Odd and CURIOUS in the = NEWS PERSISTENT CUSS Dewey Herfindal, Lake Park, Minn, farmer had this exper- fence: While plowing on his farm he saw a large flock of wild geese in the field, He jumped from his tractor and ran to get his shotgun, but discovered the gun had been loaned to a neigh- bor. So he went to the neighbor's and got the gun. Then he found he had no shells, He climbed into his car and drove to Lake | Park to get shells, Then he re- | membered that he had no hunt- ing license, So he got both the shells and a hunting license and returned to his farm, And shot three of the geese, WASN'T SCARED When an Indianapolis bride- groom fainted once at his wed- ding ceremony, the bride, clergy- man and guests were non-plus- sed but not unduly alarmed, but when he fainted the second and third times they decided some- thing was accidedly wrong. It developed that the bridegroom, a medical ¢tudent, had given blood for - transfusion shortly before and that this strain, plus the attendant emotion, had caused his collapse, He recovered and the ceremony was combdlet- ed. C. 0. D. MAYBE? County Recorder Jack Utz, of St. Joseph, Mo. believes he has found the modern counterpart of the old fashioned mother who sent the children to the store for everything. He declined to sue a marriage license to a youngster who told him: “I want it for mother and the [fellow she's going to marry.” PAINT FIGHT Harrison Cowen testified in hi; divorce suit at Camden, N. J., that his wife, Anna, threw a bucket of paint over him. He re- taliated, he admitted, by spread- ing what was left in the bucket over her face with a brush. The Court tok the case under advise- ment, More Information Concerning Caves in Patton Township The following was received this week from C. E. Hartsock, of Patton | township: “Your correspondent of Scotia, Mr. Williams, who has been writing about the big cave in Patton town- | ship. states that the cave at Stony Point extends to the Furst estate, 1 have lived in Patton township for more than 80 years, and I know the cave does not go in that direction and it is just a hole down under a large rock not more than 125 feet from the outside of the hole “There is a cave, however, Waddle schoolhouse. 1 have that cave and I think it is quite a large one “Mr. Williams spoke about slaves running away from the slave- owners. and coming to Conrad Hart- sock’'s who gave them work on his farm. “1 wish to say that they did not go to Conrad Hartsock's home, but came to my grandfather, Henry G Hartsock, who was a friend of the colored race. My grandfather took these slaves to a woods and hid them until nightfall, and then haul- ed them in his one-horse wagon up to Center Line to a colored family by the name of Samuel Henderson From there they found their way to Canada.” above seen the Words and Music of New Popular Songs Every Sunday youll find words and music of an absolutely new song. picked by a famous American bandleader-—ready to be played and sung in the Comic Weekly “Puck”, distributed regular- ly with the Baitimore Sunday American. On sale at all News- stands, . - FJ Chains Wife, ‘So Breaking into the home of Neal Cahoon, a 62-year-old Vandalia, 111. farmer, Sheriff C. P, Creshler said he found Cahoon's 18-year-old wife chained behind bolted doors. Three section hands, employed on 2 nearby railroad had sworn out a complaint accusing the aged farmer of forcing them at the point of a gun to sign a written statement that they had been Intimate with his wife, who i# the mother of a two- months-old baby. Sheriff Cheshier sald he found all the windows boarded up and the door padlocked at the Cahoon home. | “Once inside 1 found three more the A mysterious package in the mails brought 12 capsules to John Kmetz, 54-year-old gardner of Los Angeles, He swallowed two and fell dead. The capsules were received last Saturday along with a typewritten letter saying “Kmetz had been se- lected as one of 100 men to try out _— She Won't Run Off’ Dies After Swallowing Two Capsules caisson AS —— S—_ abun Replaces Old Lock on Postoffice The Most Widely Read Newspaper In Centre County. A Visitor In Seven Thousand Homes Each Week. SECOND SECTION dhe Centre Democrat NEWS, FEATURES ' VOLUME 60. BELLEFONTE, PA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1941. NUMBER 43. Philadelphia Spaghetti Salesman Begs For Mercy As He Pays For His Crime Fifty-two-Year-Old Slayer Protests Innocence As He Fought to Escape Electric Chair; Leader in Mas Herman Petrillo, 52-year-old Phil- adelphia spaghett] salesman, was executed in Rockview Penitentiary’s | electric chair early Monday morn. ing for drowning a cripple for pay. | The slaying was one of a score dis- closed by a four-state investigation of a infamous murder-for-insurance ring Petrillo went to his death at 12:32 a. m. protesting his innocence as he | was strapped in the chair, and mak- ing several efforts to arise from It The former spaghetti salesman was accused as a leader of a wide- spread plot, authorities said took at least seventy-two lives, possibly several hundred, by poison, drown- Man Claims He Is Robbed By Woman Altoona Resident Reports large Negro Woman Snatched Wallet Now it's the women who are do- ng the robbing and the men who are the victims. At any rate thats exactly what happened Friday night in Altoona, A large Negro woman followed Donalto Roberta to the rear of his home Priday night ang robbed him f his wallet conte g $8 and then : to a walling driven away kk door sted from behind. "Get you've got no business he told the wor Hr grabbed him qui and wung him around and sna the from his rear trouser pocket 5 described as wearing heavy makeup and large earrings TRE ii —— Beech Creek Girl | Jolted From Car ’ she Escapes With Slight Injuries in Fall From Running Board : Miss Martha Hewvner, 14 Beech Creek, R. D., escaped with glight in- juries last Thursday afternoon when jolted from the running board of an automobile on which she and he: sister Dorothy, had been given Aa HAL the main highway to the school in Beech Creek he driver of the car, Joseph K Durkins Monument, was arresi- ed by the State Motor Police for driving without a license and, at a hearing before Justice of the Peace George F. Hess of Beech Creek, was penalized $10 fine ang costs of $2.21 alter pleading guilty According to the report girls were riding on the ning board of the car : kins stopped suddenly in front of the school, Martha was jolted to the highway 8he was treated at i from nt Oi two run- the left the Lock Haven Hospital for a brujs> | came to an agreement f{ on her forehead and shock, and was then discharged. A ——— War May Affect Lead Pencils Even the lowly pencil is going to feel the effects of wartime rationing D G. Taft, salesman for a Torontd manufacturing firm of office and school supplies said that a growing shortage of raw materials, especial- ly in metals, may bring about a' change in the design of the ordin- ary pencil padiocked doors.” he declared, “The woman was sitting up in bed, se- curely tied with chains around her wrist and ankles. A 80-pound rock was attached to the end of one of the chains. The baby was lying on the bed beside her. Their clothing was locked in the corn crib.” He said the young woman did not appear alarmed and he quoted ner as saying her husband "always chained me up when he went away | for fear { would run off.” Cahoon gave him the same reason for chain- | ing her, Cheshier added Cahoon remained in jail in lieu of $1,000 bail on the assault charge | i | energizing vitamins.” He took the | two Sunday night. A chemist re-| ported sufficient quick poison was found in Kmetz' stomach to kill a horse. 3 The letter, printed on a fictitious herb company, was turned over Lf postal authorities : i When Dur- | s Murder Plot ing, and faked automobile accidents He was brought to the death chamber by two guards who him up. As Petrillo entered, he look- ed around at the witnesses and was helped to the chair, The guards had to push him down and then back and Petrillo turning to them, said Now, gentlemen, you wouldn't want to witness the death of an in- nocent man, Give me a chance to prove my innocence. I want to the Governor His see words then became inaudible and the official executioner, James Lee Wilson, pulled the switch Petrillo lost his last chance e¢ when Governor Arthur H. James refused a reprieve Six months ago Herman's Paul, a mild-mannered tailor, trod the same path and was executed as a ringleader of Philadelph bizarre murder-for-insurance ring Paul protested his innocence the end. Herman exhausted hannel to escape without avail The Court and the Board voiced a final rejection of all pleas for clemency The Petrillos were described by police as the “brains” of a wide- spread plot to collect Insurance money after an un victim for ¢ i cousin AS to every the death Slate of legal « penalty Supreme Pardons suspecting (Continued on Page Siz) held | The Oldtimer MILES THEY SURE DO MAKE IT EASY TOR THE CHILDREN SHOCKS, | HAP TO WALK 51% © SCHOOL AND BALK AGAIN, IN ALL —————— C YINDS OF WEATHER. SUMMER AND WINTER SPEAKERS FOR CHAPEL Churchmen will come from elev and the District of Colum! ak before Sunday chapel a at the Pennsylv Sta College this vear, Prolesso Frizzell, College chapl nounced Six of the Pennsylvanians D. Wentael formed ember 2: Baptist ber 9 Park February 1! states Pr sa, LO =i 4 i chapel speaker: They are Evangel! fail church, Philadelphia Dr. Bernard Claus church, Pittsbu Dr. Harold C Meth 1 xiist chur Rey orva al Penn ance is 1000 student ths and denon epresenled by Whe Speak - Physician Asks Injunction Against Clinic Specialist ticing Profession Within 50 Mile Area of Huntingdon; Claims Violation Contract An unusual eivil court trial held at Huntingdon during weekend In which recking to prevent $ ian fiom pra wan the another } ding 1} iC- phy I« Brofess ils profession ( area with area wiln in an Hunt, Jr.. of Huntingdon, who also conducts offices in Bellefonte i that Dr. H, Ford Ci wing his practice as well as vioiallon of Btale College w ng de r ; In alleged t agreement Hunt employer, and As eng lovee, practiced thelr professions conti in Ag borough ntract Thi vals aby ie his relationship Lp was Clark at a graduate Medical College in Pittsburgh in 1620 and became at ated with Dr. William H. Bean » took post graduate work in New shicago and Vienna His qual fications ha nn accepted by var fous specialist boards, The he came plaintifl POE VALLEY LEGEND A MYTH? the aliention partment was atiracted to an article In the Selinsgrove Tim ¥ Agnes Selin Schoch, a ber of the editorial staff of that iy - edited Snyder county Dy riter, with biographical {acts aitrmpts to shatter our pet illusion thal the poet, Edgar Allen Poe once lived and found inspiration for his immortal “The Maven,” in Cen- tre county Believing that Centre county renders will find much of interest in Miss School's article, we taks the liberty of publishing it in this col. umn, as follows: Sunday's ramble took us to Poe Paddy Park, which piace has been of special interest to us since read- ing this summer in 8 Sunday edi- tion of the Willlamsport Grit an ar- ticle stating that Edgar Allen Poe visited what is now called Poe Val- ley in 1839 and there fell in love with a mountain girl named Helen Hallferty Park, known in folkiore as \ wife and Helena Hallett iy “ Alter which according to the ticle, Poe wrote The Raven “1% ry but believe a word of it In fact we doubt if Edgar Allen Poe visited what is now called Poe Valley or that section of woodland and mountains called Poe Paddy raik, and much less do we believe he ever stopped at the Old Fort Ho- tel, where Charlies H. Feehrer of North Water street, tells ua he saw, Poe's name on the register and slept | in the room in which Poe spent ab teeplest night writing The Raven Not that we doull for & moment Mr. Peehrers sincerity. We just think Edgar Allen Poe did not siden in Old Port Hotel, and know he did not write The Raven there. What- ever were the transgressions of Ed- gar Allen Poe, and there were thany, he was absolutely true to his chil first cousin, Virgin Clemm, according to authorities « history “The Poe family roman- tic adventure are a good st we do not A a a) § " a branch of it, land to Lins ore the Revolution land in Lancas er where he removed to Cecil county Maryland “David. eldest son of John P. Poe was born in Ireland six weeks bee fore his parents came to America "From the lime of the Revolution Be ewid) Bived In Baltimore, to which place he brought as a bride a Pennsylvania girl, Elizabeth Cair- ps by name. During the Revolution he became guartermaster general of the American foroes in Baltimore “The eldest son of General Poe was also named David. He was in- tended for the law, but at the age of in 1804. while his uncle was In Augusta, Ga, he joined a troup of strolling actors known as the Hop- Company. C. D. Hopkins, the light comedian of the company, died and county Pur 25 a iti Pennsvivania in the life of the poet was the fact that maternal grandmother Was Pennsylvania girl and that his his a caster county “Aller Bdgar Allen, Poe was adopt- ed by Mr. and Mrs John Allen, of Richmond, Va. who educated him in private schools abroad and In the United States he was graduated | from the University of Virginia, and West Point dismissed March 1831. On September 22 1834 married his first cousin, Vii Clemm. in Baltimore She was in ber thirteenth year and he in his 26th We will now skip the inlervening (Continued on Pager Three) from 6 he inia entered he wis then where Flemington To Enlarge Borough To Annex Part of Allison Township Land Adjacent Thereto Flemington borough officials at a meeting last week with Allison township (Clinton county) officials for the an- nexation by the borough of part of the township lying close to the bor- ough line and made plans to take the legal steps involved The annexation is the result of a building boom in “Hill-vue” where several new homes are now being constructed. Allison township officials were willing to release this taxable prop- erty, amounting to 90.8 acres, to the borough, but only on the considera- | tion that a small triangular strip of land, between the canal and Jack Frankenfield's, also be annexed. This additional land, about four acres, Includes part of a township road, two properties, and involves several | children for whom the township has!’ been paying tuition to the Fleming- | ton school, i While the borough and township officials were in session, the Flem- ington school board at a special | meeting decided to go ahead with the plan of collecting delinquent taxes which has been under consid- | eration by both council and school | board for a number of weeks. The board signed a cotitract with a tax collecting agency. Collections will] begin within the month, School board and council will meet this Thursday, it is under-| stood, for a joint discussion of prob- | lems growing out of both the Alli-| quent tax collections, FIRE DESTROYS BARN, CAR ON CLINTONDALE FARM | | The barn on the Oscar Dorman! farm at Clintondale was burned | early one morning last week in a fire which started about 3:30 a. m | and destroyed the building and an automobile in it, Comparatively | little farm produce was in the barn! as the Dormans have not been farming their land, i The Mili Hall Fire Department and the Hand-in-Hand Hose Com- | pany of Lock Haven were called | out only the former went into ser- i A lock on thé outside mall box | years ago by the postmaster’s uncle, vice. at the Salona postoffice was replaced last week by Charles B. Herr, post- master, with a new lock. The old] Jock was put on the mail box 53] D. Hartman Herr, assistant post-| master, in the SBarah Quiggle bulld- | ing now owned by Mr, Knapp. Mr. Herr's father, Martin Herr, was | postmaster, | er The individual Who attempts to) reform the entire human race has an exaggerated opinion of his, or) her, ability, ‘ | ‘Bandit Kidnaps Truck Driver Compelled to Drive From Pittsburgh to Hunting- don County A Pittsburgh beer truck driver, abducted in his truck at the point of a gun Thursday night in the steel center, was compelled to drive 117 miles to Alexandria, near Hunting- don, by a bandit who took $25 from one of his victim's pockets—but he overiooked $50 in another The truck driver, Ralph King told police the gunman he described | as being about 30, leaped aboard the truck in the north side of Pittsburgh when he stopped at a traffic light After robbing him of the $25 fol. | lowing the long mandatory ride, | King said, he forced him from the truck ==ven miles west of Alexandria on Route 22. “Get goin,” the gunman said. as| he returned King his empty wall~t King then started walking east on| the highway and soon was picked up by a motorist who drove him to Alexandria, King advised his em- ployer in Pittsburgh, who subse- quently notified police i King said the robber X%ept his rigiii band pocketed, as though he! wags armed, State motor police at! Huntingdon found the truck aban- doned near the scene of the hold- |! up. but could not pick up any leads on which way the bandit fled, Police | at the Ant Hill sub-station nave joined in the search for the gun-| man, described as standing five feet six inches and weighing 160 pounds King said he has a dark complex. | jon, dark heavy eyebrows, and was| ae od ! son township annexation and deiin-) wearing a gray hat and blue top- coat The employer who regards labor as a commodity, like raw materials, | is a reminder of the stone age. Case Of Stolen Meat Is Solved One Salona Man is Freed of Blame; Other Held For Court Trial Melvin Barner of Salona was freed of blame ang Robert Ungard of Salona was put under $500 ball for court at a hearing before Jus- tice of the Peace A. 8. Cross in Mill Hall last Friday morning in a case involving alleged theit of meat The affair grew out of the dis- covery Tuesday of meat products, from the M. Morrison abbator at Salona in the Barner car The meat invoived included 14 pounds of fresh ham, six pounds of fresh eau- sage and a pan of scrapple meat Barner, who was in the abbatoir with Ungard at the time of the dis- covery claimed it wag brought out that he had not ! left the abbatoir from the time ol his entrance until the meat was found. Therefore, although the meat was in the car, it was not ac- | tually in his posssssion and had not | been transported. and Justice of the Peace Cross discharged the case against him. Following the filing of charges by | Mr. Morrison against Barner, Mr | Ungard, an employe at the abbatoir, | plead guilty to taking the meat in a | signed statement, declaring that he had planned to complete his tran- saction legitimately with the office It is the custom of the abbatoir, it was brought out at the hearing, to complete the transaction at the time the meat is taken the employe wishing to take meat either paying the man in charge immediately or having the meat filed to his account. Mr. Ungard was therefore held in the case. Both Ungard and Barner are pa- | rolees, having been involved in a PETER PUBLIC—It All Depends! that he had not | taken the meat, and at the hearing | Uses Dynamite To Kill Himself Clearfield County Coal Miner Holds Explosive Against Chest By exploding a stick of dynamite held tightly against his chest, Steve Kutzer, 50-year-old coal miner, of Ginter, Clearfield county, commit ted suicide last Tuesday afternoon a cornfield near his home Deputy Coroner E. 8. Erhard Cur- wensville, said Kutzer was instantly killed when the dynamite exploded His right hand, which held the dy- namite against his chest, was blown off and the right side of his chest | ripped away by the explosion. Dr Erhard sald the miner had appar- ently inserted a fuse in the explo- sive and then held the explosive against his body. i in : Kutzer's wife, working in the kiich- {en of the home, heard the blast. | The family found the body in the | cornfield a short distance from the | home. Dr. Erhard stated that Kutzer | wha was employed at No. 28 shalt had been in poor health and was i evidently “physically exhausted.” | Ten children survive Kutzer. Forest Fire Damage Considerable timber loss hag re- sulted from recent Bradford county | forest fires. A six-acre stand of good timber was burned over in Herrick | township, and more extensive dam- | | age was prevented only by the fine work of two watchers and crews, | they summoned to fight the blaze.’ i Another fire which caused consid- {erable loss, burning for three days, was on the south end of Browntown Mountain. theft of lumber earlier this year from Lewis Knapp at Salona. one physician is | parental great. | grandfather lived for a time in Lan- | The suicide was discovered when! offered the contract in evidence and it was received in court Dr. Clark, when stand cross-examis fied that the his contract with Dr resided Huntingd« practicing his He t the calied tion termination for since In ingdon ed with Philipsburg pital and was n the Blair Memorial Hospital stated he carried practice of medicine along specialist work Dr. Fred Hutchis surgeon, testified Hunt s; Btate College a he has offices Clark general public RISO On on at the Police Rescue Man From Thug Altoona Druggist Knocked Down and Choked by Would- Be Attacker Police came to the aid pulled his assailant James 41, who lives at the Altoona Salva- tion Army home, off of Burgoon, Mathias was then held on a “dans gerous and suspicious charge.” Burgoon told police Mathias ac- casted him and asked for some lo- bacco of a nickel, When Burgoon refused he was pushed into an alley ang knocked down. Mathias held Burgoon by the throat and rifled his pockels. Burgoon's cries for help were heard by neighbors just as po- lice arrived Burgoon's by Mathias’ glasses bent, —— —————— POLICE ARREST WOMAN DRIVER AFTER COLLISION of Burgoon a at Mat throat was sligh fingernails Philipsburg motor Sunday sted a woman driver from Roch- N. Y. followis ; t 3 west of Port sburg moun nice for cutting in to an automobile Police said Miss Rives to cut in while pasting when she no- ticed an automobile traveling in the opposite direction, rammed into a car operated by George Wineland, Martinsburg After striking Wineland's car, Miss Rives’ car struck a road sign No ohe was injured — ——————— SMULLTON MAN IN CRASH ON LOCK HAVEN STREET Glenn Lytle, of Mill Hall, driving the sedan belonging to his father, D B. Lytle, also of Mill Hall, was charged with reckless driving fol- police ester miles Matilda on the tal Rosemary {ast af arrested Rives ter passing forced lowing a crash at supper time Sat- urday at the intersection of Bald Eagle and Vesper streets in Lock Haven, The other car was driven by Albert Grenoble, Smuliton, and owned by C. E. Zeigler, Spring Mills Grenoble had entered the section, proceeding north on Vesper street, when the Lytle sedan travel- ing east on Bald Eagle, crashed into it. Damages were $100 to the Lytie car and $45 to the other vehicle Gets Big Raccoon 8ix and one-half hours after the raccoon season opened, Dick, dog of Bucky Harris, of Bloomsburg, treed a coon, and in a tree a shot from Bucky's revolver had killed the big! which weighed 22%! specimen, pounds. The pelt is worth probably 1 85. Hunter Hurt in Fall William Smeitzer, of Northumber-. land, suffered serious injuries when he fell from a railroad trestle near Johnson's Run, while hunting ducks {In his fall of about 20 feet he frac- {tured his pelvis on both sides, and | his right heel was broken inter- Random | | [tems FAREWELL TO VANZANDT: As Lo be expected gressman, James F against repeal of Neutrality Act authorizing ing of merchantmen, He was the 138 who voted again wis our Con- vanZandt, voted the ion of the the arm- one of Pa ty There were mince Jimmy Lease bill th Cc made ire 259 votes {or voted against t appeared wi Lindbergh leclly ete Ty posed sirnmal CRIME NOTE: What ACCIDENT: At the aceid last Thursdas Ads Wadd 5 somew} filze what IHOTOGRAPHER Yh r Man e of thelr phot: sidewalk show cases der's Exchange bulic {| SANDWICH: This department has seen many a double-decker and trijle-decker sandwich, We've seen re-Ccream sandwich, the toasted sandwich, the grilled sandwich, and many another kind of sandwich, but to WW (Hook) Hampton, local Veterans’ Service Officer, goes the dis ot of manufacturing an : que kind. The other night ed him fashion one of repasts. He took a slab pork, fitted on a piece ( cheese 4d 3 the of salted an cult, and covered slap of pork. Nothi vou Say? Yes bother that he doesnt TEMPEST: If get ox business heard aboul a city, who, on jast week, are alleged to stolen a quantity of merchar {rom a local cigar store. No charges have been preferred and consequent- ly newspapers, which have no way of proving the thing one way or an- other, are not carrying the story WIRE STORY: his corner is a trifle irked at one of the nation’s leading wire services, which during the weekend published tie story of the arrest in Harrisburg of a former Penn State student who claimed he might have murdered Rachael Taylor “in his sleep We passed the story off. however, as one of those things writen to creale a little new interest in a major un- solved crime. But when the service put out “follow” stories on the mat- ter three days In a row we became convinbded that it was the writer of the yarn, not the willing suspect, who should be roused from his “sleep.” STILL AT IT: In mentioning the Taylor case, is timely to report that although the case is more Laan 18 months old, two State Police are still assigned to the investigation on an almost full-time | basis. If and when the slayer is ever apprehended, he's going to have 1 refute the evidence of a long line of test tubes, microscopes, and Other scientific apparatus to prove he isnt the man QUESTION: We wonder what would have hap- pened at the wreck at Milesburg last | Thursday morning, if the West Penn {| Power Company had not sent two tof its giant pole-raising trucks to { the scene to lift the caboose from the automobile in which two dead ipersons and a living person were | trapped. The Dearest railicad wreck | Continged on Pape Six) MN ee The around circles you al ably the grou; {from a visit to rt fonte it ie By F. 0. ALEXANDER
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers