Sunday, December 14, 2014

100-year-old news highlights from The Monroe Journal from December 1914

The Monroe Journal newspaper in Monroeville, Ala., under the direction of Editor and Proprietor Q. Salter, published only four editions 100 years ago during the month of December 1914. Those papers were dated Dec. 3, Dec. 10, Dec. 17 and Dec. 24. What follows are a few news highlights from each of those newspapers. Enjoy.

DEC. 3, 1914

Dr. A.B. Coxwell, Judge W.G. McCorvey and Mr. F.W. Hare attended the Masonic Grand Lodge in Montgomery.

Circuit Court adjourned last Friday evening, having cleared the docket of all cases set for trial at the term. Judge Lackland, Solicitor McDuffie and Stenographer Gilmer went from here to Grove Hill, where court convened on Monday.

There were seven convictions during the late term of Circuit Court, one for murder, two for grand larceny, one for petit larceny and two for assault with a weapon. Torrey Puryear was convicted for the murder of her husband and given a life sentence; John White and Sam Sampey got two years each hard labor for grand larceny; George Crosby was fined $50 for petit larceny. Ad Jefferson was given two years for assault with a weapon and Jim Sampson was fined $100 for a similar offense, while Adam Montgomery was sentenced to eight months for temporary unlawful use of property.

The entire community was painfully shocked and grieved by the sudden death of Mr. Clinton Whisenhant, one of the High School students, which occurred on the school campus Wednesday afternoon. The basketball team of which he was a member was preparing for a practice game when the young man was stricken with heart failure and expired before a physician could reach him.

The new brick drug store on Southside will be ready for occupancy by the Lyon Pharmacy very soon.

DEC. 10, 1914

There were 19,882 bales of cotton ginned in Monroe County from the crop of 1914 prior to Nov. 14, 1914 as compared with 18,829 bales ginned prior to Nov. 14, 1913.

Mr. H.L. Dodson of Perdue Hill reports the somewhat unusual incident of seeing a “belled buzzard” flying over his place on Nov. 29.

Exciting Times at Finchburg: Last Friday morning the neighborhood around Finchburg, in this county, was aroused and excitement ran high for some time on account of a very unfortunate affair. Early in the morning Mr. A.C. Finch was approached by Mr. Sam Henderson, his neighbor and friend of long years standing, who without warning opened fire on him with a Winchester rifle. Being without weapon of defense, Mr. Finch made a hurried departure for his residence which was close by, and in company with Mrs. Finch left the house immediately for the home of a near neighbor. Evidently, Mr. Henderson thought Mr. Finch entered his home, for he promptly approached the house and delivered about a dozen shots into that part of the house usually occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Finch.
No one was hurt, but it was evidently due to poor marksmanship, for several of the first shots were fired at Mr. Finch out in the open and at convenient distance. A telephone call brought the sheriff to the scene and Henderson was brought to Monroeville, examined by a physician and committed to the asylum for the insane on the same day.

DEC. 17, 1914

A SINGULAR ACCIDENT: A few days ago I took my wife and baby boy to a sand gully near Mexia to procure some white sand. When we arrived at the place my wife and little boy got out of the wagon and went down into the gully while I was hitching the team. In a few minutes I heard little Horace screaming, and when I got there he told me that Mamma was covered up in the sand. You cannot imagine my feelings at the moment. There was no time to lose. I had to act at once. I could not see any sign of my wife or hear any noise, and I had no tools to work with, only my hands. I began the desperate task of removing two or three tons of earth that had caved in entirely wrapping my poor wife. I sent little Horace to a negro house about a quarter of a mile away to get help. In a few minutes four Negroes arrived and assisted me in rescuing her. In the meantime, I had succeeded in digging a hole down to her head, but she was unconscious. In about 20 minutes after the accident we had her out and she began breathing but looked like a corpse. I phoned to Monroeville and got Dr. Bayles there in a few minutes who administered restoratives and carried her home in his car, of course, saving her life. At one time that night her pulse went down to 30. Dr. Bayles remained with her until she was better. By that time I had Dr. Aaron White, her brother, with her who stayed until she was out of danger.
The unfortunate occurrence was a harrowing experience to me, and but for the intelligence of my little five-year-old son Horace, who was a little hero on the occasion, the accident would undoubtedly have proved fatal.
Yours truly,
A.J. Petty

DEC. 24, 1914

Following our usual custom, no paper will be issued from this office next week. The printers, after 12 months of arduous labor are entitled to a brief rest, and this holiday season affords a fitting occasion for acknowledgement of ties that draw us again within the family circle.

Dr. Leslie Powell Howard of Durham, N.C., who was killed by a railroad train at Kingston, N.Y., Dec. 21, was a native of Monroe County and a nephew of Mrs. W.B. Jones and Mr. F.J. Powell of Monroeville and had numerous relatives in Mobile.

Cadets W.G. McCorvey Jr. and Stephen Hixon of the University of Alabama are spending the holidays with home folks.

The Lyon Pharmacy is occupying new quarters in the Yarbrough brick building on Southside adjoining the old stand.

The periodical examination of applicants for license to teach in the public schools was held in Monroeville during the first three days of the present week, under the supervision of Superintendent Barnes and Prof. J.D. Forte. There were 30 applicants, eleven being colored.

The County High School and Grammar School suspended work yesterday for the holiday recess. Most of the out of town pupils and teachers have dispersed to their various homes to partake of Christmas cheer.


About one mile of street and road improvement has been completed under direction of the city authorities. Uniform grade has been secured and the surface graveled. Further improvements are contemplated if citizens continue to cooperate.

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