VOL. LXXVI.
CENTRE COUNTY
IN THE CIVIL WAR,
148th Regiment, Pennsylvania
Volunteers.
By 1. P. Meyer, Sergeant Co. A., 148th
Regimeni, . V.
{To be Coutinued.]
CHAPTER 1V.
Ia our forward movement our Regt.
passed throuzhbh a truck pateh and I
filled my baversack with green toma-
toes.
We lay in line of battle, and nearly
froze. About tsi o'clock I “stood my-
self up,” and szid to my chums let us
go back behind the hill in the woods, |
build a fire, get warm, and fry and eat
my green tomatoes, while we wait for |
the coming f Gay, and the opening of |
the fight : we will be back before day- |
FRYING TOMATOES.
They said, we dare not do not
one would go with me, went
alone, started a fire, fried.snd ate
matoes. I had a lonely but nice time
by my cheerful fire, undisturbed. I
had a comfortable night and just be-
fore day-break T finished the tomatoes
and returned to the of battle,
where the were lying on the
ground, shivering with cold and do-
ing considerable growling
In the afternoon of Oet
slight diversion
1st of the 2d
Small, « soldier
it ;
So I
to-
ine
bovs
2d we had a
in our division, the
comrade
N ¥. vola,
formal way, for
Corps, w hen
of ¢
in the usual
Our
he bith
was snot
desertion. division was turned
the
the
out to witness the and
Counfederatz=
south side of the Rapidan,
dd
salisisction
butchery,
en the heights on
in bunches,
were also speetators, ai
looked on
gradually reducing our armoy,
, ho doubt,
with to see us
Friday
was execution day snd no Friday pass-
deserters in some
first
our Divis
The victim
executioners
He re
from
ed without shooting
part of the army. This
execution for desertion
ion
was ghot four times ; the
emptied their guns on him.
ceived two bullets into his
a navy revolver in the hands of an of-
ficer at close range, before the surgeon
in attendance pronounced him dead
Then the whole Division was requir-
ed to march in single column close by,
to view the mangled and blood cover
ed body of this hapless mortal. The
idea of these public executions, was to
was the
in
:it was a butchery
head
tl
impress upon the soldiers that deser-
tion would be punished according to
military usage in time of war.
on that gander. Four of us—=William
Meyer, Henry Meyer, Jesse Long and
I chewed on that gander till dawn of
day, and we had a good deal of that
Confederate, leather-bodied gander left
over, Woe offered part of that invinei-
ble gander to some of the boys and
told them that it was a very good mess,
They looked at the wreck, but they
would not bite,
Peace to the memory of that South
On Oct. 6th at two
o'clock in the morning we were routed
out ; we packed up and soon after mov-
ed out of our position on the Rapidan,
and marched buck to Culpeper C. H.
twelve miles, and went into regular
camp in We to dig
wells and put up “annexes,” us if for a
prolonged stay.
reserve Dean
For several days we lay quietly in
camp near Culpeper Court House ; but
on Oct. 10th (1863) the 2d Corps made
a hurried march back to the Rapidan
river to reinforce the 34 orps, which
had
south of the
made a reconnoissance in force,
pressed
in full
river, hard
How
by the Confederates, and was
retreat.
We reached the river, formed battle
lines forward a heavy skir-
mish line, to cover the of the
3d Corps, whose wagon and artillery
trains were then crossing the river, to
the north side, with great haste, and
passed to our rear, followed closely by
the troops of the Corps. By two o'clock
on the morning of the 11th, the entire
Corps was safely on the north side of
the river. The pontoon bridges were
hauled out, loaded up, and moved out
with the general retreat of the army.
There was a good deal of skirmishing
and artillery firing, but the 148th sus-
tained no ca
and put
£
g £
retreat
ualties.
Their feeble resistance and willing-
ness to fall back, gave rise to the
pic “luring” us
Ww iu our front, and
cing in foree on our flank;
bec There-
resumed a
recrossed the
the same pontoon
sus-
on at they were
ith a small foree
were sdva
this soon ime apparent,
fore, at midnight we again
rapid march in retreat,
Rappahannock by
PICKETS ON THE RAPIDAN.
bridges near the R, R. and, with the
exception of a halt to show fight in
the kept up a rapid
the night when hav-
ing msde twenty-five miles, and com-
worn out, we bivouacked in
forenoon, we
march till late in
pletels
the woods
We had vo sleep nor rest for three
days snd nights, and we were so tired
out that we actually wished that the
war was over. It was piteh dark and
raining.
About midnight we heard the rattle
of musketry in a skirmish not far
away, All was excitement ; was there
During the afternoon of Oct. 4th,
Jesse Long, one of my pioneers was
out prowling and foraging. He re-
turned with an old white gander, a
big one. We immediately turned
butchers and commenced skinning
this old Confederate gander; we got
along fairly well till we tried to part
the hide from his turtle back bone,
when there was trouble. The hide of
this diabolical, centenarian Confeder-
* ate gander was so firmly fixed to the
back bone, that after much labor we
had at least scraped most of the feath-
ers off, and we gave itup, We dissect
ed him with a hatchet aud put him in
a camp kettle over the fire and had
him boiling furiously before sunset.
In a few hours we tried him and found
he was still very tough. We tried him
frequently after that, He was the
toughest case we had ever mel, At
three o'clock in the morning, Jesse
tried him again, and declared ho wes
getting tougher. We concluded it was
high time to quit cookivg him. The
among the water laden brush and
dripping trees, where friend and foe
could not be distinguished, and where
| comrades would kill each other ?
It was still dark when we left our
wretched bivouac on the morning of
Oct. 14th, and groped our way out of
the woods. We forded a stream and
shortly after reached the top of a blufl
near Auburn Mills, afterward known
ito the boys as “Hot Coflee Hill"
| Here he halted for hot coffee and
| erackers—break fast,
We threw off knapsacks, haversacks,
every thing. The fences furnished
plenty of dry wood ; we soon had fine
fires going and were busy cooking. I,
like many others, thought that while
we were cooking, we might as well
dry our stockings and avoid sore feet,
Ho we took off our shoes snd stock-
ings, and hung the stockings to the
fire on sticks stuck in the ground, to
dry while we cooked. I was frying
pork and crackers for breakfast. Just
then, a battery of the enemy gained
BY COL. D.
The Legislature at the session of 1903
passed quite a number of lnws relating
to the public schools. Bome of these
relate only to cities, and of these noth-
ing will be said in this article,
Of the laws enacted in 1903 which
are general the most important are the
act to establish “County Associations
of Behool Directors ; the act relating
to the collection of school taxes in
boroughs and townships ; the act pro-
viding the establishment of free pub-
lic libraries in townships and bor-
oughs, and the act regulating the min-
imum salary of school teachers.
These several acts will be considered
in the order named. In the first, it is
made the duty of the superintendent
of the schools of the county to annual-
ly, beginning with 1908, call a meeting
of all the sehool directors for the con-
sideration and discussion of questions
pertaining to school admiuistration.
These annual meetings are not to be
held during the week of the county
institute.
In the second section it is made the
duty of each school director in the sev-
eral districts in each county to attend
this annual meeting ; and for attend-
ance upon this apnual convention
each director shall receive, for his
necessary expense, mileage at the rate
of three cents per mile, to be paid out
of the funds of the district he repre-
sents. But expenseshall not be paid for
more than two days in apy one year.
The provision made in this section
for expense is not clearly expressed.
At first glance it seems that each di-
rector was allowed his expenses, other
than travel, but a eareful examination
of the said section clearly shows that
all a director is entitiea to
mileage at the rate of three cents per
mile each way. As a rule this would
only pay railroad fare, but if the direc.
tor travels at excursion
receive is
rates, or on a
pass, or in his own conveyance, he is
entitled to the three cents per mile
each way. It would
unreasonable to
rector mileage at given, and
at least $1.00 a day to meet hotel bills,
not have been
have allowed each di-
the rats
Directors should uote that it is made
their duty this
tend this
tors
under section, to at-
All direc
the law sud
This
aud
annusl
to
faithfully perform their duties,
is a new duty
meeting.
Are sworn obey
imposed by law
should be faithfully discharged.
The act further provides that ss soon
as the directofs have assembled they
shall elect a president, two vice presi-
dents, a secretary and a treasurer, who
shall serve and perform all the duties
usually performed by such officers for
one year.
The officers shall also serve as a pro-
gram committee and prepare a pro-
gram for each sunual meeting; secure
competent speakers, aud do whatever
is necessary to make the said meeting
a success, The county superintendent
is ex-officio a member of the program
committee, and is to render such assis
tance to the officers of the association
as they may require of him. The pro-
gram for the first meeting is to be pre-
pared by the county superintendent.
To defray the expense of these meet-
ings the county treasurer of each coun-
ty shail pay to the treasurer of the di-
rectors association out of county funds,
ove dollar for each director attending
the annual meeting, but this sum in
no case, to exceed one hundred dollars
for any one meeting Before this is
done the treasurer of the directors as-
sociation must present to the county
treasurer a statement showing when
and where the meeting was held, how
many directors were present, who the
speakers were and the expense
incurred.
This net was passed to instruct and
fuform schocl directors in all their
duties, aud aid them in the proper and
intelligent administration of school
matters. If itis received in thespirit
it should be, with a determination to
accept all the benefits that necessarily
flow from it, its effect upon the schools
will very soon be felt in every school
district in the county.
The executive committee of the ex-
isting school directors association of
Centre county, in connection with the
eounty superintendent is now prepar-
ing a program for the first meeting of
the school directors of the county
under this act, The funds drawn from
the county is to enable the assoclation
to engage speakers, pay expense of
printing, sending out programs, ete.
The second act to be considered re-
lates to the collection of school taxes
in boroughs and townships. Under it
every collector of echool tax shall on
"or before the tenth of each month after
F. FORTNEY.
receiving the duplicate deliver to the
secretary of the board, for his district,
a statement in writing signed by him,
showing the names of all persons from
whom he had collected school tax up
to and including the last of the pre-
ceding month, the amount paid by
each person and the date of collection,
and shall also give the amount of taxes
remaining uncollected. If required
by any member of the board he shall
exhibit the duplicate showing the un-
collected school tax. The collector
shall pay over on or before the tenth
of each month during his term of of-
fice, to the treasurer of the school
board all taxes collected during the
preceding month, less, of course, his
commission. It is also made the
duty of the board of school directors
and the collector of school taxes to
meet together on the first Monday of
February of each year, to examine the
duplicate which the collector is re-
quired to exhibit before the board und
ascertain the amount of taxes then un-
collected. It is further made the duty
of the collector to collect and pay to
the treasurer of the proper school dis
trict, the whole amount of the taxes
charged and aswessed in the said du-
plicate less exonerations and commis
sions, on or before the first Monday of
June of each year. Any tax collector
who fails to pay over to the treastirer
af the district, or to deliver to the sec-
retary any of the statements required,
or to produce and exhibit the dupli-
cate to the secretary of the board when
required shall be guilty of a misde-
meanor and on conviction sentenced
to pay a fine not exceeding $100.00
This good, healthy and
school boards should see that it is en-
forced in both letter and spirit.
is a law,
I'be third act we propose consider-
ing in this article is a supplement to
entitled “Au act for the estab-
lishment of free public librasies, ’’ ap-
proved June 28th, 1865, aud provides
that when any township surrounds or
immediately adjoins any borough, the
at act
school board or organizations having
control of
may join in
maintenance
library, io the
of said districts
the establishment and
of a free non-sectarian
borough or in the town-
ship, or partly in both, the expense to
be borne by the borough and township
in such proportions ss may be agreed
upon by the school authorities of the
respective districts, and for this pur-
pose they may levy the taxes provided
for in the act of June 28th, 1805
the schools
The second section of this act pro-
that where a free non-sectarian
public school library has been estab
lished in districts, situate as aforesaid,
the board may, instead of establishing
another, join in extending said to the
library already established, upon such
terms as shall be agreed upon between
the managers and the school authori-
ties of the respective districts, and
taxes for this purpose shall also be
levied, under the act of 1885. Managers
of any public library receiving aid un-
der this act must report under oath
aunually to the school board furnish-
ing such aid, the amount of money
received, and the account shall be laid
before the auditors of the respective
districts, snd by them audited as
other accounts are now audited.
The act of ussemuly approved April
Sih, 1903 provides that after June lst,
1904 the minimum salary of teachers
in the public schools shall be $35.00
per month. It is also made the duty
of the president and secretary of the
school board of each district, to report,
under oath, to the superintendent of
public instruction that the require-
ments of the act have been complied
with, and every school district failing
to comply with the said act shall for-
| feit its state appropriation for the
whole time during which the act is
not complied with.
In the general appropriation bill
| after appropriating $11,000,000,00 to
the schools for the two years begin-
| ning June 1st, 1903 in section VIII, of
| the bill, it is provided that $100,000.00
| out of the amount appropriated shall
| be set apart to be expended for the en-
couragement of township high schools,
and that participation in the amount
set apart for this purpose shall not be
| made to depend upon the teaching of
any dead or foreign language.
This is a synopsis of the acta of as-
sembly passed at the session of 1908 re-
lating to the public schools, outside of
the cities. They are all important,
and if directors over the county will
enforce them with a true purpose of
sccomplishing good, the standard of
our schools will be greatly advanced
within a very few years.
vides
John
horse,
Wm. A. Odenkirk, of this place,
who is an extra agent for the Pennsyl-
vania railroad company, is at present
at Jersey Bhore,
October 19 is the time set for the trial
of the robbers captured in the Seven
Mountains. The trial will take place
before a Federal court at Boranton,
1903.
EASTERN PENITENTIARY,
Charges of “graft,” fraud and irregu-
larities in the Eastern Penitentiary
are multiplying. The latest contribu-
tion to the disgraceful series of dis-
closures is the confession of an
seer, who reveals a conspiracy by
which the Btate was made to pay
many times over for the same supplies
furnished the institution. The mate
rial was stolen from the premises,
carried outside and resold to the peni-
tentiary. The scheme was worked by
the ald of outside confederates, and
the conspiracy seems to have been so
ingeniously managed that the institu-
tion bought its own property a dozen
times. The counterfeiting operations,
the missing cigars and the allegations
respecting the failure to credit counties
with the full proceeds of convict labor
in the penitentiary present a remark-
able array of charges against an insti-
tution supposed to be under the strict
surveillance of alert custodians at all
times. The affairs of the prison evi-
dently require a thorough overhaul-
ing. The Eastern Penitentiary since
its establishment, in 1828, until a
recent date, when it was forced to
succumb to Ashbridgeism, was regard-
ed as a model institution of its kind.
over-
During more than seventy years its |
record was unsullied by any scandal |
or exhibition of lax government. Its]
good name must be restored.
t—— ee —————
Having in view President Roose- |
velt’s posing as a champion of labor
organization in some directions with a
positive contradiction in others, the |
New York “SBun’’ does not appear to |
have the highest opinion of Roosevelt
mixing in with what it calls his “emo- |
tional fog’ “As we have already
pointed out’ says the “Bun,” “Mr. |
Roosevelt, in his frank and energetic
pursuit of the vote of organized labor!
has plunged the whole country into a
condition of turmoil and unrest the |
like of which bas never before been |
known in it’s history or in that of|
any other country”. And it adds:|
His inexperience and his total lack of |
even the smallest intuitions of a bus- |
ness life made it impossible for him to |
fore-sve the inevitable consequences of
his acts,”
——iohul oli — |
Senator Reed Bmoot, of Utah, has |
been re-elected an apostle of the Mor-
At the services an elder
upheld polygamy, and said it was a
revelation from God, snd he dwelt on
the fact of all the children and wives
being brought “to sit with Abraham.”
Is that deflance to the Edmunds anti-
polygamy law, and will the United
Btates Senate iguore this brazen parade
of a licentiouserime ? And when that
body finishes enforcing the law of
of the nation, not against a tenet of
religious faith, but against a violation
of the sanctity of marriage, what will
the Benate do about its member,
Apostle Smoot?
liens
Everybody's Magazine begins to be
something more than an entertaining
ten cents’ worth of fiction and articles,
An identity has been developed—a
sturdy and aggressive identity all its
own and full of interest and promise,
Thus far, the magazine has prided it-
self on the timeliness of its features and
the healthy virility of its fiction. Now,
it has found itself, entered on its own
mission, headed out ou its particular
crusade. The key-note of this indi-
viduality is the article by Alfred Hen-
ry Lewis, io the October number, “The
Maduess of Much Money.”
——— ———
In addition to thefts of thousands of
cigars aud stockings and supplies in
the Eastern Penitentiary, to say noth-
ing of counterfeiting, it is discovered
that large quantities of asbetos pack-
ing, lead aud iron pipe, brass fixtures
for plumbing, and other things, were
stolen, secreted in the cellars, and re-
sold to the prison authorities. Appar
ently the only reason why they did
not kidnap Warden Bussinger was be-
cause of a doubt whether anything
would be paid for his ransom.
If the Republican newspapers are as
diligent in noting the closing of mills,
furnaces, factories, mines, etc., as they
were when they opened, they will
have no trouble to secure news for the
next few months. The opening of
these industries was credited to the
Republican supremacy. The closing
of them will be charged to the possi
bility of a Democratic president suo-
ceeding a blatant president.
Judge Yerkes, of Bucks county, in
refusing to send convicts to the East
ern Penitentiary, declares that that
prison is too bad for criminals. He
takes occasion to score the men who
are responsibie for the wrongdoing in
the penitentiary.
————— 5 A ——————
A blindness that is very detrimental
to the individual afflicted and to those
who come in touch with him-—aspiritu-
ally or temporally-—is egotistical blind-
ness,
Bl A —————
Centre Reporter $1.00 & year.
39.
TOWN AND COUNTY NEWS,
HAPPENINGS OF LOCAL INTEREST
FROM ALL PARTS,
Diphtheria is prevalent in Burnham.
One death occurred last week,
, Mr. and Mrs. George Armbruster, of
Farmers Mills, were in town Baturday.
October 3 is the last day taxes can be
paid in order to guarantee a vote in
November.
For first-class goods at the lowest
cash prices go to W. B. Ripka's new
cash store, Spring Mills,
Judge John M. Bailey, of the Hunt-
ingdon-Mifflin-Bedford Distriet, died
suddenly ia Huntingdon.
Mrs. Davis, wife of Jeflerson Davis,
deceased, president of the Confederacy,
is seriously ill at Buffalo,
Fleisher’'s school, Potter township,
is without a teacher. The school is a
small one, and is located east of Colyer,
The early sown grain is looking fine,
The weather conditions have been
ideal for the development of wheat
plants.
There will be a méeting of the hos
pital aid society at the home of Miss
Annie Lohr, Monday evening, Oct. 5,
at 7 o'clock.
John
8. Hosterman was continued
He is
W. B. Mingle, Eeq., of Centre Hall,
is one of the Democrats of Penns Val-
ley, who Wednesday the
formal notification of the state candi-
attended
Mrs. Boyder Thursday of
where
she will spend a short time with her
Samuel
busband who has been at that place
for some time.
at-
The
comes back as far as Co-
The Lewisburg fair will be well
return train
burn, but a goodly number of persons
oin the
excursion.
Dr. Charles Rhone, of Arizona, was
the guest of Hon. Leonard Rhone last
Dr. Rhone sccompsnied the
where interment was made Thursday
of lust week.
Mrs. George Shetter, who has been
the guest of Merchant W. H. Meyer
and wife for some time, Thursday of
last week returned her home in
York. Bhe native of Penns Val-
ley, but had not been here fora num-
ber of years.
io
i= a
A heavy storm passed over the east
ern part of the state In
Berks county hail did much damage
to corn, and in one instance hindered
the progress of an express train.
Around Philadelphia there were very
heavy raine.
Sunday.
Mrs. Phoebe Yesrick is in Philadel-
phias, where she will remain for some
time with her sons, P. Gross and H.
H. Yearick. Mre. Yearick has many
friends in Centre Hall all of whom
wish her a pleasant visit in the ehief
city of the state.
Real Natural History (not “animal
stories” for the experts to squabble
over) is the subject of a capital article
by A. W. Rolker in the October Me-
Clure's, on “Babies of the Zoo.” Most
of the interesting things that happen
in « menagerie occur at times when
the public is excluded, and are wit.
nessed by the keepers alone.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Duck, of
Spring Mills, last week moved to
Kerrmoor, Clearfield county, where
Mr. Duck is the night telegraph oper-
ator in a railroad office on the Buffalo,
Rochester & Pittsburg road. Mrs
Duck, before marriage, was Miss Ger
tie Frank, daughter of Constable
Philip Frank, of Potter township.
Messrs. B. D. Brisbin and W. Frank
Bradford, who succeed Wm. Colyer as
owner and operator of the saw mill at
the station, are doing an extensive
business. They recently came into
possession of several tracts of timber
land, one of which is a portion of the
timber on the farm of Rev. James
Boal, tenanted by D. W. Bradford.
J. Wm. Mitterling shipped a car
load of cowa to Philadelphia this week.
He says Centre county cows are much
sought after by dairymen who have
bad experience with cows from this
locality. While the animals are not
as large as those shipped from western
Pennsylvania and Ohio, the Centre
county cow is a much heavier milker
and milks for a mueh longer period.
The building of the house of John
Bubb, near Centre Hill, was credited
to F. F. Palmer, of Potters Mills, and
Samuel 8hoop, of Centre Hall, in last
week's er. Instead of F. F.
Palmer it should have been Thomas
Palmer, who is the representative oar-
penter at Potters Mills. The former
Mr, Palmer is yet disabled from per-
forming manual work on account of
an accident which befell him some
tmeago.