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Feb. 11, 1926
HARTINGTON - Quick and fearless action by Clarence Hochstein undoubtedly saved the life of little John Hindmarsh, Jr., son of Mr. and Mrs. John Hindmarsh, last Friday afternoon, when the youngster fell into the waters of Bow creek, which was badly swollen by melting snows.
Little John had started home from school ahead of his sister, Mary. She had just started from the school building when she heard her brother scream for help from below the bridge near the Adolph Matson place. She thought of the creek at once, and called for help.
Clarence Hochstein was the first to arrive on the scene, and pulled John out of the water. The youngster was in midstream when his rescuer arrived, and was being carried down stream by the strong current. It is believed he had been leaning over the bridge watching the water, and becoming dizzy from the swirling and boiling current, had lost his balance and fallen in. He certainly owes his life to the presence of mind of his sister, and to young Hochstein’s heroic work.
As soon as John was taken from the water, he was hurried to the Adolph Matson home, where he was given every attention. The kindly ministrations there evidently kept the boy from catching cold, for he felt none the worse for his mishap the next day. The parents are very grateful to all who helped save the boy.
Howard Eby, son of Dr. and Mrs. M. E. Eby, and Austin Nelson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Martin Nelson, also experienced the thrills of falling into the creek last Sunday, their ability to swim probably saving them from disaster.
The two boys had constructed a homemade canoe, and took it to the creek near the Goetz bridge last Sunday to try it out. They launched the canoe and got into it, everything going fine as they drifted down the creek. Back of the Harry Mallatt place, however, a wire was stretched across the creek, ordinarily high above the water, but at that time almost level with the water. The canoe struck the wire and overturned, throwing the boys out among the icebergs. They immediately swam to shore, some friends on the bank rescuing the canoe. The boys escaped with a ducking, although Austin is having some grief with an infected hand caused from scratching it on the wire.
Feb. 11, 1926
HARTINGTON - Action in the matter of the Cedar county poor farm may be taken by the state Department of Public Welfare unless quick action is taken by the county commissioners, according to a letter received last Monday by Dr. F. P. Dorsey, from Dr. H. M. Wilson, chief of the bureau of health at Lincoln.
News stories appearing in the city papers attracted the attention of Dr. Wilson, who wrote to Dr. Dorsey for information. Dr. Dorsey immediately forwarded copies of The News to Lincoln, together with a letter suggesting that the news stories therein not only were not exaggerated but did not adequately describe the deplorable conditions existing at the farm.
In the letter Dr. Wilson wrote: “It hardly seems believable that in this enlightened state of ours a board of commissioners could be found who would permit such conditions to obtain as seems to be the case in the county house in Cedar county. It certainly is not to their credit. The condition, however, is one which does not come under the direct jurisdiction of this Bureau; therefore the papers have been turned over to the department of Public Welfare.”
Although a goodly part of the adjourned meeting of the county board held last Monday was devoted to the consideration of the matter of the poor farm no definite action was taken.
Commissioner Shively urged instant action but the other members of the board refused to submit any solution in the form of a motion which would bring the subject up for decision, and so nothing was accomplished.
County Clerk Schager complied with the instructions of the board and wrote to the state hospital at Norfolk making inquiry as to whether the institution would accept and care for indigent wards of the county sent there by the county board. Ocials of the institution immediately advised Mr. Schager that only those adjudged insane by the board of insanity commissioners would be admitted. No word has been received from the other institutions to which similar inquiries were sent. Mr. Schager submitted the Norfolk letter to the board at the meeting Monday but even this did not arouse any action.
Of course the exposure of the deplorable conditions existing at the county farm when the tour of investigation was made by Mrs. R. J. Millard, Rev. Hieb and J. P. O’Fry have been materially improved, the building has been given a thorough cleaning and the furnishings are being placed in the best possible condition. This is not unusual, however, as similar clean-ups have been made after every public exposure of bad conditions in the past, but eventually conditions were permitted to drift back to the same old state, only worse.
