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100 Years Ago This Month

February 1914

February 6

Emmitsburg Bowlers are Defeated

The Emmitsburg bowlers met defeat in Thurmont Saturday night at the hands of the Thurmont club, the latter having a surplus of 202 pins. Betzel, the high man for Emmitsburg rolled 265 while Creager of Thurmont had 320 to his credit

Local Groundhog Predicts Long Winter

Adm. Jerry Overholser in charge of the wireless station at Popular Ridge, reports that although he had them in the cellar and each were provided with a pair of blue spectacles, his three pet groundhogs to which he has been feeding Charlotte Rosse and asparagus tip salad, saw their shadow on the second. "Uncle Jerry" therefore predicts five weeks two days 13 hours of rough weather.

Former Town Constable Killed

William Daywalt, formerly Constable of Emmitsburg, now policeman in Waynesboro, was shot and killed late Tuesday night by Abram Barnes, who he was trying to arrest. Abram Barnes and his younger brother, William, known as "Bad Men", came into Waynesboro from their home in the mountains near the Maryland line, filled themselves with liquor and proceeded to terrorize the town. Daywalt order them to leave. The altercation quickly escalated and the brothers opened fire and killed Daywalt. A Sheriff's posse was quickly formed and Barnes was hunted down and killed then next morning. Constable Daywalt was a fearless officer and had an excellent record. He is survived by his wife, the former Miss Stella Glass, of Emmitsburg and five small children.

Mailing Children

Sending children by mail is a new service offered by the US Postal Office. Tuesday a woman in Kansas received her two-year-old nephew by parcel post from his grandmother in Stratford, Oklahoma, where he had been left for a visit three weeks earlier. The boy wore a tag about his neck showing it cost $.18 to send him through the mails. He was transported 25 miles by rural route carriers before reaching the railroad and arriving in good condition.

February 13

A public spelling bee was held at the Emmitsburg high school auditorium on Monday evening, under the auspices of the Patron’s Club. A large audience attended. Next Thursday evening, the Toms Creek schoolhouse will hold a spelling be, the public is cordially invited.

Electrical Piano

The electrical panel recently installed at the Matthews Brother store was started on Saturday evening. Everyone agreed it carried a tune better than those who regularly sat behind a keyboard - which the woman prohibitionist attributed to the lack of influence of alcohol on the machine.

New Firm at Motter’s Station

Messers Saylor and Ruggles, successor to a I. M. Fisher, at Motters Station, wishes to announce to the public that they will continue the business and dealing hay, straw, see and general merchandise and manufacture ice cream.

February 20

Emmitsburg shut in by snow

Few of the oldest inhabitants of Emmitsburg can recall a snow that so completely close the roads as the one which began falling on Friday morning and continued all day and all night. Saturday the snow began to drift so badly that the last train Saturday evening was delayed for over an hour. All efforts to clear the snow on Sunday was to little avail at the high winds blew the snow back in place faster than it could be shoveled.

Not since 1899 has a local post office failed to receive and dispatch until this week. After working all day Tuesday until nearly 5 o'clock the force of men working on the Railroad succeeded in digging the snow out sufficiently for the trains to resume operation. The first train brought in 32 sacks of mail from Emmitsburg Junction.

All the roads in the country were drifted shut except the roads running east and west. Wednesday morning conditions were very much improved and drifts in roadways were rapidly thawing. All roads leading to Motters’, Four Points, Track School House, Annandale School Souse and especially those running north and south were drifted so badly that traffic was completely cut off.

Harry Smith, of near Taneytown, became snowbound on the road leading from the Old plank Road to Harney, between the residence of John Harner and George Harner. When the former found him his horse was down and over the tongue of his wagon. Both man and horse were nearly exhausted. Mr. Harner took both back to his residence and after a short rest, and with the help of Mr. Harner and his trusty old horse Ben, the pair made Plank Road and reached home. As Mr. Smith later noted, he was lucky that he had his trusty horse at his side, rather then a autocar, otherwise we would be writing is obituary today. "I aint yet seen a autocar that can step over a three foot snow drift."

In Sabillasville every road was blockaded with drifts from 4 to 8 feet deep and communications practically cut off. Twelve people from Thurmont spent the night when the trolley from Frederick got stuck in a drift near Lewistown.

Many pleas were made to the County Commissioners to open the snow blocked roads throughout the county, but estimating that it would cost probably $10,000 they thought it unwise to go to that expense and instead decided to let nature take its course and wait for the snow to melt.

Death of George Eyster

Mr. George Eyster, a lifelong resident of Emmitsburg, died suddenly on Wednesday morning at his home. Mr. Eyster apprenticed under his father as a jeweler, and assumed the business upon his father's death. Mr. Eyster twice enlisted in the Union Army, his first enlistment was the later part of 1864, he afterwards enlisted in Cole's Calvary in 1865.

Mr. Eyster was one of the few men who could boast of having heard Abraham Lincoln deliver that immortal address at Gettysburg at the dedication of the National Cemetery. He was the first captain of the Vigilant Hose Company and was elected and reelected for nearly 20 years to that position. From this office originated the name by which many people knew him - Captain Eyster. He is survived by his wife Fannie M. Frailey.

February 27

Suffergets Meet with Auto Accident

Last night’s Women’s Sufferget meeting hosted at the Annan house had to be called off when the Autocar driven but the guest speaker broke a rim in a pot hole near the covered bridge over Tom’s Creek. A call for help went unanswered by the men of the town, who instead chose to occupy themselves in drinking and playing pool in the Hotel Slagel’s saloon. The mood of the men was captured quite eloquently by one men who was overheard saying: "If women think they are smart enough to vote, then they should be smart enough to change a tire." As we go to press, the autocar is still stuck – apparently no woman knows how to change a tire.

Below zero weather prevails

The last snowstorm was one of the worst experience in the state in several years. It started in Monday and cut up until a late hour at midnight. In the country temperatures drop to zero and the depth of snow varied from 8 to 21 inches. For the second time in two weeks the Emmitsburg Railroad did not run. The coldest day of winter proved to be Wednesday when the temperature registered troll degrees low zero at seven o'clock. At Bridgeport, between Taneytown Emmitsburg, 20E below zero was recorded.

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