100 Years Ago Today - May 2020

Look at these statements from headline articles in the La Porte Argus in May 1920. Terminology, capitalization, and what makes headline news can be different. Yet accidents, business, crime, and war still make headlines. Want to read the whole article? It’s on microfilm in the Indiana Room at the Main Library. Staff will be glad to help you access it.
 

May 1-9 

Half of Europe is not working today because of the May day holiday. In Great Britain, it is estimated that 7,000,000 workers are idle. 
 

Wheeler Abstract and Title Co. opens in the First National Bank building. The owner is the former city editor of the Michigan City Evening News. 
 

H. Scott donates $10,000 to the Ruth C. Sabin home. No one had even an inkling that such a gift was contemplated. The institution’s funds were getting low and a large deficit was expected. 
 

The net growth of telephones in the seven exchanges operated by the La Porte Telephone Co. is 335. Plans are made for extensive improvement activities. 
 

A class of nearly one hundred candidates is received into the Protected Home Circle, a rapidly growing fraternal organization. 
 

Griewank Bros. have started excavating for the St. John’s Lutheran school building at Third and B streets and are at a standstill at the new library while waiting for plaster to finish the interior. 
 

The City band, Advance-Rumely baseball club, and a parade of automobiles, decorated in all ways, will parade the streets in honor of the baseball club opening the season in the fair grounds. 
 

A woman finds her boarder did not take all his possessions with him when he left. Little beasties were found and soon a formaldehyde burner made them rapidly go to the happy hunting grounds. 
 

May 11-16 

A committee of mothers of school children and officers of the Parent-Teachers association was appointed to relieve the city of alleged lewd vaudeville performances. 
 

A case of leaky pipes causing loss of crops and cattle breaks the record for the number of weeks a jury has been in the box on a single case. None before has taken longer than 5 ½ weeks. 
 

A South Bend couple returns home from a church meeting and finds a two-week old baby on their front step. This is the second baby left in the same manner. They adopted the first one. 
 

A petition signed by 200 city girl clerks at a banquet is presented to employers, asking for a half holiday each week and that stores close at 9 o’clock on Saturday nights. 
 

Charles Hunt is the new principal of Hanna High school. There are four teachers and eight in the whole school. Mr. Hunt had previously served as principal of the school at Stillwell. 
 

The Barkroot carnival arrives in La Porte on a train of some 20 cars. Objectionable features were eliminated since they were here last year. 
 

May 18-23 

The clerks of the Boston store had a party, but they were not allowed to give out any information to the newspaper on what kind of a time they had or what they ate or wore. 
 

The women of Mooseheart Legion have a stand at the corner of Michigan avenue and State street with good things to eat to add a tidy sum to their treasury. 
 

The opening of the La Porte Country club will take place on Monday, Decoration day. The flag tournament, a new feature in La Porte golfing circles, is said to be the main attraction. 
 

Soon there will be new owners of the Patton cemetery, provided the cemetery association agrees to retain the name as “The Patton Cemetery.” 
 

Jacob Rose, Jr. of this city sells 187 acres of Noble township land to Charles W. Werner. The price was stated as $28,000.00. 
 

Over one billion dollars worth of foods of all kinds are in storage houses and on railroads in the Chicago district. Dealers send out propaganda on a shortage in commodities to force up prices. 
 

May 25-30 

The ten year old motherless daughter of the cigar clerk at the Rumely hotel lies near death in the Holy Family hospital. Funds for her may be brought to the Bay Tree Inn or newspaper office. 
 

Chicago’s “Gold Coast” section, the homes of the wealthiest and most socially prominent residents, is in a furor as the result of raids by prohibition agents. 
 

The old, old story of a can of kerosene and a kitchen stove with live coals in it was told again in a tragedy in the little village of Hanna. 
 

A former la Porte boy loses his “flivver” in Chicago. He drove his Ford there and parked in Grant Park where the police are supposed to guard parked cars. But an hour later, it was gone. 
 

Three special cars will go to Washington park in the harbor town to see the Haskell & Barker club and the Advance-Rumely club act in the tense drama of life and action. 
 

The La Porte Harness Co. at the corner of Indiana avenue and Lincolnway is sold to Chicago parties and will cease business at once. The owner died suddenly several months ago.