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This Week in Rockland: Newspaper Excerpts: Flashback Friday: Week of August 12

August 10, 1872 – 150 YEARS AGO
Rockland County Journal

AROUND HOME
     ☞ Mary Horey, a resident of Haverstraw, came to her death by a blow from an axe, last May, in the hands of Mrs. Glynn.  Mrs. G is in jail awaiting the action of the Grand Jury.
     ☞ Several of our young rowdies, (of which Nyack has a large stock), engaged in a free fight and other mischief on Saturday night. — They illustrated admirably the necessity for incorporation.
     ☞  A “nice young man,” at Alturas, a few days ago, attempted to drug the soda water of a young lady, from River Vale.  She detected him in the act and went for him.  It is thought that a wig and a package of court plaster will improve his appearance.

August 11, 1932 – 90 YEARS AGO
Rockland County Journal News

GAS TO GUARD SAFE IN NEW POST OFFICE
       The big vault in the new Federal building at Nyack will be equipped with automatic tear gas ejectors by which a burglar or rioters breaking open the vault door would get a prompt whiff of tear gas. A large volume of the condensed gas would be released as soon as the door had been forced open.
       The Lake Erie Chemical Company, which supplies the gas and the protective devices, will make the installation before any cash is placed in the safe. Gas is supplied in such a large quantity, $50 worth in every vault, that it would spread through a building quickly enough, it is said, to serve as a alarm and aid guards in capturing the safe-crackers.
       These fumes, more concentrated and more powerful than those used in the bonus riots, would make it impossible for the burglars to complete the rifling of any safe they managed to open. Several types of installation are employed, so that any burglar who managed to get away after his first attempt would find surprising features in the next safe he tackled.

August 10, 1972 – 50 YEARS AGO
The Journal News

U.S. LIKE RUSSIA OF 1917
[Image:  Photograph of Count Tolstoy posing with his daughter in 1910, the year he died.]
       Countess Alexandra Tolstoy, the 88-year-old daughter of Leo Tolstoy who helped set up the Tolstoy Foundation in Valley Cottage, a haven for Russian refugees, says the U.S. today is like Russia before the 1917 Bolshevik revolution.
       But she expressed hope for America because of what she said are differences in the American and Russian characters.
       Her comments were made during an interview at the foundation in Valley Cottage.
       Speaking of the similarities, the Countess said “It's just the picture we had before the Russian revolution. Nobody wanted to work, money went down, strikes.”
       But, she said, there are major differences:
       “Americans are very orderly people, very well organized,” she said. “Russians are not well organized. Maybe if we were more organized, we might not have had the revolution.”
       Miss Tolstoy fled her native Russia in 1929. Now, after 43 years in America, she says, “I don't know which country I like best.”
       Still energetic and outspoken, she is writing a history of the Tolstoy Foundation, which she founded 33 years ago to help resettle refugees from Communist Russia and preserve the White Russian culture.
       She reads extensively — “whatever is current” — and watches television, some of which disturbs her.
       “I was watching television and I saw young people doping themselves and I couldn't sleep all night,” she said.
       “What is that dope that is going on now? They are killing their souls. They're killing their minds...
       “I'm absolutely persuaded youth is looking for something,” she said. “You see this every day, same thing. Nothing new, nothing to lean upon, nothing to look for because they lost God.”
       Although a staunch anti-Communist, Miss Tolstoy approves of the Soviet version of her father's masterpiece, “War and Peace,” which will be shown on national television (ABC) beginning this weekend. She particularly likes the Soviet characterizations of Pierre and Andrei.
       But, she said, her favorite Natasha still is Audrey Hepburn.
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This Week in Rockland (#FBF Flashback Friday) is prepared by Clare Sheridan on behalf of the Historical Society of Rockland County. To learn about the HSRC’s mission, upcoming events or programs, visit www.RocklandHistory.org or call (845) 634-9629.

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