INK SLINGS.
~ —Jack Dempsey has asked for a
chance to regain his title, but he never
‘will.
~—The reason that so few do a full
day’s work these times is that so few
know what a full day’s work is.
~—Gene Tunney isn’t the only “fight-
ing marine” who has made Philadel-
phia his battle ground. There was
Smedley Butler, you know.
—Look out, Hon. Holmes! This has
been a bad year for champions. And
you are certainly the champion politi-
cal palaverer of the county.
—Senator William I. Betts has
served the district well in the State
Senate and should be sent back to
Harrisburg for another term.
—We don’t know how many county
fairs have been held in the country
‘this fall but we do know that everyone
of them has been “the greatest.”
—F'rance is sticking an olive branch
out toward Germany, but Germany is
not to be permitted to touch it until
she admits she started the war.
—Over in New York the Republi-
cans have adopted a dry plank for
their platform. Here in Pennsylvania
some of them have adopted Vare.
—Here’s hoping that Centre coun-
ty’s vote next month will be a com-
‘plete repudiation of Vare and all those
who are sticking to him for purely
_political reasons.
—The football season has started,
and getting a turkey to celebrate its
‘close is the least of our troubles. Our
‘table hasn’t seen a Thanksgiving bird
for so long that we rarely think about
it, much less, look for it.
—Just by way of setting the “Afro-
American” pastor of the local flock
Tight we want to admit that we would
made as damnable a mess of weather
making as we said his brethren would.
And we have never made any state-
ment to the contrary.
—Election day is only a little over
‘four weeks off and the time is grow-
ing short for those of our Republican
friends who are halting between love
of party and duty to conscience to
make up their minds as to what they
are going to do about Vare.
—We congratulate the writer on
one of our local papers who was
“frisked” of fifty dollars last Satur-
day night. A country newspaper man
who has fifty smackers in his jeans
at one time is certainly one to be en-
vied by his professional brethren.
Governor Pothier, of Rhode
Island, suggests that each person
.throughout the country who listened
to the big fight by radio give ten
cents toward the Florida relief fund.
He estimates it would yield $5,000,000
and it is certainly an appealing prop-
osition.
—The death of T. Larry Eyre re-
‘moves a conspicuous figure from the
political arena in Pennsylvania. The
‘Senator was a politician only and
played the game for the gratification
‘he got out of leadership. Whatever
question may be raised about his other
standing in the Republican councils of
the State there will be none to chal-
lenge our statement that he was ever
‘their sartorial dandy.
—Dempsey made more friends in
‘a few seconds in Philadelphia, last
Thursday night, than he had made in
-all his ring career. With the crown
knocked off his head, battered and
‘bleeding, he congratulated his con-
‘queror in a manner that left no doubt
-as to its sincerity. We hadn’t expect-
ed that from the “Manasa Mauler”
cand it struck the first spark of ad-
‘miration we have ever had for him.
—The Republican nominee for Gov-
‘ernor said, before the primary, that
‘the only platform the Republican
nominee for United States Senator
“has is “a beer mug.” This same Re-
publican nominee for Governor is now
urging you to vote for his “beer mug-
ged” platform colleague. Vare is bad
-enough, but it seems to us that Fish-
-er is worse, since for the sole purpose
of getting himself elected he will
~smilingly swallow in November what
he gagged at in May.
—If you are a Republican and you
‘can’t stomach Vare and feel that
party regularity urges you to hold
your nose, close your eyes and vote
“for him, think of this. In 1911, when
“your regular party organization was
trying to elect George H. Earle Mayor
of Philadelphia Vare felt no obliga-
tion on the ground of regularity to his
party. Because he had been defeated
for the nomination by Earle he bolted
the ticket and fought him to the fin-
‘ish. This is not mere conjecture. It
“is a fact, because Vare, himself, testi-
fied before the Senate investigating
-committee that he was not regular in
1911.
—Because ‘we have heard mutter-
“ings that indicate that the students of
our local schools must be absorbing
Bolshevistic ideas from some source
and are considering walking out on
. their. teachers we want to invite the
parents of the recalcitrants into a new
society we think ought to be organiz-
ed. We will call it the Association of
Parental Paddlers of Bellefonte. No
"initiation will be charged. The only
eligibility requirements will be a
.strong right arm, a hickory paddle and
.a will to wield it. ' The first meeting of
the Association should be held on the
‘plaza in front of the “school house at
the time the kids stage théir walk-out.
| will be needed to consummate the cor-
liam Bx Wilson
VOL. 71.
Danger Signal Posted.
“If ever a ticket needed the support
of all Republicans in the State, it
needs it now,” E. E. Beidleman, of
Harrisburg, declared in a speech de-
livered before a Republican mass
meeting in Delaware county, the other
day. This expresses exactly the state
of alarm which pervades the slush
fund organization. There is no con-
fidence of victory anywhere. The vast
majority in past contests and the pre-
ponderant registration in the big
cities give no assurance of the election
of John S. Fisher and William S. Vare
in November. And it is not certain
that even Mr. Beidleman wants them
elected. Dependable information from
Harrisburg indicates that his friends
will not support the ticket.
Early returns of the primary vote
shows that Mr. Beidleman had a con-
siderable majority but that result was
so repugnant to Joseph R. Grundy
that ballot boxes in Pittsburgh were
rifled, ballots thrown into sewers and
between the closing of the booths and
the filing of returns enough ballots
were altered or disposed of to give
Mr. Fisher a majority and the certifi-
cate of nomination. Mr. Beidleman
knew he was cheated and appealed to
the courts for protection. But either
because he dispaired of justice or was
reconciled to the crime by promises
of future favors he withdrew his ap-
peal to the courts. In his testimony
before the Senate slushfund commit-
tee, however, he reiterated his charge
of fraud.
In holding up a danger signal be-
fore the voters of his party Mr. Bei-
dleman may be rendering good service
to the organization that robbed him
of his most cherished hope. It is liter-
ally true that every vote of the party
rupt bargain between Joe Grundy and
the candidates which cost so much
money that the people of every party
in every section of the country were
shocked. But thousands of Republi-
cans will not respond to the call even
though great sums of money will be
wasted in efforts to entice them. |
These thousands are already declar-
ing their purpose to vote for Eugene
C. Bonniwell, for Goverpor, and Wil-
n for Senator. ©
i ——me— e——
——The apple crop this year, ac-
cording to official reports, will be equal
to three a day for every man, woman
and child. If an apple a day keeps the
doctor away that ought to drive them
clear out of the country.
The Daugherty Conspiracy.
The trial of Harry M. Daugherty,
Attorney General in the Harding ad-
ministration and Thomas W. Miller,
then Alien Property Custodian, on
the charge of conspiracy, has not only
developed some startling facts, but
has exposed to the lay mind many of
the difficulties and some of the in-
tricacies of criminal court proceed-
ings. Accused with Daugherty and
Miller were a German agent named
Merton, a man named King and Jesse
Smith an intimate of Daugherty.
Smith committed suicide before any
exposure had been made and King
died soon after his indictment. Yet
the details of the transaction had to be
traced through them to Daugherty
and Miller to establish a case.
Merton, under promise of immunity,
testified that he had paid King in
currency and Liberty bonds a large
sum of money to procure favors from
the government bureaus controlled by
Daugherty and Miller. To connect
the payment to King with the accused
it was necessary to trace the Liberty
bonds through broker’s banks of ex-
change and deposit in New York.
Washington, Cincinnati and Washing-
ton Court House, Ohio, where Mr.
Daugherty’s brother was head of a
bank through which some of the
money and bonds passed. By this
serpentine route a chain of evidence
leading to Miller was established.
Proof that evidence was destroyed in |
the Daugherty bank at Washington |
Court House was also brought out. |
Though Merton was a government
witness under agreement his sympa- |
thies were plainly with the deter.)
ants. He acknowledged that he paid
King the price asked for services but
protested the claim was just and the
transaction legitimate. He was anx-
ious for speed and willing to pay the
exorbitant fee, to save time, which |
could not have been more than four or
five months, if the claim had really
been just. The trial has been drag-
ging along for four or five weeks and
at every turn has shown wonderful
painstaking preparation. If it fails
of its purpose it will be because the
defense has been as zealous and per-
severing as the prosecution and that
is saying a good deal.
Democratic
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
Coolidge Opposes Tax Reduction |
The President is very much opposed
to discussing the question of tax re-
duction at this time. He can see no
political advantage in such a move-
ment two years in advance of a Presi-
dential campaign. The last cut was
not made according to the specifica-
tions drawn up by Secretary Mellon
under the supervision of Mr. Coolidge
and it caused considerable uneasiness
for a time. But adverse conditions
have been adjusted and the President
wants to “let well enough alone.” But’
some of the Democrats in Congress
and out take a different view of the
subject. They think that whenever it
is possible to save money for the peo-
ple it is the right thing to do it.
The most helpful influence in a
Presidential campaign is a cut in tax-
ation by the party in power. Two
years ago the Coolidge administration
laid the foundation of their successful
campaign by declaring for a three
hundred million dollar tax reduction.
The plan was to make that cut in 1924
and another but smaller one this year
for the Congressional election. The
Democrats had no partisan interest in
the matter but discerned that half a
billion cut might safely be made and
offered a bill to that effect. Thereupon
Coolidge and Mellon had something
like a conniption fit and declared that
any cut over $300,000,000 would jeop-
ardize the solvency of the govern-
ment. A $400,000,000 cut was made
and at the end of the fiscal year there
was a surplus of over $200,000,000.
The administration plan now is to
make no cut this year and thus create
a big surplus which would enable Mr.
Coolidge to recommend a big cut dur-
ing the session of the next Congress.
There may be voters who can be fooled
in that way. There are a few left
who believe that tariff taxation pro-
tects labor, and such credulity is liable
to work any result. But the President
will not be permitted to have his own
way in this instance. The Democrats
in Congress will introduce a tax re-
duction bill and press its passage with
Suh force and persistency that even’
‘administration may be compelled
to. yield. - The people are entitled to
tax reduction to the limit and Demg+*
crats in Congress will see they get
——The Odd Fellows propose to do
better than most benevolent orders in
the matter of education. They will
create a fund to send any child of the
order through college.
Selfish Leadership.
It is true that during the primary
campaign W. L. Mellon, now chair-
man of the Republican State Commit-
tee, held William S. Vare up to ridicule
and declared that he was unfit for
Senator. It is equally certain that
Senator David Reed declared that the
election of Vare would serve as a set
back to the industries of the State.
All the leading Republican news-
papers of the State expressed the
same opinion in the event of Vare's
nomination. In fact in view of the
unanimity among decent Republicans
on the subject it seems almost in-
credible that Vare was nominated at
all. Only the vast slush fund and the
rally of the bootleggers made it pos-
sible.
But the Republican newspapers and
the Republican statesmen who so free-
ly denounced Vare before the primary
have changed their views on the sub-
ject. They are now of the opinion
that William S. Vare is a very worthy
man who deserves ‘the hearty support
of all his party associates. He has
acquired influence by corrupt use of
the ballot and wealth by favoritism in
contracts. It is charged that he has
been for years a protector of erimi-
nals. But as the candidate of his
party all his iniquities must be over-
looked in order to keep the organiza-
tion intact to protect the graft of the
bigger fellows.
In any event Vare is precisely like
the others of the machine. There is
not a particle of difference between
William S. Vare and William L. Mel-
lon. Vare operates in “the neck” in
Philadelphia and Mellon in “the strip”
in Pittsburgh and they are equally
guilly of crimes against the
ballot. Mellon hasn’t been in the
game quite as long but he has certain-
ly cut ice since his uncle was let into
the secret of using public means for
achieving ends. Mellen is in the pres-
ent campaign to buy votes for his
party because it means profit to him-
self. A more selfish leadership was
never revealed in Pennsylvania.
———The horrible accident which at- .
tended the attempt to fly from New
York to Paris is made more shocking |
by a charge that it was the result of |
incompetence.
——An economy expert says that a
long run than a thirst for beer.
thirst for knowledge costs less in the .
——The campaign is now on and :
every Democrat in Centre county must |
do his full share of work.
Tins
h’
BELLEFONTE, PA.. OCTOBER 1. 1926.
Expert’s Opinion of Tariff.
For more than six months a labor
strike has been in progress in the
woolen mills at Passaic, New Jersey.
. The strikers have shown that the labor
cost per. yard of material for a $40
suit is less than a dollar, and have
asked an increase of ten per cent in
wages. The tariff tax on the fabric
is seventy-three cents a yard, and im-
mediately following the President’s
approval of the Fordney-McCumber
tariff law the price of the cloth to con-
sumers was increased twenty per cent.
Thus it is shown that while tariff tax-
ation affords no advantage to labor it
vastly increases the profits of the
manufacturer and correspondingly
"adds to the expenses of the consumer.
Mr. W. J. Lauck, a widely known
economist, recently made an investi-
gation of the effect of high protective
tariff taxation on labor and wages, the
conflict in Passaic, New Jersey, being
the basis. As a result of his inquiry
Mr. Lauck draws four definite con-
clusions: “That the 73 per cent woolen
and worsted tariff does not add to the
well being of the workers and is a
positive detriment to the consumer
through increased prices; that labor
and the consumers are robbed through
the manufacturers absorbing the bene-
fit of special tariff law privileges in
high profits; that wages are not re-
sponsible for the increase in the price
of fabrics and that increase of wages
need not result in higher prices.”
Thus the false pretense that tariff
taxation aids wage earners is refuted
by an expert who supports his state-
ments by scientifically. proved facts.
It never has served any purpose in this
country except to rob the poor to bene-
fit the rich and provide excessive prof-
its to favored manufacturers that they
may be the better able to buy nomina-
tions for servile tools. As the Loco-
motive Engineer's Journal declares:
“Lauck’s analysis is a crushing reply
to the Republican full dinner. pail ora-
tors who insist that high tariffs aid
workers as well as manufacturers.
Passaic stands as a classic example
miserable labor conditions”
not be toleratad”
A EE sg
ly warm weather Centre county got
the tail end of a western storm on
Saturday evening with the result that
the thermometer dropped more than
forty degrees and by Monday morn-
ing was down to thirty-eight above
zero. Fortunately it was quite cloudy
and no frost resulted. Last year’s
first frost of any consequence occur-
red on October 8th.
Talking ‘About Dahlias.
It would seem that the embargo on
importation of dahlia bulbs into this
country need not be looked upon with
dread by local fanciers of the popular
garden flower.
Several weeks ago we attempted a
description of the dahlia beds of Miss
Sara Love, of Reynolds avenue. Her
hundred and eighty plants comprised
a bewildering variety of color and
size. Later W. Harrison Walker Esq.
brought to this office a dahlia of his
own cultivation that was so unusual in
size and shade as to attract the atten-
tion of scores of people passing the
window in which it was placed.
P. B. Hartman, of Willowbank
street, was one of those to admire it, .
but his interest was more than mere
admiration of a beautiful flower. He
is a fancier, also, and to prove it, pra
sented us with several white speci-
mens that were really wonderful in
size and formation.
We presume that there are many
others interested in the cultivation of
dahlias, but even if there were not the
three mentioned will probably have
enough bulbs to keep the flower from
becoming extinct in this community,
if the embargo on the imported ones
is maintained for some time to come.
Regular court sessions in Belle-
fonte thses days do not mean as much
for the hotels as they did years ago.
Before the advent of the automobile
jurors and witnesses came here on
Monday and remained until court ad-
journed. Now the majority of them
motor to Bellefonte in the morning,
park their car near the court house
and as soon as court adjourns for the
day motor home for the night. Their
only expense in Bellefonte is for a
lunch at noontime.
——Some fellow has assured chair-
ill be seated. It must have been the
same fellow who assured Dempsey he
would win the fight.
——It is said that the roar of the
ringside crowd in Philadelphia was
heard in London. The radio may be
espectally sensitive to the lamenta-
tions of losers.
that absurdly high tariff walls inclose PrO7Ee
Sige: which gry
L Pellowing last week's unusual-
NO. 39.
Vare’s Hammering of Republicans.
i From the Pittsburgh Post.
|The fight between the. Vare ‘and
| Anti-Vare Republicans of the State is
increasing in fury. Now the Vare
campaign committee has reached the
point where it not only is hammering
the present Republican tariff law, ac-
cusing it of lending itself to con-
spiracy against the industries of
Pennsylvania through letting in a
flood of imports, but also recalls the
horrors of the panic of 1893 that came
at the beginning of the second Cleve-
land administration under the Me-
Kinley Republican tariff law that re-
mained in force until August 27, 1894.
Next the Vare committee probably
will “tear into” the Dingley Republi-
can tariff law under which came the
panic of 1907 under the Roosevelt ad-
ministration, with the business of the
country left in a state of depression
for years. It probably will go on un-
til it emphasizes that every financial
panic and practically every depression
in this country for more than fifty
years came under Republican tariff
laws.
The Republican brethren may be
left to settle this wrangle over their
own tariff laws among themselves.
Meanwhile the Democrats, after
pointing out that this country has had
a protective tariff law for 137 years,
regardless of what party was in pow-
er, recognizes that the tariff is not
everything. They point out that
panics have come at times from an in-
adequate or wornout financial system,
wild speculation or development be-
yond demand. It was a Democratic
administration that put an end to the
financial panics that had been troub-
ling the country under Republican ad-
ministrations or legislation. The Fed-
eral Reserve system enacted by a
Democratic administration has proved
to be one of the most important boons
to business. Then the Democrats al-
so allow that in the matter of pros-
perity some credit is due the natural
resources of the country and the in- |
genuity and energy of the people.
They would not be surprised to hear
that the development of electric pow-
er and such new industries as that of
the automobile and such principles as
hin; 1
eep in mind is the warn-
ing given them by Senator David A.
Reed that Vare knows nothing of the
subjects of statesmanship and that
the industries of the State would re-
ceive a setback if he were sent to
Washington. The Vare attempt to
picture the South and the West as in
conspiracy against Pennsylvania in-
dustries is proof either of lack of un-
derstanding or intellectual dishonesty.
The South and West also have indus-
tries and it is but common sense that
they want to promote business in- |
stead of doing anything to restrict it.
William B. Wilson, the Father of
the Department of Labor, would be
an ideal representative of this indus-
trial State in the United States Sen-
ate. No one dares to say that he is
incapable of dealing with the subjects
of statesmanship. He would be a
credit to his State and his Nation as
a Senator. Should the prosperity of
the State be threatened, Wilson would
be an infinitely better man than Vare
to have in the Senate. He would know
what to do and how to do it.
So let no attempt to becloud the is-
sue distract attention from the utter
unfitness of Vare to go to the Senate
with his nomination under the taint
of an $800,000 “slush fund.”
One Way to Fight Vare.
From the Kansas City Star.
There is no indication that William
S. Vare and Colonel Frank B. Smith,
beneficiaries of the vast campaign
funds revealed in the Senate investi-
' gation, are disposed to get off the
tickets to which they are nominated.
They are said to have refused appeals
from national Republican leaders to
withdraw and permit new names to
be put on the Senatorial tickets. They
have been indifferent to threats that
they will be rejected if they are elect-
ed and ask to be seated.
The Democrats of Illinois and Penn-
sylvania like this attitude of Vare and
Smith. Some of them even believe
the Democratic nominees may win.
- The Pennsylvania Democrats in par-
ticular are going to make a real fight.
They are more encouraged than ever
since Governor Pinchot indicated he
-would oppose Vare. The organized
miners of the State have been consis-
tent followers of Pinchot. It is be-
lieved the great majority of this fol-
lowing will support William B. Wil-
son, the Democratic nominee, who was
President Wilson’s Secretary of Labor
.and is in good standing in labor cir-
cles and in the State generally.
| At any rate, with such a man as
Wilson as an alternative, the voters of
man Mellon that if Vare is elected he ' Pennsylvania need not stay away
- from the polls to show their opposi-
:tion to Vare, In spite of Pennsyl-
j vania’s traditionally solid Republican-
ism, it may not relish sending a man
like Vare to the Senate. It has brok-
.en away from the Republican party
+in electing Governors. It would be a
. startling turnover to elect a Demo-
- erat this year, in view of the long line
+ of Republican victories, yet it might
happen.
SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
—Returning from school last Friday
evening, John Paul Jones, seven years old,
attempted to climb on a heavy coal truck
at Cresson and was instantly killed when
he fell under the wheels."
—Victor Lou Pitchford, of Conemaugh,
and Kenneth Eugene Berkey, of Johnse
town, have been nominated for admission
to West Point from the Twentieth Penn-
sylvania congressional district. Pitchford
was named as principal and Berkey as first
alternate.
—The members of the First Presby-
byterian church of Tyrone on Sunday
morning raised through subscription, sev-
enty-six thousand dollars toward their
new church, now in course of construction.
This amount came from less than half of
the membership.
—*“I thought he might do that,” said
Miss Anna Luttenberger, of Lancaster,
when she learned that Carl Wilkin return-
ed their marriage license a few hours be-
fore they were to have been wed. He got
his money back, although there was no
- precedent . directing the marriage license
clerk to make the refund.
—Raw and finished silk to the value of
$25,000 was stolen from the mill of McBride
Brothers, at Fullerton, near Allentown,
last Friday morning. The watchman was
handcuffed to a loom and four men remov-
ed the silk to a waiting automobile, They
entered the mill by breaking a rear win-
dow and attacked the watchman on his
rounds.
—A. Lester Sheffer, general superint¢nd-
ent of the National Limestone company,
located at Schrader, eleven miles north-
west of Lewistown, fired a blast last
Thursday night that contained five car-
loads of dynamite, 175 tons, and it is es-
timated that it loosened 250,000 tons of
limestone rock so that it can be worked
by the steam shovel. This quarry is now
shipping 2,000 tons of broken stone daily.
—When Miss Anna Day, of Uniontown,
a juror in the case of Richard Ronsinger,
of Brownsville, charged with the sale of
liquor; attacks on girls and operating a
gambling house declared audibly “That's
right” as the counsel for the defense was
scoring the testimony given by girls
against Ronsinger, Judge Henderson di-
rected that the woman be dismissed from
further jury duty and the case was decid-
ed by 11 jurors. Ronsinger was acquitted.
-—Howard Macklin, one of the directors
of the McVeytown National bank, says that
“earnings” of the bank had induced an
audit from last January 1, which developed
the fact that J. E. Rupert, the cashier, had
been deducting the sum of $200 a month
from the earnings’ profits from the sale of
securities ‘and from the interest accounts
for the last seven months, or a total loss
‘of $1500. The money taken by the cashier
will not affect the standing of the bank, as
he is bonded for $10,000.
‘—Russell Berger, of Elk avenue, Ridg-
‘way, was the victim of a strange assault
Thursday night, when he gave a man a
ride in his car from Johnsonburg to Ridg-
way. Berger was on his way home when
a man at the roadside asked for a ride.
Berger took the stranger into his car and
the men conversed until the ear was near
Ridgway, when the man said he would get
out of the car. When the car stopped he
‘slashed Berger across the face with a knife
and ran across’ the Pennsylvania railroad
—Rev. Park W. Huntingdon, of Jersey
Shore, Pa., has accepted a call to the pas-
torate of St. Stephen’s church, of Wilming-
ton, Del. His first sermon will be delivered
on November 7. Mr. Huntingdon is thirty
years’ old and married and has had much
success in building up the church in Jersey
Shore. He is a former army chaplain and
‘served in France during the war. He is a
| post commander of the American Legion in
Jersey Shore and during the summer
served as a chaplain in the reserve officers’
corps at Camp Meade.
—=S0 eager were many young men of the
{ Third Presbyterian Sunday school of Un-
iontown to gain entrance to the church on
: Sunday for rally day exercises that they
| climbed through windows into the class-
rooms. The attendance was 2,000. When
: the late comers arrived at the church they
| found the church auditorium and Sunday
school rooms so crowded with men, women
and children that they were unable to gain
an entrance in the usual way. They at-
tracted attention of classmates who sat
‘near the windows and helped them
' through.
—The drug firm of N. H. Shearer and
company, Incorporated, is made the defend-
ant in a suit for $10,000 damages institut-
ed In common pleas court in York county
. by Margaret A. Zaner, as the result of the
| death of Philip A. Altland, of Cincinnati,
{ Ohio, father of the plaintiff, alleged to
| have caused by taking a dose of camphor-
| ated oil said to have been sold to Mr. Alt-
l 1and by an employe of the Shearer com-
pany as castor oil. Mrs. Zaner says she
received from -her father $1,000 a year, of
. which she is now deprived caused by the
mistake of the clerk.
—Two bolts of lightning struck the barn
! and house of John Fern, of Frosty Valley,
| near Bloomsburg, late Saturday night and
{ burned them to the ground. The loss is
{ estimated at several thousand dollars and
there is little insurance. The cattle were
in the field at the time and the horses
were taken out of the barn. The buildings
between the house and barn, 60 yards
apart, were not damaged. The family had
been at a wedding during the afternoon
and Mr. Fern had returned home when he
saw the storm coming. He just arrived
as lightning struck the barn, and a few
minutes later a second bolt struck the
house.
—Indictments were returned by a Fed-
eral grand jury at Erie, last week, against
twelve persons in and near Johnstown, in
a “check kiting” scheme which is said to
have involved numerous banks and run in-
to several million dollars. Exposure of the
alleged fraud by bank examiners is said
to have caused banks a financial loss of
$100,000. Those indicted on two charges,
violating the postal laws and a state bank-
ing law in misapplication of funds of the
First National Bank of Hollsopple are:
Martha V. Jones, former assistant cash-
ier of the First National Bank at Hollsop-
ple; C. F. Wilson, William Mooney, John
R. Rooner and D. R. Simpson, all of
Johnstown, Pa. Others indicted on charges
of violating the postal laws are: Fred F.
Sprengel, W. H. C. Sprengel, F. 8. Shu-
man, Frank J. Gabriel, Harry Walters,
Joseph Eisenberg and Sam Silverman. The
case will be tried in Pittsburgh in No-
vember.
RC b
Si