The globe-independent. (Hagerstown, Md.) 1943-19??, 1952-11-06
Horse and Buggy Days
By Ida 10 Martin

It is always interesting to me t
talk with "Old Timers" and hea
them tell about things that happen
ed in the days when there we're NOR
buggies than automobiles. ArounC
Halloween time these stories taxi
on unbelievable proportions some
times. But here is a Halloween
story that didn't happen on Hal
lowe'en, that is well remembered
by any number of people of Maug
ansville.
Several weeks ago told about the
railroad dividing that little town.
was able to talk with some of the
folks that helped in the fight with
the railroads to get a street crossing
one that seems now as though it must
always have been there.
AS Maugansville grew, and its prin-
ciple industry, the elevator and feed
mill business, began to flourish, the
town grew up on both sides of the
tracks. On what is called "Salem
Street" by some, but is better known
as the Back Street" the elevator
and coal yards grew up at the To-
cation of the present establishment.
OF course, the street ran up to it
just as today, but did not cross the
tracks of what was then the Cum
berland Valley Railroad. And on the
other side was also part of the town,
with one Harry Johnson living quite
near the railroad, but on the other
side from the elevator. AS more
and more traffic came into the town
and as more people built and NOV
ed in, the need for crossing on this
street became self evident-that is,
to all except the officials of the c.
V. R. r. Numerous requests for
street crossing were politely brush
ed aside. These requests later be-
came stronger and became petitions,
but they still were ignored. Finally,
several attempts were made to de-
mand, at law, crossing.
l do not have much of the details
of these attempts, but my chief in
formant, Mr.. Phares B. Wilmer (he's
my father), who lived just below the
elevator through all of this, and la
ter had a big part in winning the
fight, says that legal help could not
be secured because no money was
put up.
Finally my father, whom many
know as a milkman for many years,
and Mr.. Harry Johnson, took up the
fight. The first thing they did was
to raise some money, so that law
yer would at least look at them.
Each of the two men put up a fair
of money and personally |
solicited their end of the town for I
help, and he said that he received
about a dollar from each person con-
tacted.
The two of them went to see law
yer Woetzenberger, and ran into the
good fortune of finding a man who /
would work and, after getting into
the fight, went all out to win. He
came out to see the crossing site and
rolled up his trouser legs to wade
right into the place, to see for him
self all about it. He joined the folks
in noon lunch, eating baked beans
sitting on an empty nail keg-and
the fight was on.
Meanwhile, the folks who lived !
nearby joined in the fight by enjoy
ing the customary halloween pranks
when it wasn't halloween, feeling
that they were justified, on behalf
of a good cause. Time after time
the fences along both sides of the
tracks were torn down, but as bank
of several feet paralleled the tracks,
no crossing was possible till more
work could be done. The railroad
company was determined that no
GIOSSlllS S11OOl0 NC 41lOSSs anu ~
built the fences. They disappeared
again, and were again rebuilt, till,
finally, the railroad company called
for police help.
Out came several police, or as the
folks said "cops." There was a
freight station beside the elevator,
and the police asked the agent why
he did not stop the "boys" from tear
ing down the fence. That agent,
Sam Wolfensberger, was wise in the
ways of the local folks and replied
that he would have nothing to do
with it. So the police took up their
watch. Along came the first train,
and when it was gone, behold, so was
the fence on the other side of the
tracks. So for the next train the
cops stationed themselves on the
north side of the tracks, and when
that train had gone, so had the fence
on the south side.
Then the cops divided and stayed