ua
rural Maton
BY P. GRAY MEEK
———
INK SLINGS.
— Just eleven days until Christmas. |
— Renew your membership to the |
Red Cross.
— How about that Christmas shop-
ping? Have you done it yet?
— After tomorrow the deer will
hawe a rest and, my, won't they enjoy
it.
—If all Bellefonte streets were like
Water street we would have some
town
— The flu has started in to attack
some communities in the county that
had hitherto entirely escaped its rav-
ages.
— Governor Brumbaugh is on the
hunt for a song for Pennsylvania. His
own “swan song” will be published,
no doubt, about the latter part of Jan-
aary.
ere are forty-two thousand
people in Centre county and there
ought to be the same number of
members in the three Red Cross
chapters in the county.
— Next Wednesday the first of the
aerial mail carriers is scheduled to
arrive in Bellefonte. If you want to
fly a little high stick a postage stamp
on yourself at the rate if six cents an
ounce and you can do it.
—Many a woman has shattered her
husband's confidence in her judgment
by buying him a necktie for Christ-
mas. Don’t do it unless he has pick-
ed it himself and don’t buy him cigars
unless you know the brand he smokes.
ee
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mmr or mre ETT REE ee I EI IIR
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDE
RAL UNION.
VOL. 63.
BELLEFONTE, PA
Democracy in Pennsylvania. Sproul Keeps the Public Guessing.
Governor-elect Sproul still keeps
Legislature the Republican majority | the public guessing. In a speech at
on joint ballot will be two hundred. | the dinner of the Five O’clock club in
In the House of Representatives there | Philadelphia Saturday night, he gave
are two hundred and four members | notice that his administration of the
of whom one hundred and eighty-sev- | office will be progressive but not ultra
en are Republicans and seventeen in that direction. “We can afford to
Democrats. The Senate is composed | go a bit further in broadening our
of fifty members of whom seven are : government,” he said, “than anywhere
Democrats. This is the smallest | else in the world.” That must have
number of Democrats in the General | sent a chill down the back of the
Assembly in the history of the State. | Vares, who were guests at the feast,
Even before the adoption of the pres- | but the paliative swiftly followed.
ent constitution when there were only | «But at the same time,” he added,
one hundred members of the House | “we are going to stick to the Penn-
and thirty-three in the Senate, the | sylvania way of doing things. Above
Democratic force was greater. : all let us adopt tried: and proven
all party patronage was in the hands | things.” Even Dave Lane could hard-
of the Republicans the Democrats in | ly find fault with that assurance for
the Legislature were stronger. | the future.
Since the so-called reorganization | In another speech delivered before
of the party following the election of | the Philadelphia Republican City
1912 the Democratic force in the State | committee on Monday evening Mr.
has been gradually but certainly re- | Sproul paid special tribute to the
ceding. And there isa reason for | Vares. He thanked them cordially
this fact. The reerganizers were and | for their work “during the recent
are entirely selfish. Every man con-, campaign,” and expressed gratitude
In the approaching session of the
—The President hasn’t let the pub-
lic very far into his confidence con-
cerning the points he expects to visit
while abroad, but he has told us in
mighty plain language that one of the
places he doesn’t expect to go is to
Germany.
It is reported that William Hoh-
enzollern has made an attempt to
get out by the suicide route. If it be
s0 the one time Kaiser must have con-
eluded that it is best for him to take
up his permanent residence in hell
without further delay.
—Jt has cost millions of precious
Yives and billions of treasure for the
really civilized nations of the earth to
get into a position where they can
properly regulate Turkey and we hope
for Armenia’s sake, if nothing else, the
Sultan and his hordes of murderers
will be tied hand and foot.
—What of the Bellefonte Y. M. C.
A. Our boys who have been abroad
have come to have a great liking for
the “Y.” It has meant a lot to them
and it behooves us all to see to it that
the home “Y?” is made so attractive
that it will hold the interest and re-
spect of the boys when they come
home. ¢ i
Centre county: Temperance Unjon
nected with the movement and re- | to all Republicans of the State “who
maining with it after its sordid pur- were instrumental in returning Re-
poses were revealed got himself into | publican majorities in fifty-nine of the
office. After that there was no inter- | sixty-seven counties of the State.”
est in the success of the party. The What his feelings toward the Demo-
office holders were safer in their ten- = cratic State organization that con-
ure with the party in the minority , tributed so much to that result is left
and they kept it in the minority for to conjecture, but probably the lead-
that reason. In the recent campaign ers responsible for that party perfidy
because the early indications prom- are satisfied with private assurances
ised a victory they bolted the ticket of appreciation. In any event he vast-
and destroyed every chance of tri- ly over credits the Republicans.
umph. . ” But in both speeches and in all his
The Democrats of Pennsylvania
utterances since the election there is
ought to be stronger today than ever
expressed an under current of reform
before. The President of the United ' that gives hope of better government
States is an earnest and active Dem-
ost 5 ve I) | than we have been having in Pennsyl-
ocrat. He is and always has been
vania during recent years. To the
ready to use the influence of his great | feasters of Saturday night he said,
office to promote the principles of the “we are going to be progressive” and
party wherever and whenever it can! to the place hunters on Monday night
be done without prejudice to the pub- | he promised “fewer but better depart-
lic interests. But that help was wast- | ment heads.” No reformer can com-
ed because those who have control of | plain of such a prospect for it implies
the party machinery use it for their | improvement. But this subsequent
“will be a regular
selfish purposes. Instead of party! statement that he
Republican Governor,”
leaders we are under the control of a
bunch political - hucksters who | “served in the ranks” and “done all
the enemy for the things” which they have done, is
trade ang traffic with
selfish ends. If the ‘Democrats of the | somewhat discouraging. Some of
must have felt funny the first time
she found herself selling tobacco and
ona Sunday evening at that, in
France. But it is the war. Such an
incident would be unthinkable if it
were not for that, but, withal, we fan-
cy there will be many a person com-
ing back from the other side seeing
as they have never seen before.
— This has been an interesting week
in quarter sessions court. Not so
much because of the importance of
most of the cases but because of the
litigants themselves. Some of them
have furnished unusual entertainment
for the rather large attendance that
has been attracted really by the gen-
eral interest in the Gray cases which
went to trial yesterday, after an ef-
fort had been made to postpone them
until the February sitting.
—The Grand Inquest has recom-
mended, the Court will approve and
the Commissioners will probably ap-
propriate sufficient money for the
compilation and writing of a proper
history of the part Centre county has
taken in a war that most of us hope
will be the last that the world will
witness. Let it be a great record,
fully worthy of this rich and historic
county and such as will keep living
for ages and ages the heroic and self-
sacrificing character of our men and
women.
—Of course the Huns must pay to
the limit. Didn’t they rub their hands
and gloat, when their armies were
smashing the way toward Paris and
proclaim
draining
were going to make us pay the last
farthing to make good every conceiv-
able expenditure they had made dur-
to the world that after |
France and England dry they |
"the public has little sympathy for
Roosevelt. - Possibly, however, he was :
welchers whether in purple or rags.
satisfied with the work Roosevelt was
doing free of charge.
Teddy is Cherishing Wrath.
Theodore Roosevelt, always ambi-
tious and never sincere seems to have
‘lost his cunning as well as his con-
| science as a result of recent disap-
| Dinmenss, Ever since he was forc-
ei “0 \ ed to relinquish the “bully” times he
watch the Peace Commissioners In enjoyed in the White House he has
France. The absurdity of the prop- 3 4
osition was too great even for a com- | been yearning to return to that fal
; low field of opportunity. But one in-
Dives o fhe Ron Dugg ing | cident after another has arisen to de-
: | feat his ambition and in despair he
in defiance of precedent. Its purpose "1 .¢ peen nagging the President in
was seditious and its effect mischiev- : d out. But that
ous. But the Senate committee on SR ig of is hp es er
Foreign Affairs was hardly fair to, wi gt 2 o o Roar) w. 2 re :
Senator Cummins in condemning it. wu eir stomachs and as 1t Xkep
by unanimous vote. In the history Teddy constantly in the limelight no-
of Congress such an expression of ‘body was surprised. Lately he has
contempt for a fember of the Sen-: been pursuing another course how-
ate has never before been given. of | even and one of doubtful expediency.
£ a
course it was deserved but the thing : All the great men concerned active-
‘ tov: ” ‘ly and efficiently in the world war on
called “Senatorial Courtesy” has 80Me | poy}, sides of the ocean have been gen-
claims on the members of the body. | erous in praise of the achievements
boo hs bi Rn) eu nge Shoe of the American troops who partici-
hoy tad commie) S85 Evins | Pen the Being, MT 0)
and the incident forgotten in a few | D g 1
eulogy of the courage and efficiency
days. But in the case in point an in-
, " of our gallant men and freely as-
delible record is made cribed to them a large share in the
that until the |
end of time can be pointed to as com- | A Leds
plete proof that in 1918 there was a A 1 splentd JisioN.
Senator in the American Congress so Ce 1 a a
feeble minded and so absolutely des. | Clamencaen, of Fane elm
titute of the principles of decency that | same g gland,
he deliberately tried to cast an asper-
i
Cummins “Only the Victim.
The Senate committee on Foreign
Relations by unanimous vote, the oth-
er day, negatived Senator Cummins’
resolution to appoint a committee to
: : their tribute to our men. Lloyd
sion, not only upon the President, but | :
upon the country. If Cummins had | George, Premier of England, loses no
opportunity to praise the Yankee sol-
been entirely responsible for this |
. : : diers. But Roosevelt insists they
crime against the country, we might | &. > <
dismiss the subject with the remark | did nothing worth while. 3
that he deserved the punishment he Plans are now in progress to sen
ing the war. It is not at all unlikely
that they would have made us pay
them for the money spent by the
treacherous Bernstorff while he was
enjoying our hospitality and plotting |
death and destruction to the people
and industries of our country.
—Judge Gary of the United States
Steel company predicts five years, at
least, of the greatest prosperity our
country has ever known. He believes
that prices should be reduced, but so
gradually that there may be no dis-
turbance or loss either to capital or
labor. This sounds sensible enough,
but common sense isn’t a universal
characteristic of our people and the
disturbance is going to come when,
after commodities have dropped, la-
bor will be asked to accept a reduc-
tion also. In the last analysis we are
experiencing a period of inflation.
Very few people are better off and
many are far worse than they were
when prices were normal. Lower pay
envelopes can meet smaller store bills
quite as satisfactorily as the fat ones
of today are doing. And smaller
store bills are what the large number
of men whose compensation has not
been materially increased during the
war have a right to ask.
| home these gallant fighters and it is
expected that they will arrive at the
| various ports “over here” at the rate
| of two or three hundred thousand a
| week. By 1920 there will be a couple
of millions of them home and another
tnd; ; couple of millions who wanted to be
| De we 4 fs cagmaly | on the firing line but couldn’t will be
| native author from the shame which | of voting age at the ii a
attaches to the action of the Senate lection. at are they likely to say
| committee on Foreign Affairs in! when Roosevelt who is now traducing
| . .
| unanimously rejecting the proposi- £
| tion, Serr of Utah, the Mor- | ambition
| mon Apostle who may Jove four or House?
ve bili 2 I iin i be brought to their attention and Ted-
| the tenets of civilized society to mar | dy will pay the just penalty of his
| ry at all, are probably more respon- | folly.
| sible for the preposterous resolution |
: } ——Unce “Dave” Lane knows ex-
| than Cummins. They are the real actly how a State XS A Latration
leaders of the Republican party Mm ought to be conducted and he isn’t too
| Washington who make the pellets | :
| that are fired by cheap pettyfoggers | modest to let Sproul into the secret.
‘like Cummins, of Iowa, and Sherman, |
received. But Cummins was only the
silly instrument of a traitorous com-
bination now in Washington nagging
the President.
The resolution was and is the pro-
duct of the composite brain of the Re-
to return to the White
———————————————
We may not do as we used to
of Illinois. Therefore, they ought to | go but we will certainly give him a
| protect their victims from harm. hearty welcome when “johnny Comes
! eee ramet
. —— = | 3 »
| Probably Madill McCormick | Marching Home.
| was elected United States Senator for' ——Pershing may not have heard
Illinois as a recompense for the Ger- | that call from Ohio to enter politics
| man propaganda work performed by but anyway he isn’t paying much at-
! the Chicago Tribune in 1916. | tention to it.
because he has.
the an
State cast these perfidious traitors things they have done were
out. victory will be the reward. .. naughty.
ing opportunity when he overlooked | Germans seem to ~ be bad losers but
Italy and Belgium are enthusiastic in |
Presidential |
| them asks them to support him in his
It would hardly be polite to.
quote them literally but the facts will |
- DECEMBER 13, 1918
German Iniquities Revealed.
| It is within the limit of moderation
i
|
to say that the revelations of Mr. A.
‘Bruce Bielaski, “head of the Intelli-
gence Service of the Department of
| Justice,” are astounding. The crimes
| planned by von Bernstorff and the
| conspiracies organized by him to de-
| stroy life and property and betray
| faith among men mark him as among
| the most wanton criminals of modern
life. Enjoying the hospitality of the
| United States as the representative
, of a government which pretended to
| be friendly, he employed every arti-
fice conceivable to do injury to those
thus honoring him. The records of
no government show such moral tur-
pitude and we search memory in vain
liness.
Of the public officials and private
eitizens who were involved, directly
or indirectly, with the conspiracies of
while to. speak.
pf Nebraska, William Randolph
earst and the lesser lights engaged
the work of embarrassing the
esident were probably influenced
y no greater reasen than personal
ique to their perfidy and most of the
others were enticed by cupidity into
e schemes of the German diplomat.
But a good deal of the mischief was
ascribable to partisanship for the ab-
of the administration could be coined
to political capital was indulged by
any men who ought to have known
better.
° The inquiry is not yet finished and
Mr. Bielaski promises more thrills as
his narative proceeds. It may be
hoped, therefore, that some light will
be thrown upon a mysterious incident
of three years ago. The German
ly disturbed about the views of the
after investigation, declared that A.
Mitchell Palmer was employed to se-
cure the desired information. Mr.
“Palmer subsequently alleged that he
was acting in a friendly way for
John B. Staunchfield, of New York,
ned that Staunch-
ng for the German con-
|
— One year ago there was over a
foot of snow on the ground, the ther-
mometer was six to eight degrees be-
low zero and the coal situation unus-
ually acute. In fact many families
had to carry their from the yards
| owing to the ses s of men for de-
livery purposes. this year we have
got the coal and not the cold, with all
other conditions very much improved
over what they were a year ago.
Let Us Help You Locate Your Boy.
It will be a long time before the
for a human creature equal in beast-
son Bernstorff, it is hardly worth:
Senator Hitchcock,
surd notion that unavoidable mistakes
propagandists were at the time great- |
os
NO. 49.
Knows What He is Going Afier.
{ ¥rom the Clearfield Republican.
Of course, President Wilson did not
lay his cards on the table when ad-
dressing Congress last week. t
would have been worse than foolish.
Every critic, every rofiteer, every
sorehead, each and al representatives
of the interests, foreign and home-
made, in both branches of our alleged
body would have
{ great lawmaking
| been out with his knife, his hammer
‘and every other weapon available.
: Such action on the part of the Presi-
| dent would have opened the door to
| every kind of suggestion, amendment
i and all the crazy notions not only of
our law-makers but our muck-rakers
and the yellows generally.
| President Wilson goes across the
Atlantic for the of seeing
' that the principles for which America
Siruggle in the late war are made
the basis of the peace terms. He is
going to see that all the moves are
made openly and that the final terms
agreed upon mean just what they are
supposed to mean. ;
e has pledged this Nation to back
up the right of every pec 12 to select
the kind of government they want to
live under. He has impressed the
world with the fact that the United
States does not want anything out of
ry
new alignment of boun nes in
Europe, Asia Afri And he
will see that all divisions’ are in ac-
cordance with the reason actuating
the United States on entering the war
—that the world will hereafter be
safe for democracy.
Lloyd George is fi hting the same
. element in England t are opposing
President Wilson on this side =f the
and
. Atlantic. England contains a strong
: pany oppo to the perpetuation of
democracy. That element wants a
| return to the old autocratic powers
| Rvjously enjoyed by the aristocracy.
| They will fight hard for the old-time
| underhand brand of settlement of the
i war. They would be very glad io re-
| store the Hohenzollerns and the
Hapshurghs to power if by so doing
' they could get back the power that
President upon a question then under was once, theirs in the government of
discussion and the New York World, | Great
Britain.
| No, President Wilson knows what
| he is going to France for. He knows
| the inside of the game heis up
| against better than any other man in
the world. He doubtless has his plans
well in hand and he will keep them to
| himself until he decides to lay them
| face up on the peace table in Fra
{ # ————————————" r
ve
FINE
Only ‘afew “weeks ago the opinion
was commonly expressed’ in thi
country ‘that the United
should never again be
pared to defend
s
States
be caught unpre-
itself adequately
this moment, in the enthusiasm over
the defeat of the Germans, there is a
tendency to throw overboard without
further ado all the war organization
of the United States. Men in high
places talk of ce as though it had
een fully achieved and settled, be-
yond the possibility of fracture, and
they are eager to demobilize the ar-
my, rush the boys back from Europe,
last of Centre county’s soldier boys
will be home. Sonie of them will re-
turn almost at once, especially those
who have been located in cantonments
in this country.
But with the boys abroad it will be
different. Some units are listed for
early return while others will remain
with the army of occupation and
some, possibly even after its return,
will remain there for police and re-
clamation duties.
In all this shifting about many par-
ents are likely to get out of touch
with their sons and in order to help
such keep in contact the “Watchman”
has arranged with the “Home Paper
Service of America” to use its effi-
cient organization for the relief of
anxiety of Centre county parents by
gratuitously undertaking to locate
all men from here who are in the serv-
| ice and who have not been heard from
{ for some time.
If at any time you find that you
i want to know just where a certain
| soldier is located, if you will send his |
| full name, and the unit to which he |
|is attached the “Watchman” will as-
quit the production of war materials
and abolish all war rules affecting
manufacture, food, agriculture and
commerce. The government agencies
have yielded to this tendency to a
considerable extent, without waiting
for the outcome of the war.
Why is it assumed that the. world
has entered upon universal and bliss-
ful peace and brotherly love? What
warrant is there for that assumption?
Why do so many Americans jump to
the conclusion that the cessation of
shooting is the same thing as the per-
manent settlement of the world’s
trouble? If they would contemplate
the situation a little they would per-
haps admit that the suspension of hos-
tilities does not by any means guar-
antee the complete and permanent
settlements of the questions that have
torn Europe to pieces and inflicted
well nigh mortal ‘blows upon many
nations.
_ War is an effort to attain a polit-
ical object by the use of force. The
political object is the thing desired,
not the fighting. Is the political ob-
ect of this war attained? Not yet.
t must be Jura by mixed methods
of force and negotiation. Negotiation
"will become more important and force
will play a minor role, if all goes well.
| certain immediately, so far as the
| War Department permits, the exact
location of the unit to which the per- |
| son indicated is attached, and forward |
| the information to you free of any |
| charge whatever. i
| —The United States secret serv- |
| ice department has issued a warning
to the general public to keep a sharp |
lookout for bogus federal reserve
“bank notes, as it is reported that the |
' country is being flooded with $1 and
$2 notes that have been raised to $10
and $20. It is also reported that $5
notes have been raised to a higher |
denomination.
| ——The new process of preserving
| meats by drying appears very much
like the old process of “jerking.” But!
| there is no harm in a new name. i
| ———————————
| ——If Germany is to have a period
of Bolshevik control the Kaiser ought
'to be brought to trial during that
time.
|
{
————————————
— All you need is a heart and a
| dollar, and you share in the great
| work of the Red Cross. |
i
— And Bernstorff had the assur-
ance to try for a seat at the peace ,
. conference table.
But not if all does not go well? Who
can guarantee that all the nations of
the world will lay aside their passions
and cheerfully sacrifice their interests
upon demand, for the sake of the gen-
eral welfare? Is not that proposition
just a little too heavenly for this wick-
ed world?
Receiver Needed.
From the Philadelphia Record.
The Allies and America will have to
agree upon a receiver for Germany if
Great Britain is going to press a
claim for 40 billions, and the French
claims are to be “infinitely larger”
than the British, and the Belgian
claim is far more than a billion on ac-
count of property taken or destroyed,
without regard Belgium’s war
costs, and we shall have a right to
claim 20 billions or something like
that. As the avowed purpose of Ger-
many was to “pleed France white,”
and incidentally destroy England, and
collect the entire German war costs,
with war profits annexed at the usual
rates, from us, Germany will have no
right to complain whatever America
and the Allies do. But, of course, it
will complain; it has never been able
to see why it should not denounce
when practiced by other nations those
things which it does, or {nreatens to
do if it should get a chance.
SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
—Thieves visited the farm _ George
| Hutton, at Mountain Grove, near Hazle-
ton, one night recemtly, slaughtered three
| fine hogs in the pigsty, without attracting
t attention, and carried them off. They alse
i took two large geese and some chickens.
i —Beginning work as a breaker boy, at
| a wage of 25 cents a day, John W. Jones,
| of Plymouth, has advanced to the posi-
! tion of superintendent of the mines of the
West End Coal company, in Luzerne
county, at a salary estimated at $5000 a
year.
—Falls Creek comes forward with
claims of having the champion sock-knit-
ter of Jefferson county. She is Mrs. Elia-
abeth McCullough, of Short street, a mem-
ber of Falls Creek branch, DuBois chap-
ter. Mrs. McCullough has 102 pairs to her
credit, with needles still clicking.
—Bandits who made their escape were
responsible for five hold-ups in Warrier
Run and Sugar Notch, Luzerne county,
late Sunday night and early Monday mora-
ing. Felix Kohawk, a resident of Sugar
Notch, attempted to evade the robbers aad
was shot through the right leg, shatter-
ing the bone above the knee.
against any possible enemy. Yet at}
—Preferring death to going to school,
Emerson Trick, the twelve-year old sem
of Mr. and Mrs. Harvey Trick, who reside
on a farm in Moreland township, Lycom-
ing county, went into the barn Monday
and hung himself. His body was found
by a younger brether. The lad had beea
ordered by his father to attend scheol but
did not go.
—At the opening of December court at
Reading on Monday, William J. Horaber-
ger plead guilty to the charge of invel-
untary manslaughter and was sentenced
to six months in jail as a warning te
speeding motorists and motorcyclists.
Hornberger was riding a motorcycle em
the night of August 5, when he struck aad
killed nineteen-year-old Howard Dunkel-
berger. :
~—Some second-story man has been pull-
ing off daylight stunts in DuBois and has
had little trouble in getting away with it.
Walking into private homes and bed
chambers of hotels, he has taken several
hundred dollars’ worth of jewelry and $60
in cash, and then he evidently continued
his walk out of town, for the police have
not been able to find the slightest trace
of him. ;
. —The Northumberland county court
has named Harry McKinney, former bur-
gess of Sunbury, county commissioner to
fill the unexpired term of P. Joseph
Schmidt, of Shamokin, who died of stab
wounds, alleged to have been inflicted by
Robert Brantlay, a piano tuner, after am
altercation in Schmidt's saloon. McKin-
ney is a Democrat. He will serve until
the first Monday in January, 1920.
—TFor the first time in the history of the
Northumberland county criminal courts,
an alleged murderer admitted his crime,
pleaded guilty and threw himself om the
mercy of the court. Peter Smollak, ef
Kulpmont, Was accused of slaying his
wife with a hatchet. When the time came
for trial his counsel announced that the
defendant wanted to plead guilty. Under
the law, according to the attorneys, the
court will now fix the degree of crime, as
to first or second degree murder. :
—Vacancies existing in the four troops
of the state police for the last six or eight
months ‘vill soon be filled and a waiting
list be re-established according to people
at the offices of the department. The sign-
ing of the armistice and the preparations
| for demobilization of the army have caus:
4’ed- numerous applications for enlistment
in the state force to be made. The depart+
ment sent a number of its men into the ar-
my and has been unable to hold many mes
after their enlistments expire because of
the desire for active service.
—Two masked men followed the cashier
and teller of the First National bank of
Bridgeville, near Pittsburgh, as they en-
tered the building on Friday, bound the
cashier and forced the teller at points of .
revolvers to open the safe, which they
looted of $19,000 in cash and Liberty bonds
and escaped in a waiting automobile. In
view of hundreds of persons in the heart
of the business district, Elmer I. Vinyard,
oil operator, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, was
held up Saturday by two armed bandits
and robbed of $200 in cash. The robbers
escaped.
——More than 400,000 dogs will proba-
bly be registered in Pennsylvania this year
under the dog license code of 1917. Thous-
ands of dogs whose owners did not pay a
license fee or which were homeless were
shot, especially in the sheep raising coun-
ties. The license code placed the enforce
ment in the hands of the Secretary of Ag-
riculture and early this year it was heo-
essary to call in state police to shoot dogs
where local constables and officers refus-
ed to kill the unlicensed animals and to
prosecute owners and keepers who would
not secure licenses. Some of the consta-
bles were arrested.
Charles Geiger, who was the first Oil
City resident to be wounded in action, and
who was invalided home a year ago, has
been appointed Consul General at Gote-
burg, Sweden, according to a message
from Swift & Co., received at Oil City.
Mr. Geiger lost his leg as the result of his
wounds, received in the first battle of
Cambrai. He went to Oil City five years
ago to act as book-keeper for Swift & Co.,
being later promoted to manager. He en-
listed in the Engineer corps, and was with
the first to go to France. He was the first
member of the Oil City Lodge of Elks to
enter the service and the first wounded.
__Auditor General Charles A. Snyder has
sent letters to county commissioners no-
tifying them that if mercantile appraisers
in their 1919 returns do not show increas-
es over the totals for this year, the De-
partment will refuse to approve vouchers
for payment of postage, mileage and ad-
vertising the appraisers’ lists until an in-
vestigation has been made to determine
whether the returns are correct. The com-
munication states it is “a notorious fact”
that some appraisers accept returns from
merchants which have not been sworn to
or returns of nominal amounts. Attention
js called to the decrease of $1,500,000 in
taxes to the State which will come next
year with the passing of saloons.
—Paul E. Schrey, of Watsontown, sig-
nal man at the Dewart tower on the Penn-
sylvania Railroad, admitted at the coro-
ner’s inquet held to inquire into the death
of six men in a fereight collision near the
Dewart tower, on November 23rd, that he
had given the wrong signals and assum-
ed blame for the fatal crash. Schrey stat-
ed he had orders to hold a light engine
and caboose at his tower until an east-
bound freight, running on the westbound
track, had passed, but instead he gave
them a “clear” signal, resulting in the col-
lision a few minutes later. Schrey alse
admitted he had misrepresented his age,
he being only twenty years old. The dis-
trict attorney stated Schrey will likely be
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charged with manslaughter.