v
BY P. GRAY MEEK.
Ink Slings.
—The Democratic state convention of
Penusylvania has been called to meet in
Harrisburg on May 20th.
—South Dakota is doing almost as profit-
able business in divorce as New Jersey once
did in floating wiid-cat corporations.
~The Ohio Legislature having passed a
local option law it is expected that sixty-
five of the eighty-eight counties in the State
will go dry.
—E. H. HARRIMAN celebrated his six-
tieth birthday anniversary on Tuesday. It
is not noted shat TEDDY sent him a con-
gratolatory message.
—The desperation with which society
crowds the acte-lenten searon with festiv-
ity might lead some guileless souls to be-
lieve thas Lent really is a period of spiritual
revival and penitence for society.
— Philadelphia is to celebrate with
Founders Week exercises next October.
Whether is will be BiLLy PENN, Jiu Meo-
NicHoL, SAM SALTER or REYBURN who
will cus the most ice remains for the occa-
sion itself so reveal.
~The THAWS aod the HARTIES seem
determined to keep before the public.
HARRY and his young wife are said to be
on the point of separation, while the
H ARTJES are again airing their mal-odorous
case in the Pittsburg courts.
— What a beautiful acknowledgment of
loyalsy is the action of those Texas veterans
of the Confederacy who refused to partio-
ipate in a sham battle when they found
ous that they had been marshaled on the
side thas bad to fire on thestars and stripes.
—Congressman ACHESON’S bill to pro-
hibit the sale of intoxicating liguors and
narcotios anywhere in territory within the
jorisdiotion of the United States comes
nearer being the right move than any local
option proposition that can be presented,
—Only a little more than a month until
the man who takes his annual fish on the
opening day of the season will have his
inning. And this reminds us that possibly
after the local option law is passed fishing
will not be she popular sport that is has
been.
—The dastardly assassination of Presi-
dent McKINLEY at Buffalo was villainons
enoogh bat for sheer baseness the murder
of a Denver priest by the person to whom
he was giving communion was possibly the
most horrible example of orime ever re-
corded in this country.
—Mrs. ANNE WEIGHTMAN WALKER
must bave had an attack of heart failure
when she gave away to her relatives the
maoificent sam of $800,000 and planged
into the sea of matrimony with only a
paltry sixty million left to take to her new
hushand, FREDERICK COURTLAND PEN.
FIELD.
— Though there is very listle chance of
finding it ous she correspondent who wrote
to the Philadelphia North American offer-
ing to wager that nine-tenths of those who
warched in the riotous demonstration
through the streets of that city last week
voted the gang ticket probably hit ou a
truth that is most damning.
—Oh my, it would never do to have
local option! Why every place it has
been tried lately they report thas the jails
are empty and sheriffs and policemen have
nothing to do. Surely we couldn't give
up the fun of electing a sheriff every three
years or rob the stage of the joke on the
policeman asleep on his beat.
~The fellow who voted for the Republi-
oan party thinking it means the full din
ner pail will have ample time, between now
and November, to ponder well on LIN-
COLN’S memorable epigram : You can fool
some of the people all of the time, all of
the people some of the time bat you can’t
fool all of the people all of the time.
—We agree with the esteemed Philadel
phia Record in the theught that the
Pennsylvania delegation should go to the
Denver convention to delibarate, not to
dictate. Since the Pennsylvania Democracy
cannot possibly record a single vote in the
electoral college the part for her to take in
the nomination of a candidate is that of an
unhiased, unobtrusive adviser and ocoun-
selor.
—There should he noanxiety on the pars
of old license applicants in Centre county.
The action of the court in withholding the
grauts until this late date is tantamount to
ao acknowledgment that all of the old ones,
at least, will be re.issned. It was an-
nounced at the time thas the reason for
changing the time of sitting of the license
court was in order to give those refused an
opportunity to dispose of their business bhe-
fore their license should expire. As that
opportunity has now passed is is only rea-
sonable to infer that the court intends mak-
ing no changes.
~It the polioy of the Republican party
to naturalize anything that can vote is not
responsible for a lot of anarchists and so-
cialists demanding the rights of citizenship
we would like to know what is. If these
noderirable foreigners were not given the
protection of the government or the same
rights as law abiding citizens who can dis.
criminate bet ween liberty and license there
would not now, in nearly every oity in the
land, be the marching, riotous hordes of
fanatical foreigners who imagine that in
good times they cao send all heir surplus
earnings to the home country then scare
the goveroment imo providing for them
when work gets soarce.
———— _— ——— - ———— - — — —— ——————————— — — ~. -
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION Ss
———— ee —— ——
Spawls from the Keyctone.
—There were only sixteen fires in Clesr-
field during the year 1907, and the total loss
did not exceed $7,000.
=0dd Fellows of Shamokin have purchas-
ed a building site for $15,000, on which a
temple is to be erected.
~The strike of the coal miners of the
Henriette Coal company at Dunlo as the re-
sult of the discharge of Joe Lasko, a union
rope rider, ended Monday.
—The University of Pennsylvania at Phil.
adelphia has for this term an enrollment of
_VOL. 53
An Overt Act of Conspiracy.
There is one phase of the capitol baild-
ing scandal which has not been given the
importance it deserves in the trial now in
progress in Harrisburg. It is the fact that
between the date of the election of Mr.
BERRY and his induction into office, so
many of the fraudulent bills were paid.
PENNYPACKER, SNYDER and MATHUES,
who composed the Board of Pablio Grounds
and Boildings, were equally energetic in
this work. Haondreds of thousands of
dollars were paid during that interval of
six months and much of the amounts on
bills for which no goods bad been deliv-
ered. PENNYPACKER ought to have given
much information on that point. It can
bardly be said that HUSTON was respon.
sible for it, either.
bills were honest they would have
been paid as promptly and cheerfully after
Mr. BERRY bad goue into office as before.
He bad no interest in preventing the pay-
ment of the honest obligatione of the State.
He is not the sort of person who would
make a contractor ora mechanic suffer by
withholding money thas was due him. No-
body enjoys the happiness of his kind
more than Mr. BERRY. Butall the mem-
bers of the Board of Pablic Grounds and
made a mad rash to pay all the bills before
he came in. Better evidence of conspiracy
could badly be found. It was the very
spirit of conspiracy and ought to conviot
the accused if there were no other testi-
mony.
When the election of Mr. BERRY was an.
nounced Auditor General SNYDER went to
Governor PENNYPACKER with the iofor-
mation that upwards of three million dol-
lars bad been expended in trimmings and
furnishings while the estimate of the
architect for the work was eight hundred
thousand dollars. The bills hadn’s been
paid but the contracts had been made and
of coarse the State was responsible in
the absence of fraud in the billing of work.
But the Board didn’t try to find out about
the fraud. What it did was to rush pay-
ments on the bills so that in any event the
contractors would have the money whether
fraud was subsequently discovered or not.
Plainly that was an overt act of conspi-
racy.
The Tariff and Public Charity,
Philadelphia hits been enjoying the lux-
ury of bread riots. In other words thous-
avds of unemployed and possibly hungry
men were attacked by the police becanse
they undertook to tell the Mayor of their
distress, the other day. In Pittsburg the
Mayor has been compelled to give employ-
ment to thousands in order to avert what
might be properly designated as ‘‘an
epidemic of starvation.” In other oities
of the Commonwealth soup houses are be-
ing opened to feed the huugry hosts who
though willing are unable to earn sufficient
to appease their hanger. In Harrisburg
concerted movements to supply food for
starving men, women and children bave
been inaugurated.
Twelve years ago the late MARK HANNA
adopted the ‘‘full dinner pail” as the mot-
to of the Republican party. He assert-
ed and apparently persuaded the peo-
ple to believe, that so long as the
Republican polices prevailed labor
would be abundantly employed and amply
reqaited. Following his suggestion the
press and orators of the party declared that
indastrial staguation was inseparable from
Demooratio control. They attributed the
bounties of natare and the products of the
soil to the policies of their party. “If we
stand pat on the tariff,” Mr. HANNA
confident!s asserted, ‘‘there can be noin-
dustrial paralysis or commercial reverses.
The DINGLEY tariff law is a panacea for all
such ills.”
Manvilestly she people believed and the
Republican party was continued in power.
The sacred DINGLEY law ocontinnes in
force, the country is standing pat. Bat
there are thousands of idle men depending
upon obarity to feed their families. There
are thousands of noused cars on the sidings
of every railroad and she machinery in
bundreds of mills and factories is silent
aod motionless. Within the dozen years
since MARK HAxNA adopted his mottos
dozen billions of dollars have been taken
out of the wages of labor to fatten the prof-
its of the ‘‘malefactors of great wealth,"
through the Dingley tariff law. And be-
cause of this robbery those whe earned are
now unable to feed their children.
~——The Bellefonte Academy voting con-
test ia beginning to attract attention. Quite
a large number of the representative mer-
chants in the town are already on the vot.
ing list and many others are sare to follow,
When you consider that is costs only one
cent to show your preference one vote for
your favorite merchant it is not a very ooss-
ly mark of appreciation. O! course she
ohjeos is the main thing and there is no
question but that itis a most worthy one,
as anything thas will be of benefit to the
Academy in any way should receive all the
encouragement and support possible,
Evidence, |
Pennypacker's Unimportant i
Governor PENNPACKER'S evidence in
the graft trial as Harrisburg, last week,
was interesting, but unimportant. He
gave the jury listle information upon which
to base a verdiot. He said he didn’t know
of some of the transactions and was de-
ceived with respect to others. Bnt he re-
vealed a continged pride in the magnil-
icence of the work of the planderers. The
fact that every transaction was tainted with
fraud in no way impairs the beauty of
the achievement, according to his ideas.
Like most of the other Republican leaders
he looks to results rather than methods.
Crime presents no horrid form to his view.
If it is successful it is a pleasing sight.
This is precisely why PENNYPACKER
should have been indicted with the other
courpirators. He joins with alacrity in
their conspiracy to put the responsibility
on the architect, Mr. HusTON. Bat former
Aunditor Geveral SNYDER touched the real
fact when in his testimony, following
PENNYPACKER, he declared that he placed
much confidence in the former Governor.
The questions which came before the Board
of Pablic Grounds and Buildings were
mainly for legal interpretation, and PENNY-
PACKER the lawyer, PENNYPACKER the
judge and PENNYPACKER the scholar in-
fluenced tke board whenever it was in-
fluenced by other considerations than
money.
We shall always hold that PENNY-
PACKER was mainly responsible for the
frauds in the construction oi the capitol for
the reason that as a lawyer he knew and as
an official he ought to have prevented them.
We shall always believe, moreover, that
PENNYPACKER 18 inherently wrong. No
man of proper moral natare could have ad-
mired QUAY. When he escaped the penalty
of his offences hy pleading the statute of
limitations, he deliberately put himself in
the company of outlaws and no man with
a proper understanding of the daties of
citizenship will attempt to canonize out-
lawry. But PENNYPACKER did this and
he ought to have been the first to come
ander the penalty of the law in the grafe
case. .
Roosevelt's Poor Methods.
The President's latest incursion into the
domain of industry is probably the most
senseless. He has ordered an investigation
of the railroads of the country for the rea-
son that one or more of them had announo-
ed the purpose of reducing wages. The
business of the roads has fallen off vastly,
according to general understanding, and
the managers were inolined to adjass their
expenses 80 as to come within their reve-
nues. President ROOSEVELT appears to
regard this as a great orime against his
policies and proposes to prevent it at any
hazard. Itis to be hoped that he will
succeed for reducing wages causes great
hardships in varions ways and the innocent
usually suffer most.
In a recent speech Senator FORAKER, of
Ohio, declared that shere are several hun-
dred thousand freight cars idle throughount
the country and as least three hundred
thousand trainmen with nothing to do.
The railroad men say that the reason for
this inactivity is that disturbance of public
confidence has caused a diminution of busi.
ness. If there is no business for the rail-
roads it is not easy to conjecture how the
President will be able to make them run
trains to employ the labor. The railroads
are common oarriers and must operate
sufficient trains to transport the goods that
are sent to them. But there is no way
that we know of to compel them to run
empty trains in order to pay wages.
Two or three weeks ago there was a shat
down in the navy yard at Washington,
which threw a considerable number of men
out of work. One of the men conceived
the idea of rooning on short time and
short wages 20 that all would get some-
thing, and made the suggestion to the
President, who was delighsed, and ordered
the policy to be adopted. What reason is
there for treating the railroads differently
from the pavy yard? If the basiness
won't justify fall time at fall pay, the
best thing is as much tiwe as possible and
at as high wages as can be obtained. The
President's system is like cutting off she
head to oure toothache or taking a orow-bar
to repair a watch.
~The dissolution of the old and the
orgination of the new council will take
place next Monday morning, with the new
council holding its first business session in
the evening. Owing to the fact that the
new council will be so one-sided political
ly there is much speculation, as wellas
quite a number of wagers, as to who will
be elected president, appointed chairmen
of the various committees, oto. Of course
Monday alone will tell bus in the mean-
time those interested are doing some hus-
tling.
~The quarterly imigrasion of candidates
to the county seat on Monday was larger
than usual. They were nearly aii here,
with their best manners and best clothes.
BELLEFONTE, PA., FEBRUARY 28, 1¢
The Municipal Elections.
The municipal elections last week reveal-
ed av indifference on the part of the public
to political conditions which is sarprising,
it not actually mevacing. It is not that
one party more than another was apathetic.
Both parties fell far short of a full vote
though there were many reasons why party
managers and workers should have been
alert. The local elections are always im-
portant from a party standpoint. The
officials chosen at those elections are closer
to the people than any others. The results
in the subsequent general elections are
largely influenced by the selection of local
officers and in a presidential year that
ought to be considered.
The elections in Philadelphia and Pitts-
barg appear to have gone so the Republi-
oan party by default. In Pittsburg the
fall strength of the Democratic party as
measured by she last election for mayor of
the city, would have given the party an
overwhelming majority. In Philadelphia
the majority party vote was listle more
than shat cast by the minority party twen-
ty years ago. In some of the smaller cities
better results were obtained, but little to
boast of. In Harrishurg, for example, the
Republicans elected their candidate for
mayor by an abnormal majority on a vote
much less than was given for the Demo-
oratic candidates at previous elections with-
in a few years.
There was every reason for Demooratic
activities this year in the local elections.
Recent experiences have completely over-
thrown the superstition with which the
Republicans have kept themselves in power
for years. The delusion that Republican
policies guarantee prosperous industrious
and commercial life has been completely
overthrown. Yes the Democrats have nos
achieved the results which ought to have
followed these revelations and the reason is
that they didn't try as they should have
done. Here and there admirable results
were obtained, but not generally. With
proper effort half the cities could have bein
made Democratic and the effect next fall
would bave been most gratifying.
Pennsylvania and the Denver Conven-
tion.
There is no canse of complaint against
the “assivities of Demoorats throughout
Pennsylvania in behalf of a particular can.
didate for President. The right of choice
is inalienable and the assertion of the
right characteristic of Demoorats. Bus
there is not likely to be any opposition to
the candidate in Pennsylvania, or any-
where else. Under those circumstances it
was hardly necessary to form av organiza-
tion in behalf of one candidate or another.
Probably every delegate chosen to the Den-
ver convention will agree with his ool-
leagues on the question of the candidate.
In that event there will be no necessity
for factions.
What the Democrats of Pennsylvania
ought to do in relation to the coming Den-
ver convention is to select the very best
wen in several districts for the office of
delegate. It is a high office and any
man may be proud of the distinotion is
conveys. Itis not an office which belongs
all the time to the same persons. It is not
an honor that should be bestowed on a man
because he is rich or for the reason that he
is poor. Is should be given to men who
stand bigk in the communities and deserve
well of their fellow citizens. Sach men
can be depended upon to make wise nomi-
nations even if they are not labeled.
Pennsylvania bas exercised an important
influence in the National conventions of the
Democratic party during recent years. The
delegates from this State have gone into
the conventions free from prejodices and
selfishness and they have been consulted
as to policies as well ascandidates. In the
futare there ought to be no deterioration
in this respect and if the Demooratio voters
are just to themselves there will not be.
Pennsylvania can send men to the conven-
tion who will command respect and con-
sideration and no other kind ought to be
chosen under any cironmstansces,
——The art exhibit held in Petriken
hall Thursday, Friday aod Saturday of last
week, ander the auspices of the Bellefonte
public schools, drew gnite a orowd. The
two hundred pictures displayed were either
reproductions in natural colors or good
photogravares of some of the leading master-
pieces. It was a collection that pleased as
well as interested those who saw it and
those who bad the matter in charge were
fortunate in securing it for exhibition here.
The total receipts for she three days - were
just $85.40 and the public schools oleared
$58.53.
——In writing to renew her subscription
to this paper Mrs. H. 8. Cooper, of Galves-
ton, Tex., says : “I would rather do with.
out anything else than without the
WATCHMAN,” a fact for which we are as
traly grateful as she is appreciative. It is
our sole aim to make the paper so interest-
ing and readable that once a subsoriher al- auly on
ways a subscriber, and our experience has
been in most cases that this is correct.
)O8.
NO. 9.
Our Beautiful Capitol.
From the Lancaster Intelligencer.
The essayist in the state capitol seems all
around to pat the blame of anything
wrong on the other fellow, after seeking
first 0 show that there was no blame on
anybody, bat that the work was dove at a
lower price than the coutract authorized,
aod is worth all she money it cost.
Ex-Governor Pennypacker is cheerfully
sure that it is a fine building, bails by a
fioe architect, and oheap enough at the
price, though he admits that be does not
know how she bills got to be so high, and
that altogether be is quite bewildered’ hy
the prices paid, and that he did nos know
they were being paid. The governor ad-
mits a great deal of ignorance with a great
deal of good intention,
All the defendants seem to think thas
they are sorely abused people, in being
held responsible for the great cost of she
gram capitol, when they did all shey knew
ow to produce the great creation at a fair
cost ; if it is nos fair they deolare it is not
their faalt ; and they are surprised that
they are blamed when they expected a
vote of shanks.
When the testimony is all in the public
may fiod ous whose fault it was that they
paid so dear for their whistle, though these
defendants are so blameless in their own
opinion,
It is olear enough that there was a big
percentage of the mouey received that
rested bat temporarily in the hands of the
contractor, and no one disputes his state-
ment that he paid a big wad of it to others;
and it may be safely assumed that it went
to the vse of the Republican management
of our state, which has reduced to a fine
art the science of getting money from the
public treasury to pay for its services to
the public, not recognized by the law, but,
nevertheless, immensely valuable to the
state and its good men, in the opinion of
the good men who control is. And what
could be more beautifal, they ask, than
the bailding of a beautiful capitol, that
serves at once to adorn the state and pave
the way for its progress along the lines laid
down for it by ite administrators ?
Refined Barbartty,
From the Altoona Times,
The injustice and atrocity of she sentence
of death inflicted upon General Stoessel by
a court martial mast have suvgested them
selves to the judges, for they accompanied
their verdict with recommendation that
the stern penalty be commuted to ten
years’ impriconment in a fortress and dis-
missal from the service in degradation.
The quality of mercy thus shown may
sirike the semi-barbarous Muscovite as a
slight concession to the demands of civiliza
tion, but the sentiments of diguss thas will
be excited hy the cruel treatment inflicted
4,279 students, 204 evening school students,
435 members of the teaching force, 194 ad-
ministrative officers and 105 regular em-
ployees.
—Dickinson college, at Carlisle, was
threatened with a strike of nearly all the
students because of the disciplining of four
members of the sophomore class, but the
troubles have been adjusted and peace again
prevails,
—Although the Indiana county license
court last week refused a license to the big
brewery in Indiana, the plant is not closed
as it bas obtained a State license to manufac~
ture and sell beer to licensed wholesale and
retail dealers.
—Police officer Harry Norris, of New Cas-
tle, Lawrence county, after chatting a few
minutes with a discharged prisoner, discov-
ered soon afterwards that his pocket had
been picked. He hurried after the man, re-
arrested him and recovered his money.
—There is such an abundance of natural
gas in the wells in the Armstrong’ county
gas field that further drilling has been dis-
continued, as the companies are unable to
find & market for the product since the clos.
ing of many establishments using the gas for
fuel.
~Captain William B. Rodgers, a million
aire sand and coal king, of Bellevue, a fash.
ionable suburb of Pittsburg, was on Tuesday
elected high constable, out of revenge by
the anti-annexationists, because hej was la-
boring to have Bellevue annoxed to Greater
Pittsburg,
~The officers of the Tremont National
bank, at Tremont, Schuylkill county, on
Saturday entered suit for $10,000 damages
against Henry Schwalm, a hotel keeper of
Tremont, for alleged false statements to the
effect that the bank was insolvent, thereby
causing a run on it.
—While snow was falling on Sunday after-
noon Rev. W. 8. Hottel, pastor of the Men-
nonite Brethren in Christ church, at Royers-
ford, baptized seven persons in the icy waters
of the Schuylkill river. After the baptism
the candidates were obliged to walk two
squares to a house to change their clothes.
—When the ice passed off the Juniata riv-
er on Saturday night the water main of the
Mifflintown Water company, which was laid
in the bottom of the river, was carried away,
cutting off the town of Mifflin from the water
supply. Water has to be carted from Mif-
flintown across the river to supply the pub.
lie.
—While a search wes being made by detec-
tives and county officials of York county for
the will of David Heckert, who had been
murdered about a week before, u hoard of
$3,200 in bank bills and gold coin was found
upon a brave warrior will he somewb#id beneath a pile of old papers. No denbt this
mitigated by the knowledge shat outside
of the autooratic cabal that has ruled Rus-
sia to its ruin, the verdiot bas been received
in anger and indignation.
What crime has Gen. Stoessel committed
that he should be the victim of such base
treatment? Nothing more than that he re-
fused to commit suicide when Port Arthur,
were he was commandant, was no longer
able to resist the impetuous and determined
rushes of the viotory-inflated Japs. He
yielded the fortress after every diotate of
heroism and civilized warfare compelled
him to save the miserable remnants of
his garrison from starvation or avnibilation.
The world knows that he displayed great
beroism, military skill of high order and
a resonrceflulness that enabled him to with-
stand seige several months longer than
thé military experts of the world believed
possible. When all was lost save honor, he
yielded and his ungratefal countrymen re-
pay his suffering and sacrifices by bumilia-
tion and confinement. :
There are few nations which can show
examples of ingratitude so base as this latest
atrocity by Rossian bureauoraoy.
Hearst's Third Story.
From the (Phila) Public Ledger.
Mr. Hearst's Independence Leagne has
solved one doubt, and decided that it will
go into the national field with a platform
and a ticket. The platform has been
written and adopted. Iu general shape it
closely resembles the Democratic ideas as-
sociated with Mr. Biyan.
Any set of men can adopt a platform and
hold a convention. The planks of she
Hearst affair will not call for discussion
nutil the cnuntry arrives at an estimate of
the number of voters likely to be attracted
and the strategical points where they have
an chance at producing an effect. The
chairman of the Provisional Committee,
Mr. Hearst, is authorized to call a nomi-
nating convention after the two great par-
ties shall bave made nominations. is
policy may he a notice to the Democratic
party, but will not bave an important ef-
fect on the conclusions of that organization.
It Mr. Hearst does not propose to acoept
Mr. Bryan, he would as well have nomi-
nated himself or his substitute at the
Chioago conference Saturday.
What can Hearst's party doin New
York, Bostou, Chicago and San Francisco ?
In the answer lies there is of the Indepen-
dence T.eague’s national consequence. The
hard times whioh help Bryan also help
Hearst ; thas may paradoxically guarantee
Republican admnistration for four years
by putting in Hearst’s hands the power of
making Bryan's election impossible. The
peculiar young Californian, now a New
Yorker of middle age, compels the atten-
tion of campaign maragers,
Tarned the Tables on Roosevel:,
For the Clearfield Republican,
Senator Foraker turned the tables on
President Roosevelt by reading to the
United States Senate the sorttapoudence
hetween Mr. Bryson, postmaster of Athens,
Ohio, and Congressman Douglass, which
conclusively showe thas the Provihens nic
to coerce the postmaster hefore he appoing-
ed him to throw Senator Foraker over.
board in his fight with Taft for delegates
to the Republican National Convention.
‘Aud Seoator Foraker declared that ‘‘is
one of a bundred cases in the State of
hundred cases is no exaggeration.”
We await President Roosevelt's explana-
nation of this matter with muoh interess.
{was the treasure the murderer of the old
man was after.
—More jail room is required in Cambria
county. The County Commissioners approv-
ed plans for an addition to the jail at Ebens-
burg. The addition will be rectangular in
form and will be about 100 feet long and 85
feet wide. It will contain 206 cells and is
designed to relieve the present crowded con-
dition of the county jail.
—The county commissioners of Westmore-
land county propose to take issue with State
Highway Commissioner Hunter in the
award of contracts for the coustruction of
two State roads in that county. The award
for each is about $13,000 per mile, which is
almost double, in the opinion of the commis-
sioners, what it should be.
—A religious census of Chambersburg, just
completed by a committee of the various
churches, show that there are 10,282 persons
in town. Of these 5,150 are members of
some church, and 4,064 attend Sunday
school. Twenty-five families refused to
give any information, and these twenty-five
would increase the totals somewhat.
—C. H. Heyden, representing the Shedd
Leather company, of Boston, was in Lewis
town oa Saturday looking over the tannery
located in the Fourth ward of Lewistown,
with a view to putting the same into opera.
tion the coming summer. It is understood
that if put into operation that from forty to
fifty men will be employed from the start.
—Tbree of the four large blast furnaces of
the Cambria Steel company at Johnitown,
which have been closed for some time, will
resume operations next week. Orders were
issued on Wednesday to have the hot stoves
fired at Nos. 1, 3 and 4 furnaces, which will
require three or four days, and it is hoped to
have all three furnaces in operation the mid-
dle of next week,
—Nineteen operators will be graduated
from the school of telegraphy of the Penn.
sylvania railroad at Bedford this month and
will be placed before the first of March.
This scliool was established at the suggestion
and largely through the efforts of John W.
Pearose, train dispatcher of the Bedford di-
vision, on September 16, 1907, and the re-
sults have surpassed expectations.
—Lewis G. Kramer, of Clearfield town-
ship, Butler county, on Wednesday night
was aroused by a noise in his sheepfold and
going out found two men busy killing sheep
and loading them on a sled. ~He attacked
the robbers and captured one and bound him
while his wife held a revolver over him.
Then putting him in the robbers’ sleigh he
drove six miles to Batler and havdedjhim
over to the sheriff.
—On Thursday morning residents along
Grampian boulevard, Williamsport, were
startled at the sudden appearance of a big
black bear on the hill north of the boule.
vard, Bruin was first scen by several
troliey men while on their regular run
around the Bast End line. The bear came
down the hill over half way to the boule-
vard, bat a dog got into the game and drove
Bruin back. The last seen of the bear he
and the dog were in a mix-up on the top of
the hill.