davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
SUSSEX COUNTY TAX RATE
REDUCED BY LEVY COURT
At Meeting On Tuesday Rate Was
Made Csc; Old Rate S1.1O

At it's regular weekly meeting on
Tuesday of this week, the sussex
County Levy Court voted very ma
terial reduction in the county rate
for the year. The new rate as fixed
at Tuesdays meeting is seventy-hve
cents on the $4,000 of assessed val
ulation. The rate which has been in
effect for the past several years was
S1.1O on the $4,000. The saving to
each property owner is thirty-five
cents, which is a very pleasing re-
duction in the taxes at this time.
Should Governor Robinson sign the
bill now before him which provides
for a reduction of the State school
tax on property form twenty-five
cents to fifteen cents on the $4,000
an additional ten cent reduction will
be handed to. the property owners.
Coming at this time when the reve-
nues from the farms is not so large
as several years ago when the high
er rate was made, the action of the
Sussex County Levy Court will be
pleasing to the tax payers in all sec
tions of the county. Last year the
Levy Court almost doubled the
amount of road upkeep work and at
the same time did the work at saw
ing of $4,000.
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
DAIRY SCHOOL WILL
Be HELD AT MIDWAY
Program For Third Annual Event
On Tuesday, May 3, Promises
To Be Interesting.

The third annual dairy school for
the eastern part of Sussex county,
will be held at the Presbyterian
Community Hall, Midway, Tuesday,
May 3rd, afternoon and evening
meetings. This school is being con-
Quoted by the Extension Department
of the University of Delaware, CO.
operating with the Interstate Dairy
Council of Philadelphia, The Nassau
Milk Producers Association and the
Sussex Trust Company of Lewes.
The program will begin promptly
at one o'clock with an address by w.
E. Thompson, president of the Mas
sau Milk Producers Association.
Thos. R. Ingram, cashier of the Sus-
sex Trust Co., Lewes, will speak in
the afternoon, and C. I. Cohee will
summarize the twelve months rec
ords of the cow testing association,
and a general discussion will follow
Mr.. Cohee's talk. The ladies of the
Rehoboth Presbyterian Church will
serve a chicken supper to the public
at so cents per plate between five
and six o'clock.
The evening program will consist
of community singing, led by Mr..
Ingram. Talk on alfalfa" by A. D.
Cobb. followed by a pageant put on
by club girls of the Angola and Mid
way communities, which Miss Anna
B. Moore, County Club Agent, has
charge of. H. D. Davis, director OF
the Quality Control Department of
Supplee ?Wills-Jones Milk Company,
will deliver an address on the Flu
ture Price of Milk" Mr.. Cohee, d.
rector of the Dairy Council of Phil
adelphia. will present a mock trial
which will be very entertaining as
well as instructive. Mr.. Cohee is
assisted by five of the Dairy Council
field men.
The two past dairy schools have
been a great help to the farmers IN
developing the dairy industry in the
ca stern part of Sussex county. and
IL IS hoped that the program odered
at this time will be the best ever
given. Everyone is invited to attend
these meetings, and those who want
a real chicken supper should plan 10
meet their friends at the community
hall. Midway, May Srd.
Mrs. T. C. Donovan, Lewes, phone
Iewes No. 22R2. will be glad to have
the names of those who expect to be
served supper.
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
REPORT DECREASE in
FARM POPULATION
Government Report Shows Drift
From Farms 70 Cities And Towns

A decrease in the farm population
for the Middle Atlantic States, in
cluding Maryland and Delaware, is
shown by estimates of the Depart
ment of Agriculture, based on the
farm census of 1925, it was announ-
ced in Washington this week.
The estimated farm population for
the Middle, Atlantic States, year
ago, was 1.768,000, as compared
with 1,SOS,000 on January l, 1925. In
this area, the department says that
last year $4,000 persons moved from
the farms and in these states and
1O1,OO0 persons moved to farms.
1t was estimated that January Of
this year the farm population of the
United States decreased GAS, 900 per-
sons as compared with the same
date in 1925. Estimates of the de-
partment place the number of peo-
pie living on the farms Of the coun-
try, January / year ago, at IT.
$4,000, as compared with 2S,541,0OO
two years ago.
The department estimates that ap-
proximately 2,155,000 persons have
moved from farms to cities Cnd
towns in the last year, and that l.
1880 persons moved to farms,
making a net movement of 100000
away from farms. Births and 1eaths
on the farms of the country, taken
into consideration reduced the loss
due to cityward movements to 649,-
000
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
NEGRO ASSATLANT
OF WHITE WOMAN
TO HANG MAY II
Sussex County Jury Finds Carl
Skinner Guilty 10 FiftY-twO
Minutes.
VERDICT Was APPLAUDED
Was Convicted Of Criminal As
sault On Mrs. Julia Bennett,
Aged IS.

After celebrating for So minutes,
a Jury in the Court of Oyer and
Terminer of Sussex County on Tues
day returned a verdict of guilty in
the case of Carl Skinner, 27-year-old
negro who was tried for committing
a criminal assault on Mrs. Julia A.
Bennett, an 85-year-old white wo-
man, of near Bridgeville, on the
night of April 4. No recommenda-
ton for mercy was made and this
obliged the Court to impose the
death sentence.
At AIS o'clock the death sentence
was imposed He was sentenced to
be hanged in the Sussex county Jail
yard on Friday, May q, between the
hours of 10 o'clock in the morning
and 3 o'clock in the afternoon.
Immediately after the sentence
was pronounced Sheriff Bryan and
Deputy Sheriff Gray and detach-
ment of State Highway policemen,
hurried Skinner into a waiting au-
tomobile and he was taken to the
New Castle County Workhouse at
Greenbank where he will be closely
guarded until the day of his execu-
ton.
Mrs. Bennett, aged and crippled,
hobbled to the witness stand at
11:15. She told a straightforward
story which was a narrowing tale of
the treatment she had received at
the hands of the defendant.
Bent with age and affliction, and
suffering from shock, she presented
a pitiful scene in the court room
while Skinner, sitting in the prison.
er's dock, occasionally would glance
in her direction with a contemplate
look.
81 had been in bed a half hour, "
Mrs. Bennett said, when heard the
tired of heavy feet on the porch. 1
knew it was not my son because he
does not walk heavily"
Then Mrs. Bennett told how she
always kept lamp lighted near her
bed. "The man came into the COM
bination bedroom and kitchen" the
aged woman went on, "and I could
not see at first whether he was black
or white. He blew out the light and
then tore the bedclothes off the bed"
(continued on page flve)
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
TO MOVE TELEPHONE
CENTRAL TOMORROW
Work Of Switching Over Planned
So That Little Inconvenience
Will Be Felt.

The Diamond State Telephone
Company will cut over all telephone
lines in Milford from the old central
Office on East Front street, North
Milford, to the Masonic building on
West Front street, North Milford,
next Sunday.
Preparations for the move have
been under way for sometime. Ger
tain building changes were required
at the new Office and it was neces-
sary to completely install the new
switchboards before the change
could be effected. b. P. Bardo, DIS
trict manager for the Diamond
State Company now announces that
all new construction will be COM
pleted and the new equipment in
stalled by the end of the present
week in preparation for the change.
The cutover will begin about II
o'clock Saturday night. 1t is plan
ned to make it as expeditions as
possible so that the $50 telephones,
now operating through the present
Milford switchbOards, will be iOper-
ating through the new switchboards
at the new location by midnight, on
Sunday night.
The telephones will be transferred
one group or section" as the tele-
phone people call it, at time. In
this way each telephone will suffer
but short interruption of telephone
service. Certain telephones, those
connecting with hospitals, doctors
and the fire department will suffer
no interruption of service at all.
In a job of this nature with all the
telephones in the town involved in a
single cutover, it was thought best
to make the transfer of a compare
lively few telephones at time. The
wires leading to the old Office will
be severed for each group and the
new connections will be Immediately
made with the new Office. In this
way but a comparatively few tele-
phones will be out of service at a
time.
Five operating positions will be
furnished initially in the new Office
to handle the telephone traffic in
the town. Two of these positions
are for toll calls and three for
handling local calls. There is suffl-
cient space in the new Office to ae-
commodate growth for several
years in the future.
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
DELAWARE PARENT
TEACHERS SHOW GAIN
OVER LAST YEAR
State Has Largest PrOpOrtiOnate
Membership OF ANY State In
Union.
MEMBERS TOTAL l4,O24
At Annual Meeting Last Saturday
In Dover Delegates Hear Inter-
estins Addresses.

At the morning business session of
the State Parent-Teacher Associa-
ton held at Dover last Saturday
John B. Cleaver, of Middletown, re-
ported total receipts for the year of
$2,393.99, expenditures, S1,512.48,
leaving a balance of $881.5l. The
membership committee reported the
total membership in the State to be
14,024, which is an increase of 1877
over last year. This increase is
made up of 81S among the white as
sociations and 759 in the colored as
sociations.
Mrs. Robert E. Lewis, of Dover,
president of the association, in her
annual address reviewed tine work of
the year and told of how the great
advancement of the work in Della
ware has attracted national >atten-
ton. In her talk Mrs. Lewis recalled
the 1921 convention, when there
were but seven associations and
compared it to the 372 now in exis-
tence, with paid-up membership of
$4,000 people. One hundred and two
of the organizations are colored and
will send delegates to a separate
convention tomorrow.
She called attention to the fact
that Delaware has the largest pro-
portionate membership of any state
in the Union, having enjoyed this
distinction in former years as well.
Such splendid results have been
achieved in Delaware" she said,
that a request was received last
year from Mrs. Laura Underhill
Kohn, national chairman of publicity
last year, requesting the Delaware
P. T. A. to come to California and
show them how the work is carried
on in this state.
Community singing, reports, and
the address by Dallas Lore Sharp, of
Boston, were features of the after
noon meeting.
George S. Williams, president OF
the State Board of Education, in
bringing greetings to the convention
referred to the association as the
strong right arm of Delaware's
school SYSTEM" "You have gone
into every district, however remote,
he declared, with the tidings OF
good health; you have carried higher
ideals everywhere.
'You have helped, not only IN Sc
curing material things. but in chang
CONTINUED on page hVe)
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
DELIVERY BY TRUCK
FOR MILFORD EXPRESS
Enlarging Boundary Limits Makes
Auto Delivery Express Necessary

The regulations require that all
shipments by express on the rail-
roads by those who reside within the
incorporate limits of any town or
city, shall be delivered by the ex-
press company handling the same, to
the residence or place of business of
the parties within the incorporate
limits. This means that any person
desiring to send a crate of eggs, coop
of chickens, package of any kind,
can call the express company by
telephone, notifying that such article
is ready for shipment by express,
andthe company will send their auto
truck to collect the shipment. 1t al
so means, that any package sent to
any person residing within the in
corporate limits of Milford, shall
have such package delivered to the1r
residence or place of business by the
express company.
To meet this condition the Amer
lean Express Company which has
used horse delivery for many years
in Milford, will have to replace the
horse delivery with an automobile
truck, to cover the additional terri
tory and meet the trains promptly
for shipment of such packages as Of
fered for transportation.
The agent, Mr.. Holcomb, has been
getting data together as to the addi-
tional mileage to be covered in the
service, for the company; and, as
the Governor has signed the bill Gre
ating the new boundary for Milford,
it is now a fact and the change will
nave to go into effect as early as
convenient; unless some other plan
should be evolved.
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
MILFORD LIMITS ARE
EXTENDED BY new Law
Governor Robinson Approves Meas
ures Passed By Last Legislature

Governor Robinson this week
signed two bills passed by the last
General Assembly which affect the
people of Milford directly. The first
one provides for the refunding of
outstanding bonds. The second one
is that which gives the Town Coun-
Gil of Milford authority to extend the
city limits to take in the territory
needed for the proper expansion Of
the town. A survey will be made
and markers placed so that the en-
larged limits of the town will be
known to all. Under the new law
now in effect the population of the
town of Milford should be very ma
terially increased. For the past
several years most of the dwellings
erected here have been built outside
the city limits. They now become a
part of the town. The law provides
that land used exclusively for farm
purposes, together with the improve
ments thereon shall not be taxed for
town purposes. All other property
is taxable, and every man and wo-
man over twenty-one years of age
must pay the town capitation tax.
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
GOVERNOR FAVORS SCHOOL
BUILDING PROGRAM BILL
Under New Law State May Spend
$2.OOOOOO For Construction

Governor Robert P. Robinson on
Tuesday signed the bill providing tor
a school building program In DeIa-
ware for the next two years. The
state Board of Education will now
be able to act on requests Tor new
school houses in various places. A
number of applications for aid unoer
the bill have been filed, but the
board thought it was useless to con-
slider them until the Governor hao
indicated whether he would sign or
veto the bill.
The measure as finally passed
provides for an appropriation OF
81 900 900 a year for two years out
of the surplus of the school fund
for the purpose OF constructing new
school houses or adding additions TO
those which can be improved in that
way. The building commission IN
each place where a school is built
will be composed of the members OF
the State school board and members
appointed by the district in which
the school house is to be erected.
The bill provides that school dis
tricts receiving aid may be compell-
ed to contribute toward the cost OF
the building to an amount equal to
two per cent of the assessed valua-
ton of property in the district. Some
districts are understood to be will
ing to contribute up to five per cent
which was the amount specified in
the original bill which was later
amended. The question of whether
they can contribute more than 2 per
cent was considered informally at a
recent meeting of the State school
board and the opinion expressed that
they might but this will be consider
ed in detail before anything can be
done.
Signing of this bill by the COVER
nor ends a fight for additional rev
school buildings which was COM
menced previous to the session Of
the legislature two years ago. That
body defeated the measure which
had been proposed by Pierre S. du-
Pont and later amended by the legis-
lature. The bill signed by the Gov
ernor is considerably different from
the one which was originally offered.
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
TODAY Is ARBOR DAY
IN DELAWARE SCHOOLS
Interesting Program Prepared For
Use In Each School

This week is being observed in the
United States as Forest Week and
incidentally Arbor Day will be held
in all educational places during the
week. Governor Robinson has re-
quested the observance of Forest
Week and Arbor Day in the State of
Delaware. The care of birds is also
to be observed at the same time Ar
Dor Day will be observed in the
schools today.
The program outlined for each
school in it's celebration follows:
1. Devotional Exercises: Psalm 10
or Psalm Sc.
2. Proclamation Of Governor Ito
be read).
9. Salute to the Trees-VanDyke
4. Arbor Day Song (Tune: "Auld
Lang Syne"C.
5. "The Purposes Of Arbor Day."
(Short talks by local speakers or
older pupils.)
6. Recitation-"What Do We
Plant ?"-Henry Abbey.
Z. Short Essays by Pupils.
8. Spring Song (Tune, "old Black
Joe").
9. Historic Trees.
10. The Tree in Literature.
II. Facts About Trees.
u. Song - Treetop Mornings -
Progressive Music Series, One-Book
Course, p. 121.
1S. Group Recitation-"S Spring
time Song"
IA. How to Plant.
Is. Planting the Tree or Shrub.
16. Closing Song-"America the
Beautiful"-Progressive Music Ser
les, One-Book Course, p. 1872.
Continued on page f1ve)
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
AUTO ASSOCIATION URGES
INSPECTION OF BRAKES
Now Is The Time To Have Them In
spected To Avert Accidents

Importance Of good brakes is en-
phasized by the Delaware Automo-
bile Association, which is urging all
motorists of Delaware to look to
their braking equipment before the
start of the busy touring season.
Brakes" says a statement by the
association, "are the most important
part of an automobile. without a
motor, of course, the car would be
useless; but without brakes it is
worse than useless. It then becomes
a destructive force, dangerous alike
to life and property.
"The old adage, Don't start any
thing you can't finish,' should be
changed in the lexicon of the motor
ist to, Don't start a car you can't
STOP No matter how smoothly
your motor runs, your car is moth
ing more than a coffin on wheels if
the braking equipment is defective.
EVERY car set in motion must
stop. The thousands of fatalities
and hundreds of thousands of acci-
continued on page dveI
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
SUSSEX FIELD MEET
WILL Be Held TODAY
Event At Georgetown Promises
To Be Largely Attended And
Surpass Previous Meets.

The Sussex County Track and
Field Meet, to be held at Savage
Driving Park, one mile east of
Georgetown, today, gives promise of
surprising all previous meets held
during the past five years. The en-
tries for the bronze, silver and gold
badge tests number 1886, including
507 for the boys bronze badge; 656
for the girls bronze badge; 210 for
boys silver badge; 265 for girls sill
yer badge; 81 for the boys and 116
for the girls gold badge. Fifteen
teams have been entered for the
dodge ball tournament, four in class
l boys; seven in class girls, and
four in class for the rural schools.
For the track and field events there
are $50 entries, including nearly
every high school in the county and
all of the large elementary schools.
Much interest is being taken in the
relay races. which promises to be
hard fought events.
The meet will be under the direc-
ton of Major P. S. Prince, field
agent for the Delaware Inter-Schol-
astic Athletic Association, with the
following in charge of the following
committees: Prof. E. Paul Burk-
holder, chairman; Prof. Albert Ear
ley, Prof. c. A. Afflerbach, Major
Prf ce, Prof. John Shilling, Mrs. H.
B. Lewis, Miss Edith 1. Jones, Dom
aid J. Richey.
Program for the day will open at
S:45 O'Clock, with parade of the
schools, under the direction of Prof.
Farley, parade marshal. The parade
will form on West Market street,
Georgetown, between the Public
Square and the du Pont Boulevard.
The students will march down mar
ket street to the driving park. The
badge test events will start at 9:15
o'clock and at 9:45 o'clock the
dodge ball tournament will be con-
Quoted. The junior track meet
starts at l O'Clock, followed by the
senior track events at 2:45 o'clock.
Officials in charge are not expect
ing to finish with the events until
between and z o'clock. Tabulation
of the scores will take place at the
close of the field and track events
and the winner of the meet an
nounced.
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
MILFORD BOY
HONORED AT PENN
Vreela6d Horton Member OF Manag-
/1ng Board OF Pennsylvania

Announcement has been made of
the election of George Vreeland Hor-
ton of Laurel, as member of the
managing board of the PennSylva-
nian, the undergraduate daily news
paper of the University of Pennsyl-
vania. He will hold the position of
chairman of the pictorial board of
the paper for the next school year.
Mr.. Horton is the son of Mr.. and
Mrs. John S. Horton, and is junior
in the Wharton School of Finance
and Commerce of the University.
During the past year he had been an
assistant business manager of the
Pennsylvania. He is a member of
Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity.
Prior to entering the University of
Pennsylvania Mr.. Horton attended
the Milford High School, where he
was a member of the base ball team,
the foot ball squad, student council.
and in his senior year was elected
president of his class.
The Pennsylvania is one of the
best-known student newspapers in
college circles, and receives a wide
reading at the hands of both stu
dents and alumni.
He formerly resided in Milford.
Milford chronicle., 1927-04-29
JEWELLERS WILL MEET In
WILMINGTON NEXT WEEK
Two Day Session win Be Addressed
BY Prominent Speakers

The annual convention of the
MARYLAND and Delaware Retail Jew
elers Association to be held in the
duPont-BiltmOre Hotel, in Whining
ton, on May 5 and 6, promises to De
the most largely attended and I'M
Dortant convention this aggressive
association has ever held.
C. J. Brotherly, president OF the
National Retail jewelers. Association
of America, E. w. chamberlain
president of the Retail jewelers. AS
sociation Of Ohio, F. L. Dacis, presl-
dent of the Retail jewelers. Assocla-
ton of Pennsylvania, and some Oh
the most influential manufacturing
Jewellers of New York, New Jersey
Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virgin
ia will attend the convention.
Governor Albert Ritchie of Mary
land and Governor Robert P. Robin
son of Delaware and Congressman
Robert G. Houston of Delaware, will
be important guests at the banquet
to be held on Thursday evening, May
5. in the Gold Ball Room of the du-
Pont-Biltmore Hotel.
United States Senator Thomas F.
Bayard, of Delaware, and Josiah
Marvel, first President of the Bar
Association Of Delaware, will be the
chief speakers.
The postmaster will be William
]. Highfield, Potentate of Lulu Tenn
pie. The quartet of Lulu Temple OF
Philadelphia, will furnish the musi-
cal selections and there will be can
cling following the dinner.
A fine program has been prepared
for both days, and entertainment for
the ladies who attend with their hus-
bands has been provided.