Looking Back in Beacon

Editor's note: Beacon was created in 1913 from Matteawan and Fishkill Landing.
150 Years Ago (February 1876)
Officer Stevenson of Fishkill Landing received a $200 reward [about $6,000 today] for his part in capturing the horse thief Jeremiah Storm.
Four empty barges belonging to the Knickerbocker Ice Co. arrived at Dutchess Junction to be loaded with ice cut at LaGrange for shipment to New York City.
The Bachelor's Social Club held a Leap Year party on Feb. 29 at Swift's Opera House in Fishkill Landing.
After members of the Matteawan school board were criticized by parents for being out of touch, they visited the schoolhouse to see how the students were doing.
The Matteawan Seamless Clothing Manufacturing Co. closed suddenly, putting 450 men, women and children out of work. The owner, Mr. Falconer, attributed the closure to $60,000 [$1.8 million] he had spent on a dam, machinery and buildings to produce the new patented Crossley carpets. Falconer also invested in French felt suits for women, which sold poorly, and spent $30,000 [$900,000] on a Methodist meeting ground on Long Island. The firm's chief creditor was Fred Butterfield, Falconer's son-in-law, who toured the shuttered plant and said he and others would continue to back it.
James Member of Fishkill Landing planned to open a hotel in Philadelphia for Dutchess County residents visiting the Centennial Exhibition. But after a visit, he abandoned the plan, saying there were already many hotels, and real estate was being sold and rented at exorbitant prices.
An arsonist set fire to the stable and wagon house of David Davis, a retired merchant. He lost a carriage and 50 bushels of oats, but his horse was saved.
After Mrs. Hamlin refused to pay Dewitt Rogers for installing a pump in her home, he sued for damages. She testified that Rogers had installed three pumps in succession, but none worked, so she had the final one removed. A jury ruled in favor of Rogers, but an appeals court overturned the judgment.
In 1867, a wealthy millwright in Boston introduced Milo Sage, president of the Fishkill Landing Machine Co., to Norman Wiard, who said he had invented a boiler attachment that would save fuel and prevent explosions. Sage paid Wiard for the exclusive rights, and Wiard began ordering dozens of "prototypes," for which he eventually owed Sage $15,000 [$450,000]. Sage later learned that Wiard was selling the attachments to the U.S. military.
100 Years Ago (February 1926)
Theodore Moith resigned after 44 years with the Beacon Police Department and 13 years as chief. In return, Mayor Ernest Macomber agreed to drop charges that Moith, who also served as a deputy sheriff, had collected questionable fees.
Benjamin Roosa, age 67, felt ill while on a walk and stepped into a store on Fishkill Avenue but died before Dr. Julius Hayt could arrive. Roosa had been a railroad station agent and general manager for many years. He was also a former village president.
The Beacon High School basketball team lost at Poughkeepsie, 14-11, in a game that included four ejections and a fourth-quarter dustup in which spectators ran onto the court and threw punches. Referee Mike Palen banished two players from each team. In the first quarter, Palisi, the Beacon captain, was forced to the bench for a few minutes after he was kicked in the stomach.
At a roast beef dinner, members of the St. Rocco Society made plans to build a two-story clubhouse at the corner of South Chestnut and Dewindt.
John Pomarico, described as "a well-known local wrestler," sued the city for $10,000 [$180,000] after he slipped on an icy sidewalk on Beekman Street and broke several ribs.
The Denning's Point Brick Co. was installing machinery that its owners said would increase production from 166,000 to 300,000 bricks a day and eliminate the need for manual labor.
The Frander Motor Sales Co. planned to open a Studebaker dealership in the former Stafford garage at the intersection of Main and South Chestnut.
A snow melter invented b...