Thank you to the board of Tonganoxie Cemetery, commonly known as Hubbel Hill, for trying to provide a safe working place for the sextons as well as a beautiful environment, as shown in the Ledbetter picture, for people visiting the graves of their loved ones.

Shepherd’s hooks have been prohibited in many cemeteries. Have any of you tried to weed whip or mow near a shepherd’s hook, statues, cement objects, glass, metal cans, wreaths or artificial flowers being held in place by wires or rebar? Think about it. Thus, the rule that only grave stones are allowed on graves.

A big thank you to sextons Pat Wakeman and Bill Shaw for over 25 years of dedicated and professional service at our cemetery without an injury to a bystander or themselves.

Grave owners let us not compromise but use common senses and cooperate with the cemetery board and abide by their posted “Regulations for Cemetery Decorations.”

Cover your graves if you like with flowers or wreaths from Oct. 15 until March 15. Put flowers on again for Memorial Day, remembering to remove them in 10 days if you want to keep them. In the summer, be happy and content with the nicely mowed and trimmed grass.

If you meet a person or even their family who has served in the past or present on the cemetery board, thank them for their years of service.

Mary Frances Krull,
Tonganoxie.

The downtown lawsuit

To the editor:

The city government some 20 months ago voted to boycott certain merchants because they disagreed with the governing body’s decision. This was a very childish decision on their part. It sounds like the child who says, “You hurt me, and now I’m going to tell my daddy.” Such a juvenile decision was uncalled for.

Historically, there would be no town if the merchants were not there. In 1856, an adventuresome pioneer set up a small supply store on Main Street, Tonganoxie. Our town’s namesake, Chief Tonganoxie, was his only competition at his lodge north of town. The town was located on one of the main trails to the north and west.

Following this one store came a blacksmith shop, livery stable, food market, saloons and hotel. Then the town was established and name selection began.

It appears that this governing body overlooked the importance of the established businesses. No one involved in the decision-making regarding the future of Fourth Street owned any property near that location.

When you are deprived the right of your opinions and you no longer can disapprove of one’s actions, 80 years of believing in the Constitution has been to no avail.

I believe if the present city government and manager understood what this meant to the merchants, they would not be sending a message to the citizens that we do not need businesses that disagree with us. Without a market place, there would be no town. I also believe that city government should work toward making the businesses prosper.

The previous mayor, manager and county showed they did not care. Now we look back and see the manager has disappeared, the mayor quit and most of the city council has resigned.

John C. Lenahan Sr.,
Tonganoxie.

Mountain lions in the county

To the editor:

I had a mountain lion kill a calf two years ago last winter. I reported it to authorities. I went to the house on Leavenworth County Road 27 west of Tonganoxie, just south of Nine Mile Creek to see if their mountain lion had gotten out. The area game warden came to my farm, south of the rock quarry, west of Tonganoxie, and looked at the remains of the calf.

If I would have had my rifle out, I would have shot the mountain lion. It looked just like the one in the pen on county road 27.

I also have reports from people about one killed around Parker, Kan., and put in a deep freeze. The game commission located it by a monitor embedded in its neck or ear and arrested that person. The game commission has been reported by people to have released 25 to 30 in northeastern Kansas.

My neighbors in Reno Township have reported seeing a mountain lion get small farm animals from their fenced pens.

People need to watch their small children in the early morning and evening, as that is when mountain lions make their kill for the most part. They become accustomed to people in areas of higher population and are not afraid of people alone and unprotected.

Marvin L. Torneden,
Linwood.