There was a great deal of washing of windows on Monday of stores in our village on account of marking with soap by boys on Hallowe’en. Seldom, if ever, has our village been so disgraced as by the acts of certain rowdies on Hallowe’en. Passing over some other offenses in the usual way of Hallowe’en tricks, the performance at the Episcopal church was shameful and shocking. The building was defiled and valuable property injured. The church had always been left unlocked in order that those who wished to enter for prayer or meditation might do so. We hope the guilty parties may be found and properly punished.
The total number of votes cast in this town on Tuesday was 846. There are always more votes in Presidential years than at other times. Four years ago, at the last Presidential election the total vote cast was just 509, in this town. The town has not increased in population and the increased vote shows that about 340 women must have cast their ballots in this town. It is no surprise that the Republicans were victorious at the election on Tuesday, but the extent of the victory is a surprise to the public. Senator Harding has a 280 majority in this town, over a million in New York State, and a majority, even in New York City. When things are going wrong in the country it is natural to blame the party in power and it has been so in this case.
No candidate except George N. LeFevre of Marbletown, Democratic candidate for superintendent of the poor on the Democratic ticket, visited our village during the campaign. Some years ago it used to be thought necessary that candidates should visit every little village in their territory and patronage the hotels freely.
The Highland taxpayers by an almost unanimous vote have decided to raise $12,000 to build a firehouse.
Farmers have their apples picked and potatoes dug. Corn husking is now in order. The weather has remained very mild for November. Sweet peas and other kinds of flowers that are quite sensitive to frost, are still in bloom.
By the arrest of George Smith, John Litts, Jr., Edward Ward, Mike Cestre and two boys, the state troopers of this section say they believe they have cleaned up one of the worst gangs that have ever operated in the robbery of chicken coops and railroad trains in this part of the county. The arrests were made Sunday at Lloyd. Smith and Litts were arraigned before Justice of the Peace Harold Lent at Highland, where they were held to await the action of the grand jury on the charge of grand larceny. The last robbery which they are alleged to have been engaged in was over $400 worth of automobile tires and accessories. It is charged that the chicken coops of the farmers for miles around had been raided and it is alleged the thieves had sold the dressed poultry to butchers in Poughkeepsie. The two boys are said to have been used by the gang as lookouts.
Trucks are now supplanting wagons for hauling farmers produce. Jas. O. LeFevre recently had a truck load of several thousand heads of cabbage brought from Hurley for winter feed for his fowls and another New Paltz farmer, who had sold his lambs to a Poughkeepsie butcher, had them taken by truck.
On Friday, November 12, 1920, 1 o’clock p.m. sharp, at the residence of the late Charles M. Harcourt, near the Normal School, there will be an auction sale of furniture, cooking utensils, garden tools and many articles too numerous to mention. Sale Rain or Shine. Terms Cash. D. G. Dayton, Auctioneer.
Medals purchased by the Town of Shawangunk will soon be presented to soldiers from that town who served in the late war. Nearly 9000 bodies of American soldiers who died or were killed in France during the war have been shipped to the United States and turned over to their nearest relatives, and 1000 more await shipment at French ports.
The electric current was turned on for the first time at the Dashville Falls power plant on Saturday. A number of company officials were there, as well as visitors from the Hudson River Valley.
Several of our village hunters went bear hunting last week. John Zimmerman shot a mountain lion but had to shoot eight times before he bagged the animal. Skunks may now be killed without breaking the law. There seem to be more along the Wallkill than elsewhere. The skins are worth very much less than they were a year or two ago. Two fine large wild geese were shot in the Wallkill at the Arbuckle Place on Thursday afternoon by Peter Harp and Schuyler Millham. There were some eight or ten geese in the flock. The birds were observed in the Wallkill in the forenoon and the boys fired at them, but the guns were only loaded with small shot, which did not kill the geese or even frighten them away. The geese when killed were placed in Oscar Zimmerman’s meat market where they attracted much attention.
Harcourt, Brace and Howe are the publishers of Main Street, a novel by Sinclair Lewis which is receiving more favorable criticism than any other recently published work of fiction.
Modena had a community sing on Saturday evening, at which the church was nearly filled. H. M. Eppes of Accord was the leader, Mrs. Orville Seymour the accompanist and Mrs. Seymour Terwilliger presided at the meeting. A notable feature of the meeting was the presentation of a community Home Nursing Kit.
John Burroughs and Henry Ford, recent guests at Yama Farms, astonished the natives one day by engaging in a tree-chopping contest. Seizing two sharp axes and donning overalls, they hiked off to a piece of woodland near the hotel grounds, and soon their blows could be heard resounding in mighty whacks. The score was a tie, three maples and one sapling falling to each contestant. The referee declared all bets off, and ordered the competitors to shake hands and call it a draw. Mrs. Thomas Edison kept her famous husband company on a brisk walk in the ten above zero air, and by luncheon time the guests were ready for a good meal. This is the annual reunion of the three friends, Edison, Burroughs and Ford.
The ground was white with snow Thanksgiving morning and it snowed a little all day.
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew L.F. Deyo will leave for Florida in about a week. Quite a number of people in this vicinity propose to spend the coming winter in Florida. Mr. And Mrs. Jo. E. Hasbrouck started on Tuesday for Fort Lauderdale, Florida where they will spend the winter. They go by boat from New York, taking their auto with them.
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