Demonic Wald BY P. GRAY MEEK. INK SLINGS. —Nineteen more days, only, until the opening of the trout fishing season. —Swat the first fly you see and keep on swatting as long as you see any to swat. — While the snow is fast disappearing sleighing is still good on many of the mountain roads of the county. ~The cold wave in this section of the State the latter part of the week may have been due to the PENROSE visits. —Candidate McCormick will be in Bellefonte on Thursday of next week from ten in the morning until one-thirty, p. m. —“Frosts” are likely in all parts of the State, right up to May 19th, that is if PENROSE keeps visiting the rural dis- tricts. . —Anyway the British will soon be so busy saving their own hides in Ulster that they will probably forget all about the BENTON incident. —If the young man who blows a bugle . on the streets of Bellefonte at all hours of the night would blow his head off there would be many a dry eye in the parish. —Chicago has more than two hundred thousand women voters and we haven’t heard of any churches or missions hav- ing to move out of the Windy city to find more needed fields for their endeavor. —Young JAY GOULD put it all over the English champion COVEY, in their court tennis match; all of which goes to show that while the winner may be a GOULD he isn’t a Jay in all senses of the word. —Flies are worse than rabbits to multiply so swat the first ones that put in an appearance. It’s economy to do it, too, for think of the saving in wear and tear on your screens later in the summer. —JACK JOHNSON made a flying de- parture from Sweden and the trail of his exit was marked with the wreckage of ancient eggs. Since Dr. Cook's time American heroes (?) are not so popular as they once were over there. —Between that bank hold-up in Al- toona and the infanticide case in Belle- fonte really there was so much excite- ment in town that we almost ran out of that "every-day will be Sunday groove that we have been in ever since the big Snow. —Do you believe that story sent out from DuBois to the effect that RYAN will carry Clearfield county? Itsays that even the KERR crowd over there are for him because they are dissatisfied with the postoffice appointments at Curwensville and DuBois. —The Colonel is reported to have lost all of his outfit in a boat-upset in the rapids of the upper Amazon. It is barely possible that he had heard how his friend PINCHOT is being received in Pennsyl- vania and tried to calm himself with a little rocking the boat exercise. —WiLLIAM DRAPER LEWIS, the Bull Moose candidate for Governor, wants a new constitution for the State. We don’t knowbut that the old one may be worn out trying to assimilate the variegated nostrums of isms and istics that it has been dosed with the past few years. —Public sales this spring have put a new and, we hope a temporarily fictitious value, on cattle and hogs. With cows selling around the hundred mark and hogs as high as sixty dollars each, it would look as though even the time of a “slow note” will not be long enough to let the buyers out. —Col. WARREN WORTH BAILEY wants Congress to make the army and navy build the new government railroad in Alaska. Up to the minute we heard this we had always believed the Colonel to be the possessor of an uncommon number of marbles, and if he was he has certain- ly lost a few of them lately. —No dear, Harrisburg Patriot, “the re- actionary weekly of P. GRAY MEEK” as you describe it, is not supporting RYAN. It is merely telling its readers the kind of a Democrat your editor has been and the WATCHMAN will not say another word about Mr. MCCORMICK if you will deny its charge that he fought WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN for President. Answer, dear Patriot, was MCCORMICK straight on BRYAN? —The Mt. Jewett Herald, the official mouth-piece of E. R. BENSON, of McKean county, last week devoted about half a column to what it was pleased to call an answer to the WATCHMAN’S charge that Mr. BENSON, if a Democrat at all, is not the kind of a Democrat to have the en- dorsement of this district for Congress. The Herald failed to deny or contradict a single charge that the WATCHMAN made, but it did relieve itself of a diatribe such as might have done credit to some illit- erate agitator at a dog fight. The WATCHMAN has charged Mr. BENSON with bolting the caucus of the Democratic party at Harrisburg and refusing to vote for the late Hon. J. C. MEYER, when he was honored by being made the caucus nominee for Speaker of the House. It has charged him with having attempted to excuse this action by declaring that he was under no obligations to the Demo- crats for electing him to the Legislature. Until he has proven that these charges are unfounded—which he can’t do—he need expect little from the Democrats of Centre county. raat —— STATE RIGHTS AN D FEDERAL UNION, BELLEFONTE, PA. MARCH 27, 1914. "TEo.1%. _VOL. 59. Neither Record Nor Recommendations. Mr. E. R. BENSON, of McKean county, who is trying to be made and who the Republican leaders are anxious shall be, the Democratic nominee for Congress in this Congressional district, gives what he calls “Our Answer” to the facts furnish- ed by the WATCHMAN of the 17th of February as to his political record, his party treachery, and his absolute lack of any claim upon the party he is now ask- ing to make him its representative. that very brief record to which he now makes “answer,” this paper charged that, after being elected to the Legislature as a Democrat by the Democratic vote of his county in 1909 and after having him- self enrolled as such—choosing his seat in the Legislature among Ny Dretonias to be what he was suppbsed to be—at- tending the party caucus at its first meet- ing, he deliberately violated every prin- ciple of political honor, bolted its caucus, voted against those who had been unani- mously chosen as the party’s choice for leaders and officials in the organization of that body, and a few days later pub- licly, and in the hearing of a number of gentlemen in the Commonwealth hotel, ostentatiously boasted—that he was under no obligations to the party that elected him,—that he owed the Democrats noth- ing—that their leaders knew, when they placed him upon their ticket, that HE WAS NOT A DEMOCRAT —and that he did not come to Harrisburg to act with or lo aid the Democratic party and that he had no intention of doing so. These were the facts plainly shown and explicitly stated in the issue of this paper of February 17th. They are prov- of the joint caucus of the Senators and Members, and can be verified by a score or more of gentlemen who listened to his foolish boastings and were disgusted with his denunciations, of the party that had honored him with an election. They are the facts given briefly, in the without color or without criticism, and are facts that he neither disputes, denies, nor attempts to explain. He has had ample time to deny or disprove them if untrue. He has had abundance of opportunity to show that they are not correct, if they are not so, and to make excuse for his actions, if any can be made for such inexcusable perfidy, but in his reply, which he calls greater portion of a column in the paper of his home town—he fails to furnish a single fact showing that his actions, as a supposed Democratic Representative, were otherwise than as stated, or that the WATCHMAN had failed to give his record fairly and just as he had made it and desired it to stand. In fact he makes no denial, or no explanation of his political treachery, no excuse for his attempt to disorganize, divide and defeat the work of those who were trying to advance the interests of the people and who, like himself, had been chosen by the Democracy to oppose and if possible, defeat the efforts of the gang and the | party that has for so many yearsdisgraced Pennsylvania with its legislation and robbed its taxpayers for the benefit of its bosses. ‘ And this is the undenied, undisputed and unexplained record of the man who has the effrontery now to ask the Democracy of the 21st district—the men who comprise the party he has denied and denounced, to entrust him with the duty and the honor of representing them in Congress. Verily the party has fallen to a low estate, when individuals with the limited ability and no more political standing than Mr. BENSON has displayed, are even considered for the important position he now has the gall to ask the voters of the 21st congressional district to give him. —We notice that our old friend BERRY always says that VANCE MCCORMICK only OFFERED him financial assistance when he was prosecuting the capitol graft investigation, which must mean that he did not give any. Incidentally, it might be a nice little surprise to the pub- lic if Mr. BERRY were to go a little fur- ther in his speech and tél who did give the money. Why doesn’t he place the credit where it belongs without trying to foozle the public mind into believing that McCoRMICK gave it. ——The Presidents opinion of himself is not over flattering, according to his recent speech before the National Edi- torial association. But so long as he acts as he has done in the past the high opinion which the people entertain of him will remain unimpaired. ——Senator CUMMINS of Iowa has a hot fight on his hands for re-election, according to news dispatches. CUMMINS is a smooth guy, but even he can’t fool all the people all the time. In | en by the records of the organization of the Legislature of 1912, by the minutes “Our Answer,” and which occupies the The Limit of Bi-Partisanship. After a couple of trips through por- tions of the State Mr. VANCE C. McCoRr- MICK insists that the only relevant issue in the Democratic primary campaign is that of bi-partisanism. Every place he went he held up before the eyes of his meagre audience some sort of a bogie which he called by that name and de- clared that it represented all those who are opposed to his nomination. Some years ago he was quite as emphatic in denouncing those who supported WiL- LIAM JENNINGS BRYAN for President and he freely accused them of selling the par- ty out to the Populists. His mind seems to be obsessed with this idea though later he could see no harm in DoN CAwMm- ERON and other Republicans supporting him for Mayor. In view of Mr. MCCORMICK’S detesta- tion of bi-partisanism, however, we were shocked the other day upon reading in the Philadelphia North American an ac- count of an aggravated case of bi-parti- sanship in Fayette county. The persons concerned in this conspiracy, according to our Philadelphia contemporary, are State Senator LIAM E. Crow, chair- man of the Republi State commitee; BRUCE F. STERLING, leader of the Mc- CoRrMICK branch of the Democratic par- ty in that county, and JOHN F. CARROLL, a prominent Republican and former member of the Legislature. Mr. CAR- ROLL had been superintendent of public schools, a lucrative office there. STER- LING wanted the place for a Democratic friend, Mr. GREGG LLEWELLYN, and CROW “double-crossed” the Republican | candidate in order to help STERLING'S friend, who was elected. : As CROW’s Senatorial term was draw- ing to a close Mr. CARROLL announced himself as a candidate for the office. Crow wanted to be re-elected, of course, | but CARROLL developed such strength as | to make CROW’S success doubtful. Then Mr. STERLING was brought into the reck- oning. He proposed to get LLEWELLYN issue of this paper of February 17th— | appointed collector of internal revenue | so as to create a vacancy in the office of county superintendent, salary $3,500 a 1a year. Then together they appealed to CARROLL to withdraw from the contest for Senator, guaranteeing CROW an unoppos- ed nomination. After much persuasion CARROLL consented and the bi-partisan conspiracy was practically completed. State Senator CROW, chairman of the Re- publican State committee, and BRUCE STERLING, head of McCCoRMICK’S Demo- ! crats were snugly tucked into a rather dirty bi-partisan bed. | There was a missing link in this bi- partisan chain, however. Mr. LLEWEL- LYN wouldn’t relinquish his fat office and ‘salary as superintendent of schools un- til his commission as revenue collector | was assured. But the bi-partisan con- spirators were equal to the emergency. | STERLING went to Washington and laid ' the matter before A. MITCHELL PALMER, head of the office brokerage firm of ' PALMER & MCCORMICK. PALMER prompt- ly appealed to the President and the ap- | pointment of LLEWELLYN followed. CAR- ROLL immediately withdrew from the { Senatorial contest and was safely landed | in the office of superintendent of schools i and as smooth a piece of bi-partisan po- | litical jugglery as’ was ever heard of was consummated. Source of Wilson’s Influence. The esteemed New York World not only “draws a moral” but “adorns a tale,” in discussing the JONES episode. It will be remembered that Senator JONES, of Washington, recently arraigned the Pres- ident with great bitterness in discussing the question of equalizing Panama canal tolls. He said that the President’s action was in pursuance “of a bargain with Eng- land,” and in obedience to the demand of the Canadian Pacific railroad. If any Senator had said that during ROOSE- VELT'S administration, he would have been denounced as a “malignant liar” and “a deliberate falsifyer.”” But Presi- dent WILSON didn’t adopt that course. On the contrary, the day after the event President WILSON invited Senator JONES to call at the White House and talk the matter over. Upon reaching the executive office the President pro- ceeded to show the Senator that he was mistaken. He pointed out the fact that no ulterior influences had moved him and that no bargain had been made with England or any other power with respect to the Mexican question or any other ‘subject. In this he was so explicit and convincing that Senator JONES returned to his seat in the Senate, made public apology for his blunder and declared that he had been misinformed. The esteemed World draws the infer- ence that the President’s influence with Congress is ascribable to this admirable poise. “It is easy to understand,” says our contemporary, “how the President should at times feel ‘like a fire from a far from extinct volcano,’ but the lava has never spilled over. The Presidents success in dealing with Congress is a striking example of the power of self-re- straint. This is as it should be. Under free institutions the only man fit to gov- ern is the man who can govern himself.” President WILSON has amply proved his fitness and the case in point is proof of the fact. u President Wilson’s Good Work. President WILSON has done much ex- cellent work since his induction into the great office he occupies and it would be invidious to make comparisons. But we may justly especially commend his effort to secure arepeal of the legislation which discriminates in respect to Panama canal tolls. That is a movement for the pres- ervation of the honor and integrity of the country, which is more important than any mere pecuniary consideration. By treaty we are pledged to the policy of equality, and the repudiation of a treaty is an act of dishonor. Neither President WILSON nor the Democratic party can afford to take responsibility for such perfidy. No government could long en- dure such bad faith. Those who favor discrimination in favor of American coasting ships reason that because the American people built the water way they have a right to any advantage which might accrue from the enterprise. If we had not previous!” en- tered into a solemn agreement to the contrary that would be literally true. We have the right to certain very important advantages among which is that to close the highway to hostile ships in the event of war and to control the management of the canal at all times. But such privileges as we agreed by convention to forego, in advance of the construction, we cannot claim now even if there were substantial advantage to us in the operation. As a matter of fact, however, the peo- ple of the United States would derive no benefit, directly or indirectly, from the exemption of American coasters from the payment of tolls. All the advantage would go to the Ship trust which owns and operates the ships benefited. The cargoes thus brought in at reduced cost would be put upon the market at the higest price the traffic would bear and the amount saved by the exemption from tolls would be added to the profits of the ship owners. This is the plain truth and no sophistry can disguise it. It is simply an indirect method of voting subsidies to ships and the President is right in using hib fluence to prevent such iniquity. ——1It is intimated that the American Charge ’'d Affaires at Mexico desires to resign. If he could inoculate HUERTA with the virus that has influenced himself to that determination he can have about anything he wants on his return to this country. Lower Cost of Living Certain. Ever since the passage of the UNDER- wooD tariff bill our Republican friends have been shedding crocodile tears be- cause the promised decrease in the cost of living had not followed. Even in the announcement of his candidacy for Sen- ator BOIES PENROSE reiterates this plaint and urges the restoration of the Republi- can party to power on that account. It made no difference to him that prices had been held up by artificial processes. He paid no attention to the fact that economic conditions are slow to change and that the new law had not had op- portunity to assert itself as yet. All he cared for was to make capital out of an unavoidable situation. But the effects of the new law are now beginning to assert themselves. Meat has already fallen twenty per cent. in wholesale markets and will drop in the same proportion in retail places within a short time. Butter and eggs are lower now than they have been for half a doz- en years. Sugar, woolens, cotton goods and dozens of other necessaries of life have been reduced and the indications are that there will be a decrease in val- ues all along the commodity lines. Hap- pily wages have not come down and are not likely to. The stimulus to industrial and commercial life incident to enlarged markets will keep up the rate of wages throughout the country. 3 It may be noticed, also, that the pro- ducers of farm commodities are not suf- fering from the decreased prices. Farm- ers get quite as much for their products now as they did while the prices were being held up by cold-storage corpora- tions. The lowering of prices is the nat- ural result of forcing the cold storage warehouses to release their stocks by the process of importations. Mr. PENROSE would better call in his platform for re- vision. By the time the campaign is ful- ly on his predictions with respect to the operation of the UNDERWOOD law will sound like emanations from an insane asylum. Improvements are due and they are coming as certain as fate. ——With the parcels post available farmers are getting close to consumers and will have a better chance for a fair share of the profits of production. ——The Philadelphia piggeries must move, it appears, but there will be hogs in the public service there as long as the contractor-bosses are in control. John Short Demands Fair Piay. From the Clearfield Republican. There would be just as much sense, as much honesty and as much fair play ex- hibited by the managers for Michael J. Ryan if they would insinuate through workers and newspapers all over this State that A. Mitchell Palmer, who is asking for the Democratic nomination for United States Senator, is the same Palmer who ran on the Goldbrick ticket for President in 1896 against Bryan, as there is in the well circulated, infamous charge that Michael J. Ryan is the Ryan of the old Donnellv-Ryan Philadelphia political organization. : Every Democrat in Pennsylvania of any intelligence whatever knows A. Mitchell Palmer is not the 1896 Goldbrick ticket Palmer. That Palmer was John M., of Illinois, and he is dead. > Neither is Michael J. Ryan the “Don- nelly-Ryan” Ryan. That Ryan was Thomas J., and he is dead. : The opposition to Michael J. Ryan can- not either make votes or honorable head- way by even permitting this dishonest insinuation to be used as a weapon, much less stand responsible for its origin. They have every honorable right to op- pose Michael J. Ryan and defeat him at the May primaries, if they can. But they must do it on the square; in up- right, above-board manner. The defeat of Mr. Ryan in any other way will be no more nor less than the curtain-raiser to overwhelming disaster to .the entire Democratic ticket throughout Pennsylva- nia in November—State, Congressional district, Senatorial district, city and county. The Republican does not hold a brief for Michael J. Ryan, nor are we in the least committed or tied up to this candi- dacy. But the Republican is for fair play, for a square deal in this fight between Michael J. Ryan and Vance C, McCor- mick for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, a fight which the wisdom of the Democratic leaders in Pennsylvania should have prevented this year. Itis on, however, and will go to the finish. And it looks today as if it will grow hot- ter, dirtier, more bitter every day. If either or both sides employ such tactics and continue to do so there will be great reason for a general prayer going up from all Democrats—That God may save the pieces. Where are the Candidates? From the Harrisburg Star-Independent. The lists are open; but where are the | candidates? The elimination’ of he 52k conventions and the substitution in th place of the primary elections was meant to give everybody a chance to go before the people in the race for nominations and the plan was especially devised to do away with slate-making. Why, then, is it that there are not more candidates? On the Washington party side we see Gifford Pinchot out for United States Senator and William Draper Lewis, of Philadelphia, and Charles N. Brumm, of Schuylkill, in thc race for the nomina- tion for Governor. It is a fact that there were six candidates for the Washington nomination for Governor, and they were all together at one time in Harrisburg canvassing their chances, the choice finally falling on Mr. Lewis because, as it was naively announced, “he seemed to be the man the leaders wanted.” On the Democratic side we see Con- gressman A. Mitchell Palmer for United States Senator and Vance C. McCormick for Governor because they were chosen by President Wilson at the White House conference, and Michael J. Ryan for Gov- ernor because of a widespread movement in his behalf originating in Philadelphia. On the Republican side we have Boies Penrose for United States Senator be- cause he believes he ought to succeed him- self, and former Mayor Dimmick of Scran- ton, for the same office because he believes the people are calling him. And for Gov- ernor we have Martin G. Brumbaugh, who announces that he is his own candidate. But where are the other candidates? Where are all of those patriots who were “among those mentioned” but a short time ago? Is the object of the direct pri- maries to be defeated by the scaring off of all candidates but a few? We hope not. Let them come out. The more the merrier. It is a long way yet to the primary election, and no man with a spark of ambition to be a candidate on the State ticket should hold back. The lists are open. Get busy, aspirants! Wide-open primaries are what the peo- ple cried for. They are here. Why not take advantage of them? Ulster From the Johnstown Democrat. Dispatches from Ulster are disquieting, as are those telling of the activities of the English war office, but it is un- believable that recourse will be had to bloodshed in the settlement of the per- plexing problem which confronts Ireland and the English people. We dare say that to the same extent that politics had a great deal to do with the breaking out of our own Civil war politics is to be found at the bottom of the trouble in Great Britain. All war is terrible, but strife among brothers doubly so. There have been bold statements from both factions in the Ulster difficulty. There have been threats from both sides. Ulster’s leaders have preached rebellion openly. The home rule element has been quite as open in its statement of what will occur in the event of rebellion. Finally has come the time when fratricidal strife is almost a probability. Now the time has come when both sides should make concessions. At least there must be concessions if bloodshed is to be avoided. We believe in the end calmer counsel will prevail. Surely there is some other way of settlement than a resort to arms? ——The Panama canal may be the cause of war some time, but there is no use in hurrying the evil on. SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. —Two work trains employing about fifty men have been laid off by the Pennsylvania Railroad company—one of the trains running out of Wil- liamsport and the other out of Sunbury. —Frank G. Harris, of Clearfield, has a pen of Barred Rocks which are hard to beat as egg pro- ducers. During the past four months ninety-two hens have laid 3,337 eggs. They are averaging fifty-two eggs a day this month. —The Brunswick hotel and the National house, Huntingdon, will close to the public April 1. The Leister house, the leading hotel in the county, will raise its rates on that date. The Eagle hotel at Orbisonia will also close and the proprietor go back to his farm. —John W. Reeder, a well known resident of Lock Haven, dropped dead on the street Friday evening a few minutes after delivering a trunk. The trunk was an unusually heavy one, and it is thought the handling of it brought on an at- tack of heart disease. —Clearfield has already under way plans for an old fashioned Fourth of July celebration. Com- mittees have been appointed and are already at work perfecting arrangements to make the cele- bration a success. The fire department of the town will have the chief part in the celebra- tion. —Harry Gray. a dark-skinned individual who served six months for stealing property in Punx- sutawney, returned to that town the other day and resumed operations. The stolen articles were recovered and the thief given three months to leave the town. He embraced the opportunity. —As the result of shooting and fatally wound- ing an Austrian wood chopper and shooting an Italian woman at a lumber camp, Salvatore Lam- anna an Italian commissary agent is in the Ly- coming county jail. After being surrounded by officers near a farm house he and two compan- ions surrendered without offering resistance. —In conjunction with the Farmers and Miners’ Trust company, the Punxsutawney Spirit offers the boys of Jefferson county and a portion of Indiana county the sum of $200 to be divided into five portions and to be distributed as prizes in a corn growing contest. The first prize will be $75; second, $55; third, $35; fourth, $25, and fifth, $10. —With seven dogs as her only companions, Miss Isabelle Kerr, an aged woman, was found at her home, near Greensburg, the other day by state police who had gone to investigate the rumor that she was starving seven head of cattle. Two of the animals and the dogs were shot. The woman was sent to the county jail and will prob- ably be taken to an asylum forthe insane. —The first Cattle Feeders’ convention ever held in Pennsylvania will meet at State College on April 3. At that time the steer feeding experi- ment being conducted by the Pennsylvania State College Experiment station will be closed. Sixty head of West Virginia cattle have been fed this year and some interesting results are being ob- tained that should be of great value to Pennsyl- vania feeders. —Attorney Fred T. Ikeler, auditor of the estate of the late Congressman John G. McHenry, of Benton, Columbia county, conducted a hearing Thursday in Bloomsburg. There is a sum ap- proximating $17,000 for distribution among claimants, the aggregate debts of which amount to perhaps $350,000, so that eventually the credit- ors'of the estate will receive somewhere in the neighborhood of four per cent. —It may not be generally known that the De- partment of Agriculture at Harrisburg is now preparing a bulletin listing the abandoned or un- occupied farms in Pennsylvania that are for sale. Anyone having a farm of this class who wishes to sell it might do well to write to the Secretary .at once for a descriptive applica: Of ticulture t a sits The department does not desire in- formation regarding farms that are occupied or that are being operated. - —One man was burned to death early Sunday morning in a fire that destroyed the three story frame livery stable of the Barber Transfer, at Bethlehem, killing 31 horses and a pair of mules. The building which stood near the historic Sun Inn, was burned to the ground. E. G.Bar- ber, the proprietor, places his loss at $25,000. The fire is supposed to be of incendiary origin. Mich - ael Cooley, 40 years old, who slept in the stable, was cut off by the flames and perished. —Word has been received in Johnstown, to the effect that Thomas McClarren, a former Cone- maugh young man, was dangerously wounded about the abdomen in a running fight with Mexi- can rebels a short time ago. The letter was dic- tated by McClarren and gives few details other than that he and others were living on a ranch on the Mexican side of the border, which was at- tacked by the rebels, and the occupants of the place were obliged to flee to a point of safety. —Soft coal miners and operators from the Cen- tral Pennsylvania district who failed to reach an agreement at their meeting in DuBois early in the month re-assembled in Philadelphia Monday but because of the failure of several delegates .to reach the city did not begin the discussion of a new working agreement. Patrick Gilday, dis- trict president of the United Mine Workers, said that the miners will insist that they be relieved of the work of pushing cars in and out of the mines. —Kylertown, Clearfield county, was the scene of a very destructive fire at an early hour Mon- day morning, which burned the frame store building occupied by Vine Shaw and also Joseph Hartle’s meat market in connection with the store. Mr. Shaw had $1,200 insurance, which will largely cover the stock carried, while Mr. Hartle’s loss is total. Peter Moyer owned the building, valued at about $2000, and his loss is partially covered by insurance. The origin of the fire is unknown. 2 —The body of an unknown man was found along the Pennsylvania tracks a short distance above Milton Friday morning by Trackwalker Gilbert Zimmerman, who saw the man lying among the bushes and thought him asleep. How- ever when he tried to shake him, Zimmerman found the man was dead and had been frozen stiff by the cold. Nearby was a small vial with the label scraped off and it was the contents of this bottle that in all probability caused the man’s death. It is thought the vial contained carbolic acid. Thebody was turned over to the overseer of the poor. —The Methodist Episcopal church at Mahaffey was totally destroyed by fire Sunday morning, that had its origin from a burning flue. The janitor to get the building heated had started roaring fires and sparks that fell from the chim- ney set fire to the roof. Members of the congre- gation on their way to service became a fire brigade and were joined by others but lacking fire fighting apparatus they devoted their energy mostly to saving church property. The pulpit, organ and books were removed and allof the pews with the exception of several were carried out before the roof fell in. The edifice was a frame structure, and the loss $4,000, with $2,000 insurance. —From present indications the “last raft” has not yet passed down the West Branch of the Susquehanna river, as several are up river awaiting the proper flood. During each of the past five years the “last raft” was supposed to have gone into local history, but it appears that each year some person succeeds in getting at least one from the almost denuded ‘forests, This year James L. McGonigal, a well known lumber- man of Pottersdale, expects to bring down four rafts of round timber, which he will deliver to Marietta. The fleet is dueon Sunday, and will no doubt prove equally as interesting a sight as during the palmy days of the lumber industry in this section, when hun inthe 3 were moored river awaiting buyers.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers