Newspaper Archives

Contributed by Emily Petroskey

Article Excerpts

• Golden Jubilee (1)
  • Last Monday night at 8 o’clock the Knights of Pythias of No. 63 entertained at a banquet to celebrate the Golden Jubilee, the 50^th anniversary of the order
  • They met in the castle hall where ceremonies were conducted by Chancellor CommanderW. Thornler and his brother officers, and guests were lectured on the origin and teachings of the order, including the significance of the colors, blue yellow and red as symbols of friendship, charity and benevolence.
  • After the ceremonies they went to the Hotel Walton for a banquet.  The dining room was decorated in Pythian colors and red poppies, violets and vases of jonquils were scattered throughout the room.
  • After the feast was served in several courses, speeches began.  Mr. Thornber was toastmaster.  Mr. Storrs gave the first speech on the history of the order, focusing on its distinctly American past, having formed after the civil war to heal the wounds of bitterness caused by the conflict.  Messrs. D.S. Gillis, Kenneth Bruce and Rev. S. J. Catts also spoke.
• Life Certificate (1)
  • Miss. Myrtle Warren has been grated a state life certificate by the State Board of Education.
  • A Life Certificate enables the honoree to teach at any Florida school without requiring further examination.
  • Miss. Warren’s is the 100^th certificate issued since the practice began in 1894, and the third certificate given to a Walton county teacher, the first two belonging to Miss. Chrissie Gillis and Prof. Neal of the High School.
• The Speaking  (1)
  • Organizer John A. Curry of Texas and Capt. Eric Von Axelson and other Socialists of Walton County visited DeFuniak Monday.
  • Mr. Curry spoke at the courthouse at 8 o’clock.
  • Due to the Knights of Pythias celebration taking place the same night, the turnout was smaller than it might have been, but those in attendance were well entertained by Mr. Curry’s speech on the subject of Socialism.  He will be returning again to deliver another address.
• Died (1)
  • Mr. A. M. Chapman of Chapel Hill, SC, father of Rev. Thomas Chapman of this city, died Sunday.
  • Mr. Chapman spent the winter here with the family of his son three years ago.
  • Rev. Chapman was holding services at Florala when notified of his father’s death.
• Free Lecture (1)
  • A free lecture, “The Message of the Hour,” by C.A. Wise of Indianapolis, Ind., to be held at the Star Theater at 3:00 PM Sunday, March 1^st.  All are invited and should bring a friend.
• $2,000 Bond (2)
  • Candidates for the Office of County Commissioner must qualify in a certified bond of two thousand dollars for the proper discharge of the duties of the office.  This high sum isn’t easily obtained by just anyone who feels the calling to run, and is intended to create a board of county commissioner composed of good solid men.
  • Each county commissioner must be voted for by the county at large.
• From Mr. McSween (2)
  • To all Voters (Gentlemen) of Walton County, Florida:
  • The last primary election law adopted by the legislature known as the Bryan Primary Law is greatly misunderstood by political parties and the general population.
  • The law provides that any party polling 5% of all the votes cast constitutes a political party.
  • The Democratic Party, the Republican Party, the Bull-Moose Party and the Socialist Party are the parties that qualified.
  • There will be one primary election held for all these political parties at the same time and place, which county commissioners will decide.  This is not a Democratic primary, it is a primary for all political parties paid for by the public.
  • Any political party failing to nominate its ticket in this primary election cannot get its ticket for the general election by nomination
  • The gentlemen of other political parties should go work with their own party and build it up, let the people know what the party stands for.
  • The Democrats have sins enough of their own without being responsible for other political parties, as it has been in the past.  No one but those who voted the Democratic ticket at the last election will be allowed to vote a Democratic ticket in the next primary.
  • The Democrats propose to do the best for the people they can and not impose on your parties.
  • John C. McSween, Chairman Democratic Committee
• Chautauqua (2)
  • The 1914 Annual Session Opened Last Night
  • Good Audience Despite Threatening Aspect of Weather
  • The 29^th annual session of the Florida Chautauqua opened last night to good attendance despite the inclemency of the weather, which was most likely the worst ever for an opening night.
  • Mayor Gillis delivered an address of welcome, followed by brief addresses from Rev. Lynn R. Walker, president of Palmer College, and Superintendent Kenneth Bruce.
  • The speeches were interspersed with selections from the orchestra, impersonations by Miss. Lahrmer and vocal selections by Mr. & Mrs. Hinchliff
  • The evening programs begin strictly on time, as the editor learned last night when he was 10 minutes late and missed the Mayor’s speech.
  • Everyone should be buying tickets and telling everyone else to buy tickets, which is a good business decision and the right thing to do.  The men of DeFuniak are responsible for making up the difference between the sale of tickets and $4,000.  This should be considered before making negative comments about the institution that “made” DeFuniak.
  • Pomahasika was supposed to appear next Saturday, but has died and his place on the program will have to be filled in with some other attraction.
• Revival Closed (2)
  • The revival services at the Presbyterian Church finished last Sunday evening.
  • Evangelist Rev. Dr. Richardson of Nashville worked hard and forty people joined the church.
  • On the last day around $7,000 was pledged to enlarge and improve the church building.  Though plans haven’t been adopted officially, a Sunday school room and other additions will probably be made to the church building.
  • Rev. Robert Stuart Saunders resigned, so Dr. Richardson has been engaged as evangelist for this Presbytery, and the revival was the first work he has done since taking the position.
• Constitution of Florida A Farce (2)
  • Editor Storrs reports the supreme court passed on the Walton County Road Law.
  • J.F. Richbourg believes that the court has ruled on an unconstitutional law, and must have been drunk on bad whiskey or have the spirit of a monarch.
  • The constitution on this point is only a referendum. Advertise a local law sixty days so the people can acquiesce or reject it.
  • He has taken an oath to uphold the constitution, and the higher court by extension, but if they are right, the constitution is a farce and he is wrong, otherwise he is right and they are wrong.
  • Richbourg promises to abide by the constitution, regardless of what men say.
  • “Let us prosecute but never persecute.”
• Unveiling (2)
  • Local Woodmen and the sovereigns of neighboring camps, as well as the general public, are invited to attend the unveiling of the monument to the memory of Sovereign P. W. Richardson at the DeFuniak Cemetery at 2:30 PM on Sunday March 8^th.
• Church Directory (2)
  • Lists events and times for the Methodist Church, Baptist Church, Presbyterian Church, Universalist Church, and Episcopal Church
• Apportionment of Funds (3)
  • Made under Section 24, Chapter 4322 Laws of Florida 1895 shoing the amount of taxes charged to the Tax Collector of Walton County, Florida to be collected for the years of 1911, 1912, and 1913
• Statement (3)
  • Statement of the condition of the Cawthon State Bank of DeFuniak Springs, FL at the close of business February 11^th, 1914, as condensed from the Bank Examiner’s report
• What Mapoles Will Advocate if Re-Elected (4)
  • If re-elected, W.J. Mapoles will try to appeal the road law of Walton County, which passed over his objections, and instead favor the general rad law of 1913, which allows County Commissioners to control road work and eliminate the use of boys under age 21 to work the roads.
  • He believes voters should have the right to nominate the county commissioners, but advocates the law providing they are nominated by voters of a district should be repealed, because the decisions of the commissioners affect the whole county.  He also believes commissioners should be residents of their districts.
  • Mapoles thinks State taxes should come from the public service corporations and from licenses.  County taxes should be raised by assessment of the property of the people in each county.  This eliminates the practice of paying property taxes to both the state and county.  The bill separating the two only lacked a few votes in the last session.
  • Public officials should be given salaries, rather than basing wages on the fee system, which incentivizes petty offenses at the taxpayers expense.
  • Mapoles promises to try to repeal the Bryan Primary Bill, which passed despite his protests, and he calls it the worst bill ever passed in the state.
  • He will try to repeal the game law and instead prohibit the killing of any kind of game for at least two years.
  • He reminds voters to participate in the Primary of June 2, 1914, and tells them if they are registered as Democrats they can’t vote for him.
• Craps (4)
  • Mr. Jeff Anderson discovered a group of juvenile crap-shooters while walking in the old Woods pasture.  He thinks that if he chose to reveal their identities, their parents would be surprised to know what their boys do on Sundays

Contributed by Emily Petroskey

Article Excerpts

• All-The Year Schools (1)
  • Philander P. Claxton, United States Commissioner of Education, believes closing the schools during the summer is a waste of billions of dollars and is a primitive and outdated practice kept alive by tradition
  • He believes that a true “continuance school” will be more of “a direct play time, with vocational culture, physical training, school gardens, directed reading, singing, folk dancing, …(illegible)… lively drills in spelling and mental arithmetic.  Courses of brief lectures on hygiene, civil government, current events and in many schools moving pictures will be used.”
  • Miami Metropolis Article
• For Handicapped Women (1)
  • Great strides have been made in caring for people with physical handicaps, but attention needs to now be given to women who are handicapped by circumstance rather than physical disability.
  • Women who must support themselves due to extenuating circumstances struggle to find work, often because of age and lack of skill.
  • The Women’s Educational and Industrial Union of Boston is an organization working to help women who have skills apply them to various jobs so they can make an independent living.
  • Youth’s Companion Article
• Local Blurbs (2)
  • Hon. Bill Mapoles was in the Southeastern portion of the county the first of the week, Messrs. James A. McLean and P.A. Gillis in the northwest and James A. Clary in DeFuniak
  • Mr. & Mrs. Henry Henderson from the northern end of the county visited DeFuniak Monday and stopped by the Herald.  Henry changed the subject when asked about any political participation this year.
  • Mr. P.A. Gillis will be running for re-election as Tax Assessor, and has made a competent official and promises his best service
  • Mr. James A McLean will be running for Tax Collector, and has a record to recommend him.
  • Judge Porter of Grand Ridge was here Tuesday to attend the trustee’s meeting of Palmer College
  • A cement gutter is being built along the north side of Baldwin Avenue.  This is one of the many changes to DeFuniak’s streets in the past five years, and it is difficult for some to understand how people ever made it through the sand.
  • A band of wandering musicians playing an accordion, a bass guitar and an instrument similar to a fife passed through the first of the week.
  • The socialists of Walton county began campaigning in Laurel Hill last night.  State Organizer John A. Curry spoke, and will be in DeFuniak Monday night.  The Herald speculates their campaign will be aided by fake democrats who have been secretly sabotaging the Democratic party for years.  The Herald urges Democrats to register now.
  • Editor Mapoles of the Laurel Hill News and Editor Storrs of the DeFuniak Breeze are accusing each other of being the biggest liar.  The Herald editor shames them for their bickering and suggests they put it to a vote.
  • Chatauqua begins next Wednesday and everyone should attend to show their support for an institution that has greatly benefitted DeFuniak and West Florida.
• Post Office Buildings (2)
  • Reprint of an editorial by George Fitch in the New Orleans Daily States, of interest to DeFuniak because a new post office is expected to be built soon.
  • Fitch believes the United States Government spends extravagant sums of money to build post offices around the country, and the finished building is never near as grand or practical as the apportionment sums would indicate.  The same amount spent on a private building would be a grand structure, but when spent building a post office often results in a “modest coop.”
  • The buildings come in different and often displeasing designs, but the one detail they have in common is their location in remote areas away from the business district.
• Tax Deeds May Be Void (2)
  • A court case in the Supreme Court of Florida will decide whether or not tax deeds issued since 1907 are void because of technicalities.  The case specifically applies to Duval County, but the same errors have most likely been made in every county.
  • The court case in Duval declared that the tax sale was not properly advertised; County commissioners didn’t decide on a newspaper to print the tax list at the beginning of the year.  Also the court “held that five consecutive weeks meant not only a publication of five weeks but that there must intervene between the first date of publication and the day on which the lands are sold 35 days.
  • In this case the list was published 5 times but there were not 35 days intervening so the tax deed issued was void.
  • Miami Metropolis Article
• Apportionment of Funds (3)
  • Made under Section 24, Chapter 4322 Laws of Florida 1895 shoing the amount of taxes charged to the Tax Collector of Walton County, Florida to be collected for the years of 1911, 1912, and 1913
• Statement (3)
  • Statement of the condition of the Cawthon State Bank of DeFuniak Springs, FL at the close of business February 11^th, 1914, as condensed from the Bank Examiner’s report
• Church Directory (4)
  • Lists events and times for the Methodist Church, Baptist Church, Presbyterian Church, Universalist Church, and Episcopal Church

Contributed by Emily Petroskey

Article Excerpts

• How Weather Forecasts are made in the U.S. (1)
  • Not a mysterious/occult process, no readings of planets and moon
  • Very businesslike, just as a business man can calculate the arrival of an order from a foreign country, forecasters track the progress and rate of storms and weather heading towards the U.S. from foreign countries
  • Unexpected conditions delay or change storms, just as they might change the arrival date of a businessman’s order
  • To monitor the progress of a cold wave, the Weather Bureau must monitor reports from various countries
  • Flood forecasts are made in a similar way, by tracking rainfall through reports from local observers at the head waters of streams to calculate what levels will be when they reach a main channel.
• Palmer Notes (1)
  • Mr. Bruce began his course of literary lectures at the college last Wednesday on “What to Read and How to Read”
  • Mr. Ross Helm is the new baseball coach
  • Rev. S. Catts conducted chapel services one day last week
  • Mr. Walker conducted his usual Bible class last Wednesday
  • The College Club gave an oyster supper in McCaskill Hall last Saturday night for the benefit of athletics
  • The two literary societies will meet next Saturday at their prospective halls.  At the last meeting new officers were elected
  • Mr. Jordan’s music students gave a recital Tuesday evening
• Golden Jubilee (1)
  • The local lodge, Knights of Pythias, will celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the order on the evening of the 23^rd with a banquet at the Hotel Walton.
  • All KPs, visiting KPs and ex KPs are requested to register at Murray’s Restaurant or the First National Bank so invitations can be sent out.
• An Unusual Service (1)
  • Sunday morning at the Methodist Church, there will be an installation of Officers
  • Special music will be rendered and all members are encouraged to be present.
• Tainted Money (1)
  • The Herald refused advertising money from whiskey interests, despite the desperate need for the money
• Two New Ones (2)
  • Hon. W.H. Mapoles is running for representative of Walton County, he is well-known, and represented Walton County in the last session of the legislature
  • Mr. Samuel J. McCall is running for Treasurer.  He is a former DeFuniak resident and the son of Mr. & Mr. J.A. McCall, and is a strong candidate
• Stung (2)
  • An “emissary of the evil one” accused The Herald of being the only man who could beat Bill Mapoles in the election.
  • The Herald Editor declares he has no interest in influencing politics and would be a failure as a candidate
• Who is He? (2)
  • The last issue of the Laurel Hill news mentioned that the “sorriest and least respected man in Walton County” was in Laurel Hill on Friday night, but failed to name him
  • The Herald questions his identity; Walter Matthews, Tom King, Billy Jones and the Herald Editor have all been accused of being in Laurel Hill on Friday
  • The editor requests that Brother Mapoles clear up the issue
• Letter From Florida (2)
  • To the Editor of the Putnam (W. Va.) Leader
  • Letter describes the beauty of DeFuniak Springs and surrounding areas, including the lake and its dimensions, and the nature surrounding the Twin Lakes
  • Local Industries mentioned are the Turpentine and Lumber industries, the area produces pears, peaches, oranges, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, grapes and corn
  • L & N Railroad runs through the town, though the writer believes its shipping capabilities have not yet been fully realized, especially as far as the raising and shipping of melons and sweet potatoes are concerned.
  • The climate is warm and dry, though cooled by a breeze due to the high altitude. 2-3 crops grown per year.
  • Livestock is mostly free range and of the common sort
  • The residents are from diverse origins, and include “a great many coloured people but they seem to know their place and stay in it.”
  • A tract of 25 acres of farmland within 1 mile of town is currently selling at an asking price of $125
  • Letter written by L.A. Pittsford
• Boy Scouts (2)
  • The Boy Scout movement has taken hold in DeFuniak Springs
  • Last Wednesday’s meeting added 6 members, bring the total to 16 plus the scout master
  • Frank Simmons is Assistant Scout Master, Clifford Meigs is patrol leader, and Joseph Walker is corporal.
  • Boy Scouts is intended to give an outlet for the savage elements/spirited natures of boys
  • Boy Scouts teaches boys teamwork, honesty, loyalty, obedience, how to have fun without hurting themselves or others, what reading material is appropriate
  • Activities include hikes in warmer weather, building fires and open cooking, learning about poisonous shrubs, and how to navigate the woods without a compass
  • Judge Edward Porters Field of the Kansas City Juveniles Court recommends participation in Boy Scouts to keep boys out of rough gangs and appearing in court; to date he claims he has never had a Boy Scout in his court.
• Revival Services (2)
  • Rev. William H. Richardson D.D. will conduct revival services at the Presbyterian Church, he is an evangelist from Nashville, Tennessee
  • Rev. C.S. Tally, pastor of the Methodist Church will preach services Thursday night to begin the revival
  • Richardson is expected to arrive Friday morning and preach his first sermon Friday night
  • Lynn R. Walker, pastor, extends an invitation to everyone
• Five Mules Killed (2)
  • The storm last Friday morning blew down the fire bell tower at the east end of the freight depot, which fell across and brought down electric light wires.  Contact with the wires instantly killed five mules.
  • All were dray mules, 4 belonged to Wester & Jeffries, and one to Perdue & McDonald