Days Gone By
100 Years Ago, 1922: Chester Rotarians were given a close-up of some of the antiquated and buried cities of Central America, the cause of their downfall and a lesson in protecting the farmers to preserve civilization by Dr. Sylvanus G. Morley, noted archeologist of Carnegie Institution, Washington, D.C, and former resident of Chester. Dr. Morley delved into an exhaustive study of civilization which flourished fifteen centuries ago. This civilization was developed by the Maya Indians in Central America in the Yucatan zone.
75 Years Ago, 1947: Grand Jury action of corruption charges against former Chester Police Inspector Bernard J. Dougherty was awaited at Media today following arrest of the pudgy ex-detective Friday on four counts alleging extortion, conspiracy and malfeasance and misfeasance in office. Dougherty, who surrendered himself voluntarily to District Attorney C. William Kraft Jr., was taken before Justice of the Peace A. Randall Mathues after being questioned for more than an hour and was held in $1,500bail for court.
50 Years Ago, 1972: Is Special County Prosecutor Richard A. Sprague’s investigation into alleged corruption in the county worth the effort? Critics point out that $60,000 and thousands of manhours have been spent in the 13-month-ld investigation with less than impressive results. Two men have pleaded guilty, three men were found innocent in jury trails, and two other men are awaiting trial. Of the two who pleaded guilty, one was fined $5,000, ordered to make restitution and disbarred from practicing law for three months. The second was sentenced to one-year probation and six months’ probation, running concurrently, fined $300 and ordered to make restitution. The same critics further point out the embarrassment suffered by the defendants who have been acquitted. The acquittal, they maintain, can in no way compensate for what the men suffered. 25 Years Ago, 1997: Newtown Township has won its lengthy legal battle against AWACS Inc., or Comcast Metrophone, at least for now. Township Solicitor Bruce Irvine announced that Commonwealth Court has upheld Newtown’s denial of a building permit and special exception to Comcast to install 12 mobile phone antennae on the roof of the Newtown Towers apartment/office building on West Chester Pike.
10 Years Ago, 2012: Delaware County District Attorney Jack Whelan and other officials served up advice on how to combat burglars during a community forum in Nether Providence Township Tuesday night. The meeting, held at the municipal building and attended by dozens of homeowners, took place against a backdrop of seven break-ins in the township since early August, all carried out during the daytime and all when no one was at home.