Gasoline Tax Now In Force

The state tax on gasoline commenced on Thursday. The tax is one cent a gallon to be paid by the wholesaler. The tax will doubtlessly be passed on to the customer. The revenue is to go towards the deficit of more than $1 million in the maintenance fund of the state road commission.

Shot Through Neck

Walter Stambaugh, of near Jimtown, was accidentally shot through the neck Monday afternoon by Oliver McCormick. It is stated that the boys were playing with a revolver, a 32 caliber. One of the boys had supposedly removed all the shells from the gun, and while Oliver was doing some fancy stunts with the gun, the thing discharge, the bullet entering Stambaugh’s neck, missing the bone and came out on the opposite side. It is said the boy made light of the accident for a time, but he later began to suffer and was brought to Thurmont where the wound was dressed.

Union Bridge Bank Temporary Closed

The First National Bank, Union Bridge, is in financial trouble due to its cashier, Frederick Olmstead, being short in his account, and was closed by action of the Directors on Friday morning for a complete investigation of the status of the bank.

The officials of the bank have been aware for some time – so it is stated – that there was a deficit, but it was supposed to be very small, and was very carefully covered up by the bookkeeping methods. Quite recently, however, it was decided to go to the bottom of the trouble, and the Controller of the Currency was asked to take charge. The bank has a capital of $25,000, a surplus of $22,500, undivided profits of $8,500 and has been paying annual dividends of 10% on its stock. The officials of the Department of Justice arrived on Monday to oversee the investigation.

On Wednesday, Frederick Olmstead was arrested and taken to Baltimore where he pleaded guilty to the charge of embezzling $40,000. He was released on $15,000 bail. Olmstead has a wife and several children. He received a $1,000 a year salary as a cashier, and it said that his scale of living seemed beyond his modest salary, raising suspicion of him.

It is said that individuals in the community may sustain considerable losses to the disappearance of bonds, which they had and trusted to Mr. Olmstead for safekeeping. These were not deposited in the bank and no receipts where given, and it said that in such cases there is no liability on the part of the bank. It is believed that the bank will be re-organized and that the depositors with receipts will lose nothing.

June 9

Strawberries

Wild strawberries are being gathered by the hundreds of quarts, while the cultivated variety are still high in price. They are being sold at $.25 per box. It may be the fact of the overabundance of wild ones being picked that is making less sales for the others therefore requiring a big price for those that are sold – but we don’t believe it. Berries and other fruits can be brought in the city at a lower price than in the surrounding towns.

Fuller Brushes

Mr. George Dixon, the Fuller Brush service man, is coming to northern Frederick County where he will remain about three weeks and will call on every home and leave a free brush. He represents the Fuller Company of Hartford Connecticut, the largest manufacturer of 50 types of brushes. He says: "We sweep the earth from head to heal", and give a binding guarantee which Mr. Dixon explains when he leaves the gift brush.

Child injured

One day last week one of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Shild’s little girls while playing about the house pulled from a table a crock containing two cans a Lye dissolved in two quarts of water. The child was looking up and evidently had her mouth open when the crock upset and a quantity of the Lye went into her mouth. She was severely burned and has been in serious condition since the accident.

The Work Of Death

Joseph Samuel Stull died suddenly at the home of his daughter near Keymar, yesterday evening, from valvular heart trouble. He was age 77, one month and five days. He was a lifelong resident of this county, living near Ladiesburg. He was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in the Union Army. For the past 15 years, after the death of his wife, he made his home with his daughter. While Mr. Stull had been in poor health, his death was very sudden and unexpected. He was out in the yard near the barn, at the time, and fell over, death following in a few minutes.

Cutting Tops Out Of Trees.

An expert on tree life, in a recent booklet just issued, says among other things:

"I would like to take the opportunity to condemn the practice of beheading trees. Some folks call it pollarding. It is properly called tree butchery. God put the tops on trees for a purpose. You must have the leaves are there can be no circulation. When you cut the top out of a tree, nature, in her desperate effort to live, forces out to layton buds on the side of the stub. These latent birds are forced into abnormal growth, so that you get a bushy and apparently vigorous top that sees many people.

"But just as sure as fate, unless the cutting back is done by someone with more skill and knowledge than the average tree patcher possesses and the wounds carefully treated for a period of time, decay will start to work in the exposed and lifeless stub and eat its way down to the limbs and trunk of the tree. Such a tree is doomed to premature death.

"The only time when it is excusable to behead a tree is when the tree is doomed anyway and you want to make the cripple look as good as possible as long as it will last. Ordinarily, I should brand the practice as criminal."

June 16

Drowned In The Monocracy

Taneytown was saddened last Saturday afternoon, as it has not been for a long while, when the news came to town that Earl Sauble had drowned while bathing in the Monocracy, where he had gone in company with friends. The drowning occurred shortly after their arrival.

The rest of the party could swim, but Sauble could not, and he was warned to be very careful, as the channel was deep and that he should not attempt to cross. Not appreciating the full danger, he waded in and suddenly dropped beneath his depth. He began to struggle to regain his footing and two of his companions made efforts to save him, but we’re unable to do so.

The alarm was spread, and help was summoned from town, and with the assistance of John Danny, who dived, the body was brought to the surface and taken ashore in a boat. Efforts were made at resuscitation, but as nearly 2 hours had elapse, there was no hope for success.

The victim was is about 19-years old, in the prime of youth, popular, and a very valuable helper on the farm. He was another sudden victim in the diversion that has taken away so many young men under very similar circumstances, which illustrates the great danger of deep water bathing, even to those who are good swimmers.

Boy Killed By Automobile

Lingering for about 15 hours with a fractured skull, broken leg, and other injuries, Glenwood Rice, eight-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. John Rice of Lewistown, died at the Frederick City Hospital on Monday. He had been taken there in a serious condition late Sunday afternoon. With three other companions, the boy was driving some calves, and went to the left side of the road to get out of the way of an approaching machine. As the machine passed he started to cross the road and walked directly in front of another car, driven my William Murphy, who was on his way to Emmitsburg.

Heavy Rains Fall

An unusual amount of rain has fallen in this locality, the first downpour coming Friday evening. The first rain caused streams to rise and gave the ground a good soaking, adding the growing crops immensely.

The second fall rain began Sunday evening about 5 o’clock. This rain came from the southwest and it was accompanied by very heavy thunder. After the first heavy shower, another storm came in and rain fell in Torrance for some time. Rain fell continuously until after 10 o’clock and at times that thunder was very heavy.

The storm crippled the electric light service in Walkersville and Woodsboro as well as the telephone wires out of these towns. About 30 telephones in Walkersville where burnt out by lightning.

June 23

Man of 82 Traveled Thousands Of Miles

If Mr. Isaac Hankey, who resides in Woodsboro, had kept a record of the number of miles he traveled while he was a tobacco drummer, his mileage would perhaps be enough to have circled the globe for he was on the road for 42 years.

Born on the Wagner Farms near Woodsboro in 1840. After he received his education in the public schools of his native district, he helped his father on the farm. When this lad was about 10 years old, the Hankey family moved to Creagerstown. Mr. Hankey stayed with his father until he was about 25 years old.

For about 16 years after he left home, Mr. Hankey drove about this part of the county in a horse and buggy, soliciting orders for cigars. Later he started to travel about the country on the train as a cigar drummer. His trips took him through the New England states and through quite a number of the Southern and Midwest states. Mr. Hankey said that some of his trips necessitated he be away from home for several months at a time.

Mr. Hackney is a lover of the automobile and rides in them quite frequently. However he doesn’t care at all for airplanes and doesn’t fancy a ride in one of them at all. He doesn’t like the movies either. When asked what he thought of the present day female attire, Mr. Hackney was the first loathe to commit himself but upon further questioning, he declared that he didn’t care what a tire the girls used just so they themselves were satisfied.

Roadside Advertising Sign Law

The law prohibiting the placing of advertising signs within the right away of any public highway of the state has been amended. On June 1, the State Road Commission assumed responsibility for the enforcement of the law on state highways, while the State Board of Forestry will continue to enforce the law on other than state roads.

The law prohibited advertising signs within the right of way, was enacted in 1914, and shortly there after the State Board of Forestry appointed June 20 as Signboard Day. On that day, through the cooperation of civic associations, Boy Scouts, many thousands of advertising signs where torn down. The movement thus inaugurated for the purpose of beautifying our highways by the elimination of unsightly advertising upon trees, fences, and other structures within the right of way of the highways has been universally commended. Signboards outside the right away, which were enacted with the written Consent of the owner, are exempt.

Frederick County Tax Base

The taxable base of Frederick County this year is $42,216,441 according to the computation of figures made in the office of the County Commissioners. The basis this year shows in net increase of $663,802. The figure of the taxable base are computed on the real estate, personal property, and stocks and bonds.

By law the tax ratio for the coming year must be determined before midnight on June 30. According to an official in the County Commissioners office, no decrease in the rate is looked for. As a matter of fact it will not surprise officials here if there was a slight increase in the rate. The rate last year was $1.41 on $100 of assessed property.

June 30

Marines March North

The march of 5,000 Marines from Frederick to Gettysburg last Sunday created more excitement in and around Thurmont and Emmitsburg then anything since the coming of troops during the Civil War.

These Marines, fully equipped for service on short notice, camped at Frederick Saturday night and early Sunday morning. At 1:45 the first column of 3,000 Marines on foot arrived. In Thurmont. They were 45 minutes in passing. After those came the artillery, heavy trucks, and field pieces drawn by caterpillar tractors.

In connection with the march, efforts were made, unsuccessfully by residents of Walkersville to have a portion of the troops move along the Frederick and Woodsboro turnpike. Dr. John Nicodermus, of Walkersville, witness of the original march, wrote the Navy Department requesting the troops recreate the march of ’63 in which, he states: " The troops in leaving Frederick City in ‘63, passed out of Market Street onto Fredrick and Woodsboro turnpike. Here the army separated it into grand divisions, one bearing to the left and passing through Thurmont and Emmitsburg, the other following the Woodsboro Pike through Walkersville, Woodsboro, Middleburg, and Taneytown.

"The Vanguard came into our village about sunset on Sunday. The entire country side from where the Pike crossed the Monocracy River to within a mile or two of Woodsboro was that night a military camp. General Sickles had his headquarters at my grandfathers, just outside the village."

Mosquitoes

The towns are alive with them! Why not engage in a campaign for their destruction? That can’t be done effectively by individuals alone, but there must be an official plan, back by authority. Normally mosquitoes like those who live in the country, however, have not plagued town residents, in recent years the nuisance has reached its present proportions. Why can’t town and health officials try to clean up the breeding places, and compel property owners to do their share?

Road Work

The Board of County Commissioners met a delegation of about 20 citizens from Frederick and Carol Counties at Union Bridge and conferred on the question of improving the highway running from Libertytown to Union Bridge, a distance of about 9 miles.

The plan is to have the Commissioners of the two counties improve the road and turn it over to the State for maintenance. About 7 and 1/2 miles of the highway is it in Frederick County and 1 and 1/2 miles in Carroll County. It is estimated that the cost of the improvement will be about $105,000. Frederick County’s share will be $90,000.

As far as Frederick is concerned, this will necessitate provisions in the tax budget of the county for $45,000 for the next two years, which, it is said, will increase the tax rate $.10 on $100 of assessed value throughout the County.

Meanwhile it is reported that work on the resurfacing one mile of highway on the Woodsboro Pike has been completed and no further work will be done on the highway before the fall. Work on oiling all the state highways in the county is reported nearly half complete.