Our Town 100 Years Ago - September Part II

During the second half of September in 1896, there was a dynamite plot against Queen Victoria, and a war was raging in Europe with reports of an organized massacre of civilians. Here in Montana rainfall in the state was the greatest known in the summer months, Tom McFadden, a Powder River ranchman and old Indian scout, was killed by being thrown from a vicious horse, and The Old Faithful mine near Bannock may have the richest body of ore discovered in the world-17 ounces of rock yield a quarter pound of gold. In Whitehall, things were a little calmer than in the first half of the month.

PERSONAL POINTERS: E.M. Merrit, a well-known mining man in this portion of Montana, has been in town a few days. That black eye! Oh, that was an accident, pure and simple, procured while engaged in honest labor.

Frank Robson, ye liveryman, is sporting a tumor on his hand. It is the result of excessive handshaking since receiving the nomination for county commissioner.

Ves Woolverton and some of the rest of the kids about town have been suffering from an attack of the measles. Ves is in hard luck-a picnic this week on the South Boulder, and he had to stay at home, cooped up.

Miles Tuttle and family, while returning from the national park last week, met with a serious misfortune. While camped for the night this side of Bozeman his horses got on the railroad track and were struck by a passing train, killing them. Fresh horses had to be secured from his ranch here before the journey could be resumed.

ZEPHYRETTES: Of the six interments in the Whitehall cemetery within the last few months, four were the result of unnatural deaths, and two of them were the victims of murderers.

The school census, as taken by Clerk Morris, shows 186 children of school age and 30 under; a gain of 91 school children over the past year.

The hobo traffic, west bound, seems to be on the increase with approaching cold weather. From half a dozen to a dozen can be seen on the bumpers or other parts of side door Pullmans almost daily.

A MIDNIGHT MARAUDER: Attempting to Enter Walter Brooke's Residence, He is Captured: Last Wednesday night there was an attempt made to break into the house of Walter Brooke. Knowing that Mrs. Brooke was absent the invader felt competent to take care of Walter if necessary, and therefore procured a ladder and attempted to effect an entrance through the second-story window. The window was reached all right and raised, but as the bold burglar attempted to crawl in the window dropped, catching him below the shoulders and holding him fast; in his struggles he kicked the ladder down and created such a disturbance that Walter was aroused.

Securing a Winchester and an axe Walter, with two hairs standing straight up on one side and three on the other-Walt ain't quite bald-made his way up stairs, and seeing a head sticking through the window ordered it to throw up its hands. The head was not only willing to throw up its hands but its job if the axe was pointed the other way. Walt advanced and found Lloyd Noble was owner of the head and hands, and relieved him from his unpleasant position.

It seems that Lloyd and the Tebay brothers had returned from the picnic and were staying at Walter's house for the night. Going out temporarily they closed the door-a snap lock did the rest. Lloyd thinks if a really and truly burglar in a like predicament felt anything like he did he would ever after give ladders and second story windows a wide berth.

In mid to late September 1922, the Turks and the Greeks were still at war, Puerto Rico was trying to win independence from the United States, 47 miners died in the Argonaut Mine in California, and the company Techni Color, Inc. was created to use Daniel F. Comstock's "process of coloring motion pictures in their natural tints." In the Jefferson Valley, school was in full swing, crops were being harvested, and there were plenty of local social events. The accompanying photo is the WHS football team practicing on the dirt field on the south side of the tracks near the old railroad depot.

The members of at least 27 Women's Clubs of our local district will be gathering here in Whitehall next month on the 24th and 25th. Our local ladies of the Whitehall Women's Club, the Liberal Culture Club, the Cardwell Country Club, and the North Boulder Women's Club have joined forces to make this the best and most elegant assembly ever experienced by our forthcoming visitors. Local officers of the Jefferson County Federation of Women's Clubs are President Mrs. Irvin Mountjoy, Vice President Mrs. Lulu Stanley, Secretary Mrs. E. W. Wolverton, and Treasurer Mrs. Orr Cardwell.

There should be good fishing next year behind the Pipestone dam. About 20,000 fingerlings from the Columbia Gardens hatchery were placed there this month.

The county fair is in full swing here in town. The Catholic ladies provided an excellent lunch at the fairgrounds as did the Ladies Aid of the Christian Church at their booth in town. Our local Legion boys are selling cold drinks, and at a much better price than was found down the road at Twin Bridges. Here you can quench your thirst for only a nickel while many went thirsty rather than pay 15 cents at Twin.

Our streets are lined with entertainment (plenty of spielers and fakirs), vendors selling their wares and politicians pressing palms for promised votes. Ed Wolverton and Harry Sacry are serving as deputies for fair activities. Irma Thompson was elected queen of our fair and can now compete for queen of the Montana State Fair being held in Helena.

Do not miss the upcoming community play at the theater. Between the acts of "Mary's Millions" there will be special vocal entertainment performed by Mrs. G. Gregson and accompanied on piano by Miss Teresa Zimmerman.

Andy Less has sold out, lock, stock, and barrel to B. L. Golden from Sheridan. Mr. Golden purchased all of the hardware, furniture and undertaking stock in the building. He will need to make some repairs to the structure due to the recent fire; but, he will be living over the store so he will not have far to go to work. Mr. Golden spent five years as postmaster in Sheridan and three years as city marshal.

Potatoes are cheap right now. Only 50 cents per hundred pounds. If you prefer green tomatoes, William Pyfer is selling them at the Sanitary Dairy for just three cents per pound.