Belpre's Bathing Beach

Marietta Daily Times, December 10, 1924

Belpre's bathing beach, which commanded a lot of attention in the local courts a year or so ago, came back on Wednesday for a further airing when two damage suits were called in common pleas court. More than $11,000 are involved in the two cases and they were to be tried to a jury starting on Wednesday afternoon.

Joseph Keever of Parkersburg, and Carl Medley of Hockingport, are the plaintiffs, and each sues for $5,150 in damages for false arrest and destruction of business.

Last year, it is declared, the two plaintiffs obtained a license from the town council of Belpre to operate a bathing beach on the dead end of East Fifth Street in Belpre. Earl Harbart and Samuel and Rosa Woomer had them arrested and ejected from the premises on the charge that they were trespassing on private property. The plaintiffs were bound over to the grand jury and the latter failed to indict.

As soon as the case thus collapsed, suits for damages were instituted and the outcome will be of general interest in Belpre and the southern end of the county, as all of the parties are well known. Judge C. M. Showalter of Parkersburg, and Asa E. Ward of Marietta, are counsel for the plaintiffs, while the defendants are represented by C. T. O'Neill and J. C. Brenan of Marietta, and William Beard of Parkersburg.

Local Paintings Win Appreciation

The Marietta Daily Times, June 19, 1944

More than 100 appreciative guests attended the art exhibit sponsored by the students of the A. James Weber School of Painting held Sunday afternoon and evening in the Catholic Community Center club rooms. The exhibit comprised 50 pictures, including landscapes, still life, and flower studies.

Several of the landscape paintings depicted various familiar scenes in Marietta and views of the Ohio River.

Students exhibiting work at this time included Mrs. R. Douglas Pinkerton, Mrs. Bertha Hamilton, Mrs. W. V. Hayes, Mrs. Fred B. Garman, Mrs. S. M. Thurlow, Miss Julia McMorris, Miss Alice Hamilton, Miss Clara McEvoy, Mrs. Robin S. Baker, Mrs. J. Ellis MacDonald, Mrs. Frances Mason, and Mrs. Carolyn Bennett.

Due to the wide interest shown, the exhibit will be continued through today and townspeople are invited to call at the Community Center at 7 o'clock tonight. 

Out-of-town guests attending the exhibit yesterday were Mr. and Mrs. William T. Beam of Moundsville, W. Va. and Mrs. Stanley Wallace of Des Moines, Iowa.

Local Woman Acrobat Falls From Top Tent

The Register-Leader, June 14, 1915

The Wynkoops - Dancers, Acrobats, Aerialists. From the Harry P. Fischer Collection, Marietta College.

When she became exhausted by heat while doing a "swinging ladder single" with the Heber Brothers Circus at Deshler, Ohio, Friday afternoon, Mrs. Earl Wynkoop [Leota Rice] of this city fell from the top of the tent, twenty feet into the reserve seat section. Her left arm was broken and her right arm and back was badly sprained. She was also badly bruised about the body.

Mr. and Mrs. Wynkoop and daughter, whose work was one of the features of the Heber Brothers Circus, arrived home Saturday and are now with Mr. Wynkoop's parents on Fort Street. Mrs. Wynkoop is reported to be resting nicely and they hope to join the show later in the season.

The accident was due to the intense heat which caused Mrs. Wynkoop to faint while she was swinging in mid air near the top of the tent. Crashing through the ropes and narrowly missing tent poles, Mrs. Wynkoop alighted among the spectators in the reserve seat section. For a time it was believed that she had been killed.

A panic was narrowly averted when the woman alighted in the audience. Many people narrowly escaped injury.

"The Heber Brothers Greater Show Circus was a Columbus based family circus started by Reginald "Pop" Heber in 1907 and existed until 1917. Here is a rare photograph of the interior of the big top tent showing the band in the foreground with the trapeze on the left and the expectant crowd of circus goers." From collections of the Columbus Metropolitan Library - Columbus Memory

Shooting to Kill Charged

Marietta Daily Times, June 24, 1919

Charged with shooting with intent to kill, Mrs. Albert Hutchinson of near Beavertown is in the county jail awaiting arraignment before Justice C. T. O'Neill on a warrant sworn out against her by her husband, who was shot through the upper part of the right arm after an altercation with her on Saturday afternoon. The woman was brought to the city at midnight on Monday by Constables Devol and Willison of this city.

Hutchinson and his wife are said to have had trouble when he took her to task for improperly milking a cow. She resented the imputation and started for him with a butcher knife, which he took away from her, it is said. 

Going into another room and closing the door, the woman got a revolver and fired through the closed door, it is said. The bullet entered the husband's right arm just above the shoulder and lodged. Dr. Rowles of New Matamoras, who was summoned later, removed the bullet.

When the local constables received news of the affair, they started for the Hutchinson farm about noon on Monday. Arriving there they found the house deserted and, after a careful search around the premises, failed to locate Mrs. Hutchinson. It is thought that she had gone to New Matamoras to learn what steps had been taken to arrest her.

The officers decided to wait at the house, since she had not taken any extra clothing and they expected her back later in the evening. She returned home at 9 o'clock in the evening.

It is expected that her hearing will be held Tuesday afternoon. A. T. Williamson has been retained as counsel for the defendant.