The following are selected articles from a Newspaper titled, "The Higbee News" which was issued out of the town of Higbee, in Randolph County, Missouri from the years 1888 through 1953. The editors were W. H. Welch and his son H. Scott Welch. This paper covered the Higbee area and also a great deal of the northeastern part of Howard county. The copyright notice at the end of this transcript is there for the sole purpose of keeping this work free to the public, and to ensure that it is not harvested by a fee-based corporate genealogy site, or published in any format for profit. If you decide to use the information from this transcription, PLEASE LIST ME AS THE SOURCE, rather than the paper. My transcription is another generation removed from the microfilm, and would thus be a third generation copy of the original paper. For proper documentation, a researcher should obtain a photocopy of the microfilm for their own permanent records, and use my transcript as a guide or index. The microfilm is available for interlibrary loan through the State Historical Society of Missouri, and a copy is also on file at the Moberly Public Library, generously donated by the Higbee Historical Society. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 1, Col 6--MISS NANNIE HADEN DEAD--Died Suddenly At Home In Moberly Yesterday Morning--Burial today At Roanoke.--Higbee friends and acquaintances of Miss Nannie Haden, who moved to Moberly from here a year or more ago, and who was making her home with a cousin, Mrs. Ed Maupin, were shocked when word came yesterday morning that she was dead, the shock being all the greater to those who had seen her here Monday, apparently in her usual health. She came to Higbee Saturday and rented rooms, intending to move back in a few days, and spent the time with Mrs. Frank Heathman. She was quite sick Sunday, being in bed all day. A doctor was called who advised her to go to a hospital. She was much better the next day, however, and was able to return to Moberly, being accompanied by Mrs. Heathman, who went to see Mr. Heathman, who is in a hospital in Moberly, and seemed as well as usual during the day. Tuesday, however, she was again worse and spent most of the day lying down. About four o'clock in the afternoon Mrs. Maupin went into her room to see if she did not want a cup of coffee or tea or something to eat, and found her unconscious. A doctor was hastily called, but no effort on his part could restore her to consciousness, and she passed away about 4 o'clock yesterday morning, and it is thought, was stricken with paralysis. She was about 65 years old and was born on the old Haden farm near Yates, and for many years made her home in Higbee with her brother, H. S. Haden, and following his death several years ago, moved to near Yates, and then to Moberly. Funeral services will be held at 2 o'clock at Roanoke, where interment will be made. She was the last of her immediate family, her nearest relatives being nephews and nieces. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 1, Col 6--TYRE BURTON STEPPING HIGH--Prosecuting attorney and Mrs. Tyre Burton are receiving congratulations upon the arrival of a fine daughter, who arrived on the morning of the 16th.--Fayette Democrat-Leader. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 2, Col 1,2&3--OUR HUNTSVILLE LETTER, By W. T. Dameron--(edited by compiler)--Arthur Terry was over from Sedalia last week, on a visit to relatives here and elsewhere in the county. Arthur has a position at Sedalia with his brother, Harve Terry, a former county clerk of this county. He says Harve is recovering from a paralytic stroke he had some months ago, and is able now to play his fiddle almost as good as of old. Arthur referred to the county campaign of 1902 when Harve, he and Dick Hinton made music at the candidates' appointments with fiddle and banjo. Hinton was the banjo picker and Harve and Arthur played the fiddle. that was some campaign for fun and music. Harve owns the leading hotel in Sedalia and has been successful financially. Nick Gunn, an old Randolphian, was here last week visiting relatives. Nick left Randolph county and settled in the Ozark Mountains near Bennett Springs, Mo., about six years ago. His wife died some weeks ago, and interment was made in a Moberly cemetery, where she owned a lot, and prior to her death had a monument erected with name and date of birth inscribed on it. Nick says the Ozark country is the finest and most healthy in the world, and the purest water ever. "It's the best place in the world for a man to live easy. Don't want riches--just work enough to have cheap clothes to wear and enough to eat. Why," he continued, "I wouldn't live up here again if I were given any town in the county," Nick was born and reared in the county and lived in it nearly all his life, and he is now 69, and I think he was "joshing" when he made that remark. But all of us who know Nick would not question his statement about one's desire for an "easy" life in the Ozarks. Sheriff Victor McCanne and deputy Steven Jones made a raid on the home of Lee Nelson, a blind man, just east of Moberly Friday last and found a good sized still, 25 gallons of corn whisky and a lot of mash, and arrested Wm. Moore, the only person at the home at the time. The officers acted under a search warrant, on information filed by the prosecuting attorney. the officers had a tip some days ago that booze was coming from the Nelson home, and Friday they quietly went to the place with the result mentioned. The sheriff told Moore his business there, and inquired of him about Nelson, and if he had been making whiskey. Moore replied that he guessed not, as Nelson was blind and could not see how to make it. "Well," said the sheriff, "he can sell it, can't he?" "I don't know if he can," answered Moore. the officers then searched the house, making sure they would find a still or whisky in the basement, but failed to find any evidence of either. Then they went to a little smoke house near by, but it was locked. Moore told them he had no key to the house, and knew nothing about it. The officers then drew the lock staple and there was the still at work. Moore still plead ignorance of the whole thing, stated that he did not live there, was just stopping there for a few days. But when the sheriff took him in charge he confessed to everything and exonerated Nelson and took all the blame upon himself. He was arraigned before Judge Noonan of Moberly, waived a preliminary and was committed to jail to await the action of the circuit court. The sheriff has possession of the still and whisky. Moore is 70 years old and a widower and has several children scattered over the country. His home is in Macon county, he says, and that he has been a hard laborer all his life. Saturday night we attended a picture show at Doyle & Dameron's Capital Theater. A pet "pole cat" in a northern lumber camp was one of the humorous "moving" scenes thrown on the screen, which reminded us of a "skunk camp" out at the old Joseph Hammett place three miles northwest of town some twenty-five years ago, as pictured one time by our good friend, Dr. D. A. Barnhartt. It was in the early days of February, 1901, that smallpox broke out in Huntsville, and the city authorities commandeered the old Hammett home, then vacant and partially dilapidated, as a pest house. The first subjects ordered to the pest house were Dr. Barnhartt and Charley Bagby, Huntsville's long time barber, and Walter Jackson, immune, was sent out to wait on them, and they were there about 25 days before being released. At that time I was connected with Capt. W. H. Balthis in the publication of the Herald, and was appointed Adjutant General of Missouri by Gov. A. M. Dockery about three weeks before my much lamented friend and partner died, which occurred February 27, 1901. On March 7, following, Dr. Barnhartt sent the Herald the following: "Rest Sanitarium. Huntsville, Mo., March 7, 1901. Special Telephone Dispatch. Editor herald: This institution has lately been established by Chas. Bagby and D. A. Barnhartt. It is an eleemosynary institution and health and summer resort. All diseases are treated here, but special attention is given to smallpox, chickenpox and itch. The house and grounds are generously donated by our young friend, A. R. Hammett, and has been endowed with a large pile of kindling wood. The building is modern in every respect. It is well ventilated, heated by steam (at a tea kettle) and lighted by electric lightning bugs. It is located 3 miles northwest of Huntsville near Hammett Springs, in a beautiful grove of mustard and jimson trees. There is but one thing that can endanger the success of this institution. We are located among a tribe, not of John Chinamen or Filipinos or cannibals, but of pole cats. they inhabit the upper and lower story and west wing of the institution and number about 100 to 1, there being but three of us. They are much like Indians--your best friend or worst enemy. We began negotiations with them when we came here and have tried to treat them right. We were getting along nicely until this morning. They put on their paint and gave us a war dance in the closet for about three hours. We haven't any weapons of warfare except a skillet and some tin vessels. Please send us a cannon, a dozen Mauser rifles and a good dog. Tell Sheriff Grimes, Joe Hogue and Beau Wayland to have their knives sharpened, as we are liable to need them at any time. 3 a.m.: We have been attacked from three different sides, but we have shown no resistance, but are now negotiating for peace again. Tell Adjutant General Dameron to be ready to call out the militia on a moment's notice. Later--4 p.m.: The batter has been in progress for 30 minutes. They are commanded by Capt. Skunk, who has a helmet of black and white stripes. Frying pans and skillets are flying and Capt. Skunk has blown his breath. We won't know what the casualties are until the smoke of battle has cleared away.--D. A. Barnhartt, Commander-in-Chief. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 2, Col 3--The drowning of the four negro women in the Middle Fork at the Rucker bridge, two miles east of Salisbury at about 12 o'clock Saturday night, attracted big crowds, both white and black, to the scene of the accident all day Sunday or until the last body was found. From parties who were there we learn the following particulars: Six Moberly negroes--four women and two men--Jim Grubbs, Babe Taylor, Vallie Vaughan, Kittie Dameron, and Sallie and Mary Todd, went to Salisbury late Saturday evening to some kind of an entertainment. On their way home they trailed closely to another car that had a tail light, their own car not having any front lights. There is an angle in the road at the Rucker bridge, the bend being about 30 feet from the bank of the creek. The man who was driving the ill-fated car was pretty close to the front car when it made the turn, which deflected its tail light, and the driver of the rear or lightless car thought the front car had crossed the bridge, and did not discover his error until his car was within a few feet of the creek and quickly steering the car, it plunged over the embankment sidewise into the water, settling with front end up. The screams of the negroes attracted the attention of the occupants of the front car and it was stopped. The water in the creek was within a few feet of the top of the banks, and there was a great struggle by the six negroes to save themselves. The women could not swim, and they grabbed the two men who had to fight them off so they could swim out themselves. Two of the women got to the bank, which was steep but could not reach the top of the bank with their hands, and they sank before the two men could give them any assistance. Quite a crowd gathered at the spot for the remainder of the night, but none of the bodies were recovered until late Sunday, and after "Eck" Dameron, a Salisbury negro fortune teller had been consulted, so we learn. When Eck was told of the accident he "went into a trance," and when he "came out" he told his visitors just where the bodies would be found, that three of the bodies would be found at the same spot and the other at another place, none very far from where the car plunged into the creek. The search was made as directed by "Eck" and the bodies found. That is the story as told here. "Old Eck," as he is called, was born and reared in west Silver Creek township, this county, as were one or two of the women drowned. Thursday, 23 Sep 1926, Vol 40, No 21, Pg. 4, Col 1--Eugene Burton, after a month's visit with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wisdom Burton, left Tuesday night for Annapolis, Md., to resume his studies in Uncle Sam's Naval Academy, and from which he will graduate in two more years, and that he will do so with honors is confidently expected by all who know him, for he is an exceptionally bright and studious young man. He is another Higbee boy who will be heard from some day, and that his calling will bring him in the years to come the rank of Admiral is the wish of all. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright notice: All transcriptions in this email are copyrighted by their creator. They may not be reproduced on another site or on any printed or recorded media, CD, etc. without specific written permission from Kathy Bowlin. Although public information is not in and of itself copyrightable, the format in which it is presented, transcriptions, notes & comments, etc. is. It is however, quite permissible to print or save the files to a personal computer for personal use only. Permission is granted to public libraries, and genealogical and historical societies to print and bind for the use of their patrons. Kathy Bowlin Additions, corrections, comments welcome.