November 5

First Hunting Accident

Ira Stoops, a Fairfield barber, was the first hunting accident victim on the rabbit season when he was shot by an unknown hunter, at McGinley‘s Hill, near Fairfield. Mr. Stoops was peppered with shot from his head to his feet, his injuries however are not considered severe. Mr. Stoops was one of the many hunters in the field when a rabbit jumped out near him. Although he called to the others hunters not to shoot, one of the men fired, and Mr. Stoops fell. The man who fired the shot, and those with him, ran. They were later found and brought back to the scene of the accident but refused to say which one had fired. Each refused to give his name.

Emmitsburg Source of County Hooch

It is the complaint of local magistrates that more charges of intoxication are being brought before them then ever before, and that in most instances, the person charged with overindulgence is more sick than drunk. Drunks the police pick up are almost invariably found senseless on streets or roads, and once revived insist that they could not have been intoxicated, as they had so little to drink. It is the quality, not quantity, which mows them down like grain, for the Emmitsburg area is full of mountain liquor, which in many instances is a little better than outright poison.

Since prohibition became a fact, the mountain upon which Emmitsburg backs up too has become a haven for stills brewing illicit liquor. Moonshiners have found their output are always in demand and by efficient arrangement’s they can dispose of as much as they want through middleman and distributors. But enough of the liquor stays in Emmitsburg area to afford is populous all that it requires. There is hardly a house or a farm where drinks cannot be had to the full extent of the purchaser’s capacity to pay.

November 12

Caught Beneath Tractor, Killed,

Grant Springer, of near Emmitsburg, died almost instantly Saturday afternoon when he lost control of his threshing machine and it overturned. After the accident he walked uphill with blood streaming from his nose, mouth, and ears. His brother, Columbus, who was nearby, ran, caught, and held him while the injured man died in his arms.

Springer had just finished threshing for his brother on the latter’s farm near Emmitsburg, and was returning with his tractor. As he started going downhill, the machine got beyond his control, presumably because of the breaking of the steering wheel. The engine upset, righted itself, and then went into a gutter and against the bank.

It is believe that Springer was struck across the breast by the steering wheel when it broke, and when the engine was upset he was thrown beneath it. The bones of his breast were broken and crushed and forced against his heart. The deceased was 26 years old and well known. He had quite a reputation as a machinist and had been operating the latest farm equipment for some years. His sudden death was quite a shock to his many friends.

Shot At Insulators

Curtis Powell and Ralph Harmon, both of Thurmont, were given a hearing before the Justice of the Peace, on the charges of shooting at high tension insulators on the transmission lines of the Hagerstown and Frederick Railway Company. The railway company has been experience a great amount of trouble for sometime owing to power line insulator being destroyed by gunfire, resulting in service interruptions. Instead of sentencing the offenders to the penitentiary, he held the case open for further action as the record of both youths being clear to the time of this charge.

Apple Packing Criticized In County

Adam’s County apple growers must use greater care and honesty in packing their apples if they hope to continue to sell them. Wholesalers have begun to refuse to handle Adams County packed apples unless they have been packed by a grower whose reputation is known to the wholesale trade. This condition has been brought about by the fact that in the past, growers have been prone to pack their apples carelessly, putting the best apples on the top of the barrel, and packing the middle and bottom of the package entirely with undesirable apples. As a correct measure, the County is developing apple packing and grading regulations. It is believe that these regulations will do much towards securing a permanent place for Adam’s County apples nationwide.

Detour Bridge Opens

Frederick County Commissioners stated that the public roads of the County are in fairly good condition at this time. A great deal of repair work had been done during the summer and that while more is needed in places, most can wait until next spring. The roads that need attention most have been looked after and considerable repair work was also done to culverts and small bridges. Several bridges over the Monocacy River were repaired, including the construction of a new bridge over Double Creek in Detour which has been completed and opened to traffic.

November 19

Mill at Zora Burns to Ground.

To purchase a 90-year-old mill only six months ago, to refit it with $7,000 worth of brand new machinery, and then to lose the entire establishment together with the garage, touring car and truck was the misfortune of V. H. Beam of Zora.

Fire, which is believed to have started from a stove’s flue, broke out at the east end of Mr. Beam’s mill known as the Liberty Rolling Mill of Zora, near the junction of the Gettysburg-Waynesboro Road and the Emmitsburg-Waynesboro Pike. The Liberty Rolling Mills, the most prestigious establishment of its kind in that section of Adams County, was built about 90 years ago.

In a short time the fire gained tremendous headway. As soon as the alarm had spread over the countryside, people from Emmitsburg, Fairfield and surrounding sections arrived on the scene in droves. Due to the fact that the flames were burning beneath the thin surface of the roof and the old shingle surface it was exceedingly difficult to fight them. Coupled with this was a high wind, which helped materially to fan the flames to great heights.

Approximately 2,100 bushels of grain were contained in the building besides the $7,000 worth of new equipment which had been installed exactly one month and one day before the breaking out of the fire. In addition, Mr. Beam lost his touring car, truck and all the contents of the garage. In total the fire cost Mr. Beam an estimated $20,000, of which only $7,000 was covered by insurance.

Ice Damage To Trees Is Great

Losses to Adams County fruit growers totaling many thousands of dollars have been caused by ice, which broke the limbs of apple and peach trees as a result of rain followed by freezing temperatures. One fruit grower stated after a survey of all the damage has been taken throughout the county, he believed the losses would mount to near $50,000. For a few growers, where the low temperatures allowed the ice to remain longer on the trees, losses were almost total.

Knitting Mill Closes

The knitting mill in Emmitsburg closed last week due to the scarcity of material.

November 26

Pig Club Round Up

The nine Doroc-Jersey gilts belonging to the boys in the Fairfield Breeding Club were judged Tuesday afternoon at the farm of Harry Brown, of Fairfield. Charles Rumhugger, of State College, did the judging of the pigs and gave a short talk to those present on a particular features looked for in a good pig. The first prize was won by Floyd Brown, the second third fourth and fifth prizes were one by Paul Strasbaugh, William Neely, Charles Landis, and Dwight Strasbaugh. All the boys will carry their pigs over as breeding sows for the next year’s program in club work.

Fined for Intoxication

State troopers, driving along the Harney Road early Sunday morning, noticed an automobile coming towards them in a zigzag course. Investigation found that the occupants, Howard and Clement Bechtel, who live in Taneytown, who were returning from the weekly meeting of the Former-Former Boozers Association, were thoroughly intoxicated. So much so, they were unable to remember their own names until the following morning.

The pair was ordered to pay a fine of $10.25 apiece for driving an automobile while under the influence of liquor. The pair offered to pay their fine in hooch, but after extensive deliberation, the offer was refused by the Justice of the Peace when his wife got word he was considering it. The pair was only released after their toughly annoyed wives showed up to pay the fine.

Major Castle Dies

Major George Castle, Commander of the Government Stores in Frederick during the raid a General Jubal Early, when the Confederate officer extracted ransom of $200,000 to save the town from destruction by fire, died Thursday night at his Thurmont home. He was 79 years old. Major Castle enlisted at the outbreak of the war. In 1862 he was promoted to Captain, in 1865 he was raise to Major. He was wounded during the Battle of the Wilderness.

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