From the Archives of Western Newspapers

Posted on December 18, 2025 by Ryan Dahlman

By Samantha Johnson
For Southern Alberta Newspapers

December 14, 1892 – The
Saskatchewan Times

Hogg Island has no doubt afforded Mr. Cleveland good sport and a rest from personal importunity. Now that he has quit shooting ducks, he has a few bits of correspondence to attend to. After his election, William Harrison received 1,500 letters daily, which rose to 2,000 per day upon his arrival in Washington. The vast majority of these letters concerned appointments to office.

It is stated there are 6,000 intoxicants known to American customs officials and each emigrant has their own special drink, none of them are suitably temperate.

In Moncton, New Brunswick, the prisoner known as Jim has retracted his confession of killing Constable Joseph Steadman, who was shot in the chest while attempting to arrest two suspects robbing a store on Telegraph Street. Jim only made the confession to save his pal Buck. The confession didn’t save Buck’s neck, who was recently hung for the crime, so Jim now states it was all a lie, which has been confirmed by the Department of Justice.

December 15, 1910 – The
Blairmore Enterprise

Residents of Blairmore can now talk over long-distance telephone with points in Washington and Montana.

In Taber, 500 miners are out on strike. Their complaint is the air is bad due to inadequate ventilation.

During hunting season across 23 states in the USA, 113 people were killed by their companions and fellow hunters when mistaken for deer.

John Patrick McConnel has been committed for trial in Vancouver on the charge of criminal libel for stating in his paper, the Saturday Sunset, that South Fort George is a wildcat townsite that is promoted by tinhorns, friskers, bootleggers and four-flushers.  

December 14, 1916 – The Munson Mail

Every province in Canada has learned by bitter experience the enormous destruction of forest wealth that follows the unregulated burning of debris resulting from clearing operations used by settlers. British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec have all enacted laws for controlling this menace.

In modern warfare, the question of casualties is the foremost problem of the rival commanders-in-chief. All losses of an engagement must be weighed relatively with as many standards as there are armies. Surprise is often expressed about the allies not advancing faster. Questioning why, if the allies are so much stronger, they do not throw in enough men to push right through. The answer is, the gains would not offset the losses.

Bay rum, wood alcohol and other substitutes for booze have this advantage, they will put their victim out of business quicker than the real thing, if that is any satisfaction.