Turner's Public Spirit, July 15, 1922
A look back in time to a century ago
Transcribed By Bob Oliphant (2022)
Center. Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Whitney of Tyngsboro, formerly of Chelsea, have purchased the cottage formerly owned by W. R. Carver, Boston road, and will take occupancy at once.
Miss Edna Clemens, of Rumford, Me., is the guest of her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Harry Gumb, for the summer.
Miss Madeline Leslabay, of Cambridge, was a weekend guest of Miss Alice P. Wright at her summer home on Depot street.
Charles O. Prescott, of Westford, John P Wright, of Cambridge and Westford, and Rev. Charles Marshall, formerly of this town, are enjoying a two-weeks’ vacation in Manomet.
Mr. and Mrs. Henry Wright, of Quincy, were weekend guests of Harwood L. Wright.
Mr. and Mrs. Harry Gumb have been in South Lancaster for two weeks, attending the camp meetings of the Seventh Day Adventists.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Campbell and son Everett, of Hudson, N.H., were weekend guests of Mr. and Mrs. J. E. Knight.
A truck belonging to the Kasper Ranger Construction Company took fire on the Beaver Brook road, Forge Village, last week Friday afternoon, caused by backfiring. Owing to the presence of mind of Harold W. Hildreth, who happened along and telephoned to the fire department, the truck was saved without a great amount of damage having been done.
A recent wedding of interest to Westford people was that of Leroy Bicknell, formerly of this town, to Miss Delia W. Laskey, in Lowell, on July 5. They were married by Rev. A. B. Riggs at his residence, 76 Fremont street, and were attended by Mr. and Mrs. Laskey and son.
- W. Wheeler, our efficient tax collector, reports the following: The collection of 1921 taxes having been completed within a year from their committal to the collector, the bonding company has paid back to the town a substantial rebate on the collector’s bond.
At a meeting of the town committees of the eleventh Middlesex representative district, held recently in Westford, it was voted to endorse Alfred W. Hartford for a second term in the state legislature and Mr. Hartford will be a candidate in the state primaries on September 12.
Miss Maude Losty of State Line is the guest of her friend, Miss Margaret Sullivan, Boston road.
Miss May E. Day has been in Boston the past week, attending the Simmons institute for librarians. While there she had the pleasure of attending some of the recent National Educational association meetings. Miss Alice M. Howard substituted for Miss Day during her absence.
The attention of book-lovers is called to the recent books added to the J. V. Fletcher library, among which may be listed the following: “Radio for everybody,” Lescarboura; “Birthright,” Stribling; “Memoirs of a midget,” De La Mare; “Johnnie Kelly,” Boyer; “Uncle Bijah’s ghost,” Lee; “Strange adventures of a pebble,” Hawksworth; “Cedric, the forester,” Marshall; “She blows! And sparm at that,” Hopkins; “The mind in the making,” Robinson; “Cooking for two,” Hill; “Romance of Fiddlers Green,” Sears; “The outcast,” Lagerloft. Special attention is called to “The stronger light,” by our own Miss Mary Balch and now in circulation from the library.
[missing line at tear] the Howard Homestead farm on last week Friday and there enjoyed seeing Miss Howard’s garden of old-fashioned perennials.
The local post of the American Legion held a business meeting at the Cavalry building [20 Boston Road] on Monday evening to discuss plans for their big carnival which is to be held at Forge Village on July 21 and 22, weather permitting. Don’t forget that this promises to be one of the big attractions of the season in this section. During the evening refreshments were served.
The attendance at the meeting of the Grange on last week Thursday evening was small, but considerable business was transacted. During the lecturer’s hour there was a song by Miss Elva Judd, with Mrs. Edith Blaney as accompanist. Mrs. Frank Wright, secretary, gave a very interesting paper on “Grange reminiscences,” after which Mrs. Blaney led in the singing of several Grange songs.
John M. Fletcher is enjoying a vacation in Farmington, N.H.
Miss Elva Judd is spending her vacation in Natick.
Don Judd, who met with an injury to his back while moving stone, is improving, although still confined to his bed.
Two years ago, while plowing, Arthur Walker lost a pocketbook containing a twenty-dollar bill, and recently, when the land was being harrowed, the pocketbook was uncovered, containing the bill, which was almost unrecognizable, but the figure 20 and number of bill were still discernible. The bank will send the bill to the treasury department at Washington to be redeemed.
Death. Mrs. Nellie Peterson, wife of Sigmund Peterson, died at the Lowell General hospital on last Saturday afternoon, following an operation. The deceased was thirty-nine years of age, a native of Sweden, having come to this country twenty years ago. She had been a resident of this town for the past five years and was a woman of quiet, home-loving disposition and will be greatly missed. Besides her husband she is survived by three sons, Gustave, Ernest and Edgar, and a daughter Doris, of this town, and also her mother and two sisters and a brother in Sweden. The sympathy of the community is with the family in their great bereavement.
The funeral was held from her late home on Tuesday afternoon. Rev. Mr. Tornilland spoke words of consolation to the bereaved family, and the two hymns, “Beautiful Isle of Somewhere” and “Nearer, my God to Thee,” were rendered by Mrs. Charles Wright and Mrs. Fred Meyer.
The house was filled with sorrowing relatives and friends, showing the esteem in which the deceased was held, and the floral tributes were profuse and beautiful.
The bearers were Messrs. Blomston, Brunsell, Anderson and Paulson, and interment was in the family lot at Fairview cemetery.
Congregational Church Notes. The cottage prayer meeting this week was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur H. Burnham on Friday evening at eight o’clock. Over thirty were present last week at the Parkerville meeting. Regular Sunday afternoon religious services are being planned for Parkerville this fall.
Sunday morning services and Sunday school will be held during July.
A church business meeting is called for on Sunday.
The open-air services show growth [line missing] last week. “The leadership of Christ” is the pastor’s theme for this Sunday evening. Song service begins at seven o’clock.
The Young People’s league will go on a picnic, Monday.
The Sunday school held its picnic at Abbot’s grove, Forge pond, Wednesday. The affair was largely attended, about ninety being present. There was bathing and some boating and also sports of various kinds. A basket lunch was enjoyed at noon. Those attending were transported by auto and all report a very pleasant day. The success of the affair was due in a large measure to Rev. John Blair and Mrs. John Felch, who were ably assisted by Miss Edith Wright, Mrs. Fred Meyer and Mrs. Charles Wright.
Special Town Meeting. A special town meeting took place at the town hall on Friday evening of last week. There were nine articles in the warrant. Rep. Alfred W. Hartford acted as moderator and Charles L. Hildreth as clerk.
Under Article 1 the town voted to accept the report of the committee relative to the erection of a barn at town farm.
Article 2. Voted to appropriate $3000 for a new barn at the town farm.
Art. 3. Voted to accept Story street at Forge Village as laid out by the selectmen.
Art. 4. Voted to appropriate $400 to defray expenses incurred in laying out Story street.
Art. 5. Voted to establish an additional hydrant at Brookside.
Art. 6. Voted to purchase land of Charles E. Edwards for the purpose of widening Brookside road.
Art. 7. Voted that the town will seize land for school purposes at Forge Village for a new school building.
Art. 8. Voted to appropriate $1800 to meet the expenses of the seizure of land for school purposes.
Art. 9. Voted $145.40 to settle five bills in 1921.
About Town. The new schoolhouse at Brookside has been named by the school committee as the Nabnassett school – a most appropriate name, as it is located in the old Nabnassett district and only about half a mile southeast of Lake Nabnassett.
The Old Oaken Bucket farm had their first stringless beans on July 6. This votes us in as a member of the Ananias club, which we have long been longing to join.
The shower early last Saturday evening rained rain and rained hail, not much hail, but enough for all agricultural purposes. The rain was just in season to keep some of our crops submerged, for we had just began [sic] to see where the tassels on some of our rice popcorn would emerge from in several months from now if the water receded at the rate of half an inch a day, provided the precipitation was not three-quarters of an inch a day. Several weeks ago we scattered a handful of ashes around this corn, largely because of its value to conserve and hold moisture, and we certainly have made a success of it and we feel that such rare judgment as that ought to be hitched up with union labor judgment.
Frank McManimon, of North Chelmsford, has received and accepted a position with Frank C. Miller on Leland road.
James Savage, who for several years has been living at the Flynn farm, Stony Brook road, Pigeon hill, has bought the old schoolhouse near the residence of his father, Patrick Savage, in Chelmsford, and is remodeling it into a modern bungalow.
The H. E. Fletcher family are camping in Maine while Mr. Fletcher is connecting camping with the slate-marble industry as head manager.
Ralph P. Cutting has his new house nearly completed. It is a two-story house, and a Lowell contractor is doing the work. This is in place of the house burned [torn paper] of Main street and Tadmuck road. The family are still living at the double tenement of the Abbot Worsted Company, near Westford station. It is an attractive improvement.
George F. White has sold his automobile garage business on Middlesex street, Lowell, to a Lowell party, whose name we have not learned for a certainty, but have been informed that it is Mr. McQuade.
We read with much satisfaction the article last week by V. T. E. of Littleton and are still reading it. Like all of his communications it bears the trade mark of original inspiration. Only that we have crowded this week on the generous space allowed us by the editor we should touch off some fireworks in review of his article on strikes and hold-ups and butting the law of supply and demand generally. Labor is not the only sinner who is butting, but so far it is the only sinner who has resorted to unjustifiable force and bloodshed to enforce its decree.
The conference between the Amoskeag mill in Manchester, N.H., and labor unions, which has been going on lately, resulted in a draw. There were some things that the Amoskeag wouldn’t arbitrate and some things that the labor union wouldn’t arbitrate. Each thought the other was unfair and obstinate. A case of “the blind leading the blind,” but we are surprised at the attitude of labor leaders. They are such a heavenly host themselves and their demands so in harmony with present world conditions that we are surprised that they had anything up their sleeves that they refused to show.
United States Senator Henry Cabot Lodge will be the speaker in Westford on August 19 at the republican league outing at Whitney park, when twenty-five towns will be represented. Rep. Alfred W. Hartford, chairman of the committee, received word last Saturday that Senator [line missing?] league outing at Whitney park, when be present [sic].
The selectmen are to be commended for running the road drag over the Lowell road. Just prior to running it over we appointed ourselves inspector and after some unpaid patrol service we dug into some of the pent up wisdom of Stony Brook school days and the first thing to come forth at the roll call for wisdom was, “A stitch in time saves nine.” Just how the selectmen got onto the trail of our thoughts so quickly and dragged the road the next day we do not know.
Perley E. Wright took to Boston the first truck load of apples on Monday. They were the early Yellow Transparent and sold for two dollars a bushel, which is at least one dollar per bushel less than they usually sell for, and that, too in a year when blossoms did not set and the wind blew off what did set. With the poverty of the European market we shall yet consider ourselves fortunate that the Lord took a hand and thinned the crop by wind and non-setting.
Gilbert F. Wright held the second twilight demonstration on Wednesday evening at his farm in Chelmsford Center. As a twilight observer we shall report our findings next week.
Word has been received of the death of Mrs. Granville Pierce, of Green Rivers. Mrs. Pierce was at their summer home in Warwick while her husband, Rev. Granville Pierce, was in attendance at the conference in Andover. She had been in her usual good health, but on Thursday evening of last week complained of not feeling well and death occurred the following morning from a hemorrhage. The body was taken to Fitchburg, where services were conducted at the family lot. Rev [line missing] years minister of the Unitarian church, Chelmsford, and well-known in Westford, and until recently owned his father’s farm in Townsend Harbor, the Deacon Jonathan Pierce place, where Rev. Granville Pierce was born.
Rev. E. E. Jackman was the speaker and soloist during the lecturer’s hour of West Chelmsford Grange on Thursday evening.
On last Saturday afternoon the West Chelmsford Methodist Sunday school had their annual picnic at Nabnassett pond. There were games and sports for all under the direction of the pastor, Rev. E. E. Jackman. Plans were made to serve a community supper in the grove, but owing to the shower it was served in the hall. A bountiful supper was served. The picnic was in charge of the Sunday school superintendent, Miss Lottie L. Snow, assisted by Mrs. F. A. Snow, Mrs. Annie Edwards, Mrs. B. C. Dean and Miss Isabell McNaughton. Ice cream, tonic and candy were on sale by the Sunday school classes under the charge of Miss Ella Haberman, William Taylor, Miss Margaret Reid and Miss Ebba Haberman. It was a most enjoyable picnic.
Graniteville. The Abbot Worsted baseball club had an easy time defeating the Cleveland Giants of Providence, R.I., here last Saturday by the score of 9 to 3. Al Davidson, the Abbot twirler, had the colored boys completely at his mercy and when the game was on ice he was shifted to right field and Tucker pitched the rest of the game. It is expected that the Abbots will play the Dorchester town team here this Saturday. The Dorchester club is a fast outfit and the game promises to be a good one. Game called at three p.m. at Graniteville.
“The ‘Giants’ nickname has been synonymous with sports teams for over 100 years. It was the most common nickname for all-black baseball teams before baseball was integrated. In our capital city of Providence it was no exception. The first successful efforts to organize black teams in the city occurred when the Providence Colored Grays started play in 1886. The Providence Colored Giants replaced the Grays by 1902 and experienced a nearly uninterrupted run into the 1930s. Over this span several exciting athletes played under the Giants name and acted as pioneers in the struggle to desegregate the game. The first professional baseball game played at Kinsley Park in Providence occurred in 1921 between Cleveland Colored Giants and the Providence Independents (made up of white players). Boston Braves pitcher Jack Cooney and his brother Fred (of the Cranston Cooneys) and Lizzie Murphy of Warren (The Queen of Baseball) played for the Independents. They had played a series of five games that season. After the last game the Colored Giants were stranded, eventually calling Providence home. They continued playing under the Cleveland name for several seasons before rebranding as the Providence Colored Giants under Arthur ‘Daddy’ Black, a businessman who made his money ‘playing the numbers.’ The team scheduled games against both white and black teams…. Dan Whitehead, a local baseball player more interested in the sport than the business end, … managed his Colored All-Stars to the 1922 New England championship. Whitehead is regarded as the father of black baseball in Rhode Island. He was a sensational promoter and arranged games with leading colored teams in the country including Philadelphia Colored Giants, Brooklyn Colored Giants (1923 World’s Colored Champions), Boston Royal Colored Giants and as well as all-white local semi-pro/amateur clubs.” RI Sports Chronicle, www.risportschronicle.com/the-giants.html.
Mrs. Harriet Wall, Miss Nellie Wall and Miss Catherine Eagan of Waltham have been recent guests of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Wall.
A meeting of the Fourth of July committee was held here this week and the report of the treasurer shows a balance of about $20. It was decided to hold this committee intact and the Fourth of July fund will be held in reserve until next year when it is expected that a bigger and better celebration will be held. This committee, consisting of A. R. Wall, C. M. Sawyer, Edmund Provost, J. W. Sheckleton and R. J. McCarthy wish to thank all those who helped to make this year’s celebration the great success that it proved to be.
A big Federal motor truck, owned by M. McDonough of Swampscott and loaded with stone, crashed through the fence on Caunter’s bridge about eight o’clock Monday morning and hung suspended over the railroad tracks forty feet below. The driver, named Ross, found the steering wheel jammed when he made the turn from Broadway street and he and his companion jumped clear before the truck crashed through the fence, thereby saving their lives. The truck was held by the left front wheel and the heavy running board with the muffler pipe sunk deep into the earth. The load was so balanced that it held for several hours when workmen removed the stone and the truck was pulled up into the road. This is the second accident of a similar nature that has happened at this bridge, a Ford sedan crashing through the fence some few months ago and hanging suspended by the two rear wheels. This bridge is too narrow for heavy traffic and on the Broadway end has a very dangerous curve. Fortunately no one was injured in either accident.
Ayer
District Court. A Greek larceny case in which three men were charged with larceny of a quantity of household goods from the home of a Greek in Westford was continued until Monday on account of the absence of a witness for the government and the lack of an interpreter. Attorney John M. Maloney appeared for the government, the defendants having no counsel.
Littleton
Death. Daniel Goldsmith Houghton peacefully entered into rest on Friday, July 7, at the age of 63 years, 8 months, 16 days. In recent years he had not enjoyed the best of health, but heroically sought its restoration until he realized that he was facing the inevitable, which he met with apparent resignation and composure.
At his fine ancestral home, the place of his birth and death, a very large company of relatives and friends gathered on Sunday afternoon to pay a final tribute of respect to the memory of a prominent citizen, successful business man, and worthy gentleman. His pastor, Rev. Carl G. Horst, officiated at the service giving a just eulogy and offering words of sympathy and comfort to relatives who mourn his untimely death. The profusion of flowers on and surrounding the casket testified to the large place Mr. Houghton held in the hearts of his friends, relatives, neighbors, employees, and church and Sunday school friends. The singing by Mrs. Hager of “Lead, kindly light” and “Nearer, my God to Thee,” competed the beautiful service. The bearers, N. H. Whitcomb, F. S. Kimball, Osman Needham and W. H. Titcomb, who had similarly officiated for two other members of the family but little more than three years ago, laid the remains of the deceased in their final resting place at Westlawn cemetery amid the fragrance of many flowers and beneath the fairest of summer skies.
Mr. Houghton, son of Daniel P. and Lucy Goldsmith Houghton, had spent the greater part of his life in his native town, where his interests were chiefly centered. From its schools he had gained his elementary education which was supplemented by a few terms at Lawrence academy, Groton, and Westford academy. From among the fellow students at Westford he chose his lifelong companion, Miss Mary Alice Read, who became his bride in 1882. They were blessed with a family of four children—Mrs. Carl A. Dodge (Nellie), of Gloucester City, N.J.; Mrs. Herbert B. Priest (Edith), of Ayer; Roland G. Houghton, of Littleton, and Mrs. Fred Zappy [Lucy], whose death took place in October of 1918. Mrs. Houghton passed away on January 6, 1919. Surviving the deceased are the two daughters, the son and four grandchildren.
Mr. Houghton was a member of the Conant, Houghton & Company, Inc., the largest manufacturing establishment in Littleton with a factory also in Lowell, formerly belonging to the Bigelow-Hartford Company. In addition to this interest Mr. Houghton has actively engaged in farming on the ancestral estate until recent years, when his son relieved him of the responsibility.
Outside of family and business interests he has devoted himself loyally to the cause of the Unitarian church and allied organizations, filling the office of church treasurer many years, attending the services habitually, and contributing generously to the support of every department of church life and activity. Although he had evidently a distaste for town office he served ably on the board of selectmen and accepted at times some minor offices.
Mr. Houghton was socially inclined and mingled heartily with people of all the churches, their organizations, and society generally. Through his recent gift to the King’s Daughters he has exhibited his interest in their benefactions and helped increase their financial strength.
In his death we deplore the loss of an honorable citizen, a man of sterling qualities, a kind, trustworthy friend.