| Shooting at Mt. Zion on Christmas Eve in 1914
Visitors in town Monday from Mount Zion brought word of a little shooting scrape which occurred there Christmas eve in which Lawson Little and Jim Boggs are alleged to have been the participants, the former the shooter and the latter the shootee.
From the reports we have of the affair it appears that a "kidding match" was in progress in the general store of Stemple & Gunn at Mount Zion, and Boggs is said to have made some remark to which Little took exception.
After a few words passed, it is alleged that Little went across to the home of Mr. Stemple and secured a revolver, then returned to the store and opened fire on Boggs.
The gun was snapped two or three times and finally one cartridge fired and the bullet passed through Boggs' hat a little ways above his head.
What the outcome of the affair will be is hard to determine. The affair was reported to the authorities but we have not heard of any action being taken. It is reported that Little has departed for parts unknown.
Hope Exhibits Christmas Spirit in 1931
Believing that it is more blessed to give than to receive and thereby showing the true Christmas spirit, employees of the local office of the Hope Natural Gas Company contributed to a fund for taking the darkness out of the Christmas of some of the more unfortunate families in the district.
A big truck drove up Wednesday in front of a Grantsville store and loaded up with flour, groceries and provender of various kinds.
The food was taken to the local office of the gas company and made up into bundles and will be distributed to some thirty families in various sections of the district.
What with the five day week, a reduction in salary for some of the white collared boys and worst of all SON_ selling at 28-1/2, the Hope boys are taking it on the chin like a great many other folks but they will get a lot of kick out of this Christmas from knowledge that they have helped the other fellow.
Nation to Experience "Dry Christmas" in 1919 - Washington, Dec. 15 - Wartime prohibition was held constitutional today by the Supreme Court in a unanimous decision . Thus banished the hope of many for a "wet whistle" during the holiday period. The decision added one of the final milestones in the long fight to make this country dry.
"Death by Unknown Causes" Ruled in 1936
Cleo Hall, 32-year-old state road worker, of Arnoldsburg, whose body was found Christmas eve in his blazing residence near that place, is believed to have been killed by a gun shot wound before the flames which destroyed his home had reached him.
Officials who investigated the tragedy said the victim's head was almost blown off from the charge of a shotgun. A 12-guage shotgun was found in the room where the body burned with an exploded shell in the chamber of the weapon. Another shell which had not been fired was also found near the body of the unfortunate young man.
The tragic happening brought gloom to the Arnoldsburg community and lessened the joy of Christmas festivities. The young man was a member of one of the most prominent and highly respected families in Calhoun county.
A son of Postmaster and Mrs. E.W. Hall, of Arnoldsburg, he was highly regarded on account of his good traits of industry and honesty. He had been employed for some time by the state road commission prior to his death.
According to evidence produced before a coroner's jury, the young man and his wife and two small children had come into Arnoldsburg in the afternoon. Mrs. Hall and the children remained there with relatives and friends and the husband went back home late in the afternoon to attend to the farm chores.
Later he came back into Arnoldsburg and started home when he found out that his wife and children were attending a Christmas entertainment in the town. Mr. Hall was then seen to go into his home by neighbors and shortly afterwards the house was discovered in flames by neighbors.
By the time volunteer fire-fighters could get to the place, the flames had destroyed so much of the house that it was impossible to recover his body from the fire. At first it was thought that an explosion of the kitchen stove lighted with kerosene or gasoline had wounded the unfortunate young man in such manner that he was unable to escape from the flames.
Before the floor fell in it was noticed that the stove had been blown apart as an explosion. Mr. Hall's body was found a few feet from the front door and a considerable distance from the kitchen stove.
Later the shotgun was found and authorities worked on a suicide theory. No motives for suicide could be advanced and the investigating jury brought in a verdict of death by unknown causes.
Neither could motives for murder be found, and the death of the popular young man will likely remain a mystery.
In addition to his wife, who was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Bailey, of near Minnora, the deceased is survived by two small children; his father, E.W. Hall, of Arnoldsburg, and a large number of other near relatives.
Funeral services were conducted Friday afternoon at the Sand Ridge church and interment was made in the nearby cemetery.
(Transcribed by Norma Knotts Shaffer from microfilm of the Calhoun Chronicle)
| 
