100 Years Ago This Month

December 1923

December 7

Christmas Without Santa Claus

Think of a child without a Christmas stocking! The boys and girls in the Near East have never had a visit from Santa Claus. Where they to hang up their stockings on Christmas Eve, morning will find them empty. The food of these children will be the same on Christmas as any other day - bread and grits or soup and beans.

The Frederick headquarters of the Near East Relief Society wants to send these children some Christmas cheer, to make their faces shine, their eyes dance, and bring shouts of happiness from them – to give them the joy that belongs to childhood.

To do this, the Society asks everyone in Frederick County to hang an extra socking along with the others on Christmas Eve, so that Santa may fill it with hard candies, marbles, balls, dolls, non-breakable toys, &c. Then, the day following Christmas, the Society asked you to bring the stockings to the Society’s headquarters in Frederick.

"An orphan stocking and every home on Christmas morning for these waifs overseas", is the slogan that the society hopes everyone will adopt this Yuletide.

Youngsters Began Writing Annual Letters To Santa Claus

Santa has come from the far regions of the North Pole to collect the Christmas letters of little girls and boys. Perhaps some little children have heard the jingling of the bells of the eight tiny reindeer‘s as it flies through the air like the wind, carrying jolly old Santa along under the twinkling stars.

Some messages have already been received by Santa at his headquarters. One little girl, Helen Wantz, called him up on the telephone to tell him the many things she wanted for Christmas. Old Santa has received letters from one little girl and four little boys.

Dear Santa: I am a little girl seven years old and go to school every day. Please bring me a raincoat and hat, a pair of rubbers, a tricycle, a bookshelf and a fountain pen, with love to you and Mrs. Santa. – Helen Coblentz.

Dear Santa: I want a cowboy suit, a whip, a scooter car, a boat that winds with a key, a tool chest and tools and a game of baseball played with marbles. – Buddy Price

Dear Santa: I want a scooter car, a blackboard, a raincoat, a tool chest full of tools, a game of marbles. I am five years old and have been a good boy. I go to school. - Joseph Delphey

Dear Santa: I am a little boy five years old. Will you please bring me an electric train, an indian suit, some candy and oranges and anything else you like. I will try to be a good boy, your little friend. – Tango Brust

Dear Santa: I am a little boy just three years old. I go to Sunday school every Sunday. Would you please bring me a pony, a pair of shoes, a real police dog and some candy, oranges and ginger snaps. And please do not forget my brothers and sisters. Your little friend. - Casper Letson

May Have To Pay License To Go Fishing

A proposition is a foot to require fishermen to pay a license, the funds to be used for propagating of game and freshwater fish.

In brief, the plan, as submitted, is to amend certain sections of, and broaden the scope of, the present game laws so as to include fishing. This will necessitate procuring a license to fish, and also calls for an increase of $.50 in the price of the hunting license now required. This license will then permit one to either hunt or fish.

In connection with the preservation of game and fish the plan also calls for the payment of a certain sum of money to each person who is instrumental in the destruction of vermin, this money to come from a fund to be created and which is to be known as the State Game Protection Fund.

Failure to comply with the law concerning either hunting or fishing regulations would be dealt with as prescribed on the statue books. This means a fine of $15 must be paid or a jail sentence of not more than 15 days being imposed. The plan was proposed and approved at a meeting last spring of the Frederick County Fish and Game Association, and approved.

December 14

Seeks Home For Five Year Old Light Haired Girl

"It never rains here but it pours", is an old adage that would seem to include homeless children of Frederick County around Christmas time in its category.

Going under assumption however that it is possible for even sunshine to be hidden behind clouds at times, we come to the third case of an artificially orphaned child to be brought to the attention of the Children’s Aid Society.

Fate seems to be partial towards fair haired youngsters in its meeting out of ironies to the local children of destiny, for the other two cases included a bright blue eyed blonde boy and his equally charming and fair-haired little sister.

This little five-year-old happens to be a girl. Just because the little girl is but five years of age and perhaps too young to be sent to school is no reason for thinking that her Christmas pleas to Santa Claus, are not any different from any other child. All interested in taking charge of the child should contact the Children’s Aid Society.

Lose His Teeth And Big Buck He Shot

To lose both the deer he claims to have shot and also two teeth was the misfortune of one hunter in this section of the county on the opening day of deer hunting season.

According to reports from the camp of the mighty huntsmen, Paul Thomas, shot four times at a buck, but had the misfortune of losing his prize in the thicket; the members of the camp hunted for hours, but could not locate the deer or any trace of blood. While shooting at the deer, Thomas fell off his stand and had two teeth knocked out and had to be taken to a doctor to have a cut on his lip dressed.

According to rumors, he, and most of the members of his hunting camp, had been heavily indulging in ‘warming spirits’ most of the night and well into the morning, and was cross-eyed with double vision when he took his shots – at whatever he shot at, if anything.

Christmas Tree Thefts Mark The Season

With Christmas only a little over a week away, and with every indication pointing to a scarcity of evergreen trees this year, owners of land throughout the county are patrolling land on which they have planet trees suitable for Christmas trees.

Reports received by the State Department of Forest and Waters show a large number of Christmas trees are stolen each year from timberland owners. Last year more than 1,000 trees were stolen from a five-mile stretch along a public road west of here during the two weeks before Christmas.

This was done; it was stated in spite of the fact that the owners of the property patrolled the area continuously. It was also said that many persons cut as many as three or four trees before finding one which suited their fancy, leaving the others useless.

The Department is calling attention to the fact that the law makes it a misdemeanor for any person to cut and remove a tree without first obtaining permission from the owner of the land, and upon conviction of the offense, provide a fine of not more than $500 and imprisonment not exceeding three months, or both.

It should be remembered that every tree growing on the hillside belongs to someone, and persons who desire to cut Christmas trees for home use should first obtain permission from the owner. Landowners should keep a careful watch of their evergreen trees during the month of December to prevent the theft of their valuable trees, and, if so fortunate to catch the guilty persons, they should be prosecuted so as to put it in to this malicious practice.

Hurt By Cross Hog

The son of Mr. Trussell, was badly injured on Thanksgiving Day by a cross hog, was taken to Frederick Hospital for treatment. Apparently, the hog, named ‘Bacon’, took exception to the fact that he was going to be used for thanksgiving dinner and would have nothing to do with the plans.

And while we are on the subject, while we don’t usually publish hog weights, but occasionally such information is decidedly out of the ordinary, and justifies an exception. Such a case is reported by Walter Hape, who butchered six hogs hat weighed a total of 2,414 pounds, the two largest weighed 616 and 597.

Moravian Church Work Completed

During the past two months, the Moravian Church in Graceham, Reverend Samuel Boardman, Pastor, has undergone extensive repairs and improvements. These have been completed and the church was re-open for services Sunday, December 9.

A Specimen Road Hog

State Policeman Miller, met with a remarkable experience, as well as with the limit of arrogance on the part of a speeding autoist, last Sunday evening, when he attempted to make an arrest on the Taneytown to Woodsboro State Road near New Midway. He was pursuing a big Packard car that was running over 60 miles an hour, and was gaining, when one of the occupants of the car threw an old tire out in front of the pursuer’s motorcycle, with a result that he was thrown a considerable distance and injured. The officer fired several shots after the car, but did not succeed in stopping it, he also failed to secure the license number. Here is the case, the likes of which is common – not in detail, but in effect. Confidence in speeding power breeds contempt of pursuit, and the speed laws - produce the breed properly termed "road hogs."

Unfortunately exceeding the speed limit is not uncommon in most towns, and can be seen every day. Last Sunday morning, as an example, we saw two cars race across the Square at the same time people were going to church, both cars running close to 30 miles an hour. Speeding on the street is so common as to be almost a practice – and some days, there will perhaps be a child or older person "unavoidably" killed.

Union Bridge To Employ Night Watchman

At a joint meeting of the Town Council and businessmen of Union Bridge, last week, it was decided to employ a night watchman to patrol the business section of town. Recent robberies of business houses are responsible for the action.

Young Robbers In Daring Theft To Be Paroled

Walter Weinhart and Norman ogle, who in as sensational manner robed the Walkersville Bank one afternoon in 1919, at the point of a revolver, of a large sum of money, and were afterwards captured, convicted and sentenced to seven years in the Maryland penitentiary, have been recommended for parole.

Good behavior would have reduced their terms to 70 months of which 51 have been served. Several prominent citizens of this County had appealed in behalf of the prisoners for parole. Weinhart at the time of the crime was 22 years old and Ogle 23. The youth of the pair and the fact that they had good prison records was a factor in their parole recommendation.

The robbery was committed in a bold matter and for a while it was thought that the crime have been perpetrated by professional holdup men. After securing the money they work their way towards the Monocacy River and hid the money. A large posse joined in the search for them and it was stated they both mingled with the posse and joined them in the search. Ogle was finally captured in a store where he engaged in conversation with an officer looking for him.

December 21

December Sets Mild Weather Record

Indian Summer reigns supreme in Frederick County. Daily temperatures have been above freezing since Tuesday, when the minimum was 31E. From the mountain come reports that ants are crawling about in great hordes outside their winter home; that the honeybee is showing restlessness and that swarms of insects are to be seen flying about.

Then from other sections reports have been received that snakes are crawling about outside the dens into which they were believed to have gone for the winter. One snake was discovered in a field and another was seen in the mountains near Deerfield, north of Thurmont.

Temperature is suggestive of spring prevailed all day Sunday. The maximum was just nine points below summer heat, or 61E. And the lowest for the entire day was 43, or 11E above freezing. Even thought Christmas is just around the corner, there has been only one flurry of snow this winter so far.

County Ready To Remove Snow

The County Road Commission is busy with preparations for removing snow from the State highways of Frederick, during the coming winter. Frederick itself has 13 snowplows attached to trucks.

The main highways will be given the right of way and then the branch roads will be cleared in the order of their importance. The latter being determined by the size of the population supplied by the roads.

In the case of isolated roads where it would be impractical to use the plows, arrangements have been made to take care of the removal of the snow by the use of heavy road machines drawn by horses.

The Road Commission has decided to keep the roads clear of snow, not only for the purpose of giving the people the use of the highways the year around, but as a step towards caring for the highways themselves

Leaned On Gun & Shot

Earl Weddle, of near Mountaindale, is in the Frederick City Hospital with a gunshot wound received while hunting in the mountains near Thurmont. Details of the accident are incomplete, but it is understood that Weddle, accompanied by a number of young men went on an early morning excursion into the mountains. Weddle uncovered a pheasant and followed it up the mountain. He was standing on a log leaning against his shotgun and slipped. The gun went off and the discharged lodged into Weddle’s arm below the elbow.

December 28

Mule Has Christmas Jack

The County Sheriff is searching for the owner of a drunken mule that strayed into their keeping on Christmas Day. The mule not only threatens to eat up their appropriations, but he ‘hee-haws’ at all hours of the day and night demanding attention. He was found wandering on the State Road between Walkersville and Woodsboro, apparently suffering from alcohol overindulgence. It is believed he found a deposit of corn mash dump from a hidden still.

Drunken Drivers

Most of us can look back to other days when it was possible for a man with a few drinks of liquor under his belt to steer the faithful old family horse to and from town without endangering, to any great extent, his own life, or the lives of others. But it is different now, thought we regret to say there are still a few appear not to have realized it.

We may differ on the merits of the 18th amendment; we may favorite or oppose it. But there is one point we are all in agreement – and that is that the tightening up on liquor drinking came at an opportune time, so far as human life is concerned. If there had been as many autos back in the days when whiskey drinking was at its height in this country, there wouldn’t have been cemeteries enough to hold the dead. For if there are two things that won’t mix, those two things are booze and gasoline.

Driving a horse, while intoxicated, is no great feat, because a horse has a measure of intelligence, but there is not a man living who can operate an automobile as carefully when drunk as when sober.

Our courts are making it plain that’ the public demands protection from drunken auto drivers and they are showing no mercy to the drivers who display signs of intoxication when arrested – usually after they have damaged other machines or injured innocent people on the streets or highways. And it’s a good thing.

We have no desire to argue the prohibition question here, but we do join with every good citizen and demand that if a man must drink then he stay away from a steering wheel while he is doing it.

Auto Accidents More Christmas Day Observations

Two automobile accidents occurred sometime Christmas morning. The extent of the damage done in either case was not learned.

On the Georgetown Pike a buggy was found considerably damage and a quantity of glass was found scattered over the road near the buggy. How or when the accident occurred, or who was involved could not be learned. It was supposed the buggy was struck by an automobile.

An automobile accident also occurred near Lewistown, Tuesday morning. It was said that a man name Ritz, who lives at Fountain Rock, was in this accident. In his car were several persons, all of whom were said to be cut and bruise. The injuries however were not serious.