100 years ago in The Record
Wednesday, Jan. 9, 1918
“The sudden death of Joseph Murray, 25, of 340 Second street, at Proctor’s new theater this morning is regarded in the light of a mystery,” The Record reports. Murray is only on his third day on the job at the Fourth Street playhouse when he’s found unconscious on a flight of stairs. Coworkers summon a doctor to the theater, but Murray “died within a short time.” The attending physician initially attributes Murray’s death to heart failure, but an autopsy performed by Coroner Thurman A. Hull indicates that “there was nothing wrong with Murray physically.” “When found Murray was lying on an iron stairway with a small piece of wire in his hand,” our reporter writes, “and from this fact the coroner believes that death may have been due to electrocution, and is now conducting an investigation along this line.” An investigation will attempt to determine “how long Murray lay on the stairs before he was found or whether he had retained consciousness for any period before the arrival of the physician.”
‘Increase is dead’
The Record’s recent editorial calling for cuts to the Rensselaer County workforce apparently made an impression on the county board of supervisors. While there are no plans to cut positions yet, the supervisors reportedly have drawn the line against raising county workers’ pay this year. Republican and Democratic caucuses agree on blocking pay hikes. “The subject is dead,” a GOP supervisor tells our reporter, while a Democrat says, “Nothing doing, all off.” Our editors argued that the county is wasting money on superfluous positions that could be better spent on the national war effort. Echoing that point, a Republican says, “The sentiment was that in view of prevailing war conditions calling for economy in both public and private expenditures it would be inconsistent and unjust to taxpayers to increase the public burden. “Patriotism should count for something in the premises, and all of us are called upon to make sacrifice in one way or another. The position of The Record in the matter was referred to and recognized as practical and timely.” Democrats add that “they did not regard the present, when there are so many burdens to be carried and when the prospect is that there will be heavier burdens, the proper time to increase salaries.” This is bad news for Harry A. Sheldon, the county superintendent of the poor, who has filed a petition asking for a 20% pay hike for his staff of twelve employees, and for district attorney’s officers Marcus O. Jones and Albert E. Race, who’ve asked for a 25% raise.