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

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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

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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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26 FRANKLIN ACADEIVIY HIGH SCHOOL ANNUAL share of the money which he had received for the capture of New York's greatest highwayman. Forester was sent to England for trial. After many days of debate, the judges had him hanged for his many crimes, both in England and America. THE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT I N une 71 1917 it was hrst voted to offer an Agriculture course i in Franklin Academy to begin the following September. Mr. g Mark B. Gwilliam was the first i-nstructor. The department was started with only one division, owing to the fact that it was a new course. The students in the new department reconstructed the old gymnasium into a woodworking shop and the wood shed into a forge room. Besides Farm Mechanics, the students in Agriculture took up Mechanical Drawing, Biology, and general Agriculture. The Seventh and Eighth grades also took up some agriculture work. The course seemed to be a perfect success. Mr. Gwilliam remained here for two years. School opened in September, 1914, with Mr. T. W. Howe as teacher and an enrollment of sixteen students. The courses studied that year were Fruit Growing, Animal Husbandry, and Farm Mechanics. These courses counted five regents counts each. During the year, lantern slides were obtained in all branches of study by Mr. Howe and shown through the aid of Mr. Stuart and his stereopticon. They were especially inter- esting. Each pupil in the Fifth and Sixth Grades also had a home gar- den, under the supervision of Mr. Howe. In january of 1915, Mr. Howe invited each and every person inter- ested in the general welfare of the community to attend a get-to-gether meeting at the Academy Hall, the meeting to be for the purpose of es- tablishing a Night School, wherein the subiccts of Agriculture, Business Methods, and Bookkeeping would be taught by a competent faculty. School opened in September of 1916 with Mr. Van C. Whittemore as director of the Department. He arranged to publish each week an article of timely interest. devoted to Agricultural topics. He was desir- ous of making his articles into a farm question box as much as possible. On October 27 and 28, the Agricultural Department of Prattsburgh High Schol held a combined poultry and fruit show at the High School. All entries were judged by competent men and ribbon prizes were awarded. Mr. Van Whittemore taught in 1918, until April eighth, when he answered the call of his country and left for Camp Dix. The school deeply regretted this loss. The Agricultural Department was again resumed in September, 1921, after a period of three years, with Mr. Oliver Watkins as teacher. and an enrollment of seventeen members, although two of them had to drop out on account of other studies. Mr. Watkiiis also organized the By WENDELL HALL, '27 J H y H . .