100-year-old news highlights from The Evergreen Courant from Sept. 1917

Grave of Cornelius N. Diamond

It’s that time of the month again, time to take a trip down memory lane and review all of the interesting things that took place in Conecuh County 100 years ago, way back in September 1917.

The Evergreen Courant published four editions during the month of September 1917, and those four editions are available on microfilm at the Evergreen-Conecuh Public Library. What follows are a few news highlights from those newspapers.

In the Sept. 5, 1917 edition of The Courant, editor and owner George W. Salter Jr. reported that “C.R. Broughton is again foreman of the mechanical department of The Courant, which is sufficient guarantee that the favors of our patrons both in advertising and job printing will be executed in the best style and with the least possible delay.”

Also that week, under the headline “Schools Open Monday,” that a “large number of patrons and friends attended the opening of the agricultural and city schools on Monday morning. Speeches appropriate to the occasion were made by Drs. Dickinson and Moody and Prof. W.C. Blasingame, who came down from Auburn by special invitation. Mr. Blasingame in the course of his remarks made the first public announcement that Evergreen would have a handsome and adequate city school building at an early date. The enrollment of pupils was the largest on the opening day in a number of years, there being 126 in the agricultural school and about the same in the city school.”

Salter closed out the week with a report that “cotton has been coming into the local market rapidly for the past two weeks, reminding one of old times.”

In the Sept. 12, 1917 edition of The Courant, Salter reported that “Cornelius N. Diamond died on Monday at his home near Owassa, aged 85. He was a well known citizen and Confederate veteran.”

Readers that week also learned that “Conecuh’s first contingent of five percent of her quota for the national army left yesterday afternoon for the training camp in Georgia. Following young men were selected: W.S. Freeman, I.C. Shaver and Zell G. Perdue of Herbert and O’Neal Salter of Evergreen.”

Also that week, under the headline “Conecuh County High School Opens With Record Attendance,” it was reported that “the Conecuh County High School opened its doors today (Sept. 11) to the largest number of students in the history of the school. Miss Sarah Luther is again principal for her fourth consecutive time, ever since the foundation of the school in 1914. Rev. P.M. Jones of Newton conducted the opening exercises. Prof. Bennett, Superintendent of Education elect of this county, was present and made a brief address on ‘Cooperation in the School.’”

Also that week, Salter reported that “T.L. Jones of Sepulga reports that one of his dogs recently became affected with rabies and bit both of his mules. One of the animals died shortly afterwards, but the other has apparently recovered.”

Readers that week also learned that “County Commissioner N.T. Aarons has three sons in the army, a record that few men in the country can boast of. Mr. Aarons has certainly done his bit for his country.”

Salter closed out that week by letting readers know that the “regular monthly meeting of Camp Capt. Wm. Lee, United Confederate Veterans, will be held on Mon., Oct. 1.”

In the Sept. 19, 1917 edition of The Courant, under the headline “Prominent Citizen Goes to His Reward,” readers learned that the “death of F.A. Pritchett occurred on Friday evening last, Sept. 14, at an infirmary in Mobile where he went some days before surgical treatment.

“Mr. Pritchett removed here from his native state of Georgia some years ago. Soon after becoming a citizen of Evergreen, he was chosen a member of the town council, and at the last state election, he was elected a member of the board of county commissioners by a flattering vote.

“Deceased was a devout member of the Presbyterian church and of the Masonic order and in these societies his presence will be sorely missed. Mr. Pritchett was born in Georgia April 15, 1842. He served throughout the war in the Confederate army.

“The body was taken to Villa Rica, Ga., his old home, for interment.”

Elsewhere in that week’s paper, Salter reported that “Commissioners Court met on Monday but adjourned for the day out of respect to the memory of the deceased member of the court, F.A. Pritchett. Court assembled again yesterday and took up some left over routine matters for consideration, completing the business by noon.”

Also that week, readers learned that “Miles Johnson, an industrious man residing some miles south of town, had the misfortune to lose a pair of valuable mules on Wednesday last. They were attached to a wagon and grazing near the roadside a short distance from town when they fell into an old well. He was engaged in hauling blocks to the veneer mill.”

Salter closed out the week by saying that “Gen. J.B. Stanley, veteran editor of The Greenville Advocate, was here for a few hours yesterday. For 52 years, he has been editor of The Advocate and may now be termed the Nestor of Alabama Journalism.”

The big news in the Sept. 26, 1917 edition of The Courant came under the headline “Fast Mail Train Wrecks – Passengers Have Miraculous Escape From Injury.” The story went on to say that “one of the worst wrecks to occur around here (Castleberry) without the loss of a single life or the serious injury of a single person was that Wednesday of northbound train No. 38, New Orleans to New York, seven cars of which were thrown off the track, five of these being turned on their sides. The wreck took place about six miles south of here and about two miles north of Kirkland, a few feet from the 97-mile post, which says ‘97 miles to Montgomery.’ Traveling at a rate of 45 miles an hour and loaded with 105 passengers at 4:51 a.m., the cars left the track, plowing into the soft marshy land to a depth of three or four feet. Fortunately for the passengers all were steel Pullman cars. Wrecking crews were immediately summoned and by Friday all but one of the cars had been taken away.”

Salter closed out the month with a paragraph that said that “the pleasant face of Morton Boyce Jones is no longer seen at the delivery window of the post office. He left last Saturday for Camp Gordon, near Atlanta, for training preparatory to do his bit in the conflict beyond the seas. Speaking of Morton’s departure yesterday, Mrs. F. Simmons spoke feelingly of her nephews in the army service: ‘Morton is the sixth nephew of mine to enter service, all volunteers,’ she said. ‘These boys are all dear to me, especially Robert H. and J.F. Jones Jr., who have slept with their little arms about my neck many nights.’”

Well, I guess that’s all that space will allow for this month. Next month, I plan to take a look at the events of October 1917 in Conecuh County. Until then, if you get the urge to research the county’s past yourself, take advantage of the Evergreen-Conecuh County Public Library’s excellent selection of old newspapers on microfilm and other resources. The library’s friendly and courteous staff will be more than happy to get you started.