Saturday, April 14, 2012

Fire destroys Augusta house

This story was published by the Ypsilanti Daily Press on Thursday, April 14, 1932.

Loss estimated at more than $5,000 resulted this morning at 7:30 when the residence of Henry Brooks in Augusta Township, two miles southwest of the Lincoln Consolidated School, was destroyed by fire.

The blaze, which is believed to have resulted from a defective chimney in the kitchen, was not discovered until it had gained rapid headway. Volunteers succeeded in carrying furnishings on the first floor to safety, but all contents on the second floor were burned.

The residence was a landmark of Augusta Township being erected nearly 100 years ago. The loss was covered by insurance.

Old landmark will go

This story was published by The Ypsilanti Daily Press on Saturday, April 13, 1912.

George Jackson of this city has bought and is demolishing the Swaine malt house on East Forest Avenue, proposing to build with the bricks two modern dwellings on the site. The front past of this structure was the old Peck school house, named after the Peck family who were among the earliest settlers of Ypsilanti. The Peck family has in its possession a grant signed by President John Quincy Adams and East Forest Avenue once bore the name of Peck Street.

Many residents seem to feel that this building should not be demolished without first securing a picture of it for the archives of the D. A. R.

Tries to take life

This story was published in the Ypsilanti Daily Press on Friday, April 12, 1912.

Mrs. Washnobe, wife of Ira Washnobe, and an unsuccessful attempt at taking her life by jumping into the river near Webster Bros. lumber yard Thursday afternoon. The timely assistance of workmen nearby and the shallowness of the water, however, prevented any fatal results. She gives domestic and financial trouble as her reason for making the attempt. Chief of Police Gage was called and sent the woman home with her son. She declared she would be better off than alive and would try it again when she would make sure work of it.

Mrs. Washnobe and her husband occupy a small shanty near the pest house south of the city and their married life has not been a particularly happy one. They have five children and the husband had been out of work for some time until a short time ago.

Hangs himself in barn

This story was published by The Ypsilanti Daily Press on Wednesday, April 10, 1912.

Frank Reese, who was arrested Saturday for an alleged statutory offense against the six year old daughter of William Guenthtr, hanged himself in Guenthtr barn, one mile north of Mooreville, at an early hour this morning.

Reese was 40 and single, had worked for Guenther for over a year and had been there since his arrest. He was out on bail and was to have had his examination before Judge Ford on Friday.

Friday, April 6, 2012

Ham, eggs lost in Kroger theft

This story was published by the Ypsilanti Daily Press on Wednesday, April 7, 1934.

Ham and eggs featured a burglary in the Kroger Store, E. Cross St., early this morning when an intruder took the meat and broke a large number of eggs. Flour and suger may also have been taken, according to John J. Knapp, manager. The safe was not touched.

Entrance was gained by forcing the back door with a heavy instrument which may have been a sledge hammer. Chief of Police Ralph L. Southard and Sergt. Cyril Ray investigated. The door was demolished and an inside door was also forced open.

The eggs were broken by bottles being knocked over on the crates when the inside door was opened.

The burglars were apparently frightened away by the approach of William Ropak, Detroit driver of a Kroger truck. The men, the driver believed, left in a large sedan. State police are assisting in the search for the car.

James W. Sweet is attacked by bull and killed

This story was published by The Daily Ypsilanti Press on April 6, 1922.

James W. Sweet, 68, residing on a farm in the southeastern section of Ypsilanti Township, and a brother of Mrs. D. L. Davis of Ypsilanti, was killed late yesterday afternoon when he was attacked by a bull, owned by a neighbor to whose farm he had gone on an errand. The bull had trampled the body breaking several bones.

Just when the tragedy occurred and how Mr. Sweet happened to go into the pen where the bull was kept is not known. According to members of the Sweet family, Mr. Sweet left home about three o’clock yesterday afternoon to go to the Horace Aray farm, located nearby. Mr. Aray owns a bull which he keeps in an inclosure near his barns, and it was in this pen that Mr. Sweet that Mr. Sweet’s body was found shortly after six o’clock last evening. He had not been seen by any members of the Aray family up to that time.

Friends, in discussing the untimely death, say they believe that upon reaching the Aray farm, Mr. Sweet went to the bull pen to look at the animal. Why he entered the pen is entirely speculative, but it is believed that soon after he entered the bull attacked him, knocked him to the ground and then trampled on his body.

Mr. Sweet was not missed until about five o’clock when he failed to return to his home for supper. A search was instigated and resulted in discovery of the tragedy. The body was brought to Ypsilanti.

Mr. Sweet was a prominent resident of his community and had many friends here. Funeral services are to be held from the family home at one o’clock Saturday morning and burial will be in Udell Cemetery.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

James Wardle takes own life here this A. M.

This story was published by The Ypsilanti Daily Press on Wednesday, April 5, 1922.

Despondency brought on by several days’ illness is believed to have caused James Wardle, 70, to take his own life by hanging in a barn at the rear of his son’s home, 126 North Huron Street, early this morning. The body was found hanging from rafter in the basement of the barn about 8:30 today by William Boutell, rural mail carrier who had gone to get his horse which he keeps there. He notified police.

By strange co-incidence this is the same barn in which Harrison Fairchild, well known Ypsilanti man, ended his life by hanging a little over four years ago.

Mr. Wardle, who for many years lived in the vicinity of Oakville, was well known in Ypsilanti, and for some time past had made his home in rooms in the Post block at 17 North Huron Street. He was the father of Waldo Wardle, well known rural mail carrier.

According to the son, Mr. Wardle had not been feeling well for a week or ten days, although he had not been confined to bed. He had complained little and had never made a threat of taking his own life. Mr. Wardle said to stopped at his father’s rooms about seven o’clock this morning, while he was enroute to work, and that his father appeared to be in god sprits and feeling somewhat improved.

Less than tow hours later when Boutell entered the Wardle barn, he found the aged man hanging from a rafter.

A coroner’s inquest was deemed unnecessary.

Besides his wife, four children survive. Waldo of Ypsilanti; Roy , Minneapolis, Minn,; Jay, North Yahoma, Wash,; Mrs. Belle Hasley, Maybee.

No arrangements for the funeral have yet been made.

Ask protection against roller skate practice

This story was published by The Daily Ypsilanti Press on Friday, April 5, 1912.

Now that the weather is warmer so practice of roller skating on the sidewalks is being taken up extensively again by children, in the daytime and older people, in the evening, complaints are being received by the officers against the practice which in many cases violates city ordinances.

No skating should be allowed according to an ordinance in the business section and there should be no coasting on skates. Pedestrians complain that they are endangered by skaters coasting down the hill on Cross, Congress and Pearl streets and ask that this custom should be stopped.

Notice has been issued by local officers warning skaters to comply with the restrictions, and threatening prosecutions for future violations.

A follow up to this story was published by The Ypsilanti Daily Press on Monday, April 8, 1912.

Run down by young skater

Mrs. Frank Austin was the victim Saturday of a roller skate fiend while she was out for a walk. She is recovering from a long illness and her condition made her unable to guard against a bad bump that she received.

The accident seemed due entirely to recklessness and although the skater who was a young man, failed to show enough courtesy to stop after Mrs. Austin had fallen, evidently believing he would escape recognition, his identity will probably be revealed easily enough when Mrs. Austin has determined what course she wishes to pursue in way of preventing another such accident.

The a matter has been reported to Chief Gage and he is accordingly issuing more notices today, warning skaters to keep off from the walks in the business district and also calling attention to the civil ordinance forbidding coasting in the city.

Fire stars from chimney

This story was published by The Daily Ypsilanti Press on Thursday, April 4, 1912.

A spark from the chimney caused a fire which damaged the residence of Mrs. Ann Stewart at 611 Ellis Street (Washtenaw) to the amount of $400 this morning at 9 o’clock.

The first intimation that Mrs. Stewart had that her house was on fire was when the neighbors noticed the blaze on the roof and came and told her. A large hole was burned in the roof near the chimney and down into the attic before the flames were checked. The arrival of the fire department with their chemicals soon had the fire under control and prevented further damage. Considerable damage, however, was caused by the water which ran through from the roof into the rooms below.