From the Archives of Western Newspapers

By Samantha Johnson
For Southern Alberta Newspapers

November 16, 1894 – The Moose Jaw Times

Threshing machines are being stolen around Barrie, ON.

The largest bell in North America is said to be in the Cathedral of Montreal and weighs 28,500 lbs.

Mr. Bidwell in Cramaha, ON is said to own a goose who is 60 years old and who struts around attending to business the same as she did 50 years ago.

City Treasurer Wilkes of Brantford, who is 85 years old, was superannuated by the city council.

A dispatch from New York reports Charles Bramford of Fairfield died on Thursday morning. A week prior, while eating dinner, a piece of chicken became lodged in his throat and instead of summoning a physician he ran a catheter down his throat in an attempt to remove the obstruction himself. It is believed the instrument punctured his lungs and caused haemorrhaging, which was frequent until death.

November 21, 1907 – The Gleichen Call

On Tuesday afternoon, the firemen had the best run they have yet made, making it from the McCormick building to the new firehall in just under four minutes from the first ring of the fire bell. The alarm was run to test the brigade and to get the engines to the fire hall. As not more than half a dozen people had any reason to suspect it was only a test, there was considerable excitement for a short while and the brigade showed up well.

Samuel Elliot and Fred Berges were in town yesterday from Cotton Grove with grain. This was their first trip to Gleichen and they state they received two cents more for their grain here than at High River and will come this way more often in the future.

A couple of our young men drove about 10 miles out of town to collect some young ladies to bring to the firemen’s dance, only to discover the ladies had been in town when they’d left.

November 16, 1917 – Irma Times

The Laurier manifesto is before the people and he declares for a referendum. If Laurier is returned to power, Quebec will dominate the government and Quebec is absolutely opposed to Canada’s participation in the war. The election is forced on the country because Laurier refuses to accept an extension of the life of parliament for a year, throwing us into an election when every effort should be bending toward helping Great Britain win this war. It is a critical moment and it would be disastrous if the country were to now change hands. Will we be stickers or quitters? No stronger government than Borden’s has ever appealed to the people of Canada and none worthier of undivided support.

An anonymous reader wrote into the paper to express some thoughts they had been pondering on for considerable time. The human mind is complex, it works well up to a certain point and then it revolts. If, for example, you are told a certain man is a scoundrel, you receive the information without any strain, possibly even thinking the information is correct. If the informant keeps pounding the information into your head, you grow weary and begin to doubt the information. If the informant gets hysterical and/or slanderous, you might begin to despise the informer and grow sympathetic towards the subject of all the abuse. The minds of most are built this way, but there are those in Irma who do not know it.