These century-old historical excerpts were selected from the Looking Backward feature of The Vidette-Messenger newspaper, which are part of the PoCo Muse Collection. Originally, these bits of information appeared as larger stories in the Valparaiso Daily Vidette and The Evening Messenger newspapers.
April 1, 1924
The State Bank of Valparaiso was awarded the $40,000 bond issue for the construction of the new grade building in the First Ward at a meeting of the school board. The local bank bid a premium of $151. Four Indianapolis banks also bid on the issue.
April 2, 1924
Attorney P. J. Bailey left this morning for Reedsburg, Wisc., where he will visit his parents. William N. and Nettie Bailey, pioneers of that part of Wisconsin, will celebrate their golden wedding anniversary Saturday.
April 3, 1924
Eugene T. Funk, Porter County Infirmary Superintendent, against whom ouster proceedings were lodged by a large number of petitioners, was absolved of charges of incompetency by the Porter County Commissioners in a finding entered today. The trial of Funk required several weeks. After the finding had been entered, Funk resigned from the position he had held for seventeen years.
For the fourth time within a year, Joe Tofte, son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Tofte, is confined to his home west of Valparaiso with a broken collar bone. While playing ball at Cook’s Corners, Joe fell and sustained his injury.
April 4, 1924
Ella May Hayden, convicted by a jury in the Porter Circuit Court of manslaughter, was taken to Indianapolis today to begin her term of two to twenty-one years. Sheriff William Pennington and wife took the prisoner to that place.
Paul E. Marks was installed as exalted ruler of the Valparaiso Lodge of Elks at a meeting last night. E. D. Hodges was inducted into the office of secretary. He succeeds Herman Kreiger. The latter was presented with a gold pen and pencil by E. J. Freund on behalf of the lodge. Reginald L. Felton is the retiring exalted ruler.
April 5, 1924
Eighty farmers in the vicinity of Hebron have banded together to buy a fire truck to fight fires in the rural section near Hebron. Each farmer is subscribing $10 toward the purchase of the fire apparatus. The truck will contain two chemical tanks of forty gallons each.
Henry Lemster, 76, one of the leading building contractors of Valparaiso, died this morning. Among the edifices built by him were the Catholic church in Chesterton, and the courthouse and infirmary at Plymouth.
April 6, 1924
William P. Shadoan, coach at Valparaiso University, today denied the report circulating throughout Valparaiso that he had signed a contract with an Eastern school. Dr. Horace M. Evans, president of the university, declared that the report was false, and that he had already talked over plans with Coach Shadoan for coaching track and spring football. During his stay in Valparaiso, Coach Shadoan has brought championship teams to Valparaiso in football and basketball.
William Domke is erecting a new storeroom in Valparaiso, near the Lincoln Highway Garage, and will have it ready for occupancy on May 1. He will run a cigar and confectionery store in the new location.
April 7, 1924
Ten teams of workers are canvassing Valparaiso today in an effort to raise $15,000 to advertise Valparaiso University. The drive is under the direction of L. D. Sampson, former alumnus of the school, who is in charge of the campaign. A meeting of the workers was held last night at Hotel Lembke.
Edward Maxwell, living in Morgan Township, south of Valparaiso, is planning on building a new country home on his farm this summer, costing $10,000. It will be modern in every way and contain eight rooms.
April 8, 1924
The Porter County Commissioners yesterday awarded the contract to Herman E. Schirr, of Westville, for five bridges, in Union, Washington, Center, Liberty and Jackson Townships. The total of the five bids was $12,700.
April 9, 1924
A jury in Porter Circuit Court yesterday afternoon returned a verdict of not guilty in the case of Trevinto Stancovich, for the slaying of Peter Piach. The case was given to the jury at 4 o’clock in the afternoon and the jurors arrived at a verdict at 10 o’clock.
April 10, 1924
At a meeting of the official board of the Christian church in Valparaiso last evening, it was unanimously voted to re-employ Rev. C. E. Burns as pastor for another year. Rev. Burns has been local pastor for several years and is not only popular with his parishioners but other congregations as well.
Valparaiso Lodge of Elks will stage a carnival for four days at Armory Hall to aid the raising of a fund of $15,000 for Valparaiso University to be used in advertising the local school. Invitations will be sent to lodges of surrounding towns to participate.
April 11, 1924
Clarence Bretsch, one of Lake County’s candidates for the nomination for prosecuting attorney, was unable to finish his speech at Hobart last night. Members of the Ku Klux Klan broke up the meeting after Bretsch launched a vigorous attack against the organization. Bretsch left the hall where the meeting was held after he saw it was folly to continue the address.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Hardenbrook, of Gary, have announced the marriage of their daughter, Miss Bessie, to Louis G. Horn, of Valparaiso. Mr. Horn is a member of the Horn Brothers’ Market of Valparaiso. The nuptials will take place after Easter.
April 12, 1924
W. H. (Bert) Dittman was named Porter County Infirmary Superintendent at a meeting of the commissioners held yesterday afternoon. He will enter upon his duties on April 14. He succeeds E. T. Funk, who resigned recently following a trial of charges of incompetency in which he was acquitted.
A petition was filed with the Valparaiso City Council last night asking that the Forest Park addition to the northwest of the city be annexed. The petition was referred to the city planning commission.
April 13, 1924
Farmer George Sage, claiming to be a farmer candidate for congress from the Tenth Indiana District, didn’t do so well in a speech in Valparaiso on Saturday. Sage, whose home is in Goodland, mounted a soap box and started to abuse the flag, the president, and everything in general. Policeman Matthew Brown broke up his meeting when he escorted him down the street.
The Valparaiso Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs are arranging for an industrial exhibit with their regular weekly noonday luncheon meetings next week. Letters were sent out today to officials of twenty local manufacturing plants asking them to prepare exhibits of their products. They will be placed on exhibition in the ballroom at the Hotel Lembke.
April 14, 1924
The name of Clarence D. Wood, of Chesterton, Republican candidate for prosecuting attorney of Porter County, was certified here to Porter County Clerk Roscoe C. Jones from the secretary of state at Indianapolis because Mr. Wood failed to file his declaration at Indianapolis as required by law. This leaves four candidates contesting for the office: W. W. Bozarth, F. R. Marine, J. S. Bartholomew, and Ambrose Faulkner.
About 50 Valparaisoans will go to Chicago Sunday to attend the golden wedding anniversary celebration of George and Josephine Wells, of Valparaiso. The event will be celebrated at the home of their son, Samuel V. Wells. Mr. and Mrs. Wells were married in Valparaiso fifty years ago. They have one son, Joseph, at Battle Creek, Mich.
April 15, 1924
George Sage, of Monticello, Ind., who was ejected from a soap box by a policeman while delivering a speech on behalf of his congressional aspirations in Valparaiso last Saturday has written a comical letter to The Evening Messenger in which he defends his action in criticizing the president and other things.
April 16, 1924
Paul Wiemuth, section foreman for the Grand Trunk Railroad, was killed this afternoon when he was struck by a Grand Trunk passenger train two miles east of Valparaiso. Wiemuth was making a survey of the tracks at the time and evidently did not see the train. Dr. H. O. Seipel, county coroner, conducted an inquest.
April 17, 1924
The $224,000 issue of Burns Ditch bonds may be taken either by Chicago or Indianapolis banks or the issue may be split up among the 50 banks of Lake and Porter Counties, according to A. P. Melton, of Gary, commissioner of the ditch. Mr. Melton offered the bonds for sale in Valparaiso last Saturday, but there were no takers. While the ditch bonds are not a direct obligation of the two counties, they are a first lien on the property affected, valued at many millions of dollars.
Bids for the construction of the new temple for the Valparaiso Lodge of Elks, corner of Lincolnway and Lafayette Street, will be opened tomorrow afternoon. One of the stipulations of the contract calls for the start of the building as soon as material can be placed on the ground, so the building can be in use late this winter.
April 18, 1924
Unknown persons last night broke the dam of the Valparaiso Water Company at the southeast end of Flint Lake and many million gallons of water impounded by the water company authorities, flowed away, according to E. L. Loomis, superintendent of the water company. The timbers of the dam were sawed away, and the dirt dug out. As soon as the break was discovered, workmen for the water company started repair operations. The company has been involved in recent litigation regarding the dam, but this was cleared up when the court dissolved an injunction secured against the company.
The Valparaiso Woman’s Club will be hostess to the 10th District Federated Clubs on April 22, at the Christian church. Sessions will be held morning, afternoon, and evening. Mrs. C. W. Boucher is president of the Valparaiso club.
April 19, 1924
A young man, about seventeen years, thought to have run away from home, was found dead in the bathroom above the New York Pool Hall at 11:30 last night. Heart disease is believed to have been the cause of death. The young man applied to the police station at 10 o’clock for lodging, and the officers sent him to the rooms over the pool hall. Later when the proprietor investigated, he found the youth dead. A bowling card found on his person was issued to Thomas Vanderhepen, of the Detroit Y. M. C. A. He had $1,850 in his pockets.
Valparaiso is to have a good baseball team the coming year, according to Manager Raymond (Deak) Austin. Manager Austin has signed Buck Weaver, former White Sox, as captain and playing manager. Others signed up are Blackburn, c; Andy Gill, 2b; Jimmy Carroll, ss; Buck Weaver, 3b; Steve Kopko, lf; Burbach, rf; Adamson and Knight, pitchers.
April 20, 1924
Walter Krashin, former Valparaiso University student, who has been working with L. D. Sampson in the campaign to raise funds to perpetuate the university, was found dead yesterday in the basement of a building at 4940 Indiana Avenue, Chicago. The body of Krashin, a University of Chicago student, was huddled in a soil-linen closet of Monnett Hall, a girls’ dormitory of the Chicago Methodist Training School. He was lying in a pool of blood. Krashin lived next to Monnett Hall. His Valparaiso address was 701 Union Street.
One hundred and sixty-eight Knights Templars and their wives sat down at noon yesterday in the banquet hall of Hotel Lembke. The knights had attended divine services in a body at the Methodist church in Valparaiso and heard Rev. E. W. Strecker deliver an Easter sermon.
April 21, 1924
Nelson J. Bozarth, Civil War veteran, and for many years a practicing attorney in Valparaiso, died last night at his home of heart trouble. He was born at Rochester, Ind., on July 14, 1849. When he was fourteen, he enlisted in the 138th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Later he enlisted in Company C, 9th Illinois Cavalry. He was wounded in the Battle of Nashville. When fifteen, he received a letter of thanks from President Lincoln for services rendered in the army. He was a graduate of Valparaiso University and the Chicago College of Law.
The Mandarin Club gave one of the best dances last night, attended by 105 couples. The decorations were carried out in Chinese effects. A ten-piece orchestra from Chicago furnished music. The chaperons were Mesdames Glenn J. Goddard, J. D. Stoner, Clarence Wilson, and C. A. Nixon.
April 22, 1924
Mrs. O. M. Pittinger, state president of the Indiana Federated Women’s Clubs, was the main speaker at the Tenth District Convention of Women’s Clubs. The convention went on record as favoring the child labor amendment; selection of immigrants at the port of embarkation; uniform marriage and divorce laws; stressing of law obedience; of law enforcement; of world peace and elimination of “Three Weeks” and other pictures of similar nature.
April 23, 1924
Construction work started today at the Elks’ Lodge on booths to be used in the carnival to be staged by the Elks from May 7 to 10, for the benefit of the Valparaiso University fund to advertise the school. Frank L. Faley, chairman of the committee in charge of the event, said every local merchant is co-operating in making the affair a success.
April 24, 1924
The Valparaiso Kiwanis Club will sponsor an exhibit of Valparaiso-manufactured products in the window of the Meagher Drug Store. Different days will be assigned to each manufacturer. The club recently conducted an exhibit at a banquet held at the Lembke Hotel.
Waggoner’s Indiana Six Orchestra has been selected by the Valparaiso Elks; lodge to provide music for the dancing at the Elks’ Carnival at Elks’ hall May 7 to 10, for the benefit of Valparaiso University.
April 25, 1924
Valparaiso will remain on Central Standard Time this Sunday while Chicago and cities in the Calumet region will go on Daylight Saving Time. Trains on the local railroads and interurban line are preparing to advance their schedules one hour.
Hebron has already started the ball rolling for a Fourth of July celebration. The Hebron Chamber of Commerce is back of the observance.
April 26, 1924
A petition was introduced at last night’s meeting of the Valparaiso City Council for the annexation of a portion of Alpen’s Subdivision in the north part of the city. Action was deferred, however, because of the possibility that a portion of Forest Park may be included in the annexation.
The Foster Lumber & Coal Company, of Valparaiso, was low bidder for the construction of the new lodge building for the Elks’ Lodge when bids were opened yesterday afternoon. The local firm bid $120,969 on the general contract; M. J. Beach & Son were low on the heating, heat control, and ventilating; Valparaiso Plumbing Company was low on the plumbing; and B. L. Carpenter was low on the wiring. The total of all bids was $149,935.
April 27, 1924
Valparaiso Water Company officials are completing the finishing touches on the creation of a lake in the Spectacle Lake water basin which will result in insuring water supply for Valparaiso for years to come. A dam 150 feet long by 60 feet thick has been constructed to hold back the water in the new area, and about 150,000,000 gallons will thus be impounded. Water will be pumped into the new lake during the rainy season, and then pumped back into Flint Lake during the dry season, thus keeping that lake at a proper level year around.
The fine farm home of W. J. Kolan, one and one-half miles northeast of Wheeler, was burned to the ground at 1:15 o’clock this morning, entailing a loss of $30,000. The flames were discovered by Mrs. Kolan, who succeeded in rescuing three children sleeping upstairs. All of the household effects were lost, however. The Kolan family took refuge in the M. L. Mosier home.
April 28, 1924
Sixty-eight will be graduated from the Valparaiso High School at the annual commencement exercises to be held in May, it was announced today. Rev. W. W. Ayer, of the Baptist church, will deliver the baccalaureate sermon, and Harry G. Hill, of Indianapolis, the commencement address.
April 29, 1924
Mrs. Catherine Jones, almost 100 years old and one of the early settlers of Boone Grove, died recently at the home of her grandson, Edgar Jones, in Wanatah. She was born in Wayne County, Ohio, in 1825. She was married to Enoch Jones in 1843, who died in 1888. Of nine children born to them, only Dean K. Jones, of Houston, Texas, survives.
April 30, 1924
Dr. E. A. Winship, editor of the Journal of Education, Boston, Mass., spoke before students at Valparaiso University this morning. Dr. Winship expressed his intense interest in the work of the university in making the school a greater unit in the educational system of the United States. Dr. Winship said that more had been done for the cause of education in the last eight years than in the fifty years preceding.
The Valparaiso High School Board of Education will co-operate with a committee of local citizens in securing the services of a competent physical director to direct playground activities during the vacation period. If the trial proves successful, a move will be made to make the employment of a director the year round.