Odd and Curious News S— Saved by Dog A pet dog js a here in a DuBois home after its repeated barks en- abled its mistress to leap from the second story of her flaming residence in her night clothes and save her life, Sleeping soundly Mrs, Anna Vols- nak was awakened by the howls of her dog. Jumping out of bed she saw flames shooting out near her bed. Jerking the bed clothes from the bed she jumped to safety from the second story window sill. The howling wind fanned the flames into an intense blaze which rapidly swept through the Voisnak home destroying it. When questioned Mrs. Voisnak was unable to advance any reason for the fire. She sald she and her faithful dog which was saved from the flames had been staying alone in the house during the absence of her husband * » . » Inquisitive Mice Mr. and Mrs. William Brining of Florence, N. J. recently though bandits were having a free-for-all fight in their house during the night Hearing considerable shooting, they found that two mice had chewed 2 box of matches in Brining’s hunting coat pocket, setting fire to the coat and setting off a box of shotgun shells in one of the coatl's pockets On the floor below the burning coat were the riddled bodies of the mice. Makes Own Legs Cluided by pictures in a catalogue Henry Falls, Negro youth of Okia- homa City, who lost both of his legs in a train accident, whittled a pau of artificial legs for himself. Hi only tools were a pocket knife, a rusty saw and a hammer. Repre- sentatives of artificial limb manu- fagcturers who saw the pair of wooden ones the boy made declared they were “a remarkable piece of work- manship.” 4 . - Disrupt Service When a late comer of the church service at Edina, Kans. whishered that chicken thieves were robbing the hen-house of Jim Christmore, the men of the congregation started trickling out until not a male mem- ber of the congregation remained They arrived at the hen-house time to find two men emptying the roosts. The men fled but abandoned the bags of chickens and their old Car. Calf In Oxygen Tent Because she was “too valuable to jose,” a call was put under an oxy- gen tent a: Denver, Colo, when it was found that she was suffering from double pneumonia. The seven- weeks-old calf, a valuable Holstein heifer, wa: the vraperty of the Jewish Consumptives Relief Boclety Banatorium’s dairy. Missed One When the sled on which Clifford Nichols, 11, and his brother, Fred- die, of Brucebridge, Ont., were rid- ing collided with an automobile, the driver of the car saw oniy one boy, Freddie, and rushed him to a hospit- al where it was found he was not ly hurt. Another passerby found Clifford, fatally injured, jammed un- der the automobile, Cold Reception Al Hagen, a garage mechanic, of Bamidji, Minn. is nursing a badly swollen face that he blames indirect ly on the cold weather. Sent out to start a frozen car, Hagen was get ting ready to tow it away when the owner appeared and beat him up Hagen concluded he picked the wrong car Pantry Thief Bob Mayes of Elkins, W. Va. came home and found his wile and moth- er<in-law guarding the kitchen pan- try. One of them held a revolver There was an intruder in the pamry, they explained. Cautiously Mayes opened the door—and found a "pos- sum feeding on fruits and jellies Good Will Three gunmen held up a dozen customers and three cashiers of a self-service food market ai Pitis- burgh and fled with $343. As they departed, one called back: "Happy New Year” One woman customer fainted. An Honest Farmer E. M. Lunch, a farmer of Lilling- ton, N, C., is nothing if not honest. Advertising his farm and all appur- tenances for sale, Lynch gave as his reason for selling. “Too lazy to Clinton Tax Millage Lowered. Clinton County tax millage will be reduced two miils, cutting the pres ent 13 mills to 11, according to ad- vance information given out al the office of the Clinton County Com- missioners. There will be an in- crease in the county tax millage due to heavier expenditures of recent , but a decrease in the poor or first time in the history County quarantines hav A Visitor In Seven Thousand Homes Each Week. The Most Widely Read Newspaper In Centre County. ~ |} SECOND SECTION he Centre Democvaf NEWS, FEATURES VOLUME 58, BELLEFONTE, PA., THUI AISDAY, JANUARY 5, 1939. NUMBER 1. i Random [tems | -- CLINTON COUNTY CHILD KILLED WHILE COASTING ALONG STATE HIGHWAY Five-Year-Old Son of Mr. and Mrs. Williom Young Fatally Hurt When Sled Darts Into Path of Highway Department Truck A five-year-old Clinton county boy met instant death last Wednesday afternoon when he darted on his sled into the path of a State High- way truck near his home in Beech Creek township. The victim was Young, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Wil- Ham Young. The accident occurred at 4:30 o'clock, death resulting from a fractured skull 8ii alone al right angles to youngsier was not Ramage, MeEihattan, driver of the truck, who reported his vision wa obscured by a six-foot embankment it that poin The truck, loaded with stones for road work in the vi- cinity, was traveling down grade. Victor Peters, of Lock Haven, who wag following the truck, reported the able, He stat- ruck the road truck and William Edward th that run road, the by T. E ding mn aj seen K ih welt Le gig Sire t 20 feet ahead of Townsehd Plan To Be Modified Bill to be Presented in Con- gress Will Ask For $60 a Month Pensions Definitely abandoning the origin. al $200 a month Townsend old-age pension plan the movement perfect- ed, plans an desig pensions A bi-partisan Reps. Joe Hendrick and Ralph Brewster is probable | to promote y all over eae Congre movement tute it for ial security Hendricks has been chosen to in- troduce the “official” Townsend plan hill. With 81 Republican members elected with Townsend endorse- ment, & campaign will be started to persuade Democratic members to support it The new bill will call for a two per cent transaction tax, estimated 10 vield $4.000.000.000 £7 000 000.000 a vear. Rep. Brewster mated that pensions $50 to $60 + month could be paid “Under program would be governed by the tax collected.” said Rep. Brew- after a conference with Dr. F Townsend, leader of the move- “If pensions are ided for persons over 60 there be 10.- 000.000 people limited to those over be affected “We are not urging a flat $200-a- month pension The needs test wold be eliminated and any Amer- ican citizen qualifying as age could obtiin the pension.” Defending the Townsend program against charges that it is a “crack- pot scheme.” Brewster said “Under the present Federal pro- gram, we are piifering the pay-rolls of the poor for pension money and then are spending it for general purposes. When the time comes to pay benefits, the people will have to be taxed again. It is the most vicious thing imaginable “Under the Townsend pian, states would be relieved of paying part of the cost of old-age pensions. Many are now bankrupt. This would soive their fiscal problems, and enabie most states to show surpluses. “In my opinien it would make possible elimination of mest other forms of relief. If the old people are taken care of the young people can scramble {or themselves of Gi the PENSIONS amount of on ster E prov will if 5 ¢ mens affected, " 65, seven millions will to “The Federal budget must be bal- | anced. If there is any other way to do it than with this tax and peusion program 1 do not know what it is. In my opimon. we must put our economy on a self-sustain- ing basis and this will help do it.” Brewster deciared that the re- vised Townsend plan is in direct fine with the Republican national platform of 1936. That platform, he said, pledged a widely distributed tax to pay old-age pensions on a pay-as-you-go basis, The Townsend plan to be laid be- for Congress, he said. may be fur- ther modified by members of Con- gress after conference and study. PROPER CARE PREVENTS RUSTY MILK UTENSILS Rusting may become troublesome in the average dairy because utensils | are not thoroughly dried, according | to A. A. Borland, head of the depart- | that the length ! inquest will b Dr J. Shoemaker coroner after an Ramage is Id declared * M. R. Wilson, Lil machine stopped In its own need Clinton Count investigat held, anno 100 coroner and Ompha St his grandpare ney Pick-up Air Mail Service To Begin New Method of Collecting Mail Matter Across State To Start in Spring A year nental al Vana experi service Virginia cross Pennsyi- and Ohio will + postoffics West ma de. at 55 from snared Ad president am an company, which subm (Continued on page four) Time to Dig Out pi " i Pn } IK Jit GIRL THREE WEEKS AGO, BUT SOON TO BE g Ne hospit WEERS GRO as a Eri, 0100 OD IOMOre rejoll her cinssmates in nex a DOY Am vealed, ha mpiet transformation Leonora Amman, of Rice Lake, Wis inio Lee Amman. A second simple ation later wil * 20 ETO% normal manhood Dr. Lee Stovall, superintendent of he State General Hospital €C Lig CAM Was rare t inknown in medical annals “Lee always“has been 3 I sad, “despite the fact he wa as a girl, The true sex dis- tion was lalen: until the opera- was performed.” a woman patient, Lee and hap- the swat OpeTR~ virtually of ew days as “on, i wal a mpiet Lhe ' rom i Bas Stovel raised lied a n Ue mens Qivision Gypdes Rob Aged Man, a party of fiv dressed believed to have stolen im the pocket of George 84, of Landing The party of ¢ gally - Gresn’s travel A YOUNG MAN h school became a memes basketball y teacher Retnrds cently ang FIRE INTERRUPTS SANDY | RIDGE MAN'S SHAVE AS IT DESTROYS HIS HOME Passing Motorists Discover Blaze and Warn Inmates — Furnishings on First Floor Are Saved — Second Story Burned ick calmly shaved he first [lod ‘'Man Crushed As While Packing Dynamite in Quarry Blasting ontinued on page four) THE HOPKINS DOUBLE MURDER Story of Man Who Shot and Killed His Wife and Mother-in-law ~The of a Sun- aay morning hour when the church- guing populsce of Philipsburg was g its way to the various places rship, was rudely shattered on mber 22nd, 1888, by t announcement that one of the | known citizens of the town had irdersd his wile and LR peaceful +i, i Serenity he startl- MOsNeT«iN~i The of the crime, which to the good people on that quiet Sab- bath, seemed almost unbelievable. was traced fo its source and found to be true in all its horrible de- tails. At the little home of Mrs. Bs ther Wigaman, on Second street, where Mrs. Wigaman and her daughter, Mrs. Seeley Hopkins, had resided, lay the dead bodies of both victims of the drink-crazed and over-imaginative ming of the latter's husband. Both had been shot to death under the most in- humane circumstances Seeley Hopkins, a young man who followed the occupation of car- penter. had not only shot and killed his wife and mother-in-law, but had fired several bullets at his own head in an unsuccessful attempt to commit suicide. That the slaying was planned before the act was committed was admitted by the murderer, who lay in wait all night in the cellar of the house for the opportunity to carry out his re- News | vengeful and bloody scheme Immediately following the crime Hopkins was amrested and after medical attention had been given his wounds-—which proved more or less superlicial-—-he was brought to Bellefonte and placed in jail Un- der the care of the jail physician he rapidly recovered from his injur- ies and at the next term of court in the same year was tried for mur- der. He was convicted, and the fol- lowing year made atonement for One of a series of articles dealing history of Centre county. Compiled with outstanding occurences in the from newspaper records squently culion taking on the ing il necessary for ¢ for the second time. A det piace in the Bellefonte jail gruesome detail the condemned ma araer oom. death of the crime. the €Xe- rope breaking, make g through the ordeal toun--no one knew from whence a few years previous, and soon alter woond and married Miss Mag- gie Wigaman, an estimable young lady of that community. Their mar- riage was not a happy one and their home life was sald to have been one of constant turmoil, An over-active imagination on the part of the husband made him morose and jealous. They were almost con stanly quarreling, and on many occasions he falled to support her as was his responsibility. He fre. quently got drunk and in that con- dition would come home and beat his wife most shamefully. He fos- tered a hatred for his mother-in- law because she attempted to shield her daughter from the husband's abuse About a week before the tragedy Hopking had been armvested for beating his wife and held for his (Appearance st court. At the solici- tation of his wife he was allowed to go in search of bail. under the lief that he would leave the town ang mever return to further molest her. Hopkins did leave Philipsburg for a time, but returned one week later with the expressed purpose of getting revenge on the woman he had murried, and her mother, The succeeding events may best be told by Hopkins' confession made at the time of his arrest and later Sortobarated by testimony at his nl: his erime from a hangman's scaf- fold erected in the jail yard. The story of Hopking' married life while a resident of Philipsburg 11s a sordid one. He had drifted into i Relates Details of Orime { “I left Houtzdale on Saturday night about 11 o'clock and walked down the railroad until 1 came to yo, 0 Ae ick yard railroad and took to Philipsburg | dreet to Second to Rose Prine { re the went then and " back of ae I broke In the yw of the cellar and aid on the bank in the cellar all night. I could not sleep I heard them get up (meaning Mrs figaman and his wife) I waited a while and then went up the steps that led from the cellar to the kit- chen, but before going up 1 took off my shoes so that they could not hear me “When 1 got into the kitchen my wife was washing the dishes 1 walked up to her and put my arm around her. She said “you s-- of a b--, get out” I drew my revolver and she saw it and said “Oh, Cele, don't.” I fired at her head when she screamed; 1 fired again and she fell. I did not see whether she was dead or not. 1 then went up- stairs and saw the old woman at the head of the stairs. I fired at her as she turned in the room. 1 followed her in. She was lying on the floor and begged me not to shoot her. I turned around and shot her in the head again and then went down the stairs and out of the back door to Allports’ livery stable. Wino Attempts Suicide “There 1 fired two shots at my- self. The first did not knock me down, but the second did. 1 thought 1 had one more shot, but had not, or 1 would have died with them. A Crime That Stirred Philipsburg and Cen- tre County in 1889 ro I gaw found on I did 1 sgain until Friday Humphrey rguson’s very the stable unti arrested of see for The revolver is a seven-shoc but had only six shots in 1 got \ from a gun dealer in Y. when I was home he is a British bull dog 1 did not break the lock off the door Sunday after 1 shot Mrs. Wig- AINA the stairs. 1 did that some- time Maggie went in there els one ie at N revolver adi a Roche “oH ter 100 ago i night and 1 wanted her io sieep with me. which she did alter 1 broke the lock off the door Trial and Conviction Hopkins recovered from his self- inflicted wound and was brought to trial at the November term of court. The defense attorneys were W. F. Reeder, then a law partner of former Gov. D. H. Hastings, and H C Quigley, a law student of Hastings and Reeder. For the pros- ecution, District Attorney J. C Meyer was assisted by Col. J. L Spangler. The case was tried be- fore the Honorable A. O. Furst. The prisoner. a tall, slim young man, was brought into oourt by Sheriff Cooke. His features revealed a sharp thin face with a prominent nose, receding chin and forehead, light moustache and hair combed pompadour style. He appeared to be in good health and spirits when he entered the court room and smiled as his counsel spoke to him He exhibited a slight limp, evident- ly caused by partic] paralysis re sulting from the wound in his head | The trial lasted from Tuesday morning until Thursday afternoon | A verdict of guilty of murder in| the first degree was reached by the following named jury, which had (Continued on page four) | then jumped to the other wv ry Flite net hwa park Pioneer Log Confined to Bed With Hip Fracture ast surviving men of a fan children His wer of diy of ven mother was formerly Miss Mar- we Ploutz, known in later life as Mattie Pfoutz. Bhe had the distine- tion of the first white child ie Creek. His father oF ¥ immel nm Ol being Ketd an 8 or ni a 1868 the wa farm birth. He re. Mr, and ared a family of whom five survive him Mrs Rixford Mrs marriage Hammersley uve what the Merriman iy on (4) of his are K D Ernest NVin 10 Crumb, of ¢ ir i merson Summerson Harry 8S re and he of Drury's Run erson, with whom Summersan died eight am Mr Ago leaves ded rn He 27 grandchi 31 great-grantdchiidren A lumberman and farmer cupation, he was considered best teamster log drives Vea apo. He kept two teams of fine horses and 100k great pride in them In addition to lumbering with his brothers at home, he Junbered at Lyman Run, Bearfield Run and Beaver Dam. driving logs for Thom- as Thompson, Wolf & Carson and Thomas Smith, of Williamsport, who conducted the last log drives on Kettle Creek He had a narrow escape once while on a log drive. He was riding team of horses when one of the horses’ feel became fastened in some manner. Both horses and rider went under the water three times before the animals fool was finally loosened. Mr. Summerson horse, This incident occurred on Goose Island, near Lock Haven Mr. Summerson often used his team on the Jog drive from Kettle Creek down the West Branch of the Susquehanna to Williamsport. Funeral serviees were held Sun- day at the SBummerson home, by the Rev. Norman Larson. Interment was made In the Valentine ceme- tery at Hammersley Fork ~~. Making Early Reservations Five hundred persons have already reserved rooms in private homes in Harrttburg for Pennsylvania Parm Show week fhrough the convention visitors bureau of the Harrisburg Chamber of Coinmerce. dren and by oc- one of on rer porn Te generany H the yo. his ‘KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES’ — Merely Preparedness Come iy Ou! IT's vou, \ BALMOSE Ei ‘By POP MOMAND GREAT SAINTS, EDDIE! WHY ALL TH FUN - TURE FILED BY TW Door! YOU'RE NOT rt = | » @ A 7 roi BT Svcs YOU TOLD ME ABOUT THAT CAT BURGLAR You FOR WHO'S PIROWILING Tie]! BEING PART OF TOWN T've BON BARIRICADING T™ Doors AT I DON'T BLame AN APARTMENT NEXT DOOR was RANSACKED LAST NIGHT AND THe POLICE Twink ie A OY Fre NOT THAT I'M With huge New Year attracted annually BCs at Lhe Rose Bowl the Bug Bowl and the crowds being y | wotball cla - the Orange Cotton Pineapple Bowl, we foe] that the Pennsylvania Co-operia- ive Potato Groves Association with headquarter n Bel te, U r Del by not erecting a draw some of the money Io the east ern par ' Unhed Slates 7 yn ar Bowl, the wefon missing a good Potato Boz erowds and 4’ of cone- we The drive is newspapers 5 fol- Bellefont idea trolling tral mos. na ret ste trol "TT bert Koepn-Baker stuttering in men The absence of This department 1 apologizing being sourves of some Christ for 0 worldly + of browm on it: “This boy 5 P. Hughes.” The before the ked whether alter glanc~ declared That's 1 not be required take an examination.” - . LOCK HAVEN CITIZENS SHARE DISPLAY AWARDS Fifteen outdoor lighting displays in Look Haven were awarded $2 lor euch display in the Christmas light- i contest conducted over the Christmas holidays. The prise win- were: Clarence K. Gummo, 131 South Pairview Street; Ire V. Gru- 7 Mt. Vernon Street; lester F Widmann, 220 West Waler Sireel] Harry FF. Weber, 80 Susquehanna Avenue: H A Maggs, and Pred Eckert. TI5-TT7 Bast Main Streei] E E Wentz 310 East Water Street; Robert Reeder, 7 South Jones Street: 1. W. Hunt 850 East Water Street: Ray D. Dorey, 718 Ea Church Street: D. K. Shadle, 65 Bellefonte Avenue: John M. Seltzer, %06 West Bald Bagle Street; C. D. Thompson, 206 Susquehanna Ave. Taliryn James 120 Susquehanpa Avene: Edward A Ryan 545 West sam Street: Howard J. Miler, 222 Bast Pourth Street ———— ———— CAR AND TRUCK DAMAGED IN CLINTON OOUNTY CRASH in {yo co Era & PAT pan Damages totaling $750 0 a coal truck and a coupe resulied from 2 enliision on the Lock Haven-Renovo road, in which two men were slightly injured. Clarence Kissell narrowly escaped serious infury when he was thrown throogh the windshield of the voupe ag It crashed. He suffered only 3 scratch of the face 7’. Wolfe, Jersey Shore, driv- of {he hill E. Bradney, pulled attempting 0 avert Wolfe was treated at ven hospital for a lac nose, which required four stitches to glose — GARAGE IN BUTLDING in this country, and others altogether new, for imerficor movement of automobiles are to be included in the new six- story garage at Rockefeller Center, New York, at- cording to Fred W. Moe, t of the designing firm under whose su- pervigion the garage is Being built, [The new eight hundred our garage, {with its adjoining sixteen-story | bulkding, covers the old Rockefeller | Cante Space | Dletk
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers