Looking Back Through the pages of the Wapakoneta Daily News
100 YEARS AGO, APRIL 23, 1922
Piening Found Guilty of First Degree Murder in Verdict Returned at 5:20 pm Thursday. Must pay the penalty for the murder of Father Richard Schwieterman with his life— Verdict meets with approval of all who have followed the case since the murder was committed. There is no recommendation for clemency, and unless there is a reversal of the verdict, the
murderer must pay the penalty in the electric chair. The attorney for the defense gave notice that he would move for a new trial. The balloting stood as follows: 1 pm, 8 to 4; 2:30 pm, 8 to 4; 3 pm, 10 to 2; 4 pm, 10 to2; 5 pm, 11 to 1. Final
ballot, 12 for conviction at 5:15 pm. Three men and one woman were opposed to death penalty
on first ballot.
Wapakoneta will extend assistance to tornado sufferers in the northern part of the county next Monday! President Carl D. Fisher of the Chamber of Commerce sounded a call for volunteers to join the throng of workmen who will go out to various farms and assist in picking up the scattered debris and placing the farms in order. All volunteers will be under the direction of chairman-general Gregor Foos. They will meet at 7 am Monday at the city building, and will be assigned for the day’s work to one of the
several farms. Volunteers should be equipped with old clothes and a noon lunch. It might be well to take along a claw hammer, axe or hatchet, and a pair of gloves, it was suggested.
Granville Swartz, manager of the Auglaize Live Stock Association, will go to Chicago
Sunday afternoon with his son-in-law, Chas. Jones. They expect to purchase about 40 to 50
head of stock cattle for shipment to this county and to be distributed among stockraisers here. Auglaize County in the co-operative hipping
circles rates second in Ohio in the number of loads shipped and it is to maintain this high
standing that Mr. Swartz hopes to secure a fine lot of feeders for the stock raisers of this locality.
75 YEARS AGO, APRIL 23, 1947
Twenty members attended the first annual shareholders meeting of the Auglaize Aviation Inc., owners and operators of Port Koneta, which was held last week, it was announced
by Secretary William Petty. A review of operations during the past year opened the meeting. The airport was formally opened June 2, 1946. William Reed, president, presented the balance sheets, showing profits and losses for the past year. Future plans for expansion were discussed. The board of directors, which had been made up of William Reed, Ross Brown, Ira Arnett, William Maxwell, and William Petty, was increased by four members, who were Harry Moore, Bud Abbott, Harold Kennedy, and Ferald Ritchie.
The City Loan and Savings Company held a meeting of its branch managers, supervisors and Lima executives in Columbus. George
Schuler, savings manager, and Charles Corwin, loan manager, attended from Wapakoneta. Announcement was made of the appointment
of Leland Stroh as assistant manager in the company’s Wapakoneta savings department.
Stroh has been associated with the City Loan since March 1941. serving as loan deputy in the firm’s home office.
50 YEARS AGO, APRIL 23, 1972
Safety-service Director Harry Miller has announced the routes for Wapakoneta’s Clean Up Week, May 1 through 5. Miller has directed that all refuse to be picked up must be placed in the alley behind the home. Arrangements are
being made to clean up the entire curt during this week and the cooperation of all citizens is
being requested.
25 YEARS AGO, APRIL 23, 1997
Wapakoneta Daily News staff photographer Brad Avery has won a second place award
in the Associate Press awards competition, held annually for member newspapers. Avery won in the General News Division for a photograph
entitled “An Angel’s View.”
Sister M. Florita Steinke, 85, of the Salem Heights motherhouse, had died. Sister Florita was raised in Botkins. She entered the Sisters of the Precious Blood in 1931. She was an educator for 40 years. Her teaching assignments had
included St. Joseph High School, Wapakoneta.