"BILLY" QUEAR MAKES GOOD AT CULVER

"BILLY" QUEAR MAKES GOOD AT CULVER

NOBLESVILLE COLONY AT LAKE MAXINKUCKEE FINDS HOME BOY POPULAR.

FAMOUS LAKE AND SCHOOL

Brief Notes of Military Academy and Incidents of Fishing in Beautiful Lake.

Editor Ledger:

Hoosiers do not appreciate Culver and Lake Maxinkuckee as they should.

Just why this is, it is hard to explain, for Culver is easy of access, Lake Maxinkuckee is admitted to be the most beautiful lake in Indiana, and the fishing and opportunities for a pleasant vacation are of the best.

Then, Culver Military Academy, on Lake Maxinkuckee, is one of the institutions of Indiana that should be of special interest and pride to exery Hoosier.

Noblesville has a special interest in fishes the academic course. He has been here for some years, and no student at the Military Academy is more popular than this Noblesville boy--William Quear - better known to all here as "Billy" Quear, He is a member of the band at the academy, and has one more year before he finishes th academic course. He has taken the business course at the academy, and expects to take a posttion in some city, at the end of his term, having already had some flattering offers.

Then, Earl Wild, of Noblesville, has been here for a week as a member of the band with the Logansport Boy Scouts, who have camped here at the Lake, and have attracted much attention by their drills, band concerts and trips over the lake.

"Billy" Quear wears some honor medals that prove his worth. One is for special work at the academy, and the other was won by heroic service at Logansport during the great floods of 1913. "Billy" is the kind of boy who can do great things just as a matter of course. Then he is never too busy to see his old friends from home.

The commandant at Culver academy is Col. Gignilliat - not pronounced much as it is spelled - and he holds high favor with the pupils and also with the citizens of the little city and with visitors, and many visitors come to the academy at all times. Some come, of course, to see their sons at the academy, and others on sight, seeing tours.

And, there are interesting sights to be seen.

The parades, the drills of 500 cadets, the reviews by the colonel and other officers, the bands leading, colors flying, the older cadets dressed in striking uniforms, the younger Foresters, under the famous Dan Beard, the strict military precision of the movements, these draw and hold attention.

Then, the scene when 500 young men and boys are served with meals in one dining hall, marching in columns of fours, the mess hall beautifully fitted and decorated, makes an, attractive sight.

This mess hall is one of the big sights at the academy, and here it is, too, that the big social functions are held, including the receptions by the officers and their wives and the dances given for the cadets and maidens of the little city and those who visit Culver during the social season.

The summer school is just closing, this branch of the academy starting about thirteen years ago. The summer schools affords profitable and pleasant outing for the boys who attend, giving not only mental opportunities, but also physical exercises deemed so necessary for boys and young men. Then, everything is under the most careful supervision.

Special work is given in athletic and aquatic lines, boys are taught to shoot with the rifle and the pistol, taught to swim, to row and to sail the cutters that add a very attractive feature to the beautiful lake.

The school affords not only study in the ordinary curriculums of academics and smaller colleges, but it gives a boy a chance to learn the various arts that make his an all-round man, physically as well as mentally.

The buildings at Culver Academy are well constructed and cover much space. They are of brick, and the big administration building, the barracks, the hospital, the gymnasiums, the armory, the drill grounds, the tennis courts, the boating and swimming docks, all present a scene not easily forgotten by any visitor.

Culver Military Academy is famed the country over, its Black Horse Cavalry has appeared in many great functions of patriotism and display, and its summer naval and athletic school is also of great value and of interest. No finer sight could be imagined than the review of the cadets, during the summer term, accompanied by the Forresters, the littie fellows, in companies, keeping step and under the direction of boys of their own' size, giving the same orders that their elders give, marching with precision, and all following Old Glory.

It presents an inspiring scene, and especially so when the world is filled with wars and rumors of wars and it cannot be told how soon men like these may be called to the colors to fight and die for the honor and glory of their country.

But, there are other features that make Culver attractive. The little city itself is a growing, thriving country town of about 1,000 population. The Vandalia has a pleasant station, and from this station to the far southern limits of the little city brick streets have been constructed, and these streets are lined with thriving business houses, and more business rooms and other structures are being added.

A fine, big pubice library is now well on toward completion. A live little newspaper is published, and bears at its masthead the startling statement: "Stops when the time is out, doesn't follow your through eternity." The editor is Arthur B. Holt, and he has a well-located office building, with a good plant and an apparently profitable business, the academy affording much work in the printing line.

The summer visitors to the lake not only enjoy the fishing, the outing, the fine air and the sight of the blue waters of the lake, but they also enjoy the friendly tone of the people of the city of Culver and the frequent visits to the academy.

The lake is not large, in fact, it small enough - so that the average landlubber does not feel so much afraid toride out upon its fair bosom. It covers an area of about twelve square miles, and it is entirely surrounded by cottages and hotels. A wagon road goes entirely around the lake, and the auto drive of about fifteen miles over this road is is very pleasant, although there are many, short and sudden turns.

The lake is well stocked with bass, salmon - wall-eyed pike - blue gills, red-eyes. perch and other fish, both large and small. The experts catch the big fish, but almost anybody can catch the perch, and, perhaps, the blue gills and the smaller red-eyes.

A new bait is being used this year, and even some not so expert have had remarkable success with it. This artiticial bait is called "tango," an imitation minnow, with all the movementa of the tango dance, in its course through the water. Then, another successful bait is the grasshopper, but grasshoppers are very scarce and hard to get.

The Noblesville colony at Lake Maxinkuckce has tried all the different baits this season, and with varying success, and has had some new expericenes. Hunting grasshoppers at night, by the aid of flash lights, is rather a new idea, it would seem. ChrisHowell, with his Hupmobile, took a party about ten miles around the lake and off in the country to get grasshoppers, one night.

The auto was carefully parked at the angle of the road, and then with two flash lights, the party set off along a fence row on the side of the deep ditch through some very low, wet ground, whore the rattlesnakes, water moccasins and black snakes were said to be prevalent; this last rumor was partly for the benefit of Lee Howell, about 12 years of age, who from then on had a tendency to hang around close to the men with the lights. With the flash lights a big, yellow grasshopper could be located on a tall weed, and a quick catch of an expert hand would land liim and he would be placed in the box, later to be fed clover and water until the time to feed him to the black-mouth bass. As much work was required to catch a hundred grasshoppers this year as it would take in an ordinary year to catch a thousand, the experts said.

Then, when one bait is acquired, the report gains ground that some other bait is better, and so the lake is fished with all kinds of bait, from the tango clear on back to the old fashioned fishing worm - the only, sure, never-failing, catch-as-catch can bait - for little fish, and once in a while a big red-eye or even a bass will be foolish enough to take a bite at a worm, and especially at one of the big "night crawlers." These night crawlers are also caught by the aid of a flash light.

One night, Doc Tucker and Lee Howell went over to the big grassy bank leading down to the lake from the railway station at Culver and were grabbing the big "night crawlers" before they could slip back into their holes, when a man hurt Lee's feelings very badly by offering to buy some of the wiggling worms. Lee said to Doc, "He thinks we have to do this for a living."

Some days as many as a hundred perch could easily be caught by a boat of anglers, and once and awhile a bigger strike would be made. But, when a fisherman or two with a guide will make the rounds of the best spots in the lake a catch of eight or ten, or even more, bass will make up the string.

One day, Mr. Howell, his son, Lee, and Dick Burkett, a well known fisherman, - who has lived near the lake all his life, came back with twenty pounds of bass, and ten pounds of other large fish.

The Nobleeville colony, here is breaking up for this summer, but is promising itself another visit to beautiful Lake Maxinkuckee the next year, when the weather gets warm at home, for here there is a breeze, the nights are cool, and strange to say, the rains have been infrequent.

Mr. Howell and family will remain another week. Macy Howell and Frank Heinzmann were here for a few days. Frank Lacy and family and. John G Heinzmann leave Monday, the 23rd, and the Kesters, Tuckers and Neals. are gone. Walter Platt, of the Griffin Hardware store, enjoyed a day or more here with Mr. Howell and family.

This bunch enjoyed their stay over on the west side of the lake, the "overall" side, paying only occasional visits to the east side, the "white pants" side of the lake.

But, everybody, on all sides of Lake Maxinkuckee agrees that there is no more pleasant place for a summer's outing.

E. P. U. Culver, Ind., August 21st, 1915.

The Noblesville Ledger Noblesville, Indiana Aug 23, 1915