Deworraic atc
INK SLINGS
— Anyway the farmers had won-
derful weather in which to harvest
their crops. That is something to
be thankful for.
—When Republican Senators were
attaching all kinds of reservations
to the World war peace treaty it
never occurred to anybody that they
were aspersing the integrity of Pres-
ident Wilson.
—Bobby Jones returned from
Europe fairly loaded down with
championship trophies, but he had
the fight of his life at Minneapolis,
the other day, in a golf contest with
a practically unknown American.
— The Lindbergh baby, twenty-
three days old had its first air plane
ride on Wednesday. If it has never
had colic before we’ll bet it had a
good dose that night. We've always
heard that riding in the wind gives
babies colic.
— Chairman Legge, of the Federal
Farm Board, is having an unhappy
time on his trip through the south-
west. With wheat dropping lower and
lower in price each day only some-
one with hypnotic power could make
a grower believe that the adminis-
tration’s plan of stabilizing prices
has been a success,
—Mr, Alfred Cecil Durban, the
London newsboy, who married the
Huntingdon girl, American heiress,
is annoyed because fellow workman
kid him about being a “gold digger.”
Perhaps they do and perhaps that
is exactly what Mr. Alfred Cecil was,
but he could avoid such annoyance
if he were to stop blabbing about
how much his wife is worth.
—Think of it, only eleven more
days of trout fishing! And here
we are confined to our room with
an attack of the same thing that
nearly scared us into a corpse up
at St. Albans, Vt. about this time
last year. Perhaps it is best so.
Nature hasn't made Fishing creek
muddy enough to stop fishing since
early in June, so, in order to save
the fish, she just stepped in and
stopped us.
—If the Watchman were being
published in Nebraska and we con-
trolled it, it would support Gilbert M.
Hitchcock for United States Sena-
tor. It would do it, however, with
faint heart, for its sympathies would
be with Senator Norris, who is in
the fight of his long and hectic
political career. Senator Norris is
a Republican, but one of the kind
who does not think that his party
is either divinely inspired or called
to control.
—Mr. Pinchot really doesn’t care
a whoop about being Governor of
Pennsylvania again. He only wants
to go to Harrisburg as the first
stop on what he is canny enough to
believe would be a chance to get
to the White House in Washington
in 1932. No matter what he might
say nor what you might think of
his present political aspiration, it
all has but one motivating influence:
He wants to be President of the
United States, not Governor of
Pennsylvania.
— Some weeks ago we referred to
our long established belief that
careful investors might make their
vacation expenses out of the July
market. Have you noticed what
the market has done thus far this
month. If you have and didn’t fol-
low our advice, keep it in mind
next year. Don’t go in now, how-
ever. It is too late. Our observa-
tions over a period of fully twenty-
five years has been that there has
invariably been a little bulge in
July, no matter what general con-
ditions might have been.
— Last week we published a bit
of verse taken from the New York
Times. In-it Bellefonte was refer-
redto. On Tuesday we noticed in a
metropolitan paper a statement that
a great railroad company had car-
ried thousands of excursionists ‘be-
tween three important points” on its
lines. The “three important points”
mentioned were Pittsburgh, Belle-
fonte and New York.” Talking about
putting theold town on the map we
still stick to our belief that it was
there long before a lot of the
gentlemen who hug the delusion
that they put it there were out of
their swaddling clothes.
—In 1913 Mr. Pinchot told the
world that he was through with the
Republican party. He has just let
it be known that no matter what
the outcome of the May primary
, had been he had intended to run
as an Independent. Such an atti-
tude proves conclusively that he is
using the Republican party as a
stepping stone to his ambition to
be President of the United States.
Mr. Pinchot has always been an
egoist. And we think we do him
no injustice when we say that he
has been a political trimmer all his
life. If information we received at
the time he was inaugurated Gov-
ernor of Pennsylvania is correct—
and we had no reason to doubt its
authenticity then—he changed over
night on the “wet” and “dry” ques-
tion. In other words, Mr, Pinchot
went to Harrisburg a “wet” by con-
viction and when he saw that some-
thing might be gained for himself
by exploiting the “drys” he hesitat-
ed not a moment to make the jump.
We have doubted his sincerity ever
since, because all of his acts In-
dicate expediency rather than cou-
rageous conviction.
STATE RIGHTS AND FEDERAL UNION.
VOL. 75
BELLEFONTE, PA.. JULY 18. 1930.
ot NO. 28.
Democratic Victory Certain.
The leaders of the Liberal party
in Pennsylvania, those voters who
supported Thomas W. Phillips, for
Governor, at the Republican prima-
ry, have practically decided to cast
their votes for John M. Hemphill
for Governor, Sedgwick Kistler, for
United States Senator, and Henry
C. Niles, for Justice of the Supreme
court, the Democratic nominees for
those offices. At a meeting of the
executive commitee of that party
held in Philadelphia, on Monday, the
chairman, Robert Ielso Cassatt,
said “our committee is unanimous
in its views. Of course we will
support only wet candidates.” As
Secretary Davis is as dry as Pin-
chot and Judge Maxey is on record
as a “straddler,” the Liberal voters
will have no alternative. To be
true to their obligation they must
support the Democratic candidates.
This action will result in the cer-
tain election of the Democratic
candidates for these offices and will
guarantee the reforms and improve-
ments in the administration of the
State government to which the
Democratic party of Pennsylvania
is pledged and for which those can-
didates have consistently labored. It
may be conservatively estimated
that it will add no less than 600,-
000 votes to the normal strength of
the Democratic party and as Gover-
nor Smith polled above 1,000,000
votes as the Democratic candidate
for President, two years ago, such
an accession will create an invinci-
ble force. Democratic votes lost to
Mr. Smith on account of his attitude
on the prohibition question will go
to Pinchot this year. But most of
the diversion from the Democratic
vote of that year was on account of
religious prejudices.
Mr. Pinchot’s primary election
vote was a trifle less than 700,000,
To that vote may be added say
100,000 prohibition Democrats, and
200,000 Republicans who voted for
Brown. There can be no religious
bigotry injected into the contest this !
year and there ought to be no loss
to the Democratic candidates on the
prohibition question. The Demo-
cratic candidates are all sober men
and quite as much opposed sto the
saloon as Mr. Pinchot. But they
realize that prohibition enforcement,
as practiced under the Eighteenth
amendment and the Volstead law,
has proven a failure and has im-
paired rather than promoted the
cause of temperance. They feel, as
hundreds of thousands of Repub-
licans are coming to feel, that there
is a better method of treating the
subject and the sooner it is applied
the better.
emcee fp serene eet
The President and the Senate.
It would be hazardous to venture
an opinion as to the merits of the
question in dispute between the
President and the Senate. Several
Senators insist that it is the Presi-
dent’s duty to lay before that body
all the papers, correspondence and
data in relation to the London Na-
val treaty. As a part of the- treaty
making power they pretend to be-
lieve that such information is es-
sential to an intelligent understand-
ing of the subject. This seems to
be a reasonable attitude. On the
other hand the President protests
that compliance with the demand
would be “incompatible with public
interest.” This is not unreasonable,
either. .
If the Senators were sincere In
their contention it would be easy
enough for public opinion to concur
in the views they have expressed.
If the President were honestly of
the opinion that compliance with the
Senate’s demand would “affront rep-
resentatives of other nations and
thus make future dealings with
those nations more difficult and
less frank,” or that “it would close
to the United States those avenues
of information which are essential
to future negotiations and amicable
intercourse with the nations of the
world,” public opinion would flow
freely and naturally to his side of
the controversy.
But unfortunately for the Senate
and the President intelligent public
opinion is set in the belief that both
are indulging in bunk. The Senators
have read the treaty and under-
stand that it means precisely what
its language expresses, There may
be ample reasons for opposing rati-
fication in the facts presented and
in the testimony of naval officials.
But it can hardly be possible that
submitting the papers could work
the result which the President pre-
tends to apprehend. Possibly Am-
passador Dawes has been indulging
in some “Hell-and-Maria” explosions
and the refusal of the President is
“to save his face.”
——Just think! Only ‘eleven more
legal days of trout fishing remain
for this year.
Congress and the President.
{ Within a comparatively brief peri-
‘od of time Congress has twice en-
acted legislation in spite of positive
protests from the President. Both
bills thus passed provided for in-
creasing pensions or granting pen-
sions to war veterans. In both in-
stances the point stressed by the
President was that the draft on the
treasury would be dangerous. In-
creasing taxes would be bad for the
administration and issuing bonds in
a time of peace disastrous. In this
dilemma Mr. Hoover made Secretary
Mellon say that in the event of the
passage of the billsone or the other
of these expedients would become
inevitable. One of the bills was
passed over the" veto. By log-roll-
ing, dragooning and other forms of
duress the veto on the other was
sustained.
To the casual observer of events
these recurring incidents might lead
to the impression that there is an
open or submerged conflict between
the President and the Congress. We
are able to draw no such inference
from the facts as they appear to
view. It is true that from the be-
ginning of his administration Presi-
dent Hoover has been weak, ambig-
liarities inspire neither confidence
nor respect. But nobody, either in
Congress or out, hates Hoover.
There may be there and there a
feeling of contempt or hostility.
The attitude of Congress toward
him, as expressed in votes onthe
pension bills, must be ascribed to
some cause other than personal an-
tipathy.
A careful and competent analysis
of the question might evolve an im-
pression that Uncle Andy Mellon is re-
sponsible for this unfortunate dis-
agreement between the President
'and Congress. It is a fact that the
' President’s principal objection to
| the legislation was based on Mr.
Mellon’s statement that the treas-
ury, with its present resources,
could not stand such a strain. Mr.
| Mellon's previous estimates of treas-
Lury possibilities have not been im-
, bressive. His estimates are not
‘based on government revenves but
‘on
Congress disregarded Mr.
| protest not because it dislikes
| Hoover but for the reason that it
{has no faith in the estimates of
| Mellon. As a matter of fact in the
| past Secretary Mellon has not been
even a good guesser.
ssn
—While Mr. Pinchot was cam-
| paigning for Governor, eight years
ago, he solemnly promised to “clean
| up the mess.” Immediately after
| assuming office he entered into an
| agreement with Bill Vare to contin-
ue the conditions which produced the
mess,
rr ——— A ————
Monroe Doctrine Newly Interpreted.
According to information from
Washington a new interpretation
has been put upon the language of
the Monroe Doctrine, or to speak
more accurately, the original inter-
pretation of it has been officially
restored. Secretary of State Stim-
son, the other day, announced that
hereafter it shall not be construed
as a charter giving the government
of the United ‘States control or even
mandatory authority over the Latin-
American Republics. In other words,
according to an esteemed contempo-
rary, the Monroe Doctrine “states
a case of the United States versus
Europe and not the United States
versus Latin America.”
At the time the Monroe Doctrine
was promulgated the Holy Alliance,
an organization of European mon-
archies, was in flower and it was
believed that one of its purposes
was to restore to Spain sovereignty
over those provinces in South Amer-
ica which had established inde-
pendent governments, President Mon-
roe regarded this as a menace to
the safety of the United States, hoth
| politically and economically. But he
never contemplated control of the
Latin-American governments or in-
terference in their domestic affairs.
| His purpose was not to protect
' those governments but to guarantee
| the safety of the United States.
| President Roosevelt, who had a
(habit of interpreting everything to
| suit himself, conceived the notion
that he had a right to interfere in
| the affairs of all American States.
|He wisely refrained from asserting
this right in Canada but felt at
liberty to say and do what he
, pleased south of the Rio Grande,
and many of the enmities which
‘have since developed in that section
are ascribable to his attitude on the
subject. Much harm has been done
{in the meantime but now that the
| original interpretation of the Mon-
roe Doctrine has been restored a
better feeling may be created and
friendlier relations established.
i
The Salvation Army Has a Vivid
History.
} rr,
| Since Envoy and Mrs. Charles
Saunders are here representing the
Salvation Army in its drive to
finance its future activities we deem
it timely to refer briefly to the vivid
history of this great organization
that extends a helping hand to the
distressed in every corner of the
globe.
. The Salvation Army is called the
greatest romance in the world. This
organization is the wildest dream
or .the wildest dreamer materialized.
The Salvation Army is a wondrous,
' chivalrous, adventureous, mysterious
thing—truly the greatest romance
' the world has ever known.
i It is romance spiritually. From
{a young man standing on a street
curb, preaching the Gospel in the
language of nearly all the people on
, the earth, its birth was a romance.
It was born amid the roaring thun-
"der of the great metropolis of Lon-
don. - It was born amid a street
‘cry of newsboys, in the haunts of
| the street walkers, drunken rowdies,
jin fever stricken courtyards and
I'blind alleys. It was born where
{sin reaches its last degree, and
i wickedness is without restraint.
uous and uncertain and such pecu- |
: From its orgin this organization
has developed until it is now work-
ing in 86 countries and colonies of
the world. United States Attorney
‘Tutle, of New York, declared that
“no emblem or symbol more ap-
propriately resembles the spirit of
humanity in the wheels of this ma-
chine age than does the Salvation
Army and its work of carrying
words of cheer and comfort into the
dark corners of the city.”
The Army will put on a cam-
paign in each community once a
year and this will be the only au-
thorized solicitation that will be
done for the whole year.
——————— A —————————
—— The pitometer gentlemen who
recently failed so utterly in their
claims of leaks they would find in
Bellefonte’s water mains appear to
be doing much better in sleuthing
the pipes in the city of Pittsburgh.
‘We notice, in the Post-Gazette of
11h 5 11 th
political expediency. ‘Maybe that sity, that up to July oy
Hoover's |
‘had found leaks there of 3,320,000
gallons per day and were only fair-
ly started on their hunt. The pitom-
eter is all right, but some of those
who undertake to sell its use to a
municipality or corporation resort
to methods that should not be em-
ployed to sell the use of an honest
device. In Bellefonte, for instance,
its advocates persuaded some of our
| councilmen almost to the point of
believing that they would find so
many leaks that with them stopped
there would be an end to.the need of
the electric pump to keep up the
water supply. As a matter of fact
they found so little actual leakage
in gallons of water that the investi-
gation here was of doubtful eco-
nomic value.
a——————————p————————
— Having rounded out a’ service
of practically thirty-one years in the
Bellefonte postoffice William S.
Chambers worked his last day, on
Monday, and when he quit work in
the evening he became a pensioned
employee of the Postoffice Depart-
ment. During his long term of serv-
jce he has filled various positions
in the office, hislast one being stamp
and money order clerk. While it
will no doubt seem strange to Mr.
Chambers not to get up and go
to work at seven o'clock in the
morning, he will probably’ get used
to it in due time, especially as he
plans to take a number of sight-see-
ing automobile trips.
— Next Thursday, July 24, will
be Methodist day at Lakemont park,
near Altoona. Bishop Edwin F. Lee,
of Singapore, Malaysia, will be the
principal speaker and during the
evening the pageant “The Call to
Youth” will be presented.
—" v———— ly —————
—Possibly the blue laws work
adversely in the interests of Phila-
delphia, but the corrupt political
machine is the real millstone about
the neck of that city.
——1It may be a coincidence” but it
is significant that the legal depart-
ment of the Pennsylvania railroad
is concerned in the fight against
Pinchot.
———————— A ————————.
—It is now believed that the
Lackawanna county official crooks
will escape punishment through the
medium of jury fixing. 3
——Lady Doyle is convinced that
Sir Arthur is still on speaking
terms with her, though she refuses
to tell what he said.
—John Hemphill is getting ac-
quainted with the people of Penn-
sylvania and gaining in strength
every day. ;
Watchman editor a fine
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN CENTRE COUNTY.
Items from the Watchman issue of
July 23, 1880.
—The “Miltonian” has arisen from
the ashes of the great fire that
practically destroyed Milton several
weeks ago and again is greetingits
subscribers and editorial contem-
poraries. And Tyrone, like its un-
fortunate down the river neighbor,
is slowly rising from the cinders of
her recent disastrous conflagration.
The “Herald” has again made its
appearance, although not so large
as formerly. The decrease in size,
however, will’ be temporary as Capt.
Jones is working fast to replace his
material and get into his new
quarters.
—Miss Lida Thomas returned
from California last week after a
long and we have no doubt a most
pleasant sojourn.
—We are sorry to say that John
Bartruff, the coach maker, dropped
a cart wheel on one of his big
toes, the other day, and has been
carrying that important member
in a sling—as it were—since the
accident.
—The Rev. Mr. Beach will preach
for the Presbyterian congregation
of this place next Sunday. Rev.
Beach was formerly an instructor in
the Academy here and is well
known in Bellefonte.
it that he has a weakness for on
of our handsome young ladies.
—A Hancock and English club
meeting will be held at Pleasant
Gap on Saturday evening, July 24th.
Also one in Milesburg on the follow-
ing Saturday evening.
—Mr. Beck, the barber, gave the
serenade
—The old board walk along the
creek, from High street to the Big
Spring, is being repaired and not a
minute sooner than it needed it.
—John Jarret, who
EE TAT ES PRL ASR BR,
SPAWLS FROM THE KEYSTONE.
—In search of huckleberries in the
Seven Mountain section, William Henry,
of Lewistown, put a bucket down while
he filled another one. Returning for the
first bucket, he found a rattler perched
on the berries. He hunted a club and
killed the reptile.
—Arrested last Thursday afternoon by
detectives, William C. Setley, aged 19,
of Reading, confessed to having taken
an average of $30 a week for a period
of three and a half years, or about
$5,000, of the receipts of the grocery
store of George W. Moyer, by whom he
had been employed.
—Mr. Carmel borough officials do not
take kindly to some of cupid’s modern
accoutrements. Continuous tooting of
horns on cars bearing wedding parties
has drawn the ire of the authorities
who announced that it was a common
nuisance and further practice of it
would bring prosecution as such.
—A set of false teeth fastened in a
broken windshield was the only clue po-
lice had in an auto accident near Stock-
dale, last week. The wrecked auto, its
windows broken and the front damaged,
was found in a field along the side of
the road. The teeth were undamaged
and were pronounced by a local dentist
to be an expensive set.
—A new highway connecting Millersburg
and Berrysburg and making possible a
shortening of the East Shore route to
Harrisburg, has been opened. The road
cost almost $500,000. There is now a
concrete highway from Harrisburg to
Shamokin. Next year the road east-
ward from Millersburg toward Lykens
is scheduled to be rebuilt with concrete.
—Rivers of booze flowed on Tuesday
at Scranton, Lewisburg and Williamsport,
deputy United States marshals having
received authority from court to destroy °
1000 gallons of beer, wines, gin and
whisky seized in the middle district
within six months. Heretofore, seized
liquors have been destroyed by prohibi-
tion agents but under a new law the
| job has been delegated to deputy mar-
, shals.
| —When he came home unexpectedly
1
| according
| Olds Thomas,
| granted a divorce
| eling man,
i and found his wife entertaining a trav-
she threw two flat-irons at
Rumor has him and told him he ‘had no right to
i come home and embarrass her like that,”
to the testimony of John
of Harrisburg, who was
in Dauphin county
| court from Mrs. Theressa R. Thomas of
Allentown. The divorce was granted on
a desertion charge.
—Mrs.
Peter Pastian, 23, Kulpmont,
| tailea in an effort to break into the
on Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock. | Northumberland county prison at Sun-
And how he can play the flageolette! i bury, last week. She demanded admis-
sion to be with her husband, who was
{being held to await the result of in-
! juries suffered by Anthony Lacrosse, a
! critically stabbed.
lives with | warden Reitz with both fists and de-
Joseph Thompson above Port Ma- | manded to get in.
neighbor, whom he is alleged to have
The woman attacked
She tried climbing
tilda, was kicked in the face by one’
Tae up the side of the 20-foot high jail wall,
of four horses he was hitching toa: put could not reach the top.
wagon last Friday. His one ear
was kicked clear off and his jaw
bone broken. Doctors sewed the
ear back in place.
—The salary of the Philipsburg: Centre county, died at his home at
increased |
300 T aonUm. | Lewistown on Saturday. He started to
$ pe u He will now get! .. sa bricklayer when but 12 years
post master has been
$1400 a year,
—The Republican meeting
would have been minus everybody
but the speaker had it not been
for two wagon loads from Valen-
tine’s works and another from
Mann’s Axe factory.
—H. C. Weaver, proprietor of the
“Cuban tobacco store,” of this place,
has been confined to the house for
the past week with an attack of
billious fever. @n We are pleased to
add that he is recovering from it.
—Captain Amos Mullen, of Co. B,
has appointed the. following non-
commissioned officers: J. D. Geis-
inger, 1st Sergt,; Cameron Burn-
side, 2nd Sergt.; W. R. Teller, 3rd
Sergt.; William Fry, 4th Sergt.; W.
Geiss, 5th Sergt.; Lewis Sunday, 1st
Corp.; F. McMullen, 2nd Corp.; W.
F. Reeder, 3rd Corp.; W. L. Malin,
4th Corp.; ‘D. F. Fortney, 5th Corp.;
Ed. L. Gray, 6th Corp J. L. Spang-
ler, 7th Corp.;
8th Corp.; H. Crissman, clerk.
—During a festival for the bene-
fit of the band at Lemont on Sat-
urday night a sneak-thief took $15
out of the money box that stood at
the rear of the room.
—The Brown brothers, who are
now running the Butts house, set
out the following free lunch from
9 to 11 each morning: Ham, bologna,
beef, cheese, cucumber salad, cab-
bage and lobsters.
—Mr. Isaac Dawson, who lives
out at Coleville, had quite a sur-
prise on circus day. His good wife
presented him with a fine boy baby
that morning. The little chap prob-
ably heard that Coup’s circus was
to be here that day and made
plans to be on hand to see the
parade.
—During a severe storm that
passed near Philipsburg on Wednes-
day lightning struck the house of
Mr. Wilson, near Cold Stream. One
of his daughters was standing at
the back door and was knocked un-
—Wwillard Mechtley, aged 75, who
‘during his life as a bricklayer and con-
tractor assisted in building twenty-six
churches, thirteen of them being in
{of age and followed that trade and that
Chas. E. Schroeder, '
"in cash,
|
! —Charles Hartman,
' avenue,
conscious in which state she re-'
mained for several hours. The
strange part of it was that the sun:
was shining brightly over Philips-
burg at the time and not a drop
of rain was falling.
—Bellefonte evidently has some
appeal to the motoring public as
parked in front of the Penn Belle,
last Saturday morning, were cars
from six States—New York, Penn-
sylvania, Maryland, West Virginia,
Ohio and Michigan. Of course the
Pennsylvania cars predominated.
—Mrs. E. Bankhead-Hoyt-Butt-Lee
is entirely too particular inthe mat-
ter of husbands. She has applied
for the annullment of her fourth
marriage, within a short time.
——When you want the real news
from home, the one paper in which
you can find it is the Democratic
Watchman.
‘at of a building contractor until ill health
Pleasant Gap, last Saturday evening, | nade it necessary to retire.
He is sur-
vived by his wife and three daughters:
Mrs. Bessie O. Derr, of Milroy; Mrs.
Frank F. Felker, of Pannebaker avenue,
and Mrs. Carrie A. Bailey, of Valley
street.
More than $203,164,787 was drawn
from the pockets of Pennsylvanians in
taxation and other collections during
the year ending July 1st. The greatest
amount, $96,576,380 which came from cor-
poration, inheritance and other general
taxes, went to the general fund to meet
obligations imposed by the Legislature.
Motorists paid $75,268,77 to the motor
fund in gasoline and automobile license
taxes. The figures were announced Mon-
day by the Department of Revenues,
charged with collection of all State
taxes, in observance of the first anni-
versary of the start of operation of the
department.
__Fire believed to have started froma
smouldering fire cracker destroyed a
frame building owned by Harold Wertz,
proprietor of the historic Indian cave,
Franklinville, Huntingdon county, mid-
night last Friday, Wertz said that in
the fire he also lost approximately $1,000
representing the receipts for
several days. Within the building was
a large quantity of advertising matter
and office fixtures which were destroyed
by the fire. The assistance of members
of the Tyrone fire department was re-
quested, but when they arrived the fire
had gained such headway that the build-
ing was doomed.
west Washington
Tyrone, is having a series of
unfortunate accidents. A week ago he
fell from a 30-foot telephone pole and
sustained a concussion of the brain.
While getting a good start to celebrate
! the Fourth of July with a blank cart-
ridge gun, ‘the gun exploded, firing the
paper wad through the palm of his left
hand. The wad, fortunately, did not
strike any of the bones in the young
lad’s hand. At the present time he is
confined to his home suffering from a
fever caused by the injection of anti-
tetanus serum. His condition is con-
sidered good, however.
—An old sofa offered two weeks ago
to anyone who would cart it away from
the First Lutheran church, of Carlisle,
where, as part of a lot of junk, it re-
posed in the basement, on Monday
brought $1006 at public auction. Re-
cently the church council included the
dilapidated piece in debris to be carted
away. Someone suspected ‘it was an
antique and offered fifty cents. Before
the would-be purchaser could close the
deal a competitor heard of the “find”
and raised the bid to $2.50. From that
figure the bidding became brisk, those
interested in acquiring the sofa finally
including Henry Ford. Several offered
$500. Then, in order to be fair to all,
the council decided to sell the old piece
at auction. L. G. Gilbert, of Lebanon,
the purchaser, declared it was the
work of Chippendale in the period of
1750. Incidentally, the sale proves a
problem for the church council, which
had been pondering how to raise $1000
for a new roof for the church.