Demonia
BY P. GRAY
Ink Slings.
—Gag rule may suppress the minority in
the House, but there will be a way of over-
coming is at the polls next fall.
—From the looks of things in Philadel
phia is ought nos to be long until Director
CLAY'S name is changed to mud.
—Many a man is sunning himself on the
street corners these days while his wile is
doing all the house cleaning alone.
—The man who bas a little garden and
does not make it produce something for
his subsistence has no right to ask or re-
ceive help from anyoue.
—Yes, they are the same old soup houses
we had in 1893, excepting that they bave
changed ownership. The Republican
party is running them now.
—Many a person rushes with feverish
excitement to set the first batching hen
they can find only to damn the nuisance
that the chickens become in the fall.
—It HOWARD GouLD's wife ‘really does
drink what the papers say che does she
must have a ‘‘hollow leg,” all of which
HowARD should bave known before they
were married.
—I1 a vote were to be taken in the terri-
tory along the trout streams in Centre
county next Wednesday local option wonld
be snowed under so deep as to be never
heard of again.
—Seven years in the pen for the Phila-
delphia policemen burglars ought to be fol-
lowed with impeachment for the men high-
er up who are guilty of making such out-
rages possible at all.
—The attempt of a few would-be bosses
in Bellefonte to tell the Republicans of
Centre county what they have to do looks
very much as if the rest of the party hasn't
brains enough to know what it wants to do
iteell.
—The misguided efforts of the few who
eaw in Mr. FIsgER the Mosgs who could
lead them out of the legislative wilderness
in Centre county has resulted in putting
Moses FISHER at the tail rather than at
the head of the procession.
—Having sparred for an opening all the
time since thissession convened it now
looks &s though Congress would spend its
remaining days in a rough and tumble
legislative mix up that means no good for
either party and less for she pablio.
—Tomorrow, the primaries! Let ne
urge on every Demoorat the necessity of
paming a ticket for the party of only good,
olean men, for whom no apologies will be
necessary and who can command the sup-
port ol every;intelligent voter in the county.
—And the Gazetie calls them ‘‘a coterie
of political mavericks to be dispised as
little bosses.” This looks as though the
aotion of she few who tried to centre on
FISHER was not approved by the post.
master of Bellefonte ; possibly because he
is for TAYLOR.
—The plan which Dr. JOSEPH M.
BROCKERHOFF bas conoeived to help re-
lieve the situation of the unemployed in
this community is unique and will prove
interesting to follow. For with work of-
tered to every one who is able and willing
to work there can be but one excuse for
not taking advantage of is and that will be
laziness.
—The appoiutment of the committee on
organization of the proposed orphanage
marks another step toward the procurement
of another oharitable institution for the
town. Sinoe it is coming so near we will
have to begin the search for such strange
creatures as parentless, friendless obildren
who are not paupers and yet want to enter
a free home.
—The duty of the Democracy tomorrow
will be to nominate good men. Com-
petent, clean men who oan go before the
public and ask support without apology
for what they have been or promise as to
what they will be. Local option ie not an
issue. Vote intelligently for the future of
the party and yon will have done all that
good morale or good citizenship requires of
you.
—Philadelphia has suffered the crowning
humiliation of her rotten muncipal system.
When the police officers of a city turned
out to be self confessed burglars and thugs
what more of disgrace is there left tor those
who are responsible for the government.
We mean, of course, the better element of
that city who go on blindly sapporting the
machine because of their narrow, partisan
view of politics.
—Some weeks ago you probabiy smiled
when the WATCHMAN told you that Mr.
BERT TAYLOR would come about as near
landing the Republican nomination for As-
sembly as any other man in the race. Oar
Republican friends are doing anything but
smile this week. They are planning, plot
ting, combining and swearing to keep the
redoubtable BERT from taking them all
into camp tomorrow. They are all up in
the air about it because BERT has demon-
strated that be is just one of the slickest
one of them things he calls himself tha’
ever went after them. First they tried to
eombine on EVEY, but EVEY wonldn’t do
then they went for WILL FosTER, but
something went wrong there, 80 now the
word is out that ‘FISHER is the man”
and the Prohibitionists are for him, but
while FIsHER might be the man today its
a gambler’s chance that BERT will talk
RUGER to a stand-still tomorrow night
telling him how it happened.
VOL. 53
Speier Cannon's Par
Most of our esteemed ‘contemporaries
appear to have entirely misconstrued the
purpose of Speaker CANNON'S' resolutions
asking for information from the “Depart-
ment and Commerce of Labor and #
Justice, with respect to the oper
the paper trust. The subs an
resolutions was an assertion
previously been made by Ju
and other lawyers, that exighi
ample to regulate the predate tru
that the reason they are not 3 Jer obutro
is because the administration Washing-
ton makes no honest effort to control them.
While the President is rabidly railing at
Congress because it fails to invest him with
vast, arbitrary and dangerous. power, he
bas already all the power that is'necessary
to achieve all that he ought to be allowed
to undertake.
The President has on two or three ocod-
sions recommended the repeal of the tariff
tax on white paper and wood pulp, the last
being a somewhat vehement denunciation
of Congress for failure to comply with the
previons suggestion. Of the acouracy of
she President’s view of the subject, there
can be no doubt. The tariff tax on pulp
and paper repealed, the paper trust would
be as helpless, so far as manipulating
prices is concerned, as an unborn babe.
Bat if the penal provisions of the present
laws were enforced, the same resuls would
be accomplished, and Speaker CANNON
wants to show that while the President is
denouncing the congressional pot as black
the presidential kettle is not white. In
other words the speaker proposes to reveal
the official delinquencies of ROOSEVELT
and he has adopted the certain means of
doing so.
The tariff tax on paper and wood pulp is
the cinch that enables the paper trust to
squeee the life ous of the publishing in-
dustry just as the tariff tax on steel and
timber and other commodities give oppor-
tunities to loot the trades affected by them.
There is no more reason, however, for the
repeal of the tax on pulp and paper than
there is to repeal that on lumber, or blank-
ets, or any other necessary of life, she price
of which is vastly augmented by she tax. In
tact the tariff tax oo timber, which impairs
bome building to a startling extent, is a
greater evil than that on the pulp and
paper, bat ROOSEVELT is opposed to one
while in favor of the other for the contemp-
tible reason that the newspapers are con
cerned in one, and selfishly insistent, while
they are indifferent to the other.
S.
Hughes Practically Done For.
It is hardly worth while to farther seri-
ously consider Governor HuaHes, of New
York, ae a factor in the presidential con-
test. He has practically taken himeelf ous
of the running by allowing his enemies to
conduct his preliminary campaign in hie
own State. TiMorHY WOODRUFF, obair-
man of the Republican State committee,
and HERBERT PARSONS, chairman jof the
Republican City committee, avowed TAFT
men, have been running things for him.
Possibly the alternative was to attach
himsell to the ODELL meohine, and of
course that would have been intolerable to
any man of decent impulses. Bat it will
seem to the ordinary mind that there
ought to bave been some other course
available.
The result in Massachusotts must have
been disappoiutiog to the friends of Gov-
ervor Hughes, moreover. It is said that
the President has lost his popularity in
that State and it was freely predicted that
Senator CRANE would control the vote for
HueHEs. The retarns show, however,
that half the delegation is for TAFT and
that the remainder may be divided between
HucHes and KNox. The other New
Eogland States are practically controlled
hy the machine and will be traded for
federal offices so that it looks as if HUGHES
will have few votes outside of {New York
aad ovly a half-hearted support there. It
is a pity that such a man cau he bowled
ous so easily.
As a matter of fact, however, the politio-
al game in this coautry hae degenerated
inte a “skin game.” Stock-gambling,
horse racing and other games of chance are
no more ancertain than political joontests
and a man like HUGHES might as well go
up against BAT MASTERSON in a faro hank
as against ROOSEVELT iu a political tarn.
When he declined to name the fourdele-
gates at large for New York he revealed
his helplessaess in the game. WOODRUFF
and PARsoNs will attend to shat Jlistle
matter for him and they will do it ina
manner which will render the subsequent
proceedings of Htle interest to him. Get-
ting him out of the fight will be the]main
endeavor of his delegates.
———————————
——Fuaneral director Frank E. Naginey
has his usual attack of sutemobilitie, only
this time it is that bad thas a Ford run-
abont, model of July, 1907, has been
brought to Bellefonte in the hope of cur-
ing him, The machine arrived yesterday
and just asscon as the weather becomes
favorable Mr. Naginey will be given his
| first dose.
BTA fn is overlooked. Pittsburg papers tell
STATE RIGHTS AN
The newspapers continue an optimistic
tone aud freely publish statements of in-
dastrial activity. “Work for Thousands,’
a Philadelphia contemporary observes, in
| referring to the resumption of an iron mill
in Pistshurg. Meantime, however, idle
sands are appealing to the Mayor of
| Concerning Industrial Conditions.
hia tor employment or food and
y between statement and
Sort
athopetul industrial prospests in other seo-
tions while thousands of men, willing to
re p jug of. the bospitality of
eating the food of chari-
ble fgations. In 1803 things were
diffefetit.” Then the dark side of fthe pio-
ture was priiested in order to aggravate
the dietress.” =
The stories of returning prosperity ought
$0 be true. There has been no time with-
D FEDERAL
BELLEFONTE, PA, APRIL
uN
10, 190 8
The Minority in Congress,
The Démocratic minority in the House
Represeniatives at Washington has been
ing the managers of the dominant party
merry-ohgse during the past several days.
ince the faméud empounter between the
a SAMUEL J. RANDALL aud she late
peaker BLAINE, over the force bill, a
quarter of a century ago, nothing quite
equal to it has cocurred, and the analogy
ween the two incidents. is nos complete.
e RANDALL fight was a filibuster, plain
d simple. It was to prevent the passage
iniquitous legislation, the purpose of
which was to give the negroes absolute
political control in the South. The pres-
ént movement, on the other hand, is not
to retard but to promote legislation.
| Last week we referred to an offer of the
Democratic leader of the Houshitp pass
in recent years when there was so little rea-
son for a panic. For ten consecutive years
nature had provided with princely liberal-
ity and 1907 had exceeded all others in the
generous product of the soil. The farms
alone had contributed neatly seven billions
of dollars to the wealth of the country and
she factories, mills and mines bad yielded
more than ever before in the same period
of time. But in the face of all these ele-
ments of prosperity the inimical policies of
the Republican party brought a harvest of
disaster and distress. If the causes had
been temporary the evil would have been
of brief duration.
It will not do, either, to say that it was
a speonlators’ pavio. Intelligent men will
not be deceived by the ahsurd story that
rich men nearly ruined themselves in order
to punish some oue else. These vast com-
binations of wealth are potent for evil, but
nobody outside of insane asylums ont off
their noses to spite their faces. The panic
was the logical and inevitable consequence
of bad systems of government. It was
brought on by policies in business and
finance which have heen sedulouely valti-
vated by the Republican party and the
remedy is in the complete change of poli-
gies. If the Repahlican party had not mis-
governed for years the ‘‘malefactors of great
wealth" would not bave been in control
when the panio came and there would bave
heen no pavio.
Crime in Philadelphia.
Four Philadelphia policemen who have
been conducting a series of burglaries were
exposed, the other day, by ove of their
confederates and are now in jail. The
robberies had covered a period of five
months, and the plunder obtained is eati-
mated as of the value of $30,000. The ays-
tem employed was neither new nor novel,
The officers picked out the likely places for
their operations and stood sentinel while
the looting was in progress, two others, a
plamber and his helper, baving been the
confederates. When the jobs were finished
the loot was taken to the plumber’s place
of business and equally divided among the
robbers. Honor among thieves is pro-
verbial.
The incident is not altogether surprising,
however. ‘Why it is terribly bard fora
policeman to be honest ander the condi-
tions that they live in,’’ remarked the wife
of one of the delinquent officers. ‘‘They
are continually assessed for political pur-
poses,” she continued, “‘CLEM got $93 a
month, and then after he had been assessed
for a hundred and one things a very large
share of his earnings was goue.”” Besides,
she might have added, the machine re-
quires dishonest service from policemen
and when they have committed one crime
others come easy. DAVE LANE, the official
head of the party in Philadelphia, bae told
shem that they mast stuff ballot boxes and
burglary ie a mild offense in comparison.
Criminal policemen is a natural incident
of the life of Philadelphia. That corrupt
city is a criminal kindergarden. Nos only
the politicians bus the business men levy
largesses upon the public and collect tri-
bute wherever they can. There is neither
civio pride nor moral stamina among the
people. It isa perennial race for the dol-
lar and there is no respect for honor or in-
tegrity. Men are chosen to office there
beoause of their ability to stuff ballot boxes.
They are honored according to their oa-
pacity to plunder. It is small wonder that
policemen steal in such a community. It
would be scrprising if they did not rob
under the circumstances.
—————————————
—The Republican press throughout this
congressional district are weekly saying
that Congressman CHARLES F. BARCLAY
bas practically no opposition in his cam-
paign for re-election. The Republican pa-
pers evidently overlook the fact that W.
HARRISON WALKER, of this place, who is
sure of the nomination, is a Democrat who
goes into apy contest to win and, as there
is no telling what may happen in the po-
litical field this year there is likewise no
predicting the outcome in the congressional
contest. One thing is very certain, any-
way, and that is that Mr. WALKER will
not allow Mr. BARCLAY'S election to go by
default.
certain mensures of legislation recomimdnd-
ed by President ROOSEVELT if anenty-five
Republicans on the floor would join the
Democrats in support of them. [6 ought
10. have been added that Mr. WILLIAMS
farther declared that unless those measures
were brought forward the minority would
resort to all justifiable expedients to force
the consideration of them. In pursuance
of that declaration the minority hae acted.
It has already compelled the promise of an
employers’ liability bill and will probably
succeed in its entire program. Bus the
majority has already invoked the most
brutal measures imaginable to ‘‘save its
”
The episode bas already revealed some
gratilying facts. Is has shown that the
Democratic leadership of the House was
never in more capable haods. Much as
we in Pennsylvania admired RANDALL, it
cannot be said that he was eitiier more
capable or intrepid than the present leader,
JouN SHARP WiLniams, of Mississippi.
It bas shown what is equally gratifying
from a party standpoint, thas the Demo-
orats on the floor are a noit for she legie-
lation, long striven for hy Demoorats in
Congress, and vow falsely olaimed as
“RoosSEVELT'S policies.”” Every man on
that side of the House has stood with
lender WiLLIAMS faitblaljy and valiantly
will continue to do so until the end.
Fairbanks and the Tariff
Vioe President FAIRBANKS hae put him-
self oo record as favoring tariff revision a
trifle earlier than the time fixed by his
competitors for the Republican presidential
nomination. That is to say the Indiana
State convention, the other day, declared
for the revision immediately after the
election by the present Congress in special
session, oalled for that purpose, whereas
Tarr, KNoX, CANNON and the others,
including ROOSEVELT, favor leaving the
work for the next Congress to perform. As
a matter of fact none of them wants tariff
revision at any time and the difference is
merely io subterfuge.
Therefore because the Indiana conven-
tion hae declared for revision by the pres-
ent Congress it is not wise to jump to the
conclusion that FAIRBANKS is more anx-
ious for revision than the others. Oa the
contrary it is more than probable that he
favors action by the present Congress be-
eanse he doesn’t want revision of the sort
that the people want. He understands
that the present Congress is opposed to
tariff reduction and more than likely im-
agines that any revision made by it would
be upward ivstead of downward. He is
wise enough to see that if there is no
tariff revision as the present session of the
present Congress, the next Congress will be
Democratic unless the people are fooled
again, and revision by a Demoocratio Con-
gress will be the kind the people want, the
downward variety.
The President of the American Manu:
facturers’ association declared in Washing:
ton, recently, that the present tariff robs
the industrial life of the country as the
rate of three million dollars every working
day of the year. Io other words, it costs
the people of the country about a billion
dollars a year for unearned bounties to
manufacturing barons in order toget a
campaign corruption tand for the Republi.
can machine and the people are tired of
bearing such a burden. They have asked
the present Congress to halt this robbery
before the next election and failure to com-
ply will cause a political revolution.
——— Weather permitting the State Col-
lege base ball team will open the season at
the college tomorrow afternoon when the
Carnegie Teoh nine will be their opponents
on the diamond. Last year State and
Carnegie Tech played a 3t0 3 tie game and
as the P stsburg lads are reported strong
this year the game ought to be a good one.
It will also serve to give a line on the State
team for this season.
——A#¢ their several performances in
Lock Haven and Renovo recently the Look
Haven minstrels cleared $803.08, or more
than three hundred dollars above the
amount made in any previous year. The
proceeds are for the benfit of the Lock
Haven hospital.
i
1 to take the entire output as d
E NO. 15.
Aw sidiasiey y tok Belletonce. ,
How many people in Belistonte bave
heard of the Central Sanitary. company,
and how many having heard know
what it is or where located ? yet itis
a concern tha promise @ day.
growing into ‘the’ “not the
leading in this sl of the
State. “it not for the
very siness d which
every probability that the nev y
would he s0 ‘well established
would’ be Gniversally known. ¥
+ But 49 begin at the beginoing. It was
some time during September, 1807, that
Mr. J. W. Grantland came to Bellefonte
trom Philadelphia witli firat-o Testers of
recommendation to Mr. J. H. single, of
Lingle’s fonndry and machine shops. Mr.
Grautland is not only a master ‘mechanic,
but a practical draughtsman as well and a
man of qaité an inventive mind. For years
be bad been’ employed as a draughtsman
with Haynes, Jones & Cadbury, Philadel
phia, Yuf as be was not realizing practically
anything on inventions he tarned out while
there he decided to leave them. He went
to Reading and associated himeel! with a
firm there, but disagreements arose between
them and then, on recommendation of a
friend, be came to Bellefonte and to Mr.
Lingle, ~
His specialty is wash bibs, or as they are
better known to the average man, water
spigots. It is an article of his own inven-
tion and very much simpler than the ordi-
nary spigot. It is made iv only two pieces
and bas no packing to wear out or get out
of order, oausing disagreeable leaks. As
soon as the artiole was shown to Mr. Lingle
he recognized its merit and entered into an
arrangement with Mr. Grantland for its
manufacture. Two new baildi were
ereoted adjoining the foundry hine
shopsand these were fully equippgd with
all the requisite machinery at a of ten
thousand dollars, or over. Man ure of
the wash bibs was begun and they
shipped several consignments to 3
Thompson & Co., Philadelphia, rc
agents, when the business depression set in
and it beoame necessary to olose down the
plant.
In the meanwhile Mr. Lingle and Mr.
Grantland have had several offers to take
the business away from Bellefonte. One
offer, in fact, was from a Philadelphia
party who proposed to put up $25,000 in
cash for fifty per cent. of the stock, allow-
ing Mr. Grantland she other filsy per cent.
as bis bonus for the inventions. And if
that amount was not sufficient he would
put up $25,000 more for working capital as
a loan to the company. Williamsport also
offered to give the company $10,000 cash—
or more correctly speaking, dollar for dol-
lar in cash to equal the machinery of the
company.
Bus Mr. Grantland has come to Belle
fonte, likes the town and believes just as
hig a snaness of his inventions can be made
here as anywhere else, while he and Mr.
Lingle are in perfect accord with each
other. But it is the desire, once husiness
again opens up, to manufacture the wash
hibs on a much larger scale shan formerly
aod it is for that purpose the Central Sani-
tary company has been organized. The
company will be incorporated under the
laws of Penngylvania and a charter for the
same has already been applied for. The
petitioners named in the application are J.
W. Grantland, J. Howard Lingle and
Harold B. Lingle. It might not be out of
place right bere to state that these men are
not asking any money bonus or anythiog
else from Belletonte but whole-sonled
encouragement in their new enterprise. It
is their intention to make it a stock com-
pany and already they bave promises of
some of the biggest moneyed men in Belle-
foote to take large blocks of stock just as
soon as they are ready to put it on the
markes.
Mr. Granltand has perhaps a dozen dif-
ferent patents in the line of wash bibs, cov-
ering everything from the ordinary spigot
for a sink to one from which hot and
cold water can be drawn at the same time
and at any temperature desired. They
will be manufactured out of both brass and
pickle and are undoubtedly the best line
of the kind ever put on the market. May
anbounded success attend the new com-
pany.
———————————
——R. B. Taylor bas not only bad bis
bands fall the pass few weeks running bis
legislative campaign but be will continue
to have them full for some time tol{come,
whether he gets the nomination tomorrow
or not. Next week he expeots to resume
work on leveling up and fixing the new
athletio field at State College and it will
only be a week or ten days until be will
begin work on that new state road through
Milesburg for which he was awarded the
contracs last week.
——
— -By this time next week we will all
know who caught the biggest (?) trout.
bating |
Spawis from the Keystone.
—One of the musical attractions at the an-
ual meeting of the 04d Fellows” Anniver *
sary association at Shamokin on’ “the 28th a
inst., will be melody by twenty ba It
will be a great day for the smhll “boy? «= ©
calling on everybody who kiow: |
of a formet Renovoite to pit'iton a coupon
printed in the News, and ‘sid it to one of
the committee, _ . .
—John P: Flood, Qowoer township,
Clearfield county. is urflér arrest on the
chucge, of embezzling movey from several
Scandipayisn societies, ybich have head-
gummy fos townghip. The amount in.
valved is yeported as being $1,100.
| PhKiskimineths Corl Works, at Tun-
nel ndikos have again resumed
operations and are working full time. There
| is soure titk of the’ coal company installing a
motor in their mine.
—As a result of the falling off in immigra-
tion, in the -coal regions, Prothonotary
Samugl Gore, of Pottsville. reports that the
naturalization fees of his office daring the
year just closed, dropped from $1.000 to $180.
—The executive committee of the state
grange held a’méeting at the Colonial hotel
Saturday aftérnoon and agreed upon Altoona
as the plack for holding the next state
grange meeting on the Second Tuesday of
December. -
—The fact that the Pennsylvania Steel
company has carried off the contract to de-
liver 6,000 tons of steel rails to the govern—
ment of New South Wales, against English
and German competition shows that our
steel industries no longer need much protec-
tion.
—Juniata college, Huntingdon, opens its
spring term with the largest attendance in
its history, and has been compelled ito find
rooms for a number of students outside its
dormitories. New buildings, additions and
improvements are in contemplation.
—Harry Faller, of Saville, Perry county,
captured three baby foxes recently. Failing
to secure a guarantee that he would, secure
the sealp bounty he returned then to the
nest, hoping to capture them next year,
when a new appropriation for bounty has
been made.
—Asher Wilson, a butcher, residing in
Eldred township, about eight miles north of
Williamsport, was the victim of a bold rob-
bery on Saturday morning while opening
his stand on the curbstone market of Wil-
liamsport. His eash hox was relieved of its
contents, upwards of $40 in silver and bills
of small denominations.
—According to an Allentown telegram the
largest blast in the history of the cement
industry was put off the other day when
Mrs. Frederick Franks, wife of the manager
of the Bath Portland Cement company,
touched the electric button which exploded
22,000 pounds of dynamite and dislodged
50,000 tovs of cement rock in the company’s
quarry.
—Five hundred dollars for fifty trout may
be the price which Chester Schwenk, of
Roaring Run, will have to pay. Justice of
the peace Watts, of Salladasburg, Friday
bei; Schwenk under $1,000 bail for a hear-
ing, the warrant alleging that in May, 1907,
be canght a half hundred trout that were
under the legal size. The penanty is $10 for
each trout so caught.
—Pierce Butler, a Muncy Creek farmer,
Thursday had a narrow escape from drown-
ing while plowing his land. There wassa
cave in at a point where the creek had
underminded the ground. The man and .
team went into the water in the hole. One
horse was drowned, but the other was res*
cued, as was Mr. Butler, whose grandson
onlled for help and soon had rescuers at
work.
—1In an official order issned by the adjutant
general's department Monday, the rifle prac-
tice season is fixed at from May 1 to October
31, and announcement is made that it must
be with the United States armv magazine
rifle. The new rifles will be issued to the
organizations of the guard during the month
of April. with ammunition. The qualifica.
tions will be the same as in former years.
—An order was issued from New York
Central headquarters Thursday to cut down
expenses at Avis and some thirty shop hands -
were laid off that night. In some sections
road engineers are heing reduced to firemen.
The retrenchment is made according to in-
formation from officials because of the con—
tinued slack times and the drop off in
freight both on the Central lines and con-
necting roads.
—Hurre T. Brewer, a well known black ~
smith of Williamsport, whose shop is located
near the city hall, returned to Williamsport
ten days ago from a year's tour of the U nit=-
od States and Mexico, traveling from Maine
to Texas, from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
and as far south as Vera Cruz, N. B., a total
distance of 16,000 miles. Although Mr.
Brewer saw many beautifal land scape scenes
and verdant, tropical valleys, he says he
prefers the hills and valleys of the old Key-
stone state.
—While lunching in a cafe at Shamokin,
Lester Bird, a former policeman, and a nom-
ber of years ago a ball player in the Central
Pennsylvania League, was approached by an
unknown foreigner, who annoyed Bird. He
ordered the man to depart. The man refused
and Bird knocked him down. The foreigner
departed and returned with a knife, which
he suddenly sank into Bird's head, the blade
penetrating the brain. Daring the excite-
ment the alien fled. Bird was removed to
bis home in a critical condition.
—The borough of Renovo will hold a
special election on May 16, to decide whether
or not the bouded indebtedness shall be in-
creased from $25,000 to nearly the fall limit
allowed by law-seven per cent. of the assess.
ed valuation of property, which is $986 505—
in order to secure funds to improve the
water system. An ordinance to that effect
was at a special meeting of the
borough council held on Thursday. Should
the voters decid: on a bond issue in denomi~
nations ranging from $100 to $500 each, bears
ing interest at 4} per cent. and redeemable
n 30 years from the day of issue.