May 2

Willoughby Run Bridge Repaired

Work on repairing the Willoughby Run Bridge on the Fairfield Road, which recently broke beneath the weight of a heavy truck, has been completed and traffic has resumed. It was necessary to replace broken planks with new and heavier ones and to straighten the bent iron rods, which prevented the truck from plunging into the stream below.

Injured When Thrown From Mule

Charles Reager of near Greenmont was painfully cut about the face and head last Sunday when he was thrown from a mule while riding on the Emmitsburg Road. He was on his way to visit his brother when the mule he was riding shied and threw him off. He lay unconscious on the road until a machine containing several soldiers came along and they picked him up and took him to the home of George Rohrbaugh where he was cared for until he could be moved to his home.

Oil Or Dust?

Now that summer is near at hand, the streets will be dry, and dust and frequent winds will blow the dust and send it in your homes. As such, every citizen should awaken and urge the town commissioners to oil the streets. Main Street from east to west is probably affected by the winds more than any other and should be oiled, the state road being concrete and not needing much attention.

We doubt that every property owner would be willing to donate money to help oil the streets, and the new Board of Commissioners should get busy and learn what the job will cost and then put it up to the citizens whether they want the work done. Don't wait until Midsummer to do the work. Get busy and do it now.

May 9

Trolley & Autocar Collide

Four persons were injured, one seriously, when a trolley car on the Thurmont Line crashed into a five-passenger automobile driven by John Fuss of Emmitsburg. The trolley caught the rear fender of the automobile and drug it more than 40 feet.

The injured: John Speak of Thurmont was badly cut about the head and face, had fractured ribs, and multiple bruises about his body. Charles and John Fuss of Emmitsburg were cut slightly and bruised. Mrs. Carrie Long, also of Emmitsburg, was painfully cut and bruised about the face and body. Her seven-month-old child was thrown from the automobile over 60 feet, but escaped with only minor bruises.

Mr. Speak mercifully escaped being ground to dust beneath the wheel of the trolley. He fell from the auto across one of the rails directly in front of the trolley and was dragged nearly 60 feet. In some strange manner, his clothing caught on a bolt, which extended from the trolley in front of the wheel and he was dragged until the trolley was stopped with his head and neck across one rail, hardly six inches in front of the wheel. When the trolley was stopped, it had to be backed up in order to disentangle his clothing before his body could be released. He was then picked up, unconscious, and hurried to the Frederick City hospital.

Electric Milkers Installed

Mr. Daniel Roddy, near Mount St. Mary's, has installed electric milkers at his dairy stables. Two cows can be milked at once, and the process only requires about two minutes. The milk goes directly from the cow through glass tubes into a closed can. Mr. Roddy says his cows generally take to the machine, and that it is not nearly as hard as getting his lazy wife to milk the cows by hand, nor does he have to listen to the machine nag at him. He contemplates increasing his herd and will then add two more milkers to his outfit.

May 16

Daylight Holdup On Fairfield Road

A broad daylight holdup was staged on the Fairfield Road a short distance from the Marsh Creek Bridge on Thursday, when a Negro jumped on the wagon of fourteen-year-old Merle Spence of Fairfield, and robbed him of bag of grain and 40 cents. No trace of the highwayman has been found.

The young boy had passed over the Marsh Creek Bridge and was not paying attention to the road, as he was looking at some photographs he had purchased in town, when he was suddenly startled by seeing a Negro standing at the head of his horses, which had come to a halt. Pointing a gun at young Spence's head and demanding him "to throw up your hands" the Negro jumped on the wagon, took off the boy’s belt, tied his hands behind his back, and then searched all of Spence's pockets. In addition to the grain and the 40 cents, the Negro found a check, but threw it on the floor of the wagon, as he knew he would be unable to cash it.

"Now go home," commanded the highwaymen to young Spence after he had completed his search. The horses commenced to run down the road at full speed. Merle attempted to turn in at the first farmhouse and tell of his holdup but the horses would listen to no verbal command and, as the boy could not use the reins, there was no stop made until the Spence Farm was reached twenty minutes later. When the sheriff was contacted, he searched the scene of the holdup, but no sight of the highwayman was evident.

Long Assaults Wife

Mr. Wilbur Long, who resides near Jimtown, was arrested on the charge of brutally assaulting his wife. He was brought before the justice of the peace who threw the bum in jail. His wife before marriage was Ms. Carrie Fuss of Emmitsburg, who was one of the persons injured in the trolley car collision last Monday.

May 23

Harney Store Sold

Max Wilson has recently purchased the store of H. J. Wolf in Harney and will conduct a sale there until the entire stock is exhausted. Wilson has not indicated if he will continue to operate a store in Harney

Hailstorm At Fairfield

One of the most severe hailstorms that has visited this section in years passed over Fairfield Thursday afternoon between four and five o'clock, destroying many gardens and damaging the wheat. The stones ranged from the size of peas to 1/2 inch in diameter and lay so thick on the ground that they could be scooped up with shovels. Fruit trees in the Fairfield section of the county were damaged, although the exact extent has not been determined.

Kiser Trial To Begin Monday

The trial of Mrs. Alice Kiser of Harney, charged with murdering her husband, Frank Kiser, will begin at Westminster on Monday. For several years, Mrs. Kiser had reason to suspect her husband of intimacy with a woman living about a mile from the Kiser home. On February 12, the woman in the case was in Harney, and it is said stood on the opposite side of the street from the Kiser’s house, making signals to Kiser. Mrs. Kiser saw her, and said Kiser responded to the signals and then drove away in his buggy. The woman also disappeared, and Mrs. Kiser supposed they were together. Kiser returned about seven o'clock in the evening, and as he was about to enter the kitchen door, Mrs. Kiser fired a shotgun. The load entered the left side of Kiser’s forehead, and he died shortly thereafter. Mrs. Kiser is about 63 years old, and has been in bad health for a number of years. Kiser was about 62 years old, and the woman in the case is said to be about 60 years old.

May 30

Steer Breaks Window

Customers who were purchasing goods at the store of Isaac Annan on Chambersburg Street in Emmitsburg were given a distinct shock shortly after 10 o'clock when a large steer charged through the plate glass window fronting Chambersburg Street. The inquisitive steer was part of a herd belonging to the Patterson Brothers which were proceeding quietly along Chambersburg Street to the Patterson barn on the East side of town, when he noticed some interesting looking onions on exhibition in the window. Evidently the steer was a great lover of spring onions for he did not even allow a thick glass window to interfere with his desire to satisfy his appetite. His scheme was quickly foiled by drivers of the herd and he was forced to return to the street.

Horses Race On Old Emmitsburg Race Track

Horse races originally scheduled for Hunterstown were held Saturday afternoon on the old racetrack west of Emmitsburg. Owing to the impossible condition of the roads leading to the Huntertown track it was decided to call off the event there and to secure the consent of the property owners of the old Emmitsburg track to hold the races there.

Read Prior '100 Years Ago this Month'