News From Polk County as Published in the Tryon Newspaper, Oct. 25, 1918

“From Our Friends Over the County,” the Polk County News, Tryon, N.C., Oct. 25, 1918. 

Some Items of General Interest Gathered from Various Sections of Polk County

Pea Ridge

Mr. John Thompson spent Sunday afternoon at Mr. E.G. Thompson’s.

Mrs. J.B. Dalton made a trip to Rutherford Thursday.

Mrs. J.T. Green is visiting her mother, Mrs. J.T. Waldrop.

There’s a long, long trail of winding

   Into no man’s land of France;

Where the shot and shells are bursting

   But we must advance.

There’ll be lots of drills and hikings,

   Until our dreams come true;

But we are going to show the Kaiser

   What the Sammie boys can do.

Red Mountain

Old Mr. “Flu” has not invaded our corner yet, and the school is still going on with a good attendance.

Mr. and Mrs. W.A. Ruff left Friday to visit their daughter, who is seriously ill at Great Falls, S.C.

Mr. and Mrs. C.E. Lynch, Mr. and Mrs. Furman Jackson, also Mr. Billy Dimsdale, motored to Asheville Saturday.

Miss Mae Lynch spent Saturday at the Teacherage.

Mr. J.B. Wilson’s mother spent last Sunday at his home. Miss Gladys carried her back to her home in the afternoon.

Mr. Curtis Wilson returned from Spartanburg Saturday.

The Republican candidates of the county held a meeting at the Red Mountain school house last Friday night. A few more Liberty Bonds were sold.

Mill Spring Route 2

Mrs. R.F. Coggins is visiting relatives in Spartanburg this week.

Mr. Roland Ruppe is very ill.

Mr. Mack McGuinn had the bad luck to lose a mule one day last week.

Mr. N.E. Williams made a business trip to Spartanburg last week.

Mr. and Mrs. A.J. Dimsdale spent Wednesday night with their daughter, Mrs. F.R. Coggins.

Mr. Albert Lynch, who is at Camp Jackson, is very low with the influenza and measles.

Mr. Miller Justice was a caller at Mr. N.E. Williams’ one day last week.

Mr. A.L. Hill and Mr. Ballenger from Tryon were visitors in this section last week, on Fourth Liberty Loan business.

Silver Creek

There is much rejoicing in this section over the recent war news. We sincerely hope our boys will keep the Huns on the run while the running is good. As our much admired Lieut. Copeland says, our boys will not be satisfied until they put Old Glory on the Kaiser’s palace in Berlin. We wish Lieut. Copeland would write something for the News every week.

Mr. Will Foster of Landrum, S.C., spent Monday last at his father’s farm on Green river.

Mr. Logan Newman of Green River Cove was laid to rest on Silver Creek last Thursday, where many of his relatives are buried. Mrs. J.L. Jackson of Tryon, a sister of Mr. Newman’s, attended the funeral. Also Mr. W.C. Newman of Hendersonville.

Mr. H.P. Arledge is very ill at this writing.

Mr. C.E. Justice was here in business one day last week.

Mr. Walter Green, while on a business trip to Spartanburg, was attacked with Spanish influenza and came home very ill.

The little son of Mr. Brisco Davis died last Friday and was buried at Friendship church.

Mill Spring Route 1

Well, we haven’t much news, as we are not allowed to get any farther than our cotton fields.

L.H. Shehan and Grover Wilson were visitors at A.A. Edwards’ Saturday.

Private Grover Thompson writes that he has had the pleasure of walking over some dead Germans, also went over the top with success. Good for him.

Mr. A.F. Corbin, with the Edwards choir, are practicing songs in the Methodist hymnal to be used at Lebanon on the first Sunday.

Sunny View, are we going to send a Christmas box “over there”?

Miss Eliza White spent Sunday with Miss Mattie Abrams.

As I smell possum and “punkin” cooking, will have to go see what else we will have for dinner.

Sunny View

Say, Mr. Editor, you was mistaken. It was Mr. Bill Jackson that has arrived safely overseas, instead of Mr. Flu.

Mr. T.P. Brawn received a telegram Friday that his son, Charlie, who is at Camp Hancock, Ga., had the influenza and pneumonia and was very ill. Mr. Brown has gone to visit him.

Mrs. J.L. Jackson has been on the sick list for several days with la grippe.

Mr. A.L. Hill and several others from Tryon were in this section last week, preaching Liberty Bonds. We hope old Polk went over the top.

Mrs. Will Haynes has received word of the death of her brother, Mr. Norman McAbee. He died in camp of the influenza.

Mr. J.C. Whiteside made a splendid talk on school matters near Cooper Gap last Friday night.

Mr. A.H. Lynch visited his grandfather, Mr. J.L. Jackson, Sunday.

Mr. Belton Jackson and Mr. and Mrs. Will Haynes attended the funeral of the latter’s brother, Sunday, at Fairview, N.C.

Misses Maggie Jackson and Anna Wilson were guests of Mrs. G.S. Whiteside, Sunday afternoon.

On account of bad weather, Rev. McCall of Hendersonville failed to fill his appointment at Cooper Gap, Sunday.

Hello, Route 2, we thank you so very much for your advice as how to escape Mr. Flu. We took a cup of boneset and never sneezed any more. [Boneset tea is an old herbal remedy for flu, bronchitis and pneumona. It is a stimulant that promotes sweating.]

Mill Spring

On account of so much Spanish flu there was not any preaching on Christian Endeavor at the Baptist church Sunday.

Word has been received that Mr. Edward Barber has arrived safely overseas.

Mr. J.H. Gibbs’ family is recovering from the Spanish flu, all of them had it except Hubert and Gordon.

Mr. Sam Cocherum is home from Hopewell, Va.

Miss Mollie Dalton was the guest of Miss Sue Gibbs, Monday afternoon.

Messrs. John Price and Amos Arledge spent Saturday night at the home of Mr. Dave Thompson.

Miss Ether Gibbs returned to her school Monday after being away for about three weeks.

Mrs. M.C. Gosnell spent Monday afternoon at the home of Mr. J.H. Cocherum.

Mr. Claude Lewis and Rev. J.M. Barber made a trip to Rutherfordton, last Friday.

We hope since the rain came that the flu will stop.

Miss Edith Gibbs is home from Atlanta, Ga.

We are sorry to note that Mrs. C.M. Dicus’ little babe, Charles III, is very ill.

Miss Esther Gibbs and mother spent a few pleasant hours at the home of Mr. G.C. Brisco, last Saturday.

Mr. D.T. Helton spent Sunday at Mr. J.C. Lawter’s.

Quite a crowd attended the speaking at the school house last Tuesday night, on the Fourth Liberty Loan.

Tryon Route 1

Hurray for Polk, one of the first to go over the top in the Fourth Loan Drive.

Glad to note Mrs. Bickett, wife of the Governor is soon to return from France, and will make a tour of North Carolina, speaking in the interest of the Y.W.C.A. preparatory to the United War Work campaign. Hope all will be well and that she can come to Columbus so we Polkites can hear her.

Misses Pearl, Essie and Clara Edwards are home from Brevard. Pearl has the influenza.

Mr. S.B. Edwards has an Overland, to help him in his electioneering this year.

Mr. and Mrs. Jake Hobert visited relatives out on the route, last weekend.

Miss Octa Pack has returned home from the Saluda Seminary on account of the flu.

Oh, yes, Mill Spring, the old Spanish hen ditn’t fly at me “end ways,” she flew face forward and hovered over me for two weeks, and has just now flown thither.

Aren’t we proud of our editor’s sailor boy? Who could help from appreciating his letter in the Polk News last week?

Words fail to convey my feelings of sorrow on reading of the death of my dear schoolmate, Miss Bertie Jackson. But our loss is Heaven’s gain. May God in his kindness console the bereaved family just now.

Three cheers for our soldiers who are marching on to Berlin.

October weaves rainbows of the forest leaves.

Tryon

Mrs. G. Lecount was in Spartanburg, Tuesday.

So far the Spanish Flu has touched Tryon but lightly.

Mrs. Paul Smith left last week to join her husband at Peoria, Ill.

Mrs. Roberts of Chicago, who spent the winter season here last year, has returned to Tryon.

Mrs. Anson H. Merrick left last week to join her husband at Nashville where he is connected with the Dupont powder works.

Miss Clara Peugh of Beclair, Maryland, is visiting her sister, Mrs. J.P. Williams. Master Pinckney Williams returned to Tryon with his aunt.

Mrs. Caldeit Scodells of Chihuahua, Mexico, and Miss Emma Allen of Wilkesboro, N.C., are guests of Mrs. G. Lecount.

Miss Louise Kenworthy writes to her mother from Washington, D.C., “I cannot think of anything I would rather do at this time than to be a nurse.”

Mr. Roraime Stone of Chicago arrived in Tryon Wednesday for a short stay with his parents before reporting for duty. He expects to be sent overseas within a very few days.

Mr. F.M. Gosnell, after occupying the position of overseer of the Gillette estate, has resigned his position and moved to a farm near Landrum, S.C. Mr. John Lankford has been chosen as his successor.

Capt. Bernard Sharp’s many Tryon friends are glad to know that he has been promoted to be Major in the regular army. Although on the retired list he has won praise and this honor for his active workin preparing recruits for service.

The remains of Mr. A.D. Brown, who died at Petersburg, Va., of influenza, arrived in Tryon Wednesday and on Thursday were taken to Clinton, S.C., the old home for burial. He was a son-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. E.W. Dedmond of Columbus.

Hon. Zebulon Weaver, congressman from the 10^th District, was in Tryon last Friday and returned to his home in Asheville on Saturday morning. Mr. Weaver was looking after his political fences along with other matters.

Owing to the prevalence of the Spanish influenza in the outlying districts, the Red Cross has been put to considerable extra expense for nurses, food, etc. Any one desiring to help in this S.O.S. call may send their contributions to the Red Cross treasurer, Geo. H. Holmes.

Spanish influenza is raging over the entire country, and Polk county is having its share. There is no excuse for becoming panicky over the situation. We would not attempt to deny that the situation confronting us is serious, and we cannot dodge the issue. While several deaths have resulted in Polk county, our condition is not nearly so bad as some other sections. One thing above all our people should do, and that is to avoid crowds of all kinds. Keep away from any house, locality or family where there is any influenza. Keep away from funerals. Only by doing these things can we hope to get the scourge under control. Keep in the open air as much as possible, eat plenty but not too much of wholesome food and dress in good warm clothes. Use common sense, and we will soon be rid of the pestilence.

In our last issue we spoke of the promotion of Wallace Lankford, and at that very moment the young man was a corpse, and one in this, his home town, knew it. Saturday his father received a telegram stating that Wallace had died at sea, that his body would be returned to the United States, and asking what disposition was wanted of the body. It is the wish of the parents that it be sent home for burial. So far as we know, this is the first Polk county boy to give up his life while in the service, in the present struggle. As we said last week, Wallace Lankford was an exceptionally fine young fellow, and if he had lived no doubt a brilliant career was ahead of him in the Navy. We join with the whole of Tryon in extending sympathy to the bereaved family.

Dr. and Mrs. Conrad were at the station, Sunday evening, about to take the train to go to Winston-Salem. A soldier alighted from it, whom they at first did not recognize. Suddenly Mrs. Conrad discovered that it was her brother, Julian Hester, just arrived from the aviation field at Akron, on a week’s leave of absence. Instead of taking the train they returned home with him, taking their departure the next day. He is looking in fine condition. He recently ascended in a balloon for the first time without a pilot. At the height of 5,000 feet he decided to descend, but found instead of going down, he continued going up. He finally got control, descended to a height of 4,000 feet and sailed along enjoying the farmers at work in the fields. He thoroughly enjoyed his first flight and thinks he is already rewarded for his first year’s hard work at Boston Technical Institute. He is the first in his class to take what is called a solo flight.

Saluda

Mrs. H. Lock has returned from Demorest, Ga., bringing home her son Russell, who has been sick at the Piedmont school, there, but who is now convalescing.

Miss Bessie Sonner has also returned to spend the time intervening till the school, Piedmont college, reopens.

Miss Wilcox, who has been visiting her sick brother, is now at home, leaving him on the mend.

Mrs. B.I. Hazard is still in Birmingham, Ala., with her son, who has been quite ill, but is now improving.

Miss Octavia Moody, of this place, died on Oct. 19^th, and her remains were interred in Mt. Page church yard. Miss Moody has been for several years in charge of the telephone exchange here and will be much missed. She leaves many relatives and friends to mourn her loss.

Mr. Steele is much better and with his family have gone to Hendersonville for a change.

Mr. and Mrs. Aiken and son, Morgan, who is home for a ten days’ visit, from Washington, D.C., will join the Steeles in Hendersonville in a few days, and from there go on to Washington later.

Mrs. Campbell’s sister, Mrs. Spratt, and her son, have returned to their home in South Carolina, but her niece, Mrs. Spratt Jr., and children, will remain here for a week or more longer.

Dr. Salley’s cousin, Miss Irene Salley, is quite sick with pneumonia at his residence in Saluda.

Mrs. Kinloch of Charleston, S.C., has been quite sick at Mrs. Leonard’s boarding house, but is now better.

Miss Marvin Patterson has returned home from Demorest, Ga., to remain until school reopens.

Mr. and Mrs. Pugh are now residents of Saluda, and are living in Mrs. Reed’s pleasant cottage on Henderson street. Mrs. Pugh was ill for a while with a cold caught on the train but is now much better. Mr. Pugh has charge of some engineering work at the Green River power plant, near here.