MARY BRASWELL: Looking back at the fall of 1912

In the fall of 1912, America’s flag had 48 stars, with the addition of Arizona and New Mexico. Here is a look back at local and state news through the pages of the October 1912 Albany Herald.

— Frank Walker, the proprietor of the Marble Hill Saloon on Pine Avenue, was arrested for running a blind tiger in violation of the Prohibition law.

— A.E. Ittner was awarded the contract to build a new one-story building for the Southern Express Co. The building face was red brick and the floors were cement with built-in drains to handle the cleaning of fresh fish. The total cost of the 30-by-87-foot structure was budgeted at $7,000.

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QUIK QUIZ

The U.S. population was around 95 million in 1912. Nationwide, how many murders were reported?

a) 230

b) 445

c) 689

d) 962

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— On the first day of October at 7:30 p.m., the lights in Broad Street’s new “White Way” were turned on.

— With the increased number of fifth-grade students in Albany, it was necessary to hire a second teacher. Students in that grade level for the new year reached 60.

— Cotton ginning reports up to the first of October stated Georgia was responsible for 273,086 bales of the 3,015,033 bales from this state, Texas, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida.

— Six black men in Fulton County were under guard by 150 soldiers as they awaited trial. The men were charged with criminal assault on two white women, one of whom died. Fulton County officials were doing all that was possible to avoid a lynching.

— The Rest Room Committee of the Women’s Club announced that plans to move the rest room near the banks of the Flint River had been abandoned. Currently women “rested” on the fourth floor of the Davis-Exchange Building. Although not the most convenient location, it was decided that the plans to move the facility would put it too close to the city barracks, which often housed rowdy drunks.

— The Albany City Council voted to donate $10 per month to the Salvation Army. It was understood that the county would do likewise.

— Dougherty County grand jurors related the belief on only one solution to the social evil of the “red light district” in Albany. It was recommended that the chief of police close down all such establishments of social depravity, much as the police chief in Atlanta had done. In the likely event that new places pop up, those should be immediately shut down. It was believed that with such police activity, the women would take their trade elsewhere.

— Albany Laundry Company had a new way to handle men’s collars. The process was as follows: “We mould them into shape while still wet, leave an ‘easy-slip’ tie space and finish the top without friction.”

— Carter & Reid at 205 Broad St. had 200 men’s wool suits for the low price of $15 each. All suits were from the fall line of designs for 1912.

— The National Cash Register Company of Dayton, Ohio, opened an office at the New Albany Hotel. Machines ranged in price from $20 to $790. The largest included a hardwood cabinet with nine drawers.

— Arriving in Albany on Oct. 10 was the Ringling Bros Circus. The show included 85 train car loads of equipment, performers and animals. Among the favorites were 300 dancing girls, 600 horses and 40 elephants. Tickets for all shows, all ages were 50 cents.

— A large number of street signs arrived in the city. The enamel signs had Albany street names in white on a blue background.

— After a study of ice prices in other cities and the idea of building a municipal ice plant to compete with Albany’s one and only privately owned facility, the supplier agreed to lower his prices, a move made, no doubt, to prevent such competition.

— Bargain Week at Rosenberg’s included dress goods (sewing fabric) at reduced prices. Included by-the-yard specials were silks, taffeta, wool albatross, cotton suiting and percales. Prices per yard ranged from 15-45-cents.

— Well before the term “murder-suicide” was widely used, a cashier for the Bank of Adel was shot in the eye by his wife after which she killed herself with a bullet to the brain. Friends, neighbors and family could offer no explanation for this horrible event. The bodies were discovered in the couple’s bedroom by their 6-year-old son.

— Mitchell County Boys’ Corn Club held its first ever show. The top yield was 80 bushels, 35 pounds.

— Notice was given that the Pullman sleeper operating between Albany and Savannah would be immediately discontinued.

— A Miller County man, charged with illicit distilling, was sentenced by the judge to return home. The man had been married for 17 years and was the father of 23 children, 18 of whom still lived at home. The exact words of the judge were, “I sentence you to go back home and take care of these 18 children. I think that is about the worst punishment I could inflict upon you.”

A hodgepodge of 1912 trivia

—Although many attended medical schools, 90 percent of America’s physicians had no college degree.

— There was no Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

— Life expectancy for women was 51.8 years and for men, 48.4 years.

— Only 6 percent of America’s population were high school graduates.

— There had never been a world war.

— The population of Las Vegas, Nev., was 30.

— Whitman’s Sampler was created, and it remains America’s best-selling box of chocolates.

— L.L. Bean began doing business. The company’s first product was waterproof boots called Maine Hunting Shoes.

— Marijuana, heroin and morphine were all available over the counter at the neighborhood drug store. According to one pharmacist, “Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health.”

QUIK QUIZANSWER: a) 230

Each week Albany Herald researcher Mary Braswell looks for interesting events, places and people from the past. You can contact her at (229) 888-9371 or [email protected]. Follow @ABH_MBraswell on Twitter