1907 WB Record Almanac, Principal Happenings for 1906

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Principal Happenings in Luzerne County for the Year 1906

	The year 1906 was a prosperous one in Luzerne County.  Business interests 
were upset during the early part of this year by reason of the anxiety over the coal situation,
 until it was settled that there would be no strike, but what was lost at that time was gained 
by the business rush after the settlement of the trouble.  The time which the miners lost during
 the suspension was probably all made up by the more steady work during the remainder 
of the year.  If there had been no suspension early in the year it is likely that there would have 
been later, in order that the market might be relieved of the surplus coal.  Every line of industry 
experienced a boom.

	The record of capital crime was about the same as in previous years, there having
 been thirteen murders and one suspicious death, as against fourteen murders and three 
suspicious deaths in the previous year.

	One company of the State constabulary, authorized by the legislature of 1905, was
 stationed at Wyoming, and was quite active during the early part of the year while the mine 
suspension was on.  In a number of instances it was called upon to quell disturbances, and
 some conflicts with bodies of strike sympathizers took place.  This caused a great deal of 
excitement, and the labor element passed resolutions demanding the repeal of the law.  Later 
in the year the constabulary was called upon in cases of drunken riots among the foreigners 
and some quite serious clashes occurred.  The force was also used in attempting to rum down
 members of the alleged Black Hand organization.  Some arrests were made.

	The agents of the State Pure Food Department did some work in the county during
 the year.  A number of candy dealers in Wilkes-Barre and vicinity were arrested and fined on 
the charge of selling adulterated candy, and in September several Italian merchants were convicted
 of selling cottonseed oil for olive oil.  A few meat dealers were fined on the charge of selling
 impure products.  On Jan. 1, 1907 the federal pure food law goes into effect and the authorities
 will have a much wider scope than formerly.  Heretofore it has been impossible to arrest the
 manufacturer or wholesaler where impure food was sent into the State from another State.  
Consequently the retailer was arrested, and he in many instances was not aware of the fraud.  
Under the new law it will be possible for the federal officers to trace the adulterated article to the 
manufacturer, no matter in what State he resides, and call him to account.  The State will continue 
to have jurisdiction in the confines of the Commonwealth.  It is hoped that by joint action between
 the federal and the State authorities the manufacturers of impure food, drink and drugs will be 
confronted with a formidable crusade.

	There were no very serious mine accidents during the year.  The most important were
 one at No. 1 colliery of the Susquehanna Coal Co. at Nanticoke, in which six men were killed by 
an explosion of gas, one at the Buttonwood mine, in which four men were killed by an explosion 
of dynamite, and another at the Buttonwood killing four men by an explosion of gas.

	Ten men and boys were drowned during the summer while bathing.  During the previous 
year there were seven.

	A distressing accident occurred at Wanamie on July 4, when six boys were fatally injured
 by the explosion of a pipe into which dynamite had been placed.  When the dynamite failed to go off
 one of the boys tried to get it out, when it exploded.  Five of the boys were instantly killed and the 
other one died the next day.  They were between 10 and 16 years of age.

	During the early part of the year the court handed down an order to the effect that all divorce
 proceedings must be heard by masters, of whom a board of six was appointed, the hearings to be
 public and the applicant for divorce to pay $50 as preliminary costs.  The order was issued in the hope
 that it would result in lessening the number of applications.

	Some former Hanover Township school directors and tax collector were convicted during 
the year of fraud in connection with the collection of taxes and were sentenced to jail.  Mass meetings
 of citizens were held for the purpose of protecting themselves from graft.  

	Feb 23 the prison commissioners named Capt. James Bowman as jail warden, together 
with other jail officers and watchmen.  The appointments were not confirmed until July 25, at which
 time the appointees took their places.

	On account of the moderate winter and the difficulty in gathering an ice crop there was a 
short supply during the summer.  All of the local companies made a considerable increase in price, 
claiming that outside companies whose supply was even shorter, were making tempting offers for 
shipments.  The increase caused a great deal of dissatisfaction and there was talk of bringing 
proceedings against the management, but nothing was done.

	There was no flood during the year, there having been none of any account since the 
memorable inundation of 1904.  March 29 the river reached a height of seventeen and eight tenths
 feet and part of the flats was covered, but no damage was done.
	While the winter as a whole was moderate, there were some sharp cold spells.  Feb. 5
 the mercury in Wilkes-Barre registered nine degrees below zero and at Bear Creek thirteen degrees 
below.  Feb. 9 there was a fall of a foot and  a half of snow and trolley traffic was suspended.  March
 15 was quite blizzardy.  There was a foot of snow and traffic was again suspended on the trolley lines. 
 April 23 there was three inches of snow and a temperature of 33 degrees in Wilkes-Barre.  
The summer was one of the hottest in a number of years.  While the mercury did not reach an 
extraordinary maximum—the highest registration being 91 degrees—there were a number of 
days on which it reached above 90 in Wilkes-Barre.  July, August and September were marked 
by steady heat, broken with few cold spells.

	There was considerable controversy during the year over the allegation that jury bribing
 was being practiced in the county.  At the Board of Trade banquet Gen. Dougherty stated in his 
speech that the crime of jury fixing was being committed, and he cited one instance in the back 
room of a saloon.  Feb. 12 Judge Wheaton, speaking for the court, called upon the Taxpayers’ 
Association, which the previous year had offered rewards aggregating $5,000 for the arrest and 
conviction of any person or persons engaged in jury fixing, to state upon what ground it made the 
offers,--whether there was any tangible suspicion.  The court characterized the insinuation that
 there was jury fixing as a stigma upon the county.  That stigma should be removed if there was 
no foundation to it. 
	In April when a jury was being called in on of the Hanover Township conspiracy cases, 
some of the members of the panel of jurors stated that they had been approached and questioned 
as to their opinions in the cases.  Later another juror stated that he had been approached and 
attempts had been made to influence him in favor of the defendants.  This testimony created 
considerable stir and public opinion was inclined to the belief that the Taxpayers’ Association 
knew what it was about when the offer of rewards was made.
	May 28 Judge Halsey delivered a strong address on the crime of jury fixing and
 instructed the district attorney to inquire thoroughly into the allegations made and the evidence 
given by jurors in the Hanover Township cases.  Some arrests were made, but to the surprise
 of every one, the charges were ignored by the grand jury.
	Later in the year the district attorney heard intimation of an attempt to influence grand 
jurors while they were considering indictments in the Plains and Marcy townships fraudulent
 judgment cases.  The grand jury had found true bills against certain men, and the district attorney
 had the jury make a report to court immediately.

	Quite a sensation was created in September when four citizens were convicted in court 
of conspiracy and forgery in connection with fraudulent judgments in Plains and Marcy townships.  
It was shown that the transcripts of the judgments on the squire’s books were dated several years 
before the paper on which they were written was manufactured, and that the name of the squire had
 been forged.  One of the men was sentenced to four years and nine months, another to twenty-one 
months, another to the same, and the last to six months.  All of them were fined.
	Later in the year a sensation was created by a confession made by a justice of the peace
 that he with others had issued large numbers of fraudulent judgments.  He implicated some well known
 people.  The justice was arrested and sent to jail.  Others were to be tried.  Holders of judgments made 
haste to have them marked “satisfied” on the strength of the evidence of fraud.  Thus many thousands
 of dollars were saved to the townships.
	In years past Plains Township has been saddled with extra tax levies for the payment of 
nearly a hundred thousand dollars in accumulated debt, and in Marcy Township an investigation
 disclosed the fact that there were many fraudulent orders.  The Taxpayers’ Association did great 
work in these cases.

	After the November election an association of the most prominent citizens of the county
 was formed to take a hand in hunting down and prosecuting the people who had been engaged in 
the most daring election frauds ever committed in the county.  Gen. Paul A. Oliver was elected 
president.  Progress was being made in soliciting subscriptions and pushing the work when the 
Almanac went to press.  The frauds created intense indignation.

	The Anti-Saloon League was quite active during the year seeking evidence against 
saloon keepers engaged in violating the liquor laws.  A number in all sections of the county were 
fined, and by reason of the league’s work some of those arrested were refused a renewal of their
 licenses.  In all the license court in 1906 refused 362 applications, most of them for new houses.

	March 15 three prisoners escaped from the Luzerne County jail.  They were in for larceny.  
The next day they were captured at White Haven, having suffered much from exposure by going 
over the mountain.

	A Forty Fort justice of the peace and constable were sent to jail for three months on the 
charge of illegally collecting fees in discharged cases.  The testimony was worked up by the Taxpayers’ 
Association.  For a number of years justices of the peace and constables took many thousands of dollars
 from the treasury in trumped up cases and otherwise illegally, and the Taxpayers’ Association determined 
to take a hand in the raid.

	April 2 the Bar Association took action upon the death of Judge Woodward and eulogistic 
addresses were made.  

	In April taxpayers of Pittston Township petitioned for the removal of the school directors.  
There had been a strike of the school teachers because of their pay being overdue.  The court heard
 testimony and June 2 ousted the board and new directors were appointed.

	April 10 Col. C .B. Dougherty, commander of the 9th Regt., was appointed brigadier general, 
to command the Third Brigade, Gen. Gobin being promoted to the position of major general of the entire 
National Guard of the State.

	April 15 Lieut. Joseph Wright Graeme of Wilkes-Barre was killed by an explosion on the 
battleship Kearsarge, while engaged in target practice off the Cuban coast.  He was a member of 
one of the Wyoming Valley’s oldest families.

	During the early part of the year the Record called for subscriptions for the famine 
sufferers in Japan.  April 19 the fund was closed after having reached a total of $1,000, and t
he Record immediately started a fund for the California earthquake and fire sufferers.  This fund 
collected by the Record amounted to over $5,000.

	In July there was formed, under the auspices of the Luzerne County Medical Society, the
 Wyoming Valley Society for the Prevention and Treatment of Tuberculosis, composed of physicians
 and laymen.  Rooms were secured on South Main street and much publicity was given the work.  
Physicians were on duty at the dispensary certain hours each week and a nurse was employed to
 act as field agent, visiting patients at their homes and carrying out the orders of the physicians.  
A considerable sum of money was collected.  By the end of the year there had been close to a
 hundred patients.  Some were furnished the proper articles of diet at their homes by the society, 
while others were sent to sanitariums.  The society also laid stress upon informing the patients 
how to keep from communicating the disease to others.  All the physicians on duty gave their 
services free of charge.  The work started out so well that those interested were encouraged to 
believe that the dispensary would be a most important factor in reducing the number of cases of 
the dreaded disease in the valley by the campaign of education and early attention to cases where 
treatment would most likely have been neglected on account of the cost.  The work was begun under
 the most favorable auspices. 
	In July members of the State Board of Health came to Wilkes-Barre and visited places where
mosquitoes breed.  Owners of property on which there were depressions and marshy places were 
advised to fill them up.  There ws a movement throughout the State to get rid of the mosquitoes.

	Aug. 1 a peculiar accident occurred at Warrior Run.  There was an explosion in the mine of
 the Lehigh Valley Coal Co. in which one man was killed.  The surface caving, gas found its way into the
 cellars of buildings and into the streets.  In one house an explosion occurred and the house was fired.  
A young woman was burned to death and  several people were injured while attempting to rescue her.  
People slept out of doors, fearing to go into their houses, and all lights in the town were extinguished. 
 The mine caught fire and had to be flooded.

	The first fair under the auspices of the Luzerne County Fair Association was held at West S
ide Park for a week in August.  It was a success beyond all expectations.  Races were contested afternoon
 and night,--at night by electric light. 

	Considerable interest was stirred up during the year in favor of more equitable assessments.  
For many years it had been evident that assessors throughout the county were not doing their duty properly, 
and there was a vigorous demand for an equalization of the valuations.  Investigation revealed the fact that
 many large property holders escaped a great deal of their just burden of taxation by reason of low valuations. 
 The evil was so pronounced that property owners who were not thus favored insisted that something should
 be done.  The county commissioners sent out a circular instructing the assessors to show no favoritism and
 not to copy from the old books.  As it was the year for making the triennial assessment, the agitation was 
most timely.  The court called upon the grand jury to investigate and if it found that assessors were delinquent
 to recommend that they be arrested.  The jury returned an unsatisfactory report, stating that it did not have
 time to make as full an investigation as was necessary, and recommending that the county commissioners 
and the local authorities act jointly in ferreting out the fraud.  The subject was one of the most important in 
the county throughout the year.  

	The increase in what is known as Black Hand outrages caused considerable interest.  The 
alleged society is composed of Italians who by threat of death or bodily harm endeavor to extort money
 out of their fellow countrymen.  A number of assaults, cases of felonious wounding and dynamiting were
 traced to the Black Hand and some arrests were made.  It became apparent that the authorities must 
deal with this new crime with the utmost sternness.  

Submitted by Willa Jean Wisniewski