Bound Volumes

January 1, 2026

180 YEARS AGO

The Harm of Hoaxes—Burying Alive! Excerpts from a letter to Col. Prentiss, Editor of The Freeman’s Journal: “I was much gratified on learning that the melancholy story that the corpse of a young lady of Baltimore, who was supposed to have died in a fit, and was a day or two afterwards placed in a vault, was subsequently found sitting up in her coffin, very much bruised and mangled apparently by her struggles, is a hoax, and that no such circumstances had occurred in that city. In my judgment there is small wit and great inhumanity in propagating a hoax calculated like this to produce the most painful sensations in every bosom warmed by a single spark of humanity.” (Ed. Note: Fake news in 1846).

January 3, 1846

155 YEARS AGO

Quarantine—The experience of the past year has furnished additional evidence of the security afforded to the public health by the proper administration of quarantine laws. Out of 365 vessels which arrived in the port of New York from ports infected with Yellow Fever, 107 had cases of this disease on board either in the port of departure, or on their passage, or were found on their arrival here to have some of their crew or passengers sick with it. The total number of cases was 170, out of which 112 died. Twenty-six cases from vessels under quarantine were admitted to the West Bank Hospital, only six of which proved fatal. Thirty vessels have been detained at quarantine on account of small pox, having an aggregate of over 18,000 persons on board from among whom 66 patients, sick with this disease, were sent to the hospital on Blackwell’s Island. These statistics of disease show the dangers to which we are exposed through our foreign commerce. However, until a suitable place for the detention of those who, while not actually sick, have been exposed to disease by passage in an infected vessel, and until warehouses for infected goods are provided, it will be difficult to protect the public fully against the dangers of imported disease.

January 5, 1871

80 YEARS AGO

In Cooperstown—Patrons at Smalley’s Theatre were thrilled with pictures of the National Museum of Baseball and Hall of Fame, which appeared on the regular Paramount Pictures News Reel.
Attorney Theodore P. Feury has purchased of Mrs. Nola G. Warren, her house and lot on Susquehanna Ave. and takes immediate possession.
David J. McGown, a student at Yale University, is at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. F. Hamilton McGown at their home on Pine Blvd. for the holiday vacation.

January 2, 1946

30 YEARS AGO

A total of 165 students from this area are included in the annual edition of “Who’s Who—Among American High School Students—1994-1995.” From Cooperstown High School: Garrett Ellsworth, Lauren Groff, Melissa P. Hazzard, Cassandra A. Linn, Reid Nagelschmidt, Lisa N. Senchyshyn, Meghan L. Gallery, Timothy W. Hayes, Erica Hollister, Karen A. Muehl, Alexis Olson, and Laurie Warner.

January 7, 1996

15 YEARS AGO

Three Otsego County people died of heroin overdoses in 2010. “There are hundreds of thousands of dollars of heroin here in Otsego County,” Judge Brian R. Burns told a full house in the Otsego County Courthouse on New Year’s Day, shortly after he was sworn in for a second ten-year term. “I can’t emphasize enough how much that’s changed,” he continued. “Heroin was simply not a problem. It’s going to be the biggest problem in the next ten years.”

January 6, 2011