HOMETOWN HISTORY, October 19, 2012

125 Years Ago
Stephen Parish, an old and respected resident of Oneonta, died on Thursday last at his home, on River Street. Mr. Parish was a son of the late Andrew Parish, and was born on the farm owned by him at his death, on the south side of the river near this village. This farm the father, Squire Parish, whose widow is still living on River Street, bought when that part of Oneonta was in the Town of Kortright, and here his family of boys was born. It is related that on one occasion the tax gatherer called upon Mr. Parish for his tax, but twenty-five cents. Mr. Parish had plenty of barter, but no cash, and, strange as it may seem, the money could not be found in the town, barter then being all the go. The tax gatherer, therefore, went away without the money. A few days afterward it was procured by Mr. Parish and he trudged his way on foot to Kortright and placed it in the tax gatherer’s hands. Stephen was a man of good judgment and strict integrity, and had filled with credit local offices, representing the town in the Board of Supervisors for one or more terms. For many years he had been actively identified with the Presbyterian church.
October 1887

100 Years Ago
Colonel Theodore Roosevelt was shot and slightly wounded Monday night when leaving Milwaukee’s Gilpatrick Hotel for the auditorium to make a speech. The wound was superficial and the colonel went on to the hall and began his speech after he had seen his assailant arrested and taken to the police station. Henry F. Cochems seized the man and held him until policemen came up. A mob surged around the prisoner who apparently is mentally upset on the subject of Roosevelt running for another term as president. The man, who is small of stature, admitted firing the shot and said “that any man looking for a third term ought to be shot.” In notes found in the man’s pockets at the police station were statements that the man had been visited in a dream by the spirit of William McKinley, who had said, indicating Colonel Roosevelt, “This is my murderer; avenge my death.” An X-ray of Colonel Roosevelt’s wound shows the bullet lodged in the chest wall and did not penetrate the lung. (Ed. Note: Later reports add that one of Colonel Roosevelt’s ribs was fractured in the attack)
October 1912

80 Years Ago
Dr. and Mrs. Lewis R. Morris or Morris, donors to the city of Oneonta of Neahwa Park, are opposed to the application to have the Gas Avenue entrance to that park reopened to provide a thoroughfare for vehicular traffic. In a letter to the Common Council and Mayor Francis H. Marx, Dr. Morris states: “I am very much opposed to such an idea for several reasons. In the first place I think it would be an element of great danger for the people who visited the park, as trucks and automobiles would drive through from River Street to the east end of Oneonta so as to cut off going through Main Street. This would also be a great danger to the children who play around the park and tennis courts who would continually cross the roads back and forth in that part of the park.” A clause in the deed of gift reads: “This conveyance is made by the parties…on the express condition that the lands and premises hereby conveyed shall be used as a public park and place of recreation and amusement.” Dr. Morris states: “It seems to Mrs. Morris and me that this opening up of a public street through the park for traffic would be a subversion of the gift to the city of Oneonta.”
October 1932

60 Years Ago
Approximately $200 was raised at a Del-Sego Theater benefit show last night toward purchase of a special invalid car for Floyd Briscoll. Gate receipts after taxes totaled $132, Bert Mitchell and William Warnken, Jr., proprietors said. In addition, Briggs Lumber Co. contributed $50 and several small donations were made. Mr. Mitchell pointed out that the temperature at Emmons dropped to 28 degrees during the show, which was the coldest show time so far this year. The care will cost $495, and Mr. Briscoll’s friends hope to raise the balance by helping in his annual sale of Christmas cards. Mr. Briscoll, now 39, has been an invalid since age 12. His time is spent in bed or in a wheel chair at his home, 34 Reynolds Ave.
October 1952

40 Years Ago
The new Navy wasn’t ready for Seaman Recruit Kathleen M. Licalzi. Miss Licalzi is among the first contingent of women assigned to regular seaman duties at the U.S. Naval Station across the Severn River from the U.S. Naval Academy. She and her female shipmates arrived a week ago. But their new quarters in the enlisted men’s barracks were not ready yet. In the meantime, the 10 girls are staying in cramped quarters on a yawl, one of the boats used for training midshipmen at the academy. Navy women have always been allowed to hold the rank of seaman, but it was not until the new Navy policy that women were permitted to go to sea.
October 1972

20 Years Ago
The Leatherstocking Pony Club, for the fourth year in a row, had a qualifying participant in the Pony Club Nationals. Alexis Gounis, age 16, competed with the Western New York Show Jumping team. The team consisted of five members, four riders and one stable manager, and was coached by Kevin Price of Otego. The team placed second in horse management and eighth overall. Gounis had five clear rounds.
October 1992

10 Years Ago
Upstate New York gained 155,000 private sector jobs in the last 10 years according to a study released Friday that rebuts claims made by Gov. George Pataki’s challengers. A study commissioned by the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce shows that New York had a net gain of 572,000 private sector jobs statewide between 1991 and 2001, 155,000 upstate.
October 2002