November, 1915
The Washington Post
5,000 SEE MAN HANGED
Execution of Frank Grano in Woods at Snow Hill.
MANY CAMP THERE ALL NIGHT
Spectators Orderly But no Effort is Made to Hide Scene of Hanging from Huge Crowd- Paid Penalty for Murder of Mr. and Mrs. Robinson and Alonzo Redden.
Special to The Washington Post.
Snow Hill, Nov. 26- Trembling from hand to foot , but nerved before the ordeal, Frank Grano stood on the top step at the Worcester County jail and said "Good-by, boys," to the 500 persons who had gathered to see his departure for the place of execution.
He was executed at 9:15 o'clock.
At an early hour he partook of a slight breakfast and drank some coffee. By 7 o'clock all arrangements for the execution had been made within the jail.
Spectators began to arrive at Snow Hill as early as 9 o'clock last night, and from that hour until the time of execution there was almost a continuous passing of automobiles and all kinds of horse-drawn vehicles through Snow Hill.
Three hundred and ninety-six automobiles were counted in the woods adjacent to the execution. The Berlin state road was lined with automobiles and neighboring farmyards were the resting places of many more.
A conservative estimate placed the number of people who viewed the hanging and those around the courthouse at Snow Hill at 5,000. Many camped in the woods during the night, and the glare from the numerous camp fires presented a weird experience at an early hour this morning- it resembled a large detention camp.
This resemblance was made more realistic by the presence of women and children. During the night some campers would sing parts of a familiar hymn. The authorities saw early in the week that any attempt to exclude the public from witnessing the hanging would cause trouble, hence no precaution was taken to build a fence around the gallows and make the execution private. The crowd this morning did not interfere with the proceedings in any way.
On September 6 Grano shot and killed Mr. and Mrs. Levin P. Robinson and their farmhand, Alonzo Redden. He was jealous of the woman.
December, 1926
The Denton Journal
(Excerpts)
THE CHESAPEAKE BAY BRIDGE
That It Will Pay From the Start Is Believed by Many Experts.
Indicating the need of a bridge across the bay, traffic authorities of the Eastern Shore estimate that 131,500 automobiles made the detour by way of Elkton across the Susquehanna river to Baltimore, during the year 1926.
This vehicular traffic originated from all points on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Delaware. It is maintained that the erection of a bridge across Maryland's inland sea is a real need, and that the advent of motor traffic in larger volumes and the advancement of engineering knowledge, have brought this problem within the realm of practical business.
According to estimates just made public, the cost of taking a passenger automobile from Chestertown to Baltimore by way of ferry is $4.50; by way of Elkton and Havre de Grace, $5.10, while by way of the proposed bridge from Bay Shore to Rock Hall, it would be but $3.10.
The scale of toll rates proposed by the Chesapeake Bridge Company, which corporation is expected to erect the bridge, and upon which the rates are based, are as follows: Passenger vehicles, §1.25; light trucks, §1.50; heavy trucks, $3; passengers, other than driver, 15 cents. These are said to be maximum tolls proposed.
December, 1957
(The Kentucky New Era- Hopkinsville, Kentucky)
MARYLAND STATE IN ORANGE BLOSSOM BOWL
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (AP)- Coach Skip McCain heads for Miami tonight with a Maryland State football squad seeking revenge against Florida A&M in the Orange Blossom Bowl.
Three years ago, three Maryland State linemen were hurt and McCain had only 27 players to take to Miami. Florida A&M romped to a 67-19 victory, by far the worst licking suffered by McCain in 10 years.
This time, he'll be in better shape for Saturday's game with 33 hearty players. His 10 year record is 73-7-3.
April, 1852
The Daily Dispatch (Richmond, Va.)
A Duel Prevented in Maryland. —Hon. Edward Long and the Hon. John W. Crisfield, both ex-members of Congress, and residents of Somerset county, Md., have been held to bail at Princess Anne to keep the peace, in the sum of $10,000 each, by Judge Spence, on the ground that a challenge had passed between them to fight a duel. It is said the affair grew out of a previous personal rencountre.
Footnote: Attorney John W. Crisfield was the founder of Crisfield but he never lived there. He resided in Princess Anne.
October, 1944
A 4-H Club member from Pocomoke City took top honors at the Sixteenth Annual Baltimore Stock Show. The grand champion individual steer was an Aberdeen Angus raised by 18-year-old Ralph Lankford.
February, 1938 (Time Machine archive)
(Uniontown Morning Herald- Uniontown, Pa.)
LETTER TRAVELS MANY MILES TO NEARBY VILLAGE
SNOW HILL, MD., Jan 31. (AP)- For only three-cents, a letter travels 130 miles en route from Snow Hill to Girdletree- just seven miles away.
Here's how it works:
A Girdletree letter mailed here goes by a bus star mail route to Stockton- passing through Girdletree without a stop.
Another bus takes it from Stockton to Pocomoke City to meet a northbound train.
Train mail clerks unlock the pouch, sort the mail and toss the Girdletree letter into another pouch, which is tossed off the train to be picked up by a southbound train.
The pouch returns to Pocomoke City by train and another bus takes it to Stockton.
Another bus picks it up there and takes it four miles to Girdletree.
Do you have a local memory to share with PPE readers.. such as a big snow storm, a favorite school teacher, a local happening, something of interest your parents or grandparents told you about? It can be just a line or two, or more if you wish. Send to tkforppe@yahoo.com and watch for it on a future TIME MACHINE posting!
"Somewhere over
the rainbow
Bluebirds fly..."
Flying on for JMMB
Swift justice. Murder occurred on Sept 6th and execution was Nov 26th.
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