Welcome back to One Century Ago, a collaboration between Patch and the .
Each week we're bringing you the front page of a local newspaper that covered the news in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow (North Tarrytown) one hundred years ago. This front page comes from the Tarrytown Press-Record. The Press-Record was published as a weekly from 1893 to 1946 and has been preserved by the Historical Society on microfilm.
Friday December 22, 1911:
Christmas Tidings
This week one hundred years ago, the Press-Record was filled with the festive Christmas spirit. The newspaper wished locals a very hearty “Merry Christmas” in a decorative quarter-page banner. There followed an advertisement for mothers to have Christmas photos of their babies taken at the local Drug Store, and an extensive list of all the church services to be held on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
The First Reformed Church had various services led by Rev. Dr. Allen, whose addresses were known to have “been an inspiration on these special occasions”. Furthermore, the church also had a quartet and a large chorus to create an “artistic rendition” of Gaul’s cantata “The Holy City”, and the newspaper urged lovers of good music to attend. A number of other churches outlined their services, and many favorite carols were included, such as “The First Nowell” and “Good King Wonceslas”. Finally, the effort to include everyone in the Christmas celebrations meant that there was even a Swedish service held at St. Mark’s church, with “special” music.
Runaway Horse!
The news of a runaway horse made front page news in 1911. The horse was harnessed to a wagon that was being driven down Broadway by a delivery boy. When the boy left the animal alone to drop off a parcel, all havoc broke loose and the horse went rampaging wildly down Broadway.
It was possible that the horse had been spooked by something that frightened him, but the Press-Record portrayed the event as an out-of-control beast on a kind of equine joy ride down Broadway. The horse “playfully” kicked a wagon to kindling, before he “joyously proceeded to Main Street”. Instead of turning down the hill, however, the horse, still trailing a battered wagon behind him, continued down Broadway until he “was tired” of that street. At this point he made a call at Mr. P. Geyer’s house, but the remains of the wagon he was hitched to became stuck in Mr. Geyer’s fence. When the wagon driver and a policeman finally caught up with the runaway horse he was quietly nibbling grass, and they were able to extricate him from the fencing.
“Husky Young Man Knocked Down and Robbed”
Tarrytown experienced the third hold-up in one month when Frank Gibson was knocked to the ground and robbed of $59.
The previous two victims had been women, and the weapon wielded by their assailant had been a revolver. This time, however, the attack was quite different. The thief chose to attack Gibson, “one of the huskiest young men about town”, by sneaking up behind him and knocking him on the head with a sandbag. The attack took place around midnight as Gibson took a short-cut home via the aqueduct. He was robbed of all his money and left unconscious for over half an hour, and was only able to stagger home some hours later. The robber left no clues and the police were at a loss. Police Chief Bowles, nevertheless, was incensed over the matter and was expected “to go hard with the thug if he is captured”.
Conqueror in the Lead in Fire Company Card Tournament
The friendly rivalries between Tarrytown Fire companies were enough to warrant headline news in 1911, when Conqueror Hook and Ladder Company took the lead against Hope Hose Company in the first series of a card and pool tournament. Sixty-four members and honorary members of both companies took part in the games, and during the first series a total of 110 games were played over a period of two hours. Members of Conqueror scored 58, while Hope scored 52. H. Fairchild, a member of Conqueror, was announced the evening’s champion player and was awarded a prize of $2.50. The tournament was set to continue for another four series.
