100 Years Ago Today:. Jan 29, 1905by Brandon Woolum
Huntington News Network Writer
Huntington (HNN) — The most severe cold that Huntington has known for three years prevailed in this city today, and the prospect is that there will be yet a greater drop in the thermometer tonight. The cold will probably continue throughout tomorrow, but by Friday, it will begin to moderate.
According to the record kept by Lon. H. Hutchinson, government weather observer, with a registered thermometer, the coldest point reached today was at eight o’clock this morning, when the thermometer registered exactly zero.
Several thermometers about town showed a lower mark than this, but zero is the lowest official mark. About eight o’clock, the temperature moderated slightly until noon, when the thermometer registered six above zero. After this it began to fall, but was still above zero at three o’clock this afternoon.
The cold wave has been accompanied by a heavy wind which added to the rigor of the weather and also by a slight fall of fine snow. The record of the temperature here kept by Mr. Hutchinson shows that it is by several degrees the coldest weather in three years.
In 1904 the coldest days were upon January 2nd and January 5th upon both of which days the temperature was six degrees above zero. In 1902, the lowest temperature was eight degrees above zero, which was upon the 12th of January.
The severe cold, and especially the biting wind, have kept nearly everyone from the streets, which have been practically deserted during the day.
Aside form the suffering that was caused the general public by the gas shortage, the cold weather has occasioned a great deal of suffering among the poorer classes, especially those living along the river band, and throughout the day, the office of the overseer of the poor has been thronged with those seeking aid from the city.
The cold too has practically paralyzed the retail business, the stores being almost deserted, save by the clerks. The drop in the temperature was very sudden, there being a fail of over thirty degrees during the night.
Bedford, Ind – Mrs. Cook, the divorced wife of Elmer Browning, continued today telling what she says Browning told her of the murder. She said they wanted to get a letter from Miss Schaffer. Browning attacked her with two stones. Evans dragged her into the alley. They left Evans’ bloody clothes at Browning’s house.
Browning put them in the barn and afterward brought them to the witness to burn. She kept the clothing and it was produced in court. There were three handkerchiefs with them, one which was said to have been taken from Miss Shaffer.
The witness said Evans’ brother offered her two hundred and fifty dollars to leave the state. The stone used to kill Miss Schaffer was also produced in court. The witness said Browning told her Evans had given him a lot of money.
— Charley’s Creek Oil & Gas Company’s no. 3, will tap the pay sand today. Contractor Fout, drilling the Sarah Roberts No. 1, to the Berea grit, will tap the pay sand Saturday.
The McCoach Oil & Gas Company in Culloden district, is making good progress at drilling, having cased through the Big Injun, and will soon reach the pay in the Beres.
The Buena Oil & Gas Company’s No. 1, T. A. Swan, being drilled, to Berea by Contractor Ferguson, has been cased through the Big Injun. This is the well that was drilled at first by B. C. Slaughenaupt, and its completion is looked forward to with keen interest by oil men.
New York – W. H. Hunt, who was connected with the Pan-American Bank of Chicago, which closed its doors a few days ago, was arrested here on a charge of embezzlement. The arrest was made by request from Chicago, where he is charged with embezzling thirty-six thousand dollars. Hunt was held for extradition.
Chicago – The liabilities of the Pan-American Bank are forty-five thousand dollars, assets to the amount of three thousand dollars.
It has been discovered that within the last four-months twenty-five thousand dollars were withdrawn from Hunt’s private bank in New York and fifteen thousand dollars for a branch in Mexico.
The cashier has not yet been found.