NT
so
ARIS
ne
—The land on the Isthmus of Panama is
reported to be sinking and with is Uncle
Sam's good money.
—The actresses who are committing sui-
oide these days must be driven to despera-
tion for advertising.
—The bomb that Senators FORAKER avd
Dick threw into the Republican camp in
Ohio turned out to be a regular boomerang.
—TAFT is sitting ov something else than
the lid in Ohio. ForAKER and DICK are
both under bis ponderous presidential per-
spective.
—Bellefoute children have taken on the
whooping cough fad and auxions mothers
are having more than their share of con-
cern about it.
—The sting of a bee bas just killed a boy
in Maryland. The bee that TAFT has in
his boonet almost killed FORAKER and
Dick out in Ohio on Tuesday.
—The Hon. T. ROOSEVELT bas diseover-
ed that one place in the United States he
cannot run is North Carolina. More pow-
er to the Governor of that sovereign State.
—— There isn’t much use in locking the
stable door after the horse has been stolen
bat that wounld be quite as sensible as put-
ting a weasel in charge of a brood of peeps.
—What's the need of having a detach-
ment of PENNY'S Cossacks located in Cen-
tre county. Officials here are able to cope
with any emergency that might arise and
we have no use for the state constabulary.
—The only trouble with Mayor GUTHRIE
and Pittsburg seems to be that the Mayor
is an absolately honest and conscientious
man and Pittsburg wants reform in homeo-
pathic doses, whereas Mr. GUTHRIE is an
allopathic reformer.
~It is interesting to note that the very
game papers that insisted that Mayor REY-
PURK would be all right for the good peo-
ple of Philadelphia are raising a great hue
and ory now because that city is overrun
with crooks. It was ever thus.
—Are we to be subjected to the nauseat-
ing details of that foul HARTJE scandal
again. It looks like it. The pity is that
certain Pittsburg lawyers cannot give up
the idea of getting fat fees from a million-
aire client for the sake of public good.
Probably if SHEATZ is elected State
Treasurer the question of graft in the con-
struction and farnishings of the State cap-
itol will be settled by arbitration. Any-
way if REYBURN bad not been elected
mayor of Philadelphia the fool report of
arbitrator TioMpsoN uever would have
___ been heard of.
—JonN D. ROCKERFELLER'S latest bit
of philosophy runs as follows : “The only
way to be perfectly happy is to do good to
others.” These might be Joux D's words,
but his life indicates that his epigram real-
ly contemplated putting the accent on
‘do’ and transposing®tbe word ‘‘good’’ to
the last place in the sentence.
—The capitol probers have recommend-
ed ten crimial prosecutions in connection
with the steal of the State's funds in the
construction of the new capitol. Our sat.
isfaction will be pardoned in observing
that our friend FraNk G. Harris, of
Clearfield, a former State Treasurer, is one
of the worthy gentlemen who will proba.
bala tc answer to the courts for the
devious and peculiar ways in which he
paid ont the State’s money.
—As an advertising mediunmjthe WATCH.
MAN certainly is a dandy. A little four
inch advertisement published for the fist |
time on page five of last week’s issue has
attracted attention in all parts of Peunsyl-
vania. Long distance telephone messages
and letters have been flying. It is little won.
der though. Seldom has such an offer heen
made as we are making now, but surpris.
ing as it may seem the highest bid we have
received up to this time has heen ten cents.
We have been tempted to sell at that fig-
ute, but as our faith in advertizing is un-
bounded we believe that a few more inser-
tions will bring a slight advavce on the fig-
ure offered.
— Professor STARR'S idea that children
should wear no clothes uniil they have
reached the age of ten will likely not find
a very receptive mind in the public, but
certain it ie that if such should ever become
the fashion mothers would have more time
to devote to their children’s training and
there would be fewer papas with worn out
pocket-books. If there is anything the
American parents seem to show a streak
of insanity in it is the fussy dressing of
their little children. When ove mother
sees the new babe of avother the first time
she sees whether its slips are hemstitched
by hand and made of sheer or coarse linens
long before she sees what the babe itself
looks like.
—President BAER, of the Reading rail
road, ¢ays the time is not far distant when
a dollar will purchase wore labor than it
does now. It didn’t require any superoat-
ural wisdom for such an observation.
Good times and baid times move in oy-
oles. There is no more chance of prevent.
ing one than the other and from the flood
tide of prosperity to the ebb of business ac-
tivity is only a matter of a few years at
best. It requires a taste of had times
every decade or so to settle the American
people down to their sober eepses and
bring them to realize that prosperity can-
not continue unabated and that when itis
here the savings should be stored up
against the time when it is goae.
YoL. >.
The Acquitial of Haywood.
The acquittal of WILLIAM D. HAYWOOD,
at Boise, Idaho, is a watter of general pub-
lic interest only because the President of
the United States outraged every principle
of justice in an endeavor to compass bis
conviction. In his arrest the constitutions
of the United States and of the States of
Colorado aud Idaho were violated. He was
kidoapped by a drunken ruffian wearing
the uniform of the Natioval Guard of Colo-
rado, who had been a Roogh Rider in the
Spanish war, but that could bave heen
overlooked. It was alleged hefore aud
daring his trial that the mine owners of
the West iad formed a conspiracy to pro-
cure his conriotion by perjured evidence,
but that may base been false.) But when
the President, pending his arraigoment,
declared bim “‘an undesirable citizen,’ {his
guilt or innocence became a national
question and no wan influenced by a sense
of justice conld refrain from hopingifor his
acquittal in order that the persoual rights
of the citizen might be vindicated.
Nearly all the testimony inculpating
HAYWOOD in the crime of murdering form-
er Governor STEUNENBERG, of Idaho, was
given by a misereant who in the same narra-
tive confessed to having committed dozens
of murders. No man in his senses would
convict a man of any orime on the evidence
of ORCHARD. Bat upon the testimony of
ORCHARD HAYWooD was arrested in Colo-
rado through the instrumentality of then
Adjutant Geveral BELL, a friend of Presi-
dent Roosevirr, and taken by force, in
the face of the protest and process of a
State court, without extradition, to Idaho
for trial. No traitor conid commit a great-
er crime against the government of the
United Statesand yet an appeal to the
constituted authorities of the United States
was ignored and whilea jury was being
obosen for the trial, HAYWOOD was de-
nounced by President ROOSEVELT as ‘‘an
undesirable citizen.” If that unjust de-
nunciation bad procured his couviction,
bis execution would bave been murder
and RoosSEVELT responsible for it.
We don’t know whether HAY WwooD bad
guilty knowledge of the conspiracy to mur-
der Governor STEUSNENBERG before or after
the fact o- not, hut we believe that his ac-
quittal, right or'wroug, is the best thing
that could have bappened, because it isa
rebuke, judicially administered, to RoosE-
vELT. That criminals should be punished
is of thegravest importance. Order cau-
not be preserved or property rights con-
served, unless the laws are enforced and
justice vindicated. Bat the conviction of
Haywoop, even if heis guilty, would
have been a greater evil under the circom-
stances, for it wonld have been an endorse.
ment of the President's greater crime, the
violation of the fundamental principles of
the government. The rebuke implied in
the acquittal is only a partial punishment,
however.
He will be fitly punished only when
pablic sentiment aniversally and empbatic-
ally condemns his interference with the
course of justice.
He must be flayed by popular scorn.
Proper Business Precaution,
No newspaper in this broad Common-
wealth which is supporting the Republi
can candidate for State Treasurer will
seriously claim thas biz reputation for
ability and integrity is any better than that
of Judge PENNYPACKER when he was
taken ont of the quiet life of the judiciary
and catapaited into the office of Governor.
He was claimed as a model of official ex-
cellence. He was said to have uno faults
at all, perceptible or even conjectural, yet
be became the worst Governor we have
ever had, the most iniquitous of all our
Chie! Magistrates. His administration
will stink in the nostrils of the people for
scores of years,
If the people badn’t elected WILLIAM
H. BERRY to the office of State Treasurer
in 1905 Judge PENNYPACKER would still
be enjoying the enviable reputation for
probity aud honor which he acquired while
on the bench. For nearly three years he
bad been allowing bis personal and polit.
ical friends to loot the State and encourag-
ing the nefarious processes. Bat almost
the moment that a representative of the
minority party got into the fiscal boards
the iniguities were stopped and the atro-
cious character of PENNYPACKER was ex-
posed. Mr. BERRY could ueitber be de-
ceived, cajoled nor coerced into acquies-
cznce in the vices.
It the Republican candidate for State
Treasurer is elected this year the old con-
ditions will be restored. Granting that he
is as bonest as PENNYPACKER was, Le will
nevertheless yield to the same influences
which corrupted that wan of simple life
and lofty impulses. For these reasons it
is the palpable duty of the people to con-
tinue the minority representation in the
administration of the state government by
electing that sterling and courageous
Democrat, Jory G. HARMAN, of Columbia
county. There is no political significance
in such a result of the election. Itis
simply a proper business precaution.
BELLEFONTE, PA.,
“STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
A Servile Judge Rebuled. | Work of the Probers.
The controversy between the state and | The capitol graft probers have resumed
federal authorities in North Carolia bas | business, not at the old stand, but at a
been settled, bappily, in the complete tri- | New Jersey seashore resort where the at-
umph of the State. The servile and per- | mosphere will be cooler even if the mas
verted federal judge who created the | quitos are more vigorous.
trouble has been abandoned to disgrace and | to learn, moreover, that there is no white-
humiliation both by the railroad company | wash among the ‘“‘supplies’’ which bave
aod the governemnt at Washington, and | been taken along. In other words it isan.
the justice of the action of the Governor is | nounced that the report will be drastio, so
vindicated. The right of the Legislatare | fat as the evidence will justify it. There
of a State to enact legislation regulating ' bas been a bint dropped that the Commis-
railroad rates bas not been entirely estab. | sien will not recommend any action to the
lished, the decision of the Supreme court | Governor. The courteous gentlemen who
of the United States being necessary to compose the body will leave all that to the
It is gratilying |
thas result,
courts to enforce the laws of the Legisla-
tare until they are declared invalid by that
highest anthority, has been irrevocably
fixed.
The issue, as stated in these columns lass
week, was as to the right of the state au-
thorities to enforce an act of the Legisla-
ture regnlating the passenger rates on rail
roads within the State. The Legislature
had passed the law in the regular way aud
the Governor bad approved it. But Judge
PRITCHARD, of the United States Circuit
court, intervened with a writ enjoining the
state courts from enforcing the law and
even prohibiting citizens from entering
complaint in the state tribunals. The
Governor's response to this outrageons pro-
ceeding was a proclamation that the laws
of the State would be executed at any haz-
ard and the conrts proceeded to issue war-
rants of arrest against violators of the law.
A number of them were put in the chain
gang.
It is said that the recreant judge asked
for federal forces to enforce his writs
which the Washington government failed
to allow, but that rumor lacks confirma.
tion. In any event, however, the presi-
dent of the Southern Railway, who had
somewhat ostentationsly assumed respon-
sibility for the violation of the law, was ar-
rested on Saturday morning and the settle-
ment of the trouble followed with surpris-
ing alacrity upou the terms previously out-
lined by the Govervor. The Supreme court
may be ‘‘electioneered’ into a decision ad-
verse to the State in the end, for the so-
called RooSEVELT policies with reapeot to,
railroad regulation will be absolutely de-
molished if the state law is sustained, but
thus far the victory iz to the State aunthor-
ities,
——Don't forget that in the event of the
election of the Republican machine candi.
date for State Treasurer the governing
boards of the State will become partisan
again and the old methods will be resumed
at Harrisburg as they have already been
readopted in Philadelphia.
Fish Commissioner Meehan's Notion.
Fish Commissioner MEEHAN has been
designated by somebody to present to the
President of the United States all the
rights, privileges and appurtenances of the
State of Pennsylvania in the fisheries of the
streams within the State and the lakes on
the border. Who the some one is, is left to
conjecture, but as the information came
from Erie about the time of the close of a
convention of Fish Commissiouers, it may
be presumed that Mr. MEEHAN himself
took the initiative in the matter. At least
is is unlikely that the Commissioner of
Canada, or of Ohio, or of New York or
Michigan wonld take such liberties with
the property of Pennsylvania.
The absurd idea which actualiy influen-
ced Fish Commissioner MEEHAN to offera
vast amount of other peoples’ property to
ROOSEVELT is that the fishing in Lake Erie
is not ae good as it used to be. In other
words the industry bas not thrived as it
did at some other time and the Commis-
sioner imagines that the reason is that
Canadian fishermen get more than their
share of the product of the Lake while our
own fishermen get less. Like others who
don’s sake the trouble to think he appeais
to believe that ROOSEVELT could reverse
those conditions and fill the nets of our
fishermen as well as empty those of the
Canadians, He would make force take
the place of skill and industry.
Mr. MEEHAN may as well understand
first as last that the people of Pennsyl-
vania, being save and sensible, will not
consent to the proposition which he has
been chosen to carry to the President. He
may go to Washington and kowtow to the
President ; we have no objection So his
kissing the President’s foot. But he can’t
deliver the fisheries interests of the State
to the government at Washington or that
of Canada. The fisheries of Pennsylvania,
built largely before Mr. MEEHAN broke in,
are vastly superior to those of the United
States and if Mr. MEEHAN is not satisfied
with the present conditions he is at liberty
to resigu. There are others willing to take
the place.
——The esteemed Philadelphia Press
suggests that Mr. BRYAN ought to get into
the North Carolioa muddle. Well the
sudden getting out of ROOSEVELT has left
a vacancy for somebody.
Bat the power of the State |
Governor himself and his Attoruey Gener-
al. Bat they will conceal no facts which
may help them toa conclusion.
This is encouraging information and
timely. There were rumors current abont
Harrisburg the other day to the effect that
possibly things might be made easy for
| those who are under suspicion in connec:
| tion with the graft operations. That is to
say, the fear was expressed by those who
care more for justice and the honor of the
State than for the sumccess of party, that
‘‘enuctation’’ might carry the court pro-
ceedings over the line of the limitation law
or at least beyond the day of the election.
That would have been bad for the State
bat comforting for the accused. Bat we
are assured now that nothing of tbat kind
is to bappen. The action will be expedi-
tious as well as drastic.
The evidence clearly proves not only col-
lusion but conspiracy on the part of some
of the contractors and state officials, and
criminal carelessness on the part of others,
Whether the criminal prosecutions are hur-
ried or delayed, therefore, the people will
vet the facts from the report which ooght
to be made within a couple of weeks and
those who believe in honesty in public
| lite will vote against the candidate of the
| party responsible for the crimes. If that
party is restored to complete control the
iniguities will be resumed. The election
of the machine candidate will restore the
party to complete control. A blind man
ought to see the duty of citizeuship under
such circumstavees,
«01 course it doesn’s make wuch dil-
ference what the anarchists say or think
about the result of the Hay woob trial but
if the vast industrial army which was out-
raged by President ROOSEVELT'S charac
terization of HAYWo0O0D, on the eve of his
trial, as ‘‘an undesirable citizen,” will
put their resentment in the right form
there will be a big difference in the election
returns when ROOSEVELT runs agaiu.
——
The Governor's Mansion.
There ate probably abundant reasons for
the proposition to erect a new executive
present occupied by the Governor of the
State is inadequate in various respects. It
is antiquated, inconvenient and unsanitary.
The Governor of the Commonwealth is en-
titled to a home the exact anthitesis of all
this. But unfortunately the Legislature
has uot authorized the construction and
equipment of a new executive mansion.
Daring the last session it unwisely appro-
priated a sum of money to be used for al-
terations and repairs to the mansion. Bat
that money is not available for building a
pew structure.
The Legislature ought to bave provided
for the erection of a new executive maneion
instead of for patching up the old one. The
machine managers need money and it was
certain that the defective mansion would
be converted into a source of sapply. But
the $30,000 made available for that purpoze
is not snflicient either to fit the building
for its uses or to afford the ‘‘rake-off”’
whioh is desired. We would suggest,
therefore, that the contemplatedjrepairs be
postponed until after the next session of
the Legislature when that appropriation
can be revoked aud another of ample pro-
portions to construct a proper building eu-
acted in its place.
There is talk of allowing the Board of
Public Grounds and Buildiags to proceed
with the construction of a new mansion, It
bas heen suggested that the appropriation
for r2pairs conld be used in the new enter-
prise as far as it would go and supplement.
al legislation in the future would do the
rest. In the name of she psopie we protest
against this hazardous enterprise. The
operations of that board 10 the farnishing
of the capitol are too fresh in the publio
memory for that. In fact any unauthorized
operations of the Board of Public Grounds
and Buildings are perilous and] shonld not
be tolerated. The law must be obeyed in
the future.
——Mr. ROCKEFELLER has just prowul-
gated a new method of acquiring success
and happiness. He says the sure planis
to “do good to others.” Possibly that is
a specific for the purpose but ROCKEFEL-
LER doesn’t appear to have discovered it
until alter be bad achieved everything ex-
cept happioess.
C—O ———————
——Subseribe for the WATCHMAN.
AUGUST 2. 1001.
NO. 30.
Is The Capitol Investigation to Frove
a Fallare.
Suspicion Aroused by Delay. The Machine and its
Rivals Both Interested in Protecting the Gulity.
The Limitation Getting Close.
Special Correspondence.
Harrisburg, Pa., July 27th, 1907.
Justly or otherwise there is a suspicion
developing in the thoughtful public mind
that the Legislative Comm charged
with the investigation of the capitol build-
ing scandal is preparing for a miscarriage
of justice. The surprising tardiness in the
work during the closing sessions of the
commission, the concealment of the salient
points in the report of the expert auditors
and the apparent disinclination to bring
the work to an end, are at least tive.
Possibly there are no foundations for the
doubts which are becoming increasingly
frequent, and those who entertain them
hope for the best. Bat people are talking,
just the same, and the gossip is not reas-
suring.
This capitol investigation has taken some
curious forms since it began early in the
year. When the Legislature met every-
body knew that an investigation of the
oharges of graft was inevitable. The ma-
chine Republicans as well a pesbic of
other political faiths unders at an
inquiry could not be avoided. But the
machine Republicans had no intention of
making the investigation either soratching
or earnest. Just a trifle on the surface
was all that public sentiment demanded,
they imagined, avd it was all they intend-
ed to give. They at once set about to pick
a committee that would be easy and in-
dulgent. The insurance investigation of
a year previous hadn't done much harm.
Then a strange thing happeved. The
friends of Justice Elkin began to secretly
use the scandal as a weapon againse Pen-
rose and in the interest of their leader
who though wearing the judicial ermine
cherishes an ambition to don the Senator-
ial toga. State Senator Fisher, Mr. Elkin’s
friend and neighbor, was induced in that
way to put all his energy into the work
and before much time had elapsed the
matter had become so serious that it
couldn’t be checked. Meantime the friends
of Penrose had been husy in another direc-
tion and discovered thas nearly all of those
who had participated in tbe iniquities and
absorbed the loot were followers or at least
supporters of Elkin.
BOTH ENDS AGAINST THE MIDDLE,
The Elkin plan was to nominate Sena-
tor Fisher, chairman of the commission,
i Slate Trenguyer and in She.sutu sotibis
election nse the power an ' 3
the office in his interest. It ee
been a great lever and the e very
pearly succeeded. Eat “‘gol on
to the ourves’’ in time and openly and
emphatically pronounced against Fisher.
At thesame time the Sevator’s friends
discerned that there was a vast amount of
political capital to be drawn from a thor-
ough exposure of the connection of Elkin’s
friends with the grafting operations and
they threw additional energy into the
work.
Congressman Cassell, of Marietta, who
muloted the State for nearly two millions
of dollars for steel furnitore and filing
cases, is simply a puppet under the control
of former Secretary of the Commonwealth
Griest,of Lancaster. Huston, the architect,
was an insurgent as late as 1899 and Sau-
derson the favored contractor was in the
inansion at Harrisburg. The building ) zenith of official favor during the ad-
ministration of Governor William A. Stone.
Incunlpating all these “anti-machive,’’ or
at least auti-Penrose Republicans, and
giving the peronoal friends of the Senator
“iglear bills of bealth’’ would easily be the
finest kind of good polities for him.
Thus both ends working against the mid.
die the investigation soon assumed a form
which neither of the Republican factions
dreamed of in the beginning. For awhile
it looked as if there would be a complete
exposure of the infamies of “The Hill”
until the shadow of that result admonished
the leaders of both crowds of grave danger.
Accordingly they got together, agreed on
John O. Sheatz as a candidate for State
Treasurer, and determined to let up inso-
far as that was possible, on the investiga:
tion. Sheatz would help Penrose, it was
understood, but Elkin's friends, with one
or two exceptions, would escape punish.
ment.
TRYING TO WORK SCARLET.
Io pursuance of this understanding the
inquiry dragged slowly to an uninteresting
conclusion. Penny was allowed to
make bis argument ‘‘in confession and
avoidance,’ without the formality of tak-
ing an oath and though he ‘‘opened him-
gelf up wide’’ he was bardly cross-examin-
ed at all. He admitted that the iniguities
bad been brought to his attention almost
immediately after the election of Dir. Ber-
ry in 1905 and that be had approved bills
to an amount in excess of £3000,000 be-
sween the time the information was given
him avd the date on which Mr. Berry was
installed into the office. He didn’t explain
why in October, 1907, he had signed and
issued a statement declaring that there bad
been no extravagauce in the construction
and furnishing of the capitol, however.
Coincident with this Shiugs {b the par-
poses of the machine politi , it may be
woith while to take notice, ramors
eminating fiom the inuer circles of the Re-
‘publican machine that the leaders were
thinking seriously of James Scarlet, the
able aud earness lawyer who was conduct.
ing the investigation, as the most available
candidate of thas party for Governor ‘‘next
time.” OI course they have no intention
of nominating Scarlet, and equally of course
the gossip neither fooled him nor diverted
bim from his duty to the State. But the
most honest men are susceptible to flattery
and even if Scarlet didn’t believe the gos.
sip which he must bave heard, the fact that
i was current might inflence him to len-
ency.
In any event the character of the inquiry
changed perceptibly toward the close of
the public hearings and a great amount
of time is heing consumed in diguanig the
evidence. That doesn’t necessarily imply
turpitude or even delinquency, but ub.
questionably promotes the chances of im-
munity for some of the gratters. Taken iv
(Continued on page 4)
——
Spawls frem the Keystone.
—The people of Bernville, Berks county,
have made great preparations for an Old
EL aie Yaak, to be celebrated August 4th to
—Nicholas Lewis, a wealthy caterer of
Pittsburg, was held up, stabbed, beaten and
robbed of $500 early on Sunday morning,
while on his way home. His condition is
very critical.
—From a sowing of twelve quarts of
timothy and clover grass seed on twelve
acres of land, Jobn Jackson,of near Ephrata,
Lancaster county, bas just stored fifty tons
of excellent hay.
—Mrs. Abraham Kerstetter, of Shamokin,
being told that her favorite nephew, Emanuel
Crawford, bad been killed in a coal mine,
went to bed at onco and died of grief a few
hours afterwards.
—Farmers around Pittsburg have been
feeding their pigs on stale bread from the
city bakeries, which they have been buying
for 85 cents per 100 pounds, a lower rate
than corn or other feed stuffs cost.
—Adolph Hamilton, of Greensburg, has a
freak chicken. Born from a single yolk egg
it has three legs and one of the legs is blessed
with two feet. The chick is doing well and
if it survives it will be sold for exhibition
purposes.
—The Raystown water company has placed
on record in Huntingdon county twelve
deeds for lands purchased in Juniata and
Penn townships, running from the mouth of
the branch to the vicinity of Fink's bridge.
The laud cost about £30,000.
—Note was made several weeks ago of a
giant white pine tree being cut down on the
Adam Losh tract, on Pine Hill, Perry coun-
ty. It wasninety-two feet high and thirty-
eight inches across the stump. It cut ninety-
two feet of logs and 1,871 feet of boards.
—The large frame saw mill at Trout Run,
Lycoming county, owned by M. L. Gee, of
that place, was totally destroyed by fire last
Friday evening, entailing a loss of $5,000, on
which there was $1,500 insurance. Two of
the employees of the mill were slightly in
jured.
—Mrs. Henry Bower, of Bald Eagle town-
ship, Clinton county, recently saw a weasel
carrying off one of her spring chickens. She
took au ax, gave chase and killed the ani-
mal. Afterward she took the scalp to the
county commissioners’ office aud got seventy.
five cents for it.
According to the Chambersburg Valley
Spirit, the cherry crop is a fine one in Franke
lin county. Solomon Spoonhour, of near
Fayetteville, reports having picked 5,500
boxes of strawberries from his farm and says
be will have 4,000 boxes of red raspberries.
The raspberry plot is only a year old.
—Philipsburg was visited by a costly fire
last Saturday morning, when the plant of the
Philipsburg Beef company was totally de-
stroyed, causing a loss of $10,000. It is
thought the blaze started in the smoke house
and the flames had made considerable head-
way before they were discovered. There was
no insurance on the burned property.
—An unknown man who had in his vest
pocket a card bearing the inscription, C.
Brady, of Thomasville, York county, while
stealing a ride oun a freight train near Slat.
ington ou Saturday, fell asleep ontop of a
box car when a locomotive spark set fire to
his clothing. In his struggles to extinguish
the flames he fell off the car on the track and
his body was cut in two.
—A report sent out from Middletown, Pa.,
is to the effect that the harvest fields in that
vicinity are overrun with all manuer of
venomous snakes. There has been consid-
erable blasting along the mountains there on
account of railroad operations that are in
progress and it is stated that the reptiles
which infested the hillsare taking to the
fields and find shelter under the wheat
shocks.
—The Newton Hamilton Camp association
will enter upon its thirty-fifth year of an-
pual camp meetings, at Newton Hamilton,
August Sth, and continue until August 20th.
A good program bas been prepared. A new
and special feature this year will be an op-
portunity to study music. Prof. Watkins, of
Harrisburg, has been engaged to take charge
of it. Good accommodations are provided in
the way of cottages aud teuts.
—Sylvester Emerick, an engineer on the
Bedford division of the Pennsylvania rail-
road, went ground hog hunting on Friday
last near the state line in Bedford county.
He was accompanied by his 10-year-old son
and they became separated. Emerick saw
something moving in the bushes and think~-
ing it was a ground hog, fired. He shot his
son, killing him iustantly, A year ago
Emerick’s daughter was accidentally shot
and killed by a neighbor's son who was
shooting rats with a rifle.
Williamsport saw mills are getting near-
ly as many logs by rail asby river drives.
The logs are relled fiom the cars into the
ponds over docks. Friday a train of about
twenty cars of logs arrived in the Pennsyl-
vania railroad yard:. Such a train comes in
nearly every day, aud some days as many as
thirty cars are recsived, It is estimated
that a hundred or more carloads a week are
now arriving. The logs come from the Mix
Run section, being hauled over the low grade
division of the Penusylvania,
—Alexandria, Huntingdon county, is ia
the midst of preparation for the proper ob~-
gervance of an “Old Home Week,” to he
held August 26th to September 1st, 1907.
The old town, situated in the Juniata val-
ley, twenty-five miles east of Altoona, is
known far and wide for its quaint beauty
and historic sssociation, being originally
surveyed in 1755 at a place ou the Juniata
river known as Hart's Log, called after an
Indian trader, John Hart, who bad hewn
out a log laying on the banks of the river
for the purpose of feeding his horses in 1744.
--Judge Martin Bell the other day handed
down opinions in the case of Hollidaysburg,
Gaysport and Juniata boronghs against the
Bell Telephone company which are for the
recovery of taxes on poles. For the borough
of Hollidayshurg, Judge Bell fixes the rate
at 20 cents per pole for the present year: for
Gaysport borough, the rate is 20 cents for
1006 and 25 cents for this year and next year.
It is decided that Juniata borough has no
valid ordinance enabling it to levy a tax,and
therefore, the court is unable to fix a rate.
The tax in Tyrone, as revised by ordivauce
last October, is oly 10 cents per pole.