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THE IOLA REGISTER Locally owned since 1867
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Monday, October 26, 2015
Humboldt honors Civil War soldier Low oil By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register
Above, a procession enters Mount Hope Cemetery as part of a headstone dedication ceremony for John Howard, a Civil War soldier buried in the cemetery, but until recently, without a headstone. At bottom left, Randy Downey of Humboldt places a rose upon Howard’s tombstone. At bottom right, Carolyn Whitaker, portraying Howard’s widow, reads his biography. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Driver faces murder charges after slamming into parade crowd
HUMBOLDT — One of the most prominent grave sites at Humboldt’s Mount Hope Cemetery now has a headstone. At a somber ceremony Saturday, members of Humboldt’s Camp 9 Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and descendants of the late John W. Howard dedicated a headstone in the Civil War soldier’s memory. The ceremony caps a monthslong effort by local historian Carolyn Whitaker who had discovered that Howard, who served with the famed Company I of the Michigan Brigade Sharpshooters during the Civil War, was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery with his wife, Jane, but neither had a headstone. Whitaker found a descendant of Howard living in Oklahoma, met with him in person during Humboldt’s Civil War Days celebration in June, and saw that the tombstone was erected earlier this fall. Camp 9 members paid the fee for the marking of the grave. Howard was born in Ohio, the oldest of six. He enlisted in the Civil War in 1862. He and his fellow Company I members would be paraded through Washington, D.C., when not on the way to battle to show off their marksmanship skills, Whitaker noted. In order to be a part of See SOLDIER | Page A4
prices hit county budgets By JOHN HANNA The Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Lower energy prices benefiting consumers at gasoline pumps have hit oil- and natural gas-producing counties in western Kansas hard, forcing them to cut spending or increase property tax levies just as the state is ending an aid program meant to insulate them from industry downturns. The value of oil and gas property, which is tied to prices at the beginning of the year, declined an average of 52 percent, according to the state Department of Revenue. Sixteen energyproducing counties in western Kansas saw their total property values decrease by more than 20 percent, hurting their ability to raise local tax revenues. Energy producers have experienced boom-and-bust cycles before, and Kansas created a special trust fund a decade ago, setting aside taxes collected from oil and gas production for counties to tap when the industry experiences a bad downturn. But legislators halted the program in 2014 and the state See OIL | Page A4
America’s Pastime
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — A 25-year-old woman accused in the deaths of four people at the Oklahoma State homecoming parade is scheduled to appear in court today, after witnesses said she drove her car into spectators with such force that she sent bodies flying into the air. Adacia Chambers was initially arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after the crash Saturday morning in Stillwater that also injured dozens of people. But late Sunday, police said Chambers was also being held on four counts of seconddegree murder. Chambers, of Stillwater, is scheduled to appear today in Payne County District Court. She has yet to be formally charged. A police statement did not explain the reasons for the new charges, and a spokesman did not return repeated messages seeking comment. Officials with the Payne County district attorney’s office couldn’t immediately be reached. Under Oklahoma law, secondSee PARADE | Page A4
Humboldt was given a glimpse of baseball of yesteryear Saturday when the Topeka Westerns and Wichita Red Stockings played a game under 1860s rules. The old-style baseball featured “blind toms,” (also known as umpires) fielders without gloves and a hand-woven baseball. Other rules unique to the time counted batters as out if the fielders caught the ball before it bounced twice. The exhibition — a pair of games were played , one at Sweatt Park; the other at Walter Johnson — was part of the Smithsonian Museum’s celebration of baseball exhibit, which will remain in Humboldt until Nov. 15. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN
Quote of the day Vol. 117, No. 244
“Never give advice in a crowd.” — Pope Paul VI 75 Cents
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