100 YEARS AGO — 1921

A jury in the Boyle Circuit Court had an unusual question to decide: Can a mule have rheumatism? Some months ago, I.M. Gray, one of the most prominent citizens of the West End of Boyle County, held a public sale at which a lot of stock was sold, including the mule in question. According to Mr. Gray, the mule had always been in a perfect state of health. Capt. Shelby Arnold, the well known auctioneer, was the high bidder and purchased the mule. Later, he sold it to Polk Robertson, a well known Aliceton citizen. The animal appeared to be lame and two veterinarians pronounced the mule a victim of rheumatism. In a suit, Mr. Robertson won his case and in turn Capt. Arnold then proceeded to be reimbursed by Mr. Gray. Dr. Doller, the former government expert veterinarian, in court, declared that a mule cannot have rheumatism because a mule does not eat meat. It appears to be the accepted theory that any animal that does not eat meat cannot develop rheumatism. Mr. Gray won the case yesterday.

Work on the fire bell tower at city hall has been completed and the bell placed in position. Danville has the best fire fighting equipment of any city of its size in Kentucky, and the good work of the firemen is fully appreciated by Danville property owners.

Shelby City feels honored as the birthplace of Mrs. Mary D. Hall, the excellent Shelby County Superintendent of Schools, who was unanimously chosen President of the Kentucky Education Association for 1921-22. Several men who were also good candidates withdrew like gentlemen that they are when the ladies seemed determined to elect one of their own sex as their head. Mrs. Hall, while quite young, was a valued member of our Shelby City School and her sister, Miss Minnie Dutton, was our assistant teacher there.

Prof. F.J. Smith, instructor of the Danville Brass Band, has 12 young men he is training, but says he is in need of more men, for bass horn, baritone and drums. The men meet at the courthouse and are getting along nicely. They will give a free concert after they become more proficient. Danville is greatly in need of a brass band and this newspaper hopes Prof. Smith will succeed.

75 YEARS AGO — 1946

Nicholas (Nick) London, 62, a prominent local merchant, has died. Confectioner, restaurateur and dispensary owner, Mr. London was a colorful figure who will be missed. He was born Sept. 13, 1884 at Athens, Greece and came to the U.S. when he was about 16 years old. He moved to Boyle County 35 years ago. London was a member of the Greek Orthodox church and local Masonic organizations. He lived at 128 North Fifth Street in the building known as the London Apartments. London was widely known during the 20 years he owned and operated Nick’s Palace of Sweets, a Danville landmark on the northeast corner of Fourth and Main streets, where another landmark, John G. Weisiger’s Colonial Theatre was located next door. Noted for miles around for his extensive variety of tasty, homemade candies, Mr. London also shipped this candies all across the country. The candy and ice cream business was doomed to become a legend when a fire on Christmas night, 1934, burned the Palace of Sweets and the entire Weisiger building. He then opened and operated the Ideal Grill and later the dispensary business in which he remained until after the local option election of last June.

Miss Cecil Dulin entertained with a tea at her home “Cambus Kenneth,” honoring recent brides, Mrs. W. Bank Hudson Jr., Mrs. Jack B. Stith and Mrs. Jack Swain. The double parlors, living room and halls were decorated with quantities of spring flowers. The tea table held in the center an antique epergne filled with lilies of the valley and pansies, and lighted with a silver candelabra holding white tapers. Mrs. Norris Armstrong and Mrs. Robert T. Quisenberry alternated at pouring tea from the silver service at one end of the table.

50 YEARS AGO — 1971

A number of places, particularly Wells Landing Road and the Central Kentucky Wildlife Refuge, are cleaner and many people feel they have made a contribution to a cleaner community after participating in the clean-up campaign Saturday. Sponsored by the Danville and Boyle County Environment League, tons of debris were hauled to the city and county dumps after being picked up by volunteers. “I am very happy with it,” said Jack Kellam, head of the Environment League, adding that actually, he was more than pleased with the first attempt at such a clean-up.

The first annual meeting of the Danville Chapter of the united Nations Association was going to be held at Centre College. Dr. Mary Ashby Cheek, outgoing president of the Danville Chapter announced that the program will be open to all people interested in international affairs. The cost is $2.75 per person. A highlight of the program will be a panel on the Mideast, consisting of Dr. David Newhall, Centre history professor, Mrs. Lisle Baker, who is a state officer of the United Nations Association, and Centre professors, Michel Hamm, Eric Mount and George St. Pierre.

Fear that dumping in Clark’s Run may cause cloggage of the stream and resultant damage from a narrowed channel and heavy rains cause the Boyle Fiscal Court to summon representatives of two businesses to explain why they should not desist and stop the practice. Summoned to appear before County Judge Gilbert White and the court representatives from Boyle Block and Robinson Contracting Company. Members of the court made an inspection trip to the site where dumping has been taking place, west of and upstream from the Gose Pike Bridge over Clark’s Run. The members noted that there has been so much dumping in the stream, mostly dirt, stones and old lumber and debris, that narrowing of the channel is threatened.

Bids will be requested for a second time on the East End school property on West Walnut Street. The Boyle County Board of Education rejected April 6, the bid of $12,600 for the property offered by Floyd Dievert of Danville. No time has been set for receiving bids again. The board has discussed a minimum price of $50,000 as being desirable for the school property. Forkland School, which is also being abandoned this year as well as East End, was sold to residents of that community for $12,200 at the April 6 board meeting.

25 YEARS AGO — 1996

Erin Avery of Danville, a local computer consultant, will be teaching free computer courses in the conference room at the public library. Each class is limited to 25 people. On Thursday and Saturday, the topic will be “How to buy a PC system.” The lesson will focus on hardware and software and what to look for in printer. On Friday, the course will be “Computerizing the professional office.” Avery’s goal is to help people understand where they need to be in five years.

Despite being informed by members of its own volunteer weather observation network that a tornado had touched down in Lincoln County early Saturday morning, the National Weather Service decided not to issue a waring for the county. The NWS eventually issued the warning — but it came 13 minutes after receiving the report of a confirmed tornado sighting in Lincoln, and the warning was for southern Madison County. When the NWS finally issued the warning, the tornado was long gone and had caused about $500,000 in damage to homes, vehicles, a drive-in theater, a church and the fairgrounds. Also eight people received minor injuries.

Pinup photos have been removed from the walls of the regional technology branch of the Administrative Office of the Courts in London, Kentucky. They offended a woman who just happened to see them when she stopped in the office for directions. On one wall was a poster of a woman in a bathing suit lounging on a giant beer bottle. And there were many other suggestive photos on other walls and bulletin boards. The woman said she was “far from a feminist,” but was shocked that something like that was allowed in a government building in the 1990s.