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A fire, a sensational court trial was big news 100 years ago
Four very different stories - a fire on the Square; love's labor found; education; and the most sensational court case of the decade - dominated the front page the News a century ago today, January 26, 1910. An early morning fire The first dealt with a near-disaster in downtown Columbia in the wee hours of Monday morning, January 24th. As the stage was being readied to leave for Campbellsville, it was discovered that Mr. W.H. Wilson's store house, in the west corner of the Square, was ablaze. The alarm was sounded and "in a short time quite a number of citizens were at the building," with the flames reaching the millinery shop of Mrs. L.W. Atkins on the second story of the building "before relief came." The article also noted that had the fire not been detected in so timely a manner, "the Wilson building, Paull's drug store and the store house occupied by Charly Hutchison and Young Bros., would have went." Mr. Wilson, the owner, stated nothing was missing, not even the five dollars he'd left in the till overnight, and stated that he believed "the origin of the fire was a match carried to some trash in the corner by rats." None of Mrs. Atkins' goods were damaged. Romance, interrupted The second article told the sweet story and happy ending of the 30 year romance, interrupted, of Miss Emerine Lapsley, of Esto, KY, and Mr. Cortes Collins, of Dallas, Texas (late of Esto). Young Miss Lapsley, who had started teaching when she was sixteen, and Mr. Collins had been sweethearts in their youth, but in 1880 he had departed for Texas to make his fame and fortune. The News noted that Miss Lapsley "went to Dallas to visit her sister-in-law three years ago, and there she met again her sweetheart of years gone by." In the ensuing 30 years, neither had married, "and the two were soon as good sweethearts as ever." After an almost three year not-quite-whirlwind courtship by letter, they were "married on the 14th inst. [Jan. 14, 1910] in the parlors of the Leclede Hotel, St. Louis, Mo. (In those days, the Leclede was known for "the utmost in luxuriousness and comfort."). After the ceremony, the just-married Mrs. Collins quipped, "We ought to be happy. We waited until we were old enough to know what we were doing." (Both Miss Lapsley and Mr. Collins were some two-score and ten years at the time they wed. Even so, they enjoyed nearly 35 years together before death claimed Mrs. Collins in the spring 1944.) Kind words for the "Lindsey-Wilson" The third piece, much more an editorial than news, handed the management of "The Lindsey-Wilson School," then just beginning its seventh year of operation, a glowing compliment. It read, in part: "The Lindsey-Wilson is under the same management that has guided it for the last three or years and no one acquainted with the principals has a doubt as to efficiency and their adaption to the work.The article went on to mention that the girls' dorm (Phillips Hall) had just been expanded and that a furnace had recently been installed "to heat all the buildings including the boys' dormitories." It was farther stated that the furnace "not only makes more room (by removal of individual heating stoves) but gives more comfort to those who board." The enrollment was reported to be "over two hundred and new ones entering nearly every day," despite a bit of encroachment on the student population by the recently opened upstart Graded Public School in Columbia. A sensational trial The fourth story was by far the most sensational of the lot, it dealing with the trial and conviction of septuagenarian Hezekiah Harmon, who was charged (in the delicate language of the day) with "knowing a female under sixteen years old." As reported in the News, it was quite the sensation when the young woman, the chief witness again Mr. Harmon, refused to testify until threatened with jail, a bread-and-water diet, and being separated from her infant. This occurred on Saturday forenoon, January 22; in the afternoon, after spending a few hours in a cell, she "returned to the witness stand and gave her testimony." All the witnesses were called by Monday forenoon and the closing arguments were finished later in the day. The case went to jury about 3 p.m. and that able body "was out but a short time, rendering a verdict giving Harmon ten years in the penitentiary." Mr. Harmon's petition for a retrial in Circuit Court was denied, and a few months later, his conviction was upheld by the Court of Appeals. He was still in the Adair County jail in the early fall of 1910 when saws were slipped in to him to effect a jail break. The November 16, 1910 News reported that "Some time during the day Monday (Nov. 7) Sheriff A.D. Patteson was called to the phone by a party, who would not give his name, and told that Harmon had saws in the jail and expected to escape that night. That the saws had been conveyed to him by his son, and that a buggy would be waiting for him when he got out. The sheriff and one of his deputies and the jailer went up and made a search."The article went on to say that saws "made of best steel" were found and that "he could have soon sawed himself to liberty." Despite the ten year sentence, Mr. Burton was destined to serve but a short time in the Frankfort penitentiary, as death came calling in March, 1912. Those wishing to read more details of the trial and thwarted jailbreak may do so at KY Kinfolks Adair News Hezekiah Harmon This story was posted on 2010-01-27 03:59:00
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