The Dawson News

Turning
The Calendar Back to
The News of Fifteen Years Ago
Issue of December 23rd Pictures Dawson's Preparations for Christmas.
Extra Cots Placed in City Barracks for Holiday Rush.

He was the man of the hour at this
time fifteen years ago and, judging
from the shop windows, he will not be
but a few minutes late, if that much,
this year.

Christmas then was coming on
with all of the ruffles, pleats and
stripes incidental to the grand cele-
bration of the year. The police force,
numbering three men, had been in-
creased and extra cots placed in the
city "hostelry." The city fathers were
pleading to the roughs to make it a
quiet Christmas and threatening stripes
if such a course was not followed.

Here is what The Dawson News
said:

"With the coming of Christmas the
police expect a busier time than usual,
as the great event means a disgrace-
ful but nevertheless true fact—that the
many liquid refreshments known to
the art of man and made in the wet
cities of the country will be shipped
here in large quantities for the big an-
nual drunk."

It must have been quite a riotous
celebration, for here is an account of
the happenings of the Christmas im-
mediately preceding:

"Last Christmas eve pandemonium
held full sway and neither persons nor
property was safe as the reckless rey-
elers marched about the city. Houses
were shot into, doors broken down,
targets for pistol balls made of the
street lights and spigots opened on
some premises and the water allowed
to waste all night."

Then followed a warning from Chief
of Police Paschal, who declared that
if it could be done he and his assist-
ants were going to hold the celebrants
within the bounds of safety, at least.

The joy that usually pervades the
Christmas time was tempered with
fear, for the married men anyway. It
all came about through a meeting of
the National Cloak and Suit Manufac-
turer's Association. Here are some of
the laments that followed:

"So, she has got to have a new out-
fit next Easter to keep from being
laughed at. Huh? Well, I suppose,
in order to keep her from being
laughed at, I must be wept over."

"The lamentor had just invested $50
in a new 'London Smoke' suit for
his better half and it had gone out of
style less than six months after the
date of purchase and he had been ex-
pecting it to last at least six years.

"And that is not the worst of it. The
London Smoke is a dead one now.
Every thing next season will be Pitts-
burg Soot, Chickasawhatchee Fog or
Tanyard Haze," the wailer continued.

"You think they are straight up and
down now, but wait until next sum-
mer. The thinnest women of your
acquaintance will be a merry-go-round
in size compared to the '1909 party.
The new style calls for shape like a
fountain pen or horsewhip."

What did he mean? That he would
get the horsewhip if he did not use the
fountain pen?

In order to make the Christmas
seem warm, several samples of cold
weather were served—a la printer's
ink. Some of these follow:

"At Verkhoyansk, Siberia, a tempera-
ture of 90.4 below zero was reported
in January, 1816. This year, known as
the year without a summer, is credited
with bringing the most contrary summer
weather on record. That year was a
north wind all summer; frost, snow
and ice were common in June: New
York and Massachusetts had 3 inches
of snow during the month and Maine
reported 10 inches, and there was
frost and ice in New York and Pen-
nsylvania in July".

The Terrell Council, No. 691, Roy-
al Arcanum Lodge, elected officers
for the following year, 1909, during
the week. They were as follows:

Charles Deubler, regent; W. F. Mel-