Thursday
September 9, 1926
Pocahontas times (Huntersville, W. Va.) — Pocahontas, West Virginia
“When Teachers Had Their Names in the Paper & $35 Could Land You in Jail”
Art Deco mural for September 9, 1926
Original newspaper scan from September 9, 1926
Original front page — Pocahontas times (Huntersville, W. Va.) — Click to enlarge
Full-size newspaper scan
What's on the Front Page

The Pocahontas County Teacher's Institute dominates the front page, with 152 educators gathering in Marlinton for their annual training — 116 women and just 36 men, reflecting the era's teaching demographics. The paper dutifully lists every single attendee by name, from J.A. Arbogast to Juanita Shinaberry, including five African American teachers listed separately under 'Colored.' Meanwhile, political scandal rocks the headlines as Senator Arthur Capper joins a growing coalition opposing the seating of Republican Senate nominees Frank L. Smith (Illinois) and William S. Vare (Pennsylvania) over massive campaign spending — $3 million in Pennsylvania alone. Capper declared there should be no 'Government by check-book,' demanding both men withdraw from their races. Local drama unfolds as 20-year-old Robert Oleson faces forgery charges for passing fake checks at Roman's store and Harvey's restaurant, signing other men's names for $35 total. The carnival worker from New York City now sits in Lewisburg jail. Weather observer S.L. Brown reports a soggy August with over 10 inches of rain, dense fog on 16 days, and temperatures ranging from a chilly 48 to a sweltering 92 degrees.

Why It Matters

This snapshot captures 1920s America at a crossroads between progress and tradition. The teacher's institute represents the era's growing emphasis on public education and professional training, while the separate listing of Black educators starkly illustrates Jim Crow segregation even in rural West Virginia. The political corruption scandal reflects deeper tensions within the Republican Party during the Coolidge boom years, as reformers battled the influence of big money in politics. These stories unfold against the backdrop of America's Roaring Twenties prosperity, yet hint at the structural problems — from racial inequality to political corruption — that would later contribute to the era's dramatic end.

Hidden Gems
  • A carnival worker named Robert Oleson was caught forging checks for just $20 and $15 — tiny amounts that reveal how far small money went in 1926, yet serious enough to land him in jail awaiting grand jury action
  • Local weather observer S.L. Brown meticulously recorded that August had 'dense fog on 16 days' and thunderstorms on exactly four specific dates (1st, 14th, 15th and 16th), showing the incredible detail of 1920s record-keeping
  • H.W. Gorrell travels the state organizing Junior Order American Mechanics lodges despite having 'helpless legs' from a 1918 logging accident, driving his own car with hired drivers and getting around towns in a wheeled chair he propels with 'a couple of cranas'
  • Henry W. McNeel loaned the newspaper three antique books from his grandfather's library, including a 1804 'History of Virginia' that appears to have sold for just one dollar and an 1811 elocution manual that passed through multiple owners
  • Mr. and Mrs. Rodney Buzzard of Huntersville just welcomed their tenth child — a daughter born September 3rd
Fun Facts
  • Senator Arthur Capper, mentioned leading the corruption fight, published 'Capper's Weekly' — making him one of the few newspaper publisher-politicians in Senate history, giving extra weight to his media criticism of 'check-book government'
  • The Seneca Indians mentioned traveling from New York to Pennsylvania's Cook Forest were likely from the Allegany Reservation, and their 'Six Nations rites' referred to the historic Iroquois Confederacy that inspired America's founding fathers
  • That 1804 'History of Virginia' book selling for one dollar would cost about $20 today — but represents one of the earliest published Virginia histories, making it incredibly valuable to collectors now
  • The Junior Order American Mechanics that H.W. Gorrell was organizing was a nativist fraternal group that opposed immigration and promoted 'America First' policies, reflecting 1920s anti-immigrant sentiment
  • The movie 'The Goose Woman' playing at local theaters starred Louise Dresser, who would become one of early Hollywood's most acclaimed character actresses and earn an Oscar nomination just two years later
Contentious Roaring Twenties Education Politics Federal Crime Trial Weather
September 8, 1926 September 10, 1926

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