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| EMMANUEL DANNAN -
The Boy Who
Would Not Tell A Lie. In 1851 a horrendous crime took place northwest of
Dalton on County Trunk B. Eight-year old Emmanuel Dannan witnessed
his adoptive parents, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Norton, kill a traveling
peddler for his wagon and money. Soon people started asking the
whereabouts of the missing peddler. The Nortons learned that
Emmanuel had been telling his adopted sister what he had seen.
They ordered him to lie to the authorities to protect themselves.
Emmanuel refused because he had never lied before and told them he would
not now. The couple tied young Emmanuel to the rafters of their
cabin and whipped him unmercifully. A dozen willow switches
thicker than a man's thumb lie broken on the floor. During his
final ordeal, Emmanuel repeated "Pa, I will not lie."
The Nortons were convicted for the death's of
Emmanuel and the peddler. Both served sentences in the State
Prison.
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Emmanuel was initially
buried in a family cemetery plot. In 1858, his body was
moved to the Greenwood Presbyterian Church Cemetery, west of
Kingston on County Trunk B, where he lies today.
Emmanuel Dannan's story
was forgotten until 1954, when a Milwaukee newspaper ran an
article about "The Boy Who Would Not Lie". The
Montello Granite Company and Milwaukee Monuments donated the
granite monument that marks his grave today. The
dedication of the monument was set aside as National "Truth
Day". People arrived from all over the country for
the ceremonies. Noted people spoke in remembrance of the
little orphan boy who stood for truth. |
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Emmanuel
Dannan
1843
- 1851
"THE
BOY WHO WOULD NOT TELL A LIE"
Blessed are they which are
persecuted for righteousness' sake:
for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven Matt. 5:10
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| ELAINE STILES - Youngest Girl
Newspaper editor in the Nation.
Adam Stiles was the owner, editor,
printer and manager of "THE SPY", the Kingston
newspaper. He passed away without warning on March 25th, 1935 at
the age of 52. His wife, Lily, took her husbands place as Village
Treasurer and was named Editor of the Spy. But it was their
daughter, 17 year old Elaine who would forsake her nursing career to
carry on the family business and become the "youngest girl
newspaper editor" in the nation!
The only training Elaine had was
from watching her father as a young girl and a few hours of press
training from the hired printer on his last day of work. Given her
age and lack of experience...the odds were stacked against her!
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But Elaine sold advertising on
Mondays, promoted circulation on Tuesday, dug for the news all
week, set her own type by hand, and printed 500 copies of the
paper on Thursday. Without modern technology, it took
hours and hours...each letter had to be carefully set by
hand! Additionally, Elaine had to shovel snow and haul
wood in the winter. The office was sometimes below zero
upon arrival in the early mornings and she had to thaw out the
presses.
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The Milwaukee Journal, Milwaukee Sentinel,
San Francisco Examiner and the Chattanooga Times are just a few
of the regional and national newspapers that carried Elaine's
story. The magazines, Look, Life, American and Popular
Science all featured stories about this incredible 17 year old. |
The following is from the Milwaukee
Journal.
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START
TO FINISH SHE'S IT
"Going
to press with the SPY, Kingston Wis., weekly, Miss Stiles begins
her fifth year as reporter, editor, advertising solicitor,
typesetter, presswoman, mailer, job printer and janitor of the
paper. She took over the multifarious job when she was 17,
and is hailed as the youngest girl editor-printer in the
nation. The SPY, a family affair since it began sixty
years ago on tea paper wrappings in a farmhouse near Kingston,
goes to 465 subscribers each week. It takes 1-1/2 hours of
press work." |
US Congressional leaders sent this
telegram in April of 1936:
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Kingston
Spy, Kingston Wis. Outstanding Washington Hill leaders offer
congratulatory comment your Elaine Stiles on spunk in carrying on
family paper. |
Elaine was listed in the second
edition of American Women. She became active in the Wisconsin Press
Club and was a keynote speaker at their 1936 convention. Elaine
ended her newspaper career upon selling the newspaper in 1941.
Elaine became a housewife, mother and grandmother . In 1978, Elaine
Stiles died, leaving a proud legacy and a fine example to all. |
These
stories are excerpts from the local history book "Common Threads" which was
written, assembled and bound by the Friends of the Mill Pond Library in
celebration of Wisconsin's 150th birthday in 1998. Thank You for a truly
wonderful resource of enjoyable reading! Common Threads is available at
the Mill Pond Library for your enjoyment! |
