History in the Week of Aug. 26
Madera County Historical Society One hundred years ago, Maderans could drink alcohol only in a bar or their homes. Within two years, they couldn’t even do that, as the entire nation entered the Prohibition era.
50 Years Ago
Week of Aug. 26, 1968
500 TEENAGERS ROCKED BY NO-SHOW BAND — Five hundred teenagers were disappointed, and a dance promoter was $1,200 richer after a widely advertised, well-known, rock and roll band failed to show up for a Friday night date in Madera. The teenagers, from Merced, Kerman, Chowchllla, and Madera, paid $3 each to see the Canned Heat band from Los Angeles at Hatfield Hall Friday night. The bands never showed up. Madera District Fair officials found that the check they had been given for rental of the hall was worthless. After collecting the $3 fee from the youths, the male promoter sped away in a car with a woman.
MADERAN IS MURDERED; LOCAL MAN ARRESTED AS SUSPECT — Murder suspect Gary James Bolding, 24, of Madera, is under police guard at Dearborn Community Hospital in connection with the fatal shooting early this morning of Orville Lee Carter. 27, also of Madera. Police say Bolding’s wife Coann, the daughter of Dr. Coe T. Swift of Madera, was in the house at the time but was uninjured. Police said Carter crawled into a bedroom and locked the door when Bolding started firing. Bolding then kicked down the bedroom door and fired several more shots at Carter, fatally wounding him. Officers said Bolding then fled in his pickup, which he lost control of on Highway 145. Following the accident, Bolding was transported to Dearbom Hospital by a passing truck driver. He was taken into custody by police who had been alerted by Fresno authorities of his possible presence in the county.
MORRIS CHILDREN TO LIVE WITH AUNT IN CONCORD — The 10 orphaned Morris children were placed in the care of their uncle and aunt, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Graves of Concord, in a court decision here this morning. Judge Jack Hammerberg announced that he was accepting the recommendation of the probation office in placing the children with their relatives in Concord. The court and the children, he said, are indebted to Mr. and Mrs. Bolis Lachawicz of Fresno, the maternal grandparents, who have stayed in the Morris home since the parents’ deaths, for “a great, deal of love and affection.” But Judge Hammerberg noted, the grandparents are elderly (in their 60s). He added that the choice of the aunt and uncle will allow the children to remain together as a group, follow the religion (Catholic) which was chosen for them by their parents and attend parochial schools.
EX-COURT REPORTER HERE IS SUSPENDED — Leonard Bell, former Madera County court reporter completing a probation term here for fraud, is among a group of court reporters suspended from a court in West Covina because of over-charging. Citrus Municipal Court Judge Winthrop Johnson issued the suspension order after being advised by county auditors that it appears that substantial over-charging by reporters has been taking place. Bell is one of a group of reporters regularly assigned to the Court, which has four judges and one commissioner. Bell went to West Covina immediately after being freed on probation following conviction of fraud over a nine-year period. Bell’s 10-year probation term is due to expire here Oct. 3.
DEARBORN CHANGES NAME — The first phase of the changeover to a new community hospital for Madera began Sunday when California-Nevada Methodist Homes Inc. took over Dearborn Hospital. Dearborn is now Dearborn Community Hospital under the ownership of CNMH with a local advisory committee formed. Frank Cook, administrator, described the changeover as a matter of “formalities” only at this point, adding that it demonstrates that. Madera is going to get a new community hospital. The Methodist organization, which will sponsor the new hospital, plans to operate Dearborn until the new facilities open, hoping to recover the purchase cost through its continued operation and future sale of property. Both Dearborn and the Madera General (County) Hospital are to close when the new hospital opens in about three years. 100 Years Ago
Week of Aug. 29, 1918
DRINKING OF BOOZE TO CEASE — City Marshal John Barnett in on the warpath. When the city marshal gets in this frame of mind, something is sure to happen and the happening in this case is the strict enforcement of the new liquor ordinance recently adopted by a popular vote of the people of Madera. There is one part of the ordinance that has been willfully and openly violated in the city for some time, and while the marshal has warned violators to travel the narrow pathway, the violations continue. The particular part of the ordinance being violated is the one providing that no liquor shall be drunk within the city limits unless it is within the confines of one’s home. Liquor is being drunk more or less in the alleyways, in barns, in the streets and in vacant lots. The city marshal states positively that, in the future, he will arrest every person caught drinking booze In any public place. He has notified all dispensers of liquor of this fact and this morning spent several hours watching for violators around the soda works where drinking has been going on more or less for some time. Foreigners appear at the bottling works and buy a few bottles of beer and then either go out into the street or in the back of the lot and drink. Mr. Porter, owner of the bottling works says he has taken special occasion to warn the purchasers of booze not to drink around the place, but they have disregarded the warning. The city marshal will now see that the law is enforced to the very letter. There is but one place that liquor can be drunk outside of the restaurants holding licenses to serve beer and wine, this being in one’s own home, which, in some cases can mean a man’s room in a hotel or lodging house.
MAN FOUND LIVING IN RIVER BOTTOM — A rather peculiar case was unearthed last evening by City Marshal J. H. Barnett when he was called to the Stephens place just east of Madera to investigate a man who had appeared there a number of times for something to eat. He was apparently living in the Fresno river bottom not far from the Stephens home. After searching the banks of the stream for a while, Marshal Barnett discovered a little fire not far away and a man standing over it in a crouched position. He was taken to the county jail where he is being held until some word can be secured from people in the east who will undoubtedly be anxious to come after him. He said he was glad to be taken into custody. It is believed that he is mentally unbalanced.
FURNACE BEING MADE TO SAVE GRAPE CROP — The past few days of rainy weather has caused the raisin situation to be very serious and a number of the growers are resorting to artificial drying methods in order to save the crop. One of these growers who will endeavor to save his crop, if possible, is R. Gile, who has leased the Robt. Hargrove place southwest of Madera and has a large crop of raisin grapes this year. The grapes have only partly cured and fearing that they would spoil before they completed their drying process, D. Stephenson was hired to build a heater. Mr. Stephenson purchased an old furnace belonging to the Madera Union High School district and has his force of mechanics building a hot air jacket or covering over the top of the furnace. A blower will be attached to the furnace and twill force the hot air.
