HOMETOWN HISTORY, December 27, 2013
125 Years Ago
The Local News – L.S. McCary, a slater at the Normal School building, was terribly injured Monday forenoon by the breaking of a joist on which he stepped. He fell 25 feet, breaking his thigh bone and receiving other injuries. At first he was thought to be dead and an undertaker was sent for, but was soon restored to consciousness and may recover, though crippled for life.
Detective Joe Moore of the Cincinnati Detective Agency, whose headquarters are in Oneonta, spotted here on Tuesday night a man whose appearance tallied with that of the murderer of two men out in Idaho Territory, except for the trifling discrepancy of about 40 pounds in weight. He was arrested and lodged in the cooler. A $1,000 reward posted for his capture may be claimed by Moore. The prisoner has a scar on his face answering to that in the description sent out from Idaho of the murderer, and he is of the same height. He gave the name of James McCard and says he came to Oneonta looking for work, having worked here at stone cutting two years since. Detective Moore has notified the Idaho authorities of his capture and is confident of securing the $1,000 reward.
December 1888
100 Years Ago
Melvin H. Couch, former district attorney of Sullivan County, was quietly buried this afternoon, leaving behind him no written word to explain his strange dual existence and associations with his slave-like companion, Adelaide Branch, who for three years was a virtual prisoner in his office. Couch died on the lounge in his office early Sunday morning. His companion, shrieking, gave the alarm and summoned a physician. Then, for the first time, it became known that for three years she had for the love of the man existed in a tiny quarter of the office partitioned as a combined sleeping, living room, and kitchen. Couch visited his wife and daughter at his home every Sunday, but spent most of his time at his office. Miss Branch says she loved him devotedly that he returned her love and that their relations dated back 15 years when she as a book agent chanced to call on him.
December 1913
80 Years Ago
The sayings of great men will remind the children in Oneonta’s schools of the generosity of the Oneonta W.C.T.U. At a meeting of that organization yesterday at the home of Mrs. Carl McConnell, 3 Pine Street, it was voted to purchase 3,000 blotters to be given to the schools. Printed on the blotters will be quotations from the speeches, books or remarks of noted men. Members of the W.C.T.U. believe these blotters will be one way of furthering their educational campaign against intemperance. They maintain that a boy or girl cannot help absorbing the reading matter on the blotters since a youngster would probably use a blotter at least two or three times a day.
December 1933
40 Years Ago
Privately owned planes that make their home in the hangars of the Oneonta Airport are doing more sitting around than flying these days. But Catskill Airways, the Oneonta-based airline that makes scheduled flights to New York City and charter flights to other points, has witnessed a 10 percent upswing in ticket sales in the past few months. How can the airline thrive while the private planes lie idle? The answer, says Stephen C. Low, owner of the airline, is a combination of the gasoline shortage and an increased interest in public transportation. The gasoline scarcity has forced many airlines to curtail the number of flights, while at the same time renewing an interest in commercial air travel. Long-distance car travelers, uncertain about gasoline shortages, are turning to the railroads and airlines. Catskill Airways currently makes two round trips daily between Oneonta and New York City and the seats are generally full. Charter flights have increased as well.
December 1973
30 Years Ago
“You’re not treating a patient anymore. You’re treating an adversary.” That’s how one physician sums up doctors’ fears of the professional and financial consequences of being sued for malpractice – even if they win their case. Those fears have triggered massive spending on defensive medicine, on malpractice insurance, and on the red tape these involve. Malpractice costs will only increase. The American Medical Association puts the total bill now at nearly $19 billion annually, or six cents for every dollar Americans spend for health care. The situation is most acute in New York State. New York’s physicians altogether will pay approximately $200 million in malpractice insurance premiums in 1984. Less than half of that will be paid for claims. The rest will be invested to build a war chest to cope with soaring judgment awards.
December 1983
20 Years Ago
When the invitation reads “black tie” most men reach for a tuxedo, white formal shirt and black cummerbund and tie. In recent seasons though, designers have been trying to steer men from dreary conformity to dashing creativity. The transformation can begin with a single item – a beaded vest, a tartan jacket, a printed silk smoking jacket. Creative black tie can also mean all black and no tie according to fashion designer Donna Karan’s DKNY. A band collar shirt is one of the simplest and most fashionable looks, says Rick Pallack, who caters to the likes of Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone, Michael J. Fox and Tom Selleck. “Menswear is so classic, that it’s not often real trends come along,” he says, “but this is the hottest thing.”
December 1993
10 Years Ago
Any good gift-wrapper knows that a satin or velvet ribbon tied up into a perfect bow can elevate otherwise ho-hum wrapping paper. Why not apply this principle to holiday party clothes? Ribbons, bows and vintage touches are inexpensive easy ways to add sparkle to any outfit. “The great thing to buy is a lot of really soft vintage-looking satin ribbons,” says fashion designer Cynthia Rowley. She suggests wearing ribbons around the neck, as a belt, or tied up in a T-strap shoe.
December 2003
