September 7
One of the most bizarre incidents ever to have occurred at the Frederick County Courthouse happen during the afternoon of September 7, 1977.
The jury in a traffic accident suit for civil damages had just returned its verdict when the plaintiff, Nancy Parker Suddith, of Lynchburg, VA, pulled a .22 caliber pistol from her purse and shot herself in the face. Apparently no one was looking directly at Ms. Suddith when the shot was fired, but pandemonium broke out in the courtroom.
Mrs. Nadine Morgan, a member of the jury who lived at 338 East Church Street, Frederick, collapsed in shock. Deputy Sheriff Audie Hahn rushed to Ms. Suddith and lifted here onto the plaintiff's table.
Some jurors, lawyers, and the defendant removed their coats to cover the now unconscious Ms. Suddith and emergency first aid was administered.
Stenographer Elizabeth Hale rushed from the courtroom to call for help. Both the United and Junior’s ambulances responded immediately. Charles (Mutt) Deater and Terry Shankle, from Uniteds, took Ms. Suddith down an elevator and transported her to Frederick Memorial where the State Police helicopter later flew her to The Maryland Institute for Emergency Medicine at University Hospital in Baltimore.
The Junior’s ambulance crew took Mrs. Morgan to the hospital where she was treated for shock and later released.
The civil damage suit had been filed by Ms. Suddith against John W. Frank, of Frederick County, as a result of an accident on August 6, 1973, at the intersection of U. S. 15 South and Md. Rt. 464.
Ms. Suddith contended in her action that because of the injuries she sustained she was unable to return to her job and perform in the same manner as before the crash. She was employed at the time as a quality control worker for the U. S. Defense Department at a plant near Lynchburg.
Ms. Suddith had sought $75,000, but when the juror returned after deliberating only 40 minutes, their verdict reduced what Ms. Suddith had sought to only $2,000. Immediately after Judge Samuel Barrick reiterated the verdict from the bench, Ms. Suddith shot herself. She died September 13 without regaining consciousness.
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On May 23, 1822, the first Frederick County Cattle Show was held at George Creager's Tavern near The Jug Bridge over the Monocacy RIver. It was only the second such event ever held in Maryland.
In the 1850s the Agricultural Society of Frederick County established an annual fair, usually being held on the grounds of the Hessian Barracks. President Ulysses S. Grant, accompanied by numerous government officials, paid an unexpected visit October 13, 1870.
On September 7, 1876, the society designated a tract of land on East Patrick Street as the site for future fairs. Unless interrupted by war, the Frederick County Fair has been held there every year since.
Interestingly enough, in August and September 1876, little mention was made of the land purchase in the local press. The primary topic of conversation reported was a raging battle between the press and the Agricultural Society.
It seems that the society decided to have the fair tickets printed in Baltimore and the local print shops, which also published local newspapers, were outraged.
One local article began: "The Agricultural Society of Frederick County have (sic) a few officious, narrow-minded men belonging to it whose hearts and souls are so small that it requires the aid of a magnifying glass to discover that there is a heart or soul in them."
It was estimated that the profit on the ticket-printing job would have been between $10 and $15.
September 14
The name of Francis Scott Key rings in the hearts of Americans each time we sing "The Star-Spangled Banner." His strength of character and devotion to nation and God led him to pen an awe inspiring poem.
The story of how Francis Scott Key came to write our national anthem is well-known. America was fighting its second war of independence. Washington has been sacked and burned. The British had turned their attention to Baltimore. And Key, a 35-year-old Georgetown lawyer, was seeking the release of a physician friend being held prisoner by the British.
After standing on the deck of a small ship and watching as the British fleet bombarded Fort McHenry through the night of September 13-14, 1814, he saw Mary Pickersgill's mammoth flag still flying high above the ramparts of the fort.
He scribbled a rough outline of a poem on the back of an envelope he had in his pocket. That afternoon and evening, Key penned the final text of his anthem of patriotism.
The next day he showed his poem to his brother-in-law, Joseph Nicholson, who thought it would inspire Americans to greater fervor.
Nicholson took the poem to the offices of the Baltimore American, where he found only an apprentice boy, for all the printers were still with the local militia.
Thus 14-year-old Samuel Sands became the first to set our National Anthem into type. From this handbills were quickly printed and distributed throughout the Baltimore area.
On September 20, The Baltimore Patriot became the first newspaper to print it. One hundred thirteen years later Congress accepted "The Defence of Fort McHenry" as our national anthem.
September 21
Frederick has been visited by disease in epidemic proportions at various times in its history. In early 1832 cholera ravaged Montreal, Canada, and began its spread southward.
In late summer that year it reached Frederick. Cholera, a deadly pestilence, had visited Frederick before. It struck, attacking residents young and old.
In July men working on the C&O Canal began to die from the disease. It wasn't until the first of September that a city resident died of the disease.
Some victims were only sick for a few hours. Others lingered for three or four days. Many residents were superstitious and believed that this plague was brought by Haley's Comet which made an appearance that year. Many others ignored the cautions issued by the newly formed Board of Health.
In a single house on West South Street 11 people died within a few weeks.
Jacob Steiner, a judge of The Orphans Court and a well-known and loved citizen, worked his full day and returned home September 10. He was stricken early in the evening and died of cholera before dawn the next day.
It was his death which alarmed the citizens and brought about additional cautions in the use of water and disposal of waste.
Before the disease had run its course more than 57 Frederick citizens died. At the same time, scarlet fever also claimed the lives of numerous children, sometimes causing confusion among relatives as to which disease was the cause of a loved-one's death.
Jacob Englebrecht’s daughter Ann Rebecca was one of these victims. His diaries, regrettably, recounted much of the misery the city and county felt.
September 28
From the very beginnings of this country, women were not allowed to participate in the election process, or to be candidates for public office. That all changed when a constitutional amendment was finally passed giving women the power of the ballot.
In Frederick County the first day set aside for women to register to vote was September 28, 1920. The turnout was greater than expected as registration posts were established all over the county.
Nearly 4,000 women qualified to vote. Men were also allowed to register, but women were the focus of recruitment drives in every election district.
Surprisingly, in relation to the population percentages, more colored women registered than white women. It was no surprise, however, that Frederick City registered the most women.
Returns that first day showed that 1,337 women signed up in the city. That was a full third of those registered on this opening day county-wide.
Although this was the first day of the registration drive, it continued on successive Tuesday until October 12, when registration was closed for the upcoming election.
One old-time party officials had predicted in his district that 20 to 25 women would register. He expressed astonishment when more than 100 turned out.
Republicans gained 84 more registrants than did the Democrats. This wasn't considered a surprise because many were dissatisfied after eight years of Democratic rule in Washington, including the World War I years.
