Sunday, Oct. 2, 1932

Perry May has shooting match today. Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary came here awhile after church. Louis Armstutz & Elmer Rettinghouse came here to look at our cow. This afternoon we & Uncle Fred & Aunt Mary left about 1 o clock went to Red Bud, Ruma, Evansville, Ellis Grove, Springdale Park, Chester, drove to the Southern Illinois Penitrary [sic], but couldn’t go through it, only the restroom, see ferns & furs & such like, everything is so nice there. Papa was talking to Snitz Nollau. Then we went to what they call a Menard, where there are about 400 criminals there, walked up 165 steps & down again, to see them, they where out taking exercise & sun baths, seen there laundry, & there yards where the prisoners work; all the rocks got ready to crush; it sure is a beautiful scene. The Miss. River so close, especially went [sic-when] you are so high up you can see the river such a far distance, then we drove up around the river up the big hill,  then back into Chester again, then back home, it was sure a nice drive we covered about 70 miles was home again 5 o clock. We had supper at Uncle Freds. Henry & family came up we all went over by Aunt Marys, across the street. There is rosary devotion at Red Bud, but we couldn’t go, Henry was up they took a 3 gal. crock of bacon along home 38 lb. with crock. There was a bunch 19 from Hecker went over to Walter Deffabaugh in St. Louis on a visit in Clarence Wittenauers truck.