100 Years Ago: 1924

The misunderstanding of a word brought an anxious family and the undertaker to meet the 7.30 p.m. train at Hallowell station one day. last week.

Ernest Meader, assistant agent for American Express Company tells the following story, considered a good joke on himself. “Word had been received at the office for us to meet the 7.30 p.m. train and I understood that a corpse was coming for a local family. Communication was secured with the family in question who were somewhat upset that any relative had died and were at a loss to account for a body coming in their care.

The undertaker was notified and was at the station. A small box was unloaded. All hands thought it contained the body of an infant. The undertaker made the suggestion that the cover be removed before the box was taken to his establishment which was accordingly done uncovering, much to the surprise of everyone, two beautiful Christmas wreaths. The undertaker in question beat a hasty retreat while the expressman was endeavoring to account for his mistake. Needless to say it was a happy mistake for the elated family and their forgiveness was extended with “no questions asked.”

Next time he gets a message he’ll ponder every word and doesn’t believe he’ll confuse “box” with “corpse.”

50 Years Ago: 1974

The city of Lewiston may wind up looking for someone to sue it in connection with a suddenly controversial city charter provision which seems to exclude unenrolled the so-called voters independent voters — from serving on city boards and commissions.

That’s one way the city may pull itself out of the dilemma it’s currently in as the result of James B. Longley’s election victory last month.

Longley ran for governor as an independent and won the state’s highest office but he and other Lewiston independents may or may not be entitled to serve on city boards, depending on one’s interpretation of Article 16, Section Two of the Lewiston Charter of 1939.

Lewiston Corporation Counsel, Kenneth Young who has been studying the problem.The state’s attorney general may also become involved if the city decides what it needs is a definition of a “political party.” For the matter to wind up in court, however, someone has to bring a suit against the city. “We may have to find an independent who would be willing to become a plaintiff and sue the city.”

25 Years Ago: 1999

Kelley and Ken Wilson hate the empty spaces, the little pockets where there’s no bunting, no pine boughs or Christmas trees, blinking lights or tiny reindeer.

So when they realized their fish tank lacked a holiday reference, Wilson went to a local pet store in search of a submersible Santa.

“I actually did that,” said Wilson, who was a little embarrassed to admit it.

Besides, the pet people didn’t have any. Then he explained that the Gamage Avenue apartment he shares with Kelley is just a work in progress, the result of a continuing search for the perfect decoration.

The work began before Halloween, when the two moved one-third of their furniture into the basement. Then, by color, period and theme, they began organizing items gathered over months of scouting in home decorating stores and Christmas shops.

The window treatments were first. Then there were the trees- 16 in all. They have trees in their first-floor living room, two in the spare room, a couple in the dining room and one in each of two bathrooms.

“Is this a lot?” Kelley asked, standing in the living room where the “Old World tree” stood. “We live in this, and we forget it’s here. We forget how it looks.”

The material used in Looking Back is produced exactly as it originally appeared although misspellings and errors may be corrected.