Pemorraiic; Watdmom
A ——
INK SLINGS.
—Here’s hoping that Senor Firpo
knocks the block off the Hon. Jack
Dempsey tonight.
——The temporary settlement of
the coal strike is no reason why in-
ventors should stop searching for a
substitute for anthracite.
—What we’d like to know is why is
the world so full of people whose
meat and drink seems to be the dis-
persing of morbid news.
——Coolidge seems to be a wise
bird. He lets Pinchot have the pres-
ent glory and will expect him to take
the blame after the increased coal
bills are computed.
—While at Gettysburg on Tuesday
Henry Ford registered at the hotel
as “A. Henry.” Of course the secret
of his identity was out just as quick-
ly as if he had signed the register as
A. Lizzie.
—As we said last week we know
exactly who is going to be picked for
the various places on the Republican
county ticket next Tuesday. We'll
tell you all about it after the prima-
ries. To do so now might upset the
slate and name a harder ticket for us
to lick.
—The net results of the four points
on which Pinchot settled the coal
strike seem to us to be: First, the
miners got about all they ever hoped
to get. Second, the operators got
about all they ever hoped to get.
Third, Pinchot thinks he’ll get a lot
of glory. Fourth, the public got it in
the neck.
—The munificence and the rapidity
with which our country has given aid
to stricken Japan may go a long way
toward mollifying the inherent ani-
mosity of the Japanese for us, but
whether it does or doesn’t the heart
of America is going out to those in
distress. It is bread we are casting
on the waters without a thought of
its ever coming back.
—And now it appears that Cal., if
we may be permitted to speak of our
President as familiarly as some oth-
ers are, and Gif.—meaning the gen-!
tleman who murdered the hospitals of
Pennsylvania, are approaching the
parting of the ways over who shall
have the glory of having settled the
coal strike. At the moment we don’t
remember whether old man Stearns '
has gone back to his ribbons and laces
in Boston or not, but if he is still in
‘Washington he’d better tip his pro-
tege off to let Gif. have it.
—The Frenchtown, New Jersey
postmaster, who complains about hav-
ing to be a mother to nearly four mil-
lion baby chickens that were dumped
on him by a nearby hatchery for
transportation through the mail,
ought to have thought of the respon- |
sibilities when he was running around :
getting everybody to sign his peti- |
tion for the job. We don’t know the!
Frenchtown postmaster, but we do
know a lot of others who preside over
the final point of distribution of Un- |
cle Sam’s mail and because we do we
are of the opinion that the job of
playing “old cluck” would come so
natural that we can’t understand the
complaint.
—The farmers of Centre county are
sowing wheat, at least those of them |
who are not afraid of “the fly.” With |
their teams or tractors they have’
spent days of hard labor in preparing |
the soil for seeding. They have paid |
from eighteen to thirty-five dollars
a ton for fertilizer to stimulate it.
Next July they’ll harvest the crov,
pay threshermen for threshing it and |
haul the net result to the mill and ;
get, probably, a dollar a bushel. Then |
they’ll take the check the miller gives
them and go down to the coal yard
to buy a ton or so of anthracite for
“the room stove” and it will take just
cne more bushel of wheat to pay for a
ton than it did last week. Why? |
Let them ask the man so many of |
them voted for last fall. |
—And now we know why Henry
W. Shoemaker bought the Altoona
Tribune. He had an oration on his
chest and had to get it off to make
lung action easier for mountain climb-
ing. The Tribune gave it to the world
on Wednesday under the caption
“At Roosevelts’ Grave.” It’s really a
wonderful oration. In among “the
waters of Long Island sound, that
sparkled like diamonds” and gulls that
sang “with cracked voices a pean of |
autumnal rejoicing” there was a cho-
rus of “ohs”-and “ahs” “as a stout
woman in the party was saying”
something about railroad ties as a
substitute for marble steps. It’s the
first oration we ever read or heard
that featured “a stout woman in the
party.” But that’s what makes it an
oration. To have been real McElhat-
tanesque Henry would have called her
a fat lady, but in the atmosphere of
sparkling waters, cracked voiced
gulls and “drooping branches of old
white pines” “stout woman” was far
more orationy. We couldn’t get ex-
actly all it was about but it reads like
a vandalistic effort to frisk something
out between the iron railing which
surrounded “Strongheart’s” grave and
weave it into the “black diamond”
mantel in which Pinchot struts. And
then—immediately following the
grand effort of the “angel” of the Tri-
bune comes one of its minions with
a paragraph admitting that the “pee-
pul” got the worst of it when Pin-
chot settled the coal strike. What
the Tribune’s editorial department
seems to need most is team work and
an introduction to the methods of Su-
sanne Cocroft which would probably
take “the stout woman” out of its
pictures. es 2
A enact
\
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
VOL. 68.
BELLEFONT
Public Sentiment Reacting.
In writing to the President a sug-
gestion that the Interstate Commerce
Commission be invoked to reduce
freight rates on coal Governor Pin-
chot appears to have “put his foot in
it.” The friends of President Cool-
idge resent it as a rather bungling
effort to shove him off the political
map and put the Governor in his
place. The Washington Post, which
is the mouthpiece of the new admin-
istration as it was of the last, says
“Governor Pinchot’s letter to Presi-
dent Coolidge will stand hereafter as
an example of the manner in which
the public is misused by politicians
for their own advantage,” and adds,
“this is a piece of cheap politics which
deceives no one and is unworthy of
the Governor of Pennsylvania.” It
may have fooled Pinchot.
It seems that the President,
previous to the receipt of Mr. Pin-
chot’s letter, had taken the steps sug-
gested, and that in fact the scheme
had originated with the President,
who had conveyed it to the Governor
confidentially. Instead of co-operat-
ing with the President Governor Pin-
chot adopted it as his own and made
it public. Naturally this aroused in-
dignation in the minds of the Presi-
dent’s friends, which is expressed in
the language of the Washington
newspaper. “How popular will Gov-
ernor Pinchot be with the public?”
continues the Post. “Higher wages
than ever before in the history of
mining for the miners. Higher prof-
its than ever before in the history of
mining for the operators, middlemen,
wholesalers and retailers.
prices per.ton than ever before in the
history of the coal industry for the!
individual consumer to pay for his
coal. There’s the net result. And
Governor Pinchot is welcome to all
the personal popularity he will get
from it.”
This statement exactly expresses
the concrete public opinion on the
subject. Any citizen, public or pri-
vate, might have accomplished the
1esult achieved by Pinchot. He sim-
ply proposed that the miners be giv-
en an increase in wages, the opera-
tors and distributors a greater in-
crease in profifs and put the burden
of paying the added expense on the"
The miners were natur-
ally pleased and the operators and:
consumers.
distributors were equally well pleas-
ed. They were involved in a bitter
contention and both won. The miners
were represented by their capable or-
ganization officials. The others by
shrewd representatives. The con-
sumers, vastly the most numerous el- |
ement, were represented by Pinchot !
“who betrayed them to their enemis.” ;
—Don’t fail to attend the primary
next Tuesday. It is your duty to the
community, as well as to yourself.
Cause of Confusion in Harrisburg.
The coal strike having been settled
by an increase of wages to the miners,
an increase of profits to the operators
and an increased coal bill for the pub-
lic to pay, press reports from Harris-
burg indicate that the controversy
over the validity of the administrative
code will soon be resumed. State
Treasurer Snyder has filed his answer
to the mandamus proceedings of the
Attorney General to compel him to
pay warrants of certain employees of
the State held up since the middle of
June. The treasurer again assails
the code as unconstitutional and asks
for judgment of the court on that ba-
sis. The Attorney General professes
to be willing to meet the demand un-
der conditions suitable to him.
This is simply quibbling over a
grave question and is exceedingly
tiresome. The contention of the State
Higher
Settlement of the Coal Strike.
The public, the mine owners and the
coal diggers alike rejoice over the
certainty of an early resumption of
work in the anthracite coal region.
The public rejoices because a coal
famine with its attendant evils, in-
cluding suffering and death, may be
ayerted. The mine owners rejoice for
the reason that resumption of work
guarantees continuity of and increas-
ed profits, and the miners rejoice be-
cause it insures them uninterrupted
employment and increased wages. The
public must have coal at any price.
The coal owners and coal miners
might have prolonged their quarrel
until prices had reached the prohibit-
ive stage or the authorities had inter-
vened in the interest of human life
and public safety.
When Governor Pinchot announced
that he would adjust the differences
between the mine owners and mine
workers in the interest of the public
great hopes were aroused. It is wide-
ly believed that the State govern-
ment, supported by public sentiment,
might exercise a compelling power
upon the contending forces that would
result in mutual yielding, and the ac-
tion of the Governor was the begin-
ning of or entering wedge to that
commendable achievement. But the
conditions of the settlement of the
dispute disappoint such expectations.
The Governor has consented to the
division of the spoils of the operation
between the coal owners and coal
miners.
Governor Pinchot proclaimed the
result of his negotiations with the
, mine owners and mine workers with
considerable elation. “It is with the
keenest satisfaction,” he declared,
, “that I tell you that I am authorized
+ to announce that both miners and op-
erators have now agreed upon the
four points of the basis of settlement
tendered them.” These points pro-
vided for an increase of the miners’
wages and the operators’ profits. The
money to meet the conditions is to be
drawn out of the pockets of the pub-
lic, which has been literally sacrificed
in order to promote the altogether
selfish and more or less absurd ambi-
tion of the Governor. It is a “peace *
without a victory” for the helpless
people of the country.
——There must be some sort of
venomous serpent concealed in the
congratulatory letter which President
Coolidge sent to Governor Pinchot.
The Governor refuses to give it to the
public “as she is wrote.”
Trying to Beguile Coolidge.
| An esteemed contemporary profess-
es to be greatly perplexed because
certain leading Republicans in Wash-
ington, who had been strenuously op-
| posing the renomination of Mr. Hard-
ing, are now quite as earnestly sup-
| porting President Coolidge for the
party favor. There is some reason
for the perplexity. Mr. Coolidge has
announced his intention to pursue the
policies of the Harding administra-
tion and to “prove his faith by works”
, has retained in the service of his ad-
. ministration all the important officials
; appointed by Harding. In the circum-
‘stances it is not easy to imagine what
reasons influence their action. Hard-
ing was certainly personally and so-
cially the more pleasing figure.
It must be said that as President,
Warren G. Harding was a failure.
There are various reasons for this
fact. In the first place, if recently
developed evidence is dependable Mr.
Harding was never sincerely in sym-
| pathy with his own policies. Even
before his election, and while the cam-
| . .
| paign of 1920 was in progress, he was
in favor of the League of Nations.
KE, PA., SEPT
plucking of the public and an uneven"
- Conspiracy to “Shelve” Pinchot.
We take this early opportunity to
protest against the attempt, now ap- |
parently in process at Washington, to
shunt Governor Pinchot into second
place on the Republican Presidential
ticket next year. It may be that
those responsible for the movement
are influenced by kindly feelings to-
| ward our Governor. It will be re-
| membered that Roosevelt passed from
| the office of Governor of New York
throught the vice Presidential chair
to the “bully” time he had in the
White House, and nothing could be
more flattering to Mr. Pinchot than
an opportunity to follow in the foot-
steps of his adored leader. Of course
there is no assurance, and probably
no desire, that the parallel should con-
tinue to the end.
We are not reliably informed as to
the source of this movement to place
Pinchot in second place on the Presi-
dential ticket next year. The news-
paper correspondent who has given it
currency says the political forecast-
ers believe “he can have it by merely
indicating that it is acceptable” and
adds: “It is believed that the Repub-
lican party managers would incline
toward some one for second place on
the ticket who has been in the lime-
light,” and Mr. Pinchot certainly
measures up to that condition. After
all he has accomplished for the Anti-
Saloon League, his settlement of the
coal strike to the satisfaction of the
mine owners and miners, though at
the expense of the public, is proof
positive of that.
The “fly in the ointment,” however,
is in the suspicion that the leaders of
the Penrose machine are behind this
movement to shift Gifford into “low
gear” at a time when he is confident
of making the grade in “high.” It is
said that W. Harry Baker, chairman
of the Republican State committee,
and Senators Pepper and Reed have
“started to stack the cards” against
the Governor's Presidential -aspira-
tions and are “industriously combing
the State lining up friendly chairmen
and other influential organization
men” against him. It is said, that
Secretary Mellon is in sympathy with
HE ersnimey but that needn’t wor-
# Pinchot. It was for the same pur-
pose that Senator Platt “shelved”
Roosevelt.
—It is quite evident that the
fight now on in Pittsburgh between
the regular Republican organization
and the Leslie adherents for control
of the offices in that city is the real
thing. The Pittsburgh Pictorial, in
its issue of September 1st, devotes al-
, most its entire space to booming the
organization candidates, page ten be-
ing taken up with the exploitation of
John Francies, late warden of the
western penitentiary, and now candi-
date for clerk of the courts of Alle-
gheny county. In addition to the
reading matter setting forth Mr.
Francies’ many good qualities and ex-
treme fitness for the office the article
is embellished with pictures of him-
self and the new cell house now in
course of construction at the Rock-
view penitentiary. Of course any-
thing the “Watchman” might say will
probably have no weight with the vot-
ers of Pittsburgh but the organization
candidates are confident of winning
out and naturally Mr. Francies has
our best wishes for his success.
|
——Mr. Theodore Wright, retired
editor in chief of the Philadel-
phia Record, celebrated the ninety-
third anniversary of his birth, in the |
enjoyment of excellent health, on
, Thursday, August 30th. The Record
. commemorated the event in an editor-
lial expressing appreciation of his
' splendid service to that newspaper,
i the people of Philadelphia and Penn-
Treasurer is supported by high le- | Privately he revealed this fact to a sylvania, which brought te the memo-
gal authority and good public policy
requires a final settlement of ithe
question. If the code is unconstitu-
tional all actions under it that conflict
with the fundamental law are invalid.
That being manifest to all minds the
matter ought to be brought to a ju-
Whether the initiative is
dicial test.
within or without the capitol park is
of no consequence. It is said that the
Attorney General insists that the pro-
ceedings must come from the outside.
But nobody outside is deeply concern-
ed. Only those liable to surcharge
need care.
The truth is that Governor Pinchot
and his advisers have mussed up
things at Harrisburg for selfish rea-
sons. Tre Attorney General may be
familiar with the rule of out and in-
door sports but has scant understand-
ing of law. The Secretary of the
Commonwealth may be an expert in
mathematics but is impractical as
well as ignorant in problems of gov-
ernment. The Governor is an efficient
forester but a booby in statecraft.
But this trio of amateur administra-
tors have set out to push Pinchot in-
to the White House at Washington
and laws favorable or forbidding that
confront them are unimportant. Be-
cause of these facts confusion exists
in every department of the State gov-
ernment.
number of his intimate friends and
| upon this assurance William Howard
| Taft, former Attorney General Wick-
! ersham and others urged his election
| as the “surest way of getting this coun-
| try into the League.” After his in-
duction into the office he tried to as-
sume the opposite role, but made a
miserable failure of it.
The radical and rampant “isolation-
ists,” such as Senators Moses and
i Lodge, were opposed to his renomina-
"tion on this account and probably be-
lieve that they can influence Coolidge
'to adopt their view of the subject.
| He is new in the arts of politics and
! inexperienced in the business of state-
| craft, and they imagine that he will
follow the Harding policies only so
far as they coincided with the wishes
of the party managers. Mr. Harding
was moving to break away from this
mental slavery. His announcement of
a desire to join the world court was
the last and persuasive expression of
his purpose, and the support of Cool-
idge is to draw him away from that
Harding policy.
———— fr ————————
——Germany has no right to com-
plain becaause outsiders are trying to
solve the financial problems. She re-
fuses to try to solve them herself and
they must be solved in the interest of
world stability.
-
ry of the older readers many past in-
cidents of the political life of the
f country. Mr. Wright was “guide,
philosopher and friend” to many of
| the great leaders of the Democracy
i of Pennsylvania and though reserved
lin speech he was potent in influence.
[Ye cordially concur in the hope ex-
pressed by our esteemed contempora-
‘ry that God may “bless him to round
out his notable career to a full cen-
tury.”
——A drunken motorist is more
dangerous than a venomous snake but
, he has nothing on the sober fool at
i the wheel who tries to pass every-
body.
DE, 3 SE —
——Though the “Pony Express” ex-
periment succeeded admirably it is not
likely that that system of carrying
mail from coast to coast will be re-
sumed.
——Public response to the “signal
of distress” from Japan was prompt
and liberal, which indicates that the
fear of the “yellow peril” is subsid-
ing,
I —————— { ————
——The principal reason why the
prize fighting game is profitable is
because the sport loving public is
easy.
EMBER 14. 1923.
NO. 36.
: Coal and the Consumer.
"From the Philadelphia Record. :
It was early announced on behalf of
the President that if a coal strike
should occur he would break it by an
ample supply of substitute fuel. But
while an ounce of prevention is worth
a pound of cure, the President seems
to have. had no confidence that he
could accomplish the prevention, so he
passed that on to the Governor of
Pennsylvania.
The Governor cheerfully assumed
the task, with the explanation that he
did it of his own motion, not as the
agent of the President, but-qas the
Governor of the State from which the
anthracite comes. He seems to have
accomplished the - task—at the ex-
pense of the consumers. His own
computation is that it will add half a
‘dollar a ton, and he hopes “ultimate-
ly” to relieve the consumer of this.
But before “ultimately” shall arrive
the consumer will have paid the en-
hanced price and burned the coal, and
be beyond redress. The Governor's
idea of getting the railways and the
coal trade to assume the increased
cost is, of course, chimerical; they are
going to get “all the traffic will bear.”
The operators estimate the increased
cost of 75 cents a ton, and the con-
sumers will be in great luck if the re-
tail increase is less than a dollar.
As a great many people are with-
out coal, and everybody can’t be sup-
plied before cold weather, the dealers
are in a position to exact two or three
or four dollars a ton extra, as the
Coal Commission’s report shows that
they did last year. Mining was re-
sumed last year in September, but on-
ily 65 per cent. of a normal: supply
| was distributed, and some of thetal.
lors did not prorate their supplies.
Some consumers had plenty of ‘coal,
and others did -not get even 25 per
‘cent. of a normal supply, and had to
piece out on buckwheat and coke and
bituminous, -and suffer: from" cold
houses. It looks as if this year were
going to be exceedingly favorable for
the profits of the distributors.
Now that the coal strike is proba-
bly averted by the concession “of 10
per cent. increase of wages, it is re-,
ported from Washington that the Ad-
ministration is determined to get its
share of credit for averting the strike.
The Administration’s share is nil, We
ip to see that any substantial share
0
credit inures even to Governor |
of Pennsylvania. It is net likely that
the miners ever expec get more
than 10 per cent. ine “stad that
{ has been conceded to them at ‘the cost
of the consumer.
In all probability the miners would
have accepted this settlement at At-
lantie City, or before the conference
there was called. They demanded 20
per cent. increase; 10 per cent. is con-
ceded to them, and they take it, and
the enhanced price will be paid by the
consumer. The President of the Unit-
ed States shirked the task of protect-
ing the consumer, and the Governor
of Pennsylvania put the cost of split-
ting the amount of the wage demand
upon the consumer. The hero of the
police strike in Boston proves help-
| less in the presence of a coal strike,
land the people have no occasion for
getting enthusiastic over the Republi-
ican President or the Republican Gov-
ernor. :
! —————— ep ——————
The Coal Truce.
From the Philadelphia Public Ledger.
It would be foolish to hail the ten-
tative agreement made at Harrisburg
| Friday afternoon as an enduring set-
| tlement or a sound compromise. Its
terms are written, not on brass, but
"in water. It is, in fact, no more than
‘a breathing space between rounds, a
truce whose terms put off until some
not far distant tomorrow the issues
that should be settled today.
There should be jubilation in the
tents of the miners, for theirs is the
unquestioned victory. They get an
eight-hour day, a 10 per cent. wage
increase, a continuing recognition of
the union and of collective bargaining
and will keep the very workable
‘“check-off” arrangement they have
now. .
In the house of the operators there
should be discreet but serene joy.
They keep the phantom of a theoret-
ical “open shop” and, having warned
Governor Pinchot and the public what
to expect, they will now proceed to
advance mine costs eighty cents per
ton and pass this increase on to their
retailers and to the public. The op-
erators should worry.
These parties of the First Part and
the Second Part have taken, or will
take care of themselves. The Lodge
of Sorrow will, as usual, be occupied
by the public. The Party of the Third
Part must step with such meekness as
it can summon into its familiar role,
It, as always, will be “the goat” in
| the play. The public will get coal. It
has had a strike settled for it at a
price that threatens to be a heavy
price. By all the laws of probability
and averages, coal will advance a dol-
lar a ton; possibly more. :
The $32,500,000 or more in added
expense must come from somewhere,
and in the annals of strikes there is
nothing justifying the hope that op-
erators, railways and distributors will
absorb it. We can tell how successful
this armed truce in the coal war will
be when we find what coal will cost
this winter delivered in the home.
That will be its acid test.
———— i ——————
——An esteemed contemporary
states that Governor Pinchot “is tick-
led down to his toes” over the coal
settlement. But the public will have
to dig down to the toes to pay the in-
creased coal bill.
od TRE | 5 ET SO
I'Ployee to his aid.
a,
yy
SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
« —The jury in the case of Mrs. Mattie
Myers, of Westmoreland county, who was
charged with killing her husband, Harry
Myers, a chauffeur, deliberated only five
minutes and then returned. a verdict of
not guilty. Mrs. Myers testified in her
own defense and stated that on several
occasions her husband had attempted to
{ take her life.
—The will of William M. Dreisbach, of
Lewisburg, owner of a large hardware
store in that town, was probated in the
Northumberland county courts last week.
It disposes of more than $100,000 among
the widow, Kate N. Dreisbach; Thorpe D.
Nesbit and Mrs. Anna K. Henderson, the
latter two being nephew and niece. Miss
Laura E. Dreisbach is given the income
of $10,000 for life.
—Frank McCormick, county deputy tax
collector at Sewickly, was paroled in crim-
inal court at Pittsburgh last week, after
he had entered a plea of guilty to the em-
bezzlement of $6,000. McCormick said that
the money had been spent for doctors and
hospital fees, his wife having been ser-
iously burned and two of his children
having been ill for long periods. Friends
and the bonding company made up the
shortage.
—George Erickson, 25 years old, Cleve-
land prize-fighter, who tried to escape
from Sheriff Voorhies, of Venango county,
by biting him on the hand recently, plead-
ed guilty to a charge of mayhem and was
sentenced at Franklin, last Saturday, to
not less than one year and six months and
not more than three years in the western
penitentiary. The attack was made as Er-
ickson was being taken to Franklin by
automoile for an offense in Oil City.
—While cutting a strip of leather,
Thomas Tarcin, of Larksville, Luzerne
county, a striking miner, slashed an ar-
tery in his hand and bled to death in the
basement of his home last Thursday night.
Tarcin had turned cobbler during the
strike and was repairing shoes for persons
in the neighborhood. It is believed that
he did not realize the seriousness of his
injury and failed to call or seek help. He
was found by members of his family in a
weakened condition and said the knife had
slipped. Before a doctor arrived he was
dead.
—Paul Baback made ineffectual efforts
to commit suicide at Johnstown last I'ri-
day. He jumped from the famous stone
bridge into the Conemaugh river. The
water came only to his waist, so he bent
over to get his head under the surface.
His breath lasted only so long, so he
came up for air and then ducked under
again. A policeman, after watching the
performance half an hour, finally told him
to come ashore and placed him under ar-
rest on a charge of disorderly conduct.
Baback insisted that he was trying to
commit suicide.
—With both legs nearly burned off and
a large hole in his side, Edmund Cabo-
rete, aged 12 years, of Point Marion, Pa.,
displayed unusual nerve last Thursday
and when a rope was thrown him he tied
it to one hand and was drawn away from
a wire which carried 6600 volts. He died
an hour later. Edmund, with two play-
mates, went to the tipple of the Locust
Hill Coal company and there he touched
an innocent looking wire which held him
powerless to break away. The other boys
became frightened and ran. Edmund's
cries for help brought a brickyard om
—Pennsylvania members of the I. 0. O.
F. will congregate at Lancaster during the
week of October 14 for the ninety-fourth
annual session of the grand encampment
and the thirtieth annual session of the de-
partment council. One of the features
during the sessions will be the dedication
of the new hall of the Lancaster Odd Fel-
lows, at 213 and 215 West Chestnut street,
which was built at a cost of more than
$100,000. Officers of the grand lodge will
have charge of the ceremonies. A parade
will be held on October 16, and prizes are
offered for the best uniformed ranks in
line. Prizes are also offered for degree
work. .
—The erection of gasoline or oil pumps
and filling stations within eight feet of
state highways is prohibited under an or-
der issued last week by the bureau of fire
preveution of the state police department.
The order is not retroactive. Paul D.
Wright, secretary of highways, in a letter
to borough councils, asked that they pass
ordinances forbidding the erection of
pumps and filling stations closer than
eight feet to improved highways in the
borough. Attention was called to the fact
that where pumps are erected adjacent to
the improved road they cause interfer-
ence with the “orderly passage of two-
way traffic’ when a vehicle is drawn up
for filling.
—Inadvertently stuffing a .22-calibre ri-
fle shell into his corncob pipe when he fill-
ed it with tobacco from a pouch, Simon §.
Folk, 80 years old, of Elk Lick, Somerset
county, near the Maryland line, lost his
sight when the shell exploded. A short
time before the accident he had been
shooting target near his home and drop-
ped several unexploded shells into his
pocket, one of them falling into the tobac-
co pouch. The old man believed it was a
hard lump of tobacco he was stuffing into
his pipe when he put the shell in along
with cut tobacco. The explosion blew the
pipe to bits, imbedding pieces of the cob
in the man’s face.
—Judge Audenried, of Philadelphia, has
granted the petition of Harry H. and
Myrtle Kabotchnick, to change their name
to Cabot, despite objections of descend-
ants of the famous English navigators,
John and Sebastian Cabot, residing in
Massachusetts, and the Pennsylvania So-
ciety of the Order of the Founders and
Patriots. The court said he was con-
strained to grant the petitioners the right
to use the name of Cabot, as “there appar-
ently is nothing in the law to stop any
one using that, or other famous names.”
An application is now on file in Centre
county court for the changing of the name
of Nathan and Betsy Ichkowitz, of Belle-
fonte, to Nathan and Betsy Kofman.
—Two men in an automobile, who said
they were Ernest Romerz and Joseph Di-
galdo, both of Baltimore, were arrested on
Sunday by the city police, after a gun
fight on the streets of Northumberland.
More than $2000 worth of men’s clothing,
alleged to have been taken from the store
of “Sam the hatter,” at ‘Williamsport, in
a robbery Saturday night, was found on
the car. They admitted the crime, accord-
ing to Policeman Specht, and said they
were hired by Joe Martini, of Baltimore,
to drive to Williamsport. There the store
was robbed and they were on their way to
Baltimore with the load, when arrested.
Martini made good his escape the night
of the robbery by taking a train for Bal-
timore. :
a.