Prattsburgh Central High School - Franklinite Yearbook (Prattsburgh, NY)

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24 FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL shaded waters. After that we again started out in the old canoe which by this time was getting a lame back by its hard usuage. A little further down the stream just as the boat had reached the middle of a deep pool, the boat broke in the middle. My friend and I both made a grab for an overhanging limb which of course had to break, giving us a ducking. I forgot at this instant to adore the surrounding scenery. Life had lost its charm for a while. We dragged ourselves and our water logged clothes onto the bank of the stream where we hung them up to dry. My friend had, as we discovered, lost one of his boots in the pool. After several unsuccessful dives into its now seemingly ice cold depths, we gave up all hope of ever seeing it again. After we had dried ourselves, we put on our sodden clothes and began the weary trudge up Nigger hill. At the top we certainly felt like niggers, going up nigger hill. However before we reached home our clothes had become dried and we decided that we had had a fine time after all. NYe decided that no adventure could be complete without some mishap or close shave. - THE RADIO CAPTURE By GERMANE VAN AMBURG, '26 ININIX Fallon as he sat down to tune in on a z z tScheuec tadyl heard the announcer say, A cornet solo by Augustus Mo- !! I' v 1 reno Fhen followed the tap, tap of the valves of a cornet being limbered up. It continued for some time and then ceased. The solo began and was played through without a break. Before we go any farther maybe you would like to know who Jim- my was. He had been a waif picked from the streets of New York by Captain Fallon, a retired fire chief. The Captain had bought a small farm over in New jersey not far from New York. He had a liking for children, so his house was usually crowded with the friends of jimmy. To his place had come john Denby, a retired detective. Denby was always on the lookout for some clue to unsolved mysteries. So it was little doubted that he would run across some unusual happening, even at the Captain's. On his arrival the boys told him of owls and witches until he was afraid for his life at night. Gradually he cooled off until he dared venture out at night. He also was a great lover of boys and somehow the boys all liked him. Probably it was his good humor that they liked. He had won much honor while in the service so it was little wonder that the boys crowded around him so he would tell them some of his hat raising ex- periences. As -limmy listened, he thought little of the tap, tap of the valves. He enjoyed the music that followed so much that he forgot all about the previous noises. The next night, as Denby tuned in on the same station, it happened that Augustus Moreno played again. He started in with the tap. tap of the valves.,the same as jimmy had heard, but the sounds meant some- thing to this listener. He took out a pencil and paper and began-Dot, I

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ll FUR IVIR gown K iv nan if -I I FOIIVII ULVII K Y 14875 i ...I FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL 23 mother came up stairs on some errand: he shrugged. Could he ever stand it? Oh how he wished he were dead. Soon after his mother came up the door-bell rang and a voice asked if Don were in. Footsteps were heard approaching Donis room. At last he was found. he thought and then he became unconscious. The visitor was Dick. In his hand he carried a newspaper with the big red headlines turned up. Dick said nothing to Don's mother but bathed Don's head with cold water until he became conscious again. What a surprise to Don to see Dick instead of the policeman. Dick's first words were, Read these headlines. They read like this: Cashier of Conklin's Bank Knocked Unconscious. Bank Satchel Stolen Containing one Dirty Collar, two Clean Shirts, a Comb, Brush, one Pair of old Shoes and a Pipe. - A TRIP ON THE PRATTSBURGH CREEK By RALPH HORTON, '26 NE day about the middle of july, myself and a friend of mine were determined to go on a fishing tripg not for the fish but for the pleasure of it. The creek had been swollen by about a week's downpour of warm rain and the roads were about six inches deep in mud. My friend had on a pair, of rubber boots while I had on only a pair of light shoes. We started out with the sun shining brightly to the right of us, and the beautiful green trees refiecting the sun like so many mir- rors. Soon we turned a corner and entered a long lane with trees on either side of us. Now and then a happy cricket would fiddle his delight at being in such a picturesque place. After walking about two and a half miles we came to what is known as the Prattsburgh creek. VVe were at the upper part, about a mile and a half north of Prattsburgh. As there was a fairly good place to fish where we were, we threw in our lines and waited for the friendly pull of some good fish who wished to reduce some human being's appetite. Hut as no Fish had such a feeling, we. being more energetic for adventure, took off our footwear, and began to wade down the creek. I had always adored the green trees and the muddy water when I saw it from a distance, but when I began to wade through its snake-frequented waters and deep bogholes I did not think so much of it. Soon. however, we came to a large swamp where the bright green reeds waved to us to keep coming and whose lily-pad' blossoms seemed to say, Come on, we will give you light. Xife did keep on and we had gone only about a rod when we sank to our chests in the muddy waters of the swamp. VVe fioundered ahead to a small island-like patch of land, where we found an old canoe which had probably been carried there in the spring. The canoe was soon turned over and fioating down the little channel between the reeds with us as its passengers. Well, it was really a pleasure during the rest of the trip for we could let the canoe float while we plucked water lilies and sang to the tune of the frog orchestra. VVhen we reached the swimming hole which is nearly opposite Prattsburgh we took a refreshing plunge in the coolness of its bush-

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9525... l ' I 1.9 . FRANKLIN ACADEMY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL 25 dash, dot, dash. When the tapping, tapping ceased he had a page of dots and dashes. Then he began to figure and in half an hour he had: Dear Forester, I have the tires for your phantom fliver and will bring them to New York some sime next week. I will tell you in the next message. A. Moreno. Denby was overjoyed for owing to his knowledge of the Morse code he had a fine chance to catch Silent Forester, New York's great- est highwayman. ' Forester had escaped the best of detectives by the use of his car. The car looked exactly like a fliver so the public wondered why the police did not run him down. But it had been tried by the most daring drivers, always the Hiver won. Evidently it contained a high powered motor. On one occasion the tires had been ripped from the wheels by a sudden stop, as the tires were of special make Forester was buying secretly, for it would be easy for a detective to catch him when he en- tered a factory to have tires made to order. The following night Denby picked out the right station and listen- ed in on the message to Forester. The cornetist told Forester that he would hide the tires in the old garage back of three hundred one, on the following Monday. Denby after turning off the radio told the captain that he had to go to New York for a week. XYhen he arrived in New York he looked for his old friend Paddy Fallon, a nephew of the captain's, and told him the story. The chances of catching Forester were excellent, for the highwayinan would expect no interference. Monday evening found the two detectives hidden behind a hedge quite near the old garage, long known in crime circles as three hundred one. Denby had a handcuff on one of his wrists: the mate dangled by his side. In their hip pockets both men carried two automatics. Evi- dently they had come for business. Presently a car drove up to the curb and stopped, two men jumped out and walked toward the garage. The detectives recognized Forester at once, for he was a tall, well dressed Englishman. The men entered the garage and presently came out with the four tires. As they passed the hedge the two detectives stepped into view, guns in hand. The crooks raised their hands above their heads, Denby slipped the handcuffs over Forester's wrist. Then Forester, who was no coward, dealt Denby a stunning blow on the chin with his idle hand. Danby fell limply to the ground. Forester ran hurridly through Denby's pockets for the key to the handcuffs, but it was not there. Denby had tossed it away. Paddy dealt the other adversary a blow which put him out of commission, and dragged him to the side of Denby. The next morning the papers were flooded with the news of the big capture. Denby decided to buy a farm near the captain's with his