The primary election was participated in by more people in Rooks County than in any former year, thereby fulfilling in a large degree the purpose of its creators. A. G. Schneider is nominated for representative by a majority of 32 votes. Ross Southard gets the nomination for county clerk over the present incumbent Mrs. Eades by 175 votes. Floyd Clayton is re-nominated for register of deeds by a majority of 251 over A. E. Hawk. Frank Phelps was the high man among the six candidates for sheriff, having a lead of 101 over his nearest competitor, Mr. Van Horn. Jim Lala of Ash Rock Township won the honors for commissioner in the first district. Mr. Van Dyke was second and Mr. Dougherty third. The contest among the Democrats was also for sheriff, and A.C. Gillilan got it by a safe margin.

The Stockton ball club went over to Damar Sunday and walloped the Damarites to the tune of 20 to 3. Stockton has had an unbroken series of victories for quite a while. It is hoped the boys will soon go up against something nearer their size before they get swelled up.

On Saturday afternoon another disastrous conflagration was suffered by Woodston by which the post office building, Woodman Hall, Murphy’s Restaurant and Wilson’s Produce House were all destroyed. The fire started in the kitchen of the restaurant, which was owned by Ernest Murphy. Mrs. Swank had done the cooking for the dinner and had gone out leaving Mr. Murphy in the front part. When he discovered the blaze, it was past his control. There was an opening of about fifteen feet between his building and the corner building on the west, occupied by the post office. This quickly caught and was soon in flames. The wind blowing from the south enabled the crowd that had gathered to remove nearly all the contents, including mails, fixtures, Woodman furniture and the player piano from above the restaurant. The total loss is probably in the neighborhood of $6,000.00, covered by partial insurance. This is the sixth fire Woodston has had within a year, all of them costly. The post office building was owned by Frank Shutts, whose mill was burned some months ago.

A poem immensely popular thirty years ago, recited by famous readers to delighted audiences, told how the mighty Casey struck out when everything depended on him. A similar situation arose on Sunday last and by a strange coincidence Arley Case (know as Casey to his friends) came to bat at the close of the 9th inning with an even score of the teams to break, two men on base, one man out and the whole result depending on his striking the ball. Our Casey had no such record as a batter that the Casey of old held, in fact he hadn’t had a hit all season. The situation was tense. Will Casey do it? He did! And after a generation, Casey had his redemption!

The Fourth has come and gone, and everybody declares it was a glorious day for the small boy and all other ages of American patriotic citizens. We advertised it as an old-fashioned Fourth, the din of exploding crackers was incessant from early morn till late at night. The grove was early filled with families who brought their dinners and ate them with unusual relish under the welcome shade of the elms and ash.

M. Jepson, just east of town, harvested last week a pretty fair crop of oats from a field of 35 acres on which last fall he had sown wheat. Last year the field had produced oats and enough had rattled out to make a good even stand. In the fall Mr. Jepson sowed wheat, which because of dry weather, did not germinate, or rather the oats got there first and took the ground. The old scriptural phrase: “Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap,” finds its exception in Kansas where the unexpected always happens.

Last Saturday morning at two o’clock people living near the culvert bridge on east Main Street were aroused from their slumbers by a tremendous crash and then all was silent. In the morning a small Dixie flyer car badly demolished was astride the cement guard at the side of the roadway No mangled forms of victims were to be found in the neighborhood, nor did the owner of the car appear to tell how it happened and all sorts of speculations were made as to how it got there and how badly the driver was hurt. At ten o’clock Ralph Hickerson of Osborne, showed up and said it was his car. He had hit the side of the bridge in the dark and was thrown out in the ditch, but was not hurt. He got up, went to bed and had a good sleep before investigating as to the injuries of the car.

The funeral obsequies for Mr. John Shaw were held at the beautiful home on Second Street north and were attended by a large number of sorrowing friends who filled the house, the porches and the yard in front. The deceased by his upright and blameless life, his ready sympathy, and the gentle courtesy he maintained in all his relations to his fellowman made him a friend to everybody and a everybody his friend.

Seldom has this community received such a shock as when the directful message came shortly before noon on June 1st that our honored citizen, M. J. Coolbaugh, had passed away suddenly at the Research hospital in Kansas City. He had left for an operation, but in full expectation that he would return within a month, recovered from the bladder trouble that had developed shortly before, and which was not considered by his physicians very serious. The immediate cause of this was not directly due to his trouble, though contributing in some measure to the collapse that came with such haste. There had been no operation yet on the morning of his demise, as he was sitting up and with great pleasure welcomed his son, Chas., who had just arrived from Stockton. A blood test was taken and while there he was suddenly stricken and in a very short time had ceased to breathe. A blood clot or hemorrhage near the heart had occurred. He had had an attack of flu some weeks ago, which greatly weakened him and he had recently had his teeth drawn. Morris Coolbaugh was a man of ready sympathy and kindly impulses toward all mankind, which he carried out in every relation, public or private, domestic or social. He was indeed part of the community of life, and his going is generally considered a calamity, for his hearty cooperation can no more be given. He was faithful and devoted in his religious life, a constant church and Sunday School attendant, and a supporter of all their activities. Mr. Coolbaugh was a member of the Stockton Congregational Church and a valued deacon at the time of his death at the age of 59 years, seven months and 25 days.

News of the death of this fine old gentleman caused sorrow among his many friends in this community. W.S. Bird was apparently in his usual health, when the summons came. He was driving a lot of chickens into the chicken yard and probably overexerted himself, causing a stoppage of the heart, and he died before he could be brought into the house. Bird, a Civil War veteran, began his earthly pilgrimage on April 23rd, 1846, which extended through a period of 76 years and six days.