Culled by Judy Garrison
With commentary by Jim Andrews
From February 1920 issues of
The Andes Recorder 100 Years Ago
WEEK IN AND ABOUT ANDES
Events of a week as chronicled by
the Man on the Street
Monday night some person stole 10 of Wm. W. Doig’s 140 hens, which he had at the Dowie farm. They had tried to pry open the door and failing in this smashed out a window. [Jim Andrews: I am assuming this to be the Dowie farm adjoining the Andes Cemetery.]
What every woman knows is that if she can’t get a man in the other years, Leap Year won’t help her any.
If the bones of lamb you see at the butcher’s are white, it is a good indication that the lamb is mutton. Bones in lamb are reddish.
John D. Ferguson, a well known citizen of Delhi, and for many years a merchant of Delhi, passed away at his home in that village at noon on February 9, at the age of 76 years.…He was born in Andes and his early life was spent in the town. In 1862 he enlisted in Co. E 144th Regt. and served as a drummer to the close of the war. For a number of years he conducted the store now owned by Elliott and Nichols. He leaves to mourn his demise his aged wife and one daughter, Lillian, the wife of M. J. Elliott.
Announcements have been received in Andes of the marriage of Miss Lillian Ballantine Bruce to Carl Herbert Perkins, on Saturday, February 7, at the home of the bride’s parents Judge and Mrs. M. Linn Bruce, in New York City. Mr. and Mrs. Perkins will reside in Middletown.
The three buildings known as the Connor block, located in the village of Andes opposite the Central Hotel, were destroyed by fire early Saturday morning and blackened ruins now mar the beauty of the village.
The buildings had been owned for a number of years by John Connor and he gave the alarm of fire soon after 2:20 o’clock. Those who reached the scene first found that the fire had gained great headway, two of the buildings being on fire, and it was evident that all were doomed. The fire-house was only across the street and in a short time three lines of hose were laid and water pouring on the fire and protecting adjoining property only a few feet away. So rapidly did the fire burn that in a few minutes the entire interior of the two buildings was in flames and it was bursting thru the shingle roof of the middle building…The third building, which was occupied by Chas. Connor and his sister Jane Connor, burned more slowly and while part of this structure is still standing it is a complete ruin. [JA: The Connor block consisted of three buildings in close proximity to each other (the current site of the General Store)—one being a double shop at one time occupied by Dave Bruce’s photography on one side and his wife Flora’s millinery shop on the other. The others were rented apartments. The buildings were owned by John Connor who, in a demented state, carried kerosene into at least the building he lived in, and torched the place. Even though the buildings were directly across the street from the fire hall, the hose cart was not able to provide enough water to save the buildings and all three burned to the ground. Fortunately no one was injured. Connor was arrested and sent to the Delaware County Jail where he subsequently hanged himself. His wife (it was her second marriage—her first husband went down on the Titanic), ended up living in a converted barn behind the burned buildings and several years later died alone. Her body was discovered several days after her death. John Connor is buried in the Rural Cemetery and there is no death date on the monument.]
William Clark, a former editor of the Recorder, who has been spending the winter with his daughter, Mrs. Fred Youmans, in Delhi, has gone to Norwalk, Ohio, to become editor of the “Experiment” and “News” two papers published under one management.
With this issue we complete twenty-six years as publisher of the Recorder. With the cost of paper four times what it was a quarter of a century ago and hard to get at that there is apparently a dark outlook ahead for the country weekly. Certain it is that the day of the $1 paper has passed and it is now a question of higher price or suspension. [JA: The Recorder continued being published until the late 1930s.][N.B. The Andes Gazette is $1]
Judge M. Linn Bruce has been elected a director of the society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. The society was organized 45 years ago by Hon. Elbridge T. Gerry.~