From the Archives of Western Newspapers

Posted on September 17, 2026 by Ryan Dahlman

By Samantha Johnson
For Southern Alberta Newspapers

September 17, 1883 – The Saskatchewan Times

In Ottawa, civil servants met yesterday and resolved to contest the claim for income tax. A committee was appointed and empowered to engage counsel for that purpose. 

The trial of Cooper, the banker and millionaire, for adultery in Erie, PA, commenced on Saturday. During the trial it appeared that three prosecuting witnesses had bargained to convict the banker on payment of $23,000. They all admitted under cross examination they were motivated not by morals but only to make more money. In charging the jury, the judge said he’d never seen or heard of such a flagrant attempt to buy and sell justice. 

In Cairo, Kate Colton, angry at Alfred Miller for refusing to marry her, put poison in the coffee of Miller’s father-in-law. The whole family were poisoned as a result and one is now dead and two others are extremely ill. 

September 16, 1909 – The Strathmore and Bow Valley Standard

The hardship and inconvenience of developing a new country are sometimes interspersed with very amusing incidents. Last week the wife of one of our recent settlers made it known that she’d forgotten the cat when leaving their former home. She suggested that if anyone had more cats that required a home, she’d be happy to accept one within the next week. She was the recipient of 31 cats.

It is likely if parents have a boy they often don’t know where he is. We can tell you he is on the street, or at the railway depot jumping on freight trains. Exactly where and with whom, what he is engaged in or plotting or executing, the parents often have no idea. 

If it were true that we profit from our mistakes, we would be making them all the time. 

September 9, 1912 – The Vulcan Review

Last week a milling company was convicted under the Dominion Seed Control Act for selling alfalfa seed containing dodder, a noxious weed. The case is of special interest to farmers and seed merchants as it is the first prosecution made in Alberta under the act. It is the intention of the Dominion Seed Board to rigorously enforce the act in all western provinces. 

As a result of the Titanic inquiry, the board of trade has issued revised rules for increasing the safety of lives at sea, which become effective at the beginning of next year. Ships carrying passengers will be required to furnish lifeboat accommodation for all on board. The lifeboat equipment, which has also increased, must be in the lifeboats before the ship leaves harbour and remain there for the entirety of the voyage. 

The flourbag window has been in use in the north country for years. The name of the particular individual who first employed this method doesn’t appear to be generally known, but it was likely some Scotchman employed by the Hudson Bay Co.