MARY BRASWELL: Vagrancy was a problem all across Georgia in 1901, even though some jobs paid $1 per day.

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].

From the pages of the fall 1901 issues of The Albany Herald came news from all over Southwest Georgia. Here are some of the more interesting tidbits.

—A good deal of sugar cane was being marketed in Albany, though the product was usually not at its best until it was nipped a time or two by frost. The unusually large crop and its juiciness were attributed to the abundance of rain.

— Mrs. F.A. Vanvickle of Baconton expressed the desire to sell her home on Residence Street. The 3/4-acre lot had a house, barn, stable, cow shed and harness house. An asking price was not listed.

— Rosenberg Brothers had 50-cent girdle corsets on special for 46 cents.

— An artesian well was dug in Newton with hopes of ample water soon. The first shovel of dirt for the new well was removed by 4-year-old Nell Short.

— Terrell and Lee counties were perplexed by the great number of recent hog deaths.

— At a depth of 900 feet, Albanians believed the new city well had struck oil. While there was no clear answer as to what the “gunk” was, it clearly turned out to not be a gusher.

— A huge fire broke out in Doerun. Losses included a saloon, a law office, a livery stable and a few other buildings. An estimated total loss of property was $7,000, with only about $4,500 worth of insurance coverage.

— A torrential hour-long downpour did much damage to the cotton crops in and around Dougherty County. Fields were badly washed and open cotton was knocked from the bolls and beaten to the ground.

— News from Atlanta reported that the state’s budget had a deficiency of $56,888.

— Dougherty County once again delivered the first bale of hay of the season to the warehouse in Savannah.

— The slate for the roof of Albany’s new Methodist Church arrived and workers began the task of installation.

— Work was ongoing at the construction site of Albany’s new electrical plant. One delay was had when a shipment of cypress poles for stringing wire was rejected as not being the best quality.

— Mock & Rawson received a “tremendous” shipment of Henry Clay Flour. The price per barrel was $5 while a 24-pound sack could be purchased for just 24 cents.

— R.D. Carnes, a former Albany resident, was appointed agent of the O & L Railway in Ocilla, making his home in Tifton.

— Wesleyan Female College in Macon was recruiting only the finest female students for enrollment. The curriculum included art, music, elocution and more. A year’s tuition including room, meals and laundry was $200.

— A new fireproof warehouse erected by F.F. Putney was opened for business.

— What was expected to be a great baseball game turned out to be one of the “poorest seen in several seasons.” Albany defeated Sylvester 17-5.

— The October term of Dougherty Country’s Superior Court saw only four criminal cases. The number for a term was sometimes as high as 25.

—The Ladies’ Memorial Association of Albany announced that the newly erected Confederate Monument would be unveiled on Thanksgiving Day.

— As one cost-cutting measure, Americus announced the city would cut off half of the city street lights. It was hoped this would be a temporary cessation.

— Although turkey season was still a few weeks off, farmers in west Dougherty County reported an abundance of the birds just waiting for the gunfire.

— A recipe for ridding a room of the sewer smell: Put some ground coffee on a shovel with a bit of camphor gum in the middle. Ignite the non-explosive gum with a match and allow the mixture to burn. A sanitary and refreshing perfume will be the result.

— Mock & Rawson offered can refills of Wesson Oil for 20 cents.

— Seven prisoners escaped from the Cordele jail by cutting through the brick with a 40-penny nail. Serving 30-day sentences, the convicts spent their days on street work and took turns at night chiseling away at the jail wall bricks.

— Opera season was under way in Albany. Under the management of T.D. Sale, the Sale-Davis Opera House had bookings from Sept. 21, 1901, all the way through March 5, 1902.

— A reminder to housewives was that when finished with the latest Albany Herald, the paper could be used to scrub stains from the cooking range as well as to wrap ice.

— The Albany Herald published an “Extra 5 o’clock p.m. Edition” on Sept. 6. The cause for the added press was the shooting of President William McKinley by “an insane man.” The man was reported to have been shaking hands with the president when he pulled a pistol and fired twice.

— The Hebrew congregation of Albany was readying for opening the doors of the newly renovated temple.

— Banks in Americus were complaining about the surplus of gold in the city. Stacks of gold coins were being used to pay for cotton, but merchants preferred silver or bills, making it troublesome for farmers to spend their income.

QUIK QUIZ answer: (a) $200 per year