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Note: 988:
"WILLIAM [RUFERT] rented or leased a large parcel of land called Indianola Ranch, on which grain and fruit trees were grown. It must have been a large operation employing several people, as they hired a Chinese cook and ADA MCNARY was employed as a "hired" girl. She later married the eldest son, CARL."
The Ruferts moved to California in 1888 from Lawrence, Kansas. Here is an excerpt of an event, which took place in Fowler in 1894:
From: "Clough and Secrest, Fresno County: The Pioneer," in a chapter discussing Chris Evans and the other bandits of the era the authors wrote:
"On January 11, 1894, while Evans and Morrell were at large, a holdup took place at Fowler. At the town train station, agent George A. Leon was robbed by a man masked in a red bandana. Pat Lahey and H. A. Milligan, also inside the station, were robbed along with Howard A. Harris and A. A. Vincent. The latter pair had spied the goings on from the outside and had attempted to report them, but the bandit snared the men before they could slip away. He then identified himself as Ed Morrell, and herded his victims across the street to the Kutner-Goldstein store. There, Constable Ochs spotted the robber and engaged him in a gun battle---only to wound Lahey and Mulligan, and get shot in the hip himself. During the fracas, the bandit got away."
From: "Descendants of James McNary," by Elizabeth Reed and Sally Emerson:
Possibly from: the "Fresno Herald & Democrat," Dec. 1902 [married Dec. 3, 1902]:
"A Pretty Wedding
"At the residence of the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.E. MCNARY, one mile west of Sanger, last Wednesday evening, the wedding of Mr. CARL F. RUFERT and Miss ADA MAE MCNARY was duly solemnized by Rev. W. C. Scott, in the presence of a few relatives and friends of the contracting parties. The parlor was prettily decorated with evergreens interlaced with chrysanthemums, the bridal couple standing beneath a pendant silver star while the words were being spoken that joined them in the holy bond of matrimony."
"Mr. Arthur T. Rufert was the best man, and Miss Ola [Viola] McNary the bridesmaid. Two little flower girls, Misses Ethyl McNary and Atha Callaban, also attended the bridal couple during the service, at the conclusion of which the bride and groom received the hearty congratulations of everyone present, a ???h-light picture of the group was taken and then all were invited to partake of a bounteous wedding supper. The Herald editor was kindly remembered with some of the wedding cake."
"At an early hour, the bride and groom took their departure for Fresno, where they boarded the midnight train for S. F. and will spend the honeymoon there. They will make their home at the Indianola vineyard upon their return from the city, and the Herald joins a large circle of friends in wishing them a long and happy life. Among those present on this occasion were: Mr. and Mrs. WILLIAM. F. RUFERT of Fresno, Mr. and Mrs. I. [supposed to be J.] E. MCNARY, parents of the bride, Mr. and Mrs. A. H. McNary, Mr. and Mrs. Loesch of Fresno, Mr. and Mrs. Corbly, Clarence Rufert of S. F., Oscar Rufert, Chas. McNary, Maud, Edna and Kenneth McNary."
From: information from Ed Rufert relayed by Fern Rufert in a letter to Alice Lockie:
"Arthur and CARL were boys, Arthur was 12, when the family moved to California and settled in the Sanger area. When still single, he worked on a grain harvester for several years (no tractor). A couple of years or more, he was the teamster driving a 20-head and more team with a 'jerk-line'. A year or so, he worked on the machine as a sack sewer. As a teamster and sewer, he worked from sun-up to sun down for one dollar a day and room and board."
"Arthur and his brother, CARL, bought the place on Adams Avenue at Fowler in 1902 for $8,000…half-improved acreage and adobe house with walls 3 feet thick. Arthur and Viola Rufert were married in November 30, 1904, in Barton County, MO. They lived on the ranch where he worked for Dr. Wilson. The ranch was located about midway between Del Rey and Fowler. He recalls hearing our mother tell about the house shaking during the quake that devastated San Francisco in 1906."
From: "The Genealogy of the Rufert Family:"
"After CARL married ADA MAE MCNARY in 1902, he and his brother Arthur, who married Viola [McNary] became partners in a vineyard of 40 acres in Fowler. They lived in an adobe, four room house where DOROTHY RUFERT was born in 1903. CARL and ADA moved to Selma and purchased a small vineyard and continued to live there until their respective deaths."
From: "Memories of Mom," 1983, by Frances Rufert Schorr:
"I am told that I arrived on a Sunday morning, the 8th of August, 1915. I was the third of three girls. The oldest one, DOROTHY, was twelve at the time. She had arrived weighing in at a skimpy two pounds. MOTHER [ADA MAE MCNARY RUFERT] kept her in a shoe box, and slid her wedding ring up above the baby's elbow! Mable, six at my arrival, had weighed a modest seven pounds. I arrived at an undignified eleven pounds. I walked alone at nine months of age. German GRANDPA RUFERT lived with us at that time [WILLIAM FREDERICK RUFERT died on June 11, 1918. His wife ELIZABETH SCHULTZ RUFERT had died in February 27, 1914, the year before Frances was born], and whenever he reached for his hat, I was ready to go too. I loved the out-of-doors then, and have never lost that love."
Two Letters from ADA MAE MCNARY RUFERT
Irwin, MO Sept. 22 [1916]
"Dear CARL,
Well, we are home after a nice visit with Hylas' folks. We certainly enjoyed our trip over there but we were so tired when we got home, and when we got here, PAPA [JAMES EDGAR MCNARY] got your letter. I read that and felt pretty well until this morning. We got Ola's [her sister, VIOLA MCNARY RUFERT] letter saying the Doctor thought Lorena [her sister, LORENA MCNARY HOLT] needed an operation, so I am undecided what to do. I tried to get PAPA and MAMA [JAMES EDGAR and SUSANNAH ELEANOR MCNARY] to say what they thought about it, but they didn't know what to say. Finally PAPA said you folks would just have to use your own judgement. Said if the Doctor was much of a Doctor, he ought to know what to do, but I would advise them to have another Doctor before they decide, remember Lilly R. case."
"Sunday eve. Well we got Hylas' letter yesterday saying Lorena was better so I'm planning on staying until Mon. Oct. 2, then I will go to L. A. and make the folks a short visit and come home Sat. I think I'll check my trunk to Fresno and pay storage on it there and if you are not there to meet me, I come back to ?Monmouth on the first train. I feel as though I ought to be home now, but the folks here just won't listen to me coming unless you write for me."
"Mr. and Mrs. Isenhour were here for dinner today, also Aunt Lizzie. Tomorrow we will sew, Tuesday I go to the farm, Wed. we go to Harvey's, Thursday I wash, then get ready to start for home."
"Tell DOROTHY [ADA MAE's oldest daughter] I have been helping Flossie with the work and did not get her dress finished. MAMA [SUSANNAH ELEANOR MCDOWELL MCNARY] has been in bed with a cold ever since we came home from Mr. Holts'. She has been up this afternoon."
"Well we will be glad to get home and eat bread and milk. I told the folks I was never coming home again unless they would promise not to take me anywhere to eat. I don't feel as if I had had any rest since I got here, there are so many places for the baby to get into, & places to get hurt. I must close now, for I must write to GRANDPA [WILLIAM FREDERICK RUFERT ]. I had intended to write to him once a week but seems I can't find time to do what I want to do."
"Mabel says she is ready to start home if Uncle Milton will come home with us."
Lamar, MO Sept. 26
"My darling CARL,
"Can you remember the proud feeling we had thirteen years ago today when we realized we had a little baby girl. I have been thinking of her and you today. We came out early, started to go with PAPA when he came out to bind corn with the corn binder, and after we were here the boys decided to go to Dennis's sale. Milton bought a riding cultivator. They said everything sold very cheap. I, and the children have been alone most of the day, so I've had time to think, but Frances has kept me busy enough so not to get lonesome."
"You all tell me Lorena is getting better, but somehow I feel it's only to not spoil my visit. I try hard to believe it but I feel uneasy about her. I told the folks when I first came I didn't want to go much, but it's been go or someone come most of the time. How are the grapes? Are they all picked now? I guess I won't get more than one more letter from home. The folks object awfully hard, but I'm going to start for home next Monday on the 11:30 train, leave K. C. 11:00 p.m. Monday, go to LA visit 24 hours with Charlie [her brother Charlie McNary] and start for home Friday night."
"Perhaps I had best send you a telegram from LA. Didn't I tell you I got the money order? I meant to. Well, I have received two now, I hope to have one left when I get home but I wouldn't if it were enough for a coat, but coats are as high here & there. I though I could get one for ten, but nothing doing."
"Wed. morning we are having a big blow here. The wind blew all day yesterday and all night and is at it harder than ever this morning, as bad as our worst sand storms, but not so much sand."
"Well, I must close now and get the children ready to go to Harvey's. The folks will come by pretty soon. Tell DOROTHY I may not get her dress there until I come. Lots of love from your old sweetheart. Will write you a line again in a few days."
ADA MAE."
From: "Memories of Mom," 1983, by Frances Rufert Schorr:
"When I was fifteen months and twenty days old, my MOTHER died. She had stayed at home from church because I had a cold. She was fixing dinner and had opened a jar of home-canned beans and tasted them. They were not good. Later her throat started to paralyze, and she could not talk. DAD [CARL FRANCIS RUFERT] called a specialist from Fresno and a specialist from San Francisco happened to be visiting him, so they both came. There was nothing to be done. She wrote on a pad, "I don't want to die. Who will take care of my baby?" She lived three days. This is what my sister, DOROTHY, has told me. According to her death certificate, she died of a Quincy sore throat."
Two months following her return home from Missouri to Selma, CA, ADA MAE MCNARY died of botulism poisoning, in November 1916. The Selma Irrigator, Dec. 2, 1916:
"ADA MAE RUFERT Passed Away-ADA MAE RUFERT, a native of Missouri, aged 35 years, 2 months and 12 days, died at her home near Selma, November 29, 1916, at 8 a. m. Deceased was the wife of CARL F. RUFERT, and is survived by her husband and their three daughters. She came to California and to Selma sixteen years ago. Funeral will take place after the arrival of relatives from Missouri."
From: the "Fresno Morning Republican," Thursday, November 30, 1916, page 17:
"Births, Marriages, Deaths. Died. Rufert. In Fowler. Mrs. Carl F. Rufert, native of Missouri, aged 35 years. Funeral services tomorrow at 2:00 o'clock, at the home, five miles south of Fowler, in charge of Rev. Shiffler of Selma. Interment at Fowler. She is survived by a husband and three daughters."
And from the "Selma Enterprise," of Dec. 4, 1916 issue:
Funeral of Mrs. C. F. RUFERT-Funeral services for Mrs. CARL F. RUFERT were conducted at the Presbyterian church at 2 p.m. this afternoon by the Pastor, the Rev. S. F. Shiffler, and were followed by interment in Fowler cemetery. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. [JAMES] E. [EDGAR] MCNARY arrived today from Lamar, Missouri, whence they had started so soon as they learned of her serious illness. Her death, following an illness of but a few hours, was due to an unusual form of paralysis, which attacked the nerve centers controlling the throat, and extended rapidly to the muscles which control the act of breathing."
Elizabeth Reed, granddaughter of ADA MAE, related her mother DOROTHY's description of what occurred, "Mom had told me of the agony she had gone through before she died. She had opened a jar of home-canned string beans and she said, "These don't smell good", but she took a sip and immediately spit it out. But she must have swallowed a bit, because within the hour she was vomiting and having a hard time breathing. They immediately called the doctor who came later in the evening with a friend who was visiting him, who also happened to be a doctor. Dr. Robinson said he thought she was having a bit of quinsy and she should be all right by morning. The visiting doctor said to Dr. Robinson that he wasn't licensed to practice in Fresno County, but he was almost positive it was botulism." On her death certificate, Dr. Robinson put down the cause of death as 'pseudo retrobulbar paralysis.'
Elizabeth Reed added, "I got a dandy sore throat one time and had to go to the doctor to have it swabbed out, and he said it looked like a good case of quinsy to him. I said 'I sure hope not, as that's what my grandmother died of' and it scared me to no end. He said that is hard to believe she either had to be terribly debilitated or extremely old. I told him 'Neither one, she was only 36 and had just given birth to a baby six months before. I dashed home to look at her death certificate to see what was the medical term. Mom was always convinced that the visiting doctor had made the right diagnosis, and had their country doctor paid any attention and gotten her to a hospital, she may have had a chance to live. But I doubt it."
From: "Memories of Mom, 1983, by Frances Rufert Schorr:
"Being a farmer, DAD had a hard time taking care of me and getting his work done. He fixed a canvas sling between the handles of his plow and took me with him. [In a later interview, she told this researcher that she was terrified of being kicked by the horse in front of her!] The two older girls were in school. As soon as they could, MOTHER's parents, JAMES EDGAR and SUSANNAH ELEANOR MCNARY came out on the train [from Missouri] and took me back to Lamar, Missouri with them. They were 64 and 62 at that time; not an easy time to take on the job of raising an infant! DAD offered to pay them for my care, but GRANDMA's response was, "How could I accept money for the care of my own daughter's child? My grandparents had ten children of their own, three of which were still living at home. How I used to love to romp with my 'Unchoo Miny' [Uncle Milton] and 'Unchoo Way [Uncle Ray].'"
"GRANDMA MAC was a great gardener, and one day while she was weeding out front, I rolled off the front porch into the geranium bed and broke my arm. She gathered me up in her arms and ran down the street to the doctor's. He was drunk, but he set the arm, and I've never been able to tell it had been broken."
"When I was three, we moved back to California. GRANDPA bought a ten-acre farm near Kingsburg for $10,000 cash. It was a marvelous house, with indoor plumbing, quite something in 1918! [CARL RUFERT's father, WILLIAM died this year, 1918.] We had a party line phone, eight people on our line. Our ring was one long and one short. We were one of the first families in the country to get electricity. The ranch had a peach orchard, grapes, and alfalfa growing. Several huge apricot trees, plums, 8 huge English walnut trees, four big orange trees, an enormous barn, workshop, two-car garage, cellar and washhouse. Lots of places to play as I grew older."
"It was not long before Uncle Milton and Uncle Ray went into the army; World War I. How I did miss them! What joy when the mail brought a letter from one or the other. They were stationed in Camp Kearney. Both of them got the measles, and Uncle Milton also got the mumps, but he recovered in time to be sent overseas. Uncle Ray had the mumps two weeks later and missed going overseas."
"Aunt Flossie [McNary] was still living at home. I remember on a Sunday afternoon, my DAD and sisters, Aunt Ola, and Uncle Arthur and their children, Aunt Lorena and Uncle Hylas and those cousins, coming to GRANDPA's. Aunt Flossie or my DAD would play the old pump organ, and we would stand around and sing 'Over There' and 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary,' 'Smile the While You Kiss Me Sad Adieu,' and hymn after hymn, longing for the two boys to come home. Uncle Ray was home for Christmas. Armistice had been signed on November 11, 1918, but Uncle Milton was lost in the Argonne Forest, and knew nothing about the end of the war for several days. He arrived home the middle of April."
ADA MAE's brother, Milton, served in WWI in 1917-1918, in the army Co. A, 108th Machine Battery, 20th Division, in Bautes, Ardonnes Forest, and Belleau Woods, France. He was a dairy farmer, and raised and milked purebred Jersey cows.
From: "Memories of Mom," 1983, by Frances Rufert Schorr:
"I remember Aunt Flossie telling GRANDMA that she was so old, she would never get married. I thought she was ancient. Now, I realize she was all of twenty-two at that time. GRANDMA, my MOTHER, and all of her sisters had been married when they were nineteen. As the boys came home from the war, she met a young soldier, Hugh Steele, and married him the following November. While he was courting her, I thought he was courting me; he always brought me a posey, a bag of jelly beans, or some little thing."
"Since I had no playmates close [Adeline lived ½ mile down the road], I had to entertain myself. In the spring, when the vines were pruned, I gathered some of the old grape stumps that had one switch sticking up the side like an arm. These were my children, and I sat them around on the wood pile and I was teacher. They were my pupils. Later, when I showed Jack how I used to play, he thought that the saddest thing he ever saw. I thought they were great."
"When I was about five, I went to spend a few days with my PAPPA [CARL RUFERT] and sisters [DOROTHY and Mabel]. How I hated those days! The girls teased me so much. I slept between them in a huge old-fashioned bed; the headboard was 8 feet tall. They would reach down and tickle my feet, and tell me the toads were after me. There were lots of toads around there. I had not seen any around GRANDPA's before, and they were so ugly. How glad I was to get 'back where I belonged.'"
"PAPPA [CARL RUFERT] raised rabbits to sell, and they had burrows all around the back yard. I loved to play with the little ones. He always had a big garden also, with lots of asparagus and black berries and gooseberries."
"The most fascinating thing was a ditch of water that ran along the property line between his place and the neighbors, Uncle John and Auntie Mac (no relation.). There was a fence beside this ditch and a stile built over the fence. We used to grow watermelons and cantaloupes. Early in the morning, the men would pick them and put them in the irrigation ditch, where the cold water would chill them. About ten o'clock, everyone gathered around a little outdoor table and we had a feast. There's nothing better. I used to climb the walnut trees and play house. I'd take my doll crib and buggy up there and straddle them over a limb and have a good time."
"I had had pneumonia when I was five and whooping cough before that. I suffered from sore throats for years. Later, when I was 12, the tonsils had to come out. I was taken to the hospital and put on the operating table. The nurse giving me the anesthesia put a mask over my face and told me to breathe deeply. Nothing to it. I began to fell strange but I could still hear very well. The doctor entered the room, scrubbing hi hands and said, 'That's enough.' Enough! I was terrified. 'My heavens, I'm not asleep yet.'"
"I tried to talk, but could not speak. I tried to squeeze the nurse's hand, but nothing happened. 'Oh, well, I'll just have to open my mouth and bear the pain,' I thought. What a gulp of ether I got! The 'enough' had been gas, no smell. When the ether took effect, I was on the revolving table with my head to the center and every time I went round and round, someone brought a big hammer down on my head each time I reached a certain spot, and I went faster and faster. There was the noise of the old gasoline engine that used to pump the water from the well, then I flew off into space far away and was asleep. I was to have ether three times thereafter, and the very same experience each time. It never varies."
"One of my chores was to feed the chickens. One evening, an old hen got out of the pen and ran up and down along the fence, passing the gate each time. Finally, in exasperation, I picked up a clod of dirt and threw it at her. She keeled over dead!"
From: "Memories of Mom," 1983, by Frances Rufert Schorr:
"All of the holidays were celebrated by the aunts, uncles and cousins all getting together for the day. Everyone brought something, and as there were 28 of us at that time, what fun we had. I recall all of the special little place cards, favors, and napkins that made each occasion so festive. For instance, one Easter, we broke the side out of egg shells, glued beans for feet, gilded the beans, and a border around the edge of the opening, filled them with green paper grass, and little jelly beans for favors."
"We had not much money. At Christmas, I remember hanging my stocking, and finding an orange from our own tree, almonds from Uncle Arthur's trees, a couple of pieces of hard candy, and an Indian rubber ball, about two inches in diameter."
"By way of explanation, my mother, ADA MAE MCNARY, and her sister, Viola, married two brothers, CARL FRANCIS (I'm his namesake) and Arthur William Rufert. PAPPA would not tolerate being called Daddy."
"Kingsburg was a small community settled almost entirely by Swedish people. We could manage to shop for groceries there, but we had to drive to Selma, seven miles away, to attend church, as all services in Kingsburg were in Swedish. We drove to town in a buggy, to shop every Saturday, and sometimes GRANDPA would buy me a piece of peppermint or licorice candy."
"They were staunch Presbyterians and we were in church every Sunday. In the primary department, we learned a Bible verse for each letter of the alphabet, the books of the Old and New Testament, the 23rd Psalm, and many others."
"How loving and good they were to me! GRANDMA used to rock me to sleep every afternoon, singing hymn after hymn. Her voice was not the most musical, but it was straight from heaven to me. I'd lie in her arms and pull on her earlobe, the softest thing I knew, until I fell asleep. Now I have a daughter who does the same thing to each of her children's ears!"
Carl Rufert's "Terry Tidings"
The following are a series of articles written by CARL F. RUFERT for the Selma Enterprise, between the years 1921-1922, right up until CARL's tragic suicide. The entire articles are not transcribed here. This researcher has only selected those portions that relate family events, or which give us insight to CARL's beliefs, for example, he was a 'dry' man and voted for the Prohibition laws.
'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thursday, January 20, 1921
"E.L. Keithly, a cousin of CARL F RUFERT, drove up in his Ford from Los Angeles last Thursday, leaving his home there at 6:30 am, and arriving at the RUFERT home in the afternoon at about 4:30, having made the trip in about 10 hours, including two stops, one at Newhall to repair a puncture and the other at Bakersfield to replenish gas supply."
"Mr. Keithly has bought forty acres on the James Ranch near Tranquility and is moving there to make his home. He chartered a freight car and shipped his household goods, a team and some building materials to Tranquility. He was employed in a lumber yard there and says he was able to get material at considerable savings over prices asked locally."
"He and Mr. RUFERT made the trip over to Tranquility in their Ford Saturday morning, where Mr. Keithly stayed to unload his car and begin preparations for making a home for himself and family. Mrs. Keithly and the children will come on later, when Mr. Keithly has completed a dwelling with the assistance of the man who came with the car to look after the team and poultry."
'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise,"Thursday, January 27, 1921
"CARL F. RUFERT has leased his 40 acres at San Joaquin for the crop season of 1921. He reports a great activity there now, plowing, putting in grain, leveling and leveeing for the irrigation of alfalfa. There are three or four contractors who do this kind of work, some of them employing five or six teams. All are full up with orders to keep them busy till the first of March and still they are being solicited to take contracts for more scraping. There is considerable building going on. Well-borers say they are kept busy putting in house wells."
"Ray McNary is the proud possessor of a new six-cylinder Buick roadster."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thursday, February 4, 1921:
"Hylas E. Holt [husband of Lorena McNary] is pruning vines for J.S McClelland."
"Miss DOROTHY RUFERT boarded the train for Tulare last Thursday afternoon to visit her friend, Miss Nellie Mead, and witness the graduation of Miss Nellie's sister, Grace, from the Tulare grammar school that evening. Miss Grace was one of a class of thirty who graduated on that date. Miss RUFERT returned the following evening on the 8:45 train, on which was also, Mrs. E.L. Keithly."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise,"Thursday, February 10, 1921:
"H.E. Holt [Lorena McNary's husband] was helping his brother-in-law, Arthur F. Rufert of Fowler last Tuesday to saw up a big pile of wood."
"E.L. Keithly and family from Tranquility visited CARL F. RUFERT and family Tuesday."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thursday,?? 1921:
"Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] entertained the members of her Junior Sunday school class at her home last Saturday. Those present were: Ruth Garry, Marjory Champ, Winifred Campbell, Mabel Rufert, Doris Cleveland and also her little nieces, Orvalee Holt, and Frances Rufert, who live with their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY of Kingsburg."
"DOROTHY RUFERT joined her teacher and other members of her Sunday school class of the Presbyterian Sunday school of Selma on a picnic at Terminus Beach on Wednesday."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thursday, March 31, 1921:
"We have a positively irresistible, yes an uncontrollable desire to joke someone of the Enterprise staff for the way they 'pi-ed' or jumbled our item in last week's issue about single plowing with a tractor. We supposed it would not be difficult to tell that the single plow was chained behind the gangplow, but if anybody got the idea we wanted to convey, that person must have been a professor of mathematics, well up on the subject of analysis of problems and the art of deducting conclusions therefrom, if he was able to 'figure out' what the paragraph did mean to convey."
"We hardly know whom to suspect or hand out compliments to. Is it the editor, the typist or the proofreader? We rather incline to the suspicion it was due to successive and repeated attempts of all three to correct it, and it took their combined efforts to produce the jumble eventually evolved."
"Perhaps this is all wrong and it was the press foreman who jumbled it when locking up the forms. Perhaps the editor gave it up as hopeless and decided to 'run the stuff' as it was and let people take it as a paragraph of 'reverse English' or let them 'roll their own' idea from the 'makings'."
"Whatever the cause and whoever the blame, it was the 'beautifullest' jumble we have seen for some time. Of course we know it was unintentional and if the editor will solemnly promise never to let it happen again, we'll forgive him. Anyway, we feel a lot better now that we have this our of our system."
"Arthur F. Rufert of Fowler and Ray McNary of Kingsburg were planting vines the fore part of the week for their brother-in-law, Hylas E. Holt [Lorena's husband], who has been confined to his bed with a bad attack of the 'flu' since the middle of the week."
"CARL F. RUFERT received an express shipment Tuesday morning of 50 chicks from Pasadena. These chicks are from heavy laying trapnested hens with records of from 250 to 290 eggs per year. Trapnesting is a system of keeping egg records in which each hen of a flock wears a metal legband with a number stamped on it. This number identifies the hen and she is known and designated by that number, etc..."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise,"Thursday, April 21, 1921:
"A number of friends and relatives gathered at the home or Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary's husband] Friday evening for a surprise on Mr. Steele in honor of his birthday anniversary. Those present were: Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY and granddaughter, Frances, Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary's husband], Arthur F. Rufert [Viola McNary's husband] and family, CARL F. RUFERT and family, Messrs. Ray McNary and Milton McNary, and Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele. Ice cream and cake were served and at a late hour all departed wishing Mr. Steele many more happy returns of the day."
"Last Sunday, at the home of Hylas E. Holt, the relatives of the family gathered for a family reunion and birthday dinner in honor of Mr. Holt's birthday anniversary. Those present were: Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY and granddaughter, Frances of Kingsburg, Arthur F. Rufert and family, and Miss Wilma Upchurch, of Fowler, CARL F. RUFERT and family, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele, Messrs. Ray and Milton McNary of Kingsburg, and the host and hostess, Mr. and Mrs. Holt and family, twenty-one persons in all."
"Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY are planning a trip to their old home in Irwin, Missouri, about May 1st."
"H. E. Holt [Lorena McNary's husband] had quite an experience with weasels last Tuesday. When he went out to attend the little chicks that morning, he found eleven lying dead in the coop with their throats cut. He remembered that he had seen a weasel last week while plowing vineyard at the back of the filed and of chasing the fellow to his hole and marking the place with the intention of setting a trap for him some day. After his experience of finding the dead chicks, he decided that the time had come to act, and immediately declared that the weasel hunting would be the order of the day for Tuesday. He succeeded in getting six of them, with his wife's [Lorena] help. She, having found one in the coop with the hen and killing it before it could make an escape. It was thought this one had not killed any chicks as they were all cold and stiff when found."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise,"Thursday, May 12, 1921:
"Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary's husband] was helping his brother-in-law at Fowler set out a patch of Muscat vines last week."
"A number of friends gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. McClelland on last Monday as a surprise party on Mrs. McClelland in honor of her birthday. Among those present were: the host, J.S. McClelland and guest of honor, Mrs. J.S. McClelland, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Kendrick, Mrs. E. Carlson, Mr. and Mrs. J.U. Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Walter Owens, Hylas E. Holt and baby Emery, Mr. and Mrs. J/M/ Fullerton, Messrs. CARL F. RUFERT, Hugh Kendrick, Arch McClelland, Joe Carlson, Manford Carlson, Verne and Glenn Fullerton, and Misses Doris Anderson, Selma Carlson, DOROTHY RUFERT, Esther McClelland, Mabel Rufert, Violet Carlson, and Orvalee Holt."
"After some time spent in guessing contests, and various games by the young folks and social converse by the older folks, ice cream and cake mysteriously appeared and were served to all. While eating ice cream, several persons were heard to remark, facetiously, that they liked surprise parties, and to hint that they had birthdays coming in the near future."
"At a late hour, the guests departed declaring they had a delightful time and wishing Mrs. McClelland many happy returns of the day. Mrs. McClelland responded that she too had enjoyed their presence and invited them to come often and surprise her."
"Miss DOROTHY RUFERT had a rather exciting moment on Wednesday afternoon of this week. She had been to Selma and was on the highway north of town, driving the Ford on the way to see her aunt at Fowler and had just turned aside to let the stage pass her, and when she started to turn back to the center of the highway, the car refused to respond to the turn of the steering wheel and started down the steep grade toward the fence. She had the presence of mind to know at once what was wrong and immediately set the engine free and applied the emergency and foot brakes, and slid safely to the bottom and stopped within two feet of the fence. Then she telephoned for her father, who came and was able to repair the damage sufficiently to drive the car to the garage."
From: "Memories of Mom," 1983, by Frances Rufert Schorr:
"We had lots of festive days. I remember many picnics in Uncle Hylas' pasture, with the cows standing around watching us, as we ate from a picnic table made of boards on saw horses, or waded in the irrigation ditch, and the guinea hens squawking up a storm."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thursday, May 19, 1921:
"We judge there were some 40 or 50 people at the Terry picnic at Mooney Park last Saturday. Those who did not go missed an enjoyable time and opportunity of visiting with their neighbors and besides, missed a splendid feast of chicken, pies, cakes, salads and as Mr. Fred Northrop expressed it: "We had a big feed and it was like the loaves and fishes", there was more left than there was of it when we commenced. Several complained of the long drive necessary to get to the picnic and thought someone ought to fix up a good picnic grounds near Selma and charge $5.00 or ten dollars for a picnic. Here is a suggestion for some enterprising land owner with a pond on his place or irrigating canal passing through his place, for of course, there must be boats. We heard one man say he was glad of the long drive because it would recharge his battery…"
"Hylas E. Holt is cutting barley hay for several of his neighbors this week."
"Word has been received from Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY that they arrived safely at Hobart, Oklahoma, (their first stop for a visit) a week ago last Sunday morning, instead of the previous Friday as scheduled. Their nephew met them at the train, as he had also been meeting every train since Friday."
"The delay in arriving was due to repairs being made on the road which necessitated a detour of several hundred miles and several changes of cars and long waits for connections. They arrived May 8 and learned there of the death on May second of the wife of Mr. McNary's brother, at the place of the next stop planned in their trip, namely that of Mr. McNary's brother, George, at El Dorado, Kansas. On the same day of his sister-in-law's death, twins were born to her son and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Bert McNary."
"There was a gathering of the relatives and a few friends at the Hylas E. Holt home Sunday afternoon in honor of the event of little Emery Holt's birthday. Besides the relatives, there were present their neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Brown and small son, and the following friends, all of Fowler: Mr. and Mrs. F. Monnier and family, Miss Wilma Upchurch and Miss Margaret Pulver. Several of the relatives remarked that they had caught themselves several times looking around to see where GRANDPA and GRANDMA MCNARY were….[continued on page 8-page missing].
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thursday, June 2, 1921:
"J.S. McClelland and family went to Mendota last Monday to meet Carl Kendricks and family returning from Los Banos, and to spend the day together spearing salmon [spearing salmon in Fresno County??? Those days are long gone!!] as previously arranged, upon Mr. Kendricks departure for Los Banos."
"They found the water too muddy to see any fish and found the bridge or dam, crowded with fishermen who were having frequent fights for a place on the bridge, so they decided they were not anxious to catch salmon that day and returned to Fresno and picnicked at Roeding Park for the remainder of the day, returning home in the evening."
"Ralph Anderson and another young man to whom we have often referred in these columns, but whose name we will refrain from mentioning, went to Mendota last week for a couple of days of salmon fishing."
"The fishin' was good, but the catchin' proved fruitless. We don't know if they ate any salmon on the trip, if they did we rather suspect it was of the canned variety."
"We learn they are making another trip this week in quest of bass by use of hook and line. We will be pleased to report their good success if such it shall prove to be."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thursday, June 9, 1921:
"DOROTHY RUFERT took the four o'clock stage for Tulare last Friday, to be present at the graduation exercises of the Tulare High School that evening, of which her friend, Nellie Mead was a member. She remained for a few days visit, returning home last Tuesday."
"Milton E. McNary, who has long been one of the truck drivers for the Associated Oil Co. of Selma, had the misfortune at Traver last Friday to have had his hand injured while cranking the truck. He is taking a few days vacation now, while recovering from the injury."
"Word was received from JAMES EDGAR MCNARY at Eldorado, Kansas this week, among other things, they stated they had been in a hailstorm while riding on the train. The storm was of such violence that it broke many of the car windows and they, among others, got wet from the rain beating in through the car windows."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thursday, June 23, 1921:
"Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary's husband] and family, Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary's husband] and family, and Walter Staley and family, attended the Selma Presbyterian Sunday school picnic at Mooney Park last Thursday. They report having had a great game of baseball with the Swedish Baptist Sunday school, of Kingsburg, who were also there for a picnic that day. It is said there were about 200 or more at the picnic."
"E.L. Keithly and family were over from Tranquility last Thursday visiting their cousins, CARL F. RUFERT, and family. Mr. Keithly says he has 20 acres of new sown alfalfa that is looking fine. He has irrigated 20 acres, from which he harvested his barley hay and is now plowing it to plant corn. Mrs. Keithly plans to have 50 turkeys to sell this fall if things go well, as present prospects seem to indicate."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thursday, June 30, 1921, page 3:
"Mabel Rufert is spending a week with her cousins in the home of E.L. Keithly and family at Tranquility."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thursday, October 15, 1921:
"Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary's husband] had as their guests over Sunday, Mr. Steele's brother, Mr. Roger Steele and wife and baby of Fresno."
"Hylas E. Holt and family were members of a party that drove to Three Rivers last Saturday to get their winter's supply of mountain apples."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thurs, Dec.1, 1921, pg. 5:
"Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary's husband] spent Thanksgiving Day at the home of Mr. Steele's sister and family, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Anderson and baby, of Auberry, whither the several families of the Steele family assembled for Thanksgiving dinner."
"Hylas E. Holt [Lorena's husband] and family, JAMES EDGAR MCNARY and family, CARL F. RUFERT and family partook of turkey dinner Thanksgiving day at the home of Arthur T. Rufert and family of Fowler."
"After dinner the young folks engaged in games of football and baseball and persuaded their elders to join them. Several of the older people were somewhat stiff and sore next day from so much unwontedly strenuous conduct."
"CARL F. RUFERT and family drove to Tulare after church a week ago Sunday to visit A.E. Mead and family, former residents of Selma. Mr. Mead says they have one of the banner Sunday school classes of the San Joaquin Valley in their Sunday school of First Christian Church of Tulare…"
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thurs, Dec. 8, 1921, pg. 2:
"Orvalee Holt, the little six-year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary's husband] is sick with diphtheria. As a result, the family is now quarantined."
"Mr. and Mrs. Hylas E. Holt are in receipt of a letter from Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Garrett of Sedalia, Missouri, saying they are thinking of coming back to California. Mrs. Garrett says if Mr. Garrett could be assured of a steady job on a ranch if he came out here, they would come at once."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thurs, Dec.15, 1921:
"The county health officer removed the diphtheria sign from the home of Hylas E. Holt and family last Monday and tacked up a scarlet fever sign instead. Both the children have the scarlet fever, but at the time of this writing, are getting along nicely. The health officer stated they might be out of quarantine in 30 days if everything went well."
"Ray McNary, a young man pretty well known in this community, has leased for the coming season the 40 acres of his brother-in-law, Arthur F. Rufert, situated about one and one-half miles east of Fowler on Adams Ave. He is busy now pruning the peach."
From: "Memories of Mom," 1983, by Frances Rufert Schorr:
"One Christmas, my cousin, Orvalee Holt, and I received dolls just alike. GRANDMA and the aunts had spent many afternoons sewing doll clothes for them. There were horsehair braid hats with crocheted roses, dresses, underpants, coats and all. They had beautiful bisque faces, but ugly jointed arms and legs (a ball for the knee and elbow joints.) They had real hair and sleeping eyes. Old Jane had been my one doll for years. I don't know what she was made of, but she had been dropped on her nose, and inside was all honeycombed tan spongy hard material. She probably looked like a leper to the grownups, but you have heard of 'the face only a mother could love.' I loved her."
"The older cousins decided to have a funeral for Jane, and I agreed, so we buried her with pomp and circumstance somewhere in the vineyard. That night when everyone had gone home, I wanted Jane, but no Jane. We never could find her. The beautiful doll never did get much attention. Later on, I sold Cloverine salve for 25 cents a can, and won myself a red-haired, tin-headed baby doll, which looked like a newborn. It was my very favorite child."
"In their home, there was family devotions every morning before breakfast to start the day, and family prayers on our knees at bedtime without fail. I cannot ever remember being spanked, though I'm told that I was; switched with an umbrella tree branch. If I thought by the tone of their voice I had made them unhappy, I was reduced to tears."
From: "Memories of Mom," 1983, by Frances Rufert Schorr:
"On January 11, 1922, Uncle Ray married a beautiful twin, Wilma Upchurch. Three weeks later, Uncle Milton married Marguerite Pulver, a nurse. Both girls were from Fowler. Aunt Marguerite was a Swiss girl who had come over here with an aunt and uncle when she was nine. Her family could not support 3 children, and she was the oldest. My two beloved 'playmates' were gone! They were so special to me all my life."
From: 'Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thurs, Jan. 19, 1922:
"Ray McNary Weds Fowler Girl at Lively Ceremony-
"A very pretty wedding was solemnized last Wednesday evening January 11 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Upchurch, two miles northeast of Fowler, when their daughter Wilma Vida became the bride of Mr. Ray McNary, a young man well known in Selma, and son of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. [JAMES EDGAR] McNary."
"Promptly on the stroke of 8:00 o'clock, the bridal party entered the parlor to the strains of the wedding march and took their places under the wedding bell hung in a bower of smilax and carnations draped about the large double doorway between the dining room and parlor. The bride and groom were attended by the bride's twin sister, Mrs. Floyd Hayes, as matron of honor, and Mr. Floyd as best man. In the presence of some 45 assembled guests, the Rev. Arthur Hicks pastor, performed the marriage ceremony using the ring ceremony."
"The bride looked very charming dressed in white satin wearing a wedding veil and carrying a bouquet of white carnations. They were a handsome appearing couple as they stood beneath the wedding arch. After the ceremony, congratulations and good wishes were in order after which a wedding lunch was served. The bride and groom and their parents sat at a pretty decorated table, decorated (as was all the house) in white and pink, lighted by four large pink candles. Seated at the table with the bride and groom were the officiating minister, Rev. Hicks, best man and matron of honor, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Hayes, the bride's parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Upchurch, and the groom's parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. E. MCNARY. The other guests were served about the room with lapboards. Refreshments consisted of sandwiches and coffee, followed by an abundance of cakes and pink and white ice cream. Considerable merriment accompanied the cutting of the bride's cake by the bride, who appeared, at least outwardly, very calm."
"During the progress of the lunch, a large mantle clock, one of the wedding gifts, chimed the hour of nine, and some one informed the bridal pair that they had been married one hour, to which the groom responded that if they were all going to be like this, they would be pretty nice. After the lunch, the guests viewed the wedding gifts which had been arranged on a table. There were many beautiful and valuable gifts bespeaking the esteem of the guests. About this time, while the bride and groom were standing conversing with a group of friends, suddenly from somewhere, a handful of rice came flying into their midst, instantly the bride and groom beat a retreat to an adjoining room, whither the rice followed them."
"Just before it came time for the bride and groom to leave, some of the young members went to search for the groom's car, only to find that it was not among the number. Then with a few sly questions, the purpose of which was not sufficiently concealed, they thought they had discovered the car in which the bride and groom should take their departure and proceeded to profusely decorate the car from every available corner, with old shoes, but the joke rather turned on the jokers when the party came from the house and marched straight for another car. Someone had taken the trouble during the rice-throwing to hide the bride's suitcase (which was ready packed) under the bed and screened it from view, where it was found after considerable search and delay. Amid all these pranks, both bride and groom maintained the very best of humor."
"Mr. and Mrs. McNary planned to leave the next morning on a trip to Los Angeles for a few days visit with Mr. McNary's brother, N. E. McNary and family. Upon their return, they will make their home in a house the groom has been busy for some time preparing for his bride on the 40-acre ranch of Mr. McNary's brother-in-law, A. F. Rufert, one and half miles east of Fowler, which he has rented for the season."
"Mrs. McNary shares with her twin sister the honor of being the oldest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Upchurch. She has lived all her life in the vicinity of Fowler and is a graduate of the Fowler schools, both grammar and high school. She is an earnest Christian young woman, a worker in her church, the First Presbyterian of Fowler, and has a host of friends who wish her a long and happy married life. The groom is an enterprising and successful farmer, the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. MCNARY, who reside between Selma and Kingsburg and are well known in Selma."
"Mr. McNary first came to California when a mere boy with his parents in 1901, coming to Sanger where they resided for two years and made many friends who still remember them. They then returned to their home in Missouri, where they resided until 1918, when the family again came to California and located near Kingsburg, where the parents still reside. Mr. McNary was drafted in 1918 and went to Camp Lewis, was later transferred to Camp Kearney from which he was honorably discharged in January 1919. Ever since his return from camp, he has been engaged in farming for himself. He is an exemplary young man, both have the best wishes of a host of friends."
"Those present at the wedding were: Mr. and Mrs. Upchurch, parents of the bride; Mr. and Mrs. MCNARY, parents of the groom, Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Elliott family, an uncle and aunt of the bride, Mr. and Mrs. Lorin Miller, of Fresno, Mr. Milton McNary, Mr. Roy Miller, Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Miller of Long Beach, uncle of the bride, Mr. and Mrs. M. E. Ireland, Mr. and Mrs. Hayes and family, Mr. and Mrs. A. F. Rufert and family, CARL FRANCIS RUFERT and daughters [DOROTHY, Mabel and Francis] Mr. and Mrs. H. E. Holt and family, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Hayes and small son, Miss Margaret Pulver, Mr. Herbert Ireland, Rev. Hicks, Doris Upchurch, Donald Upchurch."
From: 'Terry Tidings-Bits of News about Everybody,' Thurs, Feb.16, 1922:
"CARL F. RUFERT, Terry correspondent for the Enterprise, is keeping quiet in his column over the fact that he is driving a new Ford sedan."
"McNarys back from Motor Honeymoon."
"Mr. and Mrs. Milton E. McNary returned last Saturday from their honeymoon trip to Los Angeles. They went and came the coastal route. They had a rather eventful trip besides an enjoyable visit with relatives and friends in and around Los Angeles, Pasadena and other southern towns."
"At Santa Maria, they were crowded off the highway by a drunken traffic cop, who ran them into the ditch and then collided with their left front wheel, demolishing it. He took them to a garage nearby and while there, instructed Mr. McNary to go and see the judge, sign a couple of papers, one for speeding and one for running off the grade. Mr. McNary took it good-naturedly, laughed and said "That's all right, I'll pay a fine, all right" and then added "That's not all I'll do, I'll tell the judge you were drunk, and you know you are." The cop begged him not to report him, and said "We'll drop this thing; you don't need to see the judge," and paid for the repair of the wheel himself. Some fellow at the garage took the officer home in their car. Coming home Saturday morning, they ran into quite a strip of submerged highway each side of Modesto."
"They arrived at the A. F. Rufert home at 1 o'clock Saturday, where some 28 persons were gathered to welcome them as they arrived, swelling the party to 30. A jolly time was had, and everyone was interested to hear the story of the honeymoon trip."
"The celebration was declared to be an E. pluribus unum affair, celebrating Mr. Milton McNary's birthday February 12, Mrs. A. F. Rufert's birthday, February 1, little William Rufert's birthday February 6, and the one-month anniversary of the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Ray McNary and a reception to both the newly married families."
From: 'Terry District News,' "Selma Enterprise," Thurs, Feb. 23, 1922:
"Just when we were keeping real quiet, in our corner, about that sedan, that E-D-I-T-O-R had to go and call everybody's attention to the matter. However, his action has not budged us one bit from our original purpose, for we are as firmly resolved as ever not to mention the transaction in this column, in any way whatever."
"Miss DOROTHY RUFERT and her friend, Miss Glenna Elliott, attended a jolly party of their Sunday school class of the First Presbyterian Church, Selma, at the beautiful country home of Mr. and Mrs. Perl Christ in the Fruitvale district last Friday evening."
"Miss Mabel Rufert visited her Sunday School classmates, Esther and Ruth Elliott, daughters of Mr. and Mrs. W. E. Elliott of the Fruitvale district and accompanied them to a 'taffy pull' at the Fruitvale schoolhouse last Friday and evening, given by their teachers, Mrs. William Smith, principal and Miss Alice Silva, both of Selma."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thurs, Mar. 2, 1922:
"The editor struck the R. R. commission a hard and well deserved blow in his editorial last week. Keep up the fight, old scout, we are all back of you to the last man, stay with it until you get some concrete results. The Parlier situation is an outrage and was also the hearing at Reedley. When a bunch of vampires at Sacramento, whose sole official duty is to look after the people's interest, so far forget themselves and their obligations as to give no attention to legitimate complaints of injustice and are chiefly concerned in drawing the people's money in payment of their salary, it's about time to take steps for their recall. Perhaps our enterprising candidate for reelection to the state legislature, Mr. Heisinger could give us some helpful suggestion as to how the commission might be aroused to a sense of their duty and give honest and personal consideration to complaints."
"Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] narrowly escaped a serious and rather unusual accident late last Saturday afternoon. The junior department of the First Presbyterian Church of Selma, of which Mrs. Steele [Flossie] is a teacher, had a party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Steele one-mile east of the state highway on Mountain View Avenue. As they were returning home from the party they brought little Marjory Franzen home with them and stopped to leave her at her home near the corner of McCall and Mountain View Avenues."
"Mr. Franzen was taking out a large cottonwood tree along side the road near the house. Just as the Steeles had stopped before the house, the tree fell, and in falling, fell at a different angle from that intended and a heavy branch struck the high tension power wires, breaking two of them. The branches of the tree grazed the car, and blue fire began shooting all around from the broken wires. Before Mr. Steele could get the car started a hole was burned in the top of the car. It was an agonizing moment for the occupants of the car and the onlookers as well. Mrs. Steele spent the next day in bed as a result of the nervous shock received. She is able to be about again at this writing."
"Mr. Franzen ran, and taking a shovel full of earth, dragged the broken wires off the car and at once phoned the power company, who were already aware that something had gone wrong somewhere, and had at once shut off the power. A couple of workmen were at once sent out to repair the damage. They informed Mr. Franzen that any time one has a tree that they are afraid will injure the power line, if they will notify the company, the company will take it out free of charge. The company is equipped for taking out and felling trees in a safe manner."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Fri, Mar. 10, 1922:
"You fixed it up pretty nice, Mr. Editor-man. Just the same. We don't like it. We'll admit it looks a neat heading but we don't like it with our name there so B-I-G." [The editor renamed the column from 'Terry Tidings' to 'Rufert's Terry Tidings'].
"We'll give in. If you must have it, you may put it in small type below the heading, by C.F. Rufert, just like you wanted it at first. (Explanation to the public: Ever since we first began writing these notes, we've been fighting the editor against having our name appear in connection with them. Now, after his outburst of last week, we'll give in to his original suggestion.)"
"We object to that heading on another ground (but this objection is secondary). It is ambiguous or misleading. It might be taken to imply that we manufacture the Terry news and that is not true, we merely glean them. In the words of the poet, 'We have gathered posies from other men's flowers, only the cord that binds them is ours.' We glean them for the satisfaction of those persons who are curious to know whether Terry district is still on the map, whether Terry is still alive, our object is to assure such curious inquisitive individuals that Terry is alive and going."
[Later, on another subject…] "You needn't get so flip, Mr. Editor, with our W-E-L-L written paragraph describing so well about Mr. J.S. McClelland being well-pleased with his well-developed well. We are tempted to answer impertinent Editor's note of Well! Well! With the schoolboy's rejoinder 'That's a hole in the ground,' or 'How many wells like that does it take to make a river?' We expect John thought it was going to be 'a hole in the ground' after that well-digger got down 150 feet without finding bottom."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Fri, Mar. 17, 1922:
"Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] entertained the members of her Junior Sunday School class at her home last Saturday. Those present were: Ruth Garry, Marjorie Champ, Winifred Campbell, Mabel Rufert, Doris Cleveland, and also her little nieces, Orvalee Holt, and Frances Rufert, who live with their grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY of Kingsburg."
"Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary's husband] is putting in 1,000 grape stakes this week."
From: "Memories of Mom," 1983, by Frances Rufert Schorr:
"The summers were busy times on the ranch. There were peaches to cut and dry. The men shook the trees, and I helped them pick up the fruit. Then it was hauled to the cutting shed in 40-pound boxes. The women and girl cut the peaches and removed the pits, placing the peach halves on wooden trays. These were stacked in piles of 25 or so on small 'railroad cars' which were then rolled into the drying shed, an airtight building just wide enough to accommodate the cars. A hole was dug in the ground about 30 inches deep, and a pan of sulfur placed in the bottom of the hole, and lit. The door was sealed shut and they were left until the sulfur was all burned, several hours. The door was then opened, and after the fumes were dissipated, we rolled it out, the trays were spread in the sun to dry. They were packed into sweat boxes, and hauled to the packing house. The cutters made 3 to 4 cents a 40-pound box."
"Being teetotalers, GRANDPA and GRANDMA would never consider selling grapes to a winery. They felt they were their brothers keeper, in that they could not be responsible for furnishing something that could bring grief and destruction to someone else. So they sold raisins."
"First the vineyards had to be vee'd. That meant throwing the dirt up on one side so that the sun would strike the fruit on trays at an angle, and they would dry better. Then the grapes were picked. Often we hired Filipinos, Japanese, or Mexicans to pick. If it were a poor year, we did them all ourselves, but always we picked too. It was dirty work. The vines were dusty, and you had to spread the leaves to find all the grapes. We were on our knees, which would get burned and tender from scooting along on the hot ground. We picked into dishpans, them spread them evenly on the same wooden trays. A few days later, they were ready for turning. We placed an empty tray on top of the full one, and flipped them over, taking the newly vacated tray as the cover for the next one. Up, down,, flip, up, down, flip, for hours at a time. Hard work."
"When the second side was dry enough, we stacked them, working against time, now about the 1st of October, before the rains started. We gathered up 6 or 8 trays and carried them into piles of 25 or more. A 'roof' of 2 or 4 empty trays arranged over them to keep them dry in case of rain. When they were thoroughly dry, they were put into the sweatboxes, and then hauled to the Sun-Maid raisin plant. A sweatbox held 120 pounds or more."
"If they happened to get rained on, they were not first grade raisins, and they brought a lower price. It took lots of hard work to get them harvested, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief when they were finally in those sweatboxes. Uncle Ray and Aunt Wilma worked during the day, and after school and Saturdays, I worked with Uncle Ray. If rain threatened, Uncle Milton and Aunt Margie came over and helped."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Fri, April 7, 1922:
"'The philosophical author of the Terry Tidings in this paper' wishes to apologize to 'the editor of this lusty rag' for the seeming insinuation of the aforesaid editor straddling the fence on a widely cussed and discussed question of Sabbath desecration. The fact of his taking an unequivocal stand on certain issues mentioned in his editorial leads us to apologize for the implication. However, we claim 'we never said it.'"
"We enjoyed your article in last week's "Enterprise," Mr. Chas. H. Randall. Let's have more of the same. Of course Peoria thought prohibition would be the ruination of the country. Didn't our own Raisin association vice president (of the old association) M.F. Tarpey predict the prompt demise of the raisin association if California dared carry the Wyllie local option law initiation proposition and state his place would be for sale if it should carry? Then didn't he advertise on billboards all over the country that raisin growers should defeat the bill for their own protection? (Tee! Hee!) and didn't the raisin growers of Fresno County turn him down with an almost unanimous vote? And look at the awful condition of the raisin growers today, as a result of not heeding his advice. And didn't our own S. L. Heisinger come out in print to reply to M. F. Tarpey and offer to buy every acre of his vineyard if prohibition did carry."
"A number of Terry residents who worked in the packing house at Fowler last fall are now working at the Libby cannery in Selma, canning spinach. Most of them had expected to get work packing [Thompson] seedless [grapes] in the nickel cartons, but with the report of an invention by a Sun Maid employee of Fresno, of a machine that fills, buttons and packs in a box the filled carton, and with it no call for packers, most of them have given up hope of getting back at the job and have sought work at the Libby cannery. Among these are: Mrs. Gene Felton, Mrs. Clyde Hainline, Mrs. Ed Rusher, Miss Christina Olsen, Miss DOROTHY RUFERT."
"Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY [SUSANNAH ELEANOR MCDOWELL] of Kingsburg is spending this week in the Terry district visiting her daughters, Mrs. Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary] and Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] and husband.
"CARL F. RUFERT and daughters drove to Tranquility late Saturday evening and spent Sunday visiting their cousins, E.L. Keithly and family. Mr. Keithly now has seven head of cows, and is milking all of them. He has 23 acres of alfalfa that is ready to cut, and 40 acres of barley that is up to eight inches tall and looking fine. It has stooled out abundantly. Many plants have stooled till there are from eight to 12 thrifty stalks from a single seed."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Fri, April 21, 1921:
"DOROTHY RUFERT attended a picnic of her Sunday school class of the First Presbyterian Sunday School of Selma at Mooney Grove in Tulare County near Visalia last Saturday, some dozen of the pupils and their teacher, Mrs. C. W. Adams, were in attendance."
"Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] entertained at dinner Sunday, Mr. Steele's mother, his brother, Joe Steele and family, his brother, roger Steele and family of Fresno, and his sister, Ella, and Mrs. Henry Anderson, husband and family, of Auberry."
From: "Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Fri, April 28, 1922:
"We are glad the editor got such a lambasting. Not because of any spiteful feelings we hold toward the editor which were gratified by seeing him lambasted; but because of the interesting articles elicited by his hotly disputed Shears and Sawbuck editorial. Dr. William in his 'effort to clear the Sanitarium directors' gave us some highly interesting facts. He and Dr. Steinwand both are very evidently desirous of having the very best hospital that can be had for the money they with which to build it, and are earnestly endeavoring to expend that money judiciously to get as much as possible with it. That much is easily read between the lines, as for their feelings of personal injury, intended or otherwise. Candidly we saw no grounds for them."
"'It's an ill wind that blows nobody good', so while the editor got the lambasting, the public got some interesting information and we selfishly hope the editor will get more lambastings.'"
"And so the bin wouldn't hold all the grist that came in. Well, that at least looks as if people read the Enterprise, and not only read it, but are interested enough about what they read to have something to say about it. Looks like a live paper; to have more news than it can print on ten pages in eight-point type. While, by the looks of many small town papers, they don't get enough news to fill four or eight pages with larger point type. We happen to know that most every week, some two columns of news has to be left out of the Enterprise and then the condenser has to be applied to prevent its being more than that."
"Hylas E. Holt was making hay last week."
"A ditch meeting was held at the home of CARL F. RUFERT on Friday, April 21, at which an organization for using water was effected and J. S. McClelland was elected president and CARL F. RUFERT secretary-treasurer and ditch tender."
"A schedule of rotation of the members for using water was worked out, and it was voted that two members at a time should use the water, the rest to keep out until their turn. A member was to have one day of 24 hours for his turn for each ten acres he irrigates from said ditch. When he begins, he must use it continuously till his turn is out, including nights, Sundays and holidays. Anyone forfeiting his turn shall not be entitled to any water until his next turn. In case of low water, so that there is not more than one man can use it, he shall be entitled to only half his time at one turn, providing no one shall have less than twenty-four hours at a turn to enable him to wet sufficient ground to make worth while cultivating at one time."
"The fifth annual Kansas picnic will be held at Mooney Grove, Saturday, May 13, according to A. R. Bergman, Selma rancher of Kansas nativity. We are planning to have a good all day picnic and we want you to come and help us make it the biggest and best picnic ever held. Forget worry and care and live over again in…" [article cut off].
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Fri, May 5, 1922:
"Raisin Day, the big day has come and gone. Just because of our insatiable curiosity (natural born, and highly trained by our occupation of Terry scribe) we would like to know how many gallons of gas were burned that day, and how many miles of passenger transportation it all totaled ('fraid we don't know enough higher mathematics to be able to read the figures if we had 'em, our education never went any higher 'n millions or billions and we s'pose these figures would read higher duo-Decillion). Anyway, there was a line of cars along Fowler Avenue, from Nebraska Ave north to Fowler for about an hour and a half that morning that looked like a funeral procession going by only speeded up considerable."
"Looked like everybody and his wife must been goin' to the celebration but they wasn't. Yours truly didn't go, and he knows of several Terry families that didn't, which same we propose to enumerate later. We suppose judging from the traffic that went by we'alls place (on Fowler Ave) that by the time one got to Malaga the highway was so congested with the traffic one could have walked to Fresno about as fast, that is if the walking hadn't been crowded."
"We've seen it before and its too much crowd and jam all day for us, jam on the highways, jam on the parking places, jam on the streets watching the parade about you, all you see is a row of heads before you. If you stand on a street next to the walk, a lot of people get still further in the street before you, until the street is nearly full, then along comes a marshal to clear the street for the parade and consequently they are crowded before you, around you and behind you, till you can't see, can hardly breathe, and feel like just one little sardine in a hat full of 'em, that makes you think how good something to eat would taste and you get a clever idea, you will go hunt a restaurant or cafeteria and eat before the crowd gets there, but when you get there, you find you were not the only clever one, there were others cleverer, who have literally 'beat you to it'. So it goes all the day. Oh, we weren't there, but we've been there and that's just why we weren't there (this time), and judging from the parties and picnics that were going on and on in other directions, we judge we are not peculiar in this peculiarity."
"Bert Smith has confessed to bootlegging. Well, that house has been suspected by a good many Selman people for years of being a bootlegging joint. Even when he had the house rented, he always reserved a couple of rooms in which were some curious goings-on. The house and its owner have been suspected for years, and now it proves rightly so, as probably of his accomplices also."
"It's only a matter of proving it on them, and getting a righteous jury when their cases come to trial and people being willing to testify of what they know. Selma, as a community, is not in favor of these things. Why then, are they allowed to go on? Just because right thinking and law abiding citizens will not perform their civic duty toward the community. They say they don't want to get mixed up with the mess. 'I'm not going to meddle with it.' 'It's none of my business.' 'Let George do it.' If every man demanded that unrighteousness be checked, lawlessness be punished, offenders prosecuted. If our peace officers were upheld in the performance of their duties, and the discharge of those duties universally demanded of them, it would not be long till there would be a mighty change in the community."
"If you speak to a peace officer, 'why is not so and so made to desist from defying the law', he will say, 'what's the use? Arrest him and he'll demand a jury trial. The jury will let him off and there you are.' All of which reflects the indifference of the community. Let everyone be awake to his own civic responsibility to the community and do his duty both private and public to the community and conditions will begin to change immediately."
"If anyone knows of a violation of any law or ordinance, let him busy himself in getting others interested in having a stop put to it. When the matter comes to a jury trial, let the jurymen do their duty faithfully and not indifferently let the offender off. If every offense meant a conviction and punishment, then offenses would decrease speedily. If every man who knows of an offense would be willing to testify to the fact, rather than getting out of testifying by keeping quiet and saying, 'Let George do it', there would be evidence with which to convict."
"This would also help put a stop to so many Selma young people going astray, which Rev. Truex spoke of."
"We see by the Enterprise that CARL F. RUFERT is one of those Kansas jayhawkers, who attend the Kansas picnics. Well, we are informed he intends to be there this year again and enjoy the good times and eats and hear 'em tell of their experiences in the old sunflower state where we spent 'barefoot boyhood' so well-described by Whittier that we sometimes wondered if he was writing about us."
"Of course he didn't tell all about us. He forgot to tell how we used to lug water to the men who were shocking wheat, and about the time the cyclone struck us, and how we used to see a shower come traveling across the field and how we run to beat it to the house; and so forth and so forth. Then the editor forgot to mention on the list, Mr. W. T. Forkner and Charles Edgecomb. These fellows can tell some Kansas experiences. Be sure you get them down on your program, Mr. Secretary Bergman."
"Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] had at their home as guest on Raisin Day, Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY, and their granddaughter, Frances, ________ [unreadable] and Mrs. Hylas Holt [Lorena McNary] and family, and Mr. Steele's mother."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Fri, May 12, 1922:
"CARL F. RUFERT knows how it feels to tip over in a sedan, he having accomplished the stunt last Sunday evening on his way to Selma to church. He had taken out his watch and was holding it under the dash light to read the time, leaning over somewhat, and supposed he was holding the wheel straight with the other hand, which however he failed to do, as he got off the pavement in that time and trying to swing sharply back, to keep from running into the plowed ground beside the fence and thus getting stuck, swung rather too sharply with the result that the car turned flat on its right side squarely across the pavement. This happened just in front of M. Iverson's house."
"R.O. Burton heard the crash and thought it an auto collision. Looking out he saw a dark object stationary down the pavement a short ways and started on the run to the assistance of the injured, he arriving in time to find CARL F. RUFERT uninjured and trying to figure out how to right the old bus. Mr. Burton suggested he summon Mr. Iverson, which he did, and together with the assistance of another motorist who happened to be passing at the time and accommodatingly stopped to assist them. They righted the car and took stock of the injuries, which were found to consist of a broken door glass and one rear side glass both on the right side, and a crushed right front fender and top, minus a big piece of its cover."
"After trying the motor to assure himself that it was all right, CARL F. RUFERT decided he got off pretty lucky and concluded to go back home instead of going on to church. He spent Monday at the garage having the car put to rights, which now does not show much evidence of the mishap. CARL F. RUFERT says, 'Next time if I have to know what time it is, I'll stop the car and look. It's cheaper.'"
"The water users on the Craghead Post Ditch are all unanimous in their praise of the schedule of rotation for the use of water. They declare after three weeks trial, it is the best and most satisfactory thing they have done in a long time. There is no quarrel about the water, everyone knows he will get his turn. He can have just all he can use. He knows it will come until he is through. He knows when he will get it and plans his work accordingly."
"One man said he got more irrigating done in three days than he usually got done in ten days before, and there was no aggravation about the water being taken away just as he was getting well started with it. He thought it one of the finest things we had ever done. Said, 'It's just what we ought to have done years ago."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Fri, May 19, 1922:
"CARL F. RUFERT and daughters attended the Kansas picnic at Mooney Grove last Saturday, and late in the afternoon drove on to Tulare to visit the A. E. Mead family, and stayed for supper, returning home about 9:30 pm."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Fri, May 26, 1922:
"We got considerable amusement out of our trip to Selma last Friday morning when we hitched up two bays to the old surrey and leisurely jogged to town as in the good old days of yore. We encountered all sorts of queries, jibes and comments and knowing grins and looks, such sly thrusts as 'Safety first this morning' accompanied of course by a knowing grin, solicitous inquiries as 'Haven't you got your sedan fixed up yet,' and so forth and so forth."
"Lest some solicitous friend be consumed with curiosity as to the real reason of this novel trip, we will hasten to reassure by saying the sedan never was put out of going commission by our accident of a couple of weeks ago, and the damage was about all repaired 24 hours later."
"And our sole object in driving the team to town was merely for the purpose of getting them to town to have them fitted with new collars and we preferred taking them in at their comfortable gait to towing them behind the machine at a gait uncomfortably fast for them and provokingly slow for the jitney which gets restive, and also gets on the driver's nerves to travel along at six mile per hour clip."
"Mr. and Mrs. Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary] and family attended a family gathering at the home of Arthur F. Rufert [Viola McNary] and family last Sunday afternoon in honor of Mrs. Milton E. McNary of Kingsburg and of little Emory Holt, it being the birthday anniversary celebration of them both. Those present were the host and hostess, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur F. Rufert and family, Mr. and Mrs. Milton E. McNary, Mr. and Mrs. Ray McNary of Fowler, Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY and granddaughter, Frances of Kingsburg, Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] of Terry district, Mr. and Mrs. Monnier and family of Fowler, and misses Ruth and Ethel Feaver and brother Herbert, of Fowler."
"Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Keithly and family, of Tranquility, drove over last Sunday to visit their cousins, CARL F. RUFERT and family, arriving just as the RUFERTs got home from church. They report everything looking fine over there. Mrs. Keithly has 108 little turkeys and plans to raise anywhere from 250 to 500 this season. Mr. Keithly is preparing for the planting of about 60 or 80 acres to gyp corn…"
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Fri, June 2, 1922:
"Bootlegging accounts in the newspaper begin to read like Chinese Tong wars, as for instance, an account in the dailies last week telling of a $4,000 cargo of liquor transported from San Francisco to Fresno in a Lincoln touring car and how the owner of the car and five other men were a couple of weeks before mixed up in an affair at Santa Barbara that promised to be very similar to a Chinese Tong war shooting affair, because a customer of the bootleggers had double-crossed them."
"An interesting thing about this bootlegging business is that a man many steal the stuff from a bootlegger, or pay for it with counterfeit money or worthless checks, or any old way, beat the bootlegger out of value received and be perfectly free from having to make good for so obtaining the goods. The bootlegger has no recourse in law whatever. The outcome is obvious. The bootlegger having no recourse in law, has to take matters into his own hands and get his money from the man who has victimized him, or get personal vengeance which, usually results in an attempt to shoot the offender. There you have the whole thing."
"The bootlegger is an outlaw and is daily becoming a more dangerous character. As his lot grows harder, he becomes more criminal. Those who do not become so, drop out because their business is becoming too unprofitable to continue in it any longer. The only thing to be done with the bootlegger is to vote him out of our country by voting an adequate enforcement law. We don't want him or his business. He is a menace to any community, a prolific source for the making of candidates for cells in our state prison."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Fri, June 16, 1922:
"Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] and Mrs. Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary] visited with their mother and father, Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY of Kingsburg on Friday and Saturday of last week."
"CARL F. RUFERT [widower of ADA MAE MCNARY], and family drove to Tranquility Saturday to visit their cousin, E.L. Keithly and family, returning home late Saturday evening. Sam and Joe Carlson attended to the chores during their absence, feeding the black cat and the pug-nosed dog, milking the Jersey cow and picking the eggs."
"The RUFERTs went by way of White's Bridge road as far as Kerman, where it became necessary to detour on account of preparations for paving from Kerman to Jamieson which will make an additional mileage of about ten miles more of pavement. Instead of turning north on the Kerman road, they chose to go south to Tranquility and go by way of Kerman and San Joaquin, not knowing what was before them."
"On turning toward San Joaquin after leaving Kerman, they were confronted by a sign warning them the road was washed out at the big bridge across the slough, which instead of being confined to its channel of approximately 75 feet, had spread out to a stream of half a mile or more in width. The sign directed them to the road from Coalinga to San Joaquin, on which road they successfully crossed the big slough and safely wound their roundabout way to the Keithly home, their speedometer registering 66 miles instead of the usual 40 for the trip over."
"The water is high but not near the top of the levees having several feet to go on yet, but a crew of men is kept patrolling the levees to guard against breaks starting from squirrel holes, of which rodent there are vast numbers there. The water, while not near the top of the levees, is nevertheless a couple of feet above the level of the farming land on the other side of the levee. We saw one field of about 100 acres which an adventurous farmer had planted inside the levee on the strength of the fact that the water had not overflowed it for quite a number of years. The hay ground was about 18 inches under water and the hay drifting with the wind and gathering in windrows along levees higher ridges and any obstruction that offered a landing for it."
"We saw several small droves of cattle marooned on small islands. We saw numbers of fishing parties fishing on the levees, but found no one who had fished successfully. Everyone was wishing and hoping for cool weather so the water would recede before damage should be done…"
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, June 22, 1922:
"Bethel Holton was operated on for appendicitis last Friday at the new Selma Sanitarium and is reported to be getting along nicely."
"The Terry contingent of the Selma Presbyterian Sunday school was pretty well represented at the picnic at Mooney Grove last Thursday, June 15. One of the features of the afternoon was an indoor baseball game between the Selma Presbyterian Sunday school and the Caruthers Sunday school. The Caruthers picnic crowd came over the Presbyterian picnic crowd and challenged them to a game of ball. There were four separate picnics at the park that day, which is rather less than is usual, for Mooney Grove, Tulare County, seems to be the most popular picnic place in half a dozen counties."
"Besides the aforementioned Selma Presbyterian and Caruthers, a picnic from Parlier and a picnic from Strathmore. Among the Strathmore crowd, we ran across Mr. John Allyn, brother of our well known F.A. Allyn of the Peach and Raisin Association, whom we had known some 15 years ago at Fowler, who built our house for us when we moved to Terry district and shortly thereafter moved back as he had said to "God's country" where he came from, namely Indiana, where we supposed he was spending the rest of his days in blissful ignorance of what a truly wonderful country California really is."
"Blanche Mead of Tulare, is visiting Mabel Rufert this week."
"Orvalee Holt has her cousin, Frances Rufert, of Kingsburg, visiting her this week."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thurs, June 29, 1922:
"Judging by the truckload after truckload of camp outfits piled high and surmounted by a load of human freight that daily passes southward over the Fowler-Hanford road, the Hanford apricot season is on, in full swing."
"The tourist season is at hand. Every day one sees dozens of cars loaded with camping outfits, some loaded light, some with baggage in the rear seat, both running boards, and bedding on each side of the hood. Some with a sanitary cot and bedding strapped on a trailer. Some with fishing poles alongside beside the other luggage."
"Mabel Rufert had as her guests from Saturday until Monday night, her cousins, Alice and Ethel Rufert, of Fowler."
"DOROTHY and Mabel RUFERT drove to Tulare Tuesday to take her to her home, Miss Blanche Mead, who had been visiting them since June 15."
"Hylas E. Holt had his chicken coops of young fryers visited by a coyote on Tuesday night of this week."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, July 6, 1922:
"Bethel Holton has sufficiently recovered that she is hoping to leave the sanitarium and return home on Friday this week."
"E.L. Keithly and family came over from Tranquility Thursday to visit their cousins, CARL F. RUFERT and family. Miss Mabel Rufert accompanied them home for a two week visit."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thurs, July 13, 1922:
"Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY [SUSANNAH ELEANOR MCDOWELL], of Kingsburg has been visiting her daughter, Mrs. Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary] and family the past week."
"Mr. and Mrs. Joe McDowell, of Fillmore, California, were up visiting Mr. McDowell's aunt, Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY [SUSANNAH MCDOWELL] and family of Kingsburg, for a couple of days last week. They also called on the families of all the married children of Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY, namely Mrs. Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary], Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] and husband, of Terry district, Mr. Milton McNary and wife of Kingsburg, Mr. Ray McNary and wife of Fowler, and Mrs. Arthur Rufert [Viola McNary] and family, of Fowler."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, July 20, 1922:
"CARL F. RUFERT and daughter, DOROTHY, accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY and granddaughter, Frances, of Kingsburg, and by Arthur Rufert [Viola McNary's husband] and family, of Fowler, drove to Tranquility to the Keithly ranch Friday of last week for a day's fishing and to bring home Mabel Rufert, who had been visiting with the Keithlys the past two weeks."
"The fishing was good but the fishers were not, except save Arthur Rufert, Jr. who has quite a reputation among his relatives as a fisherman. Arthur junior caught more than all the rest combined. Two others of the party succeeded in landing one fish each."
"Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] had as their guests Sunday, Mr. Steele's brother Roger Steele and family of Fresno."
"Mabel Rufert celebrated her 12th birthday last Monday afternoon. Her sister, DOROTHY arranged a birthday party by inviting a number of Mabel's schoolmates to help celebrate the event, also her cousins, Alice, Ethel, and William Rufert, and their mother [Viola McNary], who assisted DOROTHY in entertaining the company."
"A jolly time was had on the lawn playing games. Refreshments of ice cream and cake and punch were served. Those present were: Violet Carlson, Laura Staley, Virginia Arrants, Iola Sorenson, Eva Sorenson, Ida Wagner, Edward Burton, Carl Olsen, Glenn Fullerton, Jack Wagner, Manford Carlson, William Rufert, Alice and Ethel Rufert, Mrs. Arthur Rufert [Viola]. About 5:30 the guest departed, declaring they had had a delightful time and wishing Mabel many happy returns of the day."
"Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY and their granddaughter, Frances, accompanied by their son, Ray McNary and wife, plan to leave Friday of this week in the former"s car for a few days visit to Los Angeles to visit their son and brother, Charles E. McNary and family, of Glendale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, July 27, 1922:
"Mr. and Mrs. Hylas [Lorena McNary] E. Holt are the proud parents of a bouncing ten-pound boy who arrived bright and early with a lusty shout Sunday morning, July 23. Mother and child are both doing nicely. Mr. Holt is inquiring around for an additional 20 acres to rent next season in order to have plenty of work for himself and his two sons. We note he already has several extra head of horses in his pasture at present. Whether on pasture or to try out as trustworthy animals for young teamsters to drive we will not venture to state."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, Aug. 3, 1922:
"Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] are the proud parents of the seven and a half boy born last Tuesday, July 25. Mother and child are doing nicely."
"The infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary] was critically ill a few days of last week and hopes of its recovery were almost despaired of Friday morning, but the child has now recovered and is reported to be doing nicely."
"Terry Scribe Tells of Park Beauties at Giant Forest"-by C. F. RUFERT, page 6
"CARL F. RUFERT and family drove to Fowler on Tuesday evening of last week and spent the night with the family of A. F. Rufert from whence, in company with a neighbor family of the latter, Mr. F. Monnier and family, all three families with their respective autos loaded with provisions and camping equipment, set out next morning on their way for a few days recreation in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park. They went by way of Parlier, Reedley, Dinuba, Woodlake, and Three Rivers over pavement all the way to Three Rivers, save a few miles near Reedley."
"The road beyond Three Rivers is under one way traffic controls. In the morning until three pm, the traffic is up [hill]. In the afternoon traffic down leaves Giant Forest checking station from three until 5. On Saturdays, the up traffic is stopped at Kaweah from 11 am till 6 pm and the down traffic starts from Giant Forest at one pm until three pm. At six pm the weekend traffic up starts at Kaweah. We arrived at Giant Forest checking station at 1:30 pm. Some of the fishermen of the party did not want to camp at Giant Forest camp, so we went on about five miles to Marble Fork camp and camped beside the creek of that name."
"A dressing room was made at camp by stretching a rope around three trees, draping an extra blanket over it and a horse blanket furnished the carpet. The trout fishing was good. A neighbor camper told us he had caught 120 the past eight days. (20 per day is the limit allowed.) Coats and wraps were agreeable in the morning and after sundown, even the campfire feels grateful. The ranger at Marble Fork camp told us the thermometer registered 32 degrees the morning of the day we arrived and it rained a week ago that day."
"Giant Forest is one of several campgrounds in the Sequoia National Park. It is also a little village, which the pamphlet description of the park states as having a summer population of 1,000 people. Here is the Park Headquarters for both Sequoia and Ulysses S. Grant Parks, the residence of the superintendent, the ranger station, the checking station. Here also is located the post office with daily mail service, a general store, a garage, oil stations, butcher shop, news stand, Tulare County free library, a doctor, a photographer's studio, long distance telephone, and auto stage service. Beef sells for 20 cents per pound for stew meat, and 30 cents for steak. Fresh bread is received daily from Fresno, and sells at 15 cents per loaf."
"The deer are plentiful. Some of the young people of our party (there were sixteen of us in the three families) hiked over to the store and back one morning, they were gone about two hours, and in that time saw fourteen deer. On another occasion some of the party saw nine in one day. Animals will stand within ten yards of the road and browse unconcernedly on the brush while a machine or pedestrian is passing. They also came on several occasions within 50 yards of our camp."
"The ranger tells us there is a colony of some 15 bears at the bear pits. There is a boundary line to the bear pits made of down trees and wire fence and notice posted of $250.00 penalty for passing beyond the boundary. The people range themselves along these logs to watch the bears as they come up to feed on the garbage that is gathered daily in the camp and village and from the boarding house, and dumped here. Some of the bears come up on the log and walk along it, inviting people to feed them, which many do, buying peanuts and candy for the purpose. It was comical to watch an old mother bear with two little cubs weighing approximately twenty or thirty pounds. As the mother bear was nosing about among the empty cans, her foot slipped and started a can to go clattering down the pile. Quick as a flash, the cubs, without looking around, made for a nearby fir tree about two feet in diameter and shinned up it as agile as squirrels to a height of ten feet, where they paused to look down with a scared look. After a while, the mother came over to the tree and they mounted up perhaps ten feet higher and began crawling about on the swaying branches, playing with each other like two kittens."
"The morning after our arrival, it was stated that a man was arrested for shooting a couple of deer. The penalty is $500.00 fine and six months imprisonment."
"Washing clothes or cooking utensils in the streams or trying stock so they can get in the streams and foul the water is forbidden, as the water is used by campers, for when some of our party took the hike over to Twin Lakes for the beauties of the trip, they found the meadows a vast field of most beautiful and gorgeous flowers. Shooting star, Indian paintbrush, Mariposa Lily, Columbine, wild Tiger Lily, are some of the more gorgeous ones to be seen. Gooseberries are getting ripe, and currants and raspberries are about half grown. These are found along the creek banks and beside the trails that parallel them."
"We climbed to 345 feet of wooden stairway to the top of Moro Rock, where the United States flag floats to the ____ ??? which may be seen from the Colony Mills checking station on the road up to the Giant Forest. We read the metal memorandum placed in the rock by the US Geological Survey, which states the altitude to be 6,719 feet. From here, one gets a view of several of the big redwood groves of which there are several in the park. The largest tree in the park is the General Sherman, which is larger than General Grant. Probably the most symmetrical and perfect specimen in the park is the Theodore Roosevelt tree. We also walked along the top of fallen monarchs and saw an auto photographed on another fallen giant, which is labeled the Auto Log. Dirt has been scraped up to this fallen giant at the top end of the tree, so that one may drive out upon it's butt, where the car stands upon the trunk some 20 or more feet from the ground on one side if one drives straight, as the trunk is wide enough to hold two cars side by side."
"One meets people in the park from everywhere. We had camper neighbors from Bakersfield, San Francisco, Whittier and Berkeley."
"Rev. Sherman and wife, a young couple from San Francisco were some of our nearest neighbors, who were there for a month's stay. Rev. Sherman is pastor of Central Methodist church of San Francisco. He spoke of having had Dr. Hallenbeck, of San Anselmo, preach for him on several occasions and thinks very highly of the father of our Selma preacher, Rev. Wilbur C. Hallenbeck."
"We returned home via Three Rivers, Lemon Cove, Visalia, Goshen and the state highway to Selma, leaving Giant Forest checking station at 1:15. We arrived home at the ranch Saturday evening at 8 pm making the trip up in nine and a half hours, and down in six and three quarters hours, using nine gallons of gas on the up trip and four on the down trip."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, Aug. 10, 1922:
"Frances Rufert of Kingsburg vicinity, is spending this week visiting her father and sisters, DOROTHY and Mabel."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, Aug. 17, 1922:
"Doris Anderson, Mabel and Alice Iversen, DOROTHY and Mabel RUFERT, Selma and Violet Carlson, Bernice, Marion and Ruth Petersen compose a crew of cutters who are busy filling their pockets with money these days for fall spending money by assisting E. Carlson in converting his peach crop from boxes full of nice juicy peaches into the bleached and cured product known as blue ribbon peaches."
"Hylas E. Holt has been making trays for J. W. Stewart."
"Mr…and Mrs. Hylas E. Holt took their young man, Donald, and other children for his first visit to his grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY, of Kingsburg, on last Sunday."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, Aug. 24, 1922:
"Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary's husband] has a crew of Mexican grape pickers, who arrived last week to remain a month, camped by the brook side in the cool grassy shade of the trees that flank the brook in his pasture, which brook is fed by the river (commonly known as the Fowler Switch Canal) when that river bed is filled with water instead of dry sand as at present."
"The personnel of the election board for the primaries for next Tuesday for the Terry precinct has been named and according to a list received by George Hall, inspector of the board, consists of the following: B. L. Wheat, Judge; CARL F. RUFERT, judge; J. S. McClelland, clerk; Clara Craven, clerk; Mrs. J. M. Fullerton, clerk. Polls open at 6 am and close at 7:00 pm."
"Hugh Steel [Flossie McNary's husband] began picking Thompsons for green shipping on Monday of this week."
"Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary's husband] is this week picking the first crop of Thompsons his vines have produced. He is picking them for green shipping."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thurs, Aug. 31, 1922:
"Mrs. Anna G. Clark served on the election board in place of J.S. McClelland, who with his family, is on his way home by auto from a visit to Iowa for the summer. The other members of the election board were: George Hall, inspector; Mrs. Fullerton, judge; Clarence Wheat, clerk; Clara Craven, clerk; CARL F. RUFERT, clerk."
"Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY, from near Kingsburg, had a family reunion at their home on last Sunday afternoon, when all their sons and sons-in-law, and daughters and daughters-in-law, and all the grandchildren both new and old, except Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] and baby, Leslie Hugh gathered at their home to help GRANDPA [JAME EDGAR MCNARY] celebrate his birthday. Several of the families brought ice cream and cake. GRANDPA had saved some of his best melons for the occasion."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, Sept. 7, 1922:
"CARL F. RUFERT and family drove to Tranquility Saturday evening leaving here at 6:30 after a day's work in the fruit shed. They spent the night and Sunday with the Keithlys, returning late Sunday evening. White's Bridge Road is still undergoing paving construction for eight miles from Kerman to Jamieson. They returned by way of San Joaquin and Kerman and had first class road all the way."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, Sept. 14, 1922:
"C.C. Chapman resumed the picking of his 20 acres of Thompson seedless grapes for raisin-making last Monday. After having instructed his overseer, Hylas E. Holt to begin picking on Monday of the previous week he came down from Fowler to view the grapes on the tray on the succeeding day and after viewing them, told Mr. Holt he thought them too green and instructed him to lay off the crew until the following Monday. Mr. Chapman evidently is more desirous of getting extra standard raisins than of getting them dry before the rains come. In which justifiable desire he is going directly contrary to many ranchers who are far more concerned about getting their crop dry without bother about rain, than of quality crop."
"C. Carlson finished picking peaches for this season on Friday of last week and treated his cutters and pickers to ice cream and cake at the conclusion of the cutting, which was about 4:30 pm. Among those present were: Mr. and Mrs. E. Carlson, Messrs. Sam, Joe and Manford Carlson, Messrs. Martin, Peterson, Marvin, Glenn, Loyd and Chester Crum, Misses Marion Bernice and Ruth Peterson, Misses DOROTHY and Mabel RUFERT."
"Principal of the Terry school, S. L. Glass, to whom was entrusted several months ago, the matter of securing a janitor for the school for the coming term, has secured the services of Hylas E. Holt for the task. Mr. Holt is busy this week doing some preliminary cleanup work under the direction of Mr. Glass."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, Sept. 29, 1922:
"J.J. Stratton of Santa Cruz came over Tuesday to visit his cousins Arthur F. Rufert and family, of Fowler, and CARL F RUFERT and family of Selma."
"A crowd composed of most of the McNary-Rufert relation gathered at the home of CARL F. RUFERT about five o'clock Tuesday evening on honor of Miss DOROTHY's birthday anniversary to help her celebrate the event in a fitting manner. The self-invited guests brought fried chicken, salads, pies cakes, and all the good things that good Missouri cooks can think of, and gallons and gallons of home made delicious ice cream."
"Twenty-three persons in all gathered around the festive board. Enough eats were left over after the meal to provide lunches to take to the county fair for the several families the next day."
"Those present were the hostess and guest of honor, DOROTHY RUFERT, and the other members of the hostess's family, her father, CARL F. RUFERT, and her sister Mabel, Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY, and granddaughter, Frances, Mr. and Mrs. Milton McNary, Mr. and Mrs. Ray McNary, Mr. and Mrs. Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary] and daughter, Orvalee and son, Emery, and baby Donald Eldon, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur F. Rufert [Viola McNary] of Fowler, Mr. J.J. Stratton, of Santa Cruz, who just arrived unexpectedly at the Arthur F. Rufert home that afternoon, Messrs. Edward, Arthur and William Rufert, Misses Alice and Ethel Rufert."
"Arthur F. Rufert has purchased a small apple orchard near Watsonville. They expect to move there shortly and make some improvements on the place and to make their home there. Mr. Rufert still retains his highly improved 40 acres at Fowler, which he has at present leased to his brother-in-law, Ray McNary."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, Oct. 2, 1922:
"We note in the daily papers that the latest 'business' in Philadelphia is the selling of photos of 'dry' enforcement officers to saloon keepers and all drink-sellers of one kind and another; and that these same booze vendors are very anxious to get a complete collection. We doubt if this 'business' would prove profitable in Selma. Constable Staley and Judge Laughlin seem to be well enough known by this element that they made attempts at the primaries to oust them from their offices."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, Oct. 12, 1922:
"A. E. Musselman and family of Fresno visited in the home of CARL F. RUFERT and family last Sunday. Mr. Musselman was a teacher in the Fresno college in the days where we were learning, under his teaching, the art of penmanship and commercial arithmetic and the art of bookkeeping, the science of journalizing business, transactions of making trial balances (My, what a trial those things were, for sure), the making of partnership balance sheets and the art of balancing the cost accounts."
"But as we look at it today there was one vital omission in the course. We were never taught how to have a substantial balance of cash. What's the use of learning how to balance the cash when in practice we never have any left to balance either in our palm or in the account?"
"DOROTHY RUFERT and Bethel Holton drove to Tulare on Wednesday of this week and spent the day in the home of Miss Nellie Mead."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur Oct. 19, 1922:
"CARL F. RUFERT and family drove to Tranquility Saturday evening and spent the night and Sunday visiting their cousins, E. L. Keithly and family. They found the Keithlys ready to begin the harvest of gyp corn and milo maize with no help to be found for harvesting it. Everyone in the colony is making the same complaint. We talked with about a half dozen ranchers who jokingly asked us to help them or send them pickers."
"Ranchers are paying $4.00 an acre for picking good corn, but the labor situation seems to be similar to what it was here in grape picking time. Labor is scarce and hard to find. Hay balers are also busy and in great demand. Mr. Keithly has some 40 tons baled and roofed over, besides a large stack not baled which he is keeping to feed his dairy herd. He lost about two cuttings by the invasion of the armyworm this summer. He is planning to make his sixth cutting in another week."
"Miss Nellie Mead of Tulare came up Monday afternoon by auto stage to spend a few days visiting her friends Bethel Holton and DOROTHY RUFERT of the Terry district. Miss Mead will be remembered by many Selmans as a former resident of Selma. Nellie is wearing a brilliant diamond ring on her left hand, but leaves it to her friends to conjecture when the happy event will take place.'
From: "Memories of Mom," 1983, by Frances Rufert Schorr:
"Every year, the first Saturday in November, we all packed a picnic lunch and drove to Three Rivers for apples. Uncle Ray had a new Buick roadster, Uncle Milton a snappy little Dodge roadster, GRANDPA MAC a model A Ford sedan, Uncle Hylas a model T Ford, and Uncle Arthur a big Dodge touring car. What a parade we must have made!"
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, Nov. 16, 1922:
"Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary's husband] and family and CARL F. RUFERT and family were members of a party composed of the two families named, Mr. and Mrs. Ray McNary of Fowler, Mr. and Mrs. Milton McNary of Kingsburg, Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY of Kingsburg, that went on a picnic and drove to Three Rivers to procure their winter's supply of mountain apples."
"The two first named families left home at 7:30 Tuesday morning of last week and arrived at the home of JAMES EDGAR MCNARY (the real starting place for all the clan) where the five families, each well supplied with a picnic dinner, left in four machines bound for Three Rivers. They left after 8 o'clock and reached the orchard at 10:30 and were loaded up for the start home by 12:30, each having his favorite apples in their sacks tied carefully on the running board of their car."
"Returning on the home trip about a mile, they camped for an hour near the river for dinner and boiled coffee and toasted up the baked beans and a few other dishes. With five good cooks in the group, there was an abundance of good eats. Boiled ham with potatoes, baked beans, cold fried chicken, salads, pickles, several varieties of sandwiches, pumpkin pies, several cakes, cookies, and if there are any other good picnic eats we haven't mentioned it is probable they were there, too, but they have escaped our recollection."
"All arrived home before dark, the Terry machines registering 124 miles for the round trip. It began raining at Three Rivers about 1:30 but on reaching the valley there was sunshine and no sign of rain save a little cloudiness. It was considerable warmer in the valley than in the orchard above the bridge at Three Rivers. The members of the party are now regaling their visiting friends with their favorite variety of mountain apples."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise," Thur, Oct. 26, 1922:
"DOROTHY RUFERT and Bethel Holton drove to Tulare Monday afternoon to accompany Nellie Mead to her home after a week spent visiting with the two and also in the home of J. S. McClelland."
"R.C. Holton and T. M. Shannon and family of Selma, accompanied by Nellie Mead of Tulare, and DOROTHY RUPERT, spent Sunday at Piedra."
From: 'Rufert's Terry Tidings,' "Selma Enterprise,"-Thur, Nov. 16, 1922:
"Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary's husband] and family and Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary's husband] and baby, and DOROTHY and Mabel RUFERT attended a farewell party and dinner on Tuesday evening of last week at the home of Mr. and Mrs. JAMES EDGAR MCNARY near Kingsburg, given in honor of Arthur F. Rufert [Viola McNary's husband] and family, who left the following Thursday morning for their new home at Watsonville, where they are now located."
In December 1922, CARL RUFERT, who could no longer live with his grief and loneliness from the loss of his wife, ADA MAE, six years earlier, took his own life.
From: "Memories of Mom," 1983, by Frances Rufert Schorr:
"I walked 1 ½ miles to school each day, rain or shine. When I was 7 years old, I came home one day, and sensed that something was very wrong. The phone had rung that morning just before I left for school, but GRANDPA [JAMES EDGAR MCNARY] had answered it, and made no comment as to who was calling. Now he took me in his arms and held me close, as he told me there had been accident, and my Pappa [CARL FRANCIS RUFERT] was dead. I was more frightened than sad. This was my first experience with death that I could relate to. I could not remember living with him, and he just seemed like a nice man that I knew. The date was Dec. 6, 1922."
"I was married and had 3 children before I learned that Pappa was so despondent he had killed himself! I was talking to my sister Mable. When Pappa died, she was 13, and went to live with Aunt Ola and Uncle Arthur in Watsonville, California. I remember visiting over there, and all of the comments about how 'strange' Mable was. She was Pappa's favorite, being a very outdoor girl, who loved horses. Pappa had three."
"She told me that one night she had a dream, so awful that it woke her up. Pappa slept in a bedroom upstairs. The girls slept in a bedroom downstairs. In her dream, Pappa came downstairs one morning, and a Chinaman jumped out from behind the chimney, across from the stairs, and stabbed him with a knife, and he died. The dream was so vivid, she got up and sat against the chimney, to warn Pappa when he came down in the morning. She did not tell him of her dream."
"That afternoon, he told her she was to spend the night with a girlfriend. She did not want to go, but he insisted. The next morning, there was a phone call, saying that Pappa had shot himself in the barn. She felt that if she had been home, she could have stopped him when she heard him get up. Is it any wonder that she acted 'strange'? She punished herself for years before realizing that if she had stopped him, he would have found another time. He adored my mom, and just felt he could not go on without her."
From: "Fresno Daily Morning Republican" or the "Fresno Weekly/ Evening Republican" Dec. 6, 1922:
"Rancher Takes Life at Selma-'Life a Failure' Final Note Said.
Special to the Republican- Selma, Dec. 6 [1922]- CARL F. RUFERT, a rancher of the Terry district four miles west of here, committed suicide this morning at about 6:45 o'clock by shooting himself through the heart with a 12 gauge shotgun."
"A note was found in his pocket by J. L. Robinson, reading, "All my life I have been a failure. Goodbye daughters, you are better off without me. CARL." The deed was committed in the back yard of his ranch home."
"According to the evidence brought out at the coroner's inquest this afternoon, it is supposed that Mr. RUFERT had hooked the trigger of the gun over the corner of a table, placed the muzzle against his left breast and pulled on the barrel of the gun until it was discharged."
"The only other person at home at the time was his daughter, Miss DOROTHY [Mother of Mildred Tyler, Elizabeth Reed, Irene Poquette, Don Donaldson, Emma Mae Carey, Sally Emerson and Janet Allen], who was asleep in her room. The shot awakened her and she heard her father groan. She got up and ran through the house looking for him and finally discovered him lying on his back in the yard. He was dead when she reached him."
"An inquest was held this afternoon at the Robinson undertaking parlors by Deputy Coroner R. S. Minkel with the following jurors: E. P. Todd, J. R. Leitch, J. A. Moore, Earl Otis, W. W. Lewis and A. L. Weathley."
"Very little evidence of value was introduced, his daughter merely telling of the finding of the body. She could ascribe no motive for the act, except possibly some small financial worries."
"Mr. RUFERT has been a resident of this section of the county for about 30 years and had lived on his Terry ranch for about 12 years. Six years ago he lost his wife, leaving him with three daughters, the youngest a baby a little over a year old. The three daughters are DOROTHY, Mabel and Frances. He also leaves three brothers, Arthur of Watsonville, and Clarence and Oscar of Richmond."
"Funeral arrangements are awaiting the arrival of his brothers, but will probably be held Friday afternoon, with Rev. W. C. Hallenbeck conducting the services."
In CARL RUFERT's column, 'Terry Tidings,' the editor of the "Selma Enterprise" wrote the following, Dec. 7, 1922:
"The following 'Terry Tidings' were written by CARL F. RUFERT, Terry district rancher and Enterprise correspondent, who committed suicide at his home west of town early last Wednesday morning, were posted just a few hours prior to his death and reached the Enterprise through the post office a few hours after the news of Mr. RUFERT's tragic death."
"The 'Tidings' lack their usual kindly and optimistic opinionativeness and are mere brief statements of news facts, their brevity and impersonalism bearing mute evidence to the fact that Mr. RUFERT was in an abnormal and strained mental condition on the day prior to his tragic death."
"This last contribution bears evidence that Mr. RUFERT had the loyal heart of a true newspaperman. He thought of his responsibility to the paper up to the last moment and in spite of other harassing worries.
[by CARL RUFERT]- "Hylas E. Holt [Lorena McNary's husband] and family and Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Steele [Flossie McNary] and baby spent Thanksgiving with Mr. and Mrs. Ray McNary of Fowler."
Note: From: "The Genealogy of the Rufert Family," compiled by Elizabeth Reed, 1
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