100 Years Ago: 1925

More than taxing the capacity of the Supreme court room, Auburn, 99 petitioners for naturalization and their witnesses together with many spectators faced Justice Dunn as he mounted the bench Wednesday. Conducting most of the examination himself, as he was very thorough, slow progress was made and the work gave promise of lasting throughout the afternoon.

Justice Dunn wasted no time on an applicant as soon as he discovered that an attempt had been made to get exemption from the draft during the war on the grounds of being an alien citizen.

In answer to the question as to whether or not he was willing to return to his native land and enter its military service, said “no.”

Father Nonorgue attempted to make explanations but Justice Dunn was firm whereupon one of his witnesses spoke up and said at the time of making out the questionnaire, Father Nonorgue spoke very little English so that it was made out by someone else. Justice Dunn was still firm, replying: “During the draft this man said I will not fight for my country and won’t go back and fight for my own,” and he concluded by saying that the questionnaire was wrong and should be straightened.

50 Years Ago: 1975

The University of Maine and the Auburn Maine School of Commerce are to receive sizable amounts of the estate of an Auburn teacher, who died recently.

The will of Marian Carter Nash also has as beneficiary the Central Maine General Hospital. The will, which was processed today at the January term of Androscoggin Probate Court by Judge of Probate Laurier T. Raymond Jr., specifies that $500 go to the hospital.

It stipulates that the University and the Auburn school receive a portion of the residue of her estate, and estimates indicate each will benefit by approximately $6,500, Mrs. Nash, who was a teacher at AMSC for many years, died Jan. 12 of this year.

25 Years Ago: 2000

The night after the fire, Liane Perry dreamed she was home again and everything was fine. She reached toward one of the pictures on the wall, then she fell through the floor. Everything went black.

She woke up and couldn’t go back asleep, she said.

On Thursday afternoon Perry and her daughter Ashley Beaudoin hugged each other tightly in front of the blackened building they and five other families called home.

A minute later, 14-year-old Ashley was in the arms of her two friends, Melissa and Beth Thibault, who lived in the apartment below her. The sisters came to their old apartment house to see if they could find their cat Alex.

They couldn’t find him.

On Wednesday a fire swept through the 4 Second St. building.

The day after, victims of the fire came back in groups to see what was left of their homes. Some talked about it calmly. Others walked away in tears.

“There’s nothing left to save,’ Perry said outside the building where icicles hung over blackened windows with broken panes.

Like most of the families who lived in the six-unit building, Perry and her three children lost everything. She had no insurance, and the flames spared nothing.

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