& Wig + Sen © INK SLINGS. .—Don’t turn over any new leaves unless you are absolutely determined to keep them clean. — Possibly the New England man- ufacturers of war materials got the Presidential ear first. — Our old friend Venezelos has “got his old job back,” but he may not be able to work at it long. If the average boy had to earn the money with which to buy the gas and the tires it would be a long time between rides for him. — If Henry Ford could control votes as successfully as he builds au- tomobiles his support of Coolidge would be of some value. . —About one more invention like the radio and another game like mah jongg and productive work will cease entirely in many households. — An earth tremor shook Tennes- see the other day but Tennessee shocked the Democrats all over the country when it voted for the Repub- lican candidate for President three years ago. —Here’s wishing the retiring coun- ty officials good luck, in whatever lines of endeavor they may elect to follow, and their successors in office exceptional capability in doing what they were elected to do. — While from all sections of the State come reports that New Year's eve was about as wet as boot leggers could make it far more of Bellefonte’s celebration came out of bells and whistles than out of bottles. — This is leap year, of course, but even leap year ain’t what she used to be. The flapper works too fast to re- spect the old time limitations that were put on her sisters as to their right to pop the question. —The only comfort that the dawn of 1924 brought to the lot of organ- ization Republicans who reluctantly crawled onto the band wagon and saved the day for Pinchot is that he has only three more years to trouble ——Selling war materials to Mexi- ©o may make grave trouble for this country in the future, but it provides a promising market for New England manufacturers of such wares now, and everybody knows that “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” —My, Oh my! What might the Woods boys not have done had their distinguished daddy been elected Pres- ident. If with the prestige of pop’s being Governor General of the Phil- ippines they could clean up millions they would have Rockerfeller looking like a piker had they had opportuni- TA Na pht, —If you happened to know what flashed through the old bean just now you’d understand why the hundredth day from this date looms big. It wiil be the 15th of April. Momentarily we recalled what a strenuous job we had last fifteenth “kiddin’” two compan- _Jens into cutting enough wood te-keep- us warm while we told them how to do the rest of the chores about the camp. sun spots were the cause. We have just come through what has probably ‘been the mildest fall within the mem- ory of most of you and of course we look to science for explanation. As always, science is there with the ‘high-brow stuff for us to swallow or let alone. The Japanese earthquake not only rent Nipon almost asunder, but so transformed the bed of the ocean that the gulf stream has been thrown five hundred miles out of its former course and in consequence we are more favored by its warm winds. Not being scienced in anything ex- cept, possibly, the matter of starting an“argument, we shall not attempt to throw *dny: light of our own. on the unseasonable weather further than to say that if this gulf stream dope is good and was responsible for our thermometers standing at 52 degrees when the “bells were ringing in the New Year we advise every one to pack all the ice they can get for we're cer- tainly in for some torrid weather next July. ‘—We once thought that the parents were the only happy ones when vaca- tion days were over for their little folks and there was surcease, for a few hours in the day, in the trials of managing them. However, since the schools have made study a pleasingly ‘interesting occupation, rather than the drab, monotonous grind it once was, we think the little ones are re- ally glad to get back to their desks. In truth we know a lot of them to whom vacation is positively a bore, after a day or so of it. They seem to be unable to either amuse themselves or occupy their time in any way and for the most part are utterly at a loss to know what to do next. Per- haps this condition is due to the fact that the yougster, the lad especially, doesn’t play like his dad did. He doesn’t seem to find any thrill or pleasure in lugging store boxes or old boards to some outlying common and building a cabin and then organizing a gang to lick the crowd that tore it down the very next night after he had it built. There is little of the rough, muscle building ‘out of door play that develops resourcefulness in the small _ town boy of today. Pay amusements shave diverted him and, we think, to an extent are mollycoddling him so that he must be given as much money to spend as his dad dared to “blow” when he had reached young manhood. STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION. VOL. 69. BELLEFONTE, PA., JANUARY 4. 1924. Justly Condemns the Propaganda. In declaring that the organized propaganda to force the Mellon tax bill through Congress is a conspiracy Representative Garner, of Texas, may have been a trifle immoderate in lan- guage. A conspiracy is “a combina- tion of men for an evil purpose.” That there is a combination scarcely admits of doubt. Hundreds of thous- ands of letters in precisely the same language could hardly have happened without understanding among those who sent them or procured their send- ing. But there may have been an absence of evil in the purpose. Secre- tary Mellon stands to save $100,000 in his personal tax bill by the passage of his tax bill and it would be unfair to say that was any evil, so far as he | is personally concerned. But Representative Garner is fully justified in protesting against the propaganda. It is an insidious meth- | od of accomplishing a purpose of | doubtful character. The plain intent is to compel senators and Representa- tives in Congress to act under penal- ty of the.enmity of those who write the letters. In many cases the sign- ers of the letters do not know the con- tents of them. They are framed by those who have a selfish interest in the subject and are frequently signed under duress. Every citizen has a le- gal right to appeal to Representatives in Congress to vote on any question pending. But a citizen has no moral right to compel or beguile others to write letters which they don’t under- stand for a selfish purpose. Besides the propaganda of which Representative Garner complains is based on a false foundation. It is said that unless the income tax on big incomes is greatly reduced capital will be withdrawn from industry and commerce and that the industrial life of the country will be paralyzed. This is plain bunk. The owners of capital which is earning from twenty to fifty per cent. will not resort to three per cent. securities because part of their incomes is taken for taxes. Any one who does that is heading for the “bug house.” The multi million- aires can afford to pay. The protec- tion of their property and interests Od mich ar Tuy to Te oll ing to pay their share of the expenses. ——New York bankers are trying to find out how much gold has been deposited in banks outside of Germa- ny by German capitalists and the es- timate runs anywhere from one hun- dred million to two billion dollars. Either figure would go a long way in settling the reparations question. War Cleuds Hovering. We sincerely hope that an incident which occurred at a recent social event at the White House will not lead to grave international complications. Grave international complications are serious matters and should be avoid- ed. But the newspaper writing men at Washington are apprehensive. It seems that at the last White House dinner the German Ambassador, Dr. Otto Wiedfeldt, was assigned as the escort to the table of Baroness de Cartier de: Marchienne, wife of the Belgium Ambassador, and the lady refused to accept the arrangement. In other words she exercised a right enjoyed by every American woman and probably some others to select her own escort. There is'a good deal of feeling be- tween Belgium and Germany as the result of certain features of the late war and the diplomatic men and wom- en assume’ that they represent their governments in social as well as oth- er things.” Presumably the charming Baroness had no other reason for ob- jecting to the proximity of the learn- ed German Ambassador on the occa- sion in question. But diplomatic gos- sip has aseribed to the incident some sort of sinister slant and somebody is now trying to conjure up a cause of quarrel between Belgium and the United States on the ground that the Baroness insulted a guest of the Pres- ident and’ thereby created a casus belli between two friendly nations. Of course President Coolidge is in no respect responsible for the unfor- tunate incident, though such a thing has never gccurred before. One might think, too, that it ought not to have occurred. There could be nothing more probable than a feeling of hos- tility between the diplomatic repre- sentatives ‘of Belgium and Germany, and there would seem to be so many ways of avoiding the juxtaposition which would have occurred if the leading lady in the comedy had been less courageous or more acquiescent: But the worst consequences, may be avoided if ithe trouble is handled dip- lomatically. It was obviously a sec- retarial blynder and the statement un- officially that Slemp slumped may solve the problem. — Senator Smoot, of Utah, the “wise guy” of the Republican machine in Washington, is of the opinion that DT Conference May Do Good. The conference which opened at Harrisburg, on Wednesday, for the declared purpose of “enlisting the aid of the people of Pennsylvania for the suppression of lawlessness,” may ac- complish much good. It is sponsored by five non-political organizations that have long been active in civic ‘improvement and have already achiev- ed splendid results. They are the Pennsylvania federation of churches, the Anti-Saloon League, the Penn- sylvania Women’s "Christian Union, the Pennsylvania Sabbath School as- sociation and the Pennsylvania Chris- tian Endeavor Union. The Pennsyl- vania State Grange, the Pennsylvania State Teachers’ association and the Federated Women’s Clubs of Pennsyl- vania are participating in the work. It may be assumed, though it has not been announced, that the princi- pal purpose of the conference is to devise means for the better enforce- ment of the prohibition laws. There is much reason for anxiety on the part of those composing these civic organ- izations on this subject. There are’ most drastic laws on the statute books for the prevention of the sale and use of intoxicants as a beverage but police records in the principal cities indicate a woefully lax enforce- ment of them. Good citizenship re- quires the strict obedience to all laws and whether in sympathy with the aims of such legislation or not every man and woman in Pennsylvania should strive for improvement in the methods of enforcement. There is equal or even greater lax- ity in the enforcement of other laws which should receive the attention of those composing the conference in Harrisburg. The violation of the election laws, for example, has been a source of shame and scandal in Penn- sylvania for many years, but no ser- ious effort is made to enforce the laws forbidding such evils. Corrupt use of money at elections is forbidden by the fundamental law of the State yet candidates for office spend far in ex- cess of the amount that might be dis- bursed for legitimate expenses and no complaint is ae or if prosecutions [1 flicted. anxiety. ——Taking advantage of the usual lull in business during the holiday season the areo mail service was cut out from the day before Christmas until the day after New Year... Durs ing that period every ship in the service was gone over and thoroughly stabilized so as to reduce to a min- imum the possibility of accidents in the future. Detrich’s Resignation No Surprise. The resignation of Mr. A. Nevin Detrich, who since the adoption of the administrative code has been di- rector of publications in the Pinchot official family, is not surprising. De- trich is a shrewd politician and doesn’t underestimate his value. He probably contributed more than any other individual to Mr. Pinchot’s nom- ination, which was accomplished by fooling the leaders of the opposition. They never suspected that Pinchot was spending money with unexampled liberality. Detrich handled the funds and did it so skillfully as to complete- ly decieve such past masters as chair- man Baker and those associated with him in the support of Mr. Alter. It was a striking example of political finesse. Naturally Mr. Detrich expected that the value of his achievement would be appreciated after the election of his candidate. In this expectation every experienced observer of politics con- curred. Nobody supposed he would be placed in a station below Secretary of the Commonwealth. But the best offered him was superintendent of pub- lic printing under the old regime. Yet that wasn’t a bad job. The salary was fairly generous and it was an in- dependent department. The adoption of the code altered conditions, how- ever. Director of publications is a minor office under the director of pub- lic grounds and property, which is a sort of bureau under control of the Secretary of the Commonwealth. And there’s the rub. Dr. Clyde King, who knows about as much prac- tical politics as the average puddler knows about constructing a watch, and is said to be as arrogant as Cae- sar, began butting into the affairs of the bureau of publications and made the official life of the director intol- erable. Protests made no impression on the hypnotized mind of Pinchot and Detrich had no alternative but res- ignation. Of course he leaves the service ‘of the administration in any- thing but an amiable frame of mind and the chances are he will attach himself to the opposition tc Mr. Pin- chot’s future ambitions. It may be added that he will have no trouble in getting an assignment to service. the bonus get will be passed over the President's. veto. — "May every day of the new year bring happiness to our readers. District Republicans in Conference at DuBois. : Leaders in the Republican organ- ization in the counties composing the 21st Congressional district met in Du- Bois yesterday for the purpose of forestalling, if possible, troublesome developments in the coming campaign for delegates to their National con- vention. County chairman Frank Mayes, ed- itor T. H. Harter, of the Gazette, and prothonotary Roy Wilkinson were the representatives from this end of Cen- tre county. 3 While we have no report of the ac- tion of the conference if it ran true to the pre-arranged program the two delegates from the District were as- signed to McKean and Clearfield coun- ties and it is to be understood that whoever they may be they will be for Coolidge. As to whether editor Harter un- dertook to throw a monkey wrench into the machinery by injecting his friend Pinchot into the discussion on “the favorite son” basis and, if he did, how far he got with it, we are not advised. Mr. Harter was about the only active Republican leader in the county who was for Pinchot as against Alter, but as his recompense, up to this time, has been the tender of only an honorary job—with no pay —it may be possible that he has aban- doned Gif. as a potential plum tree hope. Whatever the outcome of the con- ference may have been the way is not smooth as it might look. If Hi John- son and Pinchot should finally decide to go after the Pennsylvania delega- tion and set up candidates in this Dis- trict there is likely to be as much fun as there was four years ago, when Col. Theodore Davis Boal and Mel- ville Gillett, of McKean, catapulted themselves into the race, after the conference slate had been announced, and made a runaway of it. ——Many people in Centre county, and especially down Nittany valley, remember Will Truckenmiller, the farmer poet who years ago used to a regular x3 of verse to the ew his far off home in Blackfalds, Ont, | he sent a ting to this paper be- fore Christmas in which he reported splendid weather there with the far- mers just completing their threshing season. The wheat yields there av- erage from 60 to 70 bushels to an. acre, with high yields at 105. Oats “turn out from 150 to 200 bushels. Wheat, however, is selling at 73 cents a bushel, oats 25, rye 40 and barley 30. Eggs bring 45 cents a dozen, butter 35 cents a pound and milk 10 cents a quart. Many of the older residents of that country are selling out and going to California to spend their declining years. em — eimai. Pinchot Has Leaders Guessing. Governor Pinchot has « the Republi- can leaders of Pennsylvania guessing, according to the political dopesters of the Sunday papers. He refuses to “show his hand.” The United States Senators, the chairman of the State committee and most of the Congress- men want to declare for Coolidge for President and are afraid to do so un- til Pinchot has indicated his program. That vast fortune of the Pinchot fam- ily, constantly increasing by inherii- ances from one source or another, is the disturbing cause. If he taps his barrel there is no telling what may. happen, and there is a constant fear in the minds of the bosses that he will “spring the bung” any old time. If the Governor would declare him- self a candidate for President the tension would be relieved. It may be said that the leaders are not much afraid of Pinchot as > candidate. He has made so many blunders as Gov- ernor and alienated so many of his former friends by his eccentricities that even the most profligate dis- bursements of funds would not make him formidable. But there is a cur- rent suspicion’that he may open his barrel in the interest of Senator Hi- ram Johnson, of California, and that is a menace to be seriously consider- ed. Hungry Hi has a considerable fol- lowing among the radicals of the par- ty and it is greatly feared that with Pinchot’s help the Roosevelt forces might be organized for him. oe The leaders have practically agreed upon the eight delegates-at-large to the Cleveland convention. Senators Pepper and Reed, State chairman Ba ker, former Governor Sproul, Mayor Kendrick, of Philadelphia; Mrs. Bér- clay Warburton, of that city, and Secretary of the Treasurer Mellor Pittsburgh, are certain to be Governor Pinchot can have the othe seat in the delegation if he ‘will yrom- ise to be good, and the honor will be kept open for ur iim for some time yet. But if he fails to “toe the mark” with- in a reasonable time Congressman McFadden, of Canton, will ‘be given the place. He is a prime fayorite 'sylvania and should prove of = | the ascertainment of the exten which the operators. of the ‘land other details concerning the bus | mess... No rules yet «devised are s¢ jer | enforcing; ‘and there must be NO. 1. Hanna Tactics Recalled. From the Philadelphia Record. } 2 Announcement by Senator am Johnson that he intends to make a vigorous campaign for the election of Southern delegates favorable to him- self to the Republican National con- vention, in opposition to President Coolidge, will recall to some old-tim- ers the historic contest of this kind which was just getting under way 28 years ago. The leading Republican candidates for the Presidential nomi- nation at that time were Governor William McKinley, of Ohio, who was actively backed by Mark Hanna; Speaker Thomas B. Reed, of ine, and General Russell Alger, of Mich- igan, who had nothing to recommend him except the possession of a for- tune of several million dollars, a con- siderable part of which he was will- ing to expend in the purchase of ve- nal G. O. P. statesmen from the Southern States. Nobody else. con- sidered Alger in any way fitted for the Presidency, but he had the ob- session badly, and for several years had made the bagging of mercenary politicians rather a specialty of his own. Fully appreciating these alluring tactics of the Michigander, Mark Han- na resolved to outwit him, and early in the winter of 1895-6 found that his health made it imperative that he should spend the cold season in the more genial climate of Georgia. Tak- ing up his temporary residence there, he spread his nets for the drab birds of the Gulf region and adjoining States, and managed so adroitly that when General Alger’s emissaries ap- peared on the scene with plethoric pocketbooks they discovered that they were too late. The whole South sim- ply reeked with McKinley enthusiasm, and it was with great difficulty and at terrible expense that an Alger dele- gate could be picked up here and there. When the national convention met, in 1896, Hanna’s man had a walkover in carrying off the nomina- ion. The Hanna tradition has descended to ex-Postmaster General Frank H. Hitchcock, who practiced his methods with pronounced success in 1908 and 1912. Indeed, it was largely because of the shameless manner in which the Southern delegates were manipulated in 1912 that Theodore Roosevelt balk- ed the nomination of Taft and ran as Moose candida ~ And 1 ow “Senator Johnson's 3 paign manager, and it is announced that he will make a fight for the Cal- ifornian in the Alabama primaries. Against him will be pitted that purist in politics, Private Secretary Slemp, of Virginia, who is no novice in the game, especially as understood by southern Republicans. There may be an interesting fight, but we doubt it. Unless all signs are at fault, Mr. Coolidge and his private secretary have the contest well in hand, just as Mark Hanna had, by exercising a wise provision, and there will probably be no more vociferous Coolidge dele- gates at Cleveland than those who will travel up from the sunny South. Democratic Hopes Running High. From the Philadelphia Record. Woodrow Wilson’s confidence that 1924 “is to be a year of Democratic triumph” will be shared by many mil- lion Americans, judging by all recent election returns. One thing that is producing this reaction is the appar- ently inevitable Republican propensi- ty to what may be gently termed financial looseness. Just at present there is very much in the public eye a stripling of 26, son of a prominent personage, who pretends that he has’ cleared up nearly $800,000 in a year by long-range speculations. This is such an astounding performance that Congress is anxious to learn just how it was done. Then there was the leasing of the Teapot Dome oil re- serves by Secretary Fall to Sinclair, the oil magnate, who soon after gave him $10,000 for a European trip. Con- currently with this scandal came those in the Veterans’ Bureau, in many ways the most shocking revelations of official mismanagement since Civil war days. And there are many oth- ers. Compare all this rottenness with the eight years of clean Democratic administration, and it is easy to see why Democratic hopes are running |, high. Survey Should Prove of Value. bi From The Philadelphia Public Ledger. A motor-transport survey carried, on jointly by Federal and State high-! way officials, is being made in Penn most value in determining nl the volume and character, the*ro and the commodities, but in assist in the laying out of new: roads and* deciding upon the:material best ed to the service required. of it. A er useful result of the survey will ul a= transport vehicles' obey the reg or tiohs ‘governing ‘the’ maximum weig way of making really effective 8 wholesome regulations; for the pr vatign of the road surfaces and protection of the rights of all who the public highways as experie dient. nn pp with corporate interests and big buss iness and always willing to serve on wait. : vi o — President Coolidge’s interest in: the common. people increases as the Presidential election approaches. 1 SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE. —T¥Four thousand five hundred and fifty- two eriminal cases were disposed of im Allegheny county in 1923. —After serving the Pennsylvania rail« road for 50 years, Samuel E. Hyle, station agent at Spruce Creek, will go on the roll of honor Monday. : —The Northumberland Commissioners awarded $10,800 of gasoline tax money to Sunbury and Upper Augusta township to be used in improving roads entering the city. —T. Van C. Phillips, justice of the peace in Chester county, has received a hand- some gold chronometer which had come to him recently from the estate of the Duc de Moro, of England, whose title he in- herits. —Railroad detectives claim that more than fifty robberies from Pennsylvania Railroad freight cars have been cleared up with the arrest on Saturday of John C. Kirkpatrick, of New Kensington; Frank BE. Wagner, of Natrona, and John T. Bar- bour, of Pittsburgh. —Robbers entered the Cohen Brothers furniture store at Uniontown on Saturday night, worked the combination of the vault and escaped with $2,200 in money. Merchandise in the store was not disturb- ed. An entrance was forced by sawing steel bars over a rear window. —1In an’ open letter Dr. F. W. Black, chief surgeon at the Lewistown hospital, offers $2,000 reward for information trac- ing the origin of stories reflecting on his character and also leading to the discov- ery of the identity of persons who, it is al- leged, have made two attempts upon his life. —Cyrus E. Woods, American Ambassa« dor to Japan, was taken to the Universi ty hospital, Philadelphia, on Saturday afternoon suffering from inflammation of the right shoulder, with which he was stricken while in Washington, last Wed- nesday. His illness is not considered of a serious nature, —On petition of creditors, Judge Thom- as F. Bailey, of Huntingdon, last week appointed Andrew S. Webb, of Philadel- phia, receiver for the Joseph E. Thropp company, Inc, which operates iron and coal mines and coke ovens in Pennsylva- nia and Virginia. The assets were given as $2,400,000 and the liabilities $1,300,000. —Because he proved to be a friend as well as an employe, David M. Foulkrod, of Jersey Shore, has been named sole execu- tor and heir to about $30,000 in a will made by the late Mrs. Anna Klasner, The en- tire estate of the deceased save $100 left for the upkeep of her cemetery lot, was left unreservedly to her friend and em- ploye, David M. Foulkrod, and his heirs and assigns forever. is a master diamond thief, was arrested on the back porch on the second-floor apartment of J. M. Lloyd, at Sunbury, on Sunday night by Northumberland police after Mrs. Lloyd had called them by tel- ephone. In his pockets were more than $100 and $300 more at his boarding house. He denied any intention of crime. Dor- man as already served three terms in the penitentiary. A —B. J. Gill, one time state policeman, but recently chief of police of Coalport, was convicted in the Clearfield county i : ing and furnishing Hquor illegally, ‘and will be sentenced some day this week. For a time Gill was assistant chief of police of Philipsburg. A moonshiner named Bloom ! testified that Gill would come to his place and carry away moonshine without pay- ing a cent for it. +Following a drunken Sunday carous- alion poisoned liquor at a lumber camp fiear Alexandria, Frank Leitz and his’ brother Robert, lumbérmen, quarreled, and Frank was ejected from Robert's shanty. About midnight Robert went to Fran shanty with a shotgun, and is alleged to! have shot his brother in the! back ‘inthe’ presence of his wife and three! childiién. The wounded man died about 3 o’elgcky Monday morning before medical aidicomld reach him. dala —Jacob W. Wisler, of Montgomery county, left an unopened will which will” govern the future distribution of his es-: tate of nearly $25,000. In an. adjudication announced by Judge Soily, Wisler gives his wife the use of property at Trappe, together with the income of his whole ‘es- tate, with the right to use some of the principal ‘as may be necessary, so long as’ she remains his ‘widow. In case of Her’ remarriage, or at her death, the remainder! of the estate is ‘to! be distributed in ac-, cordance with another will, which is to be. opened only upon either the death or re- marriage of his widow. : ¢ —Hidden away in boxes and.trunks and out-of-the-way nooks and corners in the, house in, which she lived, more, than $200, in various, amounts and denominations have been found by relatives, since .the death’ of Mrs. Catherine GeeSey Kember- ling, in her former home ner Reese Sta- tion, Blair county. Seventy dollars of the sum found was in’ bills ranging from $1, 2, $5, to $10; the sum of! $27.50. was (in gold ; $20 was in silver half‘dollars and $6 in dimes. Besides this there was a num- ber of silver and trade, dollars, nickels, silver half dimes, three and two cent piec- es, a quart of pennies and a lot of old copper cents and half cents. hon } —An_ explosion of gas last Thursday, ceked, the ome of Samuel Mears, at dge, and caused serious injury, to iri members of the family. “The entire ond’ floor’ was. blown: high into the air the roof’ Hitact until “ft fell. The ex’ n occurred whet, (Mears touched a’ {the New York tral gy ing that his" pension’ would Svide' : rts ‘of life fort his wife, | been an“iiivaiid for the past twelve’ nee Gaba te fel 1 daneek dl ah itda may find to be necessary and expes: Johnson'in a fit! of mental depression; ides. ton’ gas stove in a'second floor (béd- and fell to the first floor, the ceiling g Having. collapsed. , His wife and .a daugh- tl iter, Catherine, who ‘were in the room be- ow, were buried under’ plaster and debris. Tarold' Mears, a son, was carried up with tHe ‘roof.’ All'were badly burned’and tak- boii. to .a" hospital. | The detonation’ broke any ‘windows in' the vicinity.’ {wl s% || “__yodeph ' H. Johnson, of Beech Creek, who wounded himself in the right cheek when Nel fired" a revolver into his head ’be- low. the right ear in an: attempt to end his life, is (recovering and’ will soon be; re- ‘stored; to his uspal health. Mp. Johsson : was. rereutly placed om, the ‘honor roll of entral railroad, ‘and fears: A the comforts of life h years, ‘cided to shoot:-himself. In the past twelve | years he has