The Westford Wardsman, August 10, 1918
Center. Albert W. Woods, whose native town is Westford, has been in town visiting before going overseas. He has been in training at Camp Wadsworth.
Miss Dorothy Jacques, of Malden, was an over Sunday guest at A. W. Hartford’s, coming with Miss Hazel Hartford.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry M. Wright, who have been spending several weeks at H. L. Wright’s, return to their summer home in Marshfield Hills the first of the week for the remainder of the summer.
J. Herbert Fletcher and Dr. C. A. Blaney started on Wednesday for a two-days’ motor trip in Maine.
Mrs. A. H. Sutherland has been entertaining her sister, Mrs. Cameron, of Somerville, during this week.
The regular drill of the home guard took place Tuesday evening, using the Whitney playground for the purpose. The Concord, Groton and Westford companies will hold a battalion drill at Prescott field, Forge Village, Sunday forenoon at nine o’clock. These three companies expect to go to camp in Framingham for five days, starting August 22.
Mr. and Mrs. Abiel J. Abbot have their daughter, Mrs. Carnzu Abbot Clark, and her two little daughters, with them for the month of August, with Dr. Clark coming for part of the time.
Lightning struck the house of J. Willard Fletcher [72 Depot St.], Wednesday evening, giving the family a pretty bad scare. At first it was thought the house was on fire and a hurry call sent to the village for the fire department. A quick response was made and several auto loads of men were just getting started when word came that they were not needed.
Two pleasant Red Cross knitting parties were held last week, the first at the home of Mrs. H. V. Hildreth, Thursday afternoon, when Mrs. Hildreth and Mrs. Henry M. Wright were the hostesses. The second was at the summer home of Mrs. Preston H. Skidmore, and Mrs. John Feeney, Sr., was the assisting hostess.
The Boy Scouts are in camp at Forge pond this week, in charge of G. W. Goode, and Mr. Roudenbush has been over frequently. There are seven boys in the group and others going for a shorter time. Morton and Gordon Seavey, Forrest White, Edward Griffin, Raymond Shea, Harold Mills and a younger brother make up the group. Morton and Gordon Seavey are in charge of the commissary.
Miss Elizabeth Cohen is the name of the new assistant teacher at the academy. Miss Judge is the new domestic science teacher, coming one day each week. A new electric range is to be installed and the two schools will have the most approved instruction in domestic science.
The evening service at the Congregational church last Sunday, which was the single service of the day, was well attended and well sustained. The topic, “A gospel of peace in time of war,” was most helping. On Sunday evening J. W. Rafter will be in charge of the service.
Rev. Howard A. Lincoln returned the first of the week from Amherst, where he had been attending a conference on “Moral aims of the war.” He reports a most interesting conference with some fine addresses. Among other ministers present was Rev. C. C. P. Hiller, formerly of Westford.
Miss Loker has resumed charge of the French relief work during Miss Cameron’s absence.
Mrs. MacDaniels and Miss Wood, at the Luce homestead, have been entertaining an interesting guest this week, Mrs. Catherine Abbot Folsom [nee Cram], of Cambridge, bright and well at the age of ninety. Mrs. Folsom was a student at Westford academy in 1842 and later one of its preceptresses in the early fifties [1851-1852]. She later married Samuel H. Folsom, a preceptor [1851-1853] of the academy in the fifties. Mrs. Folsom is related to the Abbot family of Westford.
The Tuesday evening meeting of the Westford Red Cross branch will be discontinued until further notice. The chairman urges a large attendance at the Wednesday afternoon meeting for sewing of which there is a large allotment. These refugee garments which are to be made are necessary at the present time as any part of the relief work. Notwithstanding the oppressive heat of Wednesday afternoon nearly twenty were present and great results at the sewing accomplished.
We are told Edward Roby has returned from nearly a year’s service overseas and is to be a military instructor at Camp Merritt, N.J.
New Books. The following is a partial list of new books recently added to the library:
Books on the War
Holding the line. Sergt. Baldwin.
Diplomacy of the great war. Bullard.
Land of the deepening shadow. Curtin
German fury in Belgium. Mokveld.
Face to face with Kaiserism. Gerard.
Wounded and a prisoner of war.
Winged warfare. Major Bishop.
Over the periscope pond. Root & Crocker.
German deserter’s war experience.
Great crime and its moral. Willmore.
Out of their own mouths.
Glory of the trenches. Dawson.
Other Classified Books
Virgin Island of the U.S. Zabriskie.
Better meals for less money. Greenough.
Productive farm crops. Montgomery.
Chemistry of farm practice. Keitt.
Universal military education. Howe.
An American physician in France, Usher.
Salesmanship, Maxwell.
Potato, Gilbert
Life of the spider, Fabre
Human side of trees, Dixon.
How to get ahead, Atwood.
My mother and I, Stern.
Fiction
Grapes of wrath. Cable.
We can’t have everything, Hughes.
Salute to adventurers, Buchan.
Cleek’s government cases, Hanshew.
Miss Dulcie from Dixie, Ragsdale.
Webster Man’s man, Kyne.
Heart of the desert, Wilson.
Reversible Santa Clause, Nicholson.
U. P. trail. Grey.
Skinner’s baby. Dodge.
Tiger’s coat. Dejeans.
Tree of heaven. Sinclair.
Ms. In a red box.
Wooden horse. Walpole.
Bromley neighborhood. Brown.
False faces. Vance.
Indian Drum. MacHarg.
About Town. Henry Coté has sold his snug little farm of six acres on the Lowell road to Mr. Jones, of Graniteville, who is in the employ of the Charles G. Sargent’s Sons machine shop. This small farm and buildings have been attractively maintained since Mr. Coté has lived there. The farm is well watered by the Stony Brook, which bounds it on the north. Mr. Coté will, it is expected, relocate to Lowell.
Charles H. Whitney is reported to have bought a farm in Dracut and has nearly finished moving from his former home on the Lowell road.
The granite in the new business block on Central street, Lowell, is from the H. E. Fletcher Oak hill quarry. In large raised letters the name of the block, “Rialto,” was cut at the Oak hill quarry. The H. E. Fletcher Company have done substantial work to their credit in various parts of the United States.
Amos Polley, on the Prairie farm, dug 2 ½ bushels of potatoes on a plot of land 10×30 feet, exclusive of three quarts of unmarketable ones. This is not so much a great yield as a great feat, with the vines loaded into the millionth with the aphis green lice company. These potatoes were planted before the green lice company had got their night caps off. How long shall we delude ourselves with the usual Fourth of July potato planting performance and then scratch our heads to know how to fight lice.
The thunder storm on Wednesday afternoon shed so much water so suddenly and freed so much breeze that several apple trees and limbs of apple trees were unable to withstand so much suddenness and they fell, and great was the fall, for they were heavily laden with leaves and promises of apples for 1919. All promises of apples for this year were put into cold storage by zero weather last winter.
There will be a hearing at the town hall this week Friday evening on the financial condition of the electric road from Westford to Brookside. The committee of conference will report.
Rev. Charles D. Maurer will resume preaching services at the Methodist church in West Chelmsford on Sunday. He returns from his father’s large farm at Sparta, Ohio, where he has been helping in the early harvesting of the grain. Mr. Maurer was granted a vacation of two weeks, but it had to be extended in order that he might fill the much needed part of a helper during this critical harvesting period, when help is scarce and every bit of grain must be conserved.
During the thunder shower of Wednesday afternoon it was singular that in West Chelmsford very large hailstones fell in abundance, while in Brookside, one mile away, there was nothing but rain.
Mrs. Elizabeth Adams Dame, of Lowell, and Miss Amy M. Schellinger, of the same place, are visiting their relatives at the S. L. Taylor place.
On Saturday Mr. and Mrs. William R. Taylor motored to Hampton Beach for the weekend. They were in a party of ten who motored over in two cars.
Mrs. Mary M. Byam [nee Eades, per death certificate; nee Capen, per funeral article in Aug. 18, 1918, issue of Wardsman] died at the home of her son, Otis Byam, in Lowell, Monday [Aug. 5], aged 89 years and 11 months. She was born in Shirley, but her girlhood was passed in Westford, where she attended the old Westford academy. She was the widow of George Otis Byam, a well-known figure in Westford and Chelmsford, being a frequent and able debater in the palmy days of the old Stony Brook Debating society. Most of their married life was passed in South Chelmsford. She leaves four sons, Otis and Ralph W. of Lowell, Herbert W., of Ware, and James S., of Chelmsford, and a daughter, Mrs. Clarence Brown, of Orange.
The government, in the interest of saving coal, is inquiring into the feasibility of discontinuing all trains not essential as a paying convenience. This is expected to hit the early passenger train from Ayer to Lowell.
The next meeting of Westford Grange will be held on Thursday evening, August 15. The lecturer’s hour will be in charge of Harry L. Nesmith. As we have skipped several meetings on account of the heat, which we did not skip, it is hoped that we shall skip to this meeting.
The Pitkin family, Westford Center, are expecting to occupy the Charles H. White house on the Lowell road.
Graniteville. Many of the baseball fans from here attended the game in Forge Village on last Saturday, when Westford defeated the Forge Village team by the score of 7 to 1. There was considerable fireworks in spite of the unevenness of the score. On this Saturday the Forge Village club will play in Graniteville for the first game of the present series and the game promises to be exciting from start to finish. Great interest is being shown in these games owing to the fact that the players are practically all town boys, and the “veterans” as well as the “recruits” are to be found in the different lineups of the three villages. Graniteville will present a good lineup for Saturday’s game and a good afternoon’s sport is looked for. Game called at three o’clock.
Mrs. A. R. Wall, with her three children, Richard, May and Cecelia, and Miss Etta Wall and Mrs. Alfred Prinn, are at the Stark cottage at Salisbury Beach.
Masses in St. Catherine’s last Sunday morning were celebrated by Rev. Henry L. Scott. At the first mass the members of the Women’s Sodality received holy communion in a body.
The children of the M.E. church Sunday school, with their friends, enjoyed a basket picnic on the church grounds on last Saturday afternoon that was a very pleasant occasion. A large number were present, and with excellent weather prevailing during the afternoon all entered into the spirit of the affair and an enjoyable time was spent by all.
A letter has been recently received from Corp. William F. Buckingham, who is now in France. He says that he misses the baseball games and the dances, but likes the country “over there,” and is in the pink of condition. He closes his letter by saying that he will be home by Christmas and to order the turkey ahead. Perley Knight, of Tyngsboro, who was employed in Sargent’s shop here, is now with “Buckie.”
Long-Sought-for pond was the spot chosen by a large number of bathers on last Sunday, many taking their lunches and making a day of it.
Shirley
News Items. The Shirley cornet band gave a fine concert Thursday evening. Vocal solos were given by a colored soldier from Camp Devens.
Ayer
News Items. At the Federation House this Friday evening at 7:45, character sketches, music, social and refreshments for the soldiers. Sunday at 7:45 p.m., evening worship; speaker, Dr. William G. Puddefoot of Boston; Mendelssohn Male Quartet of Lowell will sing.
Tickets for soldiers on furloughs may now be obtained at the camp. The custom heretofore has been to leave this work to the ticket agents at the railroad station, which had added to their already arduous duties. The above tickets are sold on a cent a mile basis for travel provided that the soldier can show a written statement officially endorsed, showing that he is going on a furlough. The new custom is working out well.
The Jewish Welfare Board of Massachusetts presented for the use of the soldiers at dedication exercises Thursday, a well designed recreation building with accommodations for 400 spectators at Camp Devens.
Beginning Tuesday the main ticket office at the railroad station will be open continually night and day. During the twenty-four hour schedule an agent will be always on duty. Assistants will be added to the force as business requires. Another new and important feature has been put in force for the benefit of Pullman car patrons in the daily assignment of two sections for use between Ayer and New York city, and to other points where such service is required.
One of the largest crowds that has visited Camp Devens since its establishment came last Sunday from practically all the New England states and New York. Two thousand colored draftees arrived from the southern states at the camp on Tuesday. Several hundred more arrived on Wednesday. The largest state contribution, 763, in Tuesday’s contingent was from Florida, the rest being distributed among the other southern states. The men were very tired and hungry after their long ride, the Florida delegation arriving nine hours later than its schedule. All showed a willingness to serve and were anxious for duty.
Draft recruits have been coming all the week to replace those who were discharged by the camp physicians for physical disability.
The W.C.C.S. The ladies of Littleton have presented to the Soldiers’ club of the War Camp Community Service a number of flags. The flags, eight in number, are now hanging in the main hall. Beginning at the right, as one faces the stage, the flags are Roumania [sic], Japan, Serbia, Greece, Italy, Belgium, England and France. The United States flag hangs at the back of the stage. As one enters the hall the effect of color and decoration is most pleasing, the gift is a great addition to the club. Friday evening the national anthem of each country represented by a flag was played in turn, the ceremony was impressive. In the near future the War Camp Community Service intends to invite the ladies of Littleton to a dedication ceremony.
Thursday at the Soldiers’ club a vaudeville show was given by Private Levinger, comedian, Private Richards, buck dancer, Sergt. Lynch, pianist, and Private Ferris, ventriloquist. The performance deserves high praise for the really professional way in which the men worked throughout the evening. There was a large and enthusiastic audience.
The land now occupied by Ward’s stable has been bought by the War Camp Community Service. The stable will be pulled down and in its place a 58-room building is to be erected. The new building will be on the southern side of the lot; the land between the new building and the Soldiers’ club is to be made into an attractive lawn. With this new building, which will be ready by October, and the up-to-date cafeteria now already installed in the Soldiers’ club, the War Camp Community Service offers the best of food and lodging to those coming to Ayer. The cafeteria is now providing for over eighty regular boarders and has a waiting list.
The Wednesday evening dance at the Soldiers’ club was well attended. The Littleton girls were chaperoned by Mrs. Christie, and the Ayer girls by Miss Donaldson. A number of girls came from the telephone house, Miss Simonds being the chaperon. Mrs. Robbins, wife of the executive secretary of the War Camp Community Service, was the hostess. The floral decorations were pink and lavender. The flowers were arranged in small vases and placed on tables at either side of the hall. Two large vases of many colored flowers were near the entrance. The music was by the base hospital orchestra.
District Court. Harry Agel pleaded not guilty to two complaints which alleged that he violated the town by-laws regarding the transportation of passengers for hire between Camp Devens and Depot square by automobile, without a license from the town. He was found guilty and fined ten dollars on each complaint. He appealed and was held for the September session of the superior court at Cambridge in $100 bail. Officer T. J. Pirone was the witness for the government. Agel took the stand and denied the allegations against him. John D. Carney represented the government as counsel.
Another bunch of alleged violators of this law appeared in court on Monday morning and each were fined ten dollars. All pleaded not guilty….