SURPRISE VALLEY RECORD – CEDARVILLE, MODOC COUNTY, CAL. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 2, 1924 We understand that Mrs. Even Gaustad left for the lower country last week, and will be followed soon by Mr. Gaustad, and they expect to reside there. George Miller has leased the Gaustad ranch for a period of three years. Mrs. George Warren and children departed for the lower country last week, where they will spend the winter. Her husband will join her later on and revel in the warmth and sunshine of the citrus belt for a time. Darrel Rachford and family and Miss Munroe and Leo Gloster had an exciting auto experience last week when their auto slid down off the grade just above the third bridge in Cedar Pass. Luckily, no one was hurt and the auto was not badly damaged. Ted Strief and family arrived here from San Jose last Sunday, and report a pleasant visit and a good trip up. They will open up business in the building formerly occupied by Mrs. Hope Ledford, in a short time with a new stock of goods pertaining to their line. HERBERT VAUGHN DEAD Last Monday morning, Mrs. Lily Cummins, of this place, received a wire announcing the death of Herbert H. Vaughn, on Sunday, December 30th at Palo Alto, Cal., death being sudden and caused by heart failure. Herbert Vaughn was raised in this valley, near Eagleville, where everyone knew him as an honorable and industrious man and excellent citizen and his many friends here who tender their sincere sympathy to the bereaved relatives. He was aged 44 years and was a member of the Knights of Pythians Lodge, of this place. He is survived by his wife and two children, three sisters, Mrs. Dora Parman and Mrs. Lola Taylor of Eagleville and Mrs. Chas. Cummins, of this place; three brothers, Jesse Vaughn of Hanford; Wm Vaughn of Los Angeles and Chas. Vaughn of Fort Bidwell, and his aged mother, Mrs. H. Vaughn, of Eagleville, who was visiting him this winter. Fred Strief returned last week from Plumas County, where he has been for sometime. Mrs. May Larison, of Elko has been here for several weeks and is visiting at the home of her father, Judge S. C. Hayes and sister, Mrs. Harry W. Stephens. Mrs. Wm. Hatfield was in town last Saturday. She informed us that about two weeks ago her little daughter, Betty, met with a very painful accident. She was riding to school and when turning a corner was thrown into a barb wire fence, which cut a large gash in her leg. It took nine stitches to close the wound. She is getting along nicely. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 9, 1924 Say, friends, no one is so grateful this year as little Harold Stewart, for on Christmas Eve, he received his wheel chair. He can go from room to room by himself and see the things he has longed to see and touch for so long. “Mama can’t keep me out of the machine drawers now, I pull my chair up and empty out the contents.” This was made possible by our good people of Surprise valley in subscribing for the “Comfort.” Harold says: Thank you, hope you are all enjoying your paper as much as I do my chair. Look in January number of Comfort at the honor roll. Ted Strief and family are moving into the McCloud residence across the street to the Record office. Married – In Alturas, Cal., Dec. 29th, 1923, Rev. Hamby officiating, Miles Vernon to Susan Cole, both of Cedarville, Cal. Frank Stanley is reported quite ill with threatened pneumonia at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer McCulley. Dr. Kennedy reports Mrs. Frank Choppin and Lee Murphey, of Eagleville suffering from pneumonia, but are some better at this writing. Mr. and Mrs. Chas Ashurst, of Detroit, Michigan, arrived here last week and spent several days visiting Mr. and Mrs. L. N. Pabst. Mrs. Ashurst is a sister of Mr. Pabst. They have been touring the west in a car and left here for Los Angeles and other points, and will start on their return trip from that place about February 1st. The little son of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer McCulley has been seriously ill with threatened pneumonia, but is now improving. PIONEER LADY PASSED Last Monday evening, Mrs. John Murphy passed away at her home in Eagleville, death resulting from pneumonia. She was one of the pioneer residents of this valley coming here during the turbulent times with the Indians and braved the dangers and hardships of frontier life. She raised a large family of sons & daughters to whom the entire community join in tendering their sincere sympathy in their sad bereavement. We hope to publish her obituary next week, if obtainable. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 16, 1924 John van Riper was returned to the Insane Asylum at Napa last week, being mentally unbalanced. G. A. Head left this morning for the scene of the new gold discovery near Fallon. FIRE DESTROYS FIVE BUSINESS BUILDINGS: OLD LAND MARK GOES UP IN FLAMES: FRED WALLACE INJURED. The largest fire ever experienced in Cedarville occurred he e last Saturday morning. About two o’clock the ringing of the fire bell announced the unwelcome tidings that a fire was in progress and on investigation it was found that the rear end of the Surprise Valley meat Market was in flames, which burst thru the roof and transmitting the fire to the Stage Office, the Meredith Building, the Hotel Surprise and the Rechsteiner building, and in less than an hour all that part of town of east Main Street, between Denehy’s Buildings and Wilson’s Brick Building were a mass of smoldering ruins, the last of the buildings to succumb to the flames being the Rechsteiner, adjacent to the Cluck theatre, where a stubborn, heroic and finally successful fight was made to stay the flames. The loss is estimated to be about $30,000, with only $12,000 insurance. $8,000 of which was on the Hotel Surprise and $4,000 on the Surprise Valley meat Market and Ice Plant. The loss falls heavily on those who occupied the buildings. But little of the furniture was saved from the Hotel Surprise, which was conducted by Mrs. Pearl Cornell and Frank Page. Nothing was saved from the Meredith building. Only books, adding machine and a motor were saved from the S. V. Meat Market and Ice Plant. About $2,000 worth of smoked and fresh meats were burned. The Stage Office conducted by Miss Gay Delmas was practically cleared of all furniture. The contents of the Rechsteiner building were burned. Jos. Jurrell saving most of his shoe and harness machinery equipment. Dr. Kennedy, whose office was upstairs in the Meredith Building, lost his surgical instruments, books, and medical material. He estimates his loss at about $1,000; no insurance. A sad climax of the destruction by the fire was the wounding of Fred Wallace, which occurred about five o’clock, when an ammonia tank exploded with terrific force, jarring the earth and shattering the windows in adjacent buildings and hurled a mass of steel thru a little group of people, striking Fred, breaking two ribs loose from the spinal column and badly lacerating his face, and also striking Jake Rechsteiner and cutting his hand. However, unless other complications arise Fred will soon be able to be around. He had done heroic work throughout the fire and the accident to him is deeply regretted. In fact both men and women did all in their power to stay the advance of the flames and are to be congratulated for their good work. One thing that favored the fighters was that there was absolutely no wind blowing and the flames ascended straight up to a height of several hundred feet. Had the wind been blowing there would probably be but little of Cedarville left standing today. All the people who were burned out have secured either temporary or permanent quarters. W. H. Hussa, with his characteristic energy, was cutting steaks and roasts in the north room of the Cressler and Bonner Building Sunday morning. Miss Delmas has the Stage office located in the old Drouillard building, east of the Meredith hall. Dr. Kennedy has his office located in the Strotts Building and Joe Jurrell has his Harness and Shoe Shop located in the Ford Garage and those boarding at the Hotel Surprise, among whom were Prof. Young and wife, Miss McLaughlin and W. A. McCombs have found accommodations. Mrs. Cornell and Frank Page are the only ones now out of business. W. A. McCombs, who was sleeping at the south end of the Meredith building came near being suffocated by the smoke, but for the timely assistance of Dr. Kennedy, he probably would have perished in the flames. As a whole, while we all feel keenly the sad misfortune of our pretty little town, and while we all sympathize with those who sustained losses by the fire, there is a feeling prevalent that if the fire had to come it was a lucky one, for had conditions been different the loss would have been so much greater. The Hotel Surprise was one of the old land marks of early days, formerly called the Golden Eagle, one portion of it being erected in 1872 by A. K. Long, and was later taken over by J. R. Cook, who added a little more to it, when it went in to the hands of Jesse Hironymous, who finished the building. Later it was owned by Dr. J. T. Meredith, who remodeled the interior and made it more up to date: and its present owner was Perry McDaniel. It was always a popular hostelry and has housed many prominent people from all parts of the United States. CARD OF THANKS – We wish to thank all those who so kindly assisted during the illness and death of our mother. Mrs. Wm Page Mrs. Wm. Denio Mrs. F. A Nolan Mrs. Wm Cockrell Mrs. A. D. Hudspeth Lee Murphy F. H. Murphey F. A. Murphy Mrs. G. H. Morgan WEDNESDAY JANUARY 23, 1924 INDIAN ATTACKS TEACHER Last Friday Mr. O. C. Grey, Superintendent of the Bidwell Indian School brought to Alturas, Charlie Ochio, an Indian man, and charged him before justice of the Peace Thompson with assault and battery on Mrs. Margaret Welch, a teacher in the Indian School. Mrs. Welch had administered punishment to one of Charlie’s children with a ruler. Charlie went to the school with a willow stick the size of one’s finger and administered a beating to the teacher, while another Indian who came with him looked on. Mrs. Welch was not seriously injured but bears several welts on her shoulders and face. Ochio plead guilty and was sentenced to five months imprisonment in the county jail. Mrs. J. C. Sharp, who resides with her daughter, Mrs. J. B. Cloud at Lake City, is reported seriously ill. Born – At Lake City, Cal., Jan. 9, 1924, to Mr. and Mrs. Willard Clark, a daughter – Trilma Lorna Clark. (Mrs. Clark was Miss Della Hobbs before her marriage) An Indian girl was brought down from Bidwell last week, and underwent a surgical operation at Dr. Coates’ Sanitarium. She is under Dr. Kennedy’s care and is doing well. The epidemic of flu or something akin to that disease is going the rounds and a large number of our residents are suffering from the malady. The editor of the Record is among those afflicted, hence the lack of news this week. Last week B. F. Boggs traded his ranch on the east of the lake to Chas Pope for property in Ashland, Oregon, where they will make their future home. Mr. Pope now owns three farms in this vicinity – the Kneebone, Lighty and Boggs farms. WEDNESDAY JANUARY 30, 1924 Mrs. Jesse Strotts went to Bidwell today to finish teaching the un-expired term in the Indian School, Mrs. Welch having resigned. Last week, Mrs. Jesse Hapgood, of this place, was taken to the hospital at Lakeview and Dr. Kennedy went over Saturday and performed a surgical operation on her. He was assisted by Dr. Leithead. The operation was successful last reports, state that she is doing well. Last Sunday morning A. E. Normile and Bob Baty were somewhat severely burned about their hands and faces by the explosion of a carbide tank on Normile’s lighting system. It seems they were passing the tank with a lighted lantern, which in some manner ignited the gas, causing the explosion. Luckily, neither were seriously hurt. DEATH OF MRS. H. SAWTELLE Mrs. Hattie E. Sawtelle, widow of the late Fred Sawtelle and former resident of Superior California, died on January 15th in Los Angeles where she has been making her home since last June, and was burned there in the Inglewood cemetery last Saturday. Mrs. Sawtelle who was 67 years of age, came to California from New Hampshire as a small child and had made her home in this state more than sixty years. She lived for many years in Sierra Valley, Sierra County. She also had made her home Surprise Valley, Modoc County, and at Oroville. Her husband a number of years ago, engaged in the hotel business Eagleville, Modoc County. Mrs. Sawtelle was the mother of twelve children, nine of whom are living. She was a sister of E. H. Hamlin, Portola, Plumas County, and Mrs. G. E. Miller, 3225 Second Ave and C. M. Hamlin of Sacramento. Mr. and Mrs. Erne Fee, of Bidwell came down today to meet their son Lawrence, who came in from Reno. E. E. Bush was confined to his home the past week with a severe sore throat, and aftermath of the flu. Born – At Alturas, Cal., Jan. 22, 1924, to Mr. and Mrs. Wm. P. Evarts, a son, weight 8 œ pounds. Dr. Coates reports that the little son of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Fisher of Lake City, quite ill with pneumonia. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Please Reply To: Billie Reynolds r3346@dcsi.net ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!