Demsrrai atc
INK SLINGS.
— It is safe to predict that all
hostilities between England and
France will be with the mouth or the
type writer.
— What has become of the lovely,
modest girl, budding into womanhood,
who used to plead with her mother
that she was old enough to put her
hair up and her dresses down?
—TIt remains to be seen whether
Col. Harvey’s mouthings in London
square with the Harding and Hughes
actions in Washington. We are In-
clined to predict that they won't.
— For the first time since it was in-
stalled the elevator in Temple Court
worked in high last Friday. It was
only for a second or so. One of the
cables broke and it dropped eighteen
feet.
— Clover is shooting into head and
being very short the prospects for a
big hay crop in Centre county are not
good. Wheat is spotty, lately has be-
come streaked with yellow and is be-
ing cut by the fly. Why should the
farmers worry about little matters of
this sort? Washington has just pass-
ed the emergency tariff bill and if we
are to believe all the fool stuff that
was told about how it is to help the
farmers the clover will stretch out
two feet now and all the flies in the
wheat will fall over dead as soon as
they are told the bill has passed.
—The “incident without parallel in
history” is bringing so many bodies
from foreign battle
homeland for burial. “Incident with-
out parallel” is supernal praise of the
conduct of the War Department by
the much maligned Secretary Baker,
but it was President Harding, himself,
who said it as he stood among caskets
that held the wasted bodies of five
thousand patriots on the government
pier at Hoboken, on Monday. If great
things had not been done in 1917 and
1918 by the men whom President
Harding’s advocates reviled in 1920
Monday’s impressive ceremony would
never have occurred.
—Congress failed to appropriate
any money with which to keep the
prohibition enforcement agents on the
job so the sniffers have been called off
until July 1st. The Pennsylvania en-
actment law, passed at the last session
of our Legislature, has no teeth in it
so that boot-legging will be an unmo-
lested business for some days to come.
“Hootch” ought to be cheaper boys.
There will be no such overheads as'
fines, confiscated automobiles and pay- |
ments for time some of the runners
have to serve and the price ought to
come down during the inter-regnum.
It might not, but it won’t hurt to take
__it up with your boot-legger.
—The fans of Philipsburg, Osceola
and Clearfield are getting ready to go
to war on the diamond again. Osceola
has raised ten thousand dollars and,
of course, Philipsburg never was a
piker so some baseball may be expect-
ed over the mountain this summer.
Bellefonte will probably have a little
home-made team that will climb into
a yellow bus along about August and
slip over to that new Philipsburg
park, do something to Bill Louden’s
imported outfit and then go down to
the Phillips and count the money that
Roy Wilkinson and a lot of our other
friends over there have come by hon-
estly but so easily that they don’t
know how to keep it.
—Our placid progress up High
street on Monday was interrupted by
a gentleman who wanted to tell us,
and did tell it, that he thought the
“Buy-at-Home” campaign now being
carried on by local merchants is good
dope. He is not a merchant, himself,
so we knew there was no “nigger in
the wood pile” and listened until he
had told us that that very morning he
had seen a lot of furniture purchased
away from home being uncrated in
front of a house in Bellefonte and he
couldn’t understand why that expendi-
ture had not been made at one or the
other of our own very splendidly
stocked furniture stores. His state-
ment was to the point and needs no
expurgation, though we might add
that no matter how fine a spirit of co-
operation and help-one another might
be aroused in this or any other town
there will always be some who think
a thing is better because they get it
somewhere else. They usually live to
see the day, however, when they are
sorry they don’t have the guarantee of
a reputable home merchant behind the
purchase.
—If the proposed revision of the
constitution of Pennsylvania is to be
made this District will be entitled to
select three delegates to sit in the con-
vention. Nominations will be made at
the primaries on September 20th next
and then they will be elected in No-
vember, but no person may vote for
more than two. Presuming that there
will be many to seek the unusual hon-
or we take this early opportunity of
advising “Watchman” readers to be
chary about making pledges of sup-
port. Don’t be the worm for the ear-
ly bird. The work in hand is too por-
tentious to trust to those who seek it
merely for the honor. The “Watch-
man” thinks public temperament not
stabilized or normal enough since the
war to undertake at this time a change
in our organic laws, butif it is to be
done let us select profound, conserva-
tive minds to work it out. It is not a
politician’s job, nor should there be a
preponderance of lawyers, but in all
probability many of both these classes
will be chosen so we plead for enough
practical, common-sensed, far seeing
lay minds to serve as a balance wheel
between those who would be warped
by political success and those who
stress technicality too much.
fields to thejr
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
BELLEFONTE, PA. MAY 27, 1921.
NO. 21.
Concerning a New Constitution.
the people of Pennsylvania in the near
future is that embodied in the propo-
sition to create a convention to frame
a new fundamental law for the State.
This question will be determined at
the primary election on September
cision be in the affirmative, delegates
to the convention will be nominated.
The Act of Assembly authorizing
these actions provides for the election
of three delegates for each Congres-
sional district, each elector to vote for
two, the intention being to guarantee
minority representation. But it be-
stows upon the Governor the right to
appoint twenty-five delegates, or near-
ly one-third of the whole number.
Why this imperial power has been giv-
en to the Governor has never been ful-
ly explained. It has never been exer-
cised by any Governor of any State in
the Union. In fact it has never before
been asked for.
From the birth of the Republic the
prerogative of formulating the organ-
ic laws of the States has been vested
in the people absolutely free from ex-
ecutive interference or control. One
ecutive authority from exercising sin-
ister or selfish power. Under this
provision of the law the Governor
might easily control the deliberations
of the body. With that number of
delegates under obligations to his fa-
convention into an agency to promote
cidents attending the closing sessions
law, it is no great strain of the imag-
ination to assume that that was the
real purpose of the unusual provision.
The organic and statute laws of the
State and parliamentary principles
which have survived the assaults of a
thousand years were trampled down
to build a machine for his aggrand-
izement.
| But even if these reasons for op-
| posing the plans of the Governor were
| not so palpable the proposition to
hold a constitutional convention in
| this State at this time invites popular
| reprobation. The state of the public
mind is not such as to inspire hope
. for the best results of such an under-
, taking. We have not yet emerged
i from the shadows of the world war.
i As the esteemed Johnstown Democrat
states, “the passions of the war still
i dominate the mass of the people. The
| war psychology is still paramount.
i The calm and sober judgment and the
+ liberal outlook cannot yet be brought
i to bear on the great questions which !
! would come up for consideration and
. disposal in a convention called to re-
| model our fundamental law.” The in-
| dustrial life of the country is fitful
‘and uncertain and there is no fixed
purpose in the minds of the people as :
| to policies of the future and it would
i be dangerous to undertake such an en-
| terprise now.
| Besides there is no really urgent
| call for a new constitution at this
The present constitution is the
work of great minds which were in-
| time.
fluenced by the highest purposes and
amendments made at intervals since
have kept it well up to the require-
i ments of existing conditions. If the
; public mind were tranquil and condi-
| tions favorable for getting the best
! results from a convention chosen by
' the people in the customary manner
' and assembled in the spirit of patri-
otism and unselfishness that charac-
| terized the convention of 1873, some
| good might come out of the remaking
of the organic law. But the matter
is not so pressing that the risk should
{be taken of a convention dominated
by one man whose political record is
{ anything but encouraging and whose
ambitions know neither reason nor
bounds. It were better to “bear the
ills we have than fly to others we
know not of.”
eee fp pee.
——Under a new amendment to the
game are liable to a fine of $10.00 for
every day such dogs chase game dur-
ing the closed season and $5.00 for
tofore it has been necessary to serve
a warning notice on owners of hunt-
ing dogs, but this is not necessary un-
der the new act. Dogs may be train-
ed from September 1st to March 1st,
jou must be accompanied by their
allowed to injure game or birds and
the owner or handler is not permitted
to carry a gun while training them.
a id hee
— A Chicago judge sentenced
some shop-lifting girls to go to church
every Sunday for a year. There must
bench and the pulpit in Chicago.
— Dl
——Some Congressmen found cour-
age enough to say mean things about
the enforcers of the Volstead act but
the appropriation for the enforcement
got through all right.
——France is growing a million
more acres of wheat this year than
, last, which would indicate prepara-
tions for any future contingency.
The most important problem before
20th, and at the same time, if the de-
of its purposes is to restrain the ex-
vor he might pervert the work of the '
his personal ambitions. In view of in- |
of the Legislature that framed the '
game laws owners of dogs that chase’
every bird or rabbit they kill. Here-
owner or handler, but they cannot be
be some vital differences between the
Harvey’s Absurd Speech.
~The speech of Ambassador Harvey
delivered before the Pilgrims’ Socie-
‘ty of London a week ago is vastly
: more absurd than surprising, and in
' view of the facts it is of small conse-
‘ quence whether he reflected the senti-
“ments of the administration at Wash-
ington or not. Mr. Harvey declared
. with much positiveness that “the gov-
ernment of the United States will
have nothing whatever to do with the
League of Nations or any commission
or committee appointed by it or re-
sponsible to it directly or indirectly, |
openly or furtively.” As a matter of
fact he has himself accepted a com-
mission to sit in the great council as
well as in the conference to settle the
Silesian question.
This conflict of statement and fact
is unimportant because Harvey is un-
important. A mischievous meddler in
the affairs of public men he cherishes
an enmity against former President
Wilson because in the campaign of
1912 Mr. Wilson asked him to refrain
from a false pretense of speaking by
authority for Mr. Wilson. He had al-
ways been a Democrat until then and
therefore his political principles are
based on spite and in his spiteful refer-
ences to and slurs upon Mr. Wilson
he did reflect the opinions of both
Harding and Hughes. Like the late
Colonel Roosevelt Mr. Hughes cher-
_ishes resentment against Wilson for
defeating him in 1916.
But who did Harvey represent in
his vicious slur against the American
soldiers who offered their lives that
democracy might live and autocracy
perish? And who did he represent
, when he slandered the American peo-
ple by declaring that we entered the
‘war for selfish rather than philan-
thropic reasons? We entered the war,
he said, because we were afraid to
stay out, and instead of winning the
war we only “came along toward the
end and helped you and your Allies
shorten the war. That is all we did,”
he added, “ and all we claim to have
done.” This is not a very flattering
appraisement of the work of our
troops in France and Flanders, but it
probably expresses the opinions of the
Harding administration.
rn, S—————
—Most everybody will agree with
us that common labor is not now being
paid more than it should receive, if it
is to subsist decently. There is a
question in many fair minds, however,
as to whether labor is giving full re-
turn in service for what it is receiving.
Coal Tax Will be Attacked.
The anthracite coal tax bill which
was designated during the session of
the Legislature as one of Governor
Sproul’s “pet measures,” is threaten-
ed with attack from two sources. As
we have pointed out before, a similar
bill was declared unconstitutional by
the State Supreme court some years
"ago on the ground that “all taxes
shall be uniform upon the same class
of subjects,” and that taxing anthra-
cite and not taxing bituminous coal
was discrimination. Now the coal
mine owners threaten to raise the
same point and confidently predict the
"same result, which is reasonable.
Courts hardly ever reverse them-
selves.
The other attack menacing the $25,-
000,000 revenue from the anthracite
coal tax is from the constitution of
the United States. Paragraph 5 of
, Section 9 and Article 1 of the federal
, constitution declares that “no tax or
duty shall be laid on articles export-
‘ed from any State.” Paragraph 2,
| Section 10 and Article 1 of the same
instrument states that “duties and im-
posts laid by any State on imports
and exports shall be for the use of
the Treasury of the United States.”
; This action is threatened by a coal
, consumer in New York who is sup-
' ported in his contention that coal sent
| from Pennsylvania to another State
is an export by a number of distin-
guished lawyers.
On the previous occasion as soon as
the Act of Assembly was signed the
mine owners increased the price of coal
to cover the tax and the tax was paid
but never covered into the treasury.
Then when the court declared the levy
invalid the mine owners paid the
“tax into their own strong boxes and
the consumers “sucked their thumbs”
or performed some other appropriate
act in acknowledgment that they
were “trimmed.” But the incident had
“no deterrent influence on the recent
| Legislature, for when Governor
' Sproul asked for a repetition of the
act the necessary legislation was
passed. The consumer will again be
, “the goat.”
{ —Tt costs fifty cents more to get a
- marriage license now than it did a few
weeks ago but why should some fel-
lows worry when they know that their
. wives can more than make that up on
the first family wash they take in.
——The Republican women aspir-
ing to party favors would better tie
the male managers of the organiza-
, tion to their pledges with strong
, bonds. The Crows are crafty.
Sproul a Cheese Paring Saver.
Governor Sproul has again given
expression to his deep and abiding in-
terest in saving the money of the liti-
gants throughout the State. Some
time ago he vetoed an Act of the Gen-
eral Assembly which was intended to
increase the fees of justices of the
peace and aldermen, giving as a rea-
son the statement that such increase
of fees would increase the expenses of
litigation. The justices of the peace
and aldermen are compensated for
their services under a fee bill enacted
in 1909, a time when prices were at a
i minimum. Probably an industrious
justice, well equipped for the work, in
a bailiwick favorably situated, might
earn fifteen hundred dollars a year un-
der that fee bill.
The other day the Governor had
another spasm of sympathy for liti-
gants and vetoed a bill which provid-
ed for a slight increase in the fees of
constables of the State. The fee bill
under which constables are working at
present was enacted in 1917 and very
slightly increased the fees provided
for in the Act of 1899. But the meas-
ure passed by the Legislature of this
year would have increased the expens-
es of litigation, as the Governor sage-
ly remarks. The increase would not
have been much. It would have been
scarcely perceptible, asa matter of
fact. But declaiming ponderously on
such a subject makes a strong impres-
sion.
Increasing the salaries of judges of
the Supreme and Superior courts and
adding to the number of judges also
has a tendency to increase the expens-
es of litigation, and increasing the sal-
aries of many other public officials and
creating hundreds of new offices has a
tendency in the same direction, but the
Governor approved every measure of
that kind that came before him. The
inference to be drawn from these facts
is that the Governor is strong on sav-
ing at the spigot while willing to waste
at the bung. In other words he is an
economizer of the cheese paring vari-
ety. He plays strong on trifling mat-
ters but weak when the subject is
worth while. He may fool the people
in this way, however.
——One of the members of Congress
wants the opening of the sessions
to begin with the singing of the “Star
Spangled Banner.” Samuel Johnson
said “patriotism is the last refuge of a
scoundrel.” Look out.
me eee
Eloquent but Inconsistent.
President Harding is a master build-
er of platitudes. But in his lip serv-
ice he reveals a large measure of in-
sincerity. For example, in his speech
of tribute to the victims of the great
war, delivered in New:York on Mon-
day, he said: “These heroes were sac-
rificed in the supreme conflict of all
human history. They saw democracy
challenged and defended it. They saw
civilization threatened and rescued it.
They saw America affronted and re-
sented it. They saw our nation’s
rights imperiled and stamped those
rights with a new sanctity and renew-
ed security.” It was an admirable
statement of a sacred and solemn
truth.
But while he was thus justly eulo-
gizing the sacrifices of the heroes of
the war the world was analyzing the
nasty slurs put upon them by his Am-
bassador at the court of St. James and
personal representative in the su-
Harvey, which is still unrebuked and
seemingly approved. If the President
were sincere in his expressions of ap-
preciation of the sacrifices made by
the soldiers whose dead bodies were
before him and of the cause for which
those sacrifices were made, he would
promptly recall the mouthing miscre-
ant who outraged them and publicly
rebuke him for his offense against
them and the people of the country.
The President’s speech was admira-
ble. It is small wonder that it caus-
ed thrills, awoke emotions and inspir-
ed enthusiasm. Every right thinking
man and woman in the broad land will
cordially concur in his hope against a
recurrence of the horrors of war when
he said “I find a thousand sorrows
touching my heart and there is ring-
ing in my ears, like an admonition
be again! It must not be again!” God
grant that it shall not be, and let a
peaceful people join in co-operation
with God to the end that it shall not
be.” Beautiful thought splendidly ex-
pressed. But in view of it why Har-
vey?
————— ———————————
——The new budget law puts a
crimp in the pretenses of the Senate.
The officials of the bureau may be ap+
pointed by the President without con-
firmation by the Senate.
—— Ap ————
——The emergency, tariff bill has
been passed finally and while Congress
is hunting the emergency profiteers
will be increasing prices freely.
——Possibly Penrose is simply sup-
plying Sproul and Crow with sufficient
rope to hang themselves, politically
speaking. *
preme council of the Allies, George
eternal, an insistent call ‘it must not’
The Pennsy’s Loss and Damage Drive.
All over the Pennsylvania System
a drive is on for the purpose of reduc-
ing claims for damage to freight in
transit. It is a campaign among the
employees of the company only and its
objective is to reduce the rough hand-
ling and poor stowing of freight from
which causes arise forty per cent. of
the enormous claims that the railroad
company is called upon to pay annu-
ally for damages.
We notice that among those desig-
nated as the committee for the Tyrone
division the names of W. T. Kelly,
agent; E. O. Struble, warehouse fore-
man; T. J. Kelleher, yard master; B.
J. Beezer, clerk, and G. C. Snyder,
agent, all in the service in Bellefonte.
Instructions are for these men to be
on the road and at stations during the
drive for the purpose of uncovering
and correcting, so far as possible,
practices resulting in damage to
freight while in custody of the com-
pany. .
While there can be no question of
losses that would be appalling to one
not familiar with the figures which
are actually due to careless handling,
likewise there is no question, in our
mind at least, that the aggregate is
considerably augmented by what
might be called “frame-ups” by dis-
honest consignees. As the “Watch-
man” said, some time ago, the individ-
ual seems to have one conscience when
dealing with a corporation and anoth-
er when dealing with an individual.
Railroad companies, especially, fear a
jury and it is possibly more because of
public disposition to “soak a corpora-
tion” than conscious weakness of its
cases. Hence they settle damage
cases, invariably without contest, and
thereby lay themselves open to and
settle claims for damages that
wouldn’t bear the lime-light of legal
investigation.
However, if the rough handling and
improper storing can be corrected to
the point that it is the exception rath-
er than the rule it will work an econ-
omy both ways, for it will reduce the
just claims and remove much of the
circumstantial evidence on which the
unjust ones are made. = .
Anent the subject of rough handling
a personal observation made at Lock
Haven some months ago might be a
bit illuminating. A fast passenger
train, en route to Buffalo, approached
the station at high speed. It was a
long train and naturally the express
cars would stop far above the express
and baggage room at the eastern end
of the building, but as they went fly-
ing past that point the messengers on
the car kicked four bread crates out
of the door and they went bumping
over the wide platform, frightening
women and children and battering
themselves into a state of dilapidation.
In fact the lid was twisted off one and
another had the corner stoved in by
contact with a baggage truck. It was
probably an every day occurrence. If
so every day wealth was being de-
stroyed in a small way right there.
Some one was drawing pay for hand-
ling those bread crates carefully,
which he was not doing and their own-
er was burdened with premature re-
placement costs, all because a thought-
less, careless worker kicked them off
the flying car to save himself and the
other man who was paid for hauling
them down from the upper end of the
platform to the express room.
Such incidents are witnessed by
thousands of travelers every day and
they have done much toward changing
the public mind from one of complete
sympathy with labor in its contests
with railroad corporations to convic-
tion that there is another side worthy
of consideration now.
— Several weeks ago Mrs. Jerry
Galaida, of east Lamb street, received
a consignment of twenty-five young
chicks of a special breed from a New
York hatchery, and one night last
week rats killed every one of them.
At least Mrs. Galaida blames the
wholesale slaughter on rats because
of the fact that that particular section
of town is badly infested with these
depredatious rodents. Residents of
that street aver that they are so nu-
merous and bold that it is nothing un-
usual to see a rat or two capering
around on the streets and alleys most
any time, day or night. But Mrs. Ga-
laida is not the only one who has suf-
fered the loss of little chicks this year.
William Cross, who lives on the Geo.
R. Meek farm south of Bellefonte, had
eighty chicks killed in one night last
week, either by rats or a weasel, while
crows are playing havoc with Dr.
Kirk’s peeps on his farm south of
town. So, with the rats, the weasels
and the crows to contend with chicken
raisers are having troubles of their
own. :
——Governor Sproul has signed the
bill permitting sheriffs or other offi-
cers of the law to charge for automo-
biles in the transferring of prisoners.
Heretofore officers of the law were al-
lowed to charge mileage only as re-
lated to common carriers, such ‘as
railroads. ¢
——Subscribe for the “Watchman.”
| SPAWLS FROM THE
‘| ations in all departments last '
—Blairsville's glass plant re
—The body of Stephen Bolivel
old, was found hanging from a
the attic of his home at William P
Shenandoah, Friday morning. Hi
proprietor of a small general store,
by his family, while’he worked in
mines during the day. A widow, two
and two daughters survive. rl
ti
2
<
—Michael DiPetro, a young Italian who
was employed in blasting a well at Homer
City, Indiana county, was so badly injur-
ed by a premature explosion of dynamite
used for blasting purposes that he died
Wednesday afternoon, five hours affer re-
ceiving his wounds. He was terribly mu-
tilated but retained consciousness almost
to the last.
—Charles D. Maddenfort, of Shamokin,
and Miles Reider, of Lewisburg, state
game protectors, were near death when a
boat they were in, in the Susquehanna riv-
er at Selinsgrove, capsized and left the
pair struggling in the water. Maddenfort
is a good swimmer and succeeded in pi-
loting his fellow-officer to shallow water,
it is reported.
—Writing te a Franklin newspaper,
Saul P. Farren, aged 55 years, places him-
self on the matrimonial altar for “any
woman, at any age, crippled or blind or
hard of hearing, if decent and won't fight.”
He wants a woman, he says, who will try
to make their home “the happiest place on
earth.” He is a hard-working man and ad-
mits that he has a good disposition.
—D. T. Green, of Betula, McKean coun-
ty, faces trial June 6th for the alleged
theft of approximately a ton and a half of
hay, which, it is said, he removed in a
gunny sack holding not more than twenty-
five pounds. He is said to have confessed
to H. B. Allison, county detective. The
hay was carried a considerable distance
and three weeks was required to remove
it.
—Robert Ent, a cook, of Danville, proved
himself somewhat of a detective last week
after £200 in cash and a gold watch had
been missed from the boarding house at
which he is a cook. He saw Roy Harris,
of Milton, across the street, and accused
him of the theft. Harris denied it, and
Ent took him to the police. He was lock-
ed up on suspicion and finally confessed.
He is now in the county jail awaiting sen-
tence.
—Two miners were killed and twenty-
two other men were overcome by fumes
when a gas explosion occurred on Monday
in mine number three of the Watkins Coal
company at Bakerton, Cambria county.
George Nicholson and William Lamint,
mine superintendents, were overcome while
carrying on rescue work. They were re-
ported to be in serious condition. The
twenty other miners who were overcome
revived when brought to the surface.
—Porcupines climbed into the north tier
forest fire signal tower in Tioga county,
and “chewed up” everything but the metal
signaler’s telephone. They used quills to
“register” in the data book, maintained
there by the forestry department. When
one of the rangers climbed into the tower
he found the havoc wrought by the pinies.
After “registering,” they had torn out
most of the leaves of the book, for nest
lining; chewed off the cover, gnawed a
hole in the telephone booth and ate away
part of the wooden box.
—Mike Sherry, movie owner and store-
keeper at Bald Hill, Clearfield county, dis-
appeared four weeks ago and his friends
fear he has been murdered. Sherry was a
British soldier and went to Bald Hill more
than a year ago. Some time ago he paid
a fine for dealing in booze, and later he re-
ceived a letter threatening his wife. Four
weeks ago he started to visit a friend at a
nearby farmhouse, and since that time
nothing has been seen or heard of him.
Money left in his store and movie house
indicated that he had not intended leaving
the town. 5 . gh
—Seven teachers and janitors dismissed
without cause by the Norwegian township,
Schuylkill county, school board must be
paid their salaries in full, ruled Judge
Bechtel in court last Saturday. The teach-
ers and janitors were dismissed in Janu-
ary, notwithstanding they had a contract
for a full term. Court ruled that a con-
tract made by a school board is binding on
the succeeding board. Court directed that
verdicts for $300 each be rendered for Har-
ry Rogers, Anthony Pillus, Margaret Kel-
ly, Mrs. August Orff, Catharine Redding-
ton and Mrs. Louis Repsch, and $487 for
Edward Hanney. Norwegian township is
noted for its hot political fights over con-
trol of the school board. :
—About 3:30 o'clock Sunday afternoon
the ties and stringers of the Montgomery
bridge which crosses the Susquehanna riv-
er between Muncy and Montgomery, took
fire from a passing locomotive. They
were heavily creosoted and the flames
spread with such rapidity that the wood
work of three spans was destroyed before
the fire was extinguished. The fire depart-
ments from Montgomery and Williamsport
were appealed to for help and each sent an
engine, only one going into service because
of the inability to get the other one to the
river. The rails on both tracks were bent
and twisted while the great steel :girders
under the southbound track were badly
warped. The bridge burned for
hours.
‘three .
— Seventeen year old Annie DeMatt, of :
Hazleton, has started suit for $5000 dam-:
ages against Frank Forte, aged 23, on a
charge of breach of promise. The papers
in the case state that on April 13, 1921, the
defendant proposed marriage and was ac-
cepted. According to Miss DeMatt's dec-
laration, May 19 of this year was set as
the date for the ceremony, but that on May
2, Forte called at her home and declared
that he could not wed her. Miss DeMatt
alleges that he took away furniture and
carpets that he had bought with which to
equip their home. Miss DeMatt further al-
leges that she has been put to considera-
ble expense in buying wedding clothes,
and has been subjected to great humilia-
tion before her friends and the public.
—A jury in the Northumberland county
court acquitted Charles Smith, former po-
lice chief of Kulpmont, of the murder of
Frank Goldefsky, whom he shot and killed
in Joseph Zubey’s saloon at that place on
the night of February 26th last, after
Goldefsky had been teasing him because
Smith lost his police job. Smith gave a
deep breath that could be heard all over
the room when clerk Edward Meehan read
the verdict and shook hands with his coun-
sel, J. Augustus Walsh, of Shamokin. After
shaking Walsh by the hand Smith shook
hands with each juror and thanked them
and then shook hands again with the court
attaches and Judge Cummings, who pre-
sided during the trial. Then he returned
with Sheriff Martz to the jail to get his
belongings. Smith sald he will go back te
Kulpmont and make his home there.