Press and Sun-Bulletin from Binghamton, New York • Page 2

i Matter ol Fact i District Attorney Loomis Endorsed for Judgeship GI in Korea, Missing 12 Months, Writes, He's 'OK Cpl. Frederick R. Keys The Sunday Otsego GOP Selects Prosecutor of Armer To Succeed Molinari Sunday Press Bureau Oneonta District Attorney Frederick W. Loomis of Edmeston, received the endorsement of the Otsego County Republican Committee yesterday on the first ballot as BIXGUAMTON MESS SUNDAY Section Sends Letter to Greene From Red POW Camp Sunday Press Bureau Norwich A year after their son was reported missing in action in Korea, Mr. and Mrs.

Fred S. Keys of Greene received a little ray of hope. It came in the form of a letter, presumably from a Chenango Will Spend $1,896,147 si ill I Vim' 'f i 'l7 Sunday Press Photo. ENDORSED FOR COUNTY JUDGE District Attorney Frederick W. Loomis of Edmeston, left, who was endorsed yesterday by Otsego County Republicans for County judge, receives congratulations from James R.

Macduff, center, county Republican chief, and County Assemblyman Paul L. Talbot. Flavor of History's Stone Bridge Bees Missing in Building of Steel Structure it 7 ml 0M1 Tom DO is Youth By TOM CAH LEY rlZ things I remember: I remember Franklin Roosevelt making his first Inaugural speech. My mother, had just bought me a pair of new shoes. I listened (wearing and admiring the shoesf to the speech on a 1929 which was a doggy cabinet model, I with four spin- tdly legs, the last word in wire MR.

CAWLEY less. Curiously, I didn't hear Mr. Roosevelt utter his most-quoted phrase from that speech, "The only thing we hive to fear is fear itself." Perhaps it was because of a habit the radio had fand continued to have throughout its honorable career). It stuttered. Anyway, I do remember the new President saying, "Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money.

It lies in the joy of achievement." It was that 1929 radio that put us right in the public eye. Lightning hit it soon after we had acquired it. In the ensuing confusion, someone called the OH PACt OnB Fire Bureau. This landed us Cawleys on Page 1 of what was known as the Green Bulldog, which was a dusk edition of the then Morning Sun. Pretty invigorating days, hey? I remember an awesome, hushed Sunday evening in 1931 or thereabouts, I heard there was a train wreck near the State Hospital and went up to look.

I was shooed away by oops, so I had to buy the newspapers to find out what happened. Fourteen people died, and one of the most moving accounts of a funeral I ever read was the story written by Catherine Mc-Fall from a Catholic Church in Susquehanna, where most of the train wreck victims had lived. Miss McFall quit the newspaper profession soon after that for an even more exciting career. She married a city editor. 1 REMEMBER, in my newfound sophistication as a real newspaper reporter, discovering that there actually were people who never had heard of Bing-hamton, N.

Y. The person who broke this news to me was a gentle young man named Stanley Roberts, who lived in the better-known town of New York City. "Don't let it bother you, kid," he said. He was a reporter, too. "There are millions of people who never heard of the place they're eventually going either," Roberts, a thin sort of a guy who was a poet, went to his last home, I heard, soon after he landed on the beach at Okinawa with the Marines.

I remember being on rewrite one midnight, taking a story from the police reporter. "Exactly what time did the guy die?" I asked. "Make it 10 minutes after midnight," he said. "Whaddaya mean?" I yelled. "It's only 12 now!" "The truth Is," the police re-porter (James Francis Xavier Corby, his name is) said, "he ain't dead, but the coroner says he will be in 10 -minutes, and I've got to leave here now.

Make it 10 after." We were wrong by 1 minute. BUT I'm the only guy you know who doesn't remember the good old days. The good old days are now. rCHEf? to, Press EDITIOX Dec. 2, 1951 8 mm mi ss Bureau or another, this city's resi- of Americans, are attracted here for the first 11 months of 1951 is ahead of last year's total for the same period.

And the tendency for men and women in the rest of the United States to take the nuptial vows is widespread, the Bureau of Census has reported. The agency said there were, proportionally fewer unmarried persons in the U. S. as of April, 1951, than ever before. There were 110.74,000 persons 14 years old and over as of April, the bureau reported.

Of this total, it added. or 21.7 per cent, were single, and 75.478.000, or 68.2 per cent were married. The remainder were in the widowed and divorced categories. This percentage of single persons, the bureau reported, was the lowest on record. In the city clerk's office here, 126 marriage licenses have been sold so far this year, compared with 122 for the same period last year.

It seems likely that last year's full total of 131 marriage licenses sold will be exceeded this year. The Census Bureau reported there had been a steady decline since 1890 in the proportion of unmarried persons. The declining trend has been "greatly accelerated" since 1940 by "unusually high marriage rates and by the sharp decline irt population in the teens where single persons predominate," the agency said. The bureau explained that "children in their teens in 1950 were born In the 1930s when birth rates were low." It reported the number of married couples in the nation rose from, 28.500.000 in 1940 to 36,000,000 in 1951. county judge.

Mr. Loomis. who received considerable publicity recently as the prosecutor of the killer of a state police corporal, polled 61 of a possible 109 votes. Running second was City Judge John L. Van Woert, who received 29 votes of committeemen at a meeting in the municipal building here yesterday afternoon.

Robert J. Harbison, an attorney from Cherry Valley, polled 13 votes. In last place in the group of four candidates for the county judgeship was Edward Curtis, a Cooperstown attorney, who received six votes. Mr. Loomis, who has been district attorney since 1947, will be recommended to Governor Dewey for appointment as county judge and Children's Court judge.

The 36-year-old district attorney was selected in a brisk meeting of committeemen as the successor to County Judge Joseph P. Molinari of Oneonta. Elected to the State Supreme Court bench in the general election last month, Judge Molinari will assume the high, judicial post, Jan. 1, for a 14-year term. James R.

MacDuff of Schene-vus, boss of Otsego County Re publicans, said the executive committee of the county Republican committee will meet with three candidates for the post of district attorney. The district attorney's office will be vacant alter Governor Dewey appoints Mr. Loomis county judge. Appointment is taken for granted by county Republicans. Mr.

Loomis' interim appointment would run until the general election next November, when he would have to be elected by the voters to retain the county judgeship. Any appointment by the governor of a new district attorney would be for the same length of time. Mr. McDuff said he was "not at liberty" to disclose the names of what he called three candidates for the office' of district attorney. Mr.

Loomis, thanking committeemen for their endorsement, which was made unanimous after the balloting had been1 completed, said: "I'll pray to God to give me wisdom and good judgment and never let me forget no matter how exalted my position may become that I still will be a servant of the people." He described the other candidates as "three fine men" and extended his gratitude to committeemen for their endorsement. Mr. Loomis prosecuted Matthew L. Armer, who was accused of the slaying last July 14 of Corporal Arthur M. Diffe.ndale in Oneonta's west end.

Armer pleaded guilty to a charge of second degree murder and now is serving a sentence of 60 years to life in Attica Prison. Mr. Loomis was appointed district attorney by Governor Dewey when Mr. Loomis' predecessor, Livingston S. Latham, became surrogate Jan.

1, 1947. Mr. Loomis was elected to a full term in November, 1947. Dr. Henry J.

Arnold, president of Hartwick College here, nominated Mr. Loomis for the county judge post. Saying that it was "a little out of my line" to make a nominating speech, Dr. Arnold added, he appeared before the committee as a "plain, American citizen" to "extend a courtesy to a distinguished alumnus (Mr. Loomis) of Hartwick College." The college president deplored what he called a lack of morality of persons in many public pasts now and said: "Nowadays it takes more than good qualifications to be a pub lic servant.

It also takes courage and a persistence to stand for what is right and honorable. I believe we have these in such a man as Mr. Loomis. "In the United States of America a judgeship is a symbol of something a symbol of justice and the rights of man and we need men who will stand four square, not only for their political convictions, but also for their moral and spiritual convictions." Judge VanWoert told committee after the results of the balloting had been announced that he wished "every success" to Mr. Loomis.

Judge VanWoert was nominated by Donald Grant of Cooperstown, a one- time Otsego County judge and district attorney. Walter Gilday of Cherry Valley nominated Mr. Harbison. Mr. Curtis was nominated by-Clyde Becker of Cooperstown.

The 98-seat reserve for spectators in the City Courtroom, where the Republican committeemen met, were filled and some committeemen, candidates and rpectators stood near the walls. A. class of students from Oneonta State Teachers College also was present to watch the meeting. As the names of committeemen -for the county's 24 towns and the city were called, they walked to a desk and dropped their ballots In a hat. prisoner of war tamp in China.

Their son, cpl. Frederick K. Keys, 20, and a pal, Cpl. Roger Weaver, son of Mrs. Edith Weaver of Greene, enlisted in the army at Binghamton, in April, 1950.

Except for about three weeks, when Corporal Keys was out of the line wounded, in September, 1950, the boys were together. They were both reported missing in action Nov. 2, 1950. Mr. and Mrs.

Keys had received a letter from their son, in which he had said he expected to be back in Japan for his birthday, Nov. 10. Both Mrs. Keys and Mrs. Weaver wrote letters addressed to the "Chinese People's Committee for World Peace, Peking, China.

Mrs. Weaver has had no reply. Recently Mrs. Keys received the letter from her boy. It had been written on Sept.

9, 1951. He had started writing at the top of a plain thin sheet of paper, but only wrote a few sentences before it was time to eat. He said: Dear Ma, Dad and all, "I got your letter today and was glad to hear from you. am OK and hope you are the same. There is not much to say so it will be short.

It is about 5:00 o'clock, time for chow. I said it would be short. It is time for supper now. Take care of yourself anM will see you soon. Love Frederick." The letter came in a plain marked with two rubber stamps.

One of the rubber stamps was of Chinese characters, with "prisoner of war" in French below. The other stamp, gave the name of the committee, but added a little bit of propaganda. It read, "Via the Chinese People's Committee for World Peace against American aggression, Peking, China." The letter was little enough, after a year, and Corporal Keys was obviously very interested in supper, but it is a little ray of hope. Fitzpatrick Sure of 250 Upstate Votes New York (P) Messages pledging support for Paul E. Fitzpatrick, Democratic State Chairman, have come in from numerous upstate counties, apparently assuring him of 250 of the 300 committee votes in a party fight.

Fitzpatrick met a move by upstate leaders to get him out by calling for a vote of confidence from the State Committee at a meeting scheduled for next Friday at headquarters in the Bilt-more Hotel. Democratic party sources said that telephone and telegraph calls of support had come from county chairmen and committeemen from 37 of the 57 counties outside New York City. The counties named were: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Cayuga, Chautauque, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Dutchess, Franklin, Genesee, Herkimer, Jefferson, Livingston, Madison, Monroe, Nassau, Niagara, Oneida, Onondaga, Orleans, Oswego, Ot-. sego, Putnam, Rockland, Schuyler, Seneca, Steuben, Suffolk, Sullivan, St. Lawrence, Tioga, Tomkins, Warren, Wayne, West-.

Chester and Wyoming. In addition, Fitzpatrick forces claimed the support of 15 of the 16 committeemen in his home county, Erie. The Erie County Democratic Chairman, William B. Mahoney. has been reported supporting the fight against Fitzpatrick, led by Albany County leader, Daniel P.

O'Connell. Richard T. Lewis Enrolls ROTC GenevaRichard T. Lewis of Newark Valley is one of the 175 cadets recently enrolled in the new Air Force ROTC program at Hobart College. A freshman at Hobart, Mr.

Lewis is taking the required two-year basic course. Mr. Lewis Is the son of Rev. and Mrs. D.

Glyn Lewis of Main Street, Newark Valley. Boy, 7, Treated for Fall Robert Comstock. 7. son of Mr. and Mrs.

Benn C. Comstock, 2616 Robins Street, Endicott, who suffered a cut of his right knee in a fall, was treated yesterday afternoon at Ideal -r CPL. FREDERICK KEYS New Hospital's Modern Aids Described Sunday Press Bureau Walton Dr. George Miles of Downsville kept a large audience in stitches Thursday night when he addressed members of Delaware Valley Hospital Guild at their monthly meeting in the Episcopal Parish Hall, Walton. Contrasting his natural wit, his subject, "Modern Anesthetics," proved deadly serious.

Dr. Miles explained how the new hospital has been especially constructed to allow the use of anesthetics hitherto considered too dangerous because of their explosive qualities. He said that the floor of the operating room is made of non-conductive material to avoid electric sparks, and that wiring throughout the building is grounded so that all static electricity can be drawn off. The reason for using these new games, such as cyclopropane, is that they are easier on the patient, he said. Smaller amounts can be administered, and the after-effects are greatly reduced.

Other special equipment enables the surgeons to safely use the extract, curari, which is given with gas to relax a patient's muscles, particularly for an abdominal operation. This is the same extract, coming from a type of South American tree, which Indians used to poison their arrowheads. In large amounts, it has a paralyzing effect, it was explained. During the 'business meeting, members voted to buy a new typewriter for the records room at the hospital and a new sterilizer for the laboratory. Purchase was also completed on a wheelchair, according to Mrs.

Roland Tweedie, secretary. She reported that $51.95 had been turned over to the guild by the Walton Club, the amount having been collected from tips at their pancake supper. This money will go into the hospital fund, she said- Donations for the "Hospitality Cart" were officially acknowledged. The cart, which will display gifts for visitors to buy patients, such as candy, stationery, hairnets, and baby gifts, is under the care of Mrs. Samuel H.

Pond. Proceeds will go to the guild. It was announced by Mrs. Floyd Bates that the Walton Library has donated a filing cabinet so that books for the "Book Cart" can be catalogued. The next meeting will be the fourth Thursday in December at 8 p.

m. VFWlo Knlcrtain Sidney Children Sunday Press Bureau Sidney The Veterans of Foreign Wars will sponsor its fifth annual ohildrens Christmas party, at the Recreation Center, Saturday, Dec. 15 beginning at 2 p. m. All children up to six years old are invited and each will be given candy, ice cream and cookies.

There will also be a gaily decorated Christmas tree. Plans are being made to entertain about 500 children from the Sidney area to include Sidney Center, Masonville, Mount Upton, and Rockdale. Ithaca Man Named Airline Officer Carl A. Benscoter of Ithaca has been named vice-president in charge of operations of Robinson Airlines. Mr.

Benscoter formerly was operations manages of the company. i -J "'X yy limilTH lit I I miiiX mi 7.ll IN CANAL DAYS One of the hardest things to find is a photo of boats on the Old Chenango Canal. There is a packet boat in this photo, almost hidden behind the bridge. At this spot now in the middle of the Village of Oxford, there is a stop light in Route 12. Clarence Munyan's store is located where the building to the left is pictured, and Supervisor Donald Moore's grocery and bakery has replaced the stone building to the left.

Sunday Press Bureau Norwich Chenango County will spend $1,896,147 during 1952, according to the tentative budget up for public hearing next Friday morning. Less than one third of tha money, $579,514, will be raised by new real estate tax. The following table shows other income expected by tht county: Delinquent payments Penalties on taxes Fees Farm produce sales Stale aid Federal aid Reimburserrtf.nts Repayments Fines Road fund revenues Road machinery fund revenues 54.367 BS 12 000 00 20.000.00 16,000.00 221.738.00 129,495.00 84.651.77 24.8fi0,(,0 25.00 369,500.00 184,670.00 Big items of state aid are, aid for dependent children, $43,730, and old age assistance, $96,364. The big item of federal aid, $84,440, is also for old age assistance. The county road fund revenues are made up mostly of motor fuel tax, motor vehicle, license fee, $75,000, and state aid Lowman money, $44,000.

Of the $184,670 estimated revenue for road machinery fund, a total of $162,000 is expected to come from rental of county equipment to other municipalities. In addition to these revenues, the county board budget eom mittee estimates there will be $266,300 in surplus money in various county accounts remaining at the end -of the year to apply on the 1952 budget. The estimated revenues listed above should be reduced by because of fund translers between accounts. The total money expected to be available for county spending in 1952 in addition to real estate tax money amounts to $1,316,632. Air Force Jobs To Be Offered Oneonlans Sunday Press Bureau Oneonta A government Job interviewer will be here Dec, 13 to confer with applicants for positions with the Air Force abroad.

An interviewer from Griffis Air Force Base at Rome will be at the Oneonta office of the New York State Employment Service, 256 Main Street, from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. He also will be at Norwich Dec.

12. The Air Force faces a serious shortage of civilian workers for Its overseas operations in Alaska, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, the Philippines, Okinawa, Guam, Tripoli. Arabia, Turkey and Panama, the Air Force said. The openings range from highly trained professional groups to skilled technicians in various fields. Government wage scales are paid plus additional compensation as high as 25 per cent in many overseas assignments, the Air Force said.

Transportation is at government expense to ship or plane. A two-year tour of duty is required in most areas hut Okinawa and Guam have only a one-year minimum, the Air Force said. Applicants, it continued may choose employment in any area where jobs are available to meet their qualifications. Families cannot accompany employes' Among the jobs openings are electronic, electrical, general, civil and architectural engineers, engineering draftsmen, maintenance and safety engineers, clerk-stenographers, typists, teachers, social and recreational hostesses, librarians, nurses, pharmacists and laboratory aides and others. Lewis Fay Dies; Wns One of Early Cornell Graduates New York (IP) Lewis George Fay, one of Cornell University's oldest graduates died today, lie was 91, Fay was graduated from Cornell in 1882, but never revisited the campus.

He was employed, until his retirement in 1931, by the Naval Office of the U. S. Customs Service here. Surviving are two daughters, Mrs. Rowan D.

Spraker of Cooperstown and Mrs. Leon J. Ross of Utica. and one son, Arthur T. Fay of Gloversville.

Fay was born Feb. 20. 1860. Oiieontans Getting Wed At Record-Breaking Rate Sunday Press Bureau Norwich Excavation is underway at the Village of Oxford for the abutments of a new steel bridge across the Chenango River. What number this one will be in the series of bridges which have spanned the river there down the years is anybody's guess.

There have been many. Oxford was early a crossroads community, in colonial days one of the most important in the central part of the state. According to the Annuals of Oxford, the first bridge there was built by Theodore Burr, brother of Aaron Burr, in 1800. Both bridgebuilding and Oxford have changed since that date. This bridge will cost the state about $252,000.

Oxford is now a typical farm trading center. Many milk tankers will cross the new bridge and go on down paved roads through Sidney and on to New York. In the early part of the last century many of the settlers of the Finger Lakes region, the western part of the state and the states to the west came over the Catskill turnpike, crossed the Susquehanna River at Wattles Ferry, now Unadilla, and came on over the hills through Oxford. Oxford viflage then was one of the main stops on the old Ithaca Turnpike. And there was travel north and south in the Chenango Valley through Oxford.

Later there was the old Chenango Canal, that joined L'tica and Binghamton, and passed through Oxford. Incidentally there was a bridge across the canal right under the spot where the traffic lights in Route 12 now hang. And later still the railroads came and changed things too, making the canal obsolete, and the turnpikes. But, back to bridgebuilding, there was one built across the Chenango at Oxford in 1823-24, under the direction of Jonathan Baldwin. It was longer than the steel bridge just dismantled by the state to make way for the new structure.

Baldwin's bridge was a timber structure. It cost $500 and several bridge bees. There is a good account of one of the.se bpes, when the stone was hauled for the abutments of the bridge, in the Annals of Oxford. Men were called in, some with their teams, from the town of" Oxford, and the towns roundabout. To make the bee more enticing, there was hard cider, whiskey and a beef barbecue.

According to the handbill advertising the affair, "Each man who has participated in the labors of the day, will be at liberty to line his 'bread baNket' with as much beef and trim-mines as he can conveniently carry." The bill said also. "Drones, poachers and Interlopers, whose only object is sport, will not be fed." "The ox had been roasted entire on a spit passing through its body and which was suspended between two wheels and made to revolve over the fire for Sunday Pre Oneonta For one reason dents, like a large proportion to marriage. The number of marriages Church Seeks Aid to Rebuild The congregation of the Mc-Clure Methodist is appealing for help in the rebuilding of its church, which was destroyed by fire Nov. 4. Th FranHin flnHrl nn.

tor, said the church cannot rebuild without the help of friends. Contributions may be sent to Mr. Dodd, Windsor, or to Herbert Smith. Star Route, Deposit. The church was more than 100 years old.

two days and a night in cooking it." The barbecue was served al 5 p. m. on the day of the bee, after two teams had vied for the honor of bringing in the most stone for the abutments of the bridge. After the barbecue, the spit with the remains of the ox was paraded through the streets of the village on the wagon wheels that had been used to turn the spit. Ira Wilcos, the merchant gentleman, who had furnished the drinks, was taken by force in his best Sunday go-to-meeting suit and hoisted onto the spit, and carried along in the procession.

They had a robust, haphazard time in building that bridge more than 100 years ago. In the building of the new bridge today, everything is exact, orderly and complicated power shovels, motor trucks, resident engineers, union cards and social security records. I In Otsego County..