\ ¢ Cenire Le Pili, oc Circulation, WR 3700. VINCENT SHARP CONFESSES | He Took the Money From Curtin’s | Flouring Mill HE PLAYED THE OPOSSUM Told a Clever Story of the Robbery Un- til Tricked by the County Detec- tive—Money Returned-—No Pro ceedings Instituted Against Him This section of the state was treated to a series of sensations the past few weeks that seemed remarkable for dar- ing. graph operator near Oak Grove, and goon after was the robbery at Roland, this county. Full accounts of these were published recently. At Roland, Vincent Sharp was the miller came in and found the young man lying underneath a table, apparent, ly unconscious and the momey drawer robbed of over a hundred dollars. When | the young man revived he told of a | stranger by the name of J. Jackson com. | ing to the mill for a sack of corn meal and returnning later asked for change of a five dollar bill, and while in the act of opening the money drawer was struck on the back of the head and fell uncon- scious where found. The young man gave a detailed decription of the man, even went with the officers to Mill Hall to try to indentify a man who was arrest. ed on suspicion. © An The story of the crime caused a great sensation and the railroad people had their officers searching trains all along the road to catch such a party. All through the Baldeagle valley parties were on the alert to capture the offender and great uneasiness prevailed. So dar- ing was the deed that it was the topic of conversation and speculation ever since. But now the mystery is solved, the guilty party has confessed, and it turns out to have been a setup job on the part of the young man, Vincent Sharp, to rob his em. ployer by.a clever scheme: and the con. fession was secured by & piece of clever detective work on the part of joseph Rightnour, of Bellefonte, It sees that there was some suspicion in that community that the alleged rob bery was genuine. Some of the leading citizens down there sent for County Detective Rightnour and em. ployed him to investigate the affair, He had his at once went to young Sharp and got him to nar rate all the incidents of the affair, and in got detective, oot ideas of the case and doing so the young man iis story mixed and told the other things, that when he was carried among out of the mill unconscious they locked the door, also told in detail how the man struck him, and other things that were pot plausible. Rightnour then played a bluff, He notified young Sharp that be knew all the particulars of the robbery, and that he, Sharp, plaved a fake and took the money, That was on Wednes- day of last week. Rightnour he was going back to Bellefonte, but wonld said return in a few days and would put the young man under arrest unless he re. turned the money. Last Saturday Right. pour again went to Roland and Sharp was anxious to see him, asd without much Eesitancy made a full confession to haviog taken the money and played the opossum as to being knocked down by a stranger. He went to the house and brought a roll of bills and told the men to look back of a stone in the cellar wall where the balance was secreted, which consisted mostly of silver, the total being a little short of the amount taken. Up to this time no move has been made to have the young man put under arrest, | it looks as though no legal proceeding will be instituted. The young man comes from a good family and this act is a great blow to his parents who have resided in that community for many years. His conduct prior to this bas been that of an industrious young man, and one in whom Mr, Curtin always reposed confidence, t is said that the idea for perpetrating such a deed may have come from the young man's incessant habit of reading dime where such plots and schemes are narrated and form the basis for the exciting stories. novels For a New Inter-County Bridge, Commissioner Gummo and Attorney T. M. Stevenson, of Lock Haven, were in Bellefonte Monday conferring with the Centre county commissioners in refer. ence to the proposed new bridge across Beech creek at Hubbard's farm near Beech Creek. Testimony was taken that showed the necessity of a bridge at that point, If built the structure will be erected and maintained by both counties. Pork is said to be plenty all through the country, and a slight drop in prices is predicted. Beef has dropped several cents in the western stockyards, First came the killing of the tele: | {were given a hearing SMALL-POX SCARE. Wm. Nestlerode, his wife, child and | sister, were taken from a train at Altoona | and quarantined in the county pest house because a physician on the train discovered that Nestlerode and his sister { bad the smallpox. These people had | been visiting at the home of his father, { John A, Nestlerode, near the Eagleville ing to their home at ship and the board of health of that borough acted on the strength of the pub- | lished account of their detention at Al- | toona and as a result placed quarantine several families who beem in direct contact with the visitors. borough and those at the Eagleville ing developments. It is the opinion of the Holidaysburg authorities that when taken from the train, Nestlerode's case was in a contagious form. The Moun: tain school, near the Eagleville station in Liberty township, has been closed. IN GEORGES VALLEY. The three cases in the family of F. P. Herman, are slowly improving, and their condition is considered satisfactory. Mr. Herman was able to be out of bed for the first on Tuesday. There are no new cases that section, over in Georgesvaliey, in - tle is After Them. At the direction of B. H. Warren, su- perintendent of the State pure food de- partment, H. I. Banshoff, an agent of the department, recently made informa- tion before Alderman J. J. Irwin, of Al. toons, against nearly all the hotel pro. prietors in Altoona and all the hotel men in Tyrone except the management of the Pennsylvania house. All of the Tyrone and all of the Altoona landlords except J. W. Braeme, of the Commonwealth, I. P. Werizberger, of the Merchants, and F. Nothaft, of the Altoona, have ap- peared before the alderman and been fined $55 each, with $5 added for record fees. The three who have not yet paid later. There is mo disposition, it is said on the part of the officials of the pure food department, to prosecute liquor dealers and the suits were brought with the idea of warning 4 hotel ] men to discontinue the sale of adulterated liquors. Well, when will Warren gO to the root and prosecute the big manufacturers of impure foods? He is after the little ones only, it seems -— Hand Cut Off by a Shredder. Mr. Al ( a short distance from town Grove, the dairyman, living out by Val entines, met with a sad accident on last He shredder and his one Tuesday morning at his home. was operating a corn band. unfortunately, was caught off by the machine, the and taken to the hospital to have his serious injury treated. What makes this sad happening all the more unfortunate, he met with a similar accident to his other hand about a year ago, when Mr. Grove cutting the member be. tween thamb wrist. He was was instructing some one present how to work the shredder, his hand was caught and all the fingers were cut off This leaves the unfortunate man in a bad plight, having lost the use of both his hands within a year, We sympathise with Mr. Grove in his great misfortune. - - corm Masonic Home Project. The movement to establish a home in a central part of the stale for Master Masons, their wives, widows, and child: ren, was unanimously approved at the annual communication of the Grand Lodge, which cencluded its sessions in Corinthian hall, Masonic temple, Phila: deiphia, last week. The proposed Home will cost, it is expected, in the neighbor. bood of $300,000. A committee was ap’ pointed to inquire into the most suitable | location for the structure. Why not the Bellefonte Masons get a move on in an effort to have Bellefonte chosen for the location of the For health, romantic scenery, noble citizens, pure water, etc., no locality in the state could put up a stronger claim, home, Nebraska Bars Bible. A writ of mandamus has been issued by the against a teacher in the public schools, restraining her from reading the Bible to her pupils. The case came up some time ago and the court now decides that sectarian knowledge must not be im. parted in the public schools, Shot Ninety Rabbits, The Howard sporting cluo, composed of Clyde Long, Rugene Pletcher, Louis Pletcher, James Shay, James Gallagher, with Joho Baney as captain, spent last week in the mountains in quest of rab. bits, and were successful, killin ninety, yey 8 ‘A STROKE | station for several days and were return. | Youngstown, O, | The school directors of Liberty town. | under | had | BELLEFONTE, PA., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 1903. DEATH OF MRS. A. G. CURTIN | Widow of Bellefonte's Famous War Governor. OF Proved Fatal on Monday Afternoon Reached a Ripe Age-Came of Revo- lutionary Stock and Was a Promi- nent Woman. Death brought a shock to our town, in taking from our midst Mrs. Kathryn { Irvine Curtin, widow of ex-Gov. A. G. It has been learned from the authori. | ties at Holidaysburg that William Nestle- | | rode has the smallpox in its worst form | taneous. | and the family are confined in the county | pest house, in charge of Harry Curtin’s roller flonring | mill; Tuesday evening, November 24th, | Curtin, The call of the grim messenger was sudden, and death almost iostan.- Mrs. Curtin, during the after. { Boon, was taking her accustomed walk, The family in Beech Creek on Monday, about noon | being fine, station remain under quarantine, pend. | yo, home, as she was returning, | writer met her on Allegheny street, was the weather When about a square from the greeted by her in her accustomed man- ner, and accompanying her to her door she chatted pleasantly, seemed cheerful, and remarked that her health was good and that she enjoyed the pleasant weather, At the entrance to her home we parted with the usual salutations little did that was stealing This Mrs appearasce outside her we opine death upon her last home, at 1 p was Curtin’s m. A few moments later she sat down to dinner and was taken by a stroke of apoplexy, and was led to the wach, never iousucss library, placed on a ¢ and gained conse death claimed her, The news soon spread over the town and brought a gloom to every household, where she had been so long and favor- ably known, Mrs. Curtin was a voble lady in all that pertains to making the true woman She was modest in her entire demeanor— yet there was a charm is her every man. ner that endeared her to all, rich and poor, in her large circle of acquaint- ance. Dowmesticity wat one of her best qualities, a greeting for all was a pleas ure, her manner coming was winning aod be. Social to a proper degree, hos. pitable and kindbearted, none met Mrs. Curtin but to feel pleasure at ber recog: pition, As a wife, mother and grand mother, she was a pattern of and amiability dutifulness she was in the fullest en- chil. whom the joyment when surrount by her dren and grand.children, to Curtin bome was | unto a paradise upon earth Mrs. Curtin was a devout Christian, a consistent t of the Presbyterian member and was pleased church in her true Christian spirit to oft attend services in churches of sister denominations. She was a daughter of William I. Wil son, an eminent physician, we Roown in Central Pennsylvania. She was born at Eariystown, this county, on January 17, 1821. Her age was 52 years, 10 months and 14 days She was the mother of six children, a sou and daoghter died in infancy. The children that Mrs. Dr. G. P. Harris at bome ; Mrs. W. H. Sage, died K. R. Breeze, of Downington ; W. W. Curtin, of Phila. deiphia, and Mrs. M. D Barpett, at the Curtin home Ten grand.children and great-grand children also survive her, as well as four sisters : Mrs. Geo. Elliot, Miss Mary Wilson and Miss Alice Wilson, of Bellefonte, and Mrs. Lucy Mover, of Potters Bank. Funeral will be private, two sous and four daughters grew up were: some ten years ago ; Mrs Six Services at the house, this, Thursday, afternoon “at 2 p.m. to which all are invited ment, Union cemetery, this place. Mrs. Curtin came of revolutionary stock, her mother having been a grand. daughter of Genera! James Potter, who served in the revolution. Inter. Her ancestors came from County Cavin, Ireland. asd participated in the battle of Boyne in 16go. Descendants came to Pennsyl. vauia as early as 1736 and settled in the 80 called “Irish Settlement” North hampton county On May 30, 1544 in she was married to Andrew G. Curtin, then a young lawyer at the Centre county bar From 150 to 1866 she dispensed charming bospitality as lady of the executive mansion at Har. Harrisburg during her illustrious hus. | band's term as governor of Pennsylvania, | and later when President Grant appoint. | ed him minister to Russia, she accom: Supreme court of Nebraska | panied him and won golden opinions by her grace and dignity, —————— A A———————— “Human Hearts.” The theatrical manager of a decade ago used to believe that when a play had been established in public favor, that any kind of a cast could be em- ployed to exploit it before the public, and for that reason and no other can a great many of them ascribe their ultimate fail. ure. Not so with W. HK. Nankeville, mavager of “Haman Hearts,” which comes to us on Dec. 15, evening, at Gar. man’s opera house, APOPLEXY | | RAILROAD NOTES. All news concerning the survey now | | being made, presumably for an a’r line OUR HISTORICAL | REVIEW railroad from Pittsburg to, New York, | | will interest Centre Democrat readers | We quote as follows from an article in | the Pittsburg Post of Friday. The head garters of Engineer.in-Chief Hamilton and his corps of surveyors are pow in Tyrone: p “Are the Goodyears backing the air line railroad that is now being surveyed | from here to New York? seems the more This question | likely to admit of an af- | | Another Thrilling Indian Story | Retold. 'A UNION COUNTY INCIDENT | Capture of the Kleinsmith Girls and their Remarkable Shot Through the to Old Age. Escape Jody but Lived firmative answer from the fact that the | extension of the Goodyear interest road, the Buffalo & Susquehanna, ward to Skyes. south. from Sianemahoning ville, thence on down from Jefferson { county into Pittsburg, as has been noted | in this column, takes precisely the same | course through Indiana and Armstrong | counties that the surveys made by the air line projectors indicate. The Good: years are buying large tracts of coal lands in Indiana county, they already having had for some time holdings in the Plumville district some 10 miles northwest of Indiana "Samuel Hamilton, of New York, is engineer in chief of the air line project. W. W. Graham, of active directing spirit York, is the the Craig Smith is at the head of the Whether New of Surveys, while J engineering corps these men have any connection with the Goodyear interests cannot be learped, as they re- fuse lo divulge who the The ¢ projectors of the Kir line are, rps of survevors, Mr. Smith, unly a vader the dir § now workiog in In out eight lana miles north of the town of Indiaca An. other corps of engineers is working west word from cear Inglesby, Centre county, through Clearfield county, and the nortn- It is be carried wes! Cambria county asserted that the project will f part o to completion at the earliest possible date, and that the air line is backed by enough money Lo insure its operation as a four-track system. A 100-foot right of way is belog surveyed, “If the Goodyear interests are promot. Pitts. roule ing the road, as seems plausible, burg would be given another to Buffalo, the paralleling the Va the Buffalo & Susquebanoa Buffalo and Allegheny ley division of the Pennsylvania and & Pittsburg The 0 New York and that to Bufilo, Rochester cousiderabie distance. “fork or YN" of the Buffalo would 1 not far distant from Cherryiree WORK] The been in the vicin corps vil engineers who had ty of Coburn for several weeks are now in the upper end of this After down into county eaving Coburn they wen Union county and ran lines extending from Pardee to Sanbury and Ty they have been trav. then moved their quarters to near roune, Since then ersing territory leading from State Col. lege across through Halfmoon township the Bald Eagle valley, and from there on up past Hao. nah, and then near Slormstown into taking a northwesterly direction, following the famous Dix Run route that has been surveyed by numer. ous railroad people. This course indi cates that they want to get into the bitu. | minous coal fields of Centre and Clear. “What we will not veuture any opinion. field counties Elusive Moser Millions. The suit of the heirs of Burkhard Mo. ser agamst the Lehigh Coal & Naviga. tion company, as the wrongful possess ors of 273 acres of coal lands in Schuy! kill county, valued at $1 250,000 was throwa out of court by Judge Bechtel on Monday. The entire town of Tamaqua was in. The court decided that this was not the prop volved in the suit, a Hil in equity er procedare, but that the suit should have been brought in the regular way to ; eject the defendant, Big Purchase of Timber Land. A. Williamson, a well known lamber. { Bell d, h hased from | (uy ou a) pure ¥ (came Elizabeth gave ber sister the signal heirs of John Rohn estate over 1,000 acres of excellent timber land lying along the West Branch railroad in the | vicinity of Karthaus, The tract contains over three million feet of lumber, The consideration was $7,000. John Rohn is the man who mysteriously disappeared about four years ago, and no trace of him was ever found, it being the general supposition that he was murdered and his body hidden. «White Malaga grapes—at Sechlers ~-a very fine article, rails | | ception extensive | { land in 1752. | moved from one of this survey means | There the annals of Pennsylvania of a more thril ling escape from | that of Elizabeth and Catharine Klein. smith, daughters of John Baltzer Klein- smith, of Buffalo Valley, In Union county. The facts in their case show the strong nerve, in is, perhaps. no record hostile Indians thas resourcefulness and quick per- act in of Colonial days. | trained in the bard school of experience, to emergencies of the | woman They were The father of these yourgz heroines was { a German, who arrived fromthe Father- Some 20 years later he re the lower counties to | that region and was one of the first set. tiers. His plantation was at cross-roads midway between the Dreisbach church and Shamokin, or New Berlin mountain, | In the application for a pension by his My ¥ widow it is recited that he had been a soldier in the Revelution, during which time his family was exposed to constant peril. In the year of 1750 he was at bome assisting in the protection of the valley. On Friday, July 14. of that year, which proved so disastrous to the settler » Kleinsmith, with his son, John Baitzer’ " 1 Jr., and daoghters, Elizabeth aged 16, and Catharine, aged 14 vears, i gaged at work in a field from the house, some distance Discovering some fine squirrels on a tree the son was sent back to the house to fetch the strange to say, they had left behind. gun, KILLED THE FATHER. During his absence a party of Indians took the father and girls captive. Being unarmed, The hostiles were on their way to Dry Valley, resistance was useless just across the mountains, and evidently concluded that Kleinsmith would give them trouble if taken along. According. iy, at a spot still » of the locality, pointed out b they killed him ceeded on I way near ie i (Ge ived UO THEGIRL S81 We now fo MT youug Captives stop bone spring a short dista: New the "‘ladi present town of known as the savages planned another leaving the girls and their p in charge of au old man of thei they set out to pillage. S departure of the party it began to rain and the old man becrkouved to the girls to gather brush and cover the plunder to keep it dry, This tusk gave the girls an opportunity to consult 1X «i undertone about attempling an esape The They could decision was qu not afford to lose carrying their purpose iuto execution, as one or more of the band might return They the Indian, otherwise he would pursue Any moment, determined to kil them, or make an outcry which would quickly bring the others on the ground The Indian was fa tigued, as he paid but little attention to evidently much the giris. Partly reclining on his toma- hawk, be fell into a doze, which proved fatal to him! As the girls passed him with the brush they deftly weapon with thelr feet in such a manner that the handle could be easily grasped. moved When the proper moment for action to run, while she herself, with the nerve and strength of a Titan, grasped the helve of the tomahawk and, before the old man could collect his senses, she brought the weapon down upon his head, which must have proved fatal. Had they delayed their desperate work a few moments longer it would have been too late, The Indian gave a terrible yell for pain, and without waiting to repeat the blow the young woman bounded after Continued on page 4. were en |! which, | | with a cariin the | raf. VOL. 25. NO. 40. FACT, FUN AND FANCY. Bright Sparkling Paragraphs—Select ed and Original. AJOB WITHDRAWBACKS, 1'4 like to be 1 y different won long would I be 1 lle one of them was pouting And one of Lhe wa And ot Beea And one of them was sulk) And one Toshow © of them was wee) ise she couldn't bo was break i her ndependet her § i} Len ness for himself if he ther who illustrates tongue is often worse ip on the ice iting paper may go up in price and in stationery money of people are also borrowing trouble. Industry 3 the watch dog that keeps the wolf from the door The | { always tells! wking- glass casts reflections, but truth. When a men's fursace won't work he he Lt about it e won't even to the house nd it rder rou through the was ask - gentiemen, be when n of wo- J yhn ‘niversity, civiliz Professor Moore i + I'wo kinds of polygamy Basset recently Sa ‘aited States —-simul- West and suc st in the sir religion, are 1 * are prac taneous POIygamy the polygamy in sanctioned in the East by the Divorce Courts A clergyman visiting the house of one of his parishioners caught a young lady of the house in the a f cutling ber hair He exclaimed: intended curl it g iron “My dear ady, if God your hair Himself “He did carl she replied He thinks I can take care of it myself.” - An Over Worked Woman. to get a glass of milk the other day at a farmhouse, said a harvest machine salesman at the Southern, and the female head of the establishment, who had six children playing around, young to be curly be would it when 1 was little,” m now grown up. tanned I stopped | was inclined to repine at ber bard luck in having so much work to do “1 ran this whole farm,’ she remarked in a tone which indicated that she was | ready to resign, If the old Indian was awake he evident. | ly considered it accidental, and the girls did wot disturb his unsuspicious repose. “How many acres have you!’ 1Iim. quired. “A hundred and forty.” “Got any stock 7’ “Ten head of cattle, two cows, bogs and work horses for the place.” “And you run the whole business?’ I asked “Indeed Ido every bole an, hair of it,’ she sighed, “Don’t you hire some help “Of conrse, bat tain’t hired help that takes the load offen one's body." There was some philosophy in that and I paused a minute, “Haven't you got a husband I’ I then asked sympathetically. "Yes," she said, sternly; "but you see 1 have to run him, too. six
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers