These historical excerpts from one century ago were selected from the Looking Back feature of The Vidette-Messenger, which are part of the PoCo Muse Collection.
September 2, 1920
Teaching 89 terms of school at Valparaiso university or more than 22 years without a miss is the record of Prof. B. F. Williams, head of the English department. Prof. Williams will leave next week for a three months’ trip to his old home at Turney, Missouri. He came to Valparaiso 30 years ago as a student and later attended Harvard for three years. On his return he joined the Valparaiso University teaching staff.
September 3, 1920
Dr. C. F. Rickard and son left yesterday for Pittsburgh, Pa., where the former will open an office for the practice of chiropractor. Accompanying him was Lester Pierce, who will enter the Pittsburg College of Chiropractory. Dr. C. R. Wickham, who will take Dr. Rickard’s place, arrived here yesterday from Davenport, Iowa. Mrs. Rickard and daughter went to Pittsburgh several days ago.
September 4, 1920
Miss Gladys Young, deputy county recorder under John W. McNay, today tendered her resignation, effective October 1. She has been connected with the recorder’s office for several years.
September 5, 1920
Lewis E. Meyers and Company will begin construction of an addition to its factory to serve as a boiler room for the new steam heating plant and dry kiln and reserve lumber storage.
September 6, 1920
New rates for the Northwestern Indiana Telephone company were granted the company in an order issued by the Indiana Public Service Commission yesterday. The exchanges affected are: Valparaiso, Hobart, Kouts, Chesterton and Wheeler. The rates are expected to yield a return of seven percent on a valuation of $225,000. Business phones in Valparaiso run from $4 to $2.50 (≈$51.82 to $32.39 in 2020 dollars), while residence phones range from $2.50 to $2 (≈$32.39 to $25.91 in 2020 dollars).
September 6, 1920 (Alternate Story)
Directors of the Farmers’ Association and Livestock Men met Saturday evening at the court house to decide on the question of hiring a tuberculosis cattle inspector for Porter County. A conference will be held with state officials before decision is made to apply for an inspector.
September 7, 1920
Auditor B.H. Kinne has completed an abstract of registered men and women voters in Porter County. The total is 5,878, made up of 3,531 men and 2,347 women.
September 8, 1920
The Valparaiso Home Ice Company has started tearing down the old Shinabarger residence at the corner of Lafayette and Monroe Streets for the erection of a new building to house the ice and ice making plant. Machinery for the plant has been ordered and will soon arrive here.
September 9, 1920
Lawrence Ginnell, of Ireland will tell what Sinn Fein is, and Dr. Albert W. Allen, Episcopal minister of New York will discuss, “Is the Irish Issue a Religious Question?” at a meeting to be held at Memorial Opera House tonight.
September 10, 1920
Porter County’s prize-winning cattle fared ill at the state fair at Indianapolis this week. Iowa, with an Iowa judge, captured many of the prizes. Tom Keene and Morgan Brothers, with cattle that were unbeatable, were ruled against by the Iowa man, who favored everything from his state. Charles Ohlfest obtained the only blue ribbon from Porter County on young heifers. There were many entries in this particular class.
September 10, 1920 (Alternate Story)
The Pioneer Truck Company, of Valparaiso, has a big drawing in the Specht-Finney Company window (at Lincolnway and Franklin Street) showing its proposed new building. The architects are Runnenberg, Pierce, and Hauber, of Chicago. A notice on the drawing states that one of the units of the structure will soon be commenced.
September 11, 1920
Several members of the local Odd Fellows lodge went to Chesterton today where an encampment to be known as Trinity will be instituted tonight. Three degrees will be conferred on members of the new lodge. Teams from Gary, Hammond, and Valparaiso will be on the work.
September 11, 1920 (Alternate Story)
The Co-Operative Society of America will open its new store in the Urbahns Building on Thursday of next week. George Hitesman, formerly of the Lowenstine Grocery, will be in charge. Over 300 local people have taken stock in the store.
September 12, 1920
Superintendent Fred C. Cole has received notice of his assignment to the program of the Indiana State Teachers’ Association in Indianapolis on October 21 to 23, to discuss the subject, “The Exceptional Child.” He has also received word from Washington, D.C., inviting him to take part in the regional conference at Terre Haute the same week and deliver a talk on, “The School and the Individual.”
September 13, 1920
Only two Valparaiso citizens took in the excursion run from Gary to Marion, Ohio, Saturday to attend a big meeting in honor of Senator Warren G. Harding, Republican candidate for president. They were E. Zimmerman, city editor of The Vidette, and Stanley Swanberg.
September 14, 1920
The annual meeting of the Porter County Farm Association will be held on October 16 at the home of County Agent A.Z. Arehart at Wolff’s Corners. Mr. Gunnells, of Chicago, an official of the American Farm Bureau, will make an address. Other speakers will be from Purdue University. A fine program has been arranged.
September 15, 1920
The local Presbyterian church has extended a call to Rev. Robert Dunaway of New Paris, Ohio. Rev. Dunaway preached in this city recently and made a favorable impression. Rev. Anson Dewey, of Chicago, to whom a call was recently extended, declined.
September 16, 1920
A poem on, “A Word from the League of Nations,” by E.M. Burns, bailiff of the Porter Circuit Court, may be used by the Republicans in the coming campaign. Mr. Burns wrote a fine poem on his own views of the league. A copy was sent to Senator Warren G. Harding and Mr. Burns received a letter from George B. Christian, secretary of the senator, that the poem has been referred to the National Republican Committee at Chicago for consideration by its publicity department.
September 17, 1920
Porter County cattle breeders will have an opportunity of getting their herds placed on the accredited honor roll. By submitting to tests cattle can gain the honor roll of found free of tuberculosis on two successive annual tests. A certificate is then given the owner by the state veterinarian. Dr. A. E. Dobson, state veterinarian, was here from Indianapolis last night. He made arrangements for an inspector to come here to test cattle.
September 17, 1920 (Alternate Story)
Valparaiso policeman Louis Kulp has tendered his resignation to Marshal T. C. Thedens. No successor has been appointed. Mr. Kulp will take up some other enjoyment.
September 18, 1920
The McClelland Building on North Washington Street, recently purchased by C.W. Bartholomew, undertaker, and occupied by Frank N. Billings, the repair man, is undergoing repairs at present. Mr. Bartholomew will move his funeral parlors from the Salyer building to the new location as soon as the building is ready for occupancy.
September 18, 1920 (Alternate Story)
E. A. Schall, of Gilette, Wisconsin, has arrived here to take charge of the Valparaiso University Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA). He is a graduate of Lawrence College and Northwestern. He was a long distance runner while in college.
September 19, 1920
O. F. Helvie, of Valparaiso, an old football man and husky of the gridiron, while watching Valparaiso University athletes preparing for the Harvard game, became imbued with the old spirit and engaged in scrimmage. In the mixup he bumped into Thomas Dandelet, big fullback. The result was he suffered slight fractures of the large bone of the arm above the right wrist.
September 20, 1920
The Nobles of the Mystic Shrine in Porter County will organize a Shrine Club in the county. At a meeting held yesterday at Memorial Opera House plans were made for the formation of an organization. Another meeting will be held in October.
September 20, 1920 (Alternate Story)
Professor John H. Cloud, formerly of Valparaiso University (and a founding member of the group that organized the PoCo Muse), who recently went to Ishpeming, Michigan, to take a position with the Gossard Corset Company, has accepted a position as head of the physics department of the state university at Stillwater, Oklahoma.
September 21, 1920
Frank J. Hicking, cashier of the Valparaiso Lighting Company for the last eight months, has received a promotion as chief clerk and assistant manager of the Wisconsin-Minnesota Light Company at LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Mr. Hicking came to Valparaiso in 1916 as clerk. He served eight months in France (during the First World War) and upon his return accepted his old position.
September 22, 1920
Fifty-one men have been examined for jury service in the Thomas Batchelor murder case in Porter Superior Court. One hundred jurors were summoned for service in addition to the regular panel. Batchelor is being tried for the slaying of Herman Uecker, cashier of the Tolleston Bank during a holdup by a gang of bandits.
September 23, 1920
R.E. Jacoby, of Indianapolis, assigned here by the state and federal authorities for testing cattle for tuberculosis, arrived today. Mr. Jacoby will begin his work at the Morgan Brothers’ farm near Chesterton, and later will go to the Arthur Hanrahan farm in Liberty Township.
September 23, 1920 (Alternate Story)
Rev. J. M. Gelston, who recently resigned the Presbyterian church pastorate, was given a thank offering of $250 (≈$3,329 in 2020 dollars) at the close of the regular prayer meeting last night. Mrs. Alice Dalrymple, in behalf of the church, voiced feeling of the congregation in expressing sorrow at the leave-taking of the Gelstons and the close of ten years’ of faithful service by Dr. Gelston and wife. Dr. Gelston will be succeeded here by Rev. Robert Dunaway, of New Paris, Ohio.
September 24, 1920
Two Westchester Township citizens gathered in front of the Groff Undertaking Parlors at Chesterton this morning and made dire threats against Detective Edward Schlene and Charles Simmons, of the Michigan Central Railroad, who shot and killed John McFarland, of Chicago, during a gun battle near Porter yesterday morning. Coroner Herman O. Seipel and Sheriff W. B. Forney decided that it would be best to postpone the inquest, and the two men were spirited away by a back door to Valparaiso. The remainder of the inquest will be held in Valparaiso.
September 24, 1920 (Alternate Story)
J. H. McGill, of Valparaiso, farmer-labor candidate for congress in the Tenth Indiana District, addressed a crowd of 350 members of the union labor trades last night at Moose Hall. Mr. McGill gave a fine talk and was warmly applauded.
September 25, 1920
Edward Schlene and Charles Simmons, Michigan Central Railroad detectives, were held to the Porter Circuit Court Grand Jury on manslaughter charges in the shooting of John McFarland, of Chicago, early Wednesday morning west of Porter. Coroner H. O. Seipel after hearing the testimony, ordered the officers held. According to Schlene and Simmons they mistook McFarland for a train robber. When McFarland shot at them in belief that they were holdup men the officers returned the fire, killing McFarland. According to McFarland’s wife, who was accompanying him, her husband had stopped along the highway to repair a tire on his automobile.
September 26, 1920
The Porter County Grand Jury will be called to investigate the killing of John McFarland, near Porter. Edward Schlene and Charles Simmons, Michigan Central Railroad detectives, who shot McFarland after the latter had shot at them, were released on $2,000 bonds.
September 27, 1920
Unknown miscreants attempted to wreck the old horse-drawn vehicle of the Valparaiso Fire Department early yesterday morning. An alarm was sent in from the west part of the city. When firemen were driving down Main Street (now Lincolnway), they encountered a pile of logs, cement ties and other bits of obstruction at Weston Avenue. John Deardorff, driver, managed to avoid striking the mass. The alarm proved to be false. Police are conducting an investigation.
September 28, 1920
Edward O’Brien, of Kouts, narrowly escaped death yesterday while tolling the bell in the Catholic church in Kouts for the funeral of John Wandrey. After he had pulled the rope several times the lever supporting the bell clapper unloosened and the big bell came crashing down through the belfry. The lever struck Mr. O’Brien a glancing blow on the head and cut a gash.
September 29, 1920
An automobile thief who stole a Buick car of Samuel L. Buchanan Monday night and was captured at Gary after being shot twice, is in county jail here, but refuses to give his name. No trace of the stolen car has been found.
September 30, 1920
Edward Schlene, of Michigan City, and Charles Simmons, of Chicago, Michigan Central Railroad detectives, were indicted by the Porter Circuit Court Grand Jury of manslaughter in connection with the shooting of John McFarland, of Chicago, near Porter, a week ago. They are at liberty under $20,000 bonds.
September 30, 1920 (Alternate Story)
Thomas Batchelor was found guilty by a jury in Porter Superior Court of the slaying of Herman Uecker, Tolleston Bank cashier, and was given a life sentence. Batchelor was one of a gang of five men, four of whom are now in prison.