Demonic Wado
BY P. GRAY MEEK
INK SLINGS.
—Always we have to have one real,
first-class storm during Chautauqua
week.
—Do it now! Look at the label on
this paper and discover whether or
not you ought to send a check.
—How are you enjoying Lieut.
O’Brien’s story “Outwitting the Hun.”
It’s getting interesting, isn’t it?
—The Germans have discovered
that there are some nuts that their
famous “nut-cracker” strategy can’t
crack.
—So far as Spring creek’s present
condition indicates the trout fishing
season in and about Bellefonte ended
Wednesday afternoon.
—The rain Tuesday afternoon broke
a long dry season in Centre county
and proved wonderfully beneficial to
the potatoes and corn.
— There are plenty of diversions
that might have been dispensed with
easier than base ball and “all work
and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
—It seems almost a paradox but
it is a fact never the less that the
more soldiers we send away from
Bellefonte the more people there are
in the town.
—Tt is said that Haiti is the twen-
ty-second nation to declare war
against Germany but it is better late
than never. Haiti has simply shown
that its heart is in the right place.
—1If the Central R. R. of Pa. goes
out of business Sears-Roebuck & Co.
might buy the franchise for there will
be no other means of shipping car
load lots down that valley after the
Central is scrapped. .
—We have made wonderful drives
for the Liberty loans, the Red Cross,
the Y. M. C. A. and war savings
stamps on this side of the water, but,
oh Joy! think of the drive the boys
are making on the other side, ;
—Talking about having “a finger in
the pie” how many flags have been
raised in Centre county without a few
oratorical pyrotechnics from Col. J.
L. Spangler, Col. H, S. Taylor, Ed-
mund Blanchard or W. Harrison
Walker.
— Whenever - another story gets
afloat to the effect that the Crown
Prince of Germany has been captured
thumb your nose at the purveyor of
the news. The Kaiser’s boys are al-
ways where they can get back to Ber-
lin while the gettin’s good. :
~ —Germany is reported as seeking
the good offices of Spain in presenting
peace porposals to the allies. Streaks
f yellow come out quickest in adver-
ity, The hammering they have been
getting during. the past two weeks is
“evidently throwing a scare among
them.
—The call for a larger wheat acre-
age in Centre county will be respond-
ed to, of course, but unfortunately it
will be impossible for our farmers to
seed much more ground than their
regular rotation plans call for. There
are, however, some uncultivated farms
in the county that could be turned to
whest this fall if anybody could find
the time and equipment to do it.
—Five million men will be called
to the colors in this country and more
if they are necessary. We are fight-
ing for nothing but a principle but
as that is the most justifiable motive
any country could have the Kaiser
and Hindenburg might as well look
the fact square in the face and recon-
cile themselves and their people to
the good lickin’ they are bound to get.
—Nearly every day some person
calls at the “Watchman” office for a
copy of the paper and expresses his
or her estimation of its value in very
flattering terms. Of course it is all
music to our ears, but we own a cer-
tain measure of surprise that some of
the visitors have been so long in mak-
ing a discovery that so many of the
people of Centre county have known
for years.
—The United States committee on
Public Information, division of ad-
vertising, has just announced that the
newspapers and magazines of the
country have donated it $1,500,000.00
worth of advertising space for use
during 1918. While we have been en-
gaged in such helpful and patriotic
endeavor Congress and the Postoffice
Department have been reciprocating
by making the mailing facilities of
every newspaper in the country as
burdensome as possible.
—Next week the “Watchman” will
be printed on the new paper we have
been talking so much about. We want
you to notice it. To realize that it is
probably the best paper used by any
newspaper in the United States. It
has cost us nearly twice as much per
pound as the paper that this edition
is printed on, and we haven't paid the
bill either, because we are waiting un-
til we get some remittances from sub-
seribers who we hope are going to re-
mit just as soon as they read this par-
agraph.
—The Germans are beginning to
find out what a Spanish officer discov-
ered at Santiago in 1898. When some
one asked him if the American sol-
diers were brave he replied: “Brave,
my God, they even tried to catch us
with their hands.” While not for a
moment have we a thought of under-
estimating the valor, or minimizing
the efficiency of the soldiers of any of
our allies we still cling to the oft ex-
pressed opinion that the men of the
U. S. A. will set a new standard for
the military machines of the world
before they have completed their role
in this war.
-| success of the present attempt to
yoL. 63.
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
BELLEFONTE, PA.. JULY 26, 1918.
; NO. 29.
Juggling the Democratic Party. :
The Palmer-Donnelly-McCormick |
conspiracy in control of the Democrat- |
ic organization of Pennsylvania, ap-
pears to be preparing for another
juggling operation. Two years ago |
these enterprising opportunists hand- |
picked and elected a nice young fel- |
low who had neither claim nor exper-
ience, of the name of McLean, and a |
resident of Wilkes-Barre, as chair-
man of the State committee. Imme-
diately afterward Mr. McLean went
into service in the army and a gentle-
man whose name would have been
howled out of the reckoning was ap-
pointed acting chairman. This year,
in the face of the protest of the can-
didate for Governor, they hand-pick-
ed and elected another Mr. McLean,
brother of the one previously chosen,
to be chairman of the committee and
he has already given up the job to go
into the army, thus creating a vacan-
cy to be filled in the same way.
This McLean family is all right, no
doubt, but apparently either too as-
piring or too obliging. In other
words it looks as if these brothers
have been using the Democratic party
as stepping stones to their own pre-
ferment or are permitting the Pal-
mer-Donnelly-McCormick conspiracy
to use them in order to pull off scur-
vy political trades at the expense of
the Demccratic party. The chairman-
ship of the Pennsylvania Democratic
State committee is a considerable van-
tage point from which to launch a
claim for office and seems to have ful-
filled every expectation of the Me-
Lean family. Both William and
George have passed from one to the
other with surprising expedition for
in less than sixty days from assum-
ing ‘the chairmanship they have be-
come Majors in the army. And in
each instance they opened an oppor-
tunity for juggling the party by the
Palimer-Donnelly-McCormick opportu-
nists.
But we have grave doubts of the
“chloroform” the | Democratic party
By this juggling method. That it was
the intention of the conspirators to
perpetrate the fraud scarcely admits
of a question. Mr. George McLean
had ied for a commission in the
army be X
by the bossed vote of the servile com-.
mittee. , It was a betrayal of the
party, an act of perfidy to the
President and a crime against decen-
cy. But it will be carried out to the
letter unless the Democrats of the
State unite in a mighty protest. If
this is done and the fraud prevented
the Democratic nominee for Gover-
nor will be elected.
— Hindenburg may not be dead
but he has certainly “gone before.”
Peace Terms as They Will Come.
A news dispatch conveys the infor-
mation that an Austrian emissary re-
cently applied at various entente le-
gations at Berne, Switzerland, offer-
ing terms of peace. Of course he was
not received. He may have been a
self-constituted agent of the pacifists
of Austria who are multiplying in
numbers and increasing in activity,
or he may have been an emissary of
Emperor Karl operating under the
sanction of the German Kaiser. But
whoever or whatever he was his ad-
vances were properly rejected. ‘This
is no time to talk peace or even sug-
gest conditions for the ending of the
war. There is no thought worth while
at this time except such as have in
view a more vigorous prosecution of
the war.
No rational man or woman in the
United States wanted war and the
government at Washington kept out
of the war as long as it could without
the sacrifice of honor. But we got into
the war anyway because a crazy Ger-
man military autocracy put upon us
such outrages as could not be endur-
ed. Now that we are in, however,
there is only one way to get out and
that is to extinguish the principles of
autocracy as a governing agency
throughout the world and spread the
principles of democracy. We don’t
want to extend territory or dominion.
We don’t want indemnity or repara-
tion. But we want peace that will
endure upon a basis of justice and will
accept nothing less. This is the ulti-
matum of the only possible peace be-
cause the only possible peace will be
made in Washington.
No peace emissary representing the
German Kaiser or the Austrian Em-
‘peror or the Turkish Sultan will be
received no matter what terms he may
have to propose. After they are all
“licked to a frazzle” they will be told
what is coming to them in the future
and will get it in full force. Possibly
‘those mischief-makers and order-dis-
turbers will be allowed the freedom
of some safe retreat and possibly they
will be obliged to earn a decent living
by some honest labor with their hands.
But whatever happens to be their fate
it can be set down as certain that they
will never again be in position to de-
clare war on any other people or levy
tribute upon the labor of any other
hands.
‘spoke the truth.
“he was elected chaitman |
Taft’s Admonition to Patriotic Voters. One Discordant Voice.
Even former President Taft has In his speech at the Saratoga con-
been dragooned into the service of the vention of his party a week ago, Col-
party machine which is striving for a 'onel Roosevelt expressed his malig-
Republican
any cost.
Saratoga
ting the necessity of a Copgress in world war.” That is not the concen-
sympathy with the President at pres- sus of opinion among men of high
In a speech delivered in his statement that “we have played
ent he asserts that next year we will standing in this country or abroad. :
With a Lloyd George, the British Premier, . unscrupulous effort to brace up the
need an adverse Congress.
Republican Congress in 1917 he said | has been generous in his praise of our
“the declaration of war, proper prep- achievements in war work. Bonar
aration for it and the passage of the | Law, the British Chancellor, has been
conscription act would have been very ' equally liberal in_commendation. The
doubtful.” In that statement he ex- Kings of Belgium and Italy and the
pressed his honest convictions and | President of France have lost no op-
“But now the situa- | portunity to voice appreciation and
tion is different,” he added. “Now we leading citizens of the United States
need a Republican Congress to call have been enthusiastic in approbation.
fo rand insist upon adequate prepara- | But Theodore Roosevelt adopts the
tion and formulate legislation to this | other course and taking advantage of
end.”
What a pity the power of the ma-
chine is so potent! Former President
Taft knows better and in making such
a statement he prostitutes his pa-
triotism and belies his own intelli-
gence. A Republican majority in the
present Congress would have defeat-
ed every effective measure of legisla-
tion in support of the war policies of
the administration. Mr. Taft admits
this in his statement that “the decla-
ration of war, proper preparation for
it and the passage of the conscription
act would have been very doubtful.”
It is equally certain that a Republi-
can Congress next year will nullify
every feature of the war policies
which he reluctantly confesses were
essential. What has occurred within
a recent period to justify this rever-
sal of opinion? Absolutely nothing.
But the paralysis of sinister parti-
sanship has descended upon Mr. Wil-
liam Howard Taft and forced him to
play “the dog in the manger.” No-
body knows better than he that that
which he recommends offers the only
hope of escape for the German Kaiser
and the only chance for success of
the German army. Nobody knows
better than he that the policy he rec-
ommends will cost millions of lives
and billions of treasure and ultimately
extend the autocracy of Germany over
thy of the whole world upon him he
and public compassion into campaign
currency for service in partisan poli-
tics. He wants a Republican Con-
gress, not as he says, “to support the
administration at every point where
it acts vigorously im prosecuting the
war,” but for the same reason that
Penrose and Lodge want a Republican
Congress, that it may reverse the war
policies of the government and em-
successful efforts to win the war for
democracy. This is the meaning of
his sedition.
John Wanamaker, foremost Amer-
ican merchant; Thomas A. Edison,
M. Schwab, most successful American
manufacturer;
eminent American lawyer; William
R. Wilcox, until recently chairman of
the Republican National committee,
and scores of other Republican states-
men, publicists, lawyers and business
men frequently and freely commend
the administration and praise
achievements. But this chorus of ap-
preciation is disturbed by one discor-
dant voice which comes from the
throat of a disappointed grouch whose
varied and somewhat obstreperous
political career has not shown even
name the campaign manager the
every patriotic voter in the country gn 2
chance of Democratic victory in Penn-
to support only true and tried Demo-
crats for Congress at the coming elec-
tion. into a certainty.
Secretary Daniels says our ar-
my in France is only a vanguard. It
must be admitted that a million men
make a healthy and robust vanguard
but the force will be multiplied if
necessary.
Proud of Their Patriotism.
Citizens of Centre county have al-
ways prided themselves on their pa-
triotism on any and all occasions and
times like the present are what try
men’s souls and show what is in them.
And in this we do not mean men
alone, but the women of the county,
too. In fact it is the women of the
county that suggested this article.
One day last week when word was
received of what the American sol-
diers were doing in France a resident
in Bellefonte said: “My but don’t it
thrill you and make you feel like
going out in the middle of the street
and yelling your head off.” And on
Sunday afternoon, when the ther-
mometer stood 96 degrees in the
shade, and we stood on Allegheny
street and saw that long line of wom-
en, the Red Cross of Bellefonte and
surrounding towns, the State College
Chapter and members of its auxil-
iaries, or 391 women all told, it was
a sight so thrilling as to make one’s
heart ache. The men are doing their
part in this war most nobly, but the
women are carrying along their part
just as nobly, just as willingly and
just as uncomplainingly and with the
cohesion of two such irresistible
forces how can we help but win.
And another comparison: Sunday’s
parade was rather compact but at that
it seemed interminably long. And
yet that is just the length the parade
would be if all of the young men of
Centre county who have enlisted for
the war could be assembled in Belle-
fonte for one grand review. Is it any
wonder then that Centre countians
are proud of their patriotism and
justly so? They have given unstint-
ingly the best of their young man-
hood; they have contributed to the
support of the war by taking over
three million and a quarter of Liber-
ty loan bonds; they have contributed
over twenty-five thousand dollars to
the Red Coss and have purchased over
a half million dollars’ worth of war
savings stamps, and with all this car-
rying along the work on the farm and
in the factory on a one hundred per
cent. basis. Is it any wonder ‘that
Centre countians are proud of their
patriotism.
Patriotism of the Farmers.
The government has made a new
appeal to the patriotism of farmers.
It asks for an increase of the winter
wheat acreage to a total of 47,500,000
acres. With a yield of 15.7 bushels
to the acre this would guarantee a
crop of 667,000,000 bushels of winter
wheat of the value at the price fixed
by Congress of $1,467,400,000, an un-
precedented source of wealth. Not a
great many years ago a farm product
value of a billion dollars was regard-
ed as enormous. But now a yield
nearly fifty per cent. in excess of that
is expected from a single element of
the farm product. The yield of other
cereals, animal products, vegetables
and minerals will carry the total to
unbelieveable figures.
As a matter of fact we are just ap-
proaching a realization of the vast
resources of this country. And sin-
gularly enough some great calamity
like the present world war was neces-
sary to develop the facts. If it had
not come we would have gone on in-
definitely, increasing crops of course,
but increasing our profligacies in
equal ratio and living from hand to
mouth, as it were. But that frame of
mind will never return. The inten-
sive methods of farming which have
been forced upon us by the necessities
of others as well as ourselves will en-
dure and the altered systems of ex-
penditures will be equally permanent.
Jay Cooke said “a national debt is a
national blessing” and we may now
add that a national calamity is a
source of national wealth.
In this increased wheat product
Pennsylvania is expected to contrib-
ute a fair proportion. Last year the
winter wheat acreage of the State
was 1,530,000 acres and we are asked
to expand it to 1,683,000 acres. We
are not accustomed to speak of Penn-
sylvania as a winter wheat producing
State but when we contemplate the
possibilities and realize the expecta-
tions there is something more than a
thrill in the figures. But it may be
set down as certain that the Keystone
State will meet its obligations in full
and we confidently believe that Cen-
tre county will be among the foremost
in the work. She has not faltered in
any patriotic obligation and this is
one of the foremost.
——Of course helping Russia is a
compelling moral obligation but care
should be taken to eliminate the Bol-
sheviki before either money or sym-
pathy is lavished in that direction.
.———The Crown Prince will have to
get a new job but he can do as well
at anything else as in “marshalling
squadrons in the field.”
——For high class Job Work come
to the “Watchman” Office.
the other day while admit- ‘a poor part in-the early stages of the
its
sylvania this year will be converted
Centre Countians Have Reason to be
majority of Congress at nant hatred of President Wilson in | in he so Deu e French army has
|
The Strategic Lies of General Stein,
From the Lancaster Intelligencer.
That German spread-eagle speech
of the Prussian war minister, where-
announced, “The
n beaten. The so-called Foch re-
serve army no longer exists,” is now
reported in greater length, but proves
! worthy of no more serious considera-
an incident which centred the sympa-
undertakes to coin his bereavement
" achievements strun
tion. It was quite plainly an utterly
shaken confidence of the Reichstag,
troubled by the manifest failure of the
successive German offensives to at-
tain any decisive objective, notwith-
standing the great gains they have
made. :
Although the appalling ‘cost of
these offensives has not been made
public in Germany, the members of
the Reichstag must have realized it
and must have understood, also, that
no decisive objective had yet been
either attained or brought within cer-
tain reach. Therefore, General Stein,
the Prussian Minister of War, at-
tempted in this speech to so magnify
what the German armies have actual-
ly achieved as to satisfy that body
and placate, as far as : possible, the
anxiety and distress the public.
The phrases quoted appear to have
followed an extravagant statement of
upon an impres-
. give thread of truth—the victory. at
barrass the President in his vast and
Charles E. Hughes, |
| and stripes on the crest
Armentiers, the capture of Mont
Kemmel, the capture of the Chemin
des Dames and the very rapid advance
to the Marne—but it must have been
difficult, even for the Reichstag, to
swallow his amazing assertions about
the annihilation of opposing armies
and the obliteration of General Foch’s
reserves. Forced, at last, to some
mention of the presence of American
troops, he did not even hesitate to in-
leading American inventor; Charles clude them in his claims of conquest.
This is just the sort of lying that
has so often developed from the des-
erate efforts of tottering war power.
apoleon often. resorted to it and fre-
quently with suecess, his genius be-
ing able to snatch victory from defeat,
while thus bolstering up things in the
council chamber and with the people.
But victory is not now to be won in
that way. Foch has the reserves and
we are adding to them. The tide has
already begun to turn with the stars
bf many a
wave all along the front. .
The Italians Ready.
the entire face of civilization. Yet he {one achi ent worthy of a place in | FTO the Pittsburgh Dispaith, |
proses Himsa 0 Sho eevice if itor, pis, Commun drives sgaipe So
siich 4 cause under-the mandate of @]- - . . SEmm—== Lp Buh i tontnS in tevrtory b
osttorous party machine: “His lam. | ——Now if the Democratic candi- | ptavy (niial gain fn Jeri, WIVES
entable attitude should admonish date for Governor is permitted to serious Yeconsideration of the impres-
sion created when General Cadorna
was forced to give way before the
Austro-German avalanche last fall.
Against the same elements of sur-
prise and attack in overwhelming
masses the western allies have like-
wise had to yield ground. The rally
of the Italians and their successful
stand at the Piave, supported by Brit-
ish and French artillery, went far to
correct the erroneeus first impression,
since further illumined by the events
in the west. All of which encourages
faith in the present ability of the
Italian armies in resisting the new
Austrian advance, even if the invad-
er momentarily succeeds in crossing
the river.
This time it is not believed the Ger-
mans will be able to spare any men to
bolster the Austrian strength, and,
between Austrian and Italian armies,
history finds the Italians the better
fighters. Further, as Italy has sent
a large force of Italians to help in
France, where they could be given
the arms and equipment Italy lacked,
the British and French have reinforc-
ed the Italians in Venetia with the
elements they most needed. It is not
improbable that American forces will
“also be found in that field, many
Americans of Italian origin or descent
Loping they might be sent to fight on
the Italian plains.
Planning to Aid Russia.
From the Williamsport Sun.
_ Russia is again occupying a very
important place in the war news, due
to the belief that important action is
about to be taken by the allies to save
Russia from complete domination by
the Germans. For some weeks there
have been rumors of allied military
intervention in Siberia, and it has
been stated that approval by Presi-
dent Wilson of the proposed move was
being sought by England, France and
Japan. That final decision, either in
favor of military intervention or some
other course of action that may better
meet the situation, has been reached
is indicated by the news from Wash-
ington regarding a conference held at
the White House, Saturday afternoon,
in which the heads of the State, War
and Navy Departments took part. It
was announced that the Russian situ-
ation was under discussion, and after
the conference it was unofficially stat-
ed a decision had been reached. For-
mal announcement of the action to be
taken is expected soon and the move,
whatever it may be, is likely to have
a very important bearing on the
whole war situation.
——The U-boat operations on our
Atlantic coast will serve as justifica-
tion for exuberance when the Yankees
reach Berlin.
—It’s a long “ery from the Piave
to the Marne but the sound is clear
and the echo very much the same.
\
——1It is certainly hot but heat de-
velopes corn and a bumper corn crop
is badly needed this year.
S——
—Put your ad. in the “Watch-
man.
|SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
.—Because they had worked girls employ-
ed in their boarding house seven days a
week the Misses Kurtz, proprietors of a
Hill Crest cottage at Pen-Mar, paid $25 in
fines.
—A number of Lycoming county wom-
en have been penalized by a smooth stran-
ger. for using white bread on their table.
Food Administrator Bruce C. Keefer has
issued a warning against falling victims
to the wiles of the imposter, declaring
that no such authority exists.
—Robert Jenkins, of Minersville, near
Sunbury, has brought suit in the Nor-
thumberland county courts in which he
seeks to recover $1,000 from the Philadel-
phia & Reading Railway company for an
automobile that was smashed by a train
at a grade crossing near Excelsior on Au-
gust 24 last, .
—A company of Johnstown capitalists
have secured a lease from Charles G.
Brown, Esq., of Huntingdon, upon his
sand quarry at McConnellstown and men
have been set to work clearing up the
place for operation. The company, it is
positively stated, will start a crusher with
all necessary machinery and equipment
for the operation of a modern sand indus-
try.
—While preparations were being made
for the celebration of the eighty-second’
anniversary of her birth, Mrs. Susan Hall,
of Columbia, fell twenty-five feet from an
attic window and was killed. Mrs. Hall
went to the attic to' get an heirloom to
present to her son’s wife. She opened the
the window for air and in doing so lost
her balance and fell, striking her head
upon the brick sidewalk. i)
—Mrs. Peters Mihlslie, of Indiana, has
been arrested on a charge of murdering
her six week’s old child. It is charged that
she struck it over the head with something
when it cried and “irritated” her, as she
claimed. The woman is about thirty-five
years old. Her husband is a miner. Four
years ago another child of the couple is
said to have died mysteriously or to have
disappeared mysteriously.
—One of the best oil gushers struck in
Warfen county in many years has been
struck by B. L. Frances, of Titusville.
The well, which is located on the hill to
the left of the Grand Valley station of the
D. A. V. & P. Railroad, was struck at a
depth of about 2200 feet. The well is flow-
ing at a rate eof thirty barrels daily. One
of the most encouraging things about the
well is that it was struck in the third
sand.
—A new and likely a very" valuable in-
dustry is about to be established near Shir-
leysburg, Huntingdon county. There has
been discovered, and well prospected, a
vast bed of clay covering hundreds of
acres of land on the farm of W. 8S. Walker,
one mile south of Shirleysburg. This clay
is found to be very rich in aluminum, and
is valuable for many uses, such as pot-
tery, ceiling furnaces, brick ‘kilns and as
an ingredient in cement.
—A fatal accident occurred in the quar-
ry of the Pittsburgh Glass Sand company
at Mapleton, on Wednesday of last week.
John Bruce, better known as “Mike,” an
Italian, was shoveling sand out of a seam,
when a large stone started to fall. The
other men seeing it, shouted to Mike to
get out of the way. He ran, but unfortu-
nately right into the path of the stone,
which crushed him in its descent. He
was instantly killed, his skull being crush~
ed and his neck broken. . Pin
fg
el rp Satan mi Toe bmn en
—Announcement that Swift & company,
beef packers, are negotiating with James
C. Packer, owner of the Chestnut street
opera house, Sunbury, with the idea of
turning the structure into a storage ware-
house for its central State business, caus-
ed surprise and anxiety among theatre-
goers in that section. Packer is said to
hold the property at $35,000. He has al-
ready offered it for sale. This theatre is
the most pretentious befween Philadel-
phia and Erie and the only one that pro-
¥idey winter amusement of the highest
class.
—With her hearing defective, Mrs. Am-
mon Church, aged sixty-two years, of
Shickshinny, walked down the Delaware,
Lackawanna and Western railroad track
on Saturday, near Beach Haven, and was
instantly killed when struck by a fast
freight. Five years ago her suit against
the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
for $25,000 damages for injuries suffered
in alighting from a train was thrice tried
in the Columbia county courts and the
railroad company finally got the verdict.
Her defective hearing played a prominent
part in that trial.
Deserting, not because he did not want
to serve in the army, but because they
would not send him to France, was the of-
fense charged against Harry A. Wiley, ar-
rested at Reading several days ago and
taken to Newport News, Va. for trial.
Wiley has credits for almost twenty-five
years in the regular army. He told detec-
tive Harry Huber, who went to Newport
News to testify in his behalf, that he ran
away because his command was not to be
sent across. Wiley was hunting means of
getting in some overseas branch of the
service when picked up.
—Attempting to save sixteen-year-old
Ralph Longenberger, son of Miles Lon-
genberger, of Beaver valley, froin drown-
ing in Catawissa creek, Columbia county,
shortly after noon Wednesday, Jesse Lynn,
twenty-five years old, and married, was
caught around the neck by the drowning
boy. Both were drowned, while fellow
workmen stood on the creek bank fearing
to go to Lynn’s aid. -Both were employed
by the Tidewater Pipe Line company, and
it is thought Longenberger was seized
with cramps when he went in swimming
immediately after luncheon.
—The hum of the sawmill is slowly dy-
ing out in Elk county, once noted for its
lumber industry. Only a few small mills
are in operation, which is in marked con-
trast to the conditions which prevailed
twenty years ago. At the rate the timber
is being cut it will not require many more
months to see the end of the last sawmill.
The Reitz Lumber company has a large
force of old-time lumbermen from Clinton
and Centre counties at work near Blue
Rock. Many of the men who have not
worked in the woods for several years
were drawn back by the high wage rate.
Neglected and abused by his parents,.
obliged to sleep under barns and going to
the home only when the pangs of hunger’
overcame his fear of abuse, John Evans,
Jr., the twelve-year-old son of Mr. and
Mrs. John Evans, of Gearhartville, Clear-
field county, is dead. The boy contracted
pneumonia and in his weakened condition
could not recover. The couple were ar-
rested, charged with manslaughter. Mrs.
Evans is the boy’s stepmother, but it is
alleged ‘that her youngest child, a little
girl five years old, is also shamefully neg-
lected. They are-Slavs by nationality.