100 YEARS AGO Thursday, December 14, 1905

 A property sold; a higherpriced property bought; a ruing of the latter bargain; an unsuccessful attempt to withdraw from the deal; a brooding over the matter to the point of insanity. This seems the only explanation available for the motives that actuated the principal in the awful crime committed at Shrigley at noon Thursday of last week.

The principal was Melancthon farmer James Coulter, about 56 years of age. His victims were his wife Mary, about 45, his daughter Ida, aged 14 or 15 and his son Willie, aged 11 or 12.

Coulter had a load of oats ready to take to Melancthon Station. He had told his neighbours he was going to market his oats, had hitched up his team and was seen to drive down the lane as far as his house, stop, and then turn the wagon around again and drive back to the barn.

George Kitching and Leonard Ostrander, who were loading wood at the opposite side of the road from the Coulter farm, saw smoke issuing from an upstairs window as though the place was on fire. Hurrying to the house to give the alarm of fire, and making their way in at the kitchen door, their surprise and horror at the sight that met their gaze can easily be imagined. Stretched out on the floor were three members pf the family — the husband, wife and daughter — the man and woman quite dead and the daughter at practically her last gasp, unconscious.

Upstairs, clothing and a feather tick on a bed were discovered to be on fire and the blaze was quickly extinguished. Further investigation led to the discovery of the boy in the barn, alive but unconscious, and he died the same evening without regaining consciousness.

Having bludgeoned his wife and children with an axe, the husband had taken his own life with his 32-calibre revolver.

An inquest in Shelburne Friday led to the coroner’s jury concluding: “We believe the said James Coulter was temporarily insane when he committed the several deeds of violence mentioned.”

 Orangeville’s band litigation has been settled at last, the town council, as was expected, having to put up the $100 of Bandmaster Albertson’s salary. Orangeville councillors have been rather doing the donkey act in band matters for the past few months.

 Chief Justice Falconbridge has refused to grant the application to wind up the business of the Orangeville Furniture Company. He directs that the business shall be continued under the direction of Dr. Lewis, MPP, to whom the assignment was made.

 Joseph Broderick, formerly of Honeywood and later of Redickville, was committed to Orangeville jail by Police Magistrate George Rutherford of Shelburne this week. Mr. Broderick was living alone in the outskirts of the village and it was thought best to provide him with comfortable lodgings for the winter.

75 YEARS AGO Thursday, December 18, 1930

 The Honourable Arthur Sauve, Postmaster-General, has announced that in order that post men throughout the Dominion may spend Christmas Day with their families, no deliveries of mail will be made on that day. Accompanying the announcement is a request that Christmas mail be posted earlier than usual this year so that greetings and presents will reach the recipient before Christmas Day.

 Shelburne High and Public schools closed on Tuesday and will remain closed until the New Year. The building will be thoroughly fumigated during the holidays.

 In its first annual report, the Dufferin County Old Age Pension Commission says payments of $9 to $20 per month were made to 162 pensioners. Of the total, 92 were receiving $20 and 51 were getting $15. The total paid out was $29,530.10, of which the county paid 20 per cent, plus administrative costs of $1,000.28. The Dominion government paid $14,765.05 and the Province $8,859.03.

50 YEARS AGO Wednesday, December 14, 1955

 Less than 25 per cent of Orangeville’s 2,385 eligible voters went to the trouble of casting ballots in the municipal election Monday of last week.

 Of more than 200 cars stopped and tested in a seven-day check-up by the Dufferin detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police, 35 per cent were found to have defects and 24 per cent of the drivers received summonses. The detachment’s Cpl. Bill Pinder said the check-up showed that in spite of a widely publicized safety campaign, many drivers were not trying to keep their vehicles in safe condition. “The biggest problem is lights and brakes — particularly emergency brakes.”

25 YEARS AGO Wednesday, December 17, 1980

 As the Town of Orangeville seeks the expansion of its sewage treatment plant, officials in the Town of Caledon are expressing concern over the quality of water coming from the facility.

 An Ontario Municipal Board hearing is expected into Shelburne’s bid to annex about 200 acres from Melancthon.