a joint union service to be held at the Christian church at 9:30 a.m., Rev. Frank Roy Briggs, of the Methodist church, will preach the sermon.

The Immanuel Lutheran church will hold special services at its edifice on North Washington street tomorrow at 10 a.m. Rev. George Schutes will preach the sermon.

A Thanksgiving service will be held by First Church of Christ Scientist, at 121 Lincoln Way, at 10:45 a.m. tomorrow.

Thanksgiving cheer will be spread for inmates of county jail and county infirmary. Sheriff Burney Maxwell and Superintendent W.H. Dittman have arranged persons under their charge.

Tomorrow afternoon at Brown Field, the Valparaiso university football team will meet a team composed of alumni in a big benefit game for the community chest fund. The game will start promptly at 2 o’clock.

Tomorrow night at Elks’ temple ball room, the Valparaiso city band will give a dance, the proceeds of which will go to the band in making up a deficit during the summer concert season.

Nov. 22, 1930: CAPTURE LAST MEMBER GANG OF ROBBERS James Germano in Hiding Since Capture of Pals, Nabbed and Brought Here to County Jail. SKUBICH WAS ROBBERY PARTNER

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 22, 1930.

CAPTURE LAST MEMBER GANG OF ROBBERS

James Germano in Hiding Since Capture of Pals, Nabbed and Brought Here to County Jail.

SKUBICH WAS ROBBERY PARTNER

James Germano, 22, alleged member of the Stillinovich-Magdos-Dago Dan gang of bandits wich terrorized the Calumet region, including north Porter county resorts along Dunes Highway until their roundup several months ago, was brought here to Porter county jail early today by Sheriff Burney Maxwell and Deputy Sheriff Freeman Lane.

Germano was the last member of the gang at large. He was captured Friday when he sought to return to Gary from Chicago, where he had been in hiding since his pals were corralled in a big roundup by Lake and Porter county officers.

Sheriff Burney Maxwell has two robbery charges to press against Germano. One is the Wigwam barbecue on Dunes Highway; the other the theft of $135 from a bureau drawer at the Andrew Holmgren farm, east of Flint lake, during a fire which destroyed a barn on that place last summer. 

Willie Skubich, 19, of Gary, recently sentenced to Indiana reformatory for a period of one to ten years, was a partner of Germano in the two robberies. 

Dago Dan, former leader of the gang was killed early this summer in a holdup at Berwyn, Ill. Nick Marley, another member of the gang, was sentenced to fifteen years in prison several weeks ago in Lake criminal court at Crown Point. Other members of the gang are in Crown Point jail awaiting trial.

Nov. 20, 1930: JURY LENIENT WITH SECOND TIME VIOLATOR Big Horace Lee, Once Convicted in Local Court on Liquor Charge, Gets Minimum Dose. COMPANION ENTERS PLEA OF GUILTY

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 20, 1930.

JURY LENIENT WITH SECOND TIME VIOLATOR

Big Horace Lee, Once Convicted in Local Court on Liquor Charge, Gets Minimum Dose.

COMPANION ENTERS PLEA OF GUILTY

“Big” Horace Lee, notorious bootlegger of north Porter county, whose joint on the Porter-Lake county line was the rendezvous for holdup ganges and other like gentry, of the underworld, escaped with the minimum sentence Wednesday night when a jury in Judge pro tem Mark B. Rockwell’s Porter circuit court found him guilty of a charge of liquor possession and fined him $100 and costs and assessed a 30 days’ jail sentence.

It was the third appearance for Lee within the knowledge of Porter county authorities. Once he was fined and jailed in Federal court at Hammond, and again in the same court in which he dramatically made his appearance yesterday.

Attorney J.A. Fleshbein, for Lee, sought to show that Lee was not in possession of the premises, but Lee Dillion, also arrested by local authorities at the time of the raid on the alleged premises of Lee, held the lease to the property. According to Attorney Fleshbein, Lee leased the property. According to Attorney Fleshbein, Lee leased the property of Frank A. Turner, renting agent, but later leased it to Dillon. Both men were charged with the possession of liquor found by the officers.

Prosecutor W.W. Bozarth and Deputy Prosecutor Glenn Dye charged that Dillon was merely a catspaw for Lee, and was ready to take the “rap” in case of a raid of the joint. Dillon was merely a catspaw dor Lee, and was ready to take the “rap” in case of a raid of the joint. Dillon, who is known as “Little Lee,” because of his scrawny size, appears to be a man of 70 years of age, whereas he is only 57. This, the prosecutor said, would elicit the sympathy of the jury.

Lee’s case was given to the jury at 3:45 p.m. and a verdict was reached at 5:20 p.m.

Following the verdict, Dillon, when he saw the jury was lenient, changed his plea of not guilty to guilty, and Judge Rockwell assessed him $1000 and costs and gave him a suspended jail sentence.

The arrest of the two men followed a tip obtained by Sheriff Burney Maxwell from Otto Meier, Jr., and Sylvester Adams, nabbed for a series of holdups in Porter county, that they planned their robberies in the Lee place.

ー

Think It Over

Most of the shadows that cross the pathway in life are caused by standing in our own light.

Nov. 18, 1930: MAN WHO LOST EYE FOR CAUSE TO VISIT CITY: Porter County Liquor Foes Planning Great Rally as One of Banner Events of Month.

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 19, 1930.

MAN WHO LOST EYE FOR CAUSE TO VISIT CITY

Porter County Liquor Foes Planning Great Rally as One of Banner Events of Month.

‘PUSSYFOOT’ JOHNSON IS THE HEADLINER

“Pussyfoot” Johnson is coming!

What’s the big news broadcasted to all Porter county foes of liquor and champions of prohibition.

He will be in Valparaiso Wednesday evening, Nov. 26, to speak in the Methodist church auditorium as part of his “invasion” of Indiana in the interest of the dry cause, which will carry him into the principal cities of the state.

With Johnson, whose real name is William E. Johnson, will be Lt. Col F. B. Ebbertーthe man who as a lawyer defeated the efforts of Clarence Darrow and Levy Meyer noted Chicago attorneys, and got the signature of Gov. Frank O. Lowden to Illinois’ prohibition enforcement act, back in 1919ーthe days of the “big battle” for the eighteenth amendment. Col. Ebbert won rank in the Spanish-American and World wars.

But, as for the past twenty-five or more years, it is “Pussyfoot” Johnson who holds the spotlight.

He is rated as the “biggest oratorical gun” in the prohibitionist army.

He comes to Valparaiso under the auspices of the Anti-Saloon League of America in co-operation with the Indiana Anti-Saloon League.

He will be entertained here by the City Ministerial association. Following is a summary of Mr. Johnson’s career was drafted by Rev Carl Stewart, pastor of Valparaiso Baptist church: “No speaker against the liquor traffic has so caught the imagination of the world as has “Pussyfoot” Johnson. This comes partly from his colorful activities of twenty-five years ago when he was commissioned by President Roosevelt to “cleanup” the old Indian territory under the very wild conditions that prevailed in that bad-lands at that time. The territory had become the rendezvous for murderers, robbers, and all sorts of unruly people who fled into the territory for hiding places and, for ready money, were selling liquor to the Indians and committing all sorts of depredations.

“There were only four courts to take care of the civil and criminal business of the territory. Because of the inadequate provision for dealing with the outlaws, more than 6,000 criminal cases had piled up on the dockets which would require ten years to handle, to say nothing of the new cases that might be brought. Because of this condition, the outlaws felt that they could do as they liked and get away with it. Naturally, chaos resulted when Johnson met that situation by dealing with the outlaws without much law and in a rough and tumble fashion.

“The first thing he did was to seize and summarily destroy 76 gambling houses, piling the furniture and fixtures on the streets and setting fire to them, acting under an old Arkansas statute that Congress had enacted to apply to the territory. He cleaned out every gambling house. Plot after plot was made against his life but they all miscarried. One of his friends was not so lucky and was killed by mistake and part of the $3000 reward that the outlaws had posted against Johnson was collected before the brigands found they had the wrong corpse.

“During the six months that this reward was hanging over his head, Johnson conducted his operations almost wholly at night, using stealthy, surprise tactics. It was because of these methods that he acquired the nickname, “Pussyfoot.” eight of his deputies were murdered and many others were shot or stabbed. One of his deputies still carries a bullet in the back of his head which was never extracted; one is speechless because of being stabbed in the throat, cutting the larynx and destroying his vocal cords. At one time Johnson had four sets of orphan children on his hands whose fathers had been murdered by the liquor sellers and gamblers; but these tragic deaths only added to the fury of Johnson in dealing with the offenders. In later years, after his wife had died, he married the widow of a slain deputy. For six years he fought the outlaws on their own grounds and to some extent using their tactics.

“After leaving government service in 1912, he attached himself to the Anti-Saloon League, playing an important part in various statewide campaigns for prohibition, handling the publicity operations in most of the western states that “went dry.”

“His next move, in 1918, was to go to Europe where he opened an office in London, which office he still maintains. In a riot in London one of his eyes was destroyed, and now a glass one takes its place. Contrary to all expectations, he declared it was only a “joke” and took no action whatever for redress. When London admirers collected a fund of nearly two thousand dollars as a tribute to his “sportsmanship,” he immediately turned the money over to a hospital for blind British soldiers, and his fame thereupon soared skyward. Johnson has traveled three times around the globe, speaking in practically every country in the world outside of South America, and is still “going strong.”

Nov. 17, 1930: LONDON DEMANDS VOTE RECOUNT SAYS BALLOTS WERE REMOVED FROM POLLS

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 17, 1930.

LONDON DEMANDS VOTE RECOUNT

SAYS BALLOTS WERE REMOVED FROM POLLS

County Clerk, Defeated by Joseph L. Doyle, Democrat, by 62 Votes, Files Petition in Circuit Court.

3 COMMISSIONERS TO BE NAMED SOON

A recount of the vote cast in the November 4 election for the office of Porter county clerk was asked in a petition filed in the Porter circuit court Saturday by Mae R. London, present incumbent. According to the official returns, Mrs. London, running for re-election, was defeated by Joseph L. Doyle democrat, by sixty-two votes.

Mrs. London, in her petition, alleges that the election boards unlawfully and fraudulently permitted ballots and pencils to be removed from the polling places which were illegally done for the purpose of permitting and procuring illegal votes to be cast.

It is also asserted that persons were permitted to remain in the room where the votes were being counted who were not permitted under the law to be in the room.

The election boards in the forty-one precincts of the county are also charged with failing to count many legal ballots cast at the election, and permitted persons to vote whose right to do so had been duly and legally challenged.

Hedge Grant Crumpacker ordered the recount, and will name three commissioners within a few days. Two of the commissioners will be selected from republicans and one from democrats.

Counting and examination of the ballots cast at the November 4 election will require four or five days, it is estimated. In addition to the duty of examining the ballots counted by the board, those thrown out as mutilated must be examined and passed upon.

Mrs. London was apparently defeated by Doyle by a vote of 3,789 to 3,727.

Nov. 6, 1930: COUNTY CLERK MAY REQUEST CHECK OF VOTE To Await Outcome of Canvass of Tuesday’s Election Figures Before Deciding Sep to be Taken RECALL RECOUNTS IN TWO ELECTIONS

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on November 6, 1930.

COUNTY CLERK MAY REQUEST CHECK OF VOTE

To Await Outcome of Canvass of Tuesday’s Election Figures Before Deciding Sep to be Taken

RECALL RECOUNTS IN TWO ELECTIONS

Members of the Porter county election board are scheduled to meet this afternoon at the courthouse to canvass the vote for candidates on the various tickets at Tuesday’s election.

The board will go over the tally books to ascertain whether the right computations have been made, and will compile the totals of the candidates for certification to the secretary of state. The work is expected to be completed sometime tomorrow. 

Members of the election board comprise: Mae R. London, county clerk; Owen L. Crumpacker, republican, and Joseph L. Doyle democrat.

Whether Mrs. London, who was defeated by Mr. Doyle for re-election will demand a recount of the vote will be determined following the canvass of the vote.

According to the vote returns, Mrs. London was apparently defeated by Mr. Doyle by 63 votes, although another tabulation gives only 62.

A difference of one or more votes in each of the 41 precincts of the county in favor of Mrs. London might turn the outcome around and result in her re-election, her supporters point out.

A cursory examination of the envelopes containing the mutilated ballots and those not counted by the election boards throughout the county reveals that few of the boards designated the number of such ballots so as to give a live on how many were rejected. Whether this number is great enough to warrant a recount would depend largely on the feasibility of such a move.

If the canvass shows no decided change, and the number of uncounted ballots are insufficient to change the result, then a recount would prove of little value as far as Mrs. London’s aspirations for retaining her office is concerned.

The only times when recounts were asked in history of Porter county politics were in 1928 when William W. Bozarth, Valparaiso, present prosecutor, and Clarence D. Wood, Chesterton, former prosecutor, staged a thrilling race which showed Bozarth had been nominated in the republican primary by eleven votes, and in 1892 when Heber Stoddard republican, defeated Joseph Sego, democrat, by three votes. In the latter case Stoddard won out by 5 votes in a recount before Judge John GIllett, which was later affirmed when an appeal was taken to the supreme court.

In the case of Bozarth and Wood, the former was declared the nomine after Wood had been adjudged a winner by 3 votes in the recount that followed.

In a contest before the Porter county commissioners Wood’s right to have his name placed on the ticket was upheld. Bozarth then appealed from the ruling to the Porter Superior court.

It was Wood’s contention that a number of students in the College hill ward had voted without right and all had voted for Bozarth.

In the hearing before Judge H.L. Crumpacker, a number of ballots ruled out as mutilated were declared regular.

After making deductions for the votes cast by students for Bozarth, where it was clearly established they were not residents of the city, the court found that Bozarth was the winner by 5 votes.

Oct. 25, 1930: Library Was Started Just 20 Years Ago

Originally published in The Vidette-Messenger of Porter County on October 25, 1930.

LIBRARY WAS STARTED JUST 20 YEARS AGO

Came Into Existence with Gift of Property by Hubbard and Finnette Hunt. Loans Many Books.

Twenty years ago today Valparaiso’s public library came into existence with the gift by the late Hubbard and Finnette Hunt of their residence property on North Washington street as a building for housing the small collection of books which in those days numbered 575.

Only two rooms were used then, a reading room and a room for book stacks. The library subscribed for 22 magazines, but there were no bound magazines. In the first year of operation the library loaned 9,014 books.

Five years after the library had grown to such an extent that six rooms were necessary to keep pace with the development. They were: reading, stacks, children, club, newspapers and reading.

In the five year period the number of books had increased to 4,400 magazines, 47 and bound magazines 293. The number of registered borrowers had grown to 2,248, of which 1,788 were active. The circulation during 1909 totaled 14,423 books.

With the removal of the library to the Carnegie building erected in 1915-6, the library has enjoyed a substantial growth. At the present time the library has a total of 10,000 volumes, of which 16,000 volumes, of which 10,591 are adult and 4,341 juvenile. A total of 990 books were added this year by purchase, and 50 by gift.

According to records compiled by Miss Zada Carr, librarian, a total of 66,954 volumes have been lent during the last fiscal year. Of these 45,533 were fiction lent for home use, to 28,368 adults and 17,165 juvenile. Nonfiction lent a total of 21,421 volumes, of which adults took out 8,341 and juvenile 13,080. A total of 150 magazines are received each month.

The registered members on the books number 7,448, comprising 5,111 adults and 1,766 juveniles. New registered borrowers during the year totalled 572, of which 375 were adult and 197 juvenile. The circulation per capita was 7 plus, and the percentage of fiction let to total volume lent was 66 per cent.

Another interesting item revealed by Miss Carr was that the library loaned 5,685 books monthly on the average of the total of 189 per day.