From the pages of the Windsor Locks Journal, selected and lightly annotated by Lester Smith, Historian of the Town and the Suffield Historical Society.
April 6
There seems to be promise of new activity at the new hotel at the corner of Main and Depot street [now the site of 1 Mountain Road] as it is reported that H. L. Bowles of Baltimore lunch fame and another Springfield party have been looking over the property and would like to get hold of it for a first class hotel. . . . The reason why the hotel was not completed is said to be the fact that Suffield people who were expected to subscribe for stock failed to do so.
Mrs. William S. Pinney has returned from a week’s visit at New Haven and Ansonia.
Miss Alice Prout has returned from St. Petersburg, Fla., where she has spent the winter.
April 13
A large audience was present at the citizens’ meeting held in the Town hall Tuesday evening to discuss plans for forming a Home Guard in this town. H. M. Alcorn presided and introduced Gov. Holcomb. The governor explained the need of a Home Guard in the state in the absence of the state militia and said that Suffield ought to furnish a unit of 100 men. Samuel G. Lathrop was arrested Monday by order of States Attorney H. M. Alcorn, charged with traducing the president of the United States. According to witnesses he came out of the post office Saturday night reading a paper and upon reading some of the head lines made disparaging remarks about the president and said that he should be shot. He was tried before Justice Barr and sentenced to thirty days in jail, but the sentence was later suspended.
Several women have been taking a census of the women in this town on the question of woman suffrage, this week.
The tobacco growers of this place are busy preparing the seed beds. Some have already sown the seeds under glass, while others are getting ready for sowing when the weather is favorable. About the usual acreage will be grown.
April 20
Enlistments in the Suffield Home Guard are not coming in as fast as the recruiting officers would like to have them, as up to the present time only fifteen have signed the enlistment papers.
A number of the unnaturalized Germans, who left the employ of the Bosch Magneto plant in Springfield last week will be employed on the farms of this town during the coming summer. It is expected that about fifty of these men will be employed here.
April 27
A special town meeting was held at the Town hall last Saturday afternoon . . . the following resolution was passed: – That a sum not to exceed $25,000 be appropriated for the immediate construction, under the statues relating to state aid, for a concrete road, fourteen feet wide, from Dunn’s Corner [at Mapleton Avenue] to the Thompsonville Bridge [at the end of Thompsonville Road].
The fair of the fire department opened in Town hall Thursday evening with a good attendance in spite of the counter attractions in this and neighboring towns. The fair will be continued this (Friday) and Saturday evening.
Rev. William Williams, pastor of the West Suffield Congregational church, received a cablegram yesterday announcing the death of his youngest brother, David John Williams, who died April 17 of wounds received in a battle in Palestine. Mr. Williams had been in active service since 1913, and had been through the battle of the Dardanelles and several other battles.