BY P. GRAY MEEK.
ri
Srsm—
Ink Slings.
—As days glide by Cuban autonomy is
getting to be public monotony.
—The Philadelphia Press still insists that
QuAY’s proposed reform legislation for
Pennsylvania is only ‘‘so called.”
—The attempt to burn the county court
house seems not to have been so much of
an attempt to try justice with fire as to
bring about a new home for her.
—Such a thing as Centre county’s being
outdone by Pennsylvania is out of the ques-
tion. If the latter burns her capitol it is
not to be wondered at that the former
should meet such a bid for notoriety.
—Why is it that no wail has gone up
from Harrisburg over the loss of Legisla-
lator’s cork screws? In the eyes of some of
“the law makers they are the most useful |
implements furnished by the State.
—The National Guard is not to go to
MCcKINLEY’S inauguration. The railroad
companies will not provide free transporta-
tion and the State cannot afford to pay for
it. What a pity, that the advance agent
will have to do without this part of his
show.
—Congressman MUDD, of Maryland, has
set out to knock GORMAN out in that State.
‘While it might do the Senator good to get
a shaking up it is likely that MUDD’s
name will still be MUDD when he gets
through with the able old Maryland
leader.
—$10,000 for a pig sty at the Norristown
insane asylum will give the impression
that they intend caring for their pigs bet-
ter than they do their patients, especially
since one of the keepers is now under ar-
rest for the killing of WILLIAM MCCUE, an
insane convict.
—It would seem, from the fuss that is
made and the worry about the navy de-
partment whenever any of our gun boxes
are put to sea, that they are not ingended
for use in water.
where there is any assurance that they are
safe is when they are in a dry dock.
—The plague in India is partially the re-
sult of the closing of her mints to the
coinage of silver and in that gold gripped
England is responsible for having brought
iton. Had the currency not been so great-
ly contracted the people in India would
have had something to ward off the desti-
tution caused by the recent crop failures.
— The plan of selling county offices to
the lowest bidder, that is being talked of
out in Kansas, will be very apt to throw
MARY ELLEN LEASE out of a job, if
adopted. However we have enough faith
in MAry ELLEN’s versatility to helieve
that if she 1s knocked off the stump she’ll
bob up serenely on the auctioneer’s block. |
|
—The number of pension disbursing agen-
cies in the United States has just been re-
duced from eighteen to nine. This is not
an indication, however that the number of
pensioners is decreasing. The work of dis-
bursement can be done just as satisfactori-
ly with half the number of agencies and
the general government saved an annual ex-
pense of $160,000.
—Mexican burglars have given the lie to
those who assert that the climate is so
mild down there that very little, if any,
clothing is needed. The other evening, at
Monterey, they threw a hook and line into
a sleeper’s room and stole the covers from
off the owner of the house. Such a clever
trick proves the theory that there are more
ways than one to uncover things.
—Rev. Dr. MONROE, presiding elder of |
the Altoona district, is of the opinion that
it was wrong for Grace Methodist church
to rent their building to the State for legis-
lative purposes and will bring the matter
before the annual conference, next month,
for investigation. The doctor is, no doubt,
afraid that that building will be tainted by
the occupancy of such a body, and he is
about right.
—Judging from the decorations that or-
namented (?) the halls of the state capitol
before it was destroyed by fire it is little
wonder that Philadelphia thinks she could
provide better entertainment for the Mem-
bers than Harrisburg. The spindle shanks
of the bandiest legged Philadelphia ballet
girl are Venus like in proportions, when
compared with those red, pink and green
nymphs (?) that formed so brazen a part
in the ornamentation (?) of the remodeled
House.
—Too many Kansas securities, that
could not be used for more than half their
face value, forced the Chester county Guar-
anty, Trust and Safe Deposit company to
close its doors, on Tuesday. And now are
the easterners beginning to feel the effects
of a monetary system that has caus’ * land
to decrease one-half in value, during the
past ten years. There is a large list of
stock holders in the institution and many
of them are farmers who will now be able
to appreciate what the westerners have suf-
fered by silver demonetization.
—The BRADLEY-MARTINS, of New
York, might look to Reading for an ex-
ample of the proper manner in which to
expend their surplus cash during these
trying times. In that city the Keystone
hook and ladder company, instead of hold-
ing their customary anniversary banquet,
distributed food among eighty-three
poor families. The New York swells might
emulate this example and find far greater
pleasure in its doing than ‘in giving the
fancy dress hall on which a quarter of a
million will be spent without doing anoth-
er bit of good than making tired legs and
dark brown tastes for the day after.
About the only place
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
BELLEFONTE, PA.
FEB. 12,
97.
An Intended Job.
That the words ‘‘solicit’’ and ‘‘select’’
differ widely in their meaning was demon-
strated by a legislative incident that oc-
curred at Harrisburg last week. It hap-
pened that a resolution was passed in the
House relative to the securing of plans for
the erection of a new structure to supply
the place of the burnt capitol. As origi-
nally worded and passed by the House the
resolution authorized the Governor to
‘‘golicit’’ architects to submit plans for
the new building. When it got back to
the House from the Senate it was discover-
ed that the word ‘‘solicit’” had been so
tampered with that it appeared as ‘‘select,”’
a word of entirely different meaning and
intention. This transformation had been
effected not by means of amendment open-
ly made, but by a surreptitious clerical al-
teration which was intended to be sneaked
through without detection. The intention
of this underhanded scheme was obvious,
its object being to avoid competition and
thereby give the job to a favored party
who might be ‘‘selected’’ by the authority
invested with that power.
It is true that this fraudulent tampering
with the wording of the resolution was de-
tected when it came back to the chamber
where it had originated, and the word
‘“solicit’’ was reinserted but when it is
seen that at the very inception of the propo-
sition to build a new capitol such dishonest
designs are manifested, there is reason to
anticipate almost unlimited jobbery in the
construction of a building upon which the
state money is to be expended.
Unfortunately, by an accident greatly to
be deplored, the old historic capitol build-
ing of this State has been destroyed, but the
most unfortunate feature of this casuality is
that the construction of a new edifice will
devolve upon political managers who do not
appear to be possessed of enough honesty
and public virtue to prevent them from
making a plundering job of it. In the ras-
cally alteration of the resolution directing
the Governor to ‘‘solicit’’ the offering of
plans for the new structure we have pre-
monition of the number of private fortunes
| thatare intended to be made out of the job
of building the new state capitol.
Reduction of School Appropriations.
An unusual expense is to be entailed
| upon the State by the erection of a new
| capitol building which no doubt will be
made to be a very costly building, and to
{ meet it without increasing state taxes it is
suggested that there be a reduction of the
| annual state school appropriation, which
{ has grown to the large amount of $5,500,-
| 000, and which, it is thought, could be
| reduced to about $3,000,000 without se-
rious detriment to educational interests.
| Such retrenchment may appear to be of
la retrograde character to those who are in
favor of liberally subsidizing the common
schools and Welieve that no exigency would
justify a reduction of the amounts that are
lavished upon them by state appropria-
tions ; but when this liberality is carried
to extremes does it not amount to a species
of paternalism that in some respects is in-
jurious in its effects? It is discovered
that in many school districts the tax levy
diminishes in proportion to the state con-
tribution, until in some localities the state
bounty has been used to relieve the tax
payers of the duty of paying school tax to
a large extent. Such a perversion of the
object of the State’s assistance, interferes
with the benefit that is intended to be con-
ferred by school appropriations, and is a
striking example of the effect of pater-
nalism which makes the State do that
which should be incumbent upon the in-
dividual citizen.
There can be no question but that there
has been a lavish disposition on the part of
the Legislature to subsidize the public
schools, and it need not be feared that if
the necessities of the treasury should cause
profuse appropriations the cause of educa-
tion would suffer. Probably such a reduc-
tion would have a good effect in making
the school districts more self-reliant and
less disposed to look to the State for as-
sistance, a disposition that is always ac-
companied by the enervating consequences
of dependence.
——Stick to your party next Tuesday.
Don’t let any little personal matters stand
in the way of your voting for a Democrat,
because fights begun at what are consider-
ed unimportant elections always crop out,
with disastrous effects, when there are
more important offices to be filled. Pro-
mote harmony in the party, wherever it is
possible and stand together for the fall.
Centre county Democrats will have to get
more ginger in them eise the county will
slip away without their knowing how the
control has been lost.
——A vote for HugH S. TAYLOR for tax
collector is a vote fora young man who
has been faithful in the discharge of his
duty. His settlement of his duplicates
has been prompt and he has done his col-
lecting without oppressing the poor.
——FRANK NAGINEY would make a
very desirable burgess.
The Offended Millionaires.
Those rude people, especially the news-
paper men, who have been criticising the
practices of those who consider themselves
the higher order on account of their great
wealth, had better be careful how they in-
dulge in such impertinence, as the million-
aires are getting mad about it and want it
stopped.
There has been more of this impudent
intrusion of late than suits their idea of
how the lower class should behave them-
selves to their superiors. One of the in-
stances of this vulgar intrusion is the fuss
which the rude newspapers have been mak-
ing about the BRADLEY-MARTIN ball,
which came off, in New York, last
evening at a reported expense of $250,-
000, and which is represented by a
low class of critics as heartless and ostenta-
tious extravagance at a time when ten
thousand people are on the point of star-
vation in that city.
There is also an offensive disposition on
the part of the common people to complain
about the trusts and other monopolistic
means of accumulation, by which the high-
er order have secured so unequal a share of
the good things of this world, but which
that superior class think rightfully belong
to them. And there is also a meddlesome
disposition on the part of the common set
to find fault with the arrangement that en-
ables their superiors to evade paying an in-
come tax on their vast accumulations, just
as if they should be compelled to contrib-
ute to the support of the government,
which should be exclusively the duty of
the common people.
The millionaires are taking the imperti-
nence as a great affront, and some of them
are beginning to threaten that if it is per-
sisted in they will follow the example of
ASTOR by taking their wealth to Europe
and becoming members of the foreign
nobility.
Next Tuesday's Election.
On Tuesday, Feb. 16th, the regular
spring election will be held in the various
precincts of this county and a number of
men will be chosen to {ill offices of impor-
tance to the tax payers of the localities in
which they will have jurisdiction. It is
the duty of every eligible voter to visit the
polls and cast a ballot for the candidates
he prefers, for upon the right of franchise
the very institutions, of which we boast so
much under our Republican form of gov-
ernment, depend for their preservation. It
is a bad habit to stay at home. It encour-
ages a lagging interest in elections and
brings about dissatisfaction with the results.
Suppose everyone was to stay at home,
what would become of the government in
such a crisis ?
We want to call particular attention to
the duty that every professing Democrat
owes his party in the contest of next Tues-
day. It is almost obligatory upon you to
attend the election and vote for your
party’s nominees. Remember that the
primaries should have been the place for
personal feeling to find expression. If
there is a man on your local ticket whom
you do not admire it is still your duty to
vote for him, as an opportunity was had, at
the primaries, to nominate another.
Don’t fight this spring, the condition of
the party in the county makes it urgent
that everything be done that will tend to
unite and harmonize it.. The little differ-
ences that begin over the election of a road
supervisor or school director might bear
fruit in the defeat of a county officer. Try
to keep the party in good shape. The time
is coming when every vote will be needed.
Why They Opposed the Treaty.
Those who are important about the de-
lay of the Senate in ratifying the arbitra-
tion treaty, find in the silver Senators,
as they are called, especial objects of con-
demnation for the reason that all of them
are arrayed against the ratification of that
treaty.
There must be some particular reason for
their assuming so geneflly the position
they have taken in this matter. It can
not be supposed that it is a mere accident
that makes a particular set of Senators
entertain a feeling towards England dif-
ferent from that of a majority of their col-
leagues. The explanation is to be found
in their aversion of England’s monetary
policy by which, for her own selfish gains,
she maintains the gold standard of value,
and by the force of her financial and com-
mercial supremacy coerces other nations
into its adoption, greatly to their injury.
England, to-day, is the great obstacle to
the remonetization of silver in this coun-
try. She not only profits by the restric-
tion which her influence has put upon the
monetary status of silver in other coun-
tries, but it is a matter of satisfaction to
her that the United States, a debtor coun-
try, is made tributary to her through the
medium of the yold standard, and is thus
held in monetary vassalage.
This is the reason why the so-called sil-
ver Senators are iu no hurry to ratify a
treaty with a nation that is chiefly re-
sponsible for the evils that have resulted
from the gold standard.
= FRa.
Postponed Reforms.
The burning of the state capitol came
at a very unfortunate time. Both factions
of the ruling party in the Legislature had
declared that the reform of various abuses
in the state government was the dearest
wish of their hearts, and were making great
promises as to what they intended to do in
that line, when the fire fiend came along
and burnt them out.
It is to be feared that this unfortunate
causality will direct their attention from
the reformatory work which they had cut
out for this session,and which was to be
the - introduction of a millennium of good
government under the auspices of the
political bosses.
It is now being proposed that in conse-
quence of the loss of the capitol, and the
inconvenience of doing the work of legisla-
tion in so unaccustomed a place as a church,
in which the average law-maker feels out
of place, it will be expedient to make the
session as short as possible. If such a con-
clusion should be carried out it would not
allow sufficient time for the reforms which
the two factions have cut out as the chief
object of the present session. There would
be no over-hauling of the treasury by which
the MARTIN--WANAMAKER faction pro-
posed to show how the QUAY gang have
been misusing the state funds, and no re-
formation of the abuses in the state gov-
ernment which even QUAY has been forced
to recognize as needing amendment.
In all probability the intervention of the
fire will cause the fulfillment of these good
intentions to. be postponed. There won’t
be time enough in an abridged session to
do the work of reform with that complete-
ness which would satisfy two such great
reformers as boss QUAY of the one faction,
and DAVE MARTIN and JolN WANA-
MAKER of the other.
Besides, the attention of the legislative
managers will be so taken up with the
jobbery afforded by the building of a new
capitol that the chief thing they will think
of for the balance of the session will be the
spoils that may be secured out of such a
job as thal. The parade of reform that
was made at the beginning of the session is
likely to terminate in legislation that will
arnange for a big steal in the construction
of a new capitol.
Defying Public Opinion.
There is a general agreement among de-
cent people who are acquainted with the
circumstances, that Gov. BLACK has dis-
graced New York State and defied the mor-
al sentiment of its people, by appointing to
a responsible state office so corrupt a char-
acter as the notorious lobbyist LEON
PAYN. The selection of this most object-
ionable character was not made without
deliberation, coolly acted upon, despite the
protests and warning that poured in upon
the Governor from every reputable quarter
in the State. Not only political oppo-
nents, but party friends and supporters of
the Governor, protested against his putting
such a man into the office of superintend-
ent of insurance, a post that should require
the highest order of integrity in its incum-
bent. But PAYN had a claim on the Gov-
ernor for dirty work done in his behalf in
the last New York campaign, and besides,
boss PLATT, who owns Governors in New
York as Quay owns them in Pennsylvania,
required PAYN’S appointment. A state
Senate. also the property of the New York
boss, promptly confirmed the discreditable
selection.
The people of the State at large regard
this appointment as a great outrage, but
the Governor’s defiant indifference to pub-
lic opinion would indicate that he coincides
with the expressions of the late Mr. VAN-
DERBILT that *‘the public be d—d.”’
The Gazette is woefully hard up for
arguments to use against HugH S. TAY-
LOR’S candidacy for tax collector when it
must resort to calling him a BRYAN-ite in
order to arouse a sentiment against him.
Why don’t it look into his record for the
past three years ? Simply because it knows
that that would reveal the fact that he has
been the promptest and one of the most
careful tax collectors the borough has ever
had. The Gazette's cry of ‘‘BRYAN-ite
will do Mr. TAYLOR no harm. No man is
disgraced by the support nor admiration of
such an honorable character as WILLIAM
JENNING’S BRYAN and there are Mc-
KINLEY-ites who are even now of the
opinion that they made a mistake them-
selves.
——In making up your borough ticket
bear in mind that J. WILL CONLEY, an
energetic young merchant, and a thor-
ough gentleman, is a candidate for treas-
urer of the borough. A vote for Mr.
CoNLEY would be the right thing to cast.
As custodian of the borough funds he
would watch them with that diligence that
is required, yet so seldom practiced, to
make ends meet.
:
——Who precipitated this costly con-
test for sheriff ? Who wants to he made
burgess of Bellefonte ?
DEFIANCE.
Come on, ill visaged demons : “Foreboding and
Despair
Come on! I hurl defiance ; and will face you any
where ;
I am armed for battle royal and will bravely fight
ye both,
My weapons: Good digestion and a liver never
sloth.
When I scent a fight impending, with antagonists
like these,
I avoid hot, sodden biscuits, nor bolt rich pie and
cheese ;
Idon't “load up” with coffee, mix acid fruits
with cream,
And then, awake, lie wondering why life's paths
so hopeless seem.
I just go into training, and exercise a bit,
I dine upon such wholesome meats as common
sense deems fit,
And when I toss my castor and jump lightly
in the ring
I'll knock Foreboding ‘%illy ,”
ut Despair’s eye
“in a sling.” » 5 C. Vv
The Baker Ballot Law Growing Ob-
noxious.
From the Philadelphia Times.
It is not the fault of the court, but it is
the fault of the law, that the people of
Philadelphia will be put to great incon-
venience in voting at the next municipal
election. That the Judges have interpre-
ted the law as liberally as they could will
not be doubted. They cannot make
law, and they cannot violate the letter of
the law when called upon to interpret it
judicially. While all laws relating to the
ballot should aim to give the greatest free-
dom to the citizen in voting, if the Legisla-
ture fails to make-liberal provisions for the
freedom of the ballot, the courts can only
obey the law at they find it.
The decision of Common Pleas Court,
No. 2, delivered by Judge Pennypacker
yesterday morning, will be accepted as con-
clusive that the present ballot law is a
monstrous perversion of the freedom of the
ballot that should be extended to every
citizen, and the Legislature should take
prompt action in revising our election law
to assure the largest possible freedom of
the ballot to every citizen in the State.
Any election law that can be used by po-
litical leaders to complicate the duty of
voting is a wrong to the entire people of
the State, and should be thoroughly reme-
died by the legislative authority.
The election laws of the State should
not be the plaything of unscrupulous po-
litical leaders. to hinder the freedom of the
ballot by legal tethnicalities. Tt was only
an accident that gave the McKinley Citi-
zens party a separate column on the ballot
of November last, and the Combine leaders,
under the direction of Lobbyist Martin,
made their chief battle before the courts to
embarrass the people in their efforts to
vote for political reform. Any election law
that gives such opportunities for corrupt
party leaders to hinder the freedom of the
ballot is a wrong to the people and an
abridgement of the dearest rights of the
citizen.
The committees on electionsat Harris-
burg should take up this question at the
earliest day possible, carefully consider the
imperfections of the present ballot law and
provide methods for making nominations
so simple that none can err in their efforts
to attain the largest freedom in voting.
There should be no separate columns in the
official ballot. Each candidate for any
office, however nominated, should be
placed under the head of the office to be
filled, with the name of the party the can-
didate represents, and every reasonable op-
portunity should be given to citizens
to have candidates thus placed upon the
ticket.
There could be no complications in ex-
ercising the right of franchise, as any citi-
zen who can read in any language could
understand, the party name whose candi-
date he wished to vote for, and it would be
a very simple thing to mark the candidate
for each office. This is the true Australian
ballot law, and every departure from it has
simply created complications and offered
technical advantages to desperate party
leaders to embarrass the people in the right
of suffrage. Let us have an honest, square
ballot law, under which the people can do
their own voting.
Let the Watch Dogs Loose.
From the Pittsburg Post.
The people of the State would do well to
scrutinize closely every movement made at
Harrisburg in connection with the con-
struction of the capitol building, or they
will find Pennsylvania saddled with a job
that will rival the ones at Albany and
Philadelphia. It is only by starting right
that this can be prevented ; and we do not
think it is starting right to place in the
hands of the governor or any other man
the right to solicit plans and select an ar-
chitect without open and free competition.
Under various disguises this looks like
what is being attempted. It iseven said
at Harrisburg that the architect and plans
have already been determined on by those
manipulating the capitol enterprise.
No better plan could be adopted at Har-
risburg in a preliminary way, than the one
carried out in Allegheny county in con-
nection with the construction of the coun-
ty buildings. Plans were invited from dif-
ferent architects, with specifications of
cost. We believe four or five of these plans
of the greatest merit were liberally paid
for, and become the property of the coun-
ty. Thus, aftera selection was made of
the one of the greatest general merit, it
could be still further improved by hints
from other plans in special matters. In
this way we got the Richardson plans for
the county building, and very fortunately
the contractor, as well as the architect,
were residents of other states. No favorit-
ism was shown. The local contractors
naturally kept a sharp lookout on the work,
and as a result the buildings were com-
pleted within the stipulated time and at
the contract price. This was such a nov-
elty in a building so costly, and for the
public, that it attracted wide attention. It
was an object lesson of what could be done
with good management. If legislators will
study the methods adopted in this county
in relation to plans and construction of the
county buildings, they will be better en-
abled to act intelligently in the matter of a
new state capitol.
Spawls flfem the Keystone.
—Applications for 340 liquor licenses have
been filed at Lancaster.
—Rosa Stiffler, of York, found her infant
child dead in bed Monday morning.
—By the slipping of a fork, Mrs. Edward
Brown, of Hazleton gouged out her left eye.
—Everett’s night school now has an enroll-
ment of 43 pupils, with an average attend-
ance of 40.
—A landslide near Frackville blocked both
the Reading and Pennsylvania railroads for
about twelve hours.
—Rev. S. J. Blum, pastor of the York Mo-
ravian church, has been appointed principal
of the military school at Nazareth.
—By the collision of their wagons in a run-
away Monday, Conrad Sacks, of Butler val-
ley, and Patrick McCarron, of Hazleton,
were seriously injured.
—Seventeen-year-old Ida Klick threw oil
on the furnace fire in Harrison Kalbach's
house, Lebanon, and was badly burned about
the head and arms.
—Charles DeLong, music teacher, was
found dead in bed at Wet Bethlehem, with
the gas partially turned on. It is believed to
have been an accident.
—The high wind ef Saturday night blew
James Marley, a Jersey Central brakeman,
from his car near Leemine. He was found
in a ditch with three ribs broken.
—Judge Reed at Brookville Monday,
charged the grand jury to investigate the es-
cape of the convicted murderer, Joseph Ail-
leo, who was recaptured on Sunday.
—Hollidaysburg’s borough council has of-
fered a reward of $500 for the arrest and con-
viction of the persons who dynamited the
Gardner, Morrow & Co.’s bank building.
—An accident to the Shenandoah electric
light plant left the town in darkness, and
thieves broke into three grocery stores, four
restaurants and two saloons. They got little
booty.
—At a meeting of Group No. 6, of the state
bankers’ association, at Altoona, on Saturday
S. R. Shumaker, of Huntingdon was elected
president, and D. S. Kloss, of Tyrone, secre-
tary.
—Arguments on the motion to quash the
indictment against E. Van Valkenburg,
charged with attempting to bribe Representa-
tive Weiss, was again postponed for a week,
at Pottsville, Monday.
—While intoxicated John Reddinger, a
painter, of Lcbanon, cut his throat at his
home Monday. The knife was dull and he
only succeeded in inflicting a painful wound.
He was arrested and sent to jail for thirty
days.
—Anna Jeanes, of the Abington Meeting,
has given $10,000 for the Friends’ Boarding
Home of Norristown. Of that amount £5000
is for the committee in charge of the project,
to do with as they think best, while 35000 is
to go to the endowment fund.
—Asa reward for genius, C.D. Sawtelle,
formerly of Philipsburg, and now pastor of the
Christian Alliance, of Coalport, received re-
cently from the--publishers of the National
Record a silver medal, it being their second
prize for inventions of a simple but valuable
nature. Mr. Sawtelle has invested an at-
tachment for harnesss that will do away with
getting out of vehicles to unrein a horse.
—A recent investigation has shown that
Blair county has already paid to the Barring
and McSweney Detective Agency at Scran-
ton the sum of $22,796.22. With the Com-
monwealth expenses the whole amount ex-
pended to convict Frank Wilson and James
Farrell of the murder of Henry Bonnecka
will reach $30,000. Indications point that
both men will get a new trial, in which
case the expense may be doubled.
—A dispatch from New Bloomfield Thurs-
day says: whether Dr. Thomas L.. Johnston,
the convicted murderer of druggist Henry,
is practicing a shrewd trick for effect upon
the arguments for a new trial for him, or has
actually gone wild, is not known as he is
exhibiting many symptoms of mania in his
cell in the jail here. He rushes back and
forth cursing, as conspirators, all who had any
thing to do with his conviction although at
first he seemed to be glad it was only a sec-
ond degree verdict and his neck was saved.
—Mahaftey and McGhee have been push-
ing their log job at Bower with great energy.
Ex-Sheriff Mahaffey is there nearly all the
time superintending the work. They have
already this season put about 8.000,000 feet
on the river's bank, nearly all hemlock.
They use sleds for much of the lumber, but
ahout 3,000,000 feet was putin on the slide.
Thirty teams have been employed on the job
lately. The snowis beginning to wear out
and unless more falls soon the remainder of
the logs will be put in under difficulties.
Next season there will be over 10,000,000 feet
of hemlock cut on that tract and a couple of
million feet of other timber. That assures a
lively year in that section.
—C(Colonel William Jack, a member of the
late banking firm of Gardner, Morrow & Co.,
was arrested on Friday by officer John L.
Roe, of Altoona, on the charge of embezzle-
ment in receiving deposits, knowing the
bank to be insolvent. The information was
made before Alderman Huff, of Altoona, on
last Wednesday, by Messrs. John Vipond and
Lynn A. Brua, of Hollidaysburg, who
claim that deposits were so taken from
them aggregating $10,000. Mr. Jack entered
bail before justice Lowery in the sum of
$5,000. A. S. Morrow, also a member of the
said bank, was embraced in the information,
but, by reason of the serious illness of Mr.
Morrow. the serving of the warrant was de-
ferred.
—(Charles C. Gibson, a well known young
gentleman of Williamsport, has been given
$30,000 under singular circumstances. About
ten years ago Mr. Gibson spent some time at
a sanitarium in Clifton Springs, N. Y., and
there met a Mr. Sibley of Rochester. A warm
friendship sprung up between them, and be-
fore leaving Mr. Sibley gave Gibson an en-
velope, at the same time telling him not to
open it until after his (Sibley’s) death. Sib-
ley died about a month ago and Gibson open-
ed the envelope and found in ita will be-
queathing to him one-third interest in an
estate valued at $150,000. A Rochester law-
yor came to Williamsport to see Gibson and
demanded the document, which the latter
refused to give up. Gibson went to Rochester
and the Sibley relatives offered him $30,000.
Rather than have a contest Gibson accepted
he offer.