100 Years Ago
In 1912, the body of Miss Mildred Scriven, 19-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Will Scriven, residing some distance northeast of Hartfield, was found dead in her bed on this morning. Miss Scriven had a severe attack of measles earlier in the year which, with complications, resulted in making her an invalid and was supposed to have affected her mind. Miss Scriven, before the attack of measles, was a particularly bright and attractive girl. She had been a student at Mayville High School and was a member of the graduating class of 1912 but was unable to appear at the commencement exercises being confined with the attack of measles which afterward proved so serious.
Fire on Sunday forenoon seriously damaged the fine residence of Supervisor and Mrs. William H. Thompson on Union Street in Westfield. The house was at the corner of First Street and was one of the handsomest houses in that section of the village. The blaze was discovered by neighbors, blazing fiercely in the attic and breaking through the roof. It had started from a heater near a water tank in the kitchen. The firemen made a quick response to the alarm but were forced to flood the house with water in order to drown out the fierce fire. Furniture, carpets and pictures as well as bedding and clothing were all seriously damaged by smoke or water.
75 Years Ago
In 1937, Bert Murphy, 53, of Corry, Pa., could honestly testify that he knew what it meant to be "left out in the cold." At 11:00 the previous night, Murphy startled patrons of the Buffalo Grill at East Second Street in Jamestown when he walked into the place clad only in a thin suit of underclothes. "I'm in a hell of a pickle," he said. He explained that he had been on a drinking bout with a bunch of floaters at the old brick yard. Rousing from a stupor he found himself shorn of all his clothes but his undergarments. His hat, coat, suit, shirt, shoes and socks had disappeared. Murphy could not tell what had become of his clothing as he shivered out his woebegone tale. He was taken to police headquarters and given lodging while police went on a clothes hunt. A pair of trousers and a overcoat - both far too large for him - were donated by police and he accepted the gift gratefully.
Injured in an automobile collision near Mayville, Supreme Court Justice Raymond C. Vaughan was confined to his home in Buffalo, with two broken ribs. The accident occurred as Justice Vaughan and his court stenographer, John J. Crotty, also of Buffalo, were driving to Mayville for court, which had subsequently been adjourned for the term. Justice Alonzo G. Hinckley, Buffalo, dean of Eighth District justices, sent word to Mayville that no other justice was available to take over and finish the term. It was Justice Vaughan's first term in Chautauqua County.
25 Years Ago
In 1987, Amish buggies did need additional safety devices, state Assemblywoman Patricia K. McGee agreed at a public meeting in Cherry Creek. However, she said, Amish leaders would probably oppose the imposition of more rules. There was a significant Amish population in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties in New York and Warren County in Pennsylvania. Two truck-and-buggy accidents Nov. 11 - one of which resulted in the death of a 4-month-old infant and hospitalization of six members of his family - pointed out the need for the state to require buggies to be more clearly marked.
Twelve Mace Electronics' stores, including the one at the Chautauqua Mall in Lakewood had been closed for good. Nine full-time and several part-time jobs locally were lost, Eric Livengood, manager of the Lakewood store told The Post-Journal. He noted the store had been in the area for 15 years. Livengood said he found out about the closings at a meeting he attended the previous day in Erie, Pa., where the chain store operation was headquartered. He said it was a surprise. Adam Levin, who stepped down as Mace president in July to spearhead sales efforts, said the closing of the 12 stores meant about 150 employees lost their jobs.