Indianapolis Times, Indianapolis, Marion County, 19 July 1938 — Page 11
Vagabond
From Indiana = Ernie Pyle
Story of the Snakes That Met the Challenge of an Infidel Is Phony (Except When Pranksters Help Out).
ORTH BENTON, O., July 19.—A couple of months ago when I visited my parents in Indiana, they were relating a stery told by an evangelist at a “revival meeting” this spring. The story went like this: In North Benton, O., a number of years ago, there was an infidel. On his deathbed he challenged God, “if there is God,” to prove it by putting snakes in his grave. Well, according to the evangelist’s story, they could hardly get the grave dug for the snakes. And even today, the evangelist said, snakes burrow in the grave, and crawl in and out all day long. My parents told me this story and my mother, who is a good Christian, said: “Fiddlesticks, Emest, I don’t believe a word of it. Why don’t you go there and write a column about it?” So here I am in North Benton, looking for snakes. This is a farm town of 200 people. The snake story, as the evangelists tell it, is not true Yes, there was a man ih North Renton who was an infidel His name was Chester Bedell. he was 80. He was quite a character. He did challenge God to put snakes in his grave. But I've talked with old-timers here who krew
|
Mr. Pyle
The Indianapolis
Second Section
Marie—=A Colorful Queen
She Is Remembered for Work
Smee
He died just 30 years ago, when
Chester Bedell intimately, and they don’t remember |
snake incidents connected with his burial, It is true that an occasional snake does crawl into the graveyard. But why not? There are snakes all around here, and a snake doesn’t know a graveyard from a briar patch. There are no snake holes in Chester Bedell’s grave. The lawn around the grave is closely mown. I'll bet there isn't one snake in five vears that crawls right over the grave.
any
Dowager Queen Marie of Rumania, who died yesterday, was an active woman throughout her life. is shown here (center) while taking a speedboat ride in 1929. In the rear seat is her daughter, Archduchess
Hleana.
And now, something about North Benton’s experi- |
ences with this story Apparently Bedell had been dead about 20 before got to circulating. The thing began to take hold about 10 years ago. By now it has reached all over the country become a sort of sinful charm for
the varn
has
the
People have come from every state in the |
'nion. One man hitch-hiked from California. On
recent Sunday there were 3685 tourists at Most of them are intent on proving the story rue. Wh people isn’t, the visitors call 1em liars. Some preachers are especially and have even made scenes. Bedell three children living. towns and one son, who is a farmer miles from here He is T now, say he is an unbeliever, too. he gets mighty fed up with come to glo
1 local say it
oy ! visiting has girls in nearbs a couple of they
at over his father’s grave. Bullets Shot Into Statue
Loong before he died, Chester Bedell had a statue of himself put up in the family plot in the graveyard. It life size, and stands on a stone pedestal higher than vour head One foot of the statue is crushing a scroll entitled “Superstition,” while the right hand holds high a which is written “Universal Mental
is bronze
on
would seem to Chester Bedell that 1g against superstition should merely urther the fires of fanaticism in their righteous wrath, have shot the statue of Chester Bedell. You llet holes ve trampled down all the freshly 1 1 the grave. Tourists have chipped rt of the wall around the Bedell lot. Tourists he grave with sticks. n Saturdays the little boys of North Benton catch snakes and hang them over the Infidel's headme. On Sundays the tourists see the snakes and en Praise the Lord.’ ld we do in this world without ornery
kneel and What wor
Tie Dove
My Diary
Bv Mrs. Eleaner Roosevelt
years ;
The |
the |
Two |
and | And furthermore, | these silly people who |
A part of the Queen's life is outlined in this series of pictures, The photo at the left was taken when she was 15. Then she is shown shortly after her marriage. The inset pictures her at the age of 20,
First Lady Watches the Elephants Take Beauty Treatments at Circus. |
OCHESTER, Minn, Monday —After three hours R in Chicago, I took off at 10 o'clock Saturday morning Rochester, It was a lovely day and I couldn't have asked for a smoother trip. At Rochester, Dr yok me home with them, and then I went over St s Hospital to see James. He was sitting
Far oO Mary's
for i
and Mrs. Will Mayo met me |
Vv dressed and looking extremely well—tanned |
m sittin id been on a sea vovage > to my arrival and said he distinctly heard No, I don't think I have anything to broadApparently everything I said to anvone after the plane had been clearly heard not only by t by everyone who listened to the radio! re lunch I went down and had a talk with of the doctors oon James and I went with Dr. and to the circus. It was my first circus since and Buzz left the White House. But the iliar thrills come back at all ages. I was just as relieved as ever when the lions and the tigers retired from the cage, leaving the lady trainer intact in her blue satin, a ter, the man trainer in red un-
nl ls a 1a
harmed behind them I think what amused me most, however, was the glimpse I had on the way out of an elephant’s beauty treatment. I never before realized that an elephant’s
back is brushed clean with a broom, and that he lies |
down on his side to let his keeper do it. enjovs 1t verv much! One other little incidentwere lined up spick and span for their final parade, one elephant picked up some hay from the ground and threw on his back. You simply can’t say that an elephants looks “sheepish.” but this one certainly had a meek expression as he was called out in front of
keeper brushed h
He evidently
im off all over again. Visits Clinic Building
morning I had some time with James. nother talk with the special doctor in charge of his case, who is giving him airections which must followed during the six weeks he will be away fr At noon, Dr clinic building Dr. Balfour attempted to give in a short hour, a picture of some of the work. edn and experimental, which is econbeing carried on. My space is too limited to tell you about it. but the imagination and vision which have brought about this network of institutions here are so amazing that one stands in awe of the people who accomplished all this the others while doing its own special work. This morning James and I started our flight home to Hyde Park, so that I may fulfill my promise to be nome in three days, and he may go on his way to Campo Bello to continue his cure
Sunday
and 2
be
ana me both
stantliy
satin } cational
Bob Burns Says—
H many people Kickin’ about the high taxes but I don’t know where in the world a man'd g0 to escape em. A lot'a poor people ain't makin any money at all and when a man is lucky enough to have a good income, he cughta be glad for the privilege of payin’ taxes on it I knew a man out here in California that made a lot of money and he was always kickin' about havin® to pay taxes so he picked up and moved to a little town in the Middle Wes:. The second day he Was there, his wife was fined $2 for parkin’ the baby buggy too close to a fire plug and the baby was fined 10 cents amusement tax for suckin’ its thumb. (Copyright, 1838) ’
“
when all the elephants
the others and made to lie down while his |
Mayo took me over to the |
Each institution contributes something to |
OLLYWOOD, July 19.—Nowadays you hear o |!
1g in the sun on the roof, just as though | He had listened over |
Regarded as one of the most beautiful and most intelligent women in Europe, Queen Marie labored tirelessly in the hospitals during the | World War and emerged respected by the world for her work. Here is the Queen as she appeared in 1924,
Side Glances—By Clark
rT
LARA 3 5 A AN
TUESDAY, JULY 19, 1938
at Postoffice,
During World War and Trip to United States
A ARNAIAS + 5. AA ARIAS a ns
She! This photo, taken at Queen Marie's bedside last December, was one of the last made of her. Ill for many months, the 62-year-old
Queen died at the Sinaia royal palace.
Entered as Second-Class Matter Indianapolis
The Dowager Queen is shown here as she arrived in Rumania following her American visit.
and below she poses with two of her children, Carol, then 5, and Princess Ileana, 4. At the right is Marie the dav after her coronation. Marie was married to Ferdinand in 1893, and they had six children,
7 Hp ed
Tag
AA AIA
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oS
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RANE
fin”
Among Marie's failures, one of the most outstanding was her trip to the United States. One of the obJects of the trip was to work up enthusiasm for Rumania to such an extent that a loan could be floated. But the trip was poorly managed and the loan was not made, Marie is shown here (center) as she arrived in this cowdry. With her are Princess Ileana (left) and Prince Nicholas.
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
1—What streetcar line used the old Market St. tracks, now being torn up? 2—Name the last planet that has been discovered. 3—How many consecutive wins has Ralph Guldahl scored in the Western Open golf tournament? 4—What is a metronome? 5—For what state is ‘“‘Apache State” the nickname? 6—Name the straits between Sicily and Italy.
Owen
Copr. 098 by United Feature Syndicate, Ine.
|Jasper—By Frank
Answers
1—The tracks laid in 1888, were used by the Brightwood line and were abandoned in 1922, according to Indianapolis Railways officials. 2—Pluto.
3—Three. 4—An instrument for denoting the speed at which a musical composition is to be played. 5—Arizona. 6—Straits of Messina.
= = a
ASK THE TIMES
Inclose a 3-cent stamp for reply when addressing any question of fact or information to The Indianapolis Times Washington Service Bureau, 1013 13th St, N. W., Washington, D. C. Legal and medical
Gm Nu
"We can't even play a game of croquet without being stared at." * £5
. . .
(
advice cannot be given nor can extended research be underen,
"Here, I've found one of them, buisyou should have been more
8 careful packing up!"
PAGE 11
Ind.
Our Town
' By Anton Scherrer
Squire Walpole Devoted More Time To Chewing Than Talking, but His Quips Circulated Like Everything.
JE XCEPT for its surroundings, the cottage at 812 N. Illinois St. looks just the way it did when Squire Luke Walpole lived in it. The Squire used the house mostly to sleep in for he spent practically all his evenings at
Siegmar Muehl’s “North End Drug Store.” Back in those days a good part of the North Side used to meet every evening after supper at Mr. Muehl's place just to hear what the Squire had to say. Not only that, but to hear how he said it because at that time Luke Walpole enjoyed the reputation of being the town’s greatest and most quoted wit. In the daytime, the Squire had his hands full holding court in Dogberry Row, which was the nickname given that part of Delaware St. opposite the Court House where a lot of lawyers plied their trade. Everybody, including even the lawyers, agreed that Mr. Walpole was not only the squarest squire we ever had, but the most talented tobacco chewer as well. Besides that he had a great historical background. He was a son of Thomas D. Walpole, a prominent attorney, who in turn was a son of the original Luke Walpole who came to Indianapolis in 1822 by way of a keel boat, bringing his wife and 10 children with him. For some reason, though, Luke Walpole, the subject of today's piece, was born in Greenfield. When he was six weeks old he had a case of scarlet fever which left him totally blind. He entered the School for the Blind at Indianapolis, and later the office of Charles Fisher where he picked up his knowledge of the law. In 1880, at the age of 34, he was elected Jus= tice of the Peace and held the office 20 years. Four years later, in 1904, he died. I have burdened you with details because you just have to know about the Squire's life to appreciate his wit. For example, it was in Muehl's drug store one evening that somebody asked him whether he wasn't afraid to cross the street with all the buggy-riding going on. “I didn’t use to have any fear until lately,” said the Squire, “but now that (naming two citizens who had recently married wealthy women) have taken to driving their wives’ horses there may be some danger.” It was in Muehl's drug store, too, that the Squire, speaking of a well-known attorney, said: “He is one of the most even-tempered men I ever knew: he is always in a bad humor.” The bon mot circulated like everything, and a lot of less gifted men appropriated it as their own, but it didn’t fool anybody.
Disowned Famous Joke
The Squire was also credited with the famous Bernhamer joke, despite the fact that he disowned it. Anyway, when Sim Coy, Will Bernhamer and others were tried for forging election tally-sheets (1886) the first jury stood six to six against each of the men except Bernhamer. In his case the jury stood eight to four for conviction. “Poor Bernhamer,” said
Squire Walpole when he heard of it, “poor Bernhamer, he run behind the ticket.”
As for the Squire's skill as a tobacco chewer, I quote from Mr. Muehl's “Etchings from a Corner Drug Store”. “Luke Walpole was a very regular visitor of ours. He would come in and take a chair, raise his feet on the rung of the chair, put his cane up to his chin and listen to the conversation, not saying much himself, and answered when spoken to in monosyllables.” The reason, says Mr. Muehl, was because his mouth was so full of tobacco juice that he was afraid to open it. Then, said Mr. Muehl, “his
Mr. Scherrer
- head would tilt back further and further until his
face would be nearly turned to the ceiling, and finally he would reach down for the spittoon.” At this point the crowd waited breathlessly, because it was always the sign the Squire was ready to spring something quaint.
Jane Jordan
Twins’ Mannerisms Should Enable Girl to Distinguish Between Them.
EAR JANE JORDAN-—I have known and liked a boy for four years. For the past year we have been closer to each other than before. About six months ago my sister was sent to Sunnyside. I had to be examined, too, and they found that I also had tuberculosis but that it wasn't active. Every week we go out to see my sister, but his mother and father don't approve. Before she was sent out there they didn’t care how much we went out together, but now they don't want us to be together. They are afraid that he might get tuberculosis, too. Do you think it is right for a person to give up everything he wants and has just because of something like this? Should a person who has tuberculosis think of marriage? A FRIEND.
Answer—Your boy friend's parents are not taking an intelligent view of the situation. They should be
| guided by the opinion of a good physiciin instead of
their own unreasonable fears. Inactive tuberculosis is
not communicable. It is a well-known fact that all of us carry various germs which never cause any trouble at all except under certain unfavorable conditions when bodily resistance is lowered. To go about in fear of every inactive organism in the body would be to turn life into a purgatory.
Lack of correct information leaves your boy friend's parents a prey to their own fears. Get a statement from your doctor about your condition. If he says you can marry without endangering the health of your husband and future children, do not be influenced by the fearful views of others. Go ahead and live,
»n us 5
EAR JANE JORDAN—I am a girl of 15. I love a boy and he loves me, but he has a twin brother and I cannot tell them apart. They are both very popular in school and everywhere else. I am afraid to speak to him for fear I will speak to the wrong boy. What must I do or say? I do not want to give him up! Please give me your advice soon. TOOTSIE.
Answer—Train your powers of observation. Even identical twins have different mannerisms and you can learn to recognize them if you try. After you find out wherein they are different, don't tell your dis covery for the other might be mischievous enough to imitate his brother more exactly. If this doesn’t work I don’t know what you can do unless you tattoo your initials on your twin. Even then how would you know you tattooed the right boy? JANE JORDAN.
Put your problems in a letter to Jane Jordan, who will answer your questions in this column daily.
New Books Today Public Library Presents—
“PT,'OLLOW me,” said the gentle Christ almost 20 centuries ago—and he explained to his followers the world which he had planned. And since, for 2000 years, Christians have prayed “. . . Thy King= dom come . .. ” in obedience to His will. In this year of our defection, one of His modern disciples has paused to think aloud. Brave thoughta they are, seriously preoccupied with our social and economic problems. THY KINGDOM COME, BUT NOT NOW (Harper) is the evidence of this search for truth conveyed through anecdote and example. And Margaret Slattery tells us that this Kingdom is a most costly thing
-that it would call for all that we are and have.