100-year-old news highlights from The Evergreen Courant of Jan. 1919

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 January 1919.

In the Jan. 1, 1919 edition of The Evergreen Courant, editor and owner George W. Salter Jr. reported that “Wiley House died this morning at his home in Mill Beat after several week’s illness, age 67 years. Deceased was one of Conecuh’s most prominent citizens. It will be remembered that he was severely stabbed in the breast by John Salter and Robert Watkins, who assaulted and robbed him several years ago and it is thought that a portion of knife blade was broken off in his body and finally caused his death. The funeral and interment will take place tomorrow morning at the family graveyard.”

Readers that week also learned that “Gaines Burnett, a young Brewton boy, just returned from France, was here yesterday. He wore two wound stripes, showing that he did his bit in the fierce fighting against the Germans. He said when he thinks of the terrible engagements through which he passed it is difficult to realize how any of the men came out alive. He left this morning for Camp Sheridan, where he will be mustered out within the next few days.”

In the Jan. 8, 1919 edition of The Courant, it was reported that “ever since the night of the noisy celebration of the signing of the armistice, when guns, pistols and all kinds of shooting irons were brought into service to make noise, Manager Dearborn of the local telephone exchange had been endeavoring to locate a defect in the long lines of cables, and finally on Friday last, his eagle eye espied the cause. A .38-calibre pistol ball had penetrated the cable in front of Millsap’s stable, severing several of the small wires. Mr. Dearborn soon mended the defect while the temperature was below the freezing point.”

Also that week, readers learned that “Monday’s casualty list carried the name of Ryx Smith as having died from wounds in France. Some weeks ago, his mother was notified that he was severely wounded. Young Smith was a son of the late Herbert Smith. His mother resides a few miles east of Evergreen. She has the profound sympathy of everybody in the loss of her boy.”

In the Jan. 15, 1919 edition of the newspaper, under the headline “Jack Thompson Escapes From Insane Asylum,” that “Judge Dunn had official notice a few days ago of the fact that Jack Thompson had made an escape from the insane asylum at Tuscaloosa and that his whereabouts were unknown. Jack Thompson had been confined in the asylum a large portion of the time since his conviction several years ago for the murder of his wife and her father, John B. Cooper. The terrible tragedy is yet fresh in the mind of many citizens of the county. He will most likely be apprehended and again placed in prison.”

Also that week, readers learned that the “boys basketball team of the Conecuh High School (in Castleberry) increased their string of victories to five Friday when they defeated the heavier Repton High School team by a score of 20 to 4. The local high school team has not been defeated this season and an interesting game is expected Friday when they meet the Greenville High School at Greenville. This game may be transferred here though because of the influenza conditions at that place.”

In the Jan. 22, 1919 edition of the paper, under the headline “Boys Building at Orphanage Destroyed by Fire,” it was reported that “the Boys building at the Baptist Orphanage was completely destroyed by fire at noon yesterday. The fire is supposed to have originated from a defect in the furnace in the basement of the building. Great effort was made to save the building, but it was too far gone when help arrived. The boys of the Home showed themselves to be heroes in rescuing those who were in the building and also in bringing out the furniture to the yard.”

Readers that week also learned that the “Rev. J.G. Dickinson was not able to fill his appointment Sunday. He had an attack of Hic-Cough that lasted 30 hours and when it ceased, he was too weak to be out of bed.”

In the Jan. 29, 1919 edition of The Courant, under the headline “Influenza at Orphanage,” that there were “about 50 cases of flu at the Baptist orphanage. None of the children are seriously sick. They are having the best of attention and it is most sincerely hoped that it will run its course without any fatalities. The Home had been clear of flu until the children were exposed at the fire which destroyed the boys dormitory on Tuesday of last week.”

Also that week, readers learned that “the rains of the past week have made the roads impassable. The streams are also overflowing, and business is paralyzed.”

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 February 1919 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.