June 6

Charged With Stealing

Elmer and Harry Baker, of Catoctin Furnace, and Robert Ashbaugh, of Emmitsburg, were arrested on the charge of stealing chickens at various places in the northern part of the county. According to evidence brought out at their hearing, the accused had been bringing chickens to Weybright’s store and selling them. Shortly after the Baker boys brought in their last batch of chickens, Ashbough came to the store and said the chickens belonged to him. Weybright grew suspicious and notified the police. At the present time Weybright is waiting for the owner of the chickens to come forward and identify them.

The Baker boys are being held in jail, having failed to make bond. Ashbaugh failed to appear in court and a warrant for his arrest has been issued. It is reported that the chickens were being stolen in daylight along the road leading from Hoover's Mill to Harry Nogle’s farm. The boys got the chickens by chasing them in fields where they were pecking for bugs. It is stated that the boys were also stealing corn by the sacks and bringing it into town and disposing of it.

Run Over By Team

Paul Ecker, of Fairfield, was knocked down by a team driven by Robert Major. The little tyke was saved from serious injury when neither the horses, nor the wagon wheels, touched his body after he was thrown to the ground. The boy sustained a cut on the left side of his head, which required several stitches as well as bumps and bruises. Ecker apparently ran directly in front of the team and was knocked down. The horse stepped over him and Major guided the wagon so the wheels would miss the boy's body. Major immediately stopped then assisted in providing medical aid for the young boy. In the opinion of those who saw the accident, Mr. Major was not responsible for the accident.

Kaiser Trial Underway

With a courtroom packed to the doors and standing room at a premium, Mrs. Alice Kaiser, 60, went on trial for the murder of her husband, Frank, in Harney, on February 12. The opening statement of the council for Mrs. Kaiser came as a surprise – a plea of insanity was entered. The defense counsel said he could prove that Mrs. Kaiser had inherited a trait of insanity and that several ancestors had suffered from the disease. He said he would prove her not guilty by proving she was insane when she fired the shot that killed her husband.

The prosecutor, however, stated in his opening remarks, that her intentions were willful, pointing to the fact that on Christmas Eve, Mrs. Kaiser fired a bullet at her husband at point blank, which thankfully hit a collar button which deflected the bullet. Mrs. Kaiser, it is alleged, warned him that: "the next time the Lord may not be so kind to him." Mrs. Kaiser said she was worked up over her husband’s alleged affair with another woman - who was also 60-years-old - and did not know what to do.

June 13

Jury Acquits Harney Woman

On Thursday, the jury acquitted Alice Kaiser of the murder of her husband Frank. The trial was probably the shortest murder trial ever heard in the state of Maryland. It only took the jury two hours to reach their decision. As the jury read their decision, a hush fell over the courtroom and Mrs. Kaiser’s lips were visibly quivering. She was twisting a handkerchief in her fingers. The foreman glanced over the crowd in the courtroom, then looked at the judge and said in even tones: "We find the defendant not guilty as charged." Upon those words, the crowd in the courtroom burst into applause. While Mrs. Kaiser left the building, she walked between a line of people who reached out to congratulate her on successfully getting rid of a useless husband, encouraging other wives to do the same.

Lunatic Locks Herself In Church

Last Wednesday evening Miss Belle Seiss, who for some weeks has been suffering from mental trouble, left home and went to the Moravian Church and locked herself in one of the outbuildings. In the morning, while the pastor was at the post office, she left the building and came into the parsonage where the pastor found her when he returned. Several ladies came to the parsonage and she was put to bed and cared for, and in the afternoon her father, who had been informed of her whereabouts, came and took her home. On Friday morning she was taken to Springfield asylum, near Sykesville.

Will Honor Yanks

On July 2, the Emmitsburg Amateur Council, Knights of Columbus, will entertain at an elaborate open air banquet all the returned soldiers and sailors of Emmitsburg and vicinity. After considerable discussion at the recent meeting of the Council, this form of welcome was decided upon as being the best possible way of expressing the heart felt gratification and goodwill of those who remained at home. Every possible effort will be put forth by the Knights to make this a most successful affair.

Bolt Kills Horses

Two horses belonging to John Hartman, of Fairfield, were killed when they were struck by a bolt of lightning Friday afternoon during the storm which passed over the area. The horses were grazing in a field and were close to a wire fence. As there is no evidence of the bolt striking nearby, it is thought the bolt followed the wire fence some distance before striking the animals.

June 20

Negro Charged With Assault

An Apple picker, Preston Withers, colored, was charged with the assault on Paul Clapsaddle of Fairfield. Clapsaddle, 11-years-old, identified Withers as the Negro who hailed him on Sunday night, and being refused, made a leap at the horse, which caused the animal to run away and smash the eggs in the wagon. Withers was not called to testify at the hearing but denied he was the man who frightened the Clapsaddle boy and his horse.

At his hearing the following day, the Justice of the Peace dismissed the charges against Withers, citing lack of evidence. The Justice of the Peace stated that it could not be proven by the Clapsaddle boy that Withers was in fact the Negro who had assaulted him, or for that matter, that the Negro who frighten him really intended to do any harm.

Thurmont Considers Consolidating Electrical Supplier

Mayor Liddle presented the Town Council with a proposition of securing electric current from the H&F Railway Company. A railway company representative said they could provide power cheaper than the town’s electrical generating plant. He proposed that the Thurmont plant be shut down for one year, and current be bought from the railway for that period. In doing so he proposed to show that the railway could furnish all the current for lighting and power for less than the town power plant. During the past year Thurmont spent $1,800 to furnish electricity for the full town from its local generating plant, and spent $1,200 to purchase electricity from the railroad company during the dry season. The question before the citizens is then to continue operating their own plant they continue to purchase current during the dry season from the railroad company, or purchase all their electricity from the railroad company.

June 27

Musical Treat

The people of Thurmont were given a musical surprise last Saturday evening at Thurmont when moving pictures were shown. The music for the evening was given by the Small family of Baltimore, who operates one of the movie machines here. All the Small family members are musical artists and their playing was a great pleasure to a large audience. After the picture, the hall was cleared and music was played, while a great number indulged in dancing.

Charged With Keeping Watches

On a charge of having in her possession two watches, allegedly to be the property of John Weddle, aged about 70-years-old, Victoria Wiles, aged 62-years-old, was arrested Monday at her home near Mountaindale. The case between Wiles and Weddle, which was aired in the Circuit Court years ago, began when Weddle sued her for some money, which he claimed she, had which he said belonged to him.

Weddle went to Frederick and had a search warrant issued to search Wiles’ home. When the constable showed up, she denied having the watches in her possession. He told her then that he had a search warrant and that he had to execute it.

While searching upstairs, the constable became suspicious and watched Wiles. He saw her pull out a small drawer in a piece of furniture and place something in her hand. She came back to the room the constable was standing in, then afterward she hurt her hand. She replied stating it was only some of her property. He asked her to give it to him and she refused. The officer then grabbed the woman by the hand and took the object from her.

It was an old stocking, and as he began to unwind it he found in it an old pocketbook and two watches. One of them was a man's gold watch and the other was a small open face silver watch. Wiles cried out and begged the constable not to arrest her. Weddle formerly boarded at the home of the Wiles woman.

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