Feb. 21-27: Items compiled by Dave Humphrey from the archived newspapers held at the Cranbrook History Centre and Archives
1914
Curling … Finals in the local bonspiel were played off last Friday and there was great interest taken in every contest. The Harris rink was undefeated until the finals for the Corby Cup. The ice was in splendid condition throughout the three days and some good curling resulted.
Local dairyman honored … Mr. J. A. Pringle of Hillside Dairy, has just received two handsome certificates from the B. C. Dairyman’s Association setting forth that in the exhibition of milk and cream held at the recent convention at Chilliwack, Feb. 5-6, he had taken third place in cream exhibit in a class of twenty three, and in milk ninth place in a class of forty-one, the cream certificate being accompanied by a substantial prize in coin of the realm.
Mr. Pringle’s exhibit scored the highest possible number on package and method of putting up in both instances.
Mr. Pringle’s showing is the more creditable when it is understood that his exhibit had to compete under a severe handicap as against the other entries, having probably the farthest to travel of any to reach the show and being at least five or six days old before being judged as compared with most of the entries which could be taken from the dairy and shipped within twenty-four hours of the time of judging.
The district is to be congratulated on having had an entry sent out from here and on the showing it made against the hitherto unbeaten coast dairies.
Elko news … The Society Editor of the Rooseville Valley Times protests because a young woman at a formal dinner recently scratched her head with a fork. Now wouldn’t that freeze the cherries in your Grandmother’s bonnet.
Papers served … Sheriff Morris, today, served papers on Johnson Bros., the proprietors of the Rex Theatre, on behalf of George Leask, the owner of the building, for unpaid rent and the theatre is now being conducted by Lionel Leask, son of the landlord.
Nasty accident … Earl Park, son of Mr. and Mrs. W. M. Park of this city, was brought in on the train from Kimberley today and taken to the St. Eugene hospital where Dr. King amputated his leg. He had been working at Wycliffe, on the logging road for the Staples Lumber Co., and ran ahead of the train to turn a switch. His right foot caught in a frog of the track and he was unable to extricate himself, the train passing over his legs almost severing the right one entirely and severely bruising the left one. He was hurried to the train and sent immediately into Cranbrook.
The doctors state that the shock was very severe but hold out hopes for his recovery.
Funds still needed … Peter J. Murphy, a man with neither arms or legs, all of which he had frozen off two years ago, came into the Herald office this week, after a visit with J. Riley at the St. Eugene hospital and donated $1.00 towards the Herald’s fund for Mr. Riley. Such a contribution is more than appreciated coming from a man in such a helpless condition, and as he says, able to appreciate the misfortune which has befallen Mr. Riley.
Mr. Murphy is able to make a living for himself and uses two artificial hands as well as two artificial legs.
The fund for Mr. Riley is growing but not as rapidly as it should, considering the generosity of the citizens of this town to other less worthy objects.
In a few weeks, Mr. Riley will be able to leave the hospital and he will then need artificial limbs.
Let us have your contribution at the earliest possible date so that the arrangements for help may soon be made and that he may have his legs when he will have need for them.
Notice … I wish to announce to the public, through the Herald’s columns, that I was not in the C.C.S. piano contest when it closed owing to the fact of Mr. McFarlane destroying a large number of my votes. I wish to thank my many friends, who worked so faithfully in my behalf. Annie Yarwood.
Go to work and pay back money … “Return to Creston, find employment, pay back, the money you obtained by the forged order, keep sober and respectable. If you do not you will be brought back to Nelson and sentenced for the offense to which you have now pleaded guilty”, was in effect the decision of Judge Forin yesterday when Edward Payette pleaded guilty to uttering a forged document on which he secured money from S. A. Speers of Creston, and his honor, deciding to deal leniently with the accused, allowed him to go on suspended sentence.
Payette was arrested by Provincial Constable W. C. Forrester and committed for trial by Guy Lowenburg, justice of the peace at Creston. He took speedy trial yesterday.
Magistrate retires … Joseph Ryan has tendered his resignation of the position of Police Magistrate and Magistrate of the Small Debts Court and the same has been formally accepted by the Attorney General with the expression of his hopes that Mr. Ryan’s new position in the legal business with Mr. T. T. McCredy may prove successful and satisfactory.
Our late magistrate was appointed in March, 1908, and has filled the office for six years without a complaint of any kind from the public, the Attorney General’s department, from the City Council or from the Police Commissioners. That is a record to be proud of as it shows the pluck and ability to be able to follow the narrow line of duty without regard for individual opinions, though there were not wanting those who would have him square his judgements to their ideas of right and wrong.
During Judge Ryan’s incumbency he has handled many interesting cases, the police court being the clearing house for the unfortunates of society who are constantly breaking the law.
We recall one in particular. A bunch of real toughs, from one of the lumber camps on the south of the Boundary, blew into Cranbrook and promptly started a riot in one of the hotels and then severely beat up the proprietor. When the case had been disposed of and the judge had made up his mind what to do, he turned to the ringleader of the gang and told him he should go to Nelson jail for four months.
“Aw, thank ye,” with the air of the most insolent bravado, replied the culprit. Quick as lightning the Judge countered back, “It’s six months now. I find I had not recorded the sentence. Is there anything else you would wish to thank me for?”
The fellow said afterwards that he would never again thank a man for anything.
During Judge Ryan’s term of office, he had to deal with only one murder case, that of Bruno Cutri, who killed Felice Zappia at Rampart last September, and is now undergoing life imprisonment for the crime in New Westminster.
The police court with its daily and weekly grind of drunk and disorderly assault and battery, etc., etc., is one of the most interesting places to study the weaknesses with which human flesh is afflicted. It is often the case that the same offender will appear again and again, sentence following sentence.
The severity with which Magistrate Ryan dealt with culprits on their second appearance has done much toward ridding the city of a large class of rounders and hangers-on, who are never producers, but eke out a miserable existence trading on the good-nature of the “good-fellow” out for a time or an occasional lapse into petty thievery. The city, is at present, singularly free from this class of parasite.
Youthful offenders and first appearance men were often released with a severe reprimand and some good fatherly advice, and the results were very often good, proving that charity has its place valuable even in the stern conduct of court matters.
A study of the cases that have appeared in the police court during the past six years shows that Cranbrook has been exceptionally free from crimes of a serious nature and that the citizens here are generally law abiding and peaceful.
Men and missions … On Friday evening, the 27th instant, an informal banquet will be held in the schoolroom of the Methodist church at 6 p. m. under the auspices of the Laymen’s Missionary Movement.
The arrangements have been completed by a representative local committee composed of prominent business men from the Anglican, Presbyterian, and Baptist and Methodist churches in the city.
The indications point to a good attendance of the men of the city at this man’s meeting to hear of the wonderful progress made by this movement in awakening the interest of the business men of each community in the work of the Christian church.
New train service … According to the latest information of the local officials of the C.P.R., a Calgary-Spokane train service will be inaugurated about March 15th to replace the train service which was cut off on the cancellation of the Soo- Spokane.
Since the So was discontinued, the Crow’s Nest Pass especially has felt the loss of this service which was exceptionally accommodating for travelers through this district. This train was a favorite with those who desired to leave this city for Calgary or other eastern points in Alberta. The schedule, both to and from Spokane to Cranbrook secured the bulk of the traffic in that direction. The through sleeper to Calgary made the flyer at night the popular train east.
The time table for the new train has not yet been definitely announced but will probably be made in a few days.
Everyone is anxiously awaiting the advent of the new train as the local service to Spokane and east to Calgary on the local trains occasion a serious loss of time for travelers in either direction.
Cranbrook Club entertained … Mr. N. Hanson entertained the members of the Cranbrook Club with a dinner party at the Kootenay Grill on last Thursday evening. There were over fifty seated at the tables and all report a most enjoyable party.
The Cranbrook orchestra was engaged for the evening.
The Grill has been the scene of a great number of dinner parties since the opening, but the one given the Club was easily the largest affair as well as the most elaborate.
The following was the menu provided: Celery Branches; Essence of Tomato Soup; Broiled Halibut; Parsley Butter; Small Steak a la Corona; Roast Chicken; Sage Dressing; Browned Potatoes; Sugar Corn; Lobster Salad; Southern Style Vanilla Ice Cream and Assorted Cakes; Cafe Nou Demi Tasse.
Children entertain … The entertainment given by the pupils of Miss Ramsey and Miss Cherrington of the King Edward School on the afternoon of last Saturday was a really first rate show and a startling display of quite unexpected, talent in the dancing line.
There were a very few grown up people concerned, a few who are on their way to be grown up and a whole crowd of children of the various ages from school age down to the little tots, not much bigger than pottle pots. There was a troop of these latter little darlings.
The average man or woman has a holy horror of seeing little children make fool of themselves, and the kiddies, depend upon it, are as keen as their elders in feeling themselves in the wrong light and suffer even more thereby; but in Saturday’s show there was not a trace of discomfort or left-handedness amongst the big troop of the little people.
It was fine to see them fairly romp through their musical nursery rhymes commemorating the renowned ‘Humpty Dumpty’ and the Old Woman tossed up in a Blanket fifty times as high as the moon — and that is going some. They were all wonderful babies and the greater wonder was how they enjoyed the fun they were making for those in front.
We had drills and songs, and recitations and dances. Yes, there certainly were dances worth going many a weary mile to see. There were people present who came to be bored to death and stayed to delight in the whole affair, especially the dances.
It may be that the world is going dance mad. Some say the tango is a new disease and though we have not seen it yet in Cranbrook, it looks as if the symptoms were developing some wonderfully clever exponents of the dancing art amongst us. We were treated to Welsh dances, Irish jigs — the real article, Highland flings and one particularly elegant dancing suite (if the term be correct) the Garland dance, Scarf dance and Morning dance, which is really a very pretty ballet. The Shepherds’ dance was a Watteau picture set to music and rhythm.
The most remarkable feature of this memorable occasion was that each and every little person who took part in the entertainment was many degrees more cute, sweet, clever, pretty and entirely precious than any other of the little persons. Ask any of the fathers or mothers who were present if this were not so.
Knight of Pythias … Last Thursday evening, February 19th, Crescent Lodge No. 33, Knights of Pythias, celebrated their golden jubilee with special ritualistic service to which the public were invited. There was a large crowd present at Castle Hall and the exercises were started promptly at nine ’clock.
The nineteenth day of February, 1914, is the semi-centennial of Pythian Knighthood and the lodge celebrated the fifty years of progress which is a remarkable story of growth.
It was on Friday evening, 1864, in Washington, D.C., the capital city of the United States of America, that Justus Henry Rathbone first gave to the world the thought and conception with which he was inspired by the ancient story of Damon and Pythias, by reading to twelve of his friends, who had met with him, a ritual which he had written wherein he made Friendship, as exemplified by these two Grecian characters, the basic and underlying principle. That little gathering was so impressed that each of them assumed the obligation of the ritual and then and there formed an organization which they named the “Knights of Pythias”. Little did they think what an institution they were constructing; they built wiser than they knew for in fifty years the order has gained nearly a million members and its lodges encircle nearly the entire globe.
New merchant association … In order to promote and maintain a better understanding between the merchants of Cranbrook, and also between the merchants and their various customers; with a view to eliminating distrust in business dealings; to disseminate useful information, and generally to raise the status of the retail trade, and attain results by means of cooperation that experience has proved are not attainable by individual effort; the retail merchants of this city have, by a practical unanimity, formed themselves into an association, to be known as the Retail Merchants’ Association of Cranbrook.
It has been known around town for some time that such an association of the merchants has been contemplated, and as is usual where correct information is not available, some hasty and ill-advised conclusions have been reached with regard to the precise objects for which the organization was being formed; the statement being made for example; that the it was the intention of the retailer to form a sort of local ring combine around the consumers with a view to regulating prices, and generally to play the game of the huge Trust on a small scale.
That this view is entirely erroneous will be better proved by actual experience of the Association’s workings than by any amount of printed refutation, but, it may be worthwhile in the interim to assure the Cranbrook public that so far from the Association making any attempt to increase the cost of commodities at the expense of the already over-burdened chancellor of the domestic exchequer, the greater efficiency that is hoped for as a result of co-operation will produce beneficial results that consumer and merchant will share alike.
