20-40-100 Years Ago -- Feb. 15

Susan Guynn, The Frederick News-Post, Md.
·3 min read

Feb. 15—100 Years Ago

Feb. 15, 1923

Frederick county officials Wednesday afternoon in a personal interview with Sister Cecelia, of Notre Dame Convent, obtained first-hand information in the kidnapping case of Monday afternoon, which has focused the eyes of the whole country on Frederick. "I am convinced that Sister Cecelia was kidnapped," said State's Attorney Aaron R. Anders, immediately after the interview, which he said lasted for 20 minutes. "Her story of the kidnapping was the same as that given out on Monday night. She gave us some additional valuable information which I think inadvisable to make known at this time."

The practice indulged in by the average high school graduate of seeking white-collar jobs and to dodge other professions was decried by James H. Gambrill Jr. in an address to the senior class of Frederick high school. He gave interesting figures showing the number of laborers needed by each walk of life. He also noted that the man who started at the bottom and built up would get farther than "the white-collar" man.A radio message broadcasted from Fort Worth, Texas, recently and picked up in Lexington, Kentucky, may be the means of locating Joseph M. Kaufman, youngest brother of former State Senator George Kaufman and Jesse D. Kaufman, of this city, who has been missing for the past 34 years. George Kaufman received a letter from his nephew, who is a son of his brother, John C. Kaufman, merchant in Lexington, stating that they had been listening recently over the radio phone and heard Fort Worth, Texas. In the course of the program, the announcer mentioned the name of Joseph M. Kaufman, to whom he referred to as "an expert sausage maker." The description also fit the missing Frederick man, who left the area at the age of 19 years to make his own way in the world. He was regarded as a very skillful butcher and he was one of a family of butchers.

40 Years Ago

Feb. 15, 1983

Friday's record snowstorm continues to play havoc with traveling and schedules. But some services report operations are almost back to normal. One highly visible byproduct of three days of crippled traveling was the traffic congestion throughout Frederick City. Motorists braved city streets narrowed by mounds of snow and residents improvising parking places.

Frederick County snow removal workers, who worked almost constantly since Friday, finally went home at 3:30 p.m. Monday. "They're exhausted," Frederick County Roads Superintendent Ronald O. Linton said of his men. Because the county doesn't work on a shift system, all the workers have been pushing snow since Friday, with only about two hours sleep both Saturday and Sunday nights.

(Editor's Note: The News-Post does not have access to archives from 50 years ago for August 1972 through March 1973. The "50 Years Ago" summary will return April 1, 2023.)

20 Years Ago

Feb. 15, 2003

The Frederick County Chapter of the American Red Cross became the nation's "disaster operations center" on Friday, a result of both the heightened terror alert and the impending snow storm. Chapter Executive Director Leah Crace said Friday that the national organization's decision to temporarily locate here, the alternate center, is "really quite an honor for our chapter." Normally located in Falls Church, Va., the national disaster operations center has set up shop in Walkersville to be farther from the nation's capital while remaining in the vicinity; it is also located close to Camp David, FEMA and Site R, Ms. Crace said.

A woman was bitten by a rabid fox earlier this week, prompting a request for area residents to update their pets' vaccinations. This is the third confirmed rabies case in Frederick County this year, according to Paul Offutt of the Frederick County Health Department. The woman was the first person to be bitten. In January, two rabid raccoons were found, one on Dublin Road in Walkersville, the other near New London Road in Union Bridge.