The Westford Wardsman, April 12, 1919
Center. Misses Sarah, Lillian and May Atwood returned last week Friday from a pleasant winter spent in Florida.
Charles H. Pickering has been appointed inspector of water faucets in town and has been attending to this duty this week.
The Arthur E. Days should have been added to the group of Westford people who attended the Symphony orchestra concert in Lowell on last week Tuesday evening.
Mrs. Freda Stiles Prescott and baby, of Lowell, are spending a fortnight with her parents in this village.
Help was called Tuesday for a grass fire on land between Minot’s Corner and Arthur E. Wilson’s
Subject at the morning service at the Congregational church on Sunday will be “Riding in triumph,” and at evening service “The boys come marching home.” Preparations are under way for the social and supper later in the month, Mrs. S. B. Watson, chairman.
The coming Victory fifth liberty loan for Westford will be in charge of the state guard company, Capt. Charles W. Robinson, chairman. This includes in its membership many of the experienced war drive campaigners in town and a good response with corresponding good result is confidently hoped for.
Walter L. Cutter, recently returned from overseas duty and recently receiving his discharge from the service, has been in town this week, visiting his children.
Private Wesley Hawkes, Jr., Company B, 101st Engineers, who recently returned from overseas on the Mt. Vernon, and is at Camp Devens for demobilization, enjoyed a visit from his Westford and Melrose kinspeople, Sunday, and on Wednesday he, with two soldier comrades, were visitors at the home of his aunt, Mrs. A. W. Hartford. Wesley is in splendid health and glad to be at home after a fine record as a soldier. He enlisted on his eighteenth birthday, and on his nineteenth birthday had orders to go “over the top,” and has seen much active service on the fighting line.
Mrs. Alice M. Wells’ two little sons, Huntington and Richard, have been spending some time with Mrs. Wells’ sister, Mrs. Frank Bailey, in West Newbury.
The assessors have started their spring tour of duty. Mr. Rafter, the new member of the board is doing the center of the town.
Miss Sara E. McClure, of Concord, N.H., has been visiting Mrs. Brownsey at the Congregational parsonage several days this week.
Those having the roads in charge have been trying out a new plan this spring for leveling the rough places. Perley E. Wright, with one of his heavy Reo trucks, with two scraper arrangements attached, and in addition a heavy brush made of birch trees, goes over the roads which combined process fills the ruts and smoothes off the surface very well.
Mr. and Mrs. S. B. Watson have recently had a new Buick closed car delivered to them.
The choir of the Congregational church are busily rehearsing a cantata, “The dawn immortal,” for Easter.
About Town. Daniel H. Sheehan, who has been sawing lumber in Maine all winter, has returned to his farm in Westford, just in time for his usual large acreage of planting.
At the recent annual corn exhibit at Amherst to test germination, the average germination was 96%. The Old Oaken Bucket farm, who entered as a matter of “help the cause along,” received second prize, the corn testing for germination at 96.6%, which was slightly above the average germination test. The ten-ear exhibit and over nine inches long, and purely as a show exhibit, the Old Oaken Bucket received second prize, and popcorn third prize. Well, we are satisfied that as a believer in raising more corn we were contributors to stimulate enthusiasm and whether we receive a ribbon or a ring is very much in the immaterial class.
The Cutting family, from Lowell, are to move onto the Amesbury farm on Main street.
The town teams have been hauling gravel from the John H. Decatur farm onto the surplus mud on the Lowell road.
A class of five was initiated at the last meeting of the Grange. Deputy Smith, of Barre, was present and advised and congratulated. The next meeting, Thursday evening, April 17, the final degrees will be administered, the third degrees by the ladies’ degree team, after which supper and speeches will be served.
Death. Jesse B. Butterfield, of Tyngsboro, died at the home of his son, Wallace P. Butterfield, last week Thursday, aged seventy-nine years. He was a well known figure in this vicinity, being trustee of the Middlesex-North Agricultural society for many years, moderator and selectman of Tyngsboro for a long period in his younger days, and represented the town in the legislature in 1884, and was a prominent member of the Unitarian church, and in all he led a useful and temperate life, being interested in community betterment. He leaves two sons, Wallace P., of Tyngsboro, and C. Fred Butterfield, of North Chelmsford; a daughter, Mrs. E. B. Carney, of Lowell, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. A sister, C. Abbie Butterfield, recently deceased, will be remembered by residents of the old Stony Brook school, and by others, as its teacher for many years, and the first teacher in the new old Stony Brook schoolhouse. The funeral took place Saturday afternoon from the home of his son in Tyngsboro. Rev. Albert C. White, of the Unitarian church, conducted the service. The bearers were William E. Barry, William Blanchard, Marshall G. Curtis, R. B. Sherburne. Burial was in the family lot in Sherburne cemetery, Tyngsboro.
Forge Village. Rev. Thomas L. Fisher will preach at St. Andrew’s mission Palm Sunday.
The members of the football club are planning a minstrel show to be given during Easter week. Sunday evening a rehearsal was held at the home of W. C. Precious.
James Molloy is quite ill at his home.
Albert Momimy returned from overseas to Camp Devens, Saturday, and is now enjoying a visit with his parents here.
Mr. and Mrs. James O’Hara are rejoicing in the birth of a daughter [Eleanor], born Tuesday [April 8, 1919].
John O’Neil, who is attached to the Medical Corps, is expected home soon. A cablegram received by his parents stated that he was on his way.
Mrs. Louisa Coley left here on Tuesday to spend a few hours with Mrs. Arthur Blodgett of Medford, before sailing for England, where she will reside with her uncle permanently.
Mrs. Joseph Mason [nee Annie Catchpole], of Lowell, spent Sunday with her sister, Miss Emily Catchpole.
Interesting Letter. The following letter, giving an interesting insight into the life led by the cavalry men in the United States army, was written to Patrick Elliott, Forge Village, by his brother, James Elliott, of the same place, from Douglas, Ariz., where he is stationed with the 1st U.S. Cavalry. Another brother, Matthew Elliott, has just arrived from overseas with the 26th. The letter is dated March 29:
I am at the soldiers’ club tonight and it is a very lively place. Most of the boys are playing pool, some are playing cards, others checkers, a few are writing letters and one lively fellow is ragging the piano. Soldiering is great! If any of the boys at home are thinking of joining the army tell them that the cavalry is the only branch to enlist in, and then tell them to try to get in the 1st. It is the pride of the army and a nicer bunch of boys would be hard to find. I am proud to be one of them and hear the people commend us on our good conduct and cleanliness.
There is no hard work connected with the cavalry. I never sat in a saddle until I came down here and now I get along very well considering all the antics we are put through. We are taught to ride lying on our backs with head to the rear and horse galloping, vaulting to and fro from the saddle at a gallop, and standing on the horse’s back at a fast pace. One of the tricks we have learned is picking up something from the ground while we are at a terrific gallop, and by the time I get through I will be some acrobat. We have two hours of the work five days of the week.
Saturday is inspection day; that means that all our equipment must be spick and span, so we spend Friday afternoon cleaning our saddles, bridles, horses and clothes. The lieutenants are very particular about our clothes, in fact we spend most of our time grooming ourselves.
I share a tent with six boys. Three are from Indiana, one from North Dakota and the other from Illinois, so you see we come from all parts of the country.
Most of the people around here are “greasers,” but Douglas is a lively town. There is dancing every evening at many places, but I usually spend mine at the soldiers’ club or go to the movies in town. It seems strange to me that the weather is so warm at this time of the year. I have been used to frost and ice and it makes it seem like summer here instead of March. We keep cool with ice cream and pop, and sit in the shade whenever possible. Nevertheless I wish we had several degrees of old Forge Village’s cold down here.
About Christmas time I was homesick, but I have never had the blues because there is always something going on to divert my mind when I get thinking of home and I get along better than I expected. Most of the men with me are farmers, so farming is usually the topic of our conversation.
I hope and expect to be discharged soon and so we will probably meet again in the near future.
Jim
Graniteville. The Ladies’ Aid society of the M.E. church met with Mrs. Charles E. Eaton on Thursday afternoon at three o’clock.
Both masses in St. Catherine’s church last Sunday morning were celebrated by the pastor, Rev. C. P. Heaney, and there was a large number in attendance.
Plans are now under way here to form a fast baseball club this season, to be known as the Abbot Worsted Company team. This club will have new equipment and will secure a fast semi-pro battery. The rest of the team will be comprised of the best players from Graniteville, Forge Village and Westford. It is the intention to play all the strongest teams in Lowell, Lawrence and in the surrounding towns. This club will be in charge of an athletic committee composed of W. R. Taylor, A. R. Wall, Edward Defoe and Mr. Scott.
NOTICE
Board of Health
Westford, Mass.
The Board of Health has appointed the public health nurse Miss Agnes Wier, R.N., agent and secretary of the board. Physicians and householders must send all communications and notices direct to her. An office has been established at the selectmen’s room in the town house for consultation. Office hours every week day except holidays at 8 to 8:30 o’clock a.m., and 1 to 2 o’clock p.m. Telephone 41-2. Mothers and children are especially invited.
Oscar R. Spalding
Sherman H. Fletcher
Frank L. Furbush
Board of Health.
Pepperell
Special Aid Notes. On Wednesday afternoon quite a large party went to Camp Devens to visit the base hospital as usual. The party included besides Mr. Hamilton, Mrs. John Attridge and her sister, Miss Mary Sliney, who is at present her guest, Mrs. John Martin, Mrs. W. F. Dennen, Mrs. William O’Neal of New York, a guest of Mrs. William Dorsheimer, Tarbell street, Mrs. R. H. Allen, Mrs. William Deware and Miss Lillian and Miss Ruth Walker as entertainers.
The party were a bit disappointed, as they were met with the new ruling, established since the in-coming of so many new inmates at the hospital, that only two general visitors are to be allowed each day in any one ward of the hospital, and all sweets must be left with officials, to be distributed at their discretion. As the Special Aid society had been assigned three wards, two representatives will still be allowed to visit them each Wednesday with fruit and smokes.
Misses Walker and Dunton, as soloists and accompanist, were given enthusiastic welcome by the convalescents. Those who accompanied them noted with surprise how admirably adapted the big empty wards seemed to be for conveying the voice, as Miss Walker’s voice never seemed more clear or powerful. The young ladies, after their visit at the hospital, entertained the convalescent soldiers, who were writing and amusing themselves at the Red Cross house in the camp grounds.
Saturday it is expected that ten more convalescents will be entertained by the Special Aid committee at the Homestead.
Littleton
News Items. Some of the buildings at the station have been decorated in honor of the return of the Yankee Division. The troop trains have been a center of attraction. On the Boston-Camp Devens road there has been an enormous amount of travel since last week Friday, thousands of handsome touring cars carrying relatives and boxes of goodies to the boys, and trucks loaded with supplies to make the home-coming memorably sweet.
Ayer
News Items. Every soldier in the YD division at Camp Devens has been ordered to send his clothing to the camp laundry to be washed. A flat rate of 25 cents a week is charged. As a result of this huge proposition, that of washing for 28,000 men, the camp laundry has discontinued its work of washing ordinance and quartermaster supplies sent from the Boston depots. It is hiring every woman laundry worker it can secure. The laundry now has a capacity of 40,000 pieces a day and this can be increased to 75,000 pieces by installing extra machines. Army store are selling shoes to thousands of soldiers. The quartermaster post exchange operating in the rest billets has sold $25,000 worth within the past few days, it is said by Capt. Richard C. Jacobs of Newton, post exchange officer.
The decorating of the business buildings of the town by the merchants has made Main street very attractive. George H. Brown and Mr. Stevenson, manager of Talbot’s local store, were the instigators of this plan and it has been well carried out. All of the store fronts as well as the bank building, town hall and others on Main street have been very artistically decorated with American flags and the red, white and blue colors.
The first train bearing members of the famous Yankee or 26th Division, from Boston to Camp Devens, passed through Ayer last Saturday morning at eleven o’clock. This train bore the Headquarters Troop, military police and some of the divisional officers. A large crowd of townspeople as well as visitors from all over New England were on hand along the railroad tracks in Ayer and at the camp to welcome the boys back. The sound of all the whistles in Ayer and the number and spirit of the Ayer people must have shown the boys that we are not behind the many other towns along their route in our well wishes for them. After the first train others followed at intervals of from fifteen minutes to half an hour until late in the afternoon. It is estimated that about 5000 men came in on Saturday. All during the week trains have been coming in, and it will be well into next week before the whole division will have been quartered in the camp.
Much credit is due to George Creamer of the Ayer Machine Tool Company and his employees for their good work in helping to welcome the Yankee Division to Ayer and Camp Devens; also, to the railroad station agent, who arranged with the Littleton agent to notify the machine shop when the troop trains passed through Littleton. When the trains leave Littleton three blasts have been given as a signal to the townspeople for the welcome of more troops.
Mrs. May F. Downing was the prime leader in welcoming the boys who came in last Saturday, the first of the Y.D. Division to return. Mrs. Downing was at the station with other women when the first train switched into the “Y” track and then on to the spur leading to camp. A shower of cigarettes and candy, with fruit and doughnuts and pies, struck the train. The boys cheered, and then the train passed on its way to camp.
Federation House. This Friday social for the soldiers at 7:30 p.m. Entertainment and refreshments. The young people of the Centralville church, Lowell, provide the entertainment and refreshments.
Saturday at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m., moving pictures, free to soldiers. Billie Burke in “Eva’s daughter.” Weekly news.
The house is open with a welcome for rest and comfort on Sunday.
Tuesday evening, Game night and on Wednesday night moving picture with subject to be announced later.
The Federated House is open each day from eight a.m. to ten p.m. The staff are ready for any help they can give to the soldiers and their friends.
A new welcome sign has been placed in front of the House.