The Frostburg spirit., January 28, 1915, Image 1

About The Frostburg spirit. (Frostburg, Md.) 1913-1915

Image provided by: University of Maryland, College Park, MD

                
The Leading §
Weekly Newspaper of Allegany 8
County, Maryland 8
FORTY-FOURTH YEAR. NO. 52
** ■& a • ?aSra*,
.2 f-' '-' *lPlp - 'o' ’- V";" ’J. ■;■/•'.
■'' ■
THE FROSTBURG CITY BAND.
v
One of the Finest Musical Organizations in Western Maryland.
i
The above is a splendid picture of the Frostburg City Band, one of the
finest musical organizations of Western Maryland. Frostburg has always
been famous for its musical talent and its excellent musical organizations,
and in the matter of bands, none has sprung into popularity and efficiency
more rapidly than the one above portrayed.
The Frostburg City Band was organized Sept. 13th, 1902, and it has never
since been disorganized. It was organized as the Jr. O. U. A. M. Band, but
on Aug. 15th, 1910, the name was changed to Frostburg City Band, which
name it still retains.
The band has 26 members, all in good standing, and its motto for 1915 is, j
“Keep Plugging.”
, l\a.G*i,~. iltjdf? 1 ' fbp qblo ri jrfr*.tor®blp of Prof. playing- 1
the highest grade of music, and is in a degree of efficiency second to no band
in Western Maryland.
In the near future there will be added to the membership a bb flat bass
and a clarinet player of fine ability, which will greatly improve the instru
mentation.
The band recently elected officers as follows : President, Jacob Richard-
VALEDICTORY
The Spirit Sold to Lawrence Hitchins, and This
Is the Last Epistle of Peter to the
Frostburgers.
Some Remarks That Seem in Order at This
Time, and From Which It is Hoped
Good Will Result.
To the public generally, and to its :
friends and patrons in particular, I,
P. E. Livengood, retiring editor of c
The Frostburg Spirit, respectfully
submit the following : ■
I came to this nature-favored com- ■
munity, to this my native county and
state, on May 22nd, 1913, after a long
residence in the great and progressive
state of Pennsylvania, and on the ,
date named I purchased the plant of ;
The Mining Journal Publishing Com- .
lishing.
The Mining Journal, an old estab- ,
lished paper, had suspended publica- •
tion about a month prior to my pur- ,
chase of its plant, and it suspended ;
on account of insufficient support. At
any rate that was the reason given in
a published statement by its business
manager, Henry P. Cook, and when
The Journal suspended, the town was
left without a newspaper of any kind
or description.
A Specially Favorable Locality.
To think for one moment that a
nature-favored community like this,
favored with great mineral and manu
facturing resources developed and
operated on a large scale for many :
years, and still only in their infancy <
so far as possibilities are concerned —
to think that such a community, with
Frostburg, a town of 8,000 people, as
its industrial center, was too benight- ;
ed or non-progressive to support at :
least one newspaper, was to me incon
ceivable. Here was a town with more
than 200 places of business to draw
trade from, a town with street cars,
electric light, natural gas, a govern
ment building, two railroads, fine
banks, theaters, churches, schools
and over $2,000,000 in its three strong
banks subject to check—yes, all these
things and many more, including
paved streets, waterworks, sewers,
fire department, etc., etc., but not a
single newspaper.
Really, it seemed horrible, and after
the suspension of The Journal, flour
ishing newspapers in other towns
THE FROSTBURG SPIRIT
much smaller than this began making
Frostburg the butt of ridicule and sar
casm. And who could blame them ?
I was at Salisbury, Pa., on a fishing
trip when the news was proclaimed to
the world that Frostburg’s only news
paper had suspended publication for
want of proper support. My brother,
W. S. Eivengood, editor of The Mey
ersdale Republican, immediately got
in telephonic communication with me,
and said—“lf you don’t go over to
that big, busy town in your own native
county and state and give the people
there a newspaper, I’ll do so myself,
even though my time is well taken up
at conducting the big and flourishing
business I have here.”-
Well, I immediately hastened to
Frostburg to look the situation over,
and on all sides I met encouragement.
However, when I found that The
Journal at the time of its suspension
was owned by a stock company which
embraced some of Frostburg’s leading
businessmen, I immediately found
myself beset by doubts and fears. I
thought if the paper had to quit for
lack of support when a lot of repre
sentative citizens owned it, that I,
coming here a stranger, could hardly
hope to succeed. Then, too, I was
just recoverning at that time from a
long siege of poor health, several sur
gical operations and a very accute
siege of illness following them which
left me more or less of a nervous
wreck.
Required Pluck to Enter thelNews
paper Game Here.
Yet, in spite of all the discouraging
features in the outlook, and the fact
that several other newspapermen who
had been nibbling at the proposition
got “cold feet” and passed it up, I, in
spite of poor health, was game enough
to buy the plant and undertake that
which no other man had ever achiev
ed in Frostburg—success in the news
paper business, except such as J. B.
Oder achieved before engaging with i
FROSTBURG, MD, THURSDAY, JANUARY 28, 1915
son; Vice President, Earl Skidmore; Secretary, James Evans; Treasurer,
Wm. G. Richardson ; Property Man, Benjamin B. Richardson ; Directors, j
Wm. Kear, Maurice Bean, Benj. B. Richardson, Earl Skidmore and James ,
Evans; Musical Conductor, Prof. Fred James ; Assistant Musical Conductor,
Joseph Walsh.
Following is a report of money expended during the past year for the up
keep of the band, for new uniforms for the entire band, some new instru
j rnents, instrument repairs, rent and gas for hall, musical instruction and '
other incidental expenses : Expended in January, SIBI.OB ; February, $384.16; 1
! March, $38.16; April, $105.20; May, $101.71; June, $55.26 ; July, $7.81; Au- 1
j gust, $6.// ; September, $80.28; October, $23.17; November, $71.94; Decem-
! her, $31.47- tof-a1,41,HM QJ 1
The reader will note that it costs quite a lot of money to keep up a good j
band, but the people of Frostburg have been generous with the City Band, .
and the band has been generous and loyal to the town, and owing to a very *
reciprocal spirit, the City Band is in splendid financial condition and bids '
fair to continue so and keep up and improve its already high state of effi
ciency and popularity. 1
the corporation that had to quit the ]
game. i
I accordingly bought The Journal (
plant for cash and paid a much big- 1
ger price than suspended newspapers !
are usually able to command. But ;
even then I got it at a bargain price, i
as everything that composed the out- ]
fit was in first-class condition, as it ;
still is. j
Then as soon as it was possible to <
make the arrangement, the plant was ;
moved into new quarters and the first 1
issue of the new paper was gotten out i
on Sept. 11, 1913.
A Financial Success.
The Spirit was a financial success
from the start, although I soon found
out that it was too strenuous a job I
had undertaken for the condition my '
health was in, and besides, in addition s
to poor health, I had other annoyances 1
to contend with that would have driv- 1
en a less resolute man to distraction ;
or else filled him with such despera- '
tion that he would have committed
murder or almost anything else.
I also had some knockers, Judases, '
grafters, extortioners and parasites to
contend with in trying to build up an ’
honest business and a strong newspa- '
per, and a few of them I feel like pay- ;
ing my respects to in this, mv last is- >
sue, in unscathing terms. But I will I
forego that, and if they are consoled i
over the injury they did or tried to do '
me, or if they think it will make 1
them the more happy when it comes 1
their time to die and pass to that :
bourne from whence no traveler ever i
returns, they are welcome to all the 1
satisfaction they can get out of it.
I Am Satisfied With Results.
It is enough glory for me to know j
that I have made The Spirit a success i .
in spite of all handicaps, that I have .
been able to feed and clothe my large .
family, pay excessive rents and all ,
other expenses promptly, and have at .
least a little money left. Futhermore, (
I have sold my plant for considerably .
more than I paid for it, and yet am .
giving my successor a rare bargain,: ]
for he is taking hold of a flourishing ,
business, a business on the increase, ]
which is now in operation in a build- .
ing owned by his father.
It is a consolation to me to know
that I have dealt on the square with
all whom I have had dealings with in '
this town, and that I will be able to
leave here just as I came, without
owing anyone in the entire community
so much as a penny.
My Only Reason for Selling.
My only reason for selling The Spirit
can be summed up in two words —
poor health. Even at that I would not ;
i have been willing to sell to some peo
1
pie at any price, and I was not look- ,
ing for a buyer when the opportunity j
came to sell. However, Mr. Hitchins (
knew that I was doing a profitable |
business and just recently moved into
a much better .location than I had
most of the time during my newspa- .
per career in this town. He is an j
alert young man, and seeing the ]
favorable outlook for a greatly in- ,
creased business in my present admir- ,
able quarters, and knowing that my ,
health of late has been unusually bad,
it occurred to him that I might be
willing to sell. He accordingly opened
negotions early last week, and on the '•
22nd inst. the deal was closed. ;
A Strange Coincidence.
By the way, while I am not in the
least superstitious,yea, not even super
stitious enough to swallow in its en
tirety a single man-made religious
creed that I know of, it does seem
strange the way the number 22 figures
in my business affairs.
Five years ago last summer I was in
Atlantic City after repeated unsuc
cessful attempts to purchase The
Windber (Pa.) Era, and oue day while
walking up and down the famous
boardwalk, just out of mere curiosity
and for the love of being faked a little
in an amusing way, I consulted a
handsome female palmist and astrolo
ger. I regarded her as a faker, of
course, but something about the wo
man seemed to draw me strangely to
her, and I suppose it was for the mere
pleasure of having her hold my hands
in hers that I parted with a coin to be
told all about my past, present and
future. But don’t tell my wife about
this.
Well, that seashore beauty surely;
had me down fine. She told me ..all :
about my early struggles in ‘life, alf.' .
about my likes, dislikes, etc., the na
ture of the business I had 6een in and
recently disposed of, also the kind of
a locality I lived in, of my ardent love
of my home, wife and children, my
fondness of travel, etc., and stated ,
among other things that I had been
recently dickering for a business
that required a lot of machinery, but
had about given up all hope of closing ,
a deal for it.
“But,” said she, “the deal will be
made for you by a person you are not i
even thinking of, and at a time you
are not now thinking of.” She con- i
tinued, “the deal will be closed in No
vember, on the 22nd day, and you will
move to another town, where the bus
iness is located, and it will be the best
move you ever made.” She stated
further that the year 1910 and 1911
would be exceptionally prosperous
years for me, and ill her predictions
came true. She aso stated that any
important changes that would come
into m3 7 life would usually come sud
denly and without any advance knowl
edge or thought concerning the sud
den changes that would come. She
added too that some things would come
into my life that would try my soul
and m3’ hope and courage almost to
the point of despair, but that somehow
i would succeed in spite of all handi
caps and live to the age of about 72
years.
A True Prophetess.
Whether that woman was onto a
science of which most of us know noth
ing, or whether she merely made a lot
of good guesses, Ido not know. But
I do know that practically everything
she predicted has come true, and that
I’ll not have to live quite 21 3’ears
more to reach 72, by which time, if
not before, I feel sure that I’ll be glad
to la3 T down life’s burden and take a
rest. But the way that old number 22
figures in my affairs has got my goat.
The deal for the Windber Era was
made on the 22nd of November, the
deal for the purchase of the Mining
Journal printing plant was made on
the 22nd da3 T of May, and the final
agreement for its sale to my successor
was made on the 22nd of this month.
And the same old number has figured
in other important affairs of mine.
The prophecies mentioned are some
what foreign to the subject, but I be
lieve the relation of them will not
prove uninteresting to the reader.
I Tender My Thanks and Gratitude
Before going any farther, I wish to
warmly thank my many good friends
and patrons for their kindly co-opera
tion and public-spiritedness that en
abled me to succeed here where so
many other newspapermen failed com
pletely. Without their patronage, I,
too, would have been compelled to
fail, and my heart will ever be filled
with gratitude to all who brought bus
iness to me and encouraged me by
kind words.
True, some people in this town
treated me very badly and tried to
victimize and harrass me at every
turn. Some of them tried their best
to cause me to fail from the very
start, and when I came here Frost
burg was known in other towns as the
newspaper graveyard. Not only they,
but lots of people right here in Frost
burg would tell how The Forum,
Herald, Journal and several
other publications that tried to
flourish here under many different ed
itors and managers, but how every one
was forced to suspend publication and
sorrowfully give up the fight. Eocal
newspaper correspondents here wrote
on the disagreeable subject and had
their disloyal yawp so humiliating to
Frostburg, published in the Cumber
land newspapers, some of them even
declaring in public print that Frost
burg never was and never would be a
newspaper town. I couldn’t imagine
a better way to do a town a great in
jury and to keep new industries away
than to try to make the outside world
believe that the people therein are
either too ignorant or too miserly or
poverty-stricken to support a newspa
per of their own.
Not Enough Local Pride Here.
This town has many good people,
some of the best we have ever found
anywhere, and they greatly outnum
ber the undesirable class. But it is
a most lamentable fact that there is
not enough local pride here. In fact,
many good and well-meaning citizens
have heard the knock of the knockers
and the croak of the croakers so long
that they imagine that they, too,
should discourage rather than encour
age a local newspaper, the most im
portant of all local industries, and it’s
the worst mistake they could make,
the most detrimental to the town and
to their own interests.
Too many Frostburg people receive
a local newspaperman very courte
ously, talk much and promise much
for the paper’s success, but somehow
never get beyond the talk stage.
Some who promised much before I got
out my first issue, never delivered any
support whatever, but were always
full of complimentary remarks about
the paper wherever and whenever
they’d meet me, and then they’d renew
the promises that were never fulfilled.
Too Much Carryiug to Cumberland
It’s time for Frostburg to wake -lip
in the matter of newspaper support.
The town is alright in every bth&r
way. While I have no kick conjyig’is.g
far as being able to get a good living
for a large family and a little money
besides out of my Venture here, yet,
the town as a whote did riot show the
co-operation I had a right to expect.
I seem to have been treated better
than most of my predecessors, but
had some of the businessmen and
others shown the same helpfulness in
favor of the home paper that they
have been showing the Cumberland
dailies, I would have invested more
money, hired more help and had a
daily, or at least a good, big semi
weekly newspaper in operation here
long ere this, and not one of the gold
brick or mushroom class.
But what Frostburg failed to do for
me, I hope the town will do for my
successor, for he is an exceptionally
worthy young Frostburger of fine
ability and farpily connections. He is
a sou of geniil Joe Hitchins, the pop
: ular C. & P. station agent and owner
■ of the Frostburg Opera House. He is
■ also a near relative of all his family
• name here, and they are a fine lot of
public-spirited people.
The Hitchins Brothers Company is
a big concern and a very reliable one.
• The firm has all along been one of The
Spirit’s best patrons,-and finer people
we have never dealt with—nothing
; domineering about them, nor dictato
rial to the local newspaperman.
Had all the prominent firms in this
towns advertised as liberally in The
Spirit as The Hitchins Brothers Com
pany, the three local banks, G. E.
Pearce Drug Company, Frostburg Il
luminating & Manufacturing Compa
ny, F. J. Nairn & Brother, and a few
others, and also given all their job
printing to the home paper, The Spirit
would right now be a semi-weekly or
a daily paper to be proud of.
A Better Towa Thau Cumberland.
In proportion to size, Frostburg is
twice as good a town as Cumberland
for general business, and if Cumber
land can support three daily papers,
one weekly and the Eord knows how
many shops, this town ought to
support at least one daily, and a great
deal more prosperous and up-to-date
one than any of the Cumberland dailies.
It would have the whole Georges
Creek region to draw trade from, and
it could get its editions into the hands
of the people all along the Creek
ahead of the Cumberland papers.
Why not do it ? It can be done, but
only as follows : “Throw such a vol
ume of business to my successor that
he will be compelled to put in several
linotype machines and employ more
men to take care of it. Do that or else
pledge him a given amount of sup
port in writing, so that he will know
what to count on, and he will then be
in a position to arrange his side of the
proposal and get out a daily paper
here that will astonish the natives
and create admiration and praise for
Frostburg wherever it goes.
More Harmony Needed.
More harmony is needed in Frost
burg among its people and business
interests. Factionalism should be
stamped out, for it gets nobody any
thing. Bickerings over religious be
liefs should also be kicked into obliv
ion, for religious fanaticism and per
secution is a relic of the dark ages
and has no business to exist in this
• 30t4i arjr • y*-
A Few Special Bouquets.
It would require more space than I
have at my disposal to mention all the
good people in this town who have
been kind to me during my residence
here, but I feel under special obliga
tions to Roberdeau Annan, the live
wire President of the First National
Bank and some of the other men em
ployed there, and also to W. R. Gun
ter, the genial proprietor of Hotel
Gladstone, one of the best hostelries
in Western Maryland. I never asked
any of those men for any fa
vors, but they have nevertheless been
so kind and helpful to me, that I shall
ever remember their generosity.
“Bob” Annan, as he is commonly
called, is one of the biggest hearted
and most public-spirited men I have
ever come across, and he conducts a
bank that has a great reputation for
safety first of all, and secondly for the
extreme affability and uniform cour
tesy of its employes.
Oh, yes, I have heard “Bob” Annan
knocked, for all men have their knock
ers, especially men who amount to
something. I was told by a few fel
lows of narrow minds and shriveled
souls soon after coming here not to let
“Bob” Annan nor the C. & W. E.
Railway Company nor the Consolida
tion Coal Company run me. I was told
that they would have axes to grind,
but if they ever had since I am in this
town, they never once said or intimat
ed to me that they would like to have
me turn the grindstone. I have never
come across a more congenial, non
dictatorial set of men than President
Aunan, of the First National Bank of
Frostburg, 11. V. Hesse, superintend
ent of the Consolidation Coal Compa
ny, and John E. Taylor, superintend
ent of the C. & W. Electric Railway
Company.
I had some acquaintance with Mr.
Annan before I came here. He was a
good advertising patron of mine while
I was in the publishing business at
Meyersdale and Salisbury, and long
before I moved here I. carried ajUac
count at his bank, just as many- peo
ple in the vicinity of Salisbury and
Meyersdale are still doing and always
will do. I have learned to know him
more intimately since coming here,
and the longer I know him the more
highly I regard him and the better
opinion I have of his bank. A fairer,
squarer man than Mr. Annan, or a
more generous-hearted, broad-minded
one that is true to his friends first,
last and all the time, I have never
known, and I’m going to hand him
this bouquet because he deserves it,
and because I’m just as staunch and
true to my friends as he is to hisyand
no one could be truer than that. He
is the stamp of man I admire, one of
these great bundles of energy, big
heartedness, broad-mindedness and
get-there-on-Jhe-sqUare Equalities.
Now, I am not trying to make an
engel of “Bob” Annan nor build a
halo around his head, for he is only
Successor to
The Frostburg Mining Journal
Established 1871
WHOLE NUMBER 2,241
- human as well as the balance of us,
> hence not perfect, but a mighty good
' fellow just the same, and Frostburg
’ needs more men like him.
A Brickbat.
And now, here is a brickbat, but
only a small one hurled at a small
man in a big frame. We have refer
ence to the big yokel who tries to edit
the “Coney Guttersnipe,” known in
some quarters as the Eonaconing Ad
vocate, a dirty little sheet that last
week threw some mud at “Uncle Pete”
while trying to boost the gold-brick
industry to the detriment of a few
gullible Frostburg people, who, like
the editor of the “Coney” sheet,
should be getting their wisdom teeth
cut on rubber rings instead of gold
bricks. But as the big mutt never
touched me, I’ll let him go with this
center shot, so that he can get ready to
jump onto me all spraddled out after
I turn The Spirit over to my successor
at the end of the week and no longer
have a newspaper to defend myself
against such a microbe as the Snipe
editor. Instead of telling the public
the kind of a paper Frostburg needs,
the Snipe editor should see that he
gives “Coney” the kind of a paper
that is needed there, and then try to
make it pay, which the “Coney Gut
tersnipe” has never done, according
to a statement made to me by one of
its own stockholders. Such sheets,
edited by inexperienced nonentities,
are always the ones to picture the
newspaper needs of other towns.
The Mining Journal Again.
The purchaser of The Spirit has an
nounced that he will change the name
of this paper back to its original
name, Frostburg Mining Journal, in
honor of is worthy founder, Hon. J.B.
Oder, who will be again placed in
charge as editor, and will, as hereto
fore, edit an independent newspaper.
I have not yet decided on my own
next move, but will likely return to
the Keystone State, which in my mind
is the best state in the Union, as well
as the best governed.
My successor will fulfil all paid in
advance subscriptions, in consider
ation for which he is to have all ac
counts on which money is owing on
subscription to The Spirit, but I re
tain all advertising and job printing
accounts.
And now, I bid adieu to my friends
and patrons as editor of The Spirit,
1. .1.- ..1,, :t~..
ous support, which I trust will be
even more generous to my successor.
Say boys, you fellows over there
feeding peanuts to The Spirit’s G. O.
P. elephant, let up now and give the
elephant a chance to pack his trunk
while Mr. Oder sharpens his pencil
and gets ready to again resume work
on the “unconditionally independent
and exclusively great” Mining
Journal. Eet the band play !
P. E. Eivengood.
MID-YEAR MEETING.
Allegany County Teachers’ Asso
ciation.
The event forecast in heading and
sub-heading is scheduled for Friday,
February sth, in the State Normal
School Building.
This meeting is anticipated with
great interest by the county teachers,
inasmuch as the purpose especially
includes the discussion of ideas, plans,
etc., for the practical promotion of
mutual success by pupils and teach
ers.
The program, not quite completed,
is one of many entertaining and in
structive attractions, not the least of
the numbers being an address by Dr.
Waitman Barbe, director of the sum
mer school of the West Virginia Uni
versity, Morgantown, and senior tutor
of the Department of English, of that
great institution.
Prof. John E. Edwards, county su
perintendent, always entertaining and
instructive, will also favor the teach
ers with a profitable address, stated
from the standpoint of one who knows
the excellencies and eligibilities of
each. In fact, the Association is a
school of pupils whose principal is the
genial, competent and graceful Pro
fessor John E. Edwards.
Mayor George Stern is also num
bered.for an address on some phase of
educational work as viewed from a
business outlook, and as the Mayor is
a graduate from both schools, his
views will be of interest and profit.
Accompaniments will comprise ele
gant musical numbers by Miss Marie
Ehm, violinist; Miss Ernestine V.
Wittig, soprano, and Rev. P. G. Saf
fran, N. T. Hocking and Misses Elsie
Dando and Wittig, quartette.
Mrs. Mary J. Rank, principal of the
Grahamton Public School, and Pres
ident of the Association, will occupy
the chair.
Miss McCann Was Missed.
Miss-May McCann, one of the most
popular clerks of the town, considered
almost indispensable by her employ
ers, The Hitchins Bros. Company,
was greatly missed at the big, busy
store during the last few weeks. Her
absence was due to being at home
ministering to a very sick mother.
The Spirit is glad to note that the
mother is convalescing and that Miss
May is again able to be attending to
her duties at the store, where she is a
favorite with everybody.