Tri-Counties Genealogy & History by Joyce M. Tice Tri-Counties Newspaper Clippings Bradford County PA Chemung County NY Tioga County PA

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Joyce's Search Tip - January 2008  Do You Know that you can search just the 584 pages of Clippings and Scrapbooks on the site by using the Clippings button in the Partitioned search engine at the bottom of the Current What's New Page?   You'll also find obituary and other newspaper clippings using the three county-level Obits by Cemetery buttons. Additional clippings can be found in the Birth, Marriage, and some other partitions.

Tri County Clippings- Page Thirteen Obituaries and other newspaper items on this page are from the scrapbook collection of Joyce M. Tice .  If you are researching any of these families, most of which are part of the SRGP database, Please contact Joyce These obituaries are presented in scrapbook order. I can't think of a better way of understanding a community than by reading an obituary scrapbook. If you do not have the time to enjoy the luxury of sifting through a scrapbook, these will be included in the Search Engine which you can reach from the "Front Door" of the Tri-County Genealogy & History sites by Joyce M. Tice. All Newspaper clipping in this section of the site are in the ~patioga directory

HOW TO SUBMIT OBITUARIES TO THIS SITE - Typed obituaries may be submitted by email to Joyce M. Tice either in the text of the email of by an attached file. PLEASE put OBITUARY SUBMISSION in the subject line of your email to help me sort the several hundred emails I receive weekly. Give your file an eight character name - do NOT call it OBITS or it will overwrite someone else's file. Make sure your full name is included so I know whom to credit. Submissions will be arranged alphabetically by SURNAME AT BIRTH, so make sure I know the correct birth name if you know it. If surname at birth is not known, married name or other alias will be indexed in parentheses. Also include the death date and newspaper if you know it. When this page gets too large, another page will be started, so it will be like Aunt Nellie's button box to search through.

Suspicions Of Murder Colored Woman Last Person with Him and May Have Pushed Him Out of the Window Intentionally, But She Denies it.

Wednesday's edition of the Elmira Advertiser contains the following account of the fatal fall of James G. Benson of Col. X Roads, from a Baldwin street building in that city. Wild stories that murder had been committed in a house in Baldwin street swept through the business section of the city last night. The rumors had it that Mrs. Ida S. Johnson, a negress, residing in well furnished apartments over W. T. Read's picture frame store, at 161 Baldwin street, had pushed James G. Benson from a front corner window, death resulting from a fracture of the skull at the base of the brain. Coroner Annabel and Captain Patrick Hartigan have decided that the man's death was the result of an accidental fall from the open window and that the woman had nothing to do with it. The other members of the force who were on the case concurred with the Coroner and the Captain, and Mrs. Mary F. Parmenter, of 211 Pennsylvania avenue, corroborated the principal points mentioned by Ida Johnson regarding the movements of Benson almost until the moment of his death. The police found that Ida Johnson did not tell the exact truth regarding the affair when first questioned and will hold her in a cell in the Police Matron's section of the City Hall, where she will be more closely examined by Chief Cassada and his assistants this morning. At 9:25 o'clock Joseph Laidlaw, a former Health Inspector, crossed the narrow alley which runs from Baldwin _(missing info)________________ East Market street back toward Exchange street. He had taken but a few steps when he was horrified by the thud of the falling body. He leaped forward and turned to look back, and there on the flagstone sidewalk on the spot where he had last stepped and close to the entrance to the Read store, lay the body of a man. His face was turned under and audible groans escaped from his lips. Startled and almost unnerved, Laidlaw instinctively knelt beside the man and turned him over. Blood poured in streams from his ears and nose and mouth and the flattened portion of the back of the head, as large as a saucer was evidence of the location of the fatal injury. He summoned aid and the body was carried to the Carey Pharmacy, No. 165 Baldwin street, and laid on a large table. The man was dead when he was placed on the table.

A Wideawake Officer

Policeman John Flahive was not on duty, but was in the vicinity at the time the fatality occurred, and took charge of affairs at the place where it occurred and also at the drug store. He placed an officer at the door leading to the Johnson woman's apartments with orders to allow no person to pass either way. The Carey store was close to the public and the police patrol was sent for Coroner Annabel, who arrived 10 minutes after the man fell from the window. A search of the clothing failed to reveal the man's identity. A gold watch, $10.10 in money and a memorandum book containing a receipt signed by James H. Strong and dated August 10, for $14.99 in groceries, was the only clue on which the police had to work out the man's identity. An attache of a local wholesale grocery house stated that James H. Strong conducted a general store at Columbia X Roads. The body was removed to the Morgue, and Coroner and police continued the investigation of the case.

Johnson Woman Arrested

Ida Johnson was taken to Police Headquarters and examined closely. She gave her age as 45 years and stated that she worked as a domestic for several families in the city. Her story is as follows. Benson came to her apartments at 7:30 o'clock. He was drunk and remained there 10 or 15 minutes and left. Stating that he would return in a short time. She stated that she had never met him before. At 8:00 o'clock he returned with a quantity of ice cream and half a dozen bananas. At that time she was talking with Mrs. Parmeter and Mrs. Sullivan at the foot of the stairs. Benson went up to her apartments and she followed him. He had a half pint of Cornhill whiskey in a bottle and as she left the room to speak a word or two more to the two women she saw him drink the whiskey. When she returned after several minutes, all of the liquor had disappeared and the empty bottle laid on a stand. She told Benson that she would get dishes and serve the ice cream, but he stated that they would have that later. She started to put the ice cream and bananas in the refrigerator in the rear apartment. Benson was in the front room, which was not illuminated. He staggered badly and the Johnson woman him to keep away from the three low-seated open windows. This was the last seen of Benson. She returned to the front room, having disposed of the sweets, and noticed that Benson was absent. In a moment she heard cries in the street and rushed to the window. She realized what had occurred and returned to the middle room, where she remained until she was accosted by a newspaper reporter and later by a policeman. She insisted that it was purely accidental. The Woman's Denial

Had she told this story in the beginning, the Johnson woman would probably not have been held by the police. When first questioned she stated that she knew nothing about the affair. Then she said she knew all about it and would tell what she knew when the proper time came. The police are positive that Benson had frequented the place from which he fell to his death before. Mrs. Johnson denied this, but the police believe she will admit it this morning. They questioned Mrs. Sullivan and Mrs. Parmeter at their respective homes, and all agree that Benson was drunk.

Laidlaw's Story

Joseph Laidlaw stated to an Advertiser reporter and to the police several minutes after the affair that he heard nothing until the body struck the flagstone near him. Later he went to Police Headquarters and stated that as he was passing the place he heard some person in the upper apartments say: "Then, damn you get out," and that then the body came tumbling out of the window. The police place no credit in this later story. John Heib, the complainant in the noted Heib vs. Town of Big Flats damage case, stated that he believed he knew the unfortunate old man and positively identified the body at the Morgue. James H. Strong, the Columbia X Road store keeper, was placed in telephonic communication with the Advertiser and from him the story of the man's movements for the entire day was secured.

Who Benson Is

Benson was 60 years of age and a veteran of the Civil War. He had lived at Columbia X Roads all his life and drew a quarterly pension of $36. His wife owns property in the village, but Benson had no regular occupation. He worked at times as a laborer. He was a heavy drinker at times and would go on protracted sprees. Yesterday morning he presented his pension check to Strong and, having deducted $14.99 for grocery bill from the $36, Strong returned $21.01. Benson had been ill about a month ago and started for Troy, Pa., where he intended to pay Dr. Ballard for services rendered during that illness. He probably went to Troy and came on to this city on the Northern Central train which arrives here at 5:20 o'clock. The gold watch was...... (illegible - this is a cliff hanger) 

Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Conklin of Troy, the latter's brother, Landlord James McKay, of the Park Hotel, Canton, and Mrs. McKay left this boro a merry family party in Mr. McKay's automobile early Tuesday morning for the New York State Fair and Ka Noo No Karnival in Syracuse, N.Y. Four miles out of Syracuse, at 4:20 p.m., while making 20 to 30 miles an hour they turned from the trolley track to pass an oncoming car, but not quickly enough. Instead of clearing there was a collision. Mrs. McKay was thrown high in the air and came down on the brick pavement some yards away so injured that she died shortly afterward in a nearby house. Mr. McKay was hurled from his seat against the steering wheel which he broke off, and landed on the pavement under the forward wheels of the street car. When picked up he murmered "No one is to blame." His skull was fractured and with internal injuries he will probably die. Mr. and Mrs. Conklin were both thrown out , and the former seriously injured. Several ribs were broken. He did not recover consciousness for some hours. Mrs. Conklin alone of the party escaped serious injury. The corner of the street car was wrecked by the impact, and a wheel, the front seat and the hood torn from the automobile. Nine passengers in the street car, the motorman and the conductor escaped injury save for a severe jolt. The injured were rushed to St. Joseph's hospital, Syracuse, where everything possible is being done for them. News of the accident reached Troy about 5:30 by telephone from Mrs. Conklin to C. J. Bloom whom she asked to notify her parents, Mr. and Mrs. McKay of Leona. They were at Mrs. Conklin's home, keeping house until the party should return the first of next week. The sad story was everywhere received with expressions of regret and sorrow. Mrs. Conklin's father, her brother from Austinville, and Charles Smith, Mr. Conklin's business partner, left for Syracuse on the evening train. A telephone from the senior Mr. McKay this morning, holds out no hope of his son's recovery. Mr. Conklin, however, is not so seriously hurt as reported and is expected to make a speedy recovery as is his wife, from cuts and bruises. The McKays have no children. Mrs. McKay was Miss Elizabeth Campbell. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Campbell are living and she leaves a brother and a sister, all residents of Canton. She was 37 years old. 

-Earl Harkness has moved into the Passmore Building, which he recently purchased. George Morse has moved into the house which Mr. Harkness vacated.

-Issac Kiersted has moved into the Wheeler house which he has purchased.

-Mr. and Mrs. Sylvellen Tunicliff and three children of Watkins spent a part of last week with his parents here.

-The Camp Fire Girls returned Sunday from Mountain Lake where they have camped for a week.

-Mr. and Mrs. Sewerd Turncliff, Jr., have begun housekeeping in Mrs. Nina Fivie's house.

-Mr. and Mrs. Ray Kordon and two children of Deposit are visiting relatives here.

-Mrs. Annie Ameight and daughter, Mrs. Ada Wheeler visited her son, Frank near Grover Saturday.

-D.H. Aird was in town Monday. -Mrs. Thomas of Alba, Pa., is visiting her son, Sherman Thomas.

-Jerome Kingsley of Smithfield, Pa., is visiting his uncle, Dr, Kingsley. 

We desire to thank our friends for their kindness and sympathy during the illness and death of our little one, Helen Louise. We wish to thank our minister, Mr. Randall, for his words of encouragement and the choir who sang so beautifully at the funeral services. Mr. And Mrs. J. F. Monro 

The Columbia and Wells Baptist church was prettily decorated with ferns and laurel last evening when in response to about 100 invitations a large company assembled to witness the marriage of Lucy, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Rutan to Mr. George Parcell Knapp. The bridal party gathered at the church promptly at 8:30 to the strains of the wedding march by George Mosher of Sylvania. Two little girls, Pearl Brown and Verla Varney, led the way, scattering flowers as they proceeded down the aisle to the altar where the Rev. A. G. Cameron awaited the contracting parties and impressively performed the ceremony. The bride was handsomely gowned in white landsdown and carried a shower bouquet of white roses and maiden hair fern. She entered on the arm of her brother, Mr. Lon Rutan, of Troy. Mr. and Mrs. James Watkins were best man and matron of honor respectively; the latter carried white roses. The bridesmaids were: Misses Margaret and Katherine Smith, troy; Miss Grace West, Columbia X Roads; and Miss Bertha Knapp, sister of the groom, Coryland. Acting as ushers were Messrs. Harry Gernert, Ross W. Soper, L. Brown and Andrew Strong. Both bride and bridegroom are highly respected and all wish for them a happy, prosperous career. They will be at home in Coryland after July 1st. Among those bidden to the reception which immediately followed the ceremony at the bride's home were Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Wright, Mr. and Mrs. Frank Wright, Mrs. Partridge, Mrs. Earl Nichols, Eddie Partridge, East Smithfield, Pa., Hattie and Harry Weller, Bentley Creek; Mrs. Lena Wood and daughter Rose, Dundee, N.Y.; Elmer Cunningham and daughters, Mae and Maud, and son, Fred, Mr. and Mrs. George Wolfe and daughter and son, Mrs. Lucy Wolfe, Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Gustin, Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Ayers, Mrs. Anna Young, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Allen, Weston, N.Y.; Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Wolfe, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Watkins, Mrs. Hattie Knapp and family, Misses Lucy, Bessie and Libbie Dillon, Tracy Wilson, Ward Burrows, Mr. and Mrs. W. T. Gustin and Harry Gustin; Mr. and Mrs. Lon Rutan, Troy; Miss Olive Wolfe, in addition to the wedding party. 

The Montour Falls Free Press devotes a column to the sad story of the drowning of little Laura Ward and her older brother, Cecil, aged 12. The children went to Watkins with their step-father, C. W. Hotalen, Wednesday afternoon by trolley that Laura might see for the first time the great lake (Seneca) about which her brother with a youthful show of wisdom had told her. They were left to return alone and after visiting some Watkins stores in their holiday decorations, started on foot for Montour Falls. Cecil thought to shorten the distance by cutting cross lots and piloted the way to Perch bridge where they saw a stretch of smooth ice on the canal and ventured upon it. It was here that their hats were found frozen in the ice over their bodies on Thursday forenoon by the searchers who had been scouring the country for the lost children since 11:00 o'clock Wednesday night when it first became certain that some mishap had befallen them. Following funeral services at the home in Montour Falls on Saturday the remains were brought to West Burlington for burial by the side of their father. 

BALMER - MARGARET L. BALMER- The funeral of Margaret L. Balmer, the infant daughter Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Balmer of Bulkhead, in the Town of Southpost, the child which died of eating poison tablets, Monday afternoon. The funeral will be held at the family home Thursday at 2 p.m., will be private. Burial in Woodlawn cemetery. 

Twas hard to part with thy darling. And the tears fall thick and fast; The sunshine was gone from thy dwelling, Leaving only the wintry blast.

An angel lived in thy dwelling, That the Savior has called home; Safe forever to His keeping, And her feet shall never roam.

Welcome, welcome, Bertia, darling, Lo! She heard the angels sing, And her childish voice is joining In the praises of the King.

Paradise in now resounding To the patter of her feetl For the street's He's surly filling With little faces bright and sweet.

Boys and girls each day are playing In the streets of purest gold, And the sun is ever shining On the shepherd's precious fold.

Ah, me thinks there was a meeting Of the father and the child; Happy, joyous was the greeting, Filling each with rapture wild.

Do not say that this is dying, For the child is now at rest, Free from pain and all her suffering, Jesus knew that it was best.

Leave her then, to Jesus keeping; Be submissive to His will Though your heart is crushed and bleeding, Jesus' smile is on you still. 

PARKHURST H. P. Maine, of Williamsport, is at his father's, E. R. Maine's, in this place. He was on his way to visit his brother at Nelson, when they met in Lawrenceville and came together to the deathbed of their uncle, Mr. B. Parkhurst. 

Two Year Old Frederick Peterson Drowns in Surface Water of Dry Brook- Rushed to St. Joseph Hospital Here, but Efforts for Resuscitation Are Futile- Was Playing About Parents' Home. - While playing about his parents home of the Bird Creek Road in the Town of Wells at 9:30 o'clock this morning Frederick Nils Peterson, two years of age, fell in a dry creek and was drowned. The parents, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Peterson, rushed the child to the hospital in this city where futile efforts were made to revive the little child by Dr. Abraham Lands and Dr. Floyd H. Jones. The tragedy causes profound sorrow for the bereaved parents, who are well known and respected in the community in which they live. The father carried the lifeless body of his baby from the home to the hospital, hoping against hope, the little life could be saved. After it was announced that the child had died, the father again carried the body of his son, this time to the funeral parlors. The body was taken to the Harrington undertaking rooms and will be removed to the home of the parents in the Town of Wells. The child is survived by his parents, the grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Roy, of Bulkhead and Mr. and Mrs. N. P. Peterson of Town of Wells, Pa. The announcement of the funeral is to be made later.

FREDERICK N. PETERSON- the funeral for Frederick Nils Peterson, the infant son of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Peterson will be held at the family home on the Bird Creek road Friday at 2 o'clock. The Rev. H. A. Depfer will officiate. Burial in Woodlawn cemetery. 

Immediately following the ceremony the guests repaired to the home of the bride, where a reception was held. The home was elaborately trimmed throughout with May flowers, lillies-of-tle-valley, carnations and palms, and the elements of joy and cheerfulness held away in the atmosphere of the occasion. The guests where treated to an elaborate six course dinner,M and the bride's table tastefully trimmed in the colors of pink and green was occupied by the bridal party and Father Connolly. The collection of wedding presents, the remembrances of many well wishing friends and acquaintances was an elaborate one. At a later hour music was enjoyed and dancing mndulged in.

The bride and gvoom were escorted to the evening train by a number of ------- and we extend our congratulations with those of their many other friends. Mr. Handran is a junior partner of the firm DeWitt, Ballard & Handran, and in his business interests he is also as popular as otherwise.

Following is the list of guests from out of town with those above named who were present at the happy affair: J. E. Sullivan and wife and Misses Margaret Doherty, Anna Sullivan and Katherine Gernert of Watkins; Messrs. Ted Burke and Daniel Shannon and families of Canton; Mr. Wm Shannon and family of Jersey Shore; Miss Mary Burke and Mr. and Mrs. J. Maxwell Beers of Elmira; and Mrs. and Mrs. James Shannon of Corning 

The house was prettily decorated. A rope of ground pine entwined the balustrade in the hall, the mantel was banked and white roses studden an arch of verdure supporting a wedding bell of white beneath which the ceremony was impressively performed by the bride's pastor, the Rev. Edward P. Morse, of the First Presbyterian church, following Shelley's Love Song by Mr. Wilson Weigester and the wedding march by Miss Amelia Lamkin. The bride was given away by her father. In attendance on the bridal couple were Miss Caroline Wagner, maid of honor, Misses Ella A. Maynard and Alice Colony, Mr. Maynard Bradford, best man, Messrs. George Case and Amasa Maynard with little Pauline Card and George Burritt Taylor as flower bearers. The bride's gown was cream silk trimmed with chiffon and applique. She carried dark red roses. Her going away gown was a pretty shade of gray taffeta. The bride's gift to her attendants were unique souvenir spoons and to the flower bearers pretty gold rings. The bride received many hansome tokens of the esteem in which she is universally held. Congratulations and felicitations over, a five-course dinner was daintily served under the direction of Cateress Jennie Nelson.

The groom is a son of Mr. and Mrs. Homer B. Card, prominent residents of Sullivan, Tioga County. He is prominent in Odd Fellows' circles, having been district deputy grand master.

Mrs. and Mrs. Card left on the 4:25 Northern Central train north for New York, Philadelphia and Atlantic City.

Among the guests from a distance were Mr. and Mrs. Randolph P. Hill, Misses Anna Laura and L. Bessie Hill, Mr. Harry H. Hill, Miss Brink and Miss Cummings, Elmira; Mr. and Mrs. Sherman H. Hill, New York; Mrs. D. H. Lamb, Galeton; Dr. and Mrs. Manley, Mr. and Mrs. J. O. Whitman, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Greenough, Mrs. Sarah Packard, Canton. 

Bradford County PA Chemung County NY Tioga County PA

Published On Tri-Counties Site On 17 SEP 98 By Joyce M. Tice Email Joyce M. Tice You are the visitor to this page of obituaries since the counter was installed on 17 SEP 1998