BOUND VOLUMES, September 27, 2012
200 YEARS AGO
Casualty – Another accident has happened from carelessness about fire-arms. A Mr. Webster, belonging, as we understand, to a new Artillery Company, lately raised in Cincinnatus and its vicinity, being ordered by the commanding officer to drive home the cartridge, which had just been attempted to be fired without effect (the priming having burnt out) had one hand blown off, the other so dreadfully injured as to render amputation necessary immediately, and the flesh on his side burnt & torn to the very ribs. The unfortunate man was in the very act of ramming the piece when it went off. It is not expected that the unfortunate man will live.
September 26, 1812
175 YEARS AGO
U.S. Postal Financing – Immediately after the suspension of specie payments by the banks in New York, in May last, a circular was sent out, directing all postmasters who had first been instructed to deposit the proceeds of their offices in banks, to retain them in specie (currency issued by local banks) to meet the drafts of the department. To those who had been instructed to pay directly to contractors, another circular was sent, reminding them of their duties and liabilities in reference to the monies to be received and paid by them under existing laws. Instructions have recently been prepared, directing the manner in which returns of cash on hand are hereafter to be made to the department, and forbidding the loaning or use of the monies belonging to the public for any purpose whatsoever.
September 25, 1837
150 YEARS AGO
Excerpt from “A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America” – Washington, September 22, 1862” – I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America and Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy thereof, do hereby proclaim and declare that hereafter, as heretofore, the war will be prosecuted for the object of practically restoring the Constitutional relation between the United States and the people thereof, in which States that relation is or may be suspended or disturbed. …. That, on the first day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State, or any designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons or any of them in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom…”
September 26, 1862
125 YEARS AGO
During the past season, Mrs. George H. Farquharson – who came here a young bride from Utica last June – has been the soprano singer in the choir of the Baptist church, a position which she has most acceptably filled, as she has a very pleasant and cultivated voice of considerable compass. Her effective rendering of a beautiful solo on Sunday morning last, has rarely been excelled in that choir. From it we shall now miss the fine tenor voice of Mr. Charles H. Parshall, who has returned to Cornell University. Mr. Derrick, who so ably presides at the organ, deserves the thanks of his church for the successful efforts he has made to keep up a good choir, which is so essential a part of public worship.
September 30, 1887
100 YEARS AGO
Living next door in Utica to James S. Sherman, vice-president of the United States resides Dr. Ira S. Sweet, the practical bone-setter, and a man who would rather shift a knee joint back into place than to carry a bag of gold into a bank. Sweet is a born bone-setter. Licensed physicians may sniff their noses at this, but Sweet’s father, grandfather and great grandfather set bones before him. Sweet is counted a great man in Central New York. Every man, woman and child in fifteen counties knows him or has heard of him. He has been setting bones for nearly 50 years. He has treated more than 30,000 cases of fractured or deformed bones and has never lost a case. For more than 30 years licensed physicians have been trying to put an end to Sweet’s practicing. They have caused his arrest, but no jury has been found, nor is it probable one can be found that will convict him in any court.
September 25, 1912
75 YEARS AGO
Ziyara Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, a Masonic body, has its headquarters at Utica, but draws its membership from a wide territory in Central New York. Last fall the Temple elected Moses E. Lippitt of Cooperstown to the office of Illustrious Potentate. As a testimony to the head of the order, and to his home town, Shriners to the number of nearly 500 came to Cooperstown Wednesday afternoon of last week and staged an observance that included initiation ceremonies at the Masonic Temple in the afternoon, a colorful parade followed by a barbeque at the Lakefront in the evening with an entertainment program for the members at the Village Hall.
September 29, 1937
25 YEARS AGO
The Otsego County Sheriff’s Department has received three K-9 security dogs to provide better law enforcement procedures in the county. The dogs, originally trained in West Germany, will be specialized in drug search, bomb search, general security and tracking of suspects. The K-9 program is funded through $11,000 in donations from private and business organizations with the largest grant coming from the New York Central Mutual Fire Insurance Company of Edmeston.
September 30, 1987
10 YEARS AGO
The people of our sister city in Windsor, Nova Scotia, have developed a unique event to showcase their world-famous giant pumpkins. October 5th marks the 18th annual Windsor-West Hants Pumpkin Festival and Weigh-Off, to be followed two weeks later by the fourth annual pumpkin regatta on October 13. Windsor’s Howard Dill developed the Dill’s Atlantic Giant pumpkin seeds. The current world record pumpkin hails from Sammamish, WA, at 1,262 pounds.
September 27, 2002
