"A demonstration was given with machine guns on Liberty street extended, which was interesting to the crowd," according to a newspaper account in November 1923.

Newspapers in Carroll County in the middle of November in past years were full of accounts of the celebration of Veteran's Day — or Armistice Day as it was known from 1918 until 1954, when President Eisenhower declared it a holiday.

However, the machine gun story is one of my all-time favorite history yarns from yesteryear.

I laugh every time I read it.

Can you imagine going to the current Westminster mayor and Common Council and to Westminster Police Chief Jeff Spaulding, and telling them that in honor of Veterans Day there will be a machine gun demonstration on Liberty Street?

"A target was placed on the hill below Dr. Fitzhugh's (office), which was riddled by bullets from the guns, showing the good marksmanship of the men.

"The bullets could be seen sailing through the air toward the target," according to the article.

In other news from yesteryear, the big topic in Hampstead was getting a police dog, according to an old Carroll Record article from Nov. 27, 1973.

There was a discussion at the council meeting about expenses and a cost analysis comparing the cost of a police dog with that of a police officer:

"The council agreed that a dog would 'beef up' the town force a lot cheaper than another man, and should help 'clean up a lot of these punks in town.' "

"Goons" and "punks" were apparently on the minds of a number of municipal officials in Carroll County in those days.

In Westminster, a Sept. 23, 1971, article from the defunct Democratic Advocate carried the happy headline:

"Riot Gear Urged For Policemen."

Yep, right here in Carroll County.

"Riot gear including gas grenades and grenade launchers, and another unmarked police car for the Westminster police force, were discussed as possibilities by a committee of the City Council Monday night.

"The proposals were among suggestions to 'update the police force to give it more effectiveness on the street,' according to Councilman Thomas W. Eckard."

It gets better: "Also discussed at the meeting was the 'goon squad' proposal made recently by Eckard. The squad, which would be made up of off-duty policemen paid by the city, would aim to crack down on unlawful conduct of 'goons' or hoodlums in the city.

"The police chief was to determine how many policemen would be willing to participate in such a squad on a volunteer basis."

When he is not hiding under the couch, Kevin Dayhoff may be reached at kevindayhoff@gmail.com or visit him at www.westminstermarylandonline.net.

---

user comments (0)