1956-12-27; Clare Sentinel

              THE CLARE SENTINEL
M%\
*  i I
Established 1378
$2;5fl Year in Clare, Isabella Counties
CLARE, MICHIGAN. THURSDAY DECEMBER 27. 1958
Ten Cents Copy
New Series, No. 65, Vol. 15
Clare County Getting
New Sheriff, New Jail
f The Clare County- Sheriff's Department assumes an all-'round
"new look' 'at the start of the,
yea* 1957, with Sheriff Elect
James R. Darling replacing Everette Allen, who is retiring, and
with the*'brand new Clare county
jail and sheriff's headquarters at
Harrison .nearly." ready .for occupancy. :..■-.      .
Other new county officers who
•■will be sworn in January 1, 195f
are Treasurer Lewis Rutter who
takes the office o'f retiring Pete?
Oma.n,' Prosecuting Attorney
James S. Bicknell, III" who takes
oyer from retiring Robert Camp*-
bell, and Probate Judge, Mrs. Dpn-
na Hecker, replacing retiring
Ju*Jge George Bates; None of- "the
•present office . holders \\jho . turn
■over-their, positions on January 1
were* candidates  for re-election.
Builders of the new county jail
!•-**
4
Brown School
Voting Again
On Annexation
Annexation of the Brown school
to District S of Clare-Isabella
Counties will come up for reconsideration at a special election on
January 5, Cannon Newman, Director said in an announcement to
electors this week. The election is
for Hatton*School District No. 2-Fr.
Voting is to be at the Brown
schoolhouse with the polls open
from 11 a.m. to .7 p.m.
Voters, in- the Brown school district last spring were amu-teYtl%
first to" ballot on the annexation
with Clare schools, and when the
ballots "were counted, a tie vote
16-16 spelled defeat for the proposal. A majority was necessary
to carry for joining the new district.
The Brown district is located
astride the line between Hatton
to-Wnship aud Arthur township, and
borders on Balsley school and
Brand school districts, both of
which joined in school area annexation. Dover and Eagle districts
south of Brown did not annex.
The Brown election on January
5 will mark the initial second-try
balloting for any district which did
not annex on the first vote.
and the incoming sheriff alike had
hoped to see the building ready
Jtor use the first of the new year,
but "delays in obtaining materials
prolonged the construction schedule.
The project was started early in
1956 after bids of contractors were
finally approved by county supervisors last January.
Acceptance of the'new jail by
the architect and Clare County
Supervisors is< exp'epted • to follow
completion of' the .building within
a iew. weeks. A public inspection
and "open house '„ will be announced at that time, The" Sentinel
was told.
' People will be invited- to see the
county's modern "Bastile" and
the .offices and living quarters for
the chief- law-enforcement officer
&nd his family."
* Sheriff Jim Darling says that he
is looking forward to the time for
the open house when for the first
time he can meet many people in
the county who gave him their
support at the election. To help
th,e new sheriff in his role as host
for open house in the headquarters
will be his wife, Mrs. Esther Darling who is to be appointed under-
sheriff also,
The appointment of two deputies in Clare is already certain.
They are to be Arthur Morgan and
Larry Beck. Neil Kinne, of Harrison wiU be deputized by Sheriff Darling for the night officer on
duty at the jail.
The jail and offices are the picture, of modern progress . . . especially so in contrast with the
old jail building.
Entering the office on a business errand with the sheriff, or
members of his staff the public
will see a small lobby and enclosed, desk space. The sheriff's
private office is located near,the
lobbyat the front of the structure.
Those who will be ushered into
jail as unwilling guests will see
facilities fully as modern- as the
offices, but" considerably more
grim.
Autos used by police or sheriff's officers can be driven into
the jail garage through a massive
door which opens and closes by
remote control. Once inside, the
prisoner is behind automatically
locked doors and only two steps or
so away from a cell. An efficient
system for cataloging his belongings and pocket contents , , , the
record keeping necessary to file
ior him . . . finger-printing and
(Continued On Page  6)
Building Tops $300,000
"Fifty building permits, to a total
valuation of $312,500,' Were issued
by the city of Clare during the past
12 months.
Seventeen of the permits were
for residential construction, to a
total ot* $165,000.
Bight of them, totaling $115,000,,
were for commercial building, and
included such structures as the
new Sunoco station west of town
ancl the new Gershon clinic building oil Beech street.
The other 'twenty-five were for
alterations, repairs and minor
buildings,   totaling   $32,000.
Rev. Nevins Describes
UN At Pastors' Meeting
*_*
4
The Clare County Ministerial
association, meeting at the Congregational church in Harrison
December 11, heard Rev. L. J.
NeVins of the Clare Methodis**
church give his impressions of a
recent visit he made to the United Nations.
Rev. Nevins attended a two day
seminar at the UN in November
•and described for the group the
/huge  building,   and facilities.
He also  indicated by use  of a
chart the various    groups    within
the   United  Nations    organization,
theif,  relationship   to   each   other,
' and their jobs.
In evaluating the UN, Rev. Nevins suggested that the organisation-has weaknesses, but said it
still has great strength, especially
in the area of public opinion.
He cited various incidents which
In his opinion might have developed into war, had it not been for
the intervention of the "UN.     -   •
To illustrate that the worjc of
the UN is not concerned solely
with, settling arguments and halting, war, he spoke at length on
UNESCO, one of the departments
Working with women and children
in destitute areas. Much of its
work is In giving medical aid.
Questions raised in a following
discussion Were apS-Vered in part
by a pahiphlet on the. United, Nations.
Rev. and Mfs. Ralph Claggett of
the Harrison Congregational
church, were host and hostess.
At a business session, Rev, E.
O. Burke, of Harrison called the
group to order, and led in the invocation.
Rev. Mi's.' Lou Beery was in
charge of the devotional period.
She led the group in singing
Christmas    carols,    and     gave   a
Christmas reading, using part of
the Scriptural account, and closed
With prayer.
After listening to the reading ol
the previous minutes and the
treasurer's reports, which were
approved, the group decided to
give $10 to a needy family, working through Mrs. Davis, county
social worker. They also voted
$10   to   Hungarian   relief,   through
Care.
Following the meeting, the
group espjoyed a dinner served by
the Congregational Church women
ih the church basement,
Attending were Rev. and Mrs
Ralph Claggett, Rev. and Mrs. L.
J. Nevins, Rev. and Mrs.. E, O
Burke, Rev and Mrs. "Elza Beery,
Rev. Mrs. Leah Garchow, Rev
Hugh Kennedy, Mrs. Elnora Honderich and Mrs. Nina Kleinhardt.
Interest Rates'
Up For Citizens
Certificates
J. Stuart Bicknell, president of
the Citizens State Bank,, has announced that effective Jaiiuary 1,
1957, the bank will pay interest at
the rate of. 3% annually on' its
Time Certificates of Deposit Issued
or renewed after that date.
The change in the rate is in line
with current trends in Ih© banking
field and is the maximum interest
rate permitted under current bank
ing reglations, Mr. Bicknell stated.
Time Certificates may be purchased In any amount from $100
Up, and mature in one year.
Sheriff -Elect James- R* DafUng *and Mr¥Y Darling are watch-
;_ '.^k -;■  «v ■ >■ • •"■       in9 dailY Progress, iii ->*aUdi^$^ar6.Qcwiiiiy's.-new jail. It will
€_ "U       *££ T>        J include a ipur-iedroom, apartment for them and their family.
Olienil JveJlCiy     TIieY were photographed here in a "corridor" between a cell
row and a flc-or-io-ceiling wall of baits; which keeps prisoners
~—" J_2.il   AllllOSt  ken"*** locked barri«ra,>v-»KL while ,no_ in cells. Out of sight in
' this picrur«, but located near Mr. Darling's left hand is an
eiecirie control panel for opening and closing cell doors from a
position outside of the barred Inqlosure.-.''
Ih Headlined News Stories
13-Year-Old
Caught Here
Two, young Flint Michigan boys,
who were run-aways from their
homes last Friday, were collared
here by Clare City Police and detained until relatives could come
to return them to their parents.
The youngsters, each only 13, were
armed for desperate eventuality
with a huge 45-caliber revolver,
and a switch-blade knife.
The revolver was thought to be
one reported stolen a few days before in Miami, Florida from a
policeman's home.
After a police radio broadcast described the missing pair Friday
afternoon, Clare Officer William
Bell found the boys in a Clare all-
night lunch rooni. A call from a
waitress had tipped off Bell that
the two boys were hanging around
at 4:20 a.m.
It turned out that the two runaways had visited a relative in
Miami a few days ago, and after
returning home to Flint, they
struck out hitch-hiking toward Traverse City. They said the pistol
and knite were for hunting after
they arrived at the northern city.
According to Clare Police chief
William Cook, and.the arresting officer the revolver contained four
empty brass cases from, fired bullets as well as two other rounds ih
the cylinder. The weapons were
locked inside suit cases which the
boys were carrying,   -
State Police-' troopers from Mt.
Pleasant -praised Clare police for
apprehending the youngsters without giving them opportunity for
making further trouble for thenV-
selves. The father of one of the
boys returned them to Flint where
they were placed under the detention of juvenile authorities.
Mrs. Daring, as uhdersheriff  and .homer
maker under the same roof with county
TTq[f»ja*r*p    prisoners, is protected by modern devices.
*uaV/aPg    Here, her husband, Clare Counry Sheriff*
PvfkA*f        Elect James R. Darling shows her an elec-
JTrCHJl trie remote-control lock in the steel door
separating the Darling family. apartment
from prisoner area in the building. .
People of the Clare area and all of Clare county made news
throughout 195.6 in their Accomplishments and their
Dreams, their Grief and Pride, their Enterprise and Vision.
Here are only some of the. common, — and not-so-common,
happenings which became part of our history of A. D. 1956,
Spending Records Fall
In Late Holiday Shopping
Speak
Inmates at Clare County's new jail will be
able io see and hear their visitors on the,
other side of the wall in this steel booth.
._.     TT The  small  window  is bullet-proof  glass'
IH Were   h*"** "**° *he stael, and Sheriff-Elect Darling points to screened slits io permit talk- '
ing through the wall.    •
Au unprecedented two -day rush
of shoppers in many of Clare's retail businesses on- Saturday and
Monday before Christmas was
enough to push December's sales
volume from the "routine*" class' to
approaching last year's peak levels,
merchants agreed this week.
Many local stores saw the biggest days in the history of their
establishments on either Saturday
or Monday. In most of them, Bales
volume for the" two days combined
was the biggest eyer. for a like
period.    >
Most rosy report of -rocketing
sales volume came fi'oni one Clare
businessman whose redords for
Friday, Saturday aud Monday before Christnias revealed the largest
72-hour period ot.sales in his business history. He said that heaehjev-
ed that record after December
totals up to the 20th were already
twelve percent ahead of the same
period of 1955.
Wm. H. Bicknell & Company,
and Davy's Inc., Clare's department
stores, provided something of a
barometer to measure sales-climb
for pre-Christmas days. At both big
'ores satisfaction was exprcsed
1 ith the conclusive evidence that
• lare continues in its tops position
i an' area shopping, center. Esti-
"lating sales fov the balance of
1' icember, both stores will match
"i surpass their 1955 records for
•lie month.
Drug store business continued
' ith heavy buying- after C p.m. on
( iristmas Eve, and.the three-hour
u'vantage lifted gift'buying to new
l*"ak$ there.
Nearly everywhere in Clare the
' liristmas business picture showed
i ■ cords much better than the pro-
1 icted average in the nation.
At' the Citizens State Bank, the
i i(turn in holiday spending to-
-".ther With brisk new-car Einauc-
ii g spelled optimism for early 1957
''■isiness.
, Most businesses had faced a
drop Jn December Volume of sales,
and many local merchants said the
two day. spending spree relieved an
otherwise slow December.
In 1955, reflecting the general
prosperity of the nation, and the
huge payroll at Clare Manufacturing Company, December, sales in
local retail businesses liit new
height's. " •    -
This year, with' a reduced payroll
at the plant, sales volume was appreciably less, until Saturday's aud
Monday's whopping sales boosted
it to compare favorably with 1955.
The $20,000 Christmas Club fund
recently disbursed by Citizens
State Bank waa given some ot the
credit for bolstering Christmas
sales. '   .
Many merchants, saw holiday
stocks of toys, jewelry, hardware
and dry-goods sold down almost tc
the bare shelves by Christmas Eve.
|   On Inside Pages
.Deer, starvation threatens the
current fawn crop in food shortage
areas .if critical winter weather conditions develop. See page 8.
Famers should look around foi
off-farm jobs to boost net income
in 1957," advises Michigan State
TJniversitJ*. Story page 9.
The Farwell Blue Star Mothers
elected new officers foi1 the year at
a meeting recently. See page 7.
Clergyman and physicians of the
"Order of St. Luke" are heading ofi
Suicides with "emergency spiritual
aid" in Germany, where suicide hat-
become a pressing problem. Storj
"on page 10.
The Harrison Masonic Lodge
elected new officers recently. Story
page 2.
Friends -of "Uta Schweyer, ex
change student at Harrison Higli
Scliool, honored her at a slumber
party last 'week. The gals spent a
part-of the evening on the telephone, singing carols to friends.
Story page 2.
Michilimacinac chapter DAR is
planning its annual tea to honor
DAR Good Citizen candidates. See
page 3.
Young people in Clare went ou
caroling parties to rest, homes and
shut-ins last week. Story page 3.
Mrs. Marilyn Gaskill of Winter-
field,-took her diiughter to Cadillac
to be on TV. ou her birthday. See
page 5.    "
Hal-rison News
2
Society News
3
Vernon  City
4
Lake News
4
City Briefs
5
Farwoll News
7
Want Ads. - Notices
8
Comics
9
Church News
10
One year ago this month, Clare
Manufacturing company paid out
$1,973.73 to three enterprising* employees who came up with time
and labor saving suggestions on
the job.
Dan Holcomb of Harrison, and
Mark-McKenna, of Hamiltpn township, both well-known as members*
of tlie Clare county board of supervisors, handed in their resignations
to that group, effective December
31, 1955, Holcomb protested what
he termed inequalities in property
value assessments made by Michigan State Tax commission representatives, of Harrison First Ward
property. He gave his unwillingness to accept the valuations as
pai*t of his retlson for leaving the
supervisors.
Early 'in January 1956, Clare Rod
and Quu Club members began reviving plans to back up the water
of the Tobacco River and again
create a lake on the site of Clare's
old Millpond.
At the same time, Clare County
Chamber of Commerce groups were
completing plans for the annual
Winter Sports Festival, held January 27-29, 1956.
During the Festival week end,
100 Exchange Students from
foreign countries, and their American foster parents from all over
Michigan, came to Clare for a
week end of visiting and sharing
experiences. "
At the January, 1956 meeting of
the County Board of Supervisors,
bids for construction of the new
Clare county jail were accepted at
last, after being several- times palled for an.d' s-*\*.er£*,V Unxes* -ifeje.cte^
during preceding months',Yas too
high. Successful contractors for the
three parts of project, plumbing
and heating, wiring, and actuar
construction, bid on revised jail
plans, that cut total cost from an
estimated  $139,000  to  $133,000.
At a meeting early in February,
195G, the Clare City Commission
voted to buy two new /voting machines to accomodate Clare's growing number bf voters. Clare has
outgrown th? one-precinct size and
the Commission had the alternative of dividing into two precincts
or buying the voting machines.   ,
Clare Manufacturing company
anuounced a'lay-off of 387 hourly-
rated production workefs on February 15, 1956, reducing' its work
force to about 1250. .The lay-off
came as a result of slackening
Sales and part of at chain reaction
from large scale lay-offs in -Detroit officials said. - " .
. In the middle of February, The
Clare Board of Education issued a
formal invitation to primary, school
districts served by Clare, to annej*
to the Clare Public School, following weeks of scliool district organization discussions. Primary school
districts were asked to reply to
the invitation not later than Inarch
),  1956.
A railroad accident in the Clare
yard Wednesday, February 29,
1956, derailed fifteen cars of a
Chesapeake and Ohio freight train,
and ripped up some 400.yards of
tracks and switches. No injuries to
train crew or other personnel were
reported.
A team of runaway horses charged headlong into an automobile in
which Mr. and Mrs. John Thatcher,
Mr. and Mfs. Harlan Walters, and
Mr. and( Mrs. Arthur Becker were
riding on March 4, 1956, on M-115.
Mrs. Thatcher later died fi-om conjj*
plications of injuries received In
the accident
Three veteran officeholders in
Clare county government announced, intentions of retiring early in
■Vpril 1956, left the race open for
the offices of Probate Judge, County Treasurer, and County Sheriff in
ihe August primaries. J u' dg e
*3eorge Bates, Sheriff Everette Allen and Peter Oman "said they
would -not be candidates for re-
jlection.
Two new members of the Clare
3ity Commission and one incumbent member took their places
Vpril IG for the first meeting of
hat body following the spring elec-
ion. Newcomers Gerald Nivison
and Paul Schroeder, and incumbent
Charles Cooper were winners in
the five-candidate contest for the
three seats open on the Commission.
Two unmasked gunmen robbed
Herbert Storrs of Rosebush, of between $1100 and $1200 April 6.
1956, after entering the house on a
nretext of bprrowin*** a shovel.
Storrs, his wife and son were tied
up while the bandits made off with
the money.
John Potter, of Harrison, was
the victim of a fatal shooting affair April 13, 195G, during a quarrel
with his son-in-law, Lonnie Cham
bet's, and Chambers was held In the
Clare County Jail under a warrant
naming him the murderer.   *■"
The money and a site were de
clared ready for the proposed child
guidance clinic in Central Michigan, and Dr. Albert V. Bedo, chairman of an action committee promised early, establishment, of the
clinic, when he spoke to the Clare
Rotary Club May 16.. "'-.'.
Lonnie Chambers, alias "Chief
Lonnie Red Eagle", of Harrison,
who had been held in Clare county
jail since April under a wah*ant
charging him with the murder of
his father-in-law, was declared
legally insane early in June, and
committed to Ionia "StateYHospital
for the Criminally Insane,
Clare's first Sidewalk Sale, held
June 15, 1956, was called an unqualified success, with fineweather
and big crowds sending sales 5500m-
ing.
Retiring city clerk. Alex McKinnon and oil man Charlie Strange
were named Official of the Year
and Citizen of the Year June 26,
as 150 friends and well-wishers applauded them at a Chamber of
Commerce testimonial dinner in
their honor.
An extertsive curb and gutter installation project in several sections of Clare's residential area began July 19, with new sidewalks
designated for portions of the area.
Preston H. Johnson Ilied his petition for a vote recount following
his August primary Election loss
by only nine votes in the race for.
Representative in the State LoglsY
lature. Russell Strange led both
Mr. Johnson and Russell Galer. for
the Republican choice to become
the candidate in the fall election.
*»Six,,persons were Injiirea, one
'-fataHy, arid- "the Koine of* this- "William Easlicks near Farwell wad'
demolished August 15 iii an explosion said to have been caus_ct
by gas which leaked from piping
and ignited under the house floor.
Baby Laurie Ann Roslund, si*tt-
month-old granddaughter of the
Easlicks, died shortly after bcln*-!
taken to Clare General Hospital:.
Widening .of downtown 'Fifth
Street (US-10) in Clare at its in-
(Continued  On Page  6) *'.' .
Clare Man
Named To
Oil Board
The State Conservation C6mini£*
sion, .which met December 13-14 in
Lansing, approved acquisition of
8S3 acres of lands for public hunting two new public fishing sites, "■
It also approved the appointment
of Harold Wright; Clare, to the
state Oil Advisory Board to succeed W. A, Sanger, Mt. Pleasant,
who "recently resigned.
Two of the approved land 'purchases , will be financed by the
Game and Fish Protection fund and
will add 390-acres to Pigeoii J^ivei*
state forest on - Garden Island,
Charlevoix county; aud 160 acres
to Hardwood state forest for tha
Dingman Marsh wildlife flooding
project in Cheboygan county. .
Game land purchases approved
under the Pittman-Robertson p*rof
gram include 215 acres at R,os&
Lake wildlife experiment station*
78 acres at Maple River state game
area and 40 acres at Lapeer stata
game area.
The new public fishing sites aire
located on the Grand RivCr in * Ottawa county and on Portage Lake,
Houghton county.
In other action, the Commission:
Approved a transaction to complete the purchase of 124 acres, in
Huron county for Port Crescent
state park. The legislature appropriated $300,000 during its last session for the acquisition and tills
purchase of the remaining interests gives tho state clear title, to
the land,
Approved timber sales' totalinc**
$16,711 from five state forests, four
in the upper peninsula. The sales
included pulpwood—priniarialy balsam and spruce—Sa*wlogs and 180
tons of chemical wood.
Extended several state park Concession leases and approved gas,
oil and copper leases.
Harrison..Man On
Vets' Fund Board
On December 13, 1956 the Board
of Trustees of the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund appointed Mr.
"William H. Stover, of Hafrison,
Michigan, as the unaffiliated
member of the Clare County Veterans Trust Fund Committee, for
a three-year term ending June
30, 1959, to succeed Dr. A, A.
Campbejl, whose term has ex«
pircd. "    •