100 Years Ago This Month

June 1924

Decoration Day Services

The Decoration Day exercises in Taneytown where well attended by large numbers of people, but the parade feature is growing smaller each year. Those who should show their interest in keeping alive the significance of the Day seem to prefer doing so without much exertion on their part, as though "parading" is beneath their dignity. Sometimes it is worthwhile to do things that seem common, in order to emphasize greater things.

No Decoration Day services were held in Uniontown this year, but thanks to the kindness of the American Legion, flags were furnished, and each of the thirty-three veterans resting in the town’s cemeteries were remembered by the U.S. colors being placed on their graves.

War College Camps In Full Action

The presence of the War College camp was enlivened this week by the presence in the air, of many airplanes, humming busily in almost all directions, said to number from 15 to 18, and operating largely between Walkersville and Gettysburg.

There are 12 camps between Gettysburg and Washington, and the work is being done by perhaps 300 officers, ranking from lieutenant to colonel. The whole scheme represents a make-believe battlefield, perhaps selected because its similarity in typography too to possibly an actual scene of war in the future.

The work includes Signal Corps communication, and theoretical maneuvering into positions determine upon by staff officers from headquarters in Gettysburg, immediately opposite the entrance to the Gettysburg National Cemetery.

The Signal Corps has stretched miles of field, telephone wire, and First Army headquarters, Walkersville, has been kept in touch with the movements of the troops. Couriers make use of airplanes, motorcycles, and automobiles. About 25 airplanes are scattered over eight bases. The main aviation field is near Walkersville, where 20 Plains are in use.

The camps have been quite attractive for visitors, who, however, do not gain a great deal of information, except in a very general way, there has not been much to see, as the whole plan represents a school for students, and not a spectacular display for the benefit of the public. It is not a drill proposition, but one of actual inside schoolwork, largely of a private character.

The maneuvering is to educate officers in men in the management and movement of troops in time of war. Orders are sent by telephone, radio and courier to the different bodies of men, and reports are received and tabulated daily by umpires, who decide whether the army has advanced or been driven back. The entire "front" extends from north of Emmitsburg and Gettysburg, to Hanover, to Aberdeen, to Havre de Grace. The maneuvering, which will last through tomorrow and will conclude with a critique in which all the officers will participate.

Didn’t Get Enough To Drink

William Whitmore, about 28 years old, of near Walkersville was arrested, Sunday afternoon, charge with operating and automobile, while under the influence of liquor, and reckless driving. At a hearing before the Justice of the Peace, he was fined $125 and cost on the liquor charge, and $10 for reckless driving. Unable to pay he was committed to jail for 135 days.

According to the charges, Whitmore crowded nine automobiles off the road, several of which ran into ditches along the side of the highway to escape being struck. Observing his condition, one of the drivers, forced to one side of the road, notified the police, who started after the reckless driver and halted him near New Midway. Seeing the officer, a companion of Whitmore jumped from the machine and disappeared into an adjoining orchard. According to the officer, Whitmore was very much under the influence of liquor.

Wife Asks To Whip Husband

That she be permitted to perform for the Sheriff the duty of applying the lash to the back of her husband, Louis Longebeam, upon whom Justice Bower Monday, imposed a sentence of 15 lashes, was the request made by Mary Longebeam.

"Please let me whip him; I’ll stand on my toes and cut the blood out of his back," Mrs. Longebeam told Justice Bower, as she begged to be allowed to wield the cat-o-nine tails Monday afternoon.

Unless Longebeam appeals the decision of Justice Bower or some unforeseen incident arises, the Sheriff will inflict the punishment sometime today. Person sentence to undergo this form of punishment are first examined by the jail physician. They are then cuffed to bars at the jail and strip to the waist. The lash is then applied.

Longebeam was arrested Sunday evening after his wife said that he had beaten her. Yesterday morning, Mrs. Longebeam testified that her husband struck her in the eye, inflicting a painful cut and breaking her eyeglasses.

Father Sees Son Killed In Mishap

Robert Holt, aged 25, of Lewistown, was killed Wednesday evening at Creagerstown when a freight train on the Western Maryland Railroad backed into the car in which he was working unloading stones. The impact sent the car Holt was working in back a short distance. Young Holt immediately caught hold of the break wire of the car, but lost his grip and he fell into the pocket of the car and was buried under a load of stones.

He was pulled from under the load and rushed to the Frederick hospital, but died in route from the internal injuries. The accident was witnessed by his father, and one of his brothers, who were also unloading stone from the same car into a truck. Another employee on the car at the time escaped unhurt.

June 13

Flying Squadron Brakes Camp

All vestiges of military operations located in the vicinity of Woodsboro and Walkersville for the past 12 days was removed Thursday morning when the air service unit station near Woodsboro broke camp and left for Bowling Field. The unit of the Signal Corps, which was stationed on the Oyster Farm near Walkersville, broke camp four days ago, and went back to Aberdeen.

The officers and men stationed here during the maneuvers were well pleased with the treatment of locals according to them. It was stated that there is a possibility that maneuvers on a much larger scale may be conducted in the vicinity again within a period of several months.

For the past 10 days local persons were given an opportunity to witness all sorts of aerial stunts by the army flyers. Mimic battles were fought in the clouds, and during the course of the maneuvers Frederick was "bombed" late one night, and the enemy was routed.

A Great Radio Demonstration

The greatest of radio performances was given its first big demonstration this week, in carrying the proceedings of the Republican National Convention, at Cleveland. The proceedings were sent out by 14 broadcasting stations, covering every section of the United States so that listeners in almost every part of the country could hear, word-by-word, the detailed proceedings of the convention, and the noise of the applause and many of the individual voices participating in remarks and expressions.

it was a wonderful boost for radio. In hundreds of newspaper offices, stenographic notes were taken from radios, instead of from telegraph reports. Thereby placing the small papers on equal footing with larger ones who could maintain special correspondents at the convention who could report on private wires at great cost.

In addition, hundreds owning strong radio sets were connected by the use of open telephone lines to thousands of homes not owning radios. The loud-speaking horns making the sounds as audible almost as though spoken directly into the transmitter of the phones

Richard Nusbaum of Uniontown broadcast portions of the Republican convention proceedings from his radio, for the benefit of local party line subscribers, and the service was excellent.

It was a wonderful demonstration never heretofore equaled in any country in the world.

Accidents

A foreigner named, Luizi Decicchi was killed instantly, Thursday, while at work in the Union Bridge quarries. The unfortunate man was prepared to set off a blast, when a bank of rock gave away, carrying him with it. A large stone fell on top of him and crushed him. The deceased leaves a wife and seven children.

Husband Charges Wife Ate Too Much

Charging her husband put iodine in her medicine in an attempt to end her life; that he was cruel and threatened violence and abandonment, Mrs. Ida Boone filed a bill of complaint against her husband, Earnest Boone, 60, of Johnsville, asking permanent alimony, custody of her 16 year old son, and half interest in their property.

Mrs. Boone states that the defendant has a farm of 175 acres, another 45 acres to which mortgage is attached, and other valuable property. Besides an income from this, the defendant also has an income of about $200 a month from milk shipments. The plaintiff states that are only income for years was derive from the sale of chickens.

In a bill of complaint, Mrs. Boone, age 50, charged abandonment because she and her son were ordered from the home occupied by them jointly with the defendant. She charged cruelty and threats of violence. On one occasion, the defendant is alleged to have put iodine in the medicine of the plaintiff with the intent to kill her.

It is also said that the defendant said the plaintiff and her son take so much time to eat, and that he, the defender, intended to stop eating, as it was too expensive, and took too much time.

Mr. and Mrs. Boone were married in 1893 and have three children, the youngest would still live with them.

June 20

Is Advertising Killing Newspapers?

We read a lengthy article the other day about advertising killing local newspapers – by padding them to overflowing with the most overshadowing form of advertising and taking readers eyes off the written words in articles.

The subject is pertinent to several lines of argument relative to the influence of advertising on the honesty and dependency of the press relative to its influence on public sentiment. The average reader, perhaps, resents bulky newspapers, made so by advertising. The average reader wants to get at the news, in readable shape, without being forced to hunted it out of the many sectioned ‘poster pages’, and is ready with the opinion that there is "nothing in" the papers anymore, but advertising.

But, this objection – aggravating as it may appear – is the least, so far as advertising is concerned. The thing that really counts, is, that newspapers may be influenced, in what we call their editorial policy, by advertising patronage – the revenue from it – not only as relates to the daily opinion, formulated in the editorials, but in the selection and prominence, given to news articles, and how the current news of the day is presented.

It is as much an editorial policy to feature – for instance – the failure of prohibition, and minimize the benefits of it, as though openly wet editorials are written. Readers are influenced, perhaps more by "the news", then by carefully stated editorial opinions. What happens impresses itself more on the average mind, then on some writer’s opinion. So, we must look into the make-up of a paper, more than to its editorial page, to find out the influence the paper is emphasizing.

Perhaps, after all, not withstanding the cost of advertising, it is still too cheap. It might result in more readers, and more popular newspapers – if the cost of advertising space was doubled or tripled in order to cut it down, on account of the high cost. Smaller and better newspapers are demanded by readers, pretty generally, and perhaps advertisers would be fully well off by using less space.

Violent Storms Strike Area

The fine weather the first part of this week was spoiled by a heavy downpour on Wednesday afternoon, accompanied by violent thunder and lightning. Farm work received another unfortunate set back.

The storms on Wednesday at noon were general in the County, but heaviest in the vicinity of Woodsboro, Taneytown and Union Bridge. About 100 trees were uprooted along the state road from Woodsboro to Taneytown.

Damages to trees were reported in Taneytown and Union Bridge, and to freshly planted cornfields. In Uniontown, the barn of Maurice Dutton had the metal roof damage and the barn of Roy Poole was blown over and wrecked.

Several cows were killed by lightning, and hail that fell with the gust striped, hundreds of bushels of peaches from trees. Freshly cultivated fields everywhere suffered generally, and many last efforts at corn planting have been postponed for the year

The telephone company again had considerable losses, over 3,500 poles being reported out of service.

The gust knocked out the electric lights of Taneytown just as the large audience attending a sermon in the Lutheran Church had commenced to leave the church. Quick work on the part of the sextons produced lamps, and parishioners could exit with little confusion. The town was without lights for about an hour.

The condition of Catherine Eyler, daughter, of Mr. and Mrs., William Eyler, of near Woodsboro, who has been suffering from the effects of shock from lightning, since Wednesday, continues to be serious, according to reports from the home.

Catherine was sitting close to the kitchen stove during the storm, when a bolt of lightning struck a tree near the house. Catherine was knocked from her chair. She recovered, and was not believed to have been seriously injured. But while attending rehearsal of the Woodsboro Lutheran choir, Thursday evening, she was taking seriously ill and removed to her home.

Taneytown Carnival Well Attended

The Taneytown Fireman’s Carnival has attracted reasonably large crowds all week and will close on Saturday night. The Emmitsburg and Westminister fire trucks, with visitors from both places, attended the carnival on Thursday night.

June 27

46 Shots Removed From Back Of Man

Shot in the back as he was trying to enter the store of George Miller, in Fountain Dale, Sunday night, John Parish, 45, was brought to the Adams County Jail after 46 buck shots pellets, had been removed by Dr. Henderson in Fairfield.

Powers, according to the authorities, will be charged with attempted burglary. Miller was released on his own recognizance, pending investigation of the shooting.

According to Miller, Miller had become suspicious of Parish’s action in and around his store at Fountain Dale, and decided to watch him Sunday night after closing his place of business for the day.

Between 9:30 and 10 o’clock that night, as he watched the store from a darkened window of his home about 50 feet away, he saw a man’s figure moving around the store trying to doors and windows, as though endeavoring to affect his entrance.

Miller leveled his shotgun on the would-be intruder and fired, most of the shot taken effect on Parish’s back. Parish fell over and started moaning, while Miller ran out to investigate.

By the time the State Police arrived at Fountain Dale, Miller had taken the wounded man to the office of Dr. Henderson in Fairfield, who removed 46 buckshots from Parish’s back, but seven or eight were so deeply embedded in the flesh that he was unable to extract them.

After having been given necessary medical attention, Parish was brought by the State police to the County jail.

Killed As He Worked On Church Repairs

Crushed against the wall of the Church of the Brethren in Union Bridge, Thomas Metz, 60, Saturday morning, was so badly injured that he died Saturday evening at his Union Bridge home, where he was removed following the accident. Metz was assisting in the remodeling of the church and was trapped between a wall and a truck. His spine was fractured. He was removed to his home helpless.

Until a few months ago, Metz was a farmer in the Johnsville district. He retired in the spring and moved to Union Bridge. He was a deacon of the Church of the Brethren at Beaver Dam, of which he was a lifelong member.

Telephone Rates To Increase

The C&P Telephone Co. has issued a detailed statement in which is covered the reasons for the increase in rates to subscribers, the first part of which relates to the total investment of the company in equipment, with gross revenues and expenses covered the past five years, showing a rate of return of 5% on an investment of $27,587,000.

The average investment in each telephone in Maryland is given as $202, an increase in five years from $151; and the increase in cost of construction and materials as almost 100% more than in 1918.

The item of taxes is covered, showing that in 1914 the company paid $274,000 and for the present year, about $1 million; or for each telephone in 1919 the company paid $3.33 in taxes and a 1924, approximately six dollars in taxes.

Charges to subscribers are based on the number of telephones in the community. In general, the rates will be increased as follows:

• For Business – the monthly cost of an individual line will increase from $3.50 to $3.75. The cost of a four-party line will increase from $2.50 to $3.
• For residences - the monthly cost of an individual line will increase from $2.75 to $3. The cost of a four-party line will increase from $1.75 to $2.
• The cost for rural party lines will increase from $1.50 to $1.75/month.

There are other charges that apply to auxiliary lines and private branches, and to certain service, not commonly used. There are also increases in toll rates, not possible for us to give in this small space. It is proposed that these rates shall go into effect on November 1, depending on the action of the public service commission.

War On Gambling Devices

Last week, Sheriff Jones of Frederick County, began notifying all proprietors of establishments throughout the County where punch boards, slot machines, and similar devices are being operated, that they must cease operations.

From time-to-time grand juries condemn the petty gambling devices, in practice in particularly every town and village in the County, and order their operations to cease. For a time, the practice dies down, but in a few weeks, it invariably starts up anew. In case this - the final warning is disregarded, it is likely steps will be taken to force proprietors to discontinue the operation of all gambling devices once and for all time.