Looking Back: Dec. 10, 1919

Published 7:05 pm Tuesday, December 10, 2019

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By Clyde Parker

Courtland football overcomes opponent

In Courtland, on this past Thursday afternoon, before the largest crowd of the season, the Courtland High School football team defeated Portsmouth’s Woodrow Wilson High School team by a score of 31 to 6. Courtland scored in the first quarter on a forward pass from McLemore to Applewhite. In the next quarter, with just three yards to go for another touchdown, Courtland fumbled and Murphy, the fast Portsmouth quarterback, picked up the ball and ran the entire length of the field for a touchdown. Courtland had two or three chances to score during the first period but fumbled each time and lost their opportunity for any kind of momentum. The first half ended with the score standing at 6 to 6.

In the last half, Courtland gained at will — scoring four more times. Marks and Gillette, together, were responsible for three touchdowns by plunging through-the-line; and Applewhite scored another touchdown on a forward pass. Portsmouth braced just before the last quarter ended and succeeded in working several forward passes but was unable to score. The game ended with the ball in Courtland’s possession.

The work of the whole Courtland team was good, and the tackling was the hardest seen here this season. Portsmouth was unable to hold Marks and Gillette. Those two boys circled the ends and drove through the line when they pleased. McLemore used good judgement in running the team and his passes, together with the ability of Applewhite and Bell to receive them, resulted in several long gains and two of the touchdowns.

Thursday night, a banquet was tendered the team by the business men of the town. Besides the team, about a hundred friends of the players and followers of the team were present. The dinner table was loaded to its capacity with good things to eat. The occasion was a particularly happy one. Five of the eight games played this season resulted in victories. Courtland lost to Maury High School of Norfolk, John Marshall High School of Richmond, and Old Point Comfort College of Fort Monroe.

The record of the Courtland team was especially good this season. They defeated Suffolk High School two times with scores of 18 to 6 and 13 to 7. Woodrow Wilson High School of Portsmouth lost two games to Courtland with scores of 33 to 0 and 31 to 6. And the Courtland boys defeated Franklin High School 47 to 0.

On the whole, this year’s team was the best that ever-represented Courtland on the gridiron and was easily in the front rank of the high school teams of the state.

The Courtland lineup:

Applewhite, left end

Marks (F.), left tackle

Crichton, left guard

Bell (A.), center

Bell (M.), right guard

Dickens, right tackle

Bell (W.), right end

McLemore, quarterback

Marks (H.), left halfback

Gillette, fullback

Williams, right halfback

Referee – Robert Marks of Randolph-Macon

Umpire – George Riddick of Randolph-Macon

 

Southern Baptists exceed quota

With the close of victory week three days off, Southern Baptists are confident that their campaign for $75 million dollars, to be paid in five years, for missions and general benevolence will be successfully won. Nearly every state in the bounds of the Southern Baptist Convention reported to its headquarters in Nashville that the allotted quotas will be raised although final figures will not be obtainable until after Sunday.

Virginia, with a quota of $7, 000,000, had reached the $6,000,000 mark Thursday night, reporting 10 districts over the top, among them being Portsmouth, Blackwater and Petersburg.

In the Blackwater Association, Paul D. Camp, associational organizer, has received reports from all of the 29 member churches. Southampton area churches reported as follows: Beaver Dam, $20,000; Black Creek, $5,688; Boykins, $16,000; Branchville, $6,000; Burdette, $1,277; Courtland, $3,400; Franklin, $97,000; Ivor, $9,355.

Electric lights warning

The Electric Light Committee of the Town of Franklin warns every user of electric lights and power to pay the strictest possible attention to exercising rigid economy in the use of electricity. Currently, the existing electric light generating plant is overloaded; however, a new system is scheduled to be cut in next week. An expert from the Westinghouse Company is in charge of new machinery installation; he is directing every effort toward a speedy completion of the new plant.

Unless every unnecessary light is promptly cut out and every electric device of every kind used sparingly, especially from 5 to 10 o’clock p.m., there is a serious possibility of an utter collapse of the old plant at any moment.

 

Pay your poll tax

The attention of all taxpayers in the Town of Franklin is directed to the fact that they must pay their

Capitation/poll tax of $1.00 before Dec. 12 in order to be qualified to vote in the primary election for town officials in the Spring.

County Treasurer Samuel B. Drewry states that poll taxes may be paid to Mr. Colgate W. Darden Sr., located in the Virginian Building on Main Street in Franklin, or to Mr. A.L. Gardner at the Camp Manufacturing Co. Commissary in Camptown.