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100 Years Ago This Month

February 1909

February 5

The Bands Entertainment

The opera house was crowded on Wednesday night to hear the entertainment giving under the auspices of the Emmitsburg Cornet band. The program, which was very extensive, opened with a march and a two-step by the band. Major R. H. Hendershot and son, drum and fife players, delighted the audience with their skill in handling the respective instruments. The numerous selections the band rendered showed the fruits of the training that members of this organization have received at the hands of their leader, Mr. Elmer Elyer, who is to be complimented for that matter in which this performance was conducted. The clog dancing of Mr. William Harbaugh was exceptionally fine.

Veteran Of The Civil War 75 Years Old

Mr. Samuel Gable celebrated his 75th birthday yesterday. The Chronicle joined with his friends in wishing him many more years in good health. Mr. Gamble is one of the few veterans of the Civil War left on the rolls and for a man who passes through the stress of those remarkable years he holds his own remarkably well.

February 12

American To Be Saint

This is the year of centenaries and not least among the events to be celebrated is the founding of St. Joseph’s Academy. As this date will be observed sometime this summer, additional interest naturally approaches to Mother Seton who founded the institution here in 1809. A few days ago there appeared in the Washington Star and article by W. E. Curtis

Mr. Curtis says that "Now that Joan of Arc has been canonized, it is proposed to add another woman, and this time an American to the calendar listings of the Roman Catholic Church. The American woman whom it is now proposed to canonize is Elizabeth Bayley Seton, founder of the first order of Sisters of Charity in United States at Emmitsburg Maryland, a pleasant little town which lies just south of the boundary of Pennsylvania not far from Gettysburg."

Winds Causes Much Damage

Straw stacks, roots, trees and a flagpole go down narrow escape at St. Joseph’s

The two wind storms in the last six days did a good deal of damage in his vicinity. On Saturday, the roof of Mr. David guise’s silo was torn off; several straw stacks were blown down; a tree at the Emmit house was broken off and the porch on the house of Mr. John Long’s farm was ruined. Several farmers have their cattle injured and one cow belonging to Mr. Edgar Valentine was killed under a stack that had been overturned.

On Wednesday night, a 75 foot flagpole at St. Joseph’s Academy was broken off close to the ground. Several of the sisters made a narrow escape early in the evening. The large front door was open to admit several people from the evening train and the wind blew in large transom over the inner doors. The heavy frame struck one of the sisters, stunning her. The framing glass of this transom, shaped as an arch, is over seven feet long and almost three feet high. The same evening, the chimney on the house of Mrs. Sarah W. Ovelman caught fire. It was put out before any damage was done. A piece of the wall of the old tan yard building was also blown apart.

Emmitsburg’s Black Hands

Local society decides to quit after few meetings.

There is recently organized in Emmitsburg a black hand society which proposed to hold its meetings nightly during the winter in the basement of the public school building. Although he had no secrets, each new member (and everyone coming into the place on the evening was forced to join) was subject to take an oath to keep the ‘secrets’ of the society, while two of the charter members who stood by would raise clubs. Then came the initiation, which consisted in each person present giving the initiated a specified number of blows.

It seems that one of the first to be induced into the lodge didn’t overly enjoy the treatment he received, and not caring so much for his ‘oath’ told some of his old chums of the proceedings.

The next night the gang went down and sent a boy in, while they waited on the outside to watch results. There was nothing doing; the society had gotten wise. Since then no meetings have been called.

February 19

College Temperance Society

At the regular monthly meeting of the Total Abstinence Society of Mount St. Mary’s College, held in the music hall, Sunday afternoon, February 14, a very excellent literary and musical program was enjoyed by the large number of students present. From the enthusiasm manifested at this meeting, there can be no doubt of the great interest the boys of the college take in the Total Abstinence Movement. The audience was entertained by some Irish melodies. All the speakers appealed to the noble example in this great virtue of temperaments given by the martyred President Lincoln, as well as to the total abstinence pledge taken by the distinguished citizen who is now President-elect of the Republic.

February 26

Church Holds Patriotic Service

Last Sunday evening at six o’clock, a special service was held in the Presbyterian Church in honor of Washington. The church was crowded to hear the program and the whole service was marked by the enthusiasm of those who took part in the exercise. The singing was excellent and the whole was a source of inspiration to all who attended.

Home Bakery Robbed

On Monday morning while Mr. Harry Hopp was at his breakfast someone entered his bakery and took from the money drawer all its contents which amounted to a little over three dollars. It is thought that some tramp committed the theft.

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