Democratic watchman. (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1855-1940, June 28, 1907, Image 1

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BY P. GRAY MEEK.
————————————
Ink Slings.
—There'll be trouble, sure, if Judge
GRAY and Senator KNOX both get into the
presidential race on the same platform.
me |
—Jamestown ! Jamestown! Let
see. Isn’t there supposed to be some sort |
of a celebration going on at a place called |
Jamestown.
—Back to Schwenksville for yours, SAM-
UEL. That story about your saving the
State eighty thousand dollars while you
were letting the gang rob it of five million
won’t carry you over this time. :
—The St. Joseph, Missouri, wan who
was convicted for constructing a trellis for
his wile’s sweet peas on Sunday will very
likely see to it that the pea business is cut
ont hereafter on the Sabbath day.
—According to statistics every man,
woman and child in this country consumes
seventy-six pounds of sugar per year and it
searcely seems possible that so many of |
them conld be so sour visaged under such |
a load of sweets.
—Poor old PENNYPACKER! It is pa-
thetic to note how the innocent old dolt
has seen the light. According to the latest
statement the ‘‘ills not worthy of mention”’
in Pennsylvania bave turned out to be
‘‘enormdus, vicious and wicked fraud.”
—The two young ladies who went ona
wading expedition in the supposed little
stream that flows down the gap from Point
MoCoy must bave been direct descendants
of the woman who once told her daughter
to hang her clothes on a hickory limb, ete.
—Seientists bave estimated that the sun
will be able tp supply the present amount
of heat for the next thirty million years,
The information is certainly reassuring,
bnt we would like to have them dope out
how we are goiog to have a more seasona-
OL. 52
Governor Pennypackers's Evidence.
Governor PENNYPACKER was hardly
candid in his testimony before the Legisla-
tive Commission charged with the investi:
gation of the charges of graft in the con-
struction of the State capitol the other day.
His obvions purpose was to influence the
public to tke opinion that he is a very hon-
est, unselfish, patriotic and av exceedingly
simple-minded citizen. On the analytical
mind he failed to produce that impression.
He delivered himeelf of a carefully thought-
ont howily to justify his right as a member
of the Board of Public Grounds and Baild-
inge, to spend money not appropriated by
the Legislatnre, and contrary to the pro-
visions of the constitution. To accomplish
this result he quoted Section 12 of Article
3 of the fundamental law and by the aid of
dictionary, legal and legislative definitions,
misconstrued it to work the result he de-
sired. That was literally dishonest as well
as criminally deceptive. It was the scur-
vy trick of a scheming sophist.
But he did worse than that.
erately falsified the facts. For example,
he admitted that in December, 1905, the
Auditor General notified him that at that
time payments on furnishings of the cap-
itol bad been made to the extent of between
three and four million dollars and declared
that though hie suspicions were aroused he
conld discover no frand or overpayment.
Yet during the interval between that time
ble distribution of it.
—Secretary TAFT has relieved his friends
greatly by announcing that his recent ill-
ness in the west, instead of being serious,
“‘was just stomach ache.” Just stomach-
ache, indeed.
over that prodigious stomach of bis he
must have bad an ache of a coiossal kind.
—A Pittsburg architect is talking anont
buildings one thousand feet high for that
city. His vame is HORNBOSTEL—not
Hornblower. And be says they will stand
two hundred miles of wind per minute,
This latter must be in anticipation of bav-
ing TEDDY present at the dedication of the
first one.
— While not impugning Mr. SHEATZ'S
honesty it is altogether prebable that his
turning back into the treasury the unex-
pended of the appropriation made
for expenses of his committee would not
have been accompanied with such a floor.
ish had he not been a candidate for State | ed him to admit that soon after Mr. BERRY |
Treasurer.
— Remember that in this excessively hot
weather you should take more care of your-
gelf than usual. Don’t overload yourself
with work. It is better that a few things
remain undone than that you should work
yourself into a condition that would make
it impossible for yon to do anything dar-
ing the rest of your life.
~The pomp aod ceremony of Ambassa-
dor REID'S entertainments in London are
said to surpass all others than those of the
King. Itis a great thing to be great, but
we will be in a discredited position should
it ever be necessary to send a man with
more brains and less money to represent
us at the court of St. JAMES.
—If Auditor General SNYDER really
thought that his duties were merely to ver-
ily figures, not facts, then he should not
have excused himself for failing to proper-
ly audit the capitol graft hilla on the
ground that he received only four thousand
dollars a year. A thousand dollar man
could bave done just as well, if not better.
~The Hartford clergyman who gave the
Theological Seminary in that city a legacy
of one million dollars and then provided
for it by tarning over fitty dollars with the
requirement that it be invested until the
interest accrued would amount to a million
bas set the most remarkable example of
faith in futures that we have ever seen dis-
played by a man of the cloth.
—The Altoona Tribune remarks shat
‘the one thing that grieves them is that
they bave been able to find nothing against
Senator PENROSE except that he aspires to
re-election.’ Sometimes concerning some
things the Tribune reveals some evidence of
some brains, but when the above para-
graph was written——Well, that wasn’t
one of the times we have reference to.
—Inasmuch as Mr. NigoLA TESLA, the
wireless telegraph expert, bas just announne-
ed that he can talk to Mars we think Jim
SCARLET had better have him find out
whether Joe Huston, Jous SANDERSON
and BURD CASSELL are up there. They
bave mysteriously disappeared from their
familiar haunts in Pennsylvania since the
capitol probe bas been going on and it may
be necessary to know where they are e're
long.
—When the last will and testament of
the late MARY MCBRIDE, of this place,
asked the Presbyterian chuieh to become
trustees of a fund she had set aside for the
aid of the crippled children and the Pres.
byterian church decided that it was not ad-
visable for it to accept the provisions of
her will there was no one running around
shouting about the unholy ends of the
ohurch in “subverting the last wishes ofa
dead benefactor’,
If Tarr had an ache all |
and the indaction of Mr. BERRY into office
| he approved additional bills to the amount
| of from three to four million dollars and
| then in October, 1006, signed a written
He delib- |
HusTtox and whatever be did was approv-
ed. The Auditor General didn’t audit and
the Governor didn’t govern. HUSTON was
“the whole cheese,” and be worked bis
opportunities to the limit. Until Mr.
BERRY became a member of the Board,
moreover, the State Treasurer appears to
have been equally aquiescent.
We don’t see how the scheme of govern-
ment can be changed, however, even if the
work is a trifle exacting. State Treasurer
BERRY is able to find time to perform the
of about as many hoards as the Auditor
General. No other Governor has ever
complained of being overworked or suffer-
ing in dignity on account of service on the
boards and “‘taking one consideration with
another,’’ as the pirate in the comic opera
put it, we are almost compelled to think
that probably the complaint is without
foundation in fact. At any rate there is
no alternative at present.
Sheatz Gets a Hard Jolt,
The City party of Philadelphia has re-
fused to endorse the Republican candidate
for State Treasurer, Mr. Joux O. SHEATZ.
A lew political bucksters who bave been
trying to convert that party into a personal
asset attempted to procure an endorsement
of Mr. SHEATZ but failed. The real re-
formers in the organization protested that
it would be wiser and better to wait awhile
coincided in that view. No good reason
was given for the proposition, any way. Mr.
SHEATZ has not acted with the City party
in the past. He is simply a machine Re-
| statement to the effect that the building
bad been completed within the appropria-
spect honest aud worthy of the expense.
Manifestly that was a deliberate falsifica-
| tion perpetrated in the light of knowledge.
tion of $4,000,000 and was in every re-|
publican aud not a very high class one at
| that.
and the vast majority of the committee |
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
BELLEFONTE, PA., JUNE
28, 1907.
Defent Mr. Sheaiz,
Just two years ago the city of Philadel.
phia was stirred to its centre by what was
characterized as an attempt to steal the gos
works. The gas plant of that city is a
wavicipal asset. Ten years ago it was
leased to the United Gas Improvement
company for ten years, upon condition that
time notice would be given if the city de.
sired to abrogate the contract. Two years
ago the machine bargained with the cap-
duties of bis office though he is a member | tains of industry to extend the lease and
' the community revolted. Oue of the re-
#ults was the election of Mr. BERRY aud a
victory for civic righteousness in municipal
affairs. The machine was routed ‘horse,
foot and dragoons.”
The other day councils of Philadelphia
did precisely what the people said, two
years ago, they shouldn’t do. That isto
gay, the municipal legislature of the city
refused to enact the necessary legislation to
serve for a revocation of the contract which
gives the United Gas Improvement com-
pany control of the gas plant indefinitely
aud so far as weare able to discover the
people have made little if any protest.
What was a great crime two years ago is a
matter of indifference to-day, or bas been
condoned. This is the lamentable condi-
tion of affairs which menaces the perpetai-
ty of the government. It implies that the
spirit which two years ago was paramount
in the popular mind has already been si-
| lenced and that there is now no objection
to spoliation.
This reaction on the part of the people of
Philadelphia ie the logical result of the
of Mayor. Mr. REYBURN is a scrupulous.
lv honest wan. But in office be is agent of
| If Mr. SHEATZ were conspicuously fit for
| the office to which he aspires there might
be some reason iv the effort of the political
He knew in December, 1905, that the ap-
propriation bad been vastly exceeded and
| assisted in ‘“‘railroading’’ additional bills
through to payment daring the time he-
tween the election of Mr. BERRY and his
induction into office.
Governor PENNYPACEER was not under
oath in giving his testimony and is proba.
bly not amenable to punishment for perju-
ry. The attorneys for the Comission
were exceedingly lenient with him, more.
| over. Otherwise they might bave compell-
| became a member of the Board of Public
| Grounds and Buildings the fraudulent
| character of certain bills was pointed out
{by Mr. BERRY aud he nevertheless ap-
| proved them and procured their payment
| notwithstanding the protest of the State
| Treasurer. Wehave reasons for believing
| that counsel for the Commonwealth were
fully informed of these facts and might eas.
| ily bave brought them out, but refrained
| out of consideration for what Mr. PENNY.
| PACKER would probably designate as his
| “mental anguick.”” But the fact that the
| Governor took advantage of this obvionsly
misplaced generosity to shield himself by
withholding the facts, is corroborative evi-
dence of his duplicity. He was invited to
tell the whole truth and dodged the most
important facts.
We are moved to this plain speech in the
| matter in mind by the fact that too much
| has been said already in praise of Governor
PENNYPACKER'S honesty by our esteem-
ed contemporaries. The people have been
deceived into the idea that he isa man of
exceptional probity. Asa matter of fact,
all the evidence is on the otber side of that
question. His admiration for Quay, his
exultation over the achievement of fraud,
his preference for the society of men of de-
vious methods and his delight when he bas
succeeded in ‘‘fooling’’ people, all combine
toshow that he is anything else than a
man of honor and honesty.
He probably got no share of the graft be-
cause he preferred payment for his sinister
services in coin of avother kind. The
promise of an election to a seat on the Su-
prewe bench was the currency that filled
his heart with delight and it may be freely
and confidently assumed that he got all he
wanted of that ‘‘flattering unction.”’
Peuny packer and Hardenberg Agree.
Former Governor PENNYPACKER and
ex-Auditor General HARDENBERG agreed
on one point in their testimony before the
capitol graft probers last week. Mr. HAR.
DENBERG expressed the cpinion that the
Auditor General hasn't time to attend to
the business of the various hoards of which
he is ex-officio a member and Mr. PENNY.
PACKER intimated that it is beneath the
dignity of a Governor to serve on boards,
the majority on which may overrule him.
The sam and substance of both declarations
is that public officials bave too much to do
to do well and so far as the Auditor Gen-
eral is concerved that is probably true.
But eo far asthe testimony of the wit.
nesses is taken a® a guide, neither PENNY.
PACKER nor HARDENBERG burdened him-
self much with the duties of a member of
the Board of Public Grounds and Build-
ings during the period that the capitol
building was under construction. Both
appear to have left everything to Architect
| mercenaries who were behind the attempt
to get Lim endorsed by the City party. But
| as a matter of fact in his relations with the
| fiscal affairs of the Commonwealth he has
| revealed a measure of incompetency which
| must appear appalling to all intelligent
| business minds. As chairman of the House
| committe on Appropriations be permitted
| appropriations to the aggregate of §72,000,-
| 000 to be made when the outeide estimate |
| of the revenues is below $52,000,000. In
; other words he hasn't a schoolboy’s con-
| ception of the duties of a fiscal office of the
| State and it is an insnlt to business men to
| ask them to support such a candidate.
| Of course Mr. SHEATZ knew thar the ap-
| propriations he was encouraging were far
in excess of the revenues. Bat he didn't
i mind that. He was using his office to create
| & legislative lobby in the Republican State
convention in his interest and he achieved
| bis purpose. While the Governor was
“burning midnight oil,”’ striving to shave
the appropriations to a level that wouldn't
bankrupt the State, the lobby was shout.
ing for the nomivation of SHEATZ for the
reason that he is the only chairman of a
committee on appropriations in the history
of the Legislature, who allowed every Re.
publican Senator and Representative all the
appropriations he wanted. If the conven
tion had come after the vetoes things
would have been different. SHEATZ would
have been measured at his real value and
defeated.
An Impending Collision.
That the Republican machine of this
State and the persoual machine of Presi-
dent ROOSEVELT is certain to come into
violent collision in the near future nolong-
er admits of doubt. The rank aud file of
the party in Pennsglvania will have to
choose between RoosEVELT and KNoX and
upon whichever horn of the dilemma they
impale themselves, they are destined to
defeat. In his address to the grad-
untes of the law school of Yale ocollége
the other evening Senator KNox sneered
perceptibly at ROOSEVELT'S absurd imper-
ialism, and nobody who kaows RoosE-
VELT imagines for a minute that he will
tamely submit to such an indignity froma
man who bas the assurance to aspire to the
Presidency.
For example what else or who else could
Senator KNOX bave had in mind when he
declared that ‘“those who appear to think
the Federal government can constitutional.
ly accomplish everything that seéms good
for the le are constantly expec-
tations cannot possibly be fulfilled.”
Clearly that is a sneer at the President and
when he adds ‘‘that the Congress of the
United States has vo general legislative
Jone but only such as are granted to it
y the constitution,” he added insult to
the injury previously inflicted. Roosk-
VELT can’t tolerate such a challenge unless
he is ready to acknowledge himsell a
‘molly coddle,”” and we don't believe ho
has come to that.
Of conrse Senator KNOX was boomed for
President by the Republican State conven
tion in a Pickwickian way, and with the
e tion that it would Sifungthen the
ticket and dono harm. But X has
taken it seriously, as be has a right to do,
and that means a fight with RooSEVELT of
the bitterest character and most uncertain
result. The Republican machine can’t re-
fuse or even negleot to give him the vote
of the State in the National convention and
RoosEVELT will resent that to the extent
of removing every er between the
Delaware and the Ohio. Literally the party
is between the devil and the deep sea but
it sustains little loss because its candidate
for State Treasurer would have been beaten
anyway.
| the machine and does whatever he is told.
| The latest order is that the gas works shall
continue under the control of the machine.
| Notwithstanding its proved incapacity and
| dishonesty the monopoly is to continue in
| control of the gas trust and the people are
| to continue paying excessive rates for gas.
| Mayor REYBURN could bave prevented
this outrage but he was too busy with his
personal quarrels to give such a trifle atten-
tion and couwcils have practically renewed
the lease of the gas works indefinitely.
Mr. Joux O. SHEATZ lias no more valid
reason for claiming popular favor than his
predecessor in the appropriations committee
who was defeated by Mr, BERRY. His
reputation for integrity aud probity is uo
greater than that of the average man. May-
or REYBURN stood as high in popular es
teem as Mr. SHEATZ ever aspired to. Yet
the election of Mayor REYBURN bas work-
ed the forfeiture of every advantage gained
for civic righteousness through the uprising
of the public conscience two years ago avd
the election of SHEATZ to the office of State
Treasarer this year will bave the same el-
fect throughout the State. Therefore it is
the obvious duty of the people to defeat
SHEATZ.
the Spigot and
at the Bung.
Saving at Wasting
Governor PENNYPACKER is palpably
proud of his achievement in reducing the
commission of architect HUSTON from dive
to four per cent. The architect yielded
reluctantly to the pleading of his ex-excel-
lency. ‘‘A letter was written to the arch.
itect,’’ the Governor declared in his testi.
mony before the probers last week, ‘‘im-
pressing opon him the importance of econ-
omy. His demand was for five per cent,”
continned the illustrious witness, and
“his argument with me was that if he
accepted less than five per cent. he would
lose his standing among architects.” That
was a potent argument but Mr. HusTON
yielded. ‘‘By tbat step alone,” remarked
the ex-Governor, ‘‘$30,000 was saved to the
State—twice as muoh as my salary for the
four years I was Governor.”
No amiable man will begrudge the ex-
Governor the moment of exaltation which
he plainly revealed as be cast his eyes over
toward the table at which the newspaper
reporters sat, when he made that state.
ment. It was the moment of his life. Few
men do as much for the Commonwealth in
which they live and none make greater
sacrifices than the architect would have
made if he bad really given up the money
and ‘‘bis standing among architects.” Hap-
lose either. He simply charged four per
cent. for specially designing $2,000,000
worth of metal filing cases and furniture
which he didn’t design at all. That
amounted to the $50,000, exactly reimburs-
ing him for the money loss and squaring
him with the architects’ association, be-
cause it rounded up the five per cent. on
what work he actually performed.
Besides architeot HusToN charged foar
per cent. on the nearly two million dollars
worth of chandeliers, according to SAN-
DERSON'S invoices, which makes another
$80,000 received but unearned and increas.
ing HusTON'S percentage on the work per-
formed to more than six instead of four.
Thus the saving which gave Governor
PENNYPACKER such infinite satisfaction
was like closing a trifling leak at the spigot
while the other head of the barre! was com-
| election of Joux E. REYBURN to the office | k
pily, however, he was not called upon to |f
NO. 26.
pletely knocked in. The Governor might
hetter have employed an honest and cap-
able architect at ten per cent. than Hus.
TON at four for such an official would have
saved the State millions in treasure and the
most humiliating scandal which has dis-
graced the civilized world in recent years,
A Rare Bird.
From the Lancaster Intelligencer.
The interesting and childlike innocence
of ex-Governor Pennypacker, as goilenly
displayed in his story of the capitol finish-
ing and furnishing, invites careful and de-
liberate consideration, and in particular, a
matching of present with past impressions
and statements. His story of blissful con-
fidence placed in Huston, and of astonish.
ment when Auditor General Suyder so
gently broke the news that between three
and four millions of dollars bad already
been paid out on a job that was to have
cost, when finished, only some five to eight
hundred thousand, is qakte in character ;
and so is his narrative of his easy recovery
from surprise, and of the ready accommoda-
tion of his mind to the Pledsan} and prop-
er aspect of a dozen millions as the approxi.
mate total, assuming all the while, and
even now entertaining as a possibility, the
utterly ridiculous notion that the state was
getting something like fair value for the
millions. A man so simple-minded as to
make a hero and patroit of the notorious
Matt Quay might be capable of almost any
degree of blindness, any climax of absurd-
ity : but how ahout his political masters
and backers? How about the astute and
wily managers of the great political ma.
chive?
And how ahout his own outraged sense
of honor, now that even the most childlike
mind is made to see file cate and metallic
farniture frauds, loaded chandeliers, and
other stealings, in all their revolting uva-
edness?
There is even yet a marked restrain
tioned indignation. “If’’ the state has
been defrauded, be is ready to wax iondig-
naut at the treason of those who bave de-
frauded her; but with ample gronud for
suspecting such treason he was more intent
by his own showing, upon a dignified pro-
cedure than upon a ery of ‘‘stop thief,”
which might bave been unseemly, and
might have stopped the work.
Merely as an example of his sort, Penuy-
packer is a rare bird.
The Presidential duccesston.
From the Altoona Gazette (Rep.) *
The Guazette regrets that isis fmpossible
Roosevelt. As president of the United
States we wonld be pleased, indeed, to
follow unreservedly wherever he leads.
Fora long time we mingled our praises
with those of the mighty throng that bails
him as the civic hero of modern times. We
concede that he has done a great work.
That he is intensely patriotic and means
well. That he has corrected abuses that
had come to be crying evils. If he had
only bad the good sense to stop there, we
believe that it would have been far better
for the future of his name and fame. We
believe that in a number of matters he has
gone entirely too far and that neither indi-
viduals nor newspapers however well they
way regard him, are justified in subser-
viently tagging on bebind, landing him
for conduct, which they believe to be un-
diguified and unwise, His position iv re-
gard to the snocession to the presidential
nomination is one of the instances in which
we think he is decidedly wrong. He has
gove out of his way to compel the Republi-
can party to take Taft. He has singled
him out repeatedly and loaded him with
honors and services, apparently with the
hope that it would make him popular.
He bas threatened and cajoled those who
have honestly disagreed with him in order
to make them conform to-%is wiii. It is
now asserted, with some show of evidence
to sustain it, that a news bureau is at work
at the National Capitol to insidionely poi-
son the minds of the people against all other
likely candidates. And yet, the people
bave not warmed up to Taft. If aBriling,
he is weaker today, than when his hoom
was first lan . The Gazetiz is not op-
to Taft. He is undoubted-
y a clean, man bot let him win the nem.
ination in a fair fight on his own merits
po the field and not as the Piotge
President Roosevelt. It ought not to
ble for the president of these United
tes to practically dictate his snccessor.
Advance In Prices,
From the Pittsburg Post.
According to a report sent out by the bu-
reau of statignice of he de Sled t of
commerce r, es
into the United States bave le suport
average during the ten months of the
ent fiscal year, as compared with a similar
od of the preceding year, no less than
.21 per cent. The materials showing the
Prise increase are those used in manu-
. Oar own manufacturers bave
so put up the prices of their products that
oreigners engaged in supplying them with
material have taken advantage of the fact
to also greatly advance their prices. Thus
the American consumer is compelled to
not only pay the high duties on fore
material, but also a large profit to the
foreign seller of such material in addition
to that taken by the American manulac-
tarer.
Those prices are primarily due to the ex.
cessive duties imposed by a tariff law enact-
ed ten years ago when conditions of pro-
duction were vastly different from what
hey are at present.
hile we are payiog on an average more
than 50 p= cent. higher for 25 articles im-
ported from abroad than we werea year
ago, it is a notorious fact that in not one of
our industries has there been anything
like such an increase in the com on
ol the Yorkers ha Pri otal
artioles of general consumption have, dar-
ing the last few years, advanced much
mora rapidly than wages and incomes, and
the fact is known to every householder
possessed of limited means.
about the ex-governor’s carefully condi. |
Spawls from the Keystone.
~The annoal fair will be beld at DaBois
this year on August 27, 23, 29 and 30. Races
will be a specialty in the list of attractions.
—Au unknown fiend recently slashed off
the ears and tails of a drove of pigs owned
by Albert Leider, of York township, York
county.
—A massive and beautiful Young Men's
Christian association building, erected in
Lebanon at a cost of $75,000, has just been
dedicated with appropriate services.
~There were 563 deaths iu Philadelphia
last week, an increase of twenty-five over
the preceding week. There were seven
deaths from typhoid fever and sixty-eight
new cases,
—York county farmers are cutting their
hay, despite the lateness of the crop, held
back by the cold weather. They claim that
lack of height is amply made up by thick-
ness of growth and stem.
—For the first time since last fall the ban
was taken off the Scranton water supply
and permission given to drink it raw, on
Saturday. But the advice is given that it
is safer yet to boil it first, :
~The proposition now for the uew hotel
at Harrisburg to be built on the grand opera
house site, is that it shall cost $900,000 in
order that a larger banquet hall and other
features for social events may be provided.
~—Under the direction of the board of
trustees of the state asylum for the chronic
insane at South Mountain, near Reading,
2,000 trees are being planted on a tract of
land adjoining the asylum grounds recently
purchased for that purpose.
—A flying squirrel created a panic in a
York barroom by entering the room and fly-
ing around the ceiling. The men who were
engaged in hoisting beers and glasses of the
hard stuff were thrown into the wildest
alarm because of the queer spectacle,
—The county commissioners have ordered
4,000 brass tags for the Tioga county dogs,
there being nearly that many assessed; hut
it is estimated that there are 10,000 dogs in
the county, the assessors for one reason and
another failing to get them all on the assess.
ment lists.
~Michael C. Moyer, of near Selinsgrove,
was so anxious to replant his corn field that
he kept on working during a heavy storm.
He was struck by a bolt of lightning and
killed. His body was pierced from shoulder
to shoulder and his shoes were almost torn
from his feet.
—Several large tanks of oil on the grounds
of the Valvoline Oil Refinery company, at
East Butler, were destroyed by fire early on
Sunday morning; loss $25,000. The entire
tankage was in great danger of being de-
stroyed, but by hard work the spread of the
flames was prevented.
—An nnprecedentedly severe rain strom
passed over Blair county Saturday after-
| noon, doing much damage to crops and prop -
erty aud being the cause of one fatality.
Mis. Margaret McIntyre was in the act of
closing a window at her home in Newry
when she was struck by lightning and in-
| stautly killed. She was 75 1d and
torit tobe in fall neoord with President | tye uo. oN umole
the mother of nine children,
—Qune of the interesting and novel features
al the commencement of Bucknell univer-
sity just closed was the graduation of father
and son. The father is William C. Hully,
of Chester, and his son, Elkanah Bance
Hulley. Both received degrees from the
college of liberal arts and for four years
studied and recited side by side. Father
and son come from a family of teachers.
—Miss Clara Rupp, of Swatara township,
Dauphin county, was attacked by a madden.
ed cow on her father's farm and knocked
down by the enraged animal. She was be-
ing trampled upon when a large collie dog
came to her rescue and succeeded in getting
the infuriated animal to change bLisatten-
tion from his mistress to himself and thus
she made her escape. She waz hadly bruis-
ed aud cut.
—Real estate owners are alarmed over a
mine cave-in in the centre of Pottsville
seventy five feet deep. This town was sup-
posed to be free of danger from underground
workings, but the unexpected cave-in has
led to the discovery that many houses are
built over old mines. As the coal companies
reserved the mineral rights when they sold
the surface deeds, they are not liable for
damages that may be caused.
—Four-year-old Willie Patton was killed
by electricity in a peculiar manner Saturday
night at Duryea, near Pittston. With his
father, William Patton, the boy was return:
ing home from a shopping trip, and crossed
Main street just as a street arc light broke
from its fastening. The lamp fell on She
head of the father, who bad hold of his son's
hand. Passing through the father’s body to
his son, the current killed the lad instantly.
Mr, Patton was thrown to the ground, un-
conscious but suffered only slightly from the
shock.
~—Having no money, and too proud to beg
food, George Hall, a boy fourteen years of
age, was found nearly starved in an open
box car in the railroad yard at Sunbury.
pres- | He was scantily clad, having only a pair of
ragged trousers and an old torn shirt to
cover his body. The lad had a bright, in-
telligent face, and his condition appealed
to the sympathy of the generous-hearted
railroaders who found him. Taking the
boy under their care, it was only a short
time until sufficient money had been raised
to clothe and feed him. A complete new
outfit of clothing was purchased for the
lad.
~The fifty-first session of the Peunnsyiva-
nia State Educational association will be
held at Greensburg, Westmoreland county,
July 2, 3 and 4. The State Teachers’ associa~
tion is of the highest professional value to
teachers. Many school measures found upon
our statute books are traceable to the in-
fluence of its organization. All members
will receive a bound volume of the proceed-
ings. The enrolment fee, which is $1.00, may
be sent to Prof. Davis 8. Keck, treasurer,
Kutztown, Pa. The National Educational
Association will meet in Los Angeles, Cali-
fornia, July 8—12, 1907, Pennsylvania has
been honored in the choice of Dr. Nathan
C. Schaeffer as president of this Association.
The state should send a large enrolment to
this convention.