I decided earlier today to write something about Montclair, the town where I grew up in New Jersey, and spent a few minutes looking through the free NYT archives to see what I could find. That post will be up another day, but here are a few of the amusing articles I turned up.
- (1900) VICTIMS OF CHRISTIAN SCIENCE.(2); Montclair Man Abandons Wife and Child to Work for the Cause.
- (1918) WOULD BAR HEARST PAPERS; Montclair Counsel Draws Ordinance Under New Jersey Act.
- (1894) INFECTED MILK IN MONTCLAIR. (Typhoid spread by a milk vendor from Verona.)
- (1909) CHASE FOR BURGLAR IN A TROLLEY CAR; Montclair Police Catch James Connor, Suspected of Having Entered Five Houses. STRAPPED IN SILVERWARE Connor Denies That He Stole It and Declares He Found It on a Montclair Street Car. (I really wish we still had those street cars. The photos you see around town are awesome.)
- (1913) EDISON’S SON A SPEEDER.; Montclair Policeman Follows and Arrests Him In West Orange. Theodore Edison, the 14-year-old con of Thomas A. Edison, is a student at the Montclair Military Academy, and usually is driven to and from that institution in one of his father’s cars. Recently Mr. Edison purchased a high-powered touring car.
“the 14-year-old con”?
Yes, that is the NY Times’ own spelling. I wish they gave his speed. Back in 1913 I’m thinking something like 25kph….
According to Wikipedia, New Jersey instituted a drivers license in July of 1913, Edison Jr. was arrested for speeding in October.