100 YEARS AGO — 1919

John McGinnis of Alum Springs is a man doomed to accidents. Only a few weeks ago he broke his arm while cranking his car. Last week, one of McGinnis’s neighbors came to his house with his dog. A furious battle broke out between McGinnis’ dog and the neighbor’s dog and when they attempted to separate the vicious canines, the one belonging to the neighbor attacked Mr. McGinnis. Before he could break free, McGinnis had a badly lacerated leg. He came to town to see a physician immediately, and while he is still lame from the injury, it is believed he is out of danger and the wound is expected to heal rapidly. Then, last Sunday, Mr. McGinnis had driven his machine from his home to Danville when one of his tires was punctured. He drove the machine to the Danville Motor Company to have it repaired and while helping one of the employees in patching the hole, out of the way of all other machines coming and going out of the garage, McGinnis was struck by a rapidly moving car and was dragged about 40 feet. He thought his arm was broken again and he suffered numerous other injuries. His overcoat was torn into shreds and his trousers were almost in the same condition. The driver of the car which came so near causing the death of Mr. McGinnis, had lost control of his machine.

Boyle County is the first Kentucky county to go “over the top” in the drive for Armenian and Syrian relief funds. A.B. Massey of Danville, Boyle County campaign chairman, reported that Boyle has reached its quota of $2,530.

Currens & Powell of Harrodsburg have sold $505 worth of fox hounds to one person within the past two months and have sold $182 worth of coon dogs of various breeds to different people. It looks as if good hunting dogs are still in demand in spite of the stringent laws.

75 YEARS AGO — 1944

An interesting series of statistics on hospitals has been compiled by J.D. Erskine, superintendent of Ephraim McDowell Memorial Hospital, proving that although hospital rates seem high, the patient gains in the end a shorter stay at the institution and has a 300 percent greater chance of recovery than in previous years. Erskine reported that 40 years ago, hospital rates averaged between $2 and $2.25 per day. Now they are between $5 and $6 per day. “But at the turn of the century the average length of a hospital stay was 30 days; Now it is 11 days,” Erskine said. “And in 1900 the average hospital death rate was from 10 to 12 percent and today it is considerably less than 4 percent.”

The cooperation of local residents in the current, important fat-salvage campaign was solicited by Danville Mayor Henry Nichols. He stated, “As mayor … it has been brought to my attention that our city is falling behind in the fat salvage campaign. … The housewife is being paid 4 cents per pound in cash and given two meat ration points free for every pound of used household fat that she brings to her butcher. The 4 cents is paid by the industry; the meat points are contributed by the government. … One pound of fat not saved will derive a soldier on the battlefield of 150 machine gun bullets. Five pounds of fat not saved will derive a sailor fighting submarines of a 100-pound depth bomb charge. Fats are vital materials of war! I hope that all housewives of Danville understand this situation and will save all fats so that our city may stand in the front rank in their conservation.”

William F. Hoch, 100-year-old native of Danville, and oldest Civil War veteran and one of three remaining Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) members in his home town of Pasadena, California, has died. He was born in 1843 in Danville and enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17, joining Company A, 4th Kentucky Infantry, of 100 men. He fought in 16 battles. Later promoted to captain of Company F, 4th Kentucky Mounted Infantry, he fought in the two-day battle of Chicamaugua and received severe wounds in the battle of Shoal Creek. He was married in Perryville in 1867 and moved to Kansas in 1872. He later became a lawyer and practiced for many years in Marion, Texas. He sat for 15 years as judge of the Marion County Court and was once the president of the state association of probate judges. He retired at age 85. He was a total abstainer from liquors, tobacco and coffee; and never made a Sunday purchase. His rules were the result of the teachings of his father, Mr. Hoch said.

50 YEARS AGO — 1969

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce presented awards to nine cities chosen as “All-Kentucky Cities 1968.” They are Danville, Dawson Springs, Elizabethtown, Paducah, Greensburg, Jeffersontown, Russellville, Somerset and Winchester. About 70 cities entered the annual contest. Danville and Elizabethtown were repeat winners.

Danville City Council, in a hurry up special meeting gave second reading and passage to the controversial Planning and Zoning ordinance and zoning map changing the Sims property , sought for a municipal housing project for the elderly from top Residential 1 to Residential 3. This would allow the housing project to be located in this area, an action that has drawn considerable opposition in recent weeks from residents of Maple Avenue and West Lexington.

Two hundred and thirty musicians will descend on Danville for the two-day Central Kentucky Music Educator Workshop. The 120-piece All-Central Kentucky Junior High Band will meet at Danville High School and the 110-piece All-Central Kentucky Orchestra will meet at Boyle County High School.

Private First Class Steven G. Tully, son of Mr. and Mrs. Preston H. Tully, of Mohawk Lane, received the Army Commendation Medal last month near Duc Lap, Vietnam. Pvt. Tully received the award for heroism in action while engaged in ground operations against a hostile force in Vietnam. The 21-year-old soldier graduated from Danville High School in 1965. He is a machine gunner in Company A, 2nd Battalion of the 4th Infantry Division’s 35th Infantry.

25 YEARS AGO — 1994

The avenue of trees leading up to the Christian Church Children’s Campus catches many an eye. The trees are tall, stately and old. One of these has the distinction of being the largest known tree of its species, making it a national champion: a blue ash to the left of the driveway on land that is part of the Sigwald farm. The ash once was 90 feet tall, making it the largest known tree of its species in the United States. Storms have since torn some of the tree’s top out, but it still towers above those surrounding it. It measures 14 feet 7 inches in circumference and has a crown spread of 73 feet. An Ohio buckeye in Casey County also has earned national champion status with its height of 146 feet, circumference of 11 feet 11 inches and a crown spread of 54 feet.

Classes in Casey County schools have resumed with the help of the Kentucky National Guard that’s stationed in Danville. The Guard unit has set up three 400-gallon water trailers at Garrett, Phelps and Phillips elementary schools where water pressure is low. The Guard is also supplying a 5,000-gallon water storage trailer to the Galilean Home for handicapped children, where water pressure has been low since Jan. 17. East Casey County Water District has called in two engineers to find out what is causing low pressure in the water system that has left customers in high elevations without water since the subzero temperatures last week.

In national news, Arby’s Inc. has banned smoking in its company-owned restaurants. “This is a social trend that’s going to happen,” said Arby’s Vice President Mike Stine. It is the first major chain to ban smoking. While the policy doesn’t apply to the 1,991 outlets held by franchise holders, like in Danville, Arby’s is urging them to go smoke-free, too.