The Westford Wardsman, February 19, 1916
Center. Mr. and Mrs. H. Bert Walker are spending a few weeks with Mrs. Walker’s home people in Waltham. Mr. Walker gains each week but convalescence from so serious an illness is necessarily slow.
George Henry Cadman, at the Old Homestead farm [on Depot St.], has installed a telephone this week, 68.
E. J. Whitney has been gaining this last week and able to be down stairs after being confined to his bed and upstairs rooms for some weeks.
At the meeting of the Tadmuck club next Tuesday afternoon the entertainment will be in charge of the teachers and given by the children. The meeting will be in the Congregational church vestry. Each member is expected to invite one child and to cooperate in every way to make the annual children’s day in the club a success.
Genial Conductor Clement is back on duty on the electric car after a week’s illness with the grippe. We understand all the members of the Clement family have had their turn with the same affliction.
The Washington’s birthday dance given by the academy senior class next Friday evening promises to be one of the pleasant social events of the winter season.
Colds and grippe are very prevalent.
Storm. The hard snowstorm of last Saturday and Sunday proved the worst of the season, fully twelve inches of snow falling. There was cause for gratitude that there was no serious amount of wind to cause too heavy drifting. It was a hard proposition for the branch line electrics and the faithful crew worked valiantly up to their limit of strength until it was inadequate to the situation. About noon Sunday, Supt. McDonald, with the town teams, was called out and went over the route, but the body of snow, which was damp and freezing to the rails, was so much that it was not until Monday morning when Supt. Cushing had the big snow plow sent across the grade crossing at Brookside that the line was really cleared. Monday being town meeting day this was especially desirable. Supt. McDonald also did a good amount of work with the big snow roller purchased by the town some years ago, going over the roads.
It goes without saying that church services were sparsely attended, although at the Congregational church a service was held with an audience of less than a dozen people.
Social. The men’s supper and entertainment Wednesday evening proved a drawing card, fully 125 people availing themselves of the sociability after the comparatively shut-in period from the storm. An oyster supper was served from 6:30 to 8, after which an entertainment consisting of a mock trial was given. This was preceded by solos by John S. Greig and Charles Robey. The mock trial was based on the theft of a prize rooster, and around this calamity was a grist of highly original evidence for and against, with many local hits.
The august judge was J. E. Rafter, the plaintiff Rev. William E. Anderson; the defendant, Joe Wall; lawyers, John P. Wright and Leonard W. Wheeler; clerk of court, Clarence Hildreth; sheriff, Arthur Walker; witnesses, Dr. C. A. Blaney, J. Willard Fletcher, William C. Roudenbush, David L. Greig, who stuttered, Charles D. Colburn; jurymen, Rev. David Wallace, foreman, Andrew Johnson, Houghton Osgood, S. B. Watson, George A. Kimball.
Town Meeting. Westford’s town meeting on Monday passed off very expeditiously and quietly. After the choice of Herbert E. Fletcher for moderator the annual election of officers was held. The contests for the offices of selectman and of tree warden resulted in re-elections. While the heavy snow lessened the number of automobiles in use the voters were on hand by the use of various conveyances and the town hall was as busy a place as usual on town meeting day. For selectman, Sherman H. Fletcher was re-elected in a vote of 169 against 82 votes for Frank Collins. Harry L. Nesmith again won his time-honored contest with William E. Green for tree warden by a vote of 135 to 103. William L. Wall won out for constable by a vote of 128 to 109 against John Sullivan, a one-time holder of that office. Aside from Wall, Samuel H. Balch was the only new man elected to office, he succeeding Charles L. Hildreth, who declined to serve again as overseer of the poor. Other officers re-elected were Charles D. Colburn, assessor, Harwood L. Wright, treasurer; Leonard W. Wheeler, tax collector; Edward T. Hanley, auditor; Frank L. Furbush and John P. Wright, school committee; Charles O. Prescott, trustee of library, David L. Greig, commissioner of burial grounds.
No license won by a vote of 165 to 69, a majority of 96. At 1:15 the polls were closed and the remainder of the warrant was taken under consideration.
The various reports were rapidly accepted. The amounts raised and appropriated were in every case as recommended by the finance committee as follows: Public library, unexpended balance, dog license money and $1,000; burial grounds, $200; roads and bridges, $5,000; town debts and charges, $7,000; support of poor, $2,000; schools, $10,450 and unexpended balance; high school, $3,100; school text books and supplies, $750; salary of school superintendent, $573.75; repairs and incidentals about schoolhouses, $1,000; moth department, $970; fire department, $450 and as much more for added hose and equipment; installing electric lights to town hall, $400; fish and game warden, $50; sidewalks, $600; medical inspection in schools, $100; Memorial day, $150; distribution of library books, $100.
Under Article 28 a committee was appointed to make a new contract for street lighting. The finance committee expect this to mean $3,290 this year. They expect existing contracts for hydrants to cost $2,000.
The usual one percent was voted for the tax collector.
Article 24, calling for installation of a fire alarm system, was dismissed.
Under Article 25, a committee of one selectman, one of the finance committee, one of the fire engineers, and two members of hose company No. 1 was appointed to investigate location and building for fire department quarters in the Center village.
Under Article 27 it was voted to accept gift of land from Oscar R. Spalding on which to establish a public dump.
Articles 31 and 32 brought votes to sell the Minot’s Corner schoolhouse and land the Nabnassett schoolhouse.
About Town. At its last meeting West Chelmsford Grange warmed up the winter surroundings by a debate on the question: Resolved, “That war is necessary for the progress and development of the human race,” Fred A. Snow and Charles S. Edwards, affirm., James Peck and Wilbur R. Cole, neg. No icicles hung on the windows while the debate was on. The next meeting will be held on next week Thursday evening.
Middlesex-North. At a meeting of the trustees of the Middlesex-North in Lowell last week Thursday an invitation was extended from the Lowell Driving club to hold the annual fair of Middlesex-North on the grounds of the club which are located near Golden Cove on Chelmsford street, not far from the Lowell poor farm in Chelmsford. As a result of this invitation a committee was chosen to confer with the club and report at a future meeting, George W. Trull of Tewksbury, Walter S. Holder and Edwin C. Perham of Chelmsford, John W. Peabody of Dracut, Charles H. Stickney of Lowell and Samuel L. Taylor of Westford.
The committee to whom was referred “innovations,” reported in favor of holding the annual fair this year in every town within the limits of Middlesex-North, that premiums be offered for the best town exhibit, best acre of field corn, half acre of popcorn, half acre of sweet corn, best kept farm and buildings and general environment, best acre of grass, best acre of apple trees under ten years of age. This report is signed by Edward F. Dickinson of Billerica, Arthur W. Coburn of Dracut and Samuel L. Taylor of Westford.
Obituary. A more extended account of the life of the late Charles Walter Wright from a life-long friend of the family will probably interest a large circle of friends than the incomplete sketch of last week.
The son of Walter and Lydia (Richardson) Wright, he was born in Lowell on March 27, 1815, and educated in the grammar and high schools. When he was seventeen the family moved to Leominster, where for seven years he was in business with his father. In 1866, he married Miss Lucy F. Stevens, of Leominster, who lived but a few years. Of her two sons only one survives, Walter, who is married and lives in Alabama.
Leaving Leominster in 1869, Mr. Wright went into business in Somersworth, N.H., where he lived for twenty years. In 1876, he married Miss May E. Burleigh of Somersworth, who survives him with two children, May Frances, now Mrs. Gordon Kenneth Wright of Chicago, and Russell Burleigh Wright, who is married and lives in Mobile, Ala.
In 1889, Mr. Wright, with his family, left New England and went to Seattle, remaining two years, moving to Chicago, where he was actively engaged in business up to the time of his death, making his home in LaGrange, Ill., where he lived twenty-five years, and where he died on February 3 of pneumonia after a week’s illness.
Funeral services were held in Emmanuel church, Saturday, February 5, and after cremation the ashes were brought to Lowell to be deposited in the family lot. In LaGrange Mr. Wright will be greatly missed, especially in Emmanuel church, which for several years he had faithfully served as treasurer and vestryman.
He had been a devoted husband and father and by his genial, kindly nature had always drawn a large circle of friends about him wherever he lived. He took great pleasure in renewing his old-time Lowell and Westford friendships when in the summer of 1914, after an absence from New England of a quarter of a century, he came with his family to visit his sister, Miss Ella F. Wright, who now makes her summer home at the old family homestead on the Lowell road, Brookside. He was untiring in hunting up his former schoolmates and business associates, and his cherry yet dignified personality will be recalled with pleasure to the old friends who were so fortunate to meet him.
This tribute, from an intimate friend of the family, so true to life, will find an Amen in all of his Westford friends and after several years of acquaintance the writer feels several kinds of Amen chiming to the memory of his well balanced personality.
Graniteville. The worst snow storm of the winter arrived here on Saturday and Sunday and continued throughout both days. It was a regular old New Englander and the many who placed their faith on the ground hog supposition are beginning to think “it was all wrong.” The storm was followed by severe cold, the mercury dropping down to between 15 and 20 degrees below zero.
In spite of the storm on last Sunday both masses were celebrated in St. Catherine’s church with a fair attendance. Rev. Henry L. Scott was the celebrant.
Mrs. H. N. Fletcher has recently returned from a very enjoyable visit spent with her son Vernon in Boston, and friends in Winchester. During her brief stay in Boston she visited many points of interest and considers a vacation at this time equally enjoyable to one spent in the summer.
W. J. Healy has recently recovered from his illness and is now able to be about once more.
It is expected that Manager Buckingham of the local bowling team will confer with the manager of the Westford club in the near future for the purpose of making arrangements for the series to be bowled between these two clubs.
Town meeting day has come and gone and the defeated candidates can be consoled with the fact that it was a “cold day when they got left.”
Anniversaries Celebrated. A very pleasing form of celebration was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Carpentier on last Saturday. In the afternoon the joint birthday anniversaries of Irene and Frederick Carpentier were celebrated during which twenty-eight children were in attendance and highly entertained. Games were played, refreshments were served and a very good time was enjoyed by all. Saturday night proved to be an eventful affair, for at that time Joseph Carpentier’s forty-fifth birthday anniversary was celebrated in conjunction with the forty-fifth wedding anniversary of Mr. Carpentier’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Carpentier of Lowell, who were present on this occasion. Other out-of-town guests included Mr. and Mrs. Henry Sheppard, of Lowell, uncle and aunt of Mr. Carpentier.
The evening was passed very pleasantly in music and song, the numbers being contributed by Mr. Carpentier, Mr. Reeves, Miss Rachel Wall, Joe Miller, Stephen Gardell and others. A pleasing feature in connection with the affair was the presentation of forty-five beautiful carnations, designating the many happy years of wedded life; also, a pipe and box of cigars and candy and pair of gloves from the children and grandchildren. Joseph Carpentier received a signet ring from his father and mother, as well as many other presents from numerous friends. Stephen Gardell made the presentation speech.
During the evening refreshments were served, dancing was enjoyed and the whole affair was filled with pleasure for all. The beautiful wedding and birthday cakes were very much in evidence during the celebration, and proved the fine culinary out of their numerous friends. The different celebrations both afternoon and evening proved to be unique features and will long be remembered by those who were in attendance.
Forge Village. Services at St. Andrew’s mission will be held at 4:30 o’clock on Sunday afternoon.
The winter’s heaviest snowstorm struck here last Saturday, continuing into Sunday evening. The sidewalks were kept clear throughout the storm through the kindness of Stephen Healy. On Monday the town roller was used on the snow which made the roads easier for travel.
Short exercises were held in Cameron school on last week Friday afternoon in honor of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday.
Mrs. Lester McLenna and her sister, Miss Agnes Charlton, of Graniteville, were guests of Mrs. John E. Burnett at her home on Wednesday afternoon.
Little Joseph Cavanaugh is seriously ill at St. John’s hospital, Lowell.
The farm of the late W. H. P. Harty has been purchased by the Abbot Worsted Co. The land extends to the shores of Forge pond and consists of cottage, barn and two summer camps. Mrs. Harty will remain at the farm until spring.
The Young People’s Social club of St. Andrew’s mission will meet in Recreation hall on Thursday evening. Miss Ethel Sleeper, of Lowell, will give a lesson in cooking. These lessons are very instructive and full of interest to the older members of the mission as well as the young people.
The Misses Hazel and Blanche Comey were guests last Sunday of Miss Mary Donnelly, of West Chelmsford.
Rev. Williston M. Ford officiated at the services held at St. Andrew’s mission last Sunday, and although the snowstorm was so severe, quite a few people attended. Mr. Ford announced that a campaign would begin immediately to raise funds for the purchase of pews for the chapel. The following were chosen to form a committee on the matter: William Baker, Charles Flanagan, Mrs. R. D. Prescott, Miss Edith M. Foster, Miss Sarah Precious and Miss Emily Collins. This committee will try to have the pews installed by March to be in readiness for the confirmation services which will be held that month, when it is expected that the bishop will be present to administer confirmation to the large class now being instructed by the vicar.