100 years ago, 1917
President Pratt of the local carmen’s union and Dominick Desjardins, a conductor, will be arraigned at the Lewiston Municipal Court this morning to answer to the charge of riotous and obscene conversation and behavior and assault upon Motorman Fred Butterfield, warrants having been sworn out by officials of the I,. A. & W. Street Railway. Co., yesterday. It is expected that there may be interesting developments in the case before it is finally settled. Pratt claims that Butterfield threatened him. His principal witness will be Conductor Desjardins, who was with him the night of the alleged assault and heard all that was said by both Butterfield and Pratt. At the hearing today, witnesses will be introduced to show the condition of Pratt and Desjardins at the time the alleged assault occurred. These witnesses, it is understood, will include passengers who were in the car at the time and who claim to have heard some of the talk between the men in the motorman’s vestibule. Motorman Butterfield has practically recovered from the injuries he received in the mixup, although his lip is slightly swollen.

50 years ago, 1967
The Girl Scouts of Troop 736 of Sacred Heart Church, Auburn, are participating in an unusual Christmas project. They are sponsoring a troopwide cookie-bake for the Lewiston-Auburn Children’s Home with each Scout inviting some girls from the Children’s Home to join them in the fun of cooking them.

25 years ago, 1992
The 1.7-acre landmark property known as The Elms, a former hotel, was formally turned over to the Mechanic Falls Development Commission at the Municipal Building. The commission bought the property at auction Oct. 22 for $80,000. At the closing meeting were Town Manager Dana Lee, Community Development Officer Joan Walton, and Carolyn Lunt and Lucie Dumont of Mid-Maine Savings Bank, which sold the property.

The material in Looking Back is reproduced exactly as it originally appeared, although misspellings and errors made at that time may be corrected.