Local History with Dede Terns-Thorpe - Tidbits from the 1940s

LOCAL JUDGES OUST CHARGES OF PUNCH BOARD GAMBLING- June 19, 1945 Hunter Review.

I wonder if you know about punch board gambling. I learned about it today! It was a popular activity back in the 1920s and into the 1950s. I realized they were like today's legal lottery tickets. 

"After pleas of not guilty, the cases of three local men, charged with keeping gambling devices, were dismissed." A couple of Hunter residents, Chet Goodrich and Clarence Simmons, were tried before Justice Theil, while Tannersville Justice William Bynder tried Charlie Schalk of Tannersville. 

State Police Officer Captain T. R. Ford alleged he found punch boards bearing cash pay-offs on the premises of the three men. The not-guilty pleas explained they had won prizes, not money. Trooper Ford said paying out on punch boards violated Sec. 970 of the Penal Code but that paying in wares was not illegal. Both Justices found there was insufficient evidence!

Another July 1945 newspaper discussed a few Village of Hunter ordinances from 1924. The Hunter Village Board of Trustees said many ordinances were antiquated, and others were no longer applicable. 

The trustees wished to consolidate all the ordinances into one brief set of laws. The new proposed ordinances pertained to sidewalks, streets, public health and sanitation, licensing, traffic, and miscellaneous, including bathing suits worn in public, unleased dogs, and fire hazards. 

Significant interest was demonstrated in the new law prohibiting the appearance of unleashed dogs in public, frightening locals and visitors.  

A 1955 story noted the six new teachers who joined the staff of HTC school. The school enrollment now totaled 600 students: three hundred forty-seven in the senior high, two hundred nineteen in the junior high, and thirty-four in the grade school. 

Bud (Howard) Bolte, a Colgate University graduate, was hired to teach science and mathematics.

Mary Dunn taught vocal music, Mrs. Marie Garill for sixth-grade teacher, and Marion Ham for English, Latin, and French. 

 Barbara Mangam, we knew her as Mrs. Jack Worth, was the new art teacher.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. No matter what religion you are, we all feel the excitement of this busy time of the year. Hopefully, your preparations are made, and you can slow down and relax a bit. 

See you next week, and please stay safe.

Dede Terns-Thorpe/Hunter Historian.