From 1910: Boy Ran Away; Glad to Get Home

Below are excerpts from an article published exactly 100 years ago today, in the Hartford Courant on March 14, 1910.

------------------

Middletown Lad Gets As Far As Hartford
Because he felt a little disgruntled at his mother, Henry Hemming, the 12-years-old son of Mrs. George Noxon of Park place, decided that he would say farewell to home, so last Thursday, with some small change in his pocket, he started to make his own way in the world. He got as far as Hartford, and then his money and his courage gave out. Then some friend telephoned to his mother, who took the first train to Hartford, Saturday evening, where she found him, safe in the hands of friends. There was a glad reunion, a general making-up and now Henry is sorry he ran away.

Committees to Meet Today.

A meeting of the joint committees of the Middletown Business Men's Association and the Twentieth Century Club is to be held with Postmaster Arthur B. Calef at the post office this afternoon at 4 o'clock, to talk over the best plan of procedure toward getting a new post office building for this city. The committee from the Business Men's Association is composed of William B. Brower, Dale D. Butler, John F. Convey, Isac Spear and States Attorney Frank D. Haines. The committee from the Twentieth Century Club is composed of Professor Karl B. Harrington of Wesleyan University, Arthur L. Allin and Judge Haines, the latter being a member of both committees.

Trouble Over a Bill.
Because Mayor Fisher is not satisfied with the bill presented to the council by former City Surveyor Ralph M. Wilcox, he has refused to pay it. The mayor has got his "back up" over the matter, too, and says he will not pay it, except on an order of the court. It is customary for the city surveyor to make out certain parts of the bill of teh street commissioner, regarding grading of streets, etc., and this is the part that the mayor objects to. He does not object to paying the bill for the other items, but says that the survyor has no right to charge for making out a bill for another department of the city. The amount at issue wouldn't buy a farm, but there is a tempest in a tea pot over it, and there is some possibility of a law suit.

To Address Students.
Stetson K. Ryan, Wesleyan, '04, of Hartford, is to address the members of the Wesleyan Press Club at its meeting tonight on some practical phases of newspaper work, his address being the second of a series that has been arranged. Mr. Ryan was formerly engaged in newspaper work in Middletown and later was state editor of "The Courant." The next lecture is to be by Gerald E. King of the Middletown "Penny Press."

----------------

The Twentieth Century Club was an organization which worked to keep Middletown accessible by railroad, Harrington was its founder. The photograph of Harrington is from 28 years earlier, his 1882 senior portrait (from Wesleyan University Library, Special Collections & Archives).