Deworra aan
rr ————————
BY P. GRAY MEEK.
esnsimse —— —— —
Ink Slings.
—Some people run for office as naturally
as others run for meals.
—The ice man doesn’t care what happens
pow. Others may tell their troubles to
marines, but his are over.
—The first regular issue of United States
stamps appeared in 1847 and they have been
licked regularly ever since.
—A smile and a cheerful word cost so
little that we often wonder why it is that
some people never have any.
—It is not probable that navigation on
the new Panama canal—il there ever is
pavigation there—will be interrupted by
ice.
—The ground hog must sarely have seen
his shadow if he took an eye opener before
he emerged from his hole on Saturday
morning.
—The man with the shovel hasn't time
to write any epics on beautiful snow. Yet
hie is the man who knows best how beaati-
fal it all is.
—The non-political (?) character of the
Daily News is very patent to its readire
these days of strife over the office of bor-
ough treasurer.
—It it were not for the humiliation of
baviog them do it we might be well off if
we were to get into war with Japan in
order to give them a chance to seize the
Philippines.
—Canned salmon and ice cream are all
right in their places bat recent evidence
proves the assertion that the stomach of a
shirt factory gir) is not the place for them
to get together.
—Mis. RUSSELL SAGE has begun the
work of dishorsing the SAGE millions,
Her first gratuities indicate that she ie
thoronghly capable of patting the money
where it will do good.
— Before we get through with this Japan.
ese emhroglio mayhe we will have reason
to regret the lavish sympathy we spent upon
Japan at the expense of an older and more
steadfast friend, Ronssia.
—Senator DRYDEN is different from
other men who have been licked in politics
in that he bas had the courage to admit
that he is sick. Most of them get sick
enough but won't acknowledge is.
—-Many of the Republican statesmen of
the country are now advocating an income
tax, yet it was the passage o' an income
tax that lost Congress and the Presidency
to the Democrats only a short time azo.
—The recent borings for the Proneylva-
pia railroad tunnel under New York have
revealed that a large section of that eity is
built upon «and. The district in not the
one in which the stock exchange is located.
—A fashion writer in one of the maua-
zines declares that anklets are hecoming
popular with women. If such alancy ever
does hecome a fad men will have to carry a
trained mouse else they will pever be the
wiser.
—[t didn’t need a decision of the court
to tell whether our water hills are a tax or
a rental. Any ons of a dizen motor-u<ers
con!d have sold she aathoritien that it isa
rental, since they found it ont several years
ago.
—There are only $wenty-two hundred
ostriches in this country, but ahont swenty-
two million people who have the ostrich
baht of thinking they car conceal their
wrong doing by ducking their heads in a
sand-pile.
~The Kansas City Times thinks THAW'S
defense will be hails on the plea that ‘he
d.d right while temporarily ineane.’”” This
is in entire accord with the life of the man,
Because it is a well established fact that he
did wron. most of the time he was sane.
—Here the news dispasches inform us
that the geratest gas plant in the world is
located at Astoria, Long Island, when we
were nuder the impression that it was in
the White House at Wa-hington. Another
evidence that we never grow too old to
learn.
—As time drags on in Washington it be-
comes« more and more apparent that abous
all this Congress will get done will be to
pas« the uvuval appropriation bills and ad-
journ. However the Congiessmen may
feel ahons is the puhlic will he entirely
satisfied if this should prove the owe.
—The probahilities are that it old Fath.
er Time were to take ANDREW CARNEGIE
as his word aud add ten years to his hfe
in return for the payment of two hundred
million dollas the rich iron master would
be ahoat #8 por as the rest of us during
the lass ten years of his hfe. Without a
great protected monopoly to roll the money
into his lap Mr. CARNEGIE would find the
matter of existence much more serious
thao it has heen for him since over fed in-
fans indostries have grown to take such
good care of their daddies,
—Mr. DELPHIN M. DrLMas, the Cali
fornia law) er liom whom so mach has heen
expeoted in the THAW trial got into the
game on Wednesday after THAW'S ose
bad received a demoralizing battering from
distrior attorney JEROME. DELMAS
showed a manner entirely unexpected fiom
a western lawser prated a- he had heen,
There was atwolutely no blofl or blaster,
all suavisy and keenness that soon gather.
ed up the shattered fragments of the de-
fenve and put Mr. JEvOME in a tantiom
that was laoghable. Judging from this
first exhibition of hie legal prowess he must
be a NAPOLEON indeed of the law.
VOI. 52
nn.
Currupt and Contented Still.
We own to some measare of indifference
as to the result of the municipal election
in Philadelphia. It is a matter of the
gravest consequence to the city. The eleo-
tion of she machine candidate for Mayor,
Jonx E. REYBURN, would restore the
predatory band of political pirates to com-
plete contro! of the government of the city.
That would mean the revival of the white
slave trade, the renewal of the partnership
between the police and the criminals, the
propagation of vice and the promotion of
crime. The secret traffic in franchises and
property will he resumed and the birth-
rights of the people of the city will again
be used as assets of the atrocious coutract-
ors combine.
Bat the people of Philadelphia deserve
some such treatment as this. In 1905
there was a temporary awakening of the
conscience of the city and the machine was
defeated overwhelmingly. Some of the
hosses hecame fogitives from justice and
others sought seclusion at home. Bat they
were helpless to do harm and might have
been forced into permanent good behavior
or perpetual banishment. The people of
the city came to their rescue, however.
They knew, if they have any intelligence
at all, that the success of the machine
ticket last fall would guarantee the restor-
ation of the machine to power. They
knew, if they k now anything, that such a
resulj meant municipal disaster. Bat
they cast their reform purpose to the dogs
and voted for the machine candidates,
It STEWART bad been defeated last fall
a candidate for Mayor of the REYBURN
type would have no more chance of #lec-
tion now than SAM SALTER has of being
appointed presidents of the Civil Service
commission. If the fusion ticket had heen
wucoessfal last fall the people of Phila-
delphia would bave been certain of just
government, at a saving of millions of dol-
lars annually, for at least a generation.
Bas political bigotry, added to a complete
indifference to civic righteousness, influ-
enced them to vote for the machine and
if the conseqneace is expensive in carren-
ey and reputation, is is their own fault.
The citizens" ip of Philadelphia is ‘‘corrupt
and contented,” and ought to suffer the
consequences.
——Secretary of the Treasury SHAW re-
sents the newspaper statements that im-
portant improvements in the methods aod
personnel of that department are contem-
platsd by Secretary-elect, CORTELYOU.
The improvements were begun some time
ago, SHAW declares, in the system of book-
keeping. Bat the substitution of anybody
for SHAW is the greatest improvement that
could be imagined
— i pum—
Quicting a Boomerang.
President ROOSEVELT has called upon
“all vewspapers supporting his adminis-
ttasion’’ to drop ‘‘she Japanese ecare,’
according to the Washington correspon.
dents. We have the same authority for the
statement that after a visit with the Presi-
deat, the other day, Senator CuLLodM, of
Illinois, said, ‘‘this war scare is all bosh.
There is no more chance of our going to
war with Japan over this little school ques-
tion than there is of fighting China, Russia
or Great Britian.” It may be inferred,
therefore, that the absurd invention has
proved a boomerang aud that ROOSEVELT
is now trying to cure an evil of his own
oreation. Having ‘‘sown to the wind’’ the
“,eaping of the whirlwind is nos unfre
quens."’
There never was even the moat remote
probability of a war with Japan over the
San Francireo school question. It may be
thas some Japauvese ouvusular official at Sav
Francisco or some place else, more or less
ochesty since the Russian war, imagined
that Admiral ToGo would come over here
and overwhelm us if moral and physical
lepers of the oriens were not allowed to
a=sociate ou an equality, in the pablie
schools of San Francesco, with the white
childien of the community. Bat it wasan
ahsord pipe dieamn. There is no treaty
which obliges any State to perpetiate such
8 crime against iteell and so loug as reason
prevails here never will be.
RoosevELT started that manifestly
prepc-tetons story for the purpose of frighs.
enitg Congress into the appropriation of
vast sums for the inoreae of the army and
navy. For some inexplicable reason the
President is anxious to impoverish she peo-
ple of the United States by levying tax
burdens heyoud endurauvce and the only
oertaiv way to achieve that resuls is to
greatly increase the simy and vavy,
Tuere is no more need for such burdens
upou the people than there ie danger of a
war with Japan, Russia or Greats Biitain,
Bus it is cerwain that an impoverished
people will be easily subdaed and maybe
RousgVELT wants uch a condition to exist
in shes country about the time his term
expires.
-— Auditors bave been appointed to
conduct the investigation of the palace of
graft bus nobody knows what acditors are
for in thas connection,
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
BELLEFONTE, PA., FEBRUARY 8, 1907.
Get Busy On Right Line.
There have been introduced into the
Legislature since the opening of the pres-
ent session bills and resolutions creating no
less than a dozen commissions for one pur-
pose or another. Some of these bodies
might serve good purposes, such, for in-
stance, as the railroad commission, pro-
vided for in the measure introduced by
Representative CREASY. The abuses which
it is intended to correct or abate are mani-
fold and manifest. Bat the constitution
lodges in the Secretary of Internal Affairs
all the power which the measure in ques-
tion would bestow on the commision and
it would be better, therefore, to enact such
legislation as is necessary to make the con-
stitutional provision effective.
There are already between fifty and a
hundred of these boarde and commissions
in existence, beginning with the Board of
Pablic Grounds and Buiidiogs, which has
recently betrayed the interests of the State
by squandering millions of treasure in the
construction and farnishing of the capitol.
The purpose of these commissions is to
provide honorary or profitable places for
political dependents and party workers
primarily, and to shift responsibility for
evils, incidentally. If the powers of she
Board of Public Boildings and Grounds
had been lodged in any individual member
of the body the abuses would never bave
occurred. The shadow of prison walls
would bave admonished him to be careful.
The constitution of the State vests a!l
legislative power in'the General Assembly.
The creating of commissions, therefore,
with legislative power, is an infringement
of the constitution and invalid aod such
commissions withont sach power or fof
other purposes is mischievous and danger-
ous. There is no occasion for commissions
of any kind and the only legislation on
that subject which ought to be considered
is for the revocation of some of the commis-
sions already in existence. It wonld close
up one of the most prolific sources of graft
and stop one of the greatest evils from
whioh the Commonwealth is suffering.
Let the Legislators get busy along thas
live.
—— Next Wednesday will mark the be-
ginning of the Lenten season aud the next
day, Thursday, will be St. Valentine day,
80 in order to be in keeping with the eea-
son let any valentines you may send be as
penitential in character as possible.
—— Really Congressman BURTON, of
Ohio, muet be some sort of a colossus,
According to the Philadelphia papers he
coutrols all the legislation of Congress and
bas Speaker CANNON ‘‘skinned a mile.”
Delinguency and Disappointment.
The Washington correspondents are
ubiquitous, of coarse, all newsgatherers
are that, but they are not always entirely
sati-fying. They goeverywhere, we bave
no doubt, and see everything. They print
a lot, too, and most of their stories are in-
teresting. Bat sometimes they stop short
of the full measure of the possibilities in
catering to popular ocariosity. Io fact
many a good story is spoiled because it is
incomplete. Only the skeleton is given or
more properly speaking, the preface is
published and the narrative, as well as
the motif left to conjecture. Nothing
could be more disappointing.
For example, the other day the Washing-
ton correspondents gave the public an ac-
conus of the first meeting between Senator
elect SIMON GuaGENHEIM, of Colorada,
and Senator BENJAMIN TILLMAN, of Sonth
Carolina. Mr. GUGGENHEIM is the wealthy
gentleman who,according to his own state:
mens, recently bought a seat in the United
States Senate from the Legislatare of Colo-
rado. Iu a speech delivered a few days
ago, Senator TILLMAN held GUGGENREIM
up to public execration and denounced
him and his methods in the most scathing
terms. In fact be was so severe on GUG-
GENHEIM and men of his type that the
Senate, in secret session, forced him to
make an apology.
Under the ciroumstances the first meet-
ing between these gentlemen muss have
been an event of unusual interest and some
source of excitement. TILLMAN is a plain
spoken man and might easily bave said a
few things on such au occasion that would
have made ‘‘iuterestin’ readin’, as the
Iate General CAMERON would have pus it.
But if anything of that kind bappened,
the Washington correspondents failed to
take notice of itand so far as their reports
indicate they may bave ‘‘piped as meekly
as a sucking dove.” There is certainly a
delinquency there and a disappointment.
~The defeat of Senator DRYDEN, of
New Jersey, is a triumph of civio righteous-
vess over corporate venality. Itis a pity
that such things never happen in Pennsyl-
vavia, at least hardly ever.
—There is no foundation for the war
scare with respect to Japan bot incidents
which bave followed that silly affair shoold
admonish she President against repeating
such absurdities, ;
Garner the Recreant.
When Representative GARNER, of |
Schuylkill county was making his primary
campaign for renomination he made a
speech in which be declared that darirg
previous sessions he had ‘‘sold himself,
body and soul,”” to the Republican ma-
chive in consideration of promises of legis-
lation in the interest of she miners. He
had ‘‘been cheated,’ he added in every in-,
stance, and declared that in the event of
his re-election he would not so pander to
the vicions combination. He appears to
have forgotten this pledge, however. He
is still selling himeselt ‘body and soul’’ to
the machine, and it looks as though he
were throwing in a chromo, here aud there,
to entice traders,
For example, the other day Representa-
tive CReAsyY introduced a resolution dis
charging the committee on electric rail
ways from the farther consideration of his
bill aathorizing trolley railroads to carry
freight. The Repablican party is pledged
to the support of the measare and the ma-
chine managers hoped it could be stifled in
committee. CREASY'S motion interfered
with this programme and CoCcHRAN, of
Armstrong county, a servile follower of the
gang, tried to head it off. It went over
under the rules until Monday evening
whea Mr. CREASY called it up. COCHRAN
raised the point of order that the Legisla-
ture had not been in session ten da,s since
the introduction of the bill and hke a
drowning man clutching straws, the Speak-
er ruled the point ‘well taken.” CrEaASY
remonstrated aud showed tbat the practice
has been to count every day between Mon-
day and Saturday as legislative days. The
Speaker was compelled to reverse himself
and the machine was in despair.
Bat Mr. GARNER came to ite resoue.
The Speaker, CocHRAN avd all the other
machine leaders wanted a postponement
but were afraid to take the onus of a mo-
tion. GARNER was equal to the occasion,
however, and he moved shat the resoluticn
be “laid on the table unsil next Monday
evening.'’ That is precisely what the ma-
chine managers wanted. Is gives them the
time they need to devise a means of deleat-
ing the measare or so crippling it that it
will be worthless. GARNER has given
another mortgage on his big body aod iis-
tle soul, bus that is really animportans for
he bas proved himself to be a recreant any
way. We hope his betrayed constituents
will understand the gravity of his crime.
~The investigation of the Brownsville
episode will show thas the town was ‘‘shot
up” by twenty negro soldiers bus it will
bardly jastify the dishonorable discharge
of 140 or eo who had no part io the dis-
order without trial or opportunity to prove
their innocence.
The Greater of Two Evils,
In a letter addressed to some well-
meaning and amiable ladies of New York
who have dedicated themselves to the be-
vevolent purpose of ameliorating the evils
of child labor, President ROOSEVELT has
given the public some idea of his plans for
the promotion of centralization. ‘‘When
the local and state authorities fail to fulfill
their duties in the matter of exterminating
evils,” the President writes, ‘‘then the
national government has no choice but to
interpose its authority and perform the
neglected services of the state govern.
ments.’”’ This is sabstantially what Seore-
tary RooT says he meant in his New York
speech of some weeks ago.
The trouble is that the constitution of
the United States, which the President and
all other officiais of the national govern-
ment have sworn to ‘‘suppors, obey and
defend,” forbids such interposition of
federal authority. ‘‘The powers not dele-
gated to the United States by the cousti-
tation, nor prohibited by it to the States,
are reserved to the States respectively, or
to the people,” is the exact language of
Article X of the fundamental law of the
United States. There is no langosge in
that instrament which directly or inferen-
tially aushorizes the federal authorities to
interfere with the state regulation in re.
spect to child labor, or any other kind of
labor, or forbids the States from exercising
absolute power in such matters.
We all agree to the proposition that child
lahor is a grave evil which the State Legis.
lature should restrict and the state aashor-
ities prevent. Bat is is hardly as great an
evil as the subversion of the government
would be and the violation of the oonstitu-
tion by the usurpation of power, specifically
prohibited, will enevitably work that re.
salt. It the state authorities fail to per-
form their duties popular sentiment should
interpose and compel obedience to the in-
terests of the public. Bat the President of
the United States has no right to exeroire
sach power and if be does so he is guilty of
treason.
~The charges of forgery against the
cashier of the defunct Waynesharg bank
bave been withdrawn. The people out
shere probably came to thé conolasion the
pressing of such a oharge might not be
agreeable to so distinguished a citizen.
NO. 6.
Taxing the Other Fellow.
From the Pitsburg Leader.
Amateur ecvnomists, near stateswen,
strikers and pinchers are busy in all states
of the usion with she problem of taxing the
other fellow. In no state are they bu-ier
than in Pennsylvania. The once loved bus
now hated corporations are to be made to
bear #0 much of the ex of government
that the taxation of the people will be mere-
ly normal.
Scarcely a day passes that a new tax bill
is not presented in the legislature as Har-
risbuig and all are aimed as She corpora-
tions. This is the direct resuls of the gov-
ernment of privilege for the few that has
existed in thie state for more than a qua:-
terof a century. In the reaction agaiussit
legislators are attempting the impossible
of making it a government of privilege for
the many at the ex of the few.
Of course they cannot do it, even il they
should pass every tax bill that has been
«flered at this session. They can devise no
system of taxation to accomplish that,
But there are guite a few who believe
they can. They are men who hold the
opinion that the man who actaally hands
the money over to the tax collector is the
man who really pays the taxes.
With them the taxes psd by a railroad
corporation come ous of the pockes of the
stockholder and are not paid by those who
pay the corporation for the service it per-
forms. The mercantile and osher special
taxes on business of different kind they be-
lieve are paid by the merchant and nut by
the person who bays his wares. The land-
lord pays the tax on real estate and not
the tenant, who merely pays the landlord
rent.
Bat if shippers did nos ship, buyers did
not huy or renters did not rent railroad
corporations, merchans« and landlords could
vos jay taxes. And if the +hippeis bayeis
and renters did vos pay enough for ship-
ping, for goods and for houses they occupy
the men who deal directly with the tax col-
lector would not be ahle to pay she bill
¢! arged againas them hy the state.
It legislators woald nd shenselves of
this false idea that they can make the oth: v
fellow pay all the taxes and wonld devote
themselves to the task of making him pav
his full and jostshaie and nwo moe they
mighs accomplish something for the people
Shey Sap: uni, .
e surplus that is now carried in the
state treasury proves in itself that too
mach money is now being collected from
the people hy the state for the return that
ia being made to them hy their govern-
ment. The state has no right to take more
from the people than it need« for the sup-
ports of a government honestly and econ-
omically administered. Iss revenues each
sear should balance its expenditu: es and
its expenditures should he enough aiid no
more to give the people efficient public
service for the promotion of their material
welfare, their intellectual improvement,
their comfort and their happiness.
It is a mistake to helieve that the people
of the state hold enmity soward the corpor-
ations or that they are demanding thas
punitive or revengefnl measures he taken
against them in satisfaction of the wrongs
of the past.
They are merely asking that the corpora-
tious he brought within the law; shat they
be restiained from the abuse of she special
privileges they enjoy and thas they be re-
quired to pay fair and honest compensation
to the people for those privileges, either in
taxes or in lower charges for the service
they are authorized to perform,
The people do vot ask that that compen-
sation be more thao they pav themeelves
for the benefits they enjoyed under organ-
ized and orderly government. Fortheir
unquestioned right to live upon the land
the people muss pay thestate taxes that
are heavy and excessive in proportion to
the compensation corporations pav, not for
a natural right bos for a revocable privi.
lege. They ask for an equalization thas
will at least make the price of privilege
equal to the cost of right.
Farber taxation of nearly all of the oor-
porations, where it is demanded hy justice
and fairness, rhouid he left to the local
onmmunities which they serve. Thereis a
double reason for this.
Io the fires place, the valae of the prop
erty of these corporations has heen creased
entirely hy the local commanity and tax-
ation of that value should he for the nse
and benefit of those who created itand
whose wealth it is. Secondly, these cor
porations us2 the pubiic property of the
government in that community and the
barden of protecting their property is upon
that community. Hence the compensation
for these thing» is dae to no one but those
who pay the hill.
The state unfairly and without justice
denies the people of Pittshurg the right to
collect from public service Sogjatations
enjoying the nse of the streets of the city
an equitabie tnx hai woald require thei
to pay the city tionarely to the ben
efits they derive from is and proportionate-
ly as much av vokividuale must pay on
their real and property.
Is would ons for the state to
step in and collect this tax and take is
away from those so whom 1s is rightfully
due to give it to communities that had vo
shadow of a claim toit. It would be
plain robbery.
Let the state make laws for the regala-
tion of corporations to enforce the will of
the people as expressed hy them in their
constitution. Then les it levy such gener
al taxes as will meet the expenses that
should lengitimately and rightfally he
horne hy the whole state. Its duty and
ita right end there.
Sane and honext legislators shonld not
allow themselves to he led astray by these
pinchers, these bungliog economists and
these political strikers who believe thes
oan ouiry favor with the masses by their
anti-cor poration misohiel.
Advaninges of Higher Education.
From the Pittshurg Sun.
Who says higher edfication doesn’s pay?
Over 200 university men are earning hig
salaries on lvadiug baseball teams, and thi
doesn’t take into account the roores of
others who can get more for three months
of foothall than the average professional
man oan earn in a year.
Spauwis from the Keystone.
—Samuel Crain, a glassblower, of Spring
City, Chester county, drank a quari of
whiskey on a wager and died in a short
time.
—Edwin C. Randenbush, of Zionville,
Lehigh county, caught thirteen skunks in
two hours, eight being captured in one hole
and five in another. The pelts netted him
$16.
—Williamsport's lodge of Elks have begun
improvements on their temple that will
necessitate an expenditure of $6,000 in
renovation, refurpishing, refinishing and
retouching.
~The license court of Schuylkill county
has granted 1,062 liquor licenses and has
still over 500 applications to consider, most
of them for new stands, but with protests
againgt all of them.
—@George Dietrick, noted as one of the
largest men in Johnstown, and said to weigh
over 300 pounds, died very suddenly Wed-
nesday at his home on Devlin street, Ninth
ward, aged 57 years.
—During the past fiscal year the commis.
sioners of Juniata county paid off over §9,.
000 of the bonded indebtedness on thas
county, leaving the debt at the beginning of
the year about $74,000.
—Four hundred of Pottsville’s representa-
tive citizens participated in a banquet on
Friday night at which preliminary plans
were made for the erection of a Young Men's
Christian Associution building at a cost of
$110,000.
~Mrs. Sarah Aun Dunkard, who lived a
bermit life near Telford, Montgomery
county, was burned to death early Sanday
morning. She habitually smoked a pipe and
it is supposed she set fire to her clothing
from the pipe.
~Three serious coasting accidents occurred
at Bloomsburg on Saturday night. Grace
Long, aged 16 years, had a leg broken; Jumes
Reilly, aged 9 years, had an ear nearly torn
off his head, and Anoa Javeus, aged 9 years,
had a terrible gash cut in her thigh.
—Henry Wright, a hod carrier employed
in the construction of a new brewery at
Bentleyville, Washington county, fell a dis-
tance of eighty-three feet, breaking two
planks in his fall and escaped with slight
injuries. Heo resumed work in a short time.
~—Former Judge Thomas Mellon,a million.
aire of Pittsburg, and his wife, Sarah J. Mel-
lon, celebtated their joint birthday anniver-
sary on Sunday. Judge Mellon was 94 years
old and is well preserved. Mrs. Mellon was
90. She has been in poor health for somo
time.
=A re-valuation of the coal lands in
Northumberland county, made by the as-
sessors adds $3,000,000 to the assessment of
the county. The former valuation of these
lands averaged $222 per acre; the valuation
now is $405 but even this is only about one-
seventh the real value.
—Luther J. Hamor, a printer, of West
Huntingdon, was beheaded by a switching
engine at Huntingdon early Saturday even
ing. The crew of the engine which killed
Humor, found his lifeless body lying along
the siding which leads to the J. C. Blair
stationery plant about 7 o'clock.
~8ix hundred men and boys are ona
strike at Morea colliery, owned by the Dode
son Coal company, near Mahanoy City, be~
cause of unsatisfactory inside conditions.
The miners object to extracting rock and
sinte from the coal without pay, as they say
it isa virtual reduction of 20 per cent. in
wages.
—A. J. Patterson, one of the well known
residents of Juniata, has been notified of a
large estate that has been left a number of
heirs in this section of the State by his great:
grandfather. The estate is located in Min-
nesota, near St. Paul, and is said to be valued
in the millions. Mr. Patterson's mother, now
deceased was a survivor of the family and
her children will come in for her share of
the estate.
~The Somerset county commissioners
have paid to the contracting firm of Caldwell
& Drake all ot the balance due on the new
court house, with the exception of $6,000,
which hus been withheld owing to a number
of alleged minor defects in the structure,
such as ieaks in the roof, ete. This action
was taken after considerable discussion, the
commissioners believing they would be justi.
fied in withholding a much luiger amount.
—Miss Mary Damant,the oldest resident of
Willinmsport, died in that city last Friday
at the ripe old age of 101 years and 24 days,
from the effect of paralysis. She was born
in England on January 7, 1806, and lived
in Willinmsport for 55 years. By reason of
an accident that happened this lady 13 years
ago she had been conflued to an invalid
chair ever since. She retained her mental
faculties up to the Inst and was able to read
books and papers without difficulty.
~-While a erowd of young yeople were en*
joying themselves skating at the Wolfsburg
dam, near Bediord, on Saturday afternoon,
Miss Bessie Miller and Mr. Harey Diehl,
both of Wolfsburg, had the misfortune to
break through the ice. But for the calm.
ness of both they would have met an un
timely death, the water at that point being
about twelve feet deep. Mr. Diehl heroically
held Miss Miller above the water until help
arrived, and they were safely rescued from a
watery grave.
—Aubray, the little son of Chester E,
Kens, of Jersey Shore, was badly bitten by
a bull dog on Wednesday. The baby was
playing about the mother’s kuees in her
busband’s jewelry store when the canine
suddenly sprang at the tiny tot and buried
its teeth in the ealf of the left leg, refusing
to let go until the cry of the mother, who
was alone in the store, attracted the atten-
tion of Mr. Kerns, who beat the dog over
the head with & cane. The wounds were
immediately cauterizd.
—A babe having died under what was
thought to be suspicious circumstances at
Gypsy, Indiana county, a deputy coroner
held an inquest, There was no testimony
sdduced to show that the child had died
from other than natural causes. The mother
is Mrs. Thomss Morgot.and at the bearing it
transpired that she had been the mother of
thirty-four children; that she was 41 years
of nge; had married when but 16 years old
and that she had been twice married. She
bad several times given birth to twins.