Selected from the pages of The Middletown Press and lightly annotated by Sally Haase
Killingworth, Dec. 1, 1919: Ernest Kay’s Birch and Witch Hazel mills on West Main street in Chester, which have been equipped with new stills and machinery during the past few months, have started to operate. Mr. Kay wants large quantities of witch hazel and birch brush and will pay $7 per ton on delivery.—adv.
Moodus, Dec. 2, 1919: Friends are sorry to learn that Calvin Cook is suffering with a carbuncle.
A party of ten composed of the Roberts and Chaffee Kimball families partook of Thanksgiving dinner at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur W. Chaffee.
Haddam, Dec. 5, 1919: In the United States court yesterday, Emil Schutte of Haddam entered a plea of guilty to charge of profiteering in sugar in a sale to E.A. Selden of East Hampton; his case was continued to February. [Read the story about Emil Schutte and Cremation Hill] https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2000-02-14-0002140247-story.html
Haddam, Dec. 6, 1919: The Witch Hazel Mill is soon to start running and all necessary repairs are being made. The work will be in charge of Arthur Brooks, Jr.
Godfred Modhen is conveying the mail to and from the [railroad] station.
Killingworth, Dec. 6, 1919: The Ladies Aid Society of the Congregational church will hold a sale of fancy and useful articles in the Grange Hall December 9th. An oyster supper will be served at 25c each.—adv.
Moodus, Dec. 9, 1919: Every effort will be made to make the “Welcome Home” affair, given to our returned soldiers, a grand success. Be anxious and ready with your pocket-book open when solicitors call.
East Haddam, Dec. 9, 1919: W.C. Reynolds has sold his coal screenings [in light of the national coal strikes] to the Russell Manufacturing Company who is using them to conserve the supply of soft coal.
Middletown, Dec. 10, 1919: The Berkeley Divinity school, [a seminary of the Episcopal Church] in this city, has been made a spawning place for Bolshevik propaganda and radical socialist principles. Church and city circles are greatly stirred up by the revelations, and much indignation is expressed that doctrines bordering on anarchy should be disseminated from the famous school. The speaker came here under the auspices of the Berkeley Divinity school of this city. The fact that he was allowed by Dean Wm. Ladd to continue his lecture throughout and to extol the Soviet Government and condemn the Allies led many to believe that the Dean sympathized with the speaker. Several attendees got up and left.
Middletown, Dec. 12, 1919: The most significant development in the bolsheviki lecture disclosure was the arrival in Middletown yesterday of government officials to investigate. Next in importance was information that the government had been watching the speaker, Wilfred Humphries, for three months. The Press repeatedly offered Dean Ladd an opportunity to state his side but he refused.
Higganum, Dec. 15, 1919: A very large crowd attended the minstrel show at the hall Saturday. Mr. Spencer, who had the management of this troupe, was a Higganum boy, having attended school in this place in his boyhood days. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Spencer.
Haddam Neck, Dec. 16, 1919: At the annual meeting of the directors of the Agricultural Association the following officers were elected: President John L. Kruger; vice-president, Thomas Cavanaugh; secretary, C.G. Crocker; treasurer, A.T.S. Clark.
Middletown, Dec. 17, 1919: With a view to securing congressional action on the increasing activities of the “red,” I.W.W. (International Workers of the World) and Bolsheviks within the land, the local lodge of Elks ratified a resolution with a view of deep concern of the spread of disloyalty and the spread of seditious sentiment [by these groups.] “We believe the time has arrived when Americans should exert themselves and drive them from these shores… [The] law should further provide for the cancelation of citizenship papers of any naturalized citizen who shall affiliate with any such organization.
Higganum, Dec. 19, 1919: David Burr, a lifelong resident of the Burr district, was found frozen to death in his home by two boys from a nearby school. Mr. Burr was unmarried but for many years employed a housekeeper. The housekeeper was in the hospital for treatment. Neighbors and school children called at the home daily to see to his needs. Floyd Burr and Paul Wychdig found the body. Some livestock kept on the place were being fed by some of the neighbors. A dozen chickens were found frozen to death in an outhouse on the place.
Old Saybrook, Dec. 19, 1919: Tug boats, by working all day kept the channel clear and made a passage for the steamers to make their trips to and from Hartford last night. Today, the tug Sachem tried to get to Claves island but gave it up.
East Haddam, Dec. 20, 1919: The mercury is reported from 8 to 16 below zero about the town the past two mornings.
East Haddam, Dec. 24, 1919: The school in the Center Dist. closed with a program of singing and recitations followed by refreshments and last of all—distribution of gifts and oranges from a beautiful Christmas tree.
Springfield, Mass., Dec. 27, 1919: Sixty-Nine Dead From Drinking Wood Alcohol. The death toll in the Christmas “Whiskey horror” has mounted to 69 this afternoon. Scores, plunged into great agony by a concoction of wood alcohol, were reported dying in hospitals and private homes. A cure that will save the lives of those stricken was found by Dr. George Gagne who adopted the old method of using leeches to take poisoned blood from the veins of his patients. Scores are in the hospital in horrible agony, blindness being the worst feature of the cases. The victims died terrible deaths, most of them becoming paralyzed.
New York, Dec. 29, 1919: Authorities believe that they have solved the mystery of the source of the “whiskey” which caused more than three score of deaths in Connecticut and Massachusetts. One of the men, a New York dealer in groceries and wines, said, “A friend of mine in Hartford telephoned me to get him some ‘booze’ at any price for the holidays.” The total dead in the Connecticut valley is 79, distributed as follows: Chicopee 45; Hartford 13; Holyoke 10; Springfield 3, Hadley 3; Greenfield, 1, Thompsonville 2; and Meriden 2.
Springfield, Mass., Dec. 29, 1919: On the farm of Vinenzo Perrotti, in Westville, Conn., the authorities raided a whiskey still in which was manufactured they believe, the bogus whiskey which caused 80 deaths in Connecticut valley communities and brought terrible suffering to scores of others.
100 years ago, much has changed and, then again, nothing has changed.
