27 Dec 1945, p 1 - GEORGE CALLAWAY HURT IN FALL. George Callaway, local clothing store operator, broke his hip Friday evening when he fell on the sidewalk near his store. He slipped on a small patch of ice. Mr. Callaway, 73 years old, is a veteran merchant of Cambridge City. He was taken to Reid Memorial hospital.
13 Jun 1946, p 5 - A few weeks ago many feared that George Callaway, who is no spring chicken, would not survive the ordeal when he fell and broke a hip. They were far wrong, for George is up and at 'em again with only one crutch. For a time he used a pair, but some of these days he's going to even ditch the one he uses now. He spends quite a lot of his time at home, but makes his way to the store when his presence is required, with only the trusty crutch, and he can throw that left leg just as handily as ever.
5 Jun 1947, p 1 - Mr. and Mrs. George E. Callaway quietly observed the golden anniversary of their wedding with a small family dinner party at the Woods Coffee shoppe. Guests were Mrs. M.R. Krahl, who attended the wedding 50 years ago, Mrs. E.O. Paul, Mrs. Frank Marson, Mrs. Chas. Ferguson, and Miss Frances Callaway.
7 Aug 1952, p 4 - Add the South Side Service Station to the list of robberies recently, where cash, candy and cigarets [sic] were taken. This makes four robberies in one week, Wayne Matney, Orie Huddleston, George Callaway and Frank Smith.
25 Dec 1952, p 12 - Veteran Cambridge City Clothier Recalls Early Days As Pharmacist. (Indianapolis Star) When George E. Callaway, clothier, strolls a couple blocks down Main Street and enters Rolla B. Grigsby's Pharmacy he not only is in familiar surroundings but, as a licensed pharmacist, could find a prescription. He has renewed his license from year to year though he hasn't touched pestle and mortar since around 1908. Callaway saw the fabulous fixtures now in the Grigsby store long before Grigsby got them. That was before the turn of the century when he served his apprenticeship as a pharmacist under his father, Moses M. Callaway, who died in 1902. Then he took over the store, which was diagonally across the street from Grigsby's, and operated it until 1908 when he sold it to Bert Carpenter, a well-known druggist of this area, who died at Richmond two years ago. The veteran clothier - he was 80 years old last July 14 but looks much younger - still has some of the momentoes he found in the original store. Among them are bills of lading for goods brought to Cambridge City from Cincinnati via the old Whitewater Canal. They were thus shipped to Samuel H. Houshour who first had the drug store, with a furniture store upstairs in the building now occupied by Morris, Inc. It was Houshour who had the striking fixtures made.
One bill of lading in Callaway's possession goes back to 1862 but Houshour was in business long before that. The bill sets forth that a consignment listed thereon was shipped "in good order and condition by J.D. Brown to S.H. Houshour on board the good canal boat Nick Longworth, via the Whitewater Canal to the port of Cambridge City, to be delivered in good order excepting for damage or loss from civil commotion or from piracy seizure, sequestration or detention, and overpowering thieves or the consequences of any hostile act of the government or people, person or persons of any state of this union or of any state or states claiming to have seceded from this union."
With traffic over U.S. 40 roaring through the town it is difficult to imagine Cambridge City as a port. But, as Callaway pointed out, the canal extended from Cincinnati to nearby Hagerstown and crossed the present National Road under a stone arch. There was a freight house and dock where goods were unloaded from canal boats towed the length of the canal by mules. Primitive as the town may have been, Houshour had a liking for elegance. And in town was a cabinet maker who was a genius. He was Ferdinand Jones and he made the drug store fixtures by hand, carving them exquisitely from black walnut and ash. He also did the exterior of Houshour's residence, which still stands, and of several other fine homes.
Callaway's father, who was postmaster and druggist at Milton, two miles south of here, bought the Houshour store in 1881, and the fixtures were old then. After Carpenter bought the place he moved across the street in 1910. The fixtures were cut into sections for transportation and then set up again as neatly as ever. Grigsby bought the store in 1926. He reports that ever since then tourists, as well as local residents, have been fascinated by the famous fixtures. They also like to study the old-fashioned patent medicine labels printed on glass above the fixtures.
Callaway's name is on one and, of course, he remembers them well. One offered a Consumption Cure. Still another, which was a headache medicine, was called Harper's Brain Food. This was later changed to osphalgine after the pure food and drugs law ruled out extravagant curative claims of the medicines. Some, however, still are being sold, such as Hostetter's Stomach Bitters.
Callaway, who was born in Milton, remembers when people depended almost on druggists to alleviate their sufferings. "They rarely went to a hospital," he said, "and then only for a very serious operation. Doctors used to come out here from Indianapolis to perform appendectomies, usually on kitchen tables. Of course, many died of acute appendicitis. Now, with almost everybody carrying hospital insurance, the hospitals are overcrowded. But there has been an amazing advance in medicine and drugs and it is reflected in the fact that the average span of life now is much longer." He pointed out that he had never been in a hospital as a patient until 1945 when he fell on an icy walk and suffered a compound leg fracture and had to be taken to Reid Memorial Hospital, Richmond. Since 1912 he has been a clothier and is at his store every day. He used to enjoy fishing but his career as an angler reached its end and climax when he went to California in 1931 to visit a brother. He hauled some fine mackerel and halibut from the Pacific and it was all so spectacular it spoiled the fishing for him hereabouts.
Callaway holds another unusual record. For 63 years he was a regular member of the choir of the Methodist Church here. He started as a soprano when he was 15 and continued until he was 78 - two years ago. When his voice changed he became a tenor and took parts in numerous anthems, besides Handel's Messiah. In the days when there were annual song festivals in Manlove Park he sang frequently with a male octet. Now he spends his leisure hours at home with his wife and his daughter, Miss Frances Callaway.
30 Sep 1954, p 5 - OLDEST CAMBRIDGE BUSINESSMAN ENDS HIS 62 YEARS OF SERVICE. (Richmond Palladium-Item) George E. Callaway, oldest Cambridge City businessman in years and point of service, smiled as he spoke to one of his last customers, and said "I can't even say 'come again.'" He smiled but the smile was tinged with a little sadness and behind the smile were the memories of his 65 years as a businessman with 62 of them spent in this Wayne County community. Callaway closed his men's clothing store about 8 p.m. Saturday night. It ended his years of service to the community as a druggist and clothing store operator. Callaway was only 17 years old when he joined his father, Moses M. Callaway, in a drugstore here where the Morris dry goods store now is located. He is now 82 years old. Callaway continued to work with his father until the latter died in 1902. He then operated the drugstore until 1908 when he sold it to the late Bert Carpenter, Richmond druggist. From 1908 until 1912, Callaway worked with his father-in-law, R.W. Hall, in the clothing business in Richmond. The store was located in the 900 block of Main Street and Callaway commuted from Cambridge City on interurban cars. "We sold $10 and $15 suits and $1 and $2 derby hats," Callaway recalls.
In 1912, Callaway purchased a men's clothing store owned by Walter Waddell in Cambridge City. It was located in the east half of what now is the Brunner drugstore. Callaway remained in that location for 30 years. In 1942, he moved to what now is the Marson jewelry store and in 1946 he went to his last location , in the Judkins building near the west edge of the Cambridge City business district. Born in Milton July 14, 1872, Callaway holds another service record of which he is justly proud. He sang for 65 years in the choir at the Methodist church here. A tenor, he began singing when he was 15 years old and retired from the choir two years ago when he was 80. Demonstrating the quiet humor for which he is known, Callaway said recently that it "took the church a long time to find out what was wrong with the choir."
Always interested in music, Callaway also was secretary of the Cambridge City Chautauqua Association and was instrumental in the programs arranged for this community during the chautauqua reign. Callaway cleaned up several "loose ends" Saturday as he prepared to close his business. Businessmen and friends in the community dropped in occasionally to visit him and wish him luck. The veteran businessman and his wife, the former Leona Hall, who is a native of Lewisville, will continue to live quietly here. A daughter, Frances, lives with them. Mr. and Mrs. Callaway were married in 1897. Callaway, also a long-time Methodist church trustee, had his store set up Saturday for an auction sale of his equipment on the Monday following his last day of business. Typical of the thoughtfulness for which he is familiar, was a stack of hat boxes near the front door. A sign on them said: "Empty. Help yourself."
14 Oct 1954, p 1 - MRS. GEO. CALLAWAY IN HOSPITAL. Mrs. George Callaway is a patient at Henry County Hospital at New Castle.
4 Nov 1954, p 1 - GEORGE E. CALLAWAY FRANCES CALLAWAY. George E. Callaway, retired businessman, shot and killed his mentally retarded daughter, Frances, 44 years old, and then wounded himself fatally early Tuesday morning. Callaway, 82, apparently shot his daughter as she lay asleep in a bed in the Callaway home, 213 West Church street. They were each members of the local Methodist church. The woman was shot twice through the chest and once through the neck. The man was shot in the temple on the right side of his head. Both deaths were apparently instant. Sheriff Ora Wilson said he found the gun in Callaway's hand when he arrived at the scene. The daughter required constant care and was never left alone at the Callaway home. Dr. John H. Mader, Wayne County coroner, termed the deaths murder and suicide. According to investigating officers, Callaway had been despondent over the condition of his wife, Leona, who is in poor condition at the Henry County Hospital at New-Castle following an operation. Officers said Callaway was told Sunday that his wife probably would not survive her illness.
The retired merchant returned to Cambridge City and on Monday visited the Howard Funeral home where he made arrangements for funeral services for his wife, himself and his daughter. C.M. Howard, funeral home director, said Callaway explained his making the arrangements, saying, "just in case we should all three die at once." Only a nephew, Edwin Callaway in Long Beach, Cal., survives.
Officers said two women friends of the Callaways had stayed at the Callaway home Monday night. They were Mrs. Bertha Krahl and Mrs. Katherine Stratton. Both women said they heard a noise about 7 a.m. while they were eating breakfast in the kitchen of the Callaway home. They said they believed it was a board or something else falling outside the home and paid little attention to it. At 10 a.m., Mrs. Krahl said Mr. Callaway had not come downstairs and she went to call him and found the bodies, both in their beds in the same room. Callaway used a .32 calber revolver in the shooting. The gun's cylinder holds five bullets. Four of them had been used. Calaway had left a note on a downstairs table listing names of persons to be called in case of death. The Wayne county sheriff's department, Indiana State Police, and Cambridge City authorities investigated the shooting.
Callaway was Cambridge City's oldest businessman in length of service before he retired in September of this year. He had operated a men's clothing store in Cambridge City. Dean House, druggist, is the oldest in continuous service here. Callaway had been a Wayne County businessman for 62 years of his life. He joined his father, Moses M. Callaway, in the latter's drug store in Cambridge City when he was 17 years old. He worked with his father until he died in 1902, and Callaway then operated the store, where the Morris dry goods store now is located, until 1908.
Callaway then came to work in Richmond with his father-in-law, R.W. Hall, who had a clothing business in the 900 block on Main Street. Callaway commuted between Richmond and Cambridge City on interurban cars. He was born in Milton, July 14, 1872, and sang in the choir of the Cambridge City Methodist church for 65 years. Mr. Callaway and his daughter were both members of the Methodist church. He was a member of the Masonic lodge No. 5 here, had been a trustee of the lodge and the church and had received a 50-year Masonic pin. Funeral services will be held Saturday 2 p.m. at the Howard & Son funeral home, with Rev. A. P. Beale in charge. Burial in Riverside cemetery here.
