Moline Railroad Depot

[Ole Granny]

Frank, You have the location of Shorty's Grocery Store correct.  That's what we always called it.  Those buildings all looked about the same in the day.  It was close to the pool hall that was on the west side of Main Street, or could have been the pool hall.  I remember the inside of the store very well.  Remember being treated with Red Hots out of a Round Jar. 

Roma Jean,  The Glasscock's were good people.  My dad was very fond of them.  When you mentioned living near them that brought back memories.

Thanks Dale.  The circus near McGlassons is the one I remember.  Remember my brother getting sprayed by an elephant right in the face.  I felt so sorry for him.  But was sure glad it was not me. 

[Janet Harrington]

Aw the plot thickens. An older sister says she also remembers the signs signifying someone was killed at a RR crossing a few miles south of Howard. She thinks the signs were there in the 50's and looked kinda old then. She also thinks Joe Brown was hit and killed by a train and she thinks it was south of  the rock quarry. Now a new enrelated mystery. My sis & me both remember someone sitting fire to their mattress in Howard jail and dieing from smoke inhalation sometime in the late 50's---possibly. I think it was a citizen of Elk Falls. Who was it ?? Or is my whole family crazy as a pet coon and just dream up this nonsense ??

Jarhead, there have only been two people that have died in the Elk County Jail.  One hung himself after being arrested for forgery and this was when the jail was a two story building that sat where the current jail sits, maybe a little to the south.  If I was at home, I could give you the entire news article.  This man was from Wilson County and was arrested after committing forgery at the 1st National Bank of Howard.  Glen Miller remembers this happening as he was a young officer at the bank at the time.  I really can't remember who the sheriff was, but I believe it was Sheriff Carter, Mary Hope Wiseman's father.  The other one that died was Brent Baty, who, as we all know, hung himself in the current jail under the current administration.

Now for the mattress burning incident, I think that was a Vestal, maybe someone called Jr.  Anyway, he and some others thought they would set the mattress on fire because Sheriff Ford was on vacation and Marvis Gaddie and Trooper Jim Gaddie were staying at the apartment at the sheriff's office.  These guys thought they would scare Marvis and get her to let them out and they would escape. However; Marvis was not able to smell anything, so these guuys were choking from the smoke before Trooper Gaddie arrived and found out what they had done.  I don't think anyone went to the hospital or anything, but it was an escape plan that didn't work.

[jpbill]

Ooops, hit the wrong button.  Anyway, when Shorty's Grocery was just south of the Moline Mercantile, "five stores in one",  the pool hall owned by Pete Peterson then Poor Ole George Bailey, was on the east side of Main street about where the Post Office is today.

[jarhead]

Janet,
Ha !!!! That sounds like something Junior Vestal would do but don't think he could get away very fast in a 'prison break' as he had two wooden legs---or I should say plastic,or what ever fake limbs are made of. That incident was probably the mid 70's and the one I was referring too was in the 50"s. It's quite possible it was a "myth" told to this young lad, but also could have happened in a city jail, instead of county  lock-up, because I think back then most towns still had a jail. I remember a couple of high school classmates back in mid 60's that served time in Longton jail. If you got with-in yelling distance it always cost you smokes and a promise to repay you when they got out of the slammer if you would go to the cafe and get them a cheese burger and a malt. Cleo Vestal,the city marshall ,still throwed "rowdy customers" in Longton jail,overnight, clean up into the early 70's.

[ddurbin]

On Jan 23 in this thread, I mentioned a train fatality that occured west of Moline.  Here is the news article on that from THE MOLINE ADVANCE, dated Nov. 12, 1914
Struck by Train   Fatally Injured
Deaf Stranger Gave His Name As A. T. Carson
Accident Two Miles West of Town Sunday---Lived Till Tuesday

Sunday morning an engine and caboose backing into Moline struck a stranger walking along the track two miles west of town, on the Chas. H. Wilson farm.  The man was deaf and did not hear the train, though every warning was given.  They came upon him while rounding a curve and the man stepped to one side and the train men supposed he was getting off the track, but he only stepped to one side the rail, so that the caboose struck him on the side of the head and back.

He was taken up by the crew and brought into Moline, still conscious, and taken to Dr. Shaffer's Hospital, where it was found that the skull was fractured, his shoulder blade, collar bone and several ribs were broken and severe internal injuries were sustained.

He gave his name as A. T. Carson, said he had no family, and said he had worked on the railroad but was now out of work.  He said he had been deaf six years.

He lingered until Tuesday morning when he succumbed to his injuries, but before he died he gave the address of a brother at Mansford, Oklahoma.  A telegram was sent to this brother and an answer was received that he was on his way here.  Thursday morning, T. H. Carson of Mansford, Oklahoma, arrived accompanied by another brother, S. E. Carson of Okmulgee.  They have made arrangements for the burial of their brother here.

A. T. Carson was 65 years of age and was a single man.  He had worked at railroading and other kinds of labor and had no home of his own.  His brother, T. H. and S. E. Carson have asked the Advance to express their sincere thanks to the people of this community for all the kindness shown their brother since his accident.