A congressional hearing in Washington erupted into violence when Representative Rankin of Mississippi threw an inkwell at District of Columbia Commissioner Frederick A. Fenning and his counsel Frank J. Hogan, who retaliated by hurling a glass of water. The brawl broke out during a House Judiciary Committee investigation, with Hogan suffering a slight injury above his left temple before the men were separated. Meanwhile, in West Virginia, the front page champions Harley C. Kesling for re-election as Randolph County Clerk, highlighting his war service in France where he lost an arm fighting for his country. The paper also reports on a massive theater consolidation as Famous Players-Lasky Corporation acquired control of 340 theaters worth $17 million, representing what would become a $100 million entertainment empire when fully realized.

These stories capture America in 1926 at a pivotal moment of both political tension and corporate consolidation. The congressional brawl reflects the rough-and-tumble politics of the era, while the theater merger signals Hollywood's growing dominance over American entertainment—this was the birth of the movie studio system that would control American cinema for decades. The local focus on a World War I veteran seeking re-election shows how communities were still processing the war's aftermath, honoring those who sacrificed for the nation during the conflict that had ended less than eight years earlier.

• The newspaper cost just three cents—equivalent to about 47 cents today, showing how affordable daily news once was
• A tax notice warns Elkins residents that all 1925 taxes must be paid by June 20th or face 'Execution and Levies'—with property going delinquent and deputy sheriffs ordered to 'collect by levy and sale'
• Local golfers thoroughly trounced visiting Fairmont players 8-6 on Saturday, then again 9-3 on Sunday, with the only casualty being Major Mam Brady who 'broke his niblick on the 16th hole'
• Seven Elkins students were graduating from West Virginia University—the largest class in the school's history at 692 graduates
• The 'Apricot revolt' in Damascus featured rebels and French forces fighting over fruit gardens, with rebels demanding one-third of landowners' apricot crops for protection

• That Famous Players-Lasky theater merger mentioned on the front page was actually Paramount Pictures in the making—this consolidation helped create the Hollywood studio system that dominated American entertainment
• Dr. George Lyman, the West Virginia agriculture dean who died at Johns Hopkins, was part of the federal plant disease survey—crucial work since the 1920s saw devastating crop diseases that would contribute to agricultural struggles leading up to the Great Depression
• Representative Rankin, who threw the inkwell in that congressional brawl, would later become one of the most controversial figures in Congress, serving until 1953 and being the only House member to vote against entering both World Wars
• The Redpath Chautauqua coming to Elkins was part of a massive cultural movement—these traveling shows brought entertainment and education to small-town America before radio and movies took over
• Business men in Martinsburg were criticizing the gross sales tax and suggesting an income tax instead—ironic since the federal income tax was still relatively new, having only become permanent in 1913