100 Years Ago

The Latest Local News from the Rome News

As presented in the FIFTY YEARS AGO column in the Thursday, Feb. 25, 1965 edition of the Rome News-Tribune

Thirty Negroes confined in the county jail staged a dramatic effort to escape late one night fifty years ago. They tore down the old gratings between their cells and in a compact body started for the weak place in the north wall, through which five white prisoners had recently escaped and which was being repaired. They broke through the bars into the corridor where Si Ware, a Negro hallboy, was yelling for Sheriff Barron, who was in the jail office. Si was struck over the head and seriously wounded. The sheriff entered the hall with a drawn revolver and frightened them back into their cell rooms. … Little Jewell Duncan, of Reesburg, fell at the schoolhouse and received a broken arm. …

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W.M. Gammon was elected first commissioner of the city of Rome in the second primary election Friday a half-century ago. Elected to the commission were E.E. Lindsey, A.B. Arrington, F.B. Holbrook and J.P. Jones.

A second primary was called when none of the candidates received a majority in the first primary election held Tuesday.

Mr. Gammon received 882 votes and C.S. Prudent, 566, giving him the required majority. In the first primary Cornelius Terhune received only 251 votes and did not figure in the second election. Rome’s commissioners were to serve a term of four years.

The primary was a hard fought one and it was significant of the interest taken in it that 1,456 votes were cast out of a registration of 1,557. Every inch of ground was contested by the rival “clans,” but the battle was in the main good-natured and little disorder marked the day.

Rome’s first first commissioner and the deputy commissioners were to be formally elected Tuesday, March 2, and were to take office on April 1.

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The hold-up of Henry Townes while traveling in his buggy on the Lindale road was interrupted when the two highwaymen thought they heard a buggy coming. They made a wild dash off the roadside and disappeared in the darkness, having robbed Mr. Townes of only $2.50, which was in his trouser’s pocket, but failed to obtain the $12.50 in his vest pocket. In their hurried departure one of them dropped a pint bottle of blind tiger booze onto the buggy laprobe, thus Mr. Townes’ inventory showed an actual loss of $1.50. … A runaway automobile ran wild without a driver on Broad Street and Second Avenue, causing a great deal of excitement this week in 1915. The Ford belonging to H.J. Hine had been left near the side entrance to Curry-Arrington store. A drayman, desiring to unload some goods at the side entrance, released the brake and gave the auto a shove. It happened to be in gear, and to his amazement the car dashed down the street and before it could be stopped, crashed into a cotton wagon. The car was partially wrecked. …

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Members of the Rome Rotary club went to Atlanta to join the Atlanta Club in celebrating the 10th anniversary of the organization, which occurred in Chicago on February 23, 1905. In 1915 Rotary had more than 140 clubs with 20,000 members in the United States, Canada and the British Isles. … The Alto Face Brick Company, formerly the Crucial Fire Brick Company of West Rome, was to reopen the plant and employ 40 men. The old company had gone into the hands of the receiver and had been closed. … The need for diversification of crops and their better preparation for the markets, the work of the Boys’ Corn Clubs and the Girls’ canning Clubs, were discussed at a rally of the farmers of the Seventh District held at the Floyd County courthouse under the auspices of the Georgia Federation of Women’s Clubs. …

Source: Rome News

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