THE
HOME
NEWS
tUl l tu IN I HE INTEREST OF McCRORY AND WOODRUFF COUNTY
VOLUME 1.
McCRORY, ARKANSAS, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1915
NUMBER 11
PLACES SHOT GUN IN MOUTH
AND FIRES SAME WITH A STICK
John W. Pohnka, 68, Takes Own Life While Alone at His
Home by Shooting Himself Yesterday Afternoon
In a most horrible manner
John W. Pohnka, who resided on
his farm about five miles east of
town, took his own life yester
day, Thursday, afternoon, Oct.
7, about four o’clock by placing
the muzzle of a No. 16, single
barrel shot gun in his mouth and
pushing the trigger with a stick
which he held in his left hand.
The report of the gun was
heard by Jas. Humphreys and
others who were working near
the home and when they inves
tigated they found the lifeless
form with the gun between his
knees and the small stick with
which he fired the same on the,
ground to his left. Mr. Pohnka j
had been paralyzed several years ;
in his right arm and side. Dr. j
R. Q. Patterson, Coroner, of Au
gusta was called and held the
inquest.
the tatal load completely tore
away all of the top and back of
the victim’s head, scattering it on
the tree, under which he had
seated himself on a small box,
and also on the side of the house
nearby.
He was alone and had threat
ened several times before to kill
himself, having talked of throw
ing himself in front of a train.
He tried to shoot himself once
before and his son prevented
At one time it is stated that he
not only asked but demanded of
Ed Elliott that he take his life.
He also asked Jim Humphreys to
kill him.
Mr. Pohnka was born in Stet
tin, Germany, 68 years ago. He
came to this country at the age
of 22 and moved to this county
from Gorham, 111., eight years
ago. He leaves only a son, Will j
J., to mourn his loss.
W. E. Jelks and wife and son,
Ruken, were Tri-State Fair visit
ors the past week.
Dr. G. C. Croon, Dentist, of
Newark is now at the Waverly
Hotel and will remain until Oct.
13. See him now about your
teeth. Adv ‘
Dr. G. C. Croon, Dentist, of
Newark, has located in our city
for the present. He will spend
one half his time here and the
other at Newark. He is now at
the Waverly Hotel and can be
found there the first half of
every month.
COUNTY COURT PROCEEDINGS
At the term of County Court
held by Judge Hutchins last Mon
day the following business was
transacted and we congratulate
our Judge for the excellent man
ner in which he disposed of the
very important matters that
came before him.
The petition of M. H. Patter
son et al asking for the forma
tion of a school district at Jelks
was denied for the reason that
it failed to contain a majority of
the qualified electors of the en
tire McCrory Special School Dis
trict which was being asked to
give up five or six sections of its
territory. The Court informed
Mr. Patterson that it would hold
an adjourned day and hear a pe
tition containing a majority at
any time ana Mr. ratterson
states that he will circulate a pe
tition over the entire district and
try to secure a majority of the
qualified electors. He also stated
that he would circulate his peti
tion among white voters only,
and asked that those who oppose
his efforts do likewise, but he
was assured of nothing along
that line.
In acting on the petitions call
ing for a good road from Pump
kin Bend to McCrory, Judge
Hutchins ordered that any roads
to be changed, or new roads to
be created, would have to be lo
cated only on section lines. He
appointed Messrs R. E. Holder,
W. H. Jimerson and J. T. Atkin
son as viewers and gave them
the power to lecate tne roaa. ne
also stated ihat the viewers could
locate the same elsewhere than
on the lines called for in the pe
titions, but that they would have
to locate the road on section lines
and that it was not necessary
that they confine the location of
the road to only those lines called
for in the petitions. The viewers
were ordered to meet next
Monday.
The petition for a road north
from J. F. Barber’s home was
granted and Messrs J. C. McCro-;
ry, H. C. Hall and W. A. “White
appointed viewers. They were,
ordered to meet Monday, Oct. 18. j
A petition of M. H. Patterson !
et al asking for a road north;
from Jelks was also granted and !
Messrs T. A. Jeffries, J. R. Tay- j
lor and H. T. Raney appointed I
viewers. They will meet Mon
day, Oct. 18.
BREAD CAST UPON THE WATERS
25 YEARS AGO HAS RETURNED j
—
Twenty-five years ago an aged j
gentleman, poor financially but:
rich morally, with a little six
year old son tagging at his knee,
entered the store of Hailey &
Atkinson where now stands the:
modern brick building of the
Thompson-Hailey Co. in this city,
and asked the firm to buy, or
furnish, him a horse with which
to make a crop.
The firm of Hailey & Atkinson i
was then in its infancy, Mr.
Hailey having moved his small
stock of goods valued at about
*300.00 to this city from Jonesboro
and Mr. Chas. Atkinson having
put a few hundred dollars in the
business all of which had been
invested in increasing the stock,
and could not meet the request of
the farmer.
At the door stood one ot the
“biggest” hearted men in all
Woodruff County who heard the
merchant tell the old fellow that
they could not furnish him and
as he stood there almost in tears,
this great big good fellow spoke
up and said that he had a horse
he didn’t need and that he would
be glad to let him have the
use of it.
All the while the little boy was
listening and nothingescaped his
ears and eyes at that particular
moment and when last Saturday
Mr. R. L. Johnson approached
Mr. Jess Daniels who is now a
school director in Pumpkin Bend,
and asked that his daughter, Miss
Lottie, be giverr his support in
the selection of a teacher for the
above school, Mr. Daniels replied,
“I certainly will, and further-!
more I would be the most unloyal
man that ever walked should I
not do anything that you, Mr.
Johnson, would ask of me that'
is reasonable.”
Mr. Johnson could not quite
understand why Mr. Daniels was
and should be so free and earnest:
in extending the favor and asked j
the reason why. Mr. Daniels at
once began to relate the above
story, calling to Mr. Johnson’s
memory the little incident that
happened 25 years ago and as he
told the story he said, “Your
voice sounds just the same to me
today in asking of me such a
small favor as it did when you
granted one much greater and so
quickly to my father when I was
a little bey six years old yonder
in front of Hailey & Atkinson’s
store twenty-five years ago.”
As the elder Mr. Daniels left
town the year of 1890 he went
by the home of Mr. Johnson, se
cured the horse and he and Jess
CLAIMS STURDIVANT LAND
A. A. Black of Little Rock ar
rived Wednesday with his car
penter, F. Houck, also of that
city, to begin improvements on a
piece of land southeast of town
known as the lost forty. Mr.
Black purchased a bill of lumber
from H. D. Swayze and had Jack
Raymond haul the same to the
land which is located just across
the road south of Walter Kirk
sey’shome near Tip.
L. W. Sturdivant, who claims
to hold a deed to the land, im
mediately upon Mr. Black’s leav
ing town in a wagon with the
load of lumber, secured an automo
bile and Deputy Sheriff June Dal
las and a reporter for The Home
News followed in pursuit.
When Mr. Black arrived at the
farm Mr. Sturdivant informed
him that he was the possessor of
the land, that he held a deed to
the same and that he did not
want any house built, pumps
driven or any other improvements
made theron, and that if he un
loaded the lumber for the house
on the land that Mr. Dallas had
a warrant for his (Mr. Black’s)
arrest and that he would be ar
rested for trespassing if he did so.
Mr. Black stated that such a
proceeding would be perfectly
satisfactory but that Mr. Dallas
would just have to arrest him
that he was going to “unload”
and told Messrs Raymond and
Houck to proceed to unload the
lumber and place it over the
fence inside the field, stating
that he held the proper papers
from the government which he
said gave him a right to home
stead the said land, that he was
a law-abiding citizen, had never
been arrested and if he was vio
lating any law that it. was unin
(Continued on Page 3)
rode the animal which was for
merly owned by Mr. John Lewis
and which Mr. Johnson won on a
raffle, home. When the crop had
been made and harvested, Mr.
Daniels returned it to the home
of Mr. Johnson and when he of
fered and insisted on paying for
the services of the animal the
good housewife promptly inform
ed him that there were' no
charges, her husband having left
orders that if Mr. Daniels brought
the horse home during his absence
to not charge higi a penny for
the use of the same.
Truly, those were good did
days twenty-five years ago, and
the biblical story still holds good
that “Bread cast upon the wa
ters will surely some day come
back to you.”