European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 13, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 16 the stars and stripes a backyard bid to Power i i Chicken by David l. Anderson a staff writer editor s note in Ellisville iii.,the Village president wears lipstick. So does the Board of trustees. The fact Isth whole town is run by females its a woman s world in powder puff revolution hit Ellisville population 118 on april 11, 1961. Like Many another group of revolution Aries the Ellisville females did t like the Way things were being run. The wanted Power. They wanted the men out. Three women Matilda Tillie Forner is. Fern Tourtillot and Shirley Knott coolly planned and executed a coup. They deposed Village president Roy Butler and two of his aides. Showing a compassion rarely seen i such blatant Power grabs the women allowed Butler and his cohorts to re main in Ellisville. Now the women Are running things. Tillie is Village seven Man Board of trustees is All women. The treasurer is is the clerk. Ellisville has a woman even mans the pumps at the town s Only service was All done Over backyard fences. Quietly. The menfolk for the most part work in other towns. This made the conspiring even easier. The few who found out what was about to happen were evidently awed into town ladies wrote in the names of the aforementioned Are More men voters in Ellisville than women but elections in Ellisville Don t normally inspire Overly Large voter turnouts. Tillie was elected Village president Ina Squeaker 26-23, ousting incumbent but Ler. She was re elected in 1965 by a 59-12vote, but her coalition is obviously weak. If she acts too proud or insults themen they Are liable to turn her out of office. Besides she says i have to asked her greatest accomplishment i office Tillie said not when we put the lights or even the just Tillie 58 years old married with a grow daughter never uses two words when one will suffice. There were no specific complaint about the Way the men ran the town the women just thought they could doa better Job. Over the years As men s terms of office expired or they resigned women were elected to fill the vacancies. A Ellisville is just across a $700,000 Bridge Over the spoon River. It is a narrow spot literally on the Blacktop Between Fairview and Prairie City. It is about 200 Miles Southwest of the town appears to be just another sleepy Little Burg on the Prairie. Modern living Mary Neth editor but Ellisville is different. Once you Getto talking to its residents you find it is downright comatose. From 7 . To 6 . During the week it appears devoid of adults. You could say Ellisville was a Beautiful Little town marred Only by ram shackle but quaint buildings. Or you could say it was a Rural slum saved Only by Trees. There is a communal water pump inthe Shade in front of the Post office. Genuine Rural americana. But across main Street the town Library appears on the verge of slipping into a garbage dump. A burned out building is still standing and City Hall is up to its Knees in weeds. Autos sit abandoned where they apparently breathed their last. Quaint tvo visitors Ellisville s communal water pump is still in business. For mrs. Jane Kuehn and daughters it s Only source of Safe water. _ o talk to the men the ladies Are doing so so. Sort of a shoulder shrug endorsement. Taxes Are up. Two Street lights have been installed but that just raised the Light Bill. In recent years the Village has Bernhard hit by dutch Elm disease and has had to pay up to $125 apiece to have Over a dozen Trees removed. The amputation of Trees also Cost som Money but there was no beefing. They feel worse about the Trees than paying to take them out said Tillie. Ray Carr owner of the town service station and a former trustee said the women have to pay More to run the town than we did when we ran like when the weeds in front of City Hall got too High a Bunch of us would get our mowers and go Over there and Cut them. Now they have to hire some one to do it he mused. They re not doing a bad Job we did t like the Job they Are doing i guess we could always Vole pm put there Are More of us no n hero still he Board meets the second tuesday of each month to discuss Patching Mai Street removing Trees paying the Liebl Bill and cutting Man paused Long enough on his Way to a fishing Hole to say that few of themen mind the ladies Doin the Job. It was a lot of to they like to worry about it. Let pm. Taxes have increased since the women took Over the women said but nobody knows How lady treasurer can t find the old records. Mrs. Lucille Carr mans the Gas pumps at the town s Only station. Out of the coup came a new group of Village leaders headed by Tillie Rigoll
