August 22, 1901… The stork stopped at Gov. Beckham’s mansion at 6:15 Friday morning. Mrs. Jean Fuqua Beckham, wife of Gov. Beckham, gave birth to a child on Aug. 16. The baby at the mansion is a girl. She has the proud distinction of being the first child of a governor to be born in that historic building, which has been occupied by the wives and families of 33 chief executives. Mrs. Julia Beckham, the mother of Gov. Beckham, came to the mansion as a child of 3 years, when her father, Charles A. Wickliffe, the tenth lieutenant governor, became governor upon the death of Gov. James Clark in 1836. The present Mrs. Beckham was Miss Jean Fuqua of Owensboro. She became the wife of the Governor on Nov. 21, 1900. Price Johnson has moved into his new residence in Millville. Wood Wright is building an addition to his cottage in Germany Bend. The Midway Graded School city school will open on Sept. 3. W.A. Hammond has succeeded Louis Woodruff as assistant marshal following the latter’s resignation. Hemp cutting by machinery is being successfully tried in this community. The machine does its work well and is a great labor-saver. Mr. Ed Stephens, who has had the job before, is the new town marshal On Saturday morning, the east-bound C&O train struck Mary Williams, an aged colored woman who was walking on the track near the Winter Street crossing. The engineer succeeded in slowing down so that when the pilot struck her, she was only shoved off without receiving any serious injury. No blame can be attached to the railroad officials, as the train was moving slowly, and the signals were given in ample time to prevent any accident. August 24, 1922… Midway Graded and High School opens Sept. 12. A new air pressure water system is under construction, basement floors have been concreted, the heating system is being improved, sidewalks and roads in front of building have been improved, additional land has been procured from W.C.M. Wood for athletic purposes, and a driveway and parking row have been constructed. The City Council met Friday and refused the request of KFOS to build a sidewalk on Cross Street from Southern Railroad to Gratz Street. Coach Ford Nunnelly will meet all boys interested in football on Aug. 25. The opening game is with Massie School at Midway on Sept. 22. Twenty-two years ago, nobody swatted the fly. Nobody wore a wristwatch. Nobody had appendicitis. Nobody wore white shoes. Nobody sprayed orchards. Nobody knew about radio. Most young men had “livery bills.” Farmers came to town for their mail. Many people read by the candle or by kerosene light. The heavens were not full of man-birds nor the seas alive with underwater boats. The hired girl drew $1.50 a week and was happy. Young men learned trades at $5 per week. The butcher “threw in” a chunk of liver. The merchant “threw in” a pair of suspenders with every suit. Nobody listened in on the telephone. There were no electric meters. Nobody observed a sane fourth. Straw stacks were burned instead of baled. Publishing a newspaper was not a business, it was a dueling game. There were no Bolsheviks nor “isms.” The safety razor had not introduced the clean­shaven face. “Equipped with gas” was a prominent line in flats-to-let advertisements. Office folks didn’t know about a fan in the summertime, and ice water was a treat. Many folks retired at 9 p.m. and rose at 5 in the morning; times have changed. There is not a bushel of coal for sale in Versailles. Luckily, we have natural gas to burn. The city judge in Versailles is S.D. Pinkerton. Mr. and Mrs. Otis Duncan of Versailles are happy over the arrival of a fine girl born Friday. Mr. and Mrs. J. “Hub” Dawson of Versailles are happy over the coming of a 12 lb. daughter, Bettie Dozier, born Tuesday. Henry Ferdinand VanderVoort and wife (nee Emily Bowmar) are the parents of a son, the third, born Sunday at Fredonia, N.Y. Of all the lusty young men who “rode with Morgan” in the sixties, D.L. Thornton Sr., H.L. Martin Sr., Russell V. Bishop and G.W. Jackson were all that attended the reunion at the Lexington Country Club Wednesday and Thursday. There are four more “boys in gray” in the county: David Holden, A.B. Scott, Michael Gormley and Thomas M. Fowler. Mr. Scott and Mr. Gormley are very ill. Midway defeated Jetts in baseball but lost to Duckers in horseshoes.