October 5

Fall Holds Sway, Trees Coloring

Cool temperatures, falling leaves, and fading flowers still remain the principal sign of the times. These are Fall days for fair and the passing of Summer has now become an established fact. No killing frost has as yet played havoc with vegetation and ice has not as yet formed on the surface of the County streams.

The weather has not been wintry to date, but there is a touch of Winter in the morning air. There have also been light frosts here and there in the County, but they have so far done no damage. The temperature prevailing during the past two days have been uniform. The high on both Tuesday and Wednesday was 71, while the minimum Wednesday was 44 and 1E warmer than on Tuesday.

September brought with it many variances in temperatures. The highest marks reach what is 95E on the third and the lowest was 40E which was registered on the 16th and 17th. There was said to have been frost in the County on the latter day.

Last year the highest mark reached by the mercury was 90E and this was registered no less than four times during that month. In 1921, September had a maximum temperature of 93E and the official thermometer rose to 90E three times.

September 1923 put it all over the same month in the preceding year in the matter of precipitation. The month just passed was very moist, no less than 3.53 inches of rain falling, while in 1922 there was only 2.51 inches. Normally, precipitation for September is said to be about 3.35 inches. There was rainfall on 16 days during September. The heaviest in 24 hours was 1.19 inches on the 21st, and the second heaviest on the sixth was .69 of an inch.

There were thunderstorms on September 3, 7, 12 and 29th and lightning and a shower on the 23rd. The entire month was characterized by heavy dews. September had 20 clear evenings, three partly cloudy, six cloudy and one stormy.

Many Thrilled As Big Dirigible Sales Through Air

Her huge white hulk glistening in the rays of a faultless Autumn sun, the giant dirigible of the American Navy, the Shenandoah, glided majestically over Frederick County this week.

Emerging from the blue background of the sky enveloping the northern mountains, the leviathan of the air pointed her nose southward and following the Catoctin Hills slid peacefully through the air.

Hundreds of Frederick County people, gazed in awe as the huge craft sailed in state through the air. Her tremendous white bulk glistening in the sun light and flying scarcely higher than the mountaintops, the airship was plainly visible to everyone in the County.

Many people, learning the giant dirigible was sailing over a portion of the County near them, sought a vantage point from which to view the spectacle. So clear was the atmosphere that a times puffs of smoke from the exhaust were visible, even at great distance.

The dirigible sailed over the western edge of Emmitsburg, then followed a route that took it over Thurmont, Woodsboro and eventually Libertytown At which point it turn west and headed down to the Shenandoah valley to its final destination, Richmond Virginia.

Emmitsburg Boy Freed By Court

Indicted for illegally selling and dispensing liquor, Rudy Warthen, 21 years old, of Emmitsburg, made a very narrow escape from conviction. The fact that he had a previous good record, and the view taken by the court that there was no criminal intent on his part, was responsible for getting him out of an otherwise tight place.

Donald Knott, 16 years old, said that Worthan gave him a drink of whiskey on the night of September 3. It develop that Knott had been in the habit of drinking and his testimony did not favorably impressed the court. The judge advised Knott to stop drinking before he got into serious trouble.

Warthen testified that while walking along the road near the college he was approached by a stranger, who looked like a bum, who asked him for some money. Upon being refused, the stranger offered to sell him a pint of whiskey for one dollar. After paying the price and receiving the liquor he hid it along the road. Later, when he met Knott, the two drank the whiskey.

Some days afterwards he found a $.50 piece in his pocket and I thought occurred to him that Knott had placed the money in his hip pocket. The next time he saw Knott he returned the money to him. Warthe testified that he was not in the habit of drinking or dispensing liquor and two well-known citizens of Emmitsburg gave him a very good name. It was also brought out that he worked regularly at his trade and never before had been arrested, which sat favorably with the court.

School Building Erected

The portable school building being erected in Thurmont is being pushed along rapidly. The roof was finished last Saturday. Carpenters are in now busy on the inside work. The front of the structure is in line with the east front of the main building and it is almost entirely of glass.

October 12

Moravian Church At Graceham Celebrates 165 Years

On Sunday, October 7, the Moravian church at Graceham, celebrated its 165th anniversary. The highlight of the event was the Love Feast at which the anniversary sermon was preached by the Pastor Samuel Redman.

For the benefit of those who are not acquainted with a custom of the Moravians, a word of explanation is given about the Love Feast. Love Feasts originated in a gathering of the Christians after Pentecost. Believers met to break bread together. This fulfilled a double purpose. It united the believers as a family, signifying their unity and equality in the sight of the Lord. It also reminded them of the last meal of their Lord, when he ate with his disciples. These meals of the church family were associated with the Lord’s Supper, and so generally are the Love Feasts in the Moravian church. The Love Feast consists of a bun and a cup of coffee, which is distributed while hymns are song, and eaten during the singing by the choir.

The Sunday was the 165th anniversary of the organization of the congregation. The work of the church however dates back to the year 1745 when John Henzer was sent as a schoolteacher and lay reader, upon the invitation of the residence of the locality. He labored faithfully until 1756 the first organized minister, George Neike, was sent from Bethlehem PA., the center of the Moravian activity in the United States, then as now.

The work in those early days was carried on in conjunction with the Lutherans and Reformed Churches, later a disruption occurred, separating the denominations. The Brethren were obligated to find another place of worship. For a time they held services in the home of Jakob Welley, but soon, Daniel Delaney gave them 10 acres of land from his estate for the site of a church and a schoolhouse.

In 1753, the congregation was organized, and a permanent minister appointed. In 1772, the ground was staked off for a new church building, which was dedicated on October 16, 1773. (A log building had previously been used since 1749.)

Almost half a century later, in 1822, the second building was removed, and a new brick structure was begun. The church is joining to the parsonage, also a brick building, which was erected in 1797. The parsonage is there for 126 years old and the church just over a century. At the present time plans are underway for the renovating of the church and parsonage. The congregation plans to spend between 1,200 and $1,500 for the work.

Auto Misses Bridge

Late Thursday night, as a carload of colored folks were returning from the Hagerstown Fair, the driver failed to make the turn at the approach to the covered bridge over the Monocacy, at Bridgeport, and went over the embankment throwing the six occupants out, some of them into the water. Five of them were more or less seriously hurt.

The car, a big Packard, must have been running at a high speed, and the curved approach to the bridge was seen too late to avoid. As indicating the high rate of speed at which the car must have been running, it appears to have made a clear jump of about 36 feet from the bridge wall before it touched the ground, were it turned over and made another plunge of the same distance into the bed of the stream where it now sits, upside down, a complete wreck.

This is a dangerous spot on the road, especially at night, and to a driver unacquainted with the situation. This old one-way bridge – one of the few covered bridges yet remaining on modern roads, rest on high foundation walls, and is approached on a curve at each end. It is one of the many bridges that needs replacement by an open, wide structure with guardrails.

Struck By Bicycle And Killed

William Roberts, 56, of Taneytown, was fatally injured when he was struck and knocked to the ground by a bicycle written by Charlie Booker, 17, Thursday evening.

Roberts was walking along the left side of the road on the Baltimore Pike near his home on Hamilton Ave., and Booker was riding on the right side. It being dark and Booker’s bicycle not being equipped with a light or a bell, neither Robert nor Booker saw the other coming.

The bicycle struck Roberts in the stomach and the force of the impact throw Roberts back on his head with such force that he suffered a concussion of the brain. Shortly afterwards William Albaugh, who was returning to his home, past and saw Roberts lying by the roadside with his head in Bookers arms. Mr. Albaugh, together with Booker, placed the injured man in his machine and rushed him to Frederick City Hospital, where he died an hour later.

Lost Planes Land

Last Friday evening, two flying machines landed in a field just outside of Taneytown. One of them had lost its way, and was merely following the other to find out "where he was at." As the leader ran out of oil, and had to land to fill up, the other landed too and the two pilots got together and inquired of the local farmer upon who’s field they landed as to where they where at. They both had been headed to Washington but apparently took a wrong turn somewhere. The farmer stood in his field pointing South as the planes took off.

Democrats Rally In Emmitsburg

The Woman’s Democratic Club of Emmitsburg, Mrs. Andrew Annan, President, met at the Hotel Slagle Saturday night. It was a large and enthusiastic gathering. Democratic workers reported the results of Tuesday’s registration in Emmitsburg. Of the 25 new voters, 23 declared themselves Democrats, two Republicans.

October 19

The Bridgeport Bridge

The Bridgeport Bridge over the Monocacy, must go. It is no doubt the purpose of the State Road Commission to replace the old covered structure, and that delay has been due to lack of funds, or perhaps because no pressure has been brought to bear on the officials for its removal – at least, not strong enough to cause action to be taken.

That more mishaps like that of last Thursday night have not occurred, has largely been due to pure luck; and perhaps to the fact that many travelers have been acquainted with the situation, and to the further fact that while the road is heavily traveled, most of it is in daylight.

The old tunnel like structure, always a back number and always a danger spot, should have been torn down when the state road was built, as conditions have materially added to the dangers of the bridge since auto travel has increased so greatly.

Accidents have occurred at this old bridge many times in its long history, Sometimes connected with floods, sometimes not. It is also true that under the old plan a bridge, joint between Frederick in Carroll Counties have been built at other points, not half so important as at Bridgeport. It is perhaps just as well that there is no modern structure there, because at some point, one-way bridges are no longer sufficient. Had this bridge been located in Pennsylvania, instead of Maryland, it would likely have disappeared long before this.

$600 In Loot Taken From Store

Merchandise, to the value of about $600, was taken from the general store of Frank Frailey, near Thurmont, late Monday night, by thieves, who drove up to the store presumably during the early morning hours, forced an entrance, and secured quantities of sweaters, sheets, shirts, aluminum ware, groceries and numerous other articles. The thieves covered their tracks so well that no trace of them has yet been discovered.

The robbery was not discovered until Mr. Frailey opened the store on Tuesday morning. Everything was torn up, shoeboxes were scattered all over the floor, and the thieves completely turned everything topsy-turvy. Sheriff Jones has called and made an investigation, which did not, however, result in clues. Marks where the thieves had driven their automobile to the door were playing the evident.

Rider Thrown 16 Feet In Accident

And unusual accident, in which a rider was severely bruised and a horse was so badly injured that it had to be killed, occurred late Saturday night at the new concrete bridge over Willoughby Run on the Gettysburg-Fairfield Road.

Daniel Cool was returning from Gettysburg to his farm about midnight on horseback. He was riding at the side of a buggy in which some companions were driving. As they approach the Willoughby Run Bridge at a rather rapid pace, Cool began to rain in his animal so as to allow the buggy to reach the bridge first. In his effort to check the gate of the animal, it bolted, becoming unmanageable, and ran with great force into the concrete wing wall of the bridge.

Cool was thrown a distance of about 16 feet by the impact, while the horse rebounded in the opposite direction. The rider suffered numerous bruises about the body, but fortunately escaped without serious injury. After the accident, the horse was unable to arise, having apparently suffered some injury to his spine. Later in the night, it was shot.

October 26

Civil War Veteran Ries

Joseph Spangler, an aged and highly respected citizen of Harney, and a veteran of the Civil War, died at his home on Monday morning. Mr. Spangler had been seriously ill sometime ago, from a complication of diseases, but had apparently recovered and was able to get out and about, and seem to be as well as usual. A little more than a week ago he was again taking seriously ill, and in his weakened condition was unable to stand the attack. Following the funeral he was buried in the Mountain View Cemetery, near Harney. He leaves a wife and 10 children. Thus we note the passing away of another old Civil War veteran, to be missed by his few remaining comrades.

5,000 Make Pilgrimage To Saint Anthony’s

Between 4,000 and 5,000 members of the Holy Name Society from Baltimore, Washington, Frederick, Hagerstown, Westminster, Gettysburg, Taneytown and other places made a pilgrimage to Saint Anthony’s Shrine, near Emmitsburg, last Sunday, mostly by automobile. Streams of cars passed through adjoining towns nearly all day, up to the middle of the afternoon.

Arriving at the Shrine, the members moved in a body to the lawn in front of the rectory where an altar had been erected. At an open air service, the pledge of the Society was taken in a number of new members were received in the Society

A sermon was then preached by Reverend Edward Hughes, with the right Reverend Monsignor Bradley, President of Mount Saint Mary’s College, co-celebrant. The choir of Saint Mary seminary, composed of about 300 voices, sang the Holy Name hymn.

At the conclusion of the religious exercise, members visited Mount St. Mary’s College, Saint Joseph’s College, and the grave of Mother Seton and other points of interest.

Cold Weather Arrives

There was another big drop in the temperature Tuesday from a high of 71E around noon. It feel by 11E by 6 o’clock, induced by the rain which began to fall around 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

With the continuation of this rain, the liquid fell 20 more degrees overnight, being caught at the 41E mark. If the drop in temperature was brought on by the rain, it was not hard to understand why there was such a big drop, for the raindrops amounted to .7 of an inch in that time.

The weather has been checkered ever since the reaction from the annual October dry spell set in last Tuesday. All the dry weather of the first half of this month almost reach the proportions of a drought, it has since not only rained enough to make up for any last time, but also enough for the total rain for this October to far surpass that of last year.

A heavy frost is predicted for tonight. While there have, of course, been several heavy frost this fall, we have escaped a ‘black’ frost, as the temperature has not been lower than 30E this month. The temperature must go down to 29 or 30 before there is a killing frost. The nights of this October Have been warmer than those of last October, yet the days during this month have been colder.

Special Services At Saint Mary’s Fairfield

Special mission services, which will continue throughout the coming week, were inaugurated Sunday morning at Saint Mary’s Church, Fairfield, with the Reverend Joseph Schmidt in charge of the exercises.

Father Schmidt is described as a forceful and convincing orator and draws large crowds wherever he laborers. The Fairfield church was crowded to capacity at all services Sunday. During the coming week of services, mass will be held at 6 and 8 o’clock with evening services at 7:30. The formal close of the Mission will take place on Sunday.

Read Prior '100 Years Ago this Month'