Historical Hijinks – April Fools!

Historical Hijinks – April Fools!

Matthew Ballard April 1, 2017

November 1, 1894:
Democrats gathered at Albion’s train station in the pouring rain awaiting the arrival of Gov. Roswell Flower to pass through on a special train. As the train slowly sputtered into the station, a gentleman arouses the attention of onlookers by passing word around to give three cheers for Gov. Flower. A man emerged from the train, greeted by three hearty cheers for Flower; he tips his hat, bows, and addresses the crowd, telling them to vote next Tuesday for Levi Morton, the Republican nominee. The man stepped back onto the train and departed – the special train arrived shortly after.

March 12, 1903:
At midnight, the streetlight wire crossed the incandescent lighting circuit at Medina near the home of Watson Barry. The steel ceiling in Barry’s home became charged and made a brilliant display!

October 31, 1932:
Kids at Medina reportedly exchanged the front steps of Mayor Grinnell’s home with those of another and someone advertised the Presbyterian Church as for sale.

November 12, 1903:
Miss Hettie Bodine, a Barre schoolteacher, was arrested for “maiming” one of her pupils, 10 year old Leonard Standish. Bodine claimed that Standish was making faces during class, to which she punished him by compelling the boy to stick out his tongue. When he did so, she quickly grabbed hold of it and pulled.

June 1885:
A 13 year old boy at Medina is arrested for being “mad drunk.” The boy was fined 50 cents, which was paid for by the man who sold him the whiskey.

February 14, 1861:
A man arrived by train at Medina and started a rumor that the storming of Fort Sumter had commenced. The telegraph operator anxiously sent a message to Rochester asking, “Has the storming of Fort Sumter commenced?” The brief response stated, “Yes.” When asked by whom, Rochester responded, “by a rain storm.”

August 15, 1919:
Judge Frederick Skinner of Medina, candidate for county judge and surrogate of Orleans County, arrived at a picnic in a big automobile carrying a sign that read “Skinner, Judge.” While he was doing a bit of “electioneering,” some rascal changed the sign to read “Skinner Not Judge.” When Skinner discovered the change, he was enraged, stating that the culprit “had not better be caught in Medina.”