The ‘‘Our town’’ column is compiled each month for the New Paltz Times by Carol Johnson, coordinator of the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection. The entries have been copied from the November 1914 issues of the New Paltz Independent. If you would like to get a closer look at these newspapers of the past, visit Carol Johnson and the staff of the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection at the Elting Memorial Library, located at 93 Main Street, or call 255-5030. Meanwhile, enjoy these words from a century ago.
THE TREMENDOUS LANDSLIDE!
A Republican Governor by 133,000. Wadsworth, Republican U.S. Senator — 47,000, a Republican State Senate, a Republican Assembly!
Fine weather on election day is called Republican weather. It certainly proved so this year.
Until two or three days before the election most people seemed to think that Glynn would be re-elected Governor. The result is something of surprise, as well as highly gratifying to Republicans. There is a well-founded hope that the Legislature will again pass at the coming session the bill making an appropriation for the Normal School building [Old Main] and that it will not be vetoed, as it was by Governor Glynn last spring.
A.P. LeFevre carried every town in his Assembly district. His majority over Gaithright in New Paltz is 283, in Plattekill 172, in Marlboro 7, in Shawangunk 1944, in Esopus 287, in Gardiner 39, in Lloyd 179, in Marbletown 341.
There were quite a number of ballots thrown out in district No. 2 by the inspectors because they were not marked as the law directs and most of them were voted by Republicans. It is probable that the Democrats had given more careful instructions to voters beforehand by sample ballot than Republicans had done.
A Woman’s Suffrage Society has been organized at Highland called “An Equal Suffrage League.” Mrs. A. W. Lent is president.
On Friday last, Charles Mack of Wallkill in an auto with Mr. and Mrs. Daniel McLinden of Ganaghote and Miss Ada Patterson of New York, had started on a trip to Newburgh. Mack lost control of the car at the iron bridge between Ganaghote and Gardiner. It dashed from the road and fell on the iron railing at the side of the bridge. Mack and McLinden were thrown out, but not seriously hurt. The ladies were carried farther and thrown into the Wallkill. Miss Patterson is badly hurt, her lung being pierced by a rib. She was taken to a Newburgh hospital. Mrs. McFadden is suffering from shock and bruises.
A filler for automobile tires will be manufactured at Highland and has been named “Boska.” This industry has been introduced by Mr. Morris of New Zealand and is being supported by a number of prominent businessmen. John Schuhle, the grape juice king, is the first one to use the filler.
Mr. D.C. Storr is digging a trench in order to supply water from his tanks to Grove and Prospect Streets. He has water enough to supply all the houses on those streets. He now has three wells equipped with pumping apparatus and is ready to supply a larger number of houses than before.
Highland is to have a new reservoir covering six acres. The dam will be about 15 feet high. Work on the dam for the New Paltz water works was discontinued, last week, winter having set in just as the men were ready to begin concreting.
The cranberry patch of John Boland at Plutarch has yielded some fine berries this year.
Turkeys for Thanksgiving sold at 30 cents a pound.
The Wallkill has been frozen over in some places for several days. There has been skating on the flats this week. On Tuesday morning the mercury went to within five degrees of zero. The boys and girls have had a great deal of fun, especially in the evening, coasting down Mohonk Street [Avenue]. The sleighs, starting at C.M. Harcourt’s [where the faculty tower is now], run all the way down the hill to the cooperage [Water Street].
The recital by Edison’s Diamond Disc Phonograph at St. Andrew’s parish room on Thursday, last week, was thoroughly enjoyed by a fair audience. A choice selection of operatic music was given, both vocal and instrumental, with one or two numbers of lighter vein. The general verdict was “A most excellent entertainment.”
On Sunday morning at about 2 o’clock the post office at Gardiner, located in the store of J.M. Moran and Brother, was broken into, the safe blown open and the following property stolen: $20 in silver, $200 in endorsed and negotiable checks, a diamond ring valued at $200, a gold watch and about $200 worth of stamps. They missed $75 in silver, which was in the safe in a canvass bag; also $200 in cash, which was in a drawer under the cash register, which they smashed. There were five men. They came in a large automobile. They pried open the window of the store with a chisel, two entered the building, while the others patrolled the street. The burglars knocked off the handle of the combination, drilled a hole in the steel, inserted the explosive and then fired the charge. No attempt was made to deaden the sound by throwing a wet blanket over the safe. When the charge exploded, it sent pieces of the safe through the windows, embedded other places in the wooden walls of the rooms and scattered the rest of the door about the floor. It is believed one of the pieces of flying iron struck one of the burglars, as he was carried out by the others to the auto. After the robbery was finished, the men helped themselves to cigars and crackers and threw some of the store goods on the floor. Editor Charles Slater, who lives diagonally across the street from the post office, was awakened and aroused his wife. They dressed and went to the porch, but there was a man on the street with a revolver in hand, so he raised no outcry. Three women in the place were also awakened and saw the robbers or heard them talk. The auto with the robbers is thought to have come from Plattekill. It left for Walden after the robbery and at 2:30 Sunday morning was seen in Walden by Chief of Police Ronk and others, but it hurried off. There can be little doubt that the robbers are the same gang of thugs who have done very effective work in Monroe, Maybrook, Cornwall and others places the past week. Inspector “Kit” James of Saugerties is working on the case and a description of the bandits has been sent broadcast along the river valley.
Join the family! 
