Living alone in Lewiston is a woman who is said to be the only widow of a veteran of the war of 1812, the second war between the United States and England. She is Mrs. Ida R. Leach of 17 Horton street and she is the widow of Mark Leach, who was a private in Capt. Baker’s company of the Massachusetts militia. Maine was at that time a part of Massachusetts which accounts for his serving in the Massachusetts militia. Leach enlisted in Portland although he was at that time living with his parents on their home in Danville, Maine, where he was born.

50 years ago

FORT WORTH, Tex. – Dr. Forest C. Barber, Fort Worth physician, sought to set up a well arranged household, his wife told a judge Friday. It had one drawback: Mrs. Barber rebelled. She asked a divorce and separate maintenance pending trial. Mrs. Barber told Judge Harold Craik her husband drew up a list of instructions and fines if she did not obey them.

The list and fines for failure to comply include: Wake him at 7 a.m. daily: $5; Have hot coffee ready: $2; Cook hot dinner each night: $5; Cook it well: $2; See a physician within 12 hours after becoming ill: $15; Do not tell him her ailments: $10; Never nag: $10; Never stage a tirade: $50. One rule was in Mrs. Barber’s favor: one month without breaking a rule – a $50 gift. Judge Craik awarded her $400 a month maintenance.

25 years ago

BOSTON – It looks like a cross between a missile and a motorcycle, complete with outrigger wheels and twin headlights. The vehicle, dubbed “Litestar,” is long and low to the ground, with a hatch on top that slides back to let driver and passenger slip into tandem seats. Best of all, its designers say this “car of the future” gets more than 100 miles per gallon on the highway. If all goes according to plan, the first production models of these two-seaters will slide off the assembly line next month.