This is from THE BALTIMORE SUN, Wednesday, October 23, 1918:
NEWS OF MARYLAND AND THE VIRGINIA
MARYLAND BRIEFS
FREDERICK—R. E. HEITT, a United States marine from Baltimore, who did valiant work fighting the fire in the Carros building and adjoining property Saturday morning, was given a special letter by Mayor Lewis H. FRALEY before leaving Frederick, in order to explain his delay in reporting to Lieut. T. C. WESTER at Hagerstown. This letter was suggested by several Army officers who were around at the time and learned of HEITT’s brave and effective assistance.
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FROSTBURG—Francis SHEA, aged 29 years, who died at Borden Yard of pneumonia, and his brother, Private William SHEA, who died At Camp Greenleaf, Ga., of the same disease were buried together in St. Michael’s Cemetery. Four other brothers survive—Private Thomas SHEA, Camp Meade, and Maxwell, Clarence and Urban SHEA—with the parents, Mr. and Mrs. James SHEA.
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DENTON—Isaac J. MOORE is dead here, aged 75 years. He had been confined to his home since March, when he suffered a stroke of paralysis soon after returning from Florida, where he spent last winter. Judge J. Virgil MOORE of the Caroline Orphans’ Court is one of his two surviving sons, T. Lane MOORE of Philadelphia being the other. Mrs. J. Edward NICHOLS, Mrs. Lida WINE and Misses Jane and Mattie Moore, daughters, also survive.
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CUMBERLAND—John McLAUGHLIN, one of the best known men in the eastern end of Allegany county, is dead. He would have been 90 years old on Christmas Day. Mr. McLAUGHLIN for years was active in Democratic politics. For a long period he was a section boss on the Chesapeake and Ohio canal. He lived with his only daughter, Mrs. Frank CAMPBELL. Several grandchildren also survive.
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CUMBERLAND—Mrs. Ardella J. VALLIANT, widow of James VALLIANT, who died at her home near Trappe, in her 71st year, is survived by one son, Courtney VALLIANT; one brother Dr. S. K. MERRICK of Baltimore, and one half-brother, M. Barton MERRICK, and a half-sister, Miss H. MERRICK of Trappe. Interment was made in the family cemetery, Bolingbroke.
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(A different article on this story was also in The Washington Post on October 21.)
CUMBERLAND
(Special Dispatch to The News)
Cumberland, Md., Oct. 22—Two children of William HUMBERTSON were killed by an explosion of gas which had accumulated in a closet, and their mother injured. Mr. HUMBERTSON had gone to the closet to get a pair of pliers. When he opened the door the fumes shot out and ignited from a heating stove in the dining room. The force of the explosions blew out the front of the house and sent furniture from the front room into the street, while the dining room was upturned and splintered. The two children, who were standing at a window in the front room, were blown into the street and buried under the front brick wall which crumbled. Homes in the immediate vicinity were caused to rock and glass to fall from the windows. The children who lost their lives were Elizabeth HUMBERTSON, aged 13 years, and her brother, Melvin Woodrow, aged 2 years. Elizabeth was holding her little brother in her arms so that he might see out of the window. The children had only a few days before recovered from an attack of influenza and had not been permitted to leave the house. Mr. and Mrs. HUMBERTSON and three other children, Walter, aged 6; Ruth, aged 4, and Grace, aged 7, who had been with their mother in the kitchen, were taken to the hospital in passing machines. An infant, 2 months old, in a baby carriage in the room, was uninjured.
Mr. HUMBERTSON, who was burned about the face and hands, was able to leave the hospital after slight injuries had been dressed, as were also the other members of the family.
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"OVER THERE"
Mrs. Nannie McK. JACOBS, Centreville, received a souvenir of France from her son, Private J. H. K., JACOBS, in the form of a large centerpiece. The center is of tan satin, and has an American flag embroidered on it. The entire piece is surrounded with three-inch metallic lace. Mrs. William McKENNEY, an aunt of Private JACOBS, received from him a pillow top, which is made of strands of pink and green silk, threaded together with yellow and blue ribbon. Private JACOBS is a member of the Fifty-fourth Artillery.
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Private Boone COST, writes from France to his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Pry COST, Hagerstown, that he is in a hospital recuperating from shrapnel wounds. Young COST is with the artillery.
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Information has been received at Annapolis of the promotion of Lieut. John R. KAISER, One Hundred and Twelfth Machine Gun Battalion, U.S.A., to the rank of captain. He will remain with the same organization which is composed of Marylanders and Virginians, and is commanded by Major D. John MARKEY of Frederick. With the One Hundred and Fifteenth (Maryland) and One Hundred and Sixteenth (Virginia) Infantry, it forms the Fifty-eighth Brigade. Eight of the original members of the Machine Gun Company of Annapolis, which was a part of the old First Maryland Infantry, National Guard, have now reached the rank of captain. Twenty-two others have been commissioned in different branches of the service. The others who are now captains are: C. Carey JARMAN, who commands the machine gun company of the One Hundred and Fifteenth; Bernard J. WIEGARD, who commands the machine gun company of the One Hundred and Thirteenth Infantry, a New Jersey regiment, and Captains Robert G. MOSS, William F. STROHMEYER, Harry J. SELBY, Robert O. JONES and J. Weston HYDE, all of the regular army. Captain KAISER is a graduate of Pennsylvania State College. His father is Rudolph KAISER of Annapolis, and he has two sisters, Mrs. Horace J. FENTO and Mrs. Clarence M. WHITE.
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Private Basil E. GARNER of Anne Arundel county died in France of pneumonia. He is survived by a widow and was a brother of former Policeman Green GARNER of Eastport.
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The wife and parents of Private Robert H. COOK, Frostburg, who was reported to have died at Lamans, France, on September 6, were overjoyed by the receipt of letter from him, written as late as September 26. The word of his death was sent by his bunk mate, named THACKERAY of Shelburne Falls, Mass., who said he died of pneumonia and that he was buried in a cemetery at Lamans, with services by the chaplain. The information had been sent to THACKERAY’s mother at Shelburne Falls, with instructions to forward it to COOK’s wife in the envelope which COOK himself had addressed while ill and given to THACKERAY for use in emergency. This was explained in the letter. Private COOK’s wife, who is a daughter of Hugh SPEIR, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John COOK, had mourned him as dead and the receipt of the letters from him caused great joy in the several households. It is explained that THACKERAY may have heard of the death of a COOK and assumed that it was his "Bunkie" who had succumbed. Without further investigation he wrote his mother to notify Mrs. COOK and used the envelope which Private COOK had addressed. The families had never received official information, but they had assumed the report of THACKERAY was correct, as notices are often greatly belated through red tape.
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Lieut. Gilbert MEEKINS, Medical Corps, with the Second Division in France, a Johns Hopkins graduate writes his parents at Cambridge, after a battle:
"The wounded all received prompt and excellent care, and were gotten back to the hospitals in the rear in record time. Our casualties were very small and from the fight the Boche put up, I know our big guns put the fear of God in their dirty souls. Words of praise are too small to bestow upon the chaplains, the Red Cross and the U.M.C.A. workers who were right up here with us in this drive: they were absolutely wonderful, and our khaki-clad doughboys—God only knows (and the Germans) how brave, gallant and spirited they are. It is being proved every day how well that old country of ours can meet emergencies, and today our doughboys have to take their hats off to no soldier on earth; they hare in a class by themselves. I am very well, and as the English say, still ‘carrying on,’ and will until the end is reached."
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DENTON
(Special Dispatch to The News)
Denton, Md., Oct. 22—Miss Gertrude J. KEMP, for three years stenographer in the office of the Caroline county Board of Education, was married recently at the home of her grandmother, Mrs. Josephine WRIGHT, Choptank, to Arthur Monroe WILLEY of Philadelphia. Miss KEMP was a graduate of Trappe high school, Talbot county, and commercial teacher in the Caroline high school. Mr. WILLEY is the son of the late Monroe M. WILLEY, a former Delegate in the Maryland Legislature. He is a graduate of the Wilmington Conference Academy, and is now working for the Government near Philadelphia. Mr. and Mrs. WILLEY will make their future home in Darby, Pa. Rev. Tilghman SMITH of East New Market officiated at the wedding.
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Another "Flu" Victim
(Special Dispatch to The News)
Cape Charles, Va., Oct. 22—William C. SULLIVAN, about 35 years old, a freight conductor of the New York, Philadelphia and Norfolk Railroad, died at his home in Delmar last night of Spanish "flu" following a short illness. He is survived by a widow.
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IN THE VIRGINIAS
EASTVILLE—Mrs. W. J. PEED of Johnsontown and daughter, Miss Virginia, and Mrs. Cecil JACOB of Cheriton were guests of Mrs. Fred. G. MAPP.
"Ben" MEARS, U.S.N., is visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Otho MEARS.
Mrs. L. G. ACKLY spent last week-end with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. W. BROWN.
Mrs. Altha SIOX of Newport News is visiting her mother, Mrs. Nora NOTTINGHAM.
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CAPE CHARLES—Mrs. W. B. SWEENEY has returned from a visit to relatives in Williamsburg.
Mrs. Marie ZEBLEY of Wilmington, Del., is the guest of Mrs. William TAYLOR.
Mrs. W. F. WILKINS and children returned from a visit to Mrs. Wilkins’ parents in Wilmington, Del.
Fletcher AYRES, U.S. Navy, is visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. R. AYRES.
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LA PLATA
(Special Dispatch to The News)
La Plata, Oct. 22—Mrs. Ola B. POSEY, accompanied by her little daughter, Dunreath POSEY, was the guest of her sister, Mrs. S. H. MORRIS.
Reed BAILEY of the United States Navy spent last week at his home near Wicomico.
Misses Ruby F. KENDRICK and E. Lydia CLEMENTS of Washington have been visiting their parent near town.
Miss Mary BARNES of Washington and Wallace BARNES of Indian Head are visiting at La Plata.
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CENTREVILLE
(Special Dispatch to The News)
Centreville, Md., Oct. 22—A. Sterling HARRIS, son of Captain and Mrs. Charles W. HARRIS, has gone to Baltimore to take the examination for the field artillery officers’ camp. He has been engaged in organizing camps of the Boys’ Working Reserves in Pennsylvania during the last summer. He organized and was honorary captain of camps at Allentown, Philadelphia and at North East, on Lake Erie. Mr. HARRIS is a graduate of the Centreville High School, class of 1916, and has been a student for two years at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa.
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"Flu" Causes Clot in Brain
(Special Dispatch to The News)
Cape Charles, Va., Oct. 22—Grunville HOGG, caretaker of Smith’s Island estate, who was taken to Sarah Leigh Hospital, Norfolk, a few days ago suffering from a clot on the brain, believed to have developed from Spanish "flu," died in that institution last evening. Mr. HOGG was a former member of the life-saving crew at Smith’s Island station for a number of years. He was a native of Gloucester county. A widow and two children survive him.
Clayton EVANS, about 23 years of age, son of Mr. and Mrs. T. P. EVANS of Horntown, died in Camp Lee Hospital of peritonitis. His remains were brought to Horntown for burial.