From the Archives of Western Newspapers

By Samantha Johnson
For Southern Alberta Newspapers

March 9, 1894 – Moose Jaw Times

An unfortunate incident occurred at the performance given my Madame Patti at the Academy of Music last evening in Montreal. When the curtain fell the orchestra did not play, as usual, God Save the Queen. The audience stood in embarrassed silence for a few minutes until Lord Aberdeen, who was in attendance with his family, began to lead the audience in the anthem. He then went behind the curtain and remonstrated with Mrs. Thomas, who manages the Academy. She apologized for the omission, which likely occurred because the orchestra was American.

It is hard for the average man to understand of how little importance he is in the eyes of others. Even if he has done something to make everybody talk, it is of short duration and is soon superseded by other trivial matters. If tempted to be egoistic, it is well to reflect that no one’s interest in you at all compares with that you feel in yourself.

W.J. Nelson appeared on the charge of assault against Dr. Duncan. Nelson entered the doctor’s office and struck Duncan on the head. Later, Nelson told the proprietor of the CPR Dining Hall about the attack. Nelson was fined $5 or seven days in the common goal for default.

March 2, 1909 – Western Globe (Lacombe)

The short course in agriculture opened here on Monday morning and the need for an institute was evident by the crowd of over 200 students who attended from across the province. The utmost enthusiasm was displayed by all students and the lectures are pleased with the outlook.

The claim is sometimes made by temperance orators that prohibition is in the best interests of liquor sellers. This claim finds peculiar corroboration in a letter by Mike O’Grady in Tennessee. “As for the whiskey men, it is my personal opinion that after they become settled in some other field of endeavor, they will bless the people who liberated them from the official tax gatherer, the extortionist landlord and the voracious political grafter.”

Everyone has awoken with the warm weather. One can hear the thug of sawmill and grinder and buzz of wood saw all at one time. It as also caused a good many people to have bad colds, it seems.

March 5, 1919 – Chauvin
Chronicle

On Monday afternoon, the entire town was alarmed to hear of the death of Reeve John Dallyn. The rumour proved to be baseless.

There was a misrepresentation of facts along with insufficient excuse for the Chicago Herald and Examiner to publish a letter that is so grossly and obviously untrue. The letter called attention to Canadians luring American farmers and soldiers to their so-called cheap lands. The writer of the letter travelled extensively across Canada in 1915 to report on the crop conditions of American farmers, stating all he met would return to the USA if they could. In the 4,000 miles he travelled, he only counted a handful of schoolhouses and claimed there were none at all in the western provinces.

On Monday evening, Mr. Poirier closed his store, as usual, and locked the back and front doors. He went to the well-attended and much enjoyed whist drive and was asked during the evening to provide more cards. He returned to his store and found the back door open and a man inside, who claimed he’d found the back door open and had simply walked in.