February 6

Brakeman’s Leg Cut Off

Howard Petz, a brakeman on the Western Maryland Railroad, had one leg crushed off at the knee, when the switching freight train on which he was working, jumped off the track in Thurmont on Thursday. A boxcar, likely do to the ice jump the track and caught Petz leg between the car and the platform, completely severing the leg and injuring the knee joint.

Doctors were hastily summoned and rendered first aid. A freight engine was attached to the boxcar to free Petz, and the doctors rushed him to Frederick Hospital in a record run of 20 minutes, the road being cleared of all traffic. At the hospital, the leg was amputated above the knee. The patient rallied well from the operation and will get well. Petz is about 25 years old, and married.

Work Of Death

Harry Schreiber, a well-known and highly respected citizen of Harney, died at his home on Monday. For a long time he has been a great sufferer from neuritis and tuberculosis of the spinal column. It was known for sometime that his case was hopeless. The pain and suffering was intense; yet, during all this trying time, he was never known to complain, but always spoke of getting out and around again.

Mr. Schreiber for many years was a thresher man in this community, and when his machinery would break, and some of his customers would get angry, he would go around with his good humor, smile, and say "oh well boys, we will just get at it and fix the old thing up again." There was little that occurred that would cause him to become excited. He was always calm, cheerful and patient.

He was a member of the Mount Joy Lutheran Church all his life, and for many years was the superintendent of the Sunday school. All who knew him and were associated with him in the church work say that he was a model church member, and a true Christian gentleman. He leaves a wife, four children, and an entire community of friends and relatives who will miss him; yet all realize that their loss was his eternal gain. He was buried in Mount Joy cemetery.

Fairfield Signs 40 Chamber Of Commerce Members

The drive of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce for members closed Friday evening, when, at the meeting at the Fairfield schoolhouse, it was reported that 40 members have been secured.

A resolution voicing the opposition of the new Chamber of Commerce to the proposed Child Labor Amendment, which is to come before the Pennsylvania legislature at this session, for approval or disapproval, was passed.

Reverend Ralph Baker, President of the Fairfield Chamber of Commerce, said that the amendment would interfere with the right of parents to force their children to work. "If we allow this to occur, the next thing that the Federal government will try to pass is an amendment preventing you from disciplining a disobedient child. Everyone knows, that if you spare the rod, you spoil the child." Baker quoted several sections of the Bible, which he said, gave the right of parents to discipline their children and force them to work for their meals.

Edmond Thomas, Vice President of the First National Bank of Fairfield was the principal speaker at the meeting. He urged the chamber to first install a spirit of fellowship among its members, then to formulate a program of constructive activities for Fairfield, and lastly, to work out the program in so far as it is applicable to the needs of the community and the ability of the Chamber.

After a general discussion of plans for the new commerce organization, the youngest in the County, refreshments of the ‘old style’ were liberally served.

Gasoline Advances Two Cents

The fourth advanced this year in the price of gasoline – this time two cents a gallon, was made this week; making the advance for the year of six cents per gallon. The failing off in sales, seems the best reason offered, but it is back by a rise in the price of crude oil.

Warrant Two Years Old Results In Arrest

After a search extending for nearly 2 years, James Spear, about 30, formally a Frederick lunchroom proprietor, was arrested on Saturday by Deputy Sheriff Charles Smith, on a warrant charging him with assault with intent to kill.

The charge against Spear is the outgrowth of an occurrence in April 1923. Spear is accused of stopping Harry Eyler, a Thurmont butcher, and holding him up on the road between Lewistown and Catoctin Furnace at the point of a gun as Spear’s companion is alleged to have searched the car for liquor, it was declared. No liquor being found in the machine, Eyler was permitted to depart, but soon afterwards notify the authorities. Eyler knew Spear, it was said, but did not know his companion. Spear disappeared soon after.

On Saturday, Constable Smith noticed Spear traveling in a Cadillac automobile. He placed Spear under arrest. Failing to provide bail, he was remanded to jail to await his trial. Since leaving Frederick, Spear said he had been in Pottstown.

February 13

Troopers Raid Rocky Ridge Home

Swooping down upon the home of Lewis Wegaman, of Rocky Ridge, Sunday afternoon, state police uncovered 30 bottles of high-powered beer and a half-gallon of moonshine liquor. The beer was found in the cellar, while the liquor was found in a room on the first floor of the home. Wegaman was not at home when the officers raided his place, but came in, while the search was in progress. His wife and two men were in the house, when the officers presented their search warrant and ceased the beverages.

To verify that they were in fact intoxicating liquors all the officers sampled the beverages, many doing so twice. Wageman was charged with the illegal possession of intoxicating liquors and posted a bail of $1,000 and has a preliminary hearing before the magistrate on February 21.

Thievery

A thief – hardly to be called a burglar - entered the railroad office in Taneytown sometime during Saturday night, by unlocking the front door, then unlocking the safe, which contained about $30 and a check for $15, then departed leaving things in good shape.

That same evening an attempt was made to force a window at the Grain and Supply Company office, but no entry was made. The Reindollar Company warehouse entrance was also forced through the mill in the rear, and a window leading to the front office was open, and the office ransacked, but nothing of value was found, the only items missing being a bicycle and a flashlight belonging to Joe Hill, engineer. The check taken from the railroad office was found torn into pieces, not far from the building. Presumably, it was a one-man job, and the bicycle was used to help in his getaway.

Chicken thieves were scared away from Howard Shoemaker’s farm along the State Road, on Wednesday night, by Mr. Shoemaker firing at them with a revolver. They replied by throwing stones, breaking the kitchen’s windows. The night was very foggy making it impossible to see far. The best gun, in such cases said the sheriff, is a double barrel shotgun.

The Problem In Radio Service

"In view of a very rapid change in radio technology within the last six months, and to give greater clarity to departmental policies, it seems to me desirable to review the situation." Secretary Hoover of the Commerce Department said.

"There can be made one point of view in the consideration of radio regulation and development. That is to assure increasing service to the listener. The radio is steadily enriching our homes. More practically to our farmer folks, it is bringing more of those contacts that the town populations have alone enjoyed up to this time. The road of progress is to stimulate the development of the art, to prevent interference with and between broadcasting stations; to secure greater perfection of reception, and increase the number of alternative programs and better programs.

"There are today 563 broadcasting stations either in operations or under construction. Of these 455 are Class A (500 watts power or less) and 108 Class B (over 500 watts).

"It is generally believed that Class A stations have a radius of reception of not more than 25 or 50 miles, while Class B stations with her larger and increasing power, have a much wider radius. By practical reception, I do not include reception which radio listeners are able to secure by playing radio golf, but the effective serviceable, reliable reception program, which must be the real purpose of radio.

"The recent policy of the department of allowing the increase in power towards a possible maximum of 5,000 watts will mean that the radius of service reception will be greatly increased, and the reception itself within the present radius will become more reliable. This is of practical importance to our agricultural people, especially in summer and during daytime. The present plan is to allow advances in power use in stages of 500 watts, resting at each stage to determine if there is interference with other stations. Probably 20 or 30 Class B stations are now increasing or planning to increase their power. It is quite possible, that good service reception will be obtained for a radius of several hundred miles from each station, thus increasing their alternative programs to listeners.

"The most difficult problem in radio regulation and development is the distribution of wavelength use, so as to prevent interference between stations. There are in all 80 different wavelengths available, if we keep the stations 10 kilocycles apart, and stagger the assignment of wavelengths geographically so as to prevent overlap in the area of effective reception. The recent experiment of the department in attempting to increase the number of wavelengths by decreasing the difference to seven kilocycles, proved unsuccessful, with the present development of industry.

"Class A stations were assigned the wavelengths of 278 meters and below, by recommendation of the Radio Conference Board, and there are in this area 30 possible wavelengths. Owning to the limited and the irregular character of their programming - largely churches, educational institutions, &c.. Class A stations have not represented as many difficulties in wavelength assignment as Class B stations although there are 455 of them.

"Class B stations present a far more serious situation because of the radio signal radius and their regular performance. There are 47 wavelengths to be divided over a total of 108 stations now operating or under construction. That is, there is now an average of less than one wavelength for each two stations, which means that they must divide their time of operation. Class B stations are the ones which furnish most of the regular programs, and from which the public receives the most effective service. Most of them naturally desire, and need to operate continuously, as the cost of overhead is much increase by dividing time.

"One of the greatest difficulties in the distribution of wavelengths arises from the concentration of stations in large centers of population. The worst conditions are at Chicago and New York. In Chicago five wavelengths are available for 10 operating Class B stations, and there are several others in the course of construction. For New York, there are six wavelengths available for eight Class B stations, and more under construction.

"It is practically impossible to increase the number of wavelengths available to the cities because they are all in use in other communities, and because it is absolutely necessary to maintain a wide kilocycle separation between stations so close together. Otherwise they will destroy each other’s signal."

A Strong Draft

One of the substantial citizens of Thurmont on Thursday, desiring a strong draft, (from his stove), climb to the roof of his home, with a chain tied to the end of a rope, which he intended to use as a kind of rake, or scraper, or swab to open up the chimney. He jingle the chain down, once, then again, and thought he was doing quite well; until he drew up the string and found that the thing had left the chain – where? Who can tell?

"Perhaps we can burn her out from underneath," he said, but no draft, no burn, all smoke in the eyes. Then next, we are told, he got an iron pole, and climb to the top of the chimney. He poked down the hole with the end of the pole, and poof, what a mess.

After that one puff, which is "Afro-Eskimo", for the sudden explosion of everything that was in the chimney, the citizen was in no condition to see much of anything, except where he had made the mistake of poking his head over one end of the flu with a Jimmine knows what between. However, we are taking his word for it when he says that, besides the soot that came up, was the long chain that had been tied to the end of the rope, and the hole he stuck down there on the end of the pole.

Spear Released

James Spear, about 20, who was arrested on January 31 on a two-year-old charge growing out of an alleged holdup of Harry Eyler of Thurmont, in April 1923, on the Lewistown Pike, was dismissed at a hearing before Judge Guyer.

When Spear appeared for the hearing, Eyler said that Spear was not the man who held him up at the point of a gun, while another man searched his car. As Spear could not be identified, he was accordingly dismissed.

February 20

Said He Was Collecting Money For Others

A man, giving his name as Pierce, was arrested last week in Walkersville, and committed to jail on a charge of vagrancy. He claimed to be begging funds for a destitute family near Taneytown named Brendle. He had also been begging in Taneytown, where he said he was collecting money for an Emmitsburg family. Once the Sheriff of Frederick County being communicated with, it was found that Price has served jail there for the same offense. The destitute families seem to be a myth.

3,276 Dogs Are Licensed

George Raffensperger, District Agent for The State Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Animal Industry, announced today that he has made several prosecutions against owners of unlicensed dogs in Adams and Franklin County, and that more will follow unless the animals are properly tagged with a 1925 permits. Mr. Raffensperger, was assisted in rounding up the violators by Leo Bushman, the County Game Warden.

Harry Troxell, the County Treasurer said 3,276 dog licenses have been issued, that number being about the same as last year at this time, although it is several hundred less than the total number of licenses issued up to December 31, 1924. The time limit for procuring a 1925 dog license expired February 15 and prosecutions followed, according to Mr. Raffensperger.

Blood Saturated With Poison

Last week Jones Ohler, of Harney, was taken to the Gettysburg hospital to be treated for a severe case of neuritis. We are informed that he is slightly improved, but that his system is completely saturated with poison that must be gotten rid of before any improvement can be seen.

Meanwhile Harney’s Scarlet Fever patients are all out and about again. The quarantine was lifted at Luther Fox’s on Tuesday morning, and Luther was a mighty happy boy, after being pinned in for 40 days, to be able to get about with his friends and neighbors again.

Former Garage Man Arrested

Robert Black, the former owner and operator of the Thurmont Motor Company, for whom the State Motor Vehicle Commission has been searching for for the past three months, was arrested last Friday afternoon on warrants of false statement charges in obtaining titles, coming into possession of cars with obliterated serial numbers and selling cars with changed engine numbers.

Black was arranged before magistrate Sherman Bowers, Friday afternoon and released on $1,000 bail. Black is charged with having in his possession or having sold, at least a dozen cars with defaced engine numbers. Officers of the state police have been on the trail of such cars for many months, all of which were traced to Black’s garage. Investigations which led to the arrest of Black have been in progress for nearly 2 years it is said.

The reasons for Black’s alleged effort to deface the engine numbers on the cars and substitute new ones is a mystery. All efforts of the state authorities to learn the identity of the machines have failed, but it was said by them on Friday night that they had some evidence in reserve, that could throw some light on the situation.

Shortly after the investigation was begun by state officers, the Thurmont Motor Company went into the hands of the receivers. Black left the state, it was said, and was not located until several days ago when he returned to Thurmont. He told the officials on Friday that he had been in Tennessee.

Black claim that the engine numbers which had been removed and replaced with new numbers, were put on by him last winter, when a number of his cars became frozen, breaking the engine blocks. By a special process in photography, the officials were able to obtain the original numbers, it is said.

February 27

Arrest Made In Train Station Robbery

A man giving his name as Reinhart, was apprehended in Woodsboro on Wednesday, on suspicion of being implicated in the recent robbery of the railroad station in Taneytown. In being brought to Taneytown he was identified as a man who had been seen there on the date of the robbery. Reinhart denied all knowledge of the robbery, but was held for further examination. Detectives have been working on the case since the robbery.

Mute Couple Faces Starvation

Rather than telling their neighbors of their plight, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Houch, of Emmitsburg, deaf mutes, silently vowed that they would meet death together by starvation, it has become known.

They have lived on the outskirts of Emmitsburg for several years. They have no children and no near relatives on whom to call for assistance. They have spent their last few dollars, earned through many hours or hard work by Mr. Houch as a shoemaker.

A visit to their home on Saturday revealed that they had no coal, had not eaten solid food for several days, and they both were on the verge of collapse. A public subscription was started which by last night had raised several hundred dollars for the old couple.

Transportation Of School Pupils

Transporting pupils to and from school at public expense has raised some common sense questions that need to be answered, in the opinion of the Assistant Specialist In Rural Education of the Department of the Interior.

All the states and the District of Columbia are transporting some school children. Pupil transport has been the subject of a generous amount of legislation, and back of it lays the fundamental principle that the state must provide means for an education to every resident child, either by causing a school to be placed within his reach, or by transporting him to one.

Where does responsibility of the parent cease and that of the public begin? The question is asked about most school activities. The answer to pupil transport is generally expressed in terms of distance from homes to school, and the range under present law is 1/2 to 4 miles.

Such transportation is not a new item in the expense of education. It is handled in different ways in each state and the cost carefully recorded. 22 states report that 446,226 children were transported in 1924 at the expenditure of $14,536,000 or an average of $32.50 per pupil for the year. The costs range from $9.36 in Georgia to $73.15 in some sections of Maryland. Costs differ with conditions, but for safe, comfortable transportation, of any considerable number of pupils a state will probably need to expend from $30-$40 for each child per year.

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