Other Times
100 Years Ago – 1920: Charged with murder, Hamon Levinson, 326 E.
10th St., Chester, who is alleged to have furnished a concoction that resulted in the death of Fred Tribbitt, 327 W. Second St., was arrested by the police last night. Tribbett died following several drinks which he is alleged to have secured at the prisoner’s home. Tribbett was found dead in bed at his home on Christmas Day by one of the boarders.
It is believed that both Tribbett and Daniel Harris – who lives at the same address and is now in Chester Hospital – in lieu of the customary Christmas cheer imbibed freely in the poisonous liquor in the house of Levinson.
75 Years Ago – 1945:
Next to Hallowe’en, Christmas Day seems made for mysterious occurrences. The Chester area added its submission to the growing list of unexplained Yule happenings around 11 p.m. Tuesday. Mrs. Mae Byham, of 2411 Chestnut St., said that about that time a big ball of fire suddenly appeared at Steven Field, at the foot of Shoemakerville Hill. As suddenly as it appeared, the phenomenon vanished in a heavy explosion, unnoticed by others who it seems were too pre-occupied with Christmas celebrations. If it was a celestial visitor from inter-planetary regions, it went unnoticed by the star-gazes of local astronomical observatories. They too, celebrate Christmas like other mortals.
50 Years Ago – 1970:
A morning fire at St. Joseph’s Parochial School, Bartram and Woodlawn avenues, Collingdale, was extinguished within 20 minutes by firemen from six area fire companies after an unidentified young man on his way to Mass discovered the blaze at
7:45 a.m. today. Fire Chief Charles Nichols estimated damage at $1,000.
25 Years Ago – 1995: A
$49,179 change order for renovation work at Aston
Elementary School was approved by the PennDelco School Board last night. Recent inclement weather had an adverse effect on the ongoing project but is not expected to delay the school’s Jan. 3 opening.
10 Years Ago – 2010:
From the Road Watch column: A first for Christmastime in the Philadelphia area has occurred - and not a good one – as regular, selfservice gasoline hit $3 a gallon overnight at pumps across the country. This week, gasoline is 41 cents higher than the prior year, and $1.35 over 2008.