Former Gazette employee recalls gathering the news
By MARILYN JONES
Ron Kieferle, longtime Peabody resident and now living in Bolivar, Mo., called Peabody this past week to express his pleasure in reading "Days of Yore" in the Jan. 25 edition of Peabody Gazette-Bulletin. "I am going to renew my subscription just because of that. I knew so many of those old-timers."
Kieferle worked for many years at the paper and many more years at the Newton Kansan.
"When the Gazette burned (1967) the first thing we carried out was the old newspaper file. Anna Hodel used to come down to the paper and write up the old news. She worked three or four hours on it and she was paid $1. Esther Fickertt, wife of editor Earl Fickertt, used to collect all the social news, just like Edna Ewert. We always carried the local markets
Kieferle has visited with an old man who once lived in the Lost Springs area and he believes his story about the springs to be accurate. The old gentleman thought the Indians were tired of the white men stopping at their spring and they covered it with dirt. The buffalo came along and sniffed and stomped the water back out. The book "Marion County, Past and Present" by Sondra Van Meter, contains several interesting stories about Lost Springs including the U.S. Army's authorization to plant strawberries and watercress at the springs and other watering holes in hopes the soldiers would eat them and thus prevent scurvy. Kieferle's friend also mentioned the monument erected in 1908 as a marker to preserve the site. He remembered a "time capsule" was buried at that time which was to be opened in 50 years.
A final word to Janet and Susan from Ron was "keep your chin up, you are doing a good job." Kieferle is doing his share in providing news for the Peabody Gazette-Bulletin.
