Rats and Guys

Posted Sunday, December 16, 2007, at 10:32 AM

While doing some research the other night on another topic, I happened across a New York Times article on the consolidation of Jasonville, Coalmont and Midland. It is hard to believe that the Shakamak consolidation would be newsworthy enough for the New York Times. Of course, if you happen to read the Times occasionally, you'll see a lot of odd bits of news that make you wonder why anyone would be interested in these topics at all. The consolidation across county lines was not a popular idea with a lot of folks back in 1963. I had always heard this, but I never really understood why it would matter. Here is a quote from that article, "About a hundred parents, charging that their children were being transported to "condemned" and "rat infested" schools, blocked off Coalmont High School with trucks and wagons today and turned away 360 students ready for the first day of classes… The parents want their children to attend the newly built, well-equipped Coalmont High School instead of two older schools at Jasonville and Midland, Ind." I didn't get to Shakamak as a young student until the fall of 1965 and I started at the Junior High School at Park Street in Jasonville. I thought about this for a long time, trying to remember any confrontations that I might have had with some nasty rats, but I just don't recall any rats during that year…they must have killed them all before I got there. The article goes on to quote a spokesman for the group, "The recent school reorganization forces them to attend classes more than 40 miles away at a grade school and junior high school that are crawling with rats and are fire hazards as well." Unless there was a dramatic shift in tectonic plates between 1963 and 1965, that distance didn't even approach 40 miles. It is probably a little closer to 4 miles from Jasonville to Coalmont, maybe it was a typo or maybe they misquoted the learned spokesman from Coalmont.

By the way, I had to look up this definition the other day: "guy: to jeer at or make fun of; to ridicule". I bring this up because I also found another article during my research that was titled, "Guyed Her Audience; Shot". This was taken from another New York Times article from February 22, 1906, about a lady by the name of Miss Pearl E. Elvyn, who was the leading lady with the Chicago Stock Company, which was playing an engagement in Linton, Indiana. Evidently Miss Elvyn made some disparaging remarks about Linton and the local residents, which didn't quite go over real well with the entire audience. The article states, "Some of the audience enjoyed the jokes and applauded, but others took the "roasts" seriously, and resented them with hisses and cat-calls." The article goes on to say, "Miss Elvyn continued to "guy" the audience, and a man in the rear of the theater rose, drew a revolver, and aiming it at the actress, fired." (As Rodney Dangerfield often said, "Now I've got to tell you, that's one tough crowd.") The article continued with, "She fell to the stage, slightly wounded in the leg. Instantly the house was in turmoil." I laughed out loud when I read that. Can you imagine a theater not being in turmoil after the leading Lady was shot by a member of the audience? (Other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?) The article ended with this, "The man who fired the shot was sought for, but he had escaped from the building or was lost in the struggling, excited crowd. Persons who sat near him say he acted as if he were intoxicated." End of story, seriously, that was the end of the story. I have been frantically researching this story since I found this, because that cannot be the end of this story. I'm now asking, does anyone have any additional information on this story? Does anyone have an old drunken grandfather or great-grandfather, who would have secretly confessed to have shot this actress? Maybe the guy who was "guyed", was finally apprehended and served his time, maybe we'll never know.

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Reminds of while I was living in the Deep South I heard a story of a kid asking his teacher how to spell "rat". She said,"r-a-t". He said, "Not that kind of rat, I mean like I want something rat now."

-- Posted by Chris&Jeremy'sDad on Mon, Dec 17, 2007, at 6:46 AM

Regarding the Consolidation Article I know simmons that was probably a missquote caused by the Lewis Twp Broag-as it was called by the ISU proffessors English Department in the late 50's early 60's. It seams a lot of the settlers spoke almost with a Drawl all their own..

With that-- this spokesman was probably streaching it to the limmit and said 14... (as from the very north at OLD Hill to the very south at Ellis Water Tower you could get close to 14miles)

I happen to kinda know a little about that Consolidation -- but it was kinda painful to my Grandfathers. One voted for the consolidation because of 2 things --- I might elaborate later The other Grandfather was a leader in the Anti-consolidation effort-- BUT I dont think he took a gun with him that morning you mentioned but some did.

-- Posted by silerCityDude on Mon, Dec 17, 2007, at 11:02 AM

Update from the Chicago Public Library on the subject of Miss Pearl Elvyn. The Chicago Daily Tribune reported on February 23, 1906 that, "Miss Elvyn was removed from the stage. Her wound was found to be a slight one, the bullet having penetrated the fleshy part of her leg. While painful, the hurt is not serious, and she will be able in a few days to resume her part."

What a trooper she must have been, but, like they say, the show must go on.

The same article continued with, "Diligent search was made today for the man who fired the shot but without avail." The drunken Linton gunman must have escaped to create future turmoil in other theaters.

-- Posted by simmons on Tue, Dec 18, 2007, at 6:42 PM

I think I know who it was--- He was recreating the Lincoln Assassination (as you recall Boothe pretended to be drunk as well when he went into the theator) and just thought the lady was ABE-- she was a good actress I have read! LOL!

oh Simmons If it dont cost you ( I know the Times likes to do that) I would like the link to the Coalmont story to see if they quoted any of my KIN.

-- Posted by silerCityDude on Tue, Dec 18, 2007, at 9:41 PM

oh Simmons If it dont cost you ( I know the Times likes to do that) I would like the link to the Coalmont story to see if they quoted any of my KIN.

-- Posted by silerCityDude on Tue, Dec 18, 2007, at 9:42 PM

I've already paid for it and have a .pdf copy of the article if you would like me to email it to you.

-- Posted by simmons on Tue, Dec 18, 2007, at 11:42 PM

As a graduate of the first consolidating year I can attest to some of the events that took place back then. It was really frightening to think that you have to be confronted with those situations. After all it wasn't the students idea to consolidate and the parents were not happy either. This decision was made for economical reasons and you just had to deal with it, like it or not! Now, some forty plus years later, I believe they have an excellent school program and don't have the same type of problems with students and parents as they did back in 1963-64

-- Posted by #1LakerFan on Wed, Dec 19, 2007, at 8:43 AM

I would like that if you dont mind.. If I could figure out I would pay you some.

BigE246@aol.com

#1--- my fathers father was on the Lewis Twp board that made the decision. Economics were not the driving force persay. The boards were told the STATE would put them together (just like Mitch's team suggested last week) and 4 area boards decided they best do it before the state made them... I can give you a few of the GORRY details that I was let in on after time had cooled them off. I actually believe that The stress of that caused my grandfather a lot of pain. He knew what they had to do, but even paid money to help fight it because he really didnt want to do it.

And mom's dad was one of the leaders of the opposition; one of the men you met that first morning #1.

OH and yes the OLD Jville school was infested with rats--- but they did the best they could to get them out before you got there Simmons.. LOL!

-- Posted by silerCityDude on Wed, Dec 19, 2007, at 8:35 PM

I was in the last graduating class from Jasonville and I never saw a rat. We did have a problem with pieces of the ceiling in the government room falling on our heads, though. But that kept us awake in Mr. Bolen's class!!

-- Posted by DianneM on Sun, Jan 6, 2008, at 9:34 AM

Constructive and Imaginary Ambiguity

Keith Sims

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