Celebrating History: Not a lot of good news

By Emily Mayer

I hope your new year is going well so far, and that those who celebrated with gusto are now fully recovered from the reverie of New Year’s Eve. The first edition of The Havre Plaindealer of 1919 didn’t carry a lot of good news.

The weather summary for 1918 had been released and while there were no record breaking low or high temperatures, precipitation was down, following a weather pattern that started the year before. For December 1918 alone, the area received only one-sixth of normal moisture.

The problems just aren’t stopping for the Rev. E. J. Huston and company. This one is for the “you probably shouldn’t have done that” column of life, found on the Plaindealer’s front page of its Jan. 4, 1919, edition:

ANOTHER LIBEL CASE AGAINST REV. HUSTON

Yesterday, the Rev. E. J. Huston was arrested in a second case charging political criminal libel and was released under a $1,000 bond signed by Abe Crosson and T. J. Troy.

“His arrest followed the filing, by order of the court, of an information against E. J. Huston and Axel Olson charging political criminal libel in an article which appeared in the Hill County Leader on a given date last fall. The defendants will be arraigned Monday.

The reverend had a good friend in Hill County Commissioner Abe Crosson, this being the second time in a few weeks of him paying Huston’s bail out of jail.

Havre had four newspapers 100 years ago — The Havre Plaindealer, The Hill County Democrat and the Hill County Leader were weekly newspapers, while The Havre Daily Promoter published six days a week.

These two entries go under the “and you thought your grandparents’ generation were angels” column of life:

BABY CARRIAGE HAS WILD DISASTROUS RIDE

Four Boys Pay $7.50 Each as Result

The Salvation Army has a somewhat damaged baby carriage. Four boys, or their representatives, have paid $7.50 each and Superintendent of Schools, N. C. Abbott has received the money and has no baby carriage. The damaged condition of the perambulator is the result of a hoodlum outbreak among the aforesaid boys, who, according to one version, took the carriage from the porch of Mr. Abbott’s residence and gave it a wild ride through the streets at the end of a rope attached to a saddle horn. No baby carriage is designed to stand such treatment, so the boys viewing the results of their exuberance left the remains in an old barn. The discovery of the carriage and those responsible was the result of a few day’s quiet sleuthing on the part of the local chief of police. The four boys, who were in their early teens, were more subdued after a session before Judge Pyper and may have been still more subdued after a session at home.

RIDING UPON SIDEWALKS COSTS HIM ONE DOLLAR

A bicycle rider who preferred the sidewalk appeared before Judge Pyper in police court this week and was assessed a fine of $1.00. Because of the youthful age of the offender the minimum penalty under the law was given but he will probably not get off so lightly next time. He had been warned by the police before that action would follow if he persisted in violating the statute. Some complaints have been heard because of the reckless way in which some auto owners drive through the city streets and the police are preparing to make an example if the practice continues.

Speaking of sidewalks, this one goes under the “bad neighbors” column of life:

SIDEWALK BLOCKED WITH ASHES IS COMPLAINT

Dust Has Become a Nuisance in the Neighborhood

If you are down town some day and see a cloud arising from the section of the city near the high school, do not assume that there is another fire, they may be only removing the ashes from the basement of the Presbyterian church. If you meet a man with half an inch of dust on his hat and clothes, do not accuse him of being slovenly, you know not how he may have struggled to get by without acquiring more, when they are removing ashes from the Presbyterian church. If you go calling in that neighborhood some afternoon, do not comment upon how the paid has faded upon the houses, try it with your fingers first and if you find it is an inch of fine dust, do not say anything about it, for that is a tender subject with those who dwell near the Presbyterian church. If you are asked out to dine and the food has a gritty taste do not think that the housewife is careless, you do not know what she suffers if she lives near the Presbyterian church.

The basement of the Presbyterian church is used six days in the week for public school purposes and under arrangements made with the church the school authorities have undertaken the heating and janitor service so that the church board is not to be blamed for the conditions above described.

Regular readers of this column will remember that in late December 1917, the high school, located across Fourth Avenue from the Presbyterian church, had burned. The second high school, the one so many remember, was under construction at the time this article was written.

This one can go under the “some people get away with it scot-free and others don’t”:

SIXTYFIVE HUNDRED IS END OF OLD SUIT

Damage Case Attracted Wide Attention at Time

D. A. Ring of Harlem was in the city this week, receiving final settlement in the damage suits brought by him and his wife against Joseph Gussenhoven, as the result of injuries received by Mrs. Ring when struck by Mr. Gussenhoven’s automobile over four years ago. The payment by Mr. Gussenhoven of $6500 marked the end of a hard fought case, which attracted wide attention at the time of the trial. It will be recalled that on the last day of the county fair in 1914, Mrs. Vista Ring crossing the street at the corner of Third Avenue and Second street on her way the matinee at the Lyric theatre was struck by the automobile owned and operated by Joseph Gussenhoven. She was accompanied by her small son and Miss Ellen Ling. Miss Ling jumped out of the way and the boy escaped injury although he was run over. Mrs. Ring was knocked down and dragged some distance as the result of which she sustained a broken ankle and various bruises, as a result of the broken ankle, she still wears a brace. Some time afterwards suit was started by Mrs. Ring to recover damages for the injuries she had sustained and suit was also started by Mr. Ring, to recover for money extended, loss of service, etc. The case was transferred to Toole county and first brought to trial in October 1916, before Judge Leslie at Shelby. Great interest was taken in the case at that time and many (unreadable) from here including many witnesses. The trial lasted five days, resulting in a judgment of $5,000 for Mrs. Ring. An appeal to the supreme court was made but had never been heard. The case brought by Mr. Ring was never tried but the settlement this week included satisfaction to that case as well.

And in the “you still have to pay people for the work they’ve done” column of life:

PLAINTIFF WINS SUIT CLAIMED WAGES DUE

In Judge Pyper’s court this week judgment for $74 and costs was given against Nick Karras in a suit brought by Bert Norby, and settlement was immediately made by Mr. Karras. The action was brought by the plaintiff for the recovery of wages alleged due from the defendant. The plaintiff was represented by Attorney C. R. Stranahan while F. N Utter appeared for the defendant.

And, to make things really interesting, and a reminder that “the only thing that is certain is death and taxes,” nine full pages of delinquent tax notices was published. In very small writing, too, there are thousands of names published and owing taxes on property, mortgages, personal property such as grain seed for crops. Of course, keeping in mind that Hill County consisted of the current county plus all of what is now Liberty County, but I’m sure the list of names certainly had people’s tongues wagging.