Pittsburg dispatch. (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, October 25, 1892, Image 1

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FORTY SEVENTH TEAR
PITTSBURG, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25. 3892-TWELVE PAGES
CENT&
Mimtfii
fyqfi
yx THRTfif
MRS
HARRISON
PEACEFULLY
- PASSES AWAY,
At 1:45 O'Clock This Morning
the Spirit of the Presi
dent's Wife Departed.
THE FAMILY PBESENT
FOE HOUKS BEFOEE,
Snrronndins the Deathbed of One
They Loved So Well and Who
They Knew'llnst Die.
FAITHFUL TO THE LAST
THE BEREAVED HUSBAND
Ccnldn't Ee Induced to Close His Eyes to
Take the Eest of Which He
Stood in Erich heed.
4. Terrible Suspense Ended The
Wonderful Recuperative Powers of
the Patient Sustained Vitality for
Hours After It Seemed Sho Must Die
Premature Reporto of Her Death
Bring- a Stream of Telegrams of Con
dolence to the White House, Among1
the First Being One Prom Grover
Cleveland The Death Chamber the
Same in Which Garfield Was So 111
Mrs. Harrison Meets Death With
Christian Resignation The Second
Wife of a President to Die in the
White House.
ffrECIAL TSLZGKAM TO THE TJISrATCH.1
Washington, Oct 25. Mrs. Harrison
lied at 1:43 o'clock A. 31. , surrounded by
he members oi the family, Dr. Gardner,
md the nurses. Those at the bedside were
he President, Mr. and Mrs. McKee, Mr.
nd Mrs. Russell Harrison, Private Secre
ary Halford, Lieutenant and Mrs. Parker,
ilrs. Dimmick, Dr. Gardner, Miss Davis,
urse, and Mrs. Harrison's maid Josephine,
he venerable Dr. Scott, Mrs. Harrison's
ither, retired before midnight, and did not
-i'ness the death scene. Mrs. Harrison
net death rrith the patience and resigna
ion of a devout Christian, and her last
lours were comparatively iree from pain.
A DAY OF WEARINESS.
orrowful Hoars for the President and
His Familj Ileantlful Indian Summer
Weather Members of the Cabinet on
Their "Way to "Washington Awaiting
the Inc!tablc End.
Washington, Oct 2o. Special This
ias been a Jay of weariness and torture for
'resident Harrison and the members oi his
lousehold. Since 10 o'cloct last night they
ave been hourly expecting the hand of
eath to enter the broad door of the Ex
cutive Mansion. They have long been
repared for his coming, but dreaded his
pproach none the less. .
No official business has been transacted
j-day, and for the first time in 11 years, ez
ept on Sundays and holidays, no visitors
ave been permitted to cross the threshold,
ill of last night the President kept his
igiL His long weeks of constant, unre
al tting devotion to his sick wife have not
roken him down, and although he is weary
o the point of illness, he followed his
ratchful care of last night by another day
f close attention at the bedside of the
ying invalid.
lie Cabinet on the Way to Washington.
Quite early in the official morning Mr.
ialford telegraphed a brief statement of
Irs. Harrison's actual condition to those
lembers of the Cabinet who'are outjof town,
replies have been received from Secretary
ohn W. Poster, of the State Department,
nd Secretary Rusk, and both of them are
ow on their way to this city. Secretary
Ilkins and Secretary Charles Poster, of the
'reasury, are ready to start at any moment,
ecrf tary Noble arrived in the city late this
venmg, and went at once to the White
louse to offer his personal condolences.
During the past two days the President
as not even entered his office, nor has he
one down stairs to the dining room. His
leak have been served upstairs in the
ttle room adjoining the sickroom.
This atternoon Rev, Dr. Hamlin, pastor
t the Church of the Covenant, called and
ad a short interview with the President
nd Mrs. McKee. Later in the day the
.ttorney General and Lieutenant Parker
ad a consultation with Private Secretary
alford, in the latter's office.
Children at Play in the Grounds?
The children of the household and their
urses spent the morning playing in the
rounds. In strange contrast to the sad
:ene being enacted in the sick room and
be gloom depicted on every countenance
as the spectacle of the little ones enjoy
ig themselves digging in a bed of sand
lat was leit by the workmen near the east
irner of the basement since noon to-day.
.No medicine passed Mrs. Harrison's lirjs
-day and she was simply lying in a state
I almest constant coma, peacefully wait
lg for the end.
All daylong carriages have come up the
rcular driveway of the "White House
round, and their" occupants have left cards
f sympathy and .condolence. More humble
Isitors have come on foot, and the doctor's
oggy has not left the grounds for more
mn half an hour at a time. Out-of-town
ghtseers in their cities were not deterred by
le knowledge that the angel of death
overed over the White House, and they
une in unusually large numbers to the
ortico, only to be informed that the doors
ere closed to all general callers.
The Sole Tople of Conversation.
All over town the sole topic ef conversa
on was the approaching death of the mis
ess oi the White Homeland even the snb
ct of politics lost interest for the time
sing in the minds of the public, in the face
f the expected-sad sews from the "White
louse.
The beautiful, clear, cool, sunny weather
-t coBmwced about tho.timeof Mis, I
Harrison's return from Loon Lake a month
ago, and which has since continued, was at
the height of its beauty to-day. A fresh
northwest breeze was blowing, the sun was
like that of midsummer, and lighted up into
a myriad colors the turning leaves of the
luxurious foliage of the White House
grounds. An Indian summer haze was over
everything, and "Washington was never
more beautiful.
In the opinion of Dr. Gardner the brsc
inir atmosphere had much to do with the
bringing to Mrs. Harrison the occasional
moments of strength and apparent vitality
that were noticeable throughout the day.
Silence reigned around and about the man
sion from morning until night. The few
visitors who crossed the vestibule walked
on tiptoe, and ushers and other employes
went about noiselessly like mourners at a
funeral. "When night came the corridors
of the big house were completely deserted,
and the members of the family, with the
physician and nurse, waited silently in the
room upstairs for the end which they knew
must soon come.
A NIGHT OF TORTURE
For the Weary Watchers About the Bedside
or the Invalid While at Tea They Were
Warned of the Approaching End Pre
mature Reports of Death Cause a Flood
of Telegrams of Condolence.
Washington, Oct 23. Special At
11 o'clock to-night the watchers at the bed
side of Mrs. Harrison were unable to say
whether the patient would live to see an
other day. She was still breathing faintly
and irregularly, but gave no other sign of
life. The President, Dr. Gardner, Mrs.
McKee, Dr. Scott, Mrs. Dimmick, Mr. and
Mrs. Russell Harrison and one or two
others had not left the room since early in
the evening, and all realized thatTthe end
was very near.
The unexpected vitality exhibited by
Mrs. Harrison was a surprise to all about
her bedside, and while they could not wish,
in view of her sufferings, that she would
live to see another day, they were begin
ning to believe that she would remain alive
at least nntil sunrise.
There were no signs of life about the.man
sion to-night outside of the sick room, ex
cept that at the vestibule door in the main
floor, two ushers were in attendance) and in
the office room upstairs Private Secretary
Halford and his assistants, including the
regular telegraph operator and a few news
paper reporters, were waiting for the in
formation that Mrs. Harrison's sufferings
were at an end.
Callers Leave Cards of Sympathy.
There were no carriages on the driveway
before the portico, and only at infrequent
intervals a caller came to leave a card of
sympathy at the door. About 6 o'clock
this evening the members of the family,
with the exception of the President, went
downstairs for tea. While they were at the
table Miss Davis, the trained nurse, sounded
the electric bell to notify them that the end
was at hand. They hurriedly left the dining
room and returned to the sick room.
The accumulations in Mrs. Harrison's
throat were so great that her breathing was
checked for a few seconds. While the
family were assembled around her bed,
however, she regained her breathing facul
ties and looked inquiringlv at the Presi
dent By that time Dr. Gardner arrived,
and after an examination of his patient,sent
word to the driver of his carriage that he
would remain at the "White House during
the balance of the night
Prematnre Reports of Her Death.
In the meantime the family decided that i
tney would not return to the dining' room
to finish their tea, so some refreshments
wer brought wxtairs and served in' the
corridor just outside of the sickroom, where
the President has taken hts meals during
the past two days.
About 0 o'clock the telegrams of con
dolence commenced to pour in, and Mr.
Montgomery was kept busy at the receiving
wire. He called Private Secretary Hal
ford's attention to the fact, and suggested
that a premature announcement of Mrs.
Harrison's death roust have been made at
some point in the West These telegrams
came first from Indianapolis and vicinity,
and subsequently from the Northwest.
Mr. Haltord promntly sent out a bulletin
stating that Mrs. Harrison was still living,
and requesting that an emphatic denial of
the report be given.
THE DEATH CHAMBER
Wa9the One in Which Garfield Suffered
Mrs. Harrison Selected it and Had it
Turnlslied to Salt Her Own Exquisite
Taste -A Sunny Ontlook Its Chief Recommendation-
Washington, Oct 23. Special The
room in which Mrs. Harrison died is the
chamber next to the small boudoir at the
southwest corner of the mansion. The lit
tle room at the corner has been used for
years and years back by former mistresses
of the mansion as their own private sitting
room. It has one window, facing the
south. This bedroom has nearly always
been selected by the wives of the Presi
dents. The President's room adjoins it on
the east, next to the library. President
and Mrs. Grant, President and Mrs. Hayes,
and President and Mrs. Garfield used these
rooms.
In the same chamber where Mrs. Har
rison has spent so many weeks of siifiering,
the wounded Garfield was carried and re
mained during the months of pain and
sickness until he was carried from it to the
seashore. The room will always be associ
ated with his life at the "White House. Qne
of the many schemes tried to make his closing
days more comfortable during that hot sum
mer was to force cold air through the
furnace register. It was successful, and the
register put in for the purpose is the lasting
souvenir which remains in the room. A
year ago last July, when the room was re
decorated, the register was wreathed in a
vine of roses like that forming f he frieze.
Arthur Wouldn't Sleep There.
When President Arthur came to the
house this particular room seemed so shad
owed by the painful associations of Gar
field's illness that he selected as his bed
chamber a room directly opposite, on the
north side of the house. President Cleve-"
laud in turn used the same room also, and
when Mrs. Cleveland came she made no
change. His. Harrison, nowever, pre
ferred the southwest chamber because of
its sunny outlook, and devoted as she was
to all the old-time traditions of the house,
that fact alone would have strengthened
her in her selection for manv reasons, and
principally because, as the the two preced
ing Presidents had not cared for the room,
it had not come within the era of improve
ments which in the last decade have so
completely changed other parts of the
house several times over.
It was decidedly the shabbiest room in
the house when Mrs. Harrison took posses
sion. After she had her wish gratified in
the restoration of the blue parlor and the
partial refurnishing of the other rooms on
the first floor a change which, as she well
knew, would give great pleasure to everyone
who came to the mansion she turned her
attention to brightening up the private
apartments upstairs. All this work was,
however, planned on a much simpler scale.
She took all the more pains with her selec
tions, however, so as to make the work as
attractive but as enduring as possible.
A Dainty Bine and Silver Boom.
For her own room Mrs. Harrison selected
the designs, and the wall paper was made
from it In July, 1891, the room was fin
ished, and when she returned in the autumn
she was greatly pleased with the results.
The room is a blue room, very dainty and
light iu all its treataeatyTie wftUWK
is of bine and silver. The papered ceiling
is flecked with the same tints, and lines of
blue and pink border the frieze, which is
looped with rose garlands. All the woodwork
la the room is finished in blue, and all the
little accessories conform to the same sil
very and blue tones.
Over the old-fashioned white marble
mantel' piece several pieces of Mrs. Harri
son's own work are hang. They are paint
ings on canvats and porcelain, some of the
White House flowers being thus perpetu
ated by the gentle mistress of the house.
The furniture in the room is not unlike that
in the other chambers, solid mahogany,
rather ponderous and old-fashioned. Mrs.
Harrison, in the early period of her occu
pancy, had the stately canopy bed in the
room removed, and substituted for it two
low brass bedsteads. She had also a few
wicker rockers and easy ehairs substituted
for the older pieces of furniture. A carpet
in which dull silver and blue colors pre
dominated covers the floor.
HER LIFE AND WORKS.
How She Bore Herself in the Exalted Posi
tions in Which She Was Placed A Most
Industrious and Graceful Mistress of the
Presldentel Mansion.
Mrs. Carrie Scott Harrison was bom 57
years ago, her parents being Rev. and Mrs.
John D. Witherspoon Scott Her father
was a Presbyterian clergyman, President of
the Oxford (Ohio) Female College, and her
mother's maiden name was Mary Neal. As
Miss Scott Mrs. Harrison became ac
quainted with the President while he was
a student at Oxford, Ohio, and there, on'
October 20, 1853, they were married. Their
honeymoon was passed under the parental
roof at North Bend, below Cincinnati.
In the following March the young couple
went to Indianapolis and began married
life with a cash capital of f 800. They lived
in a boarding house. In the summer of
1851 Mrs. Harrison paid a visit to her
j parents at Oxford, and there, on August 12,
Russell Harrison, their eldest child, was
born. The young mother returned in the
autumn to Indianapolis, and for a while
the family occupied a cottage of three
rooms. Two years later Mrs. Harrison was
presiding over a larger and more preten
tious house. Here was born their second
and last child, Mary Scott Harrison, who
afterward became Mrs. W. R. McKee.
As the Wife of a Senator.
In 1881 General Harrison entered the
Senate of the United States and Mrs. Har
rison became a member of that distin
guished circle, the wives of Senators. In
her Washington residence of six years Mrs.
Harrison extended her sphere of usefulness.
tier name was associated with noble chan
ties and church work. The Garfield Hos
pital owes its present success in a large de
gree to her active interest as one of its first
directors.
In appearance Mrs. Harrison was a type
of matronly beauty. In figure she showed
the generosity of nature, and in mind na
ture's equal beneficence, expanded by train
ing in the acquirement of a liberal educa
tion.drawn from the broadest opportunities.
A lavish growth of hair, silvered with the
threads of a little over a half century of life,
floating in curly waves over a well-shaped
head and ending in a graceful coil, and her
regular features and dark, expressive eyes
formed a picture of ripened womanhood.
She had a voice softened' by the instincts of
a gentle nature and a gift of conversation
which, while animated, was thoughtful.
Her Greatest Charm.
The tastes of Mrs. Harrison were in the
direction of art Her works in water colors
are the evidences of her gifts and applica
tion to her favorite recreation. She was by
nature strongly domestic and shrank from
notoriety. The greatest charm in Mrs.
Harrison's disposition washer strong com
mon sense, her evenness ol temper, her
willingness to oblige and the kindly
thought for everybody else which dominated
every act
She cultivated the faculty of saying a
happy thing of everybody and repressed
the strong inclination to say the witty
things which always came so easy with her,
for fear she might unwittingly offend a sen
sitive person. Her high position did not
change her in the slightest degree unless it
were to make her feel more than ever wiil
ingno give up her private inclinations to
do that which wrs expected from her by the
public.
In fact the people who knew Mrs. Harri
son when her husband was in the Senate
could find no change in her when she came
to the White House, save that the passing
years had silvered her soft brown hair. Mrs.
Harrison was just the same kind and
thoughtful for everybody great and small
and the friends of ber early days in Wash
ington were her friends to the last.
She Presided Most Gracefully.
She was probably one of the most indus
trious mistresses -the White House has
ever had. Her own method of life was so
simple that it cave her more time than
ordinarily comes to persons in high places
to devote to things she liked best She was
a constant reader of the best literature and
devoted to her brash. She has been a dili
gent pupil for several years in the studio of
a China painter, and her talent was often
displayed in the gifts she made her friends
at the holiday period.
In carrying out the hospitalities of the
White House she has never been excelled.
She presided with easv dignity and grace
upon these occasions and omitted no detail
that would add to the pleasure oi those
attending them. She carried out to the
letter the written and unwritten laws of
the house and did as much more as it was
possible to do within the limits of each
season.
DR. GARDNER'S STATEMENT.
Mrs. Harrison's Condition Sid Not Im
prove by the "Visit to Loon Lake Her
Temperature Banged From 103 to 104,
and Her False Ranged 120.
Washington, D. a, Oct 2& Dr. Gard
ner is disinclined to-night to give many de
tail! of the medical history of the case dur
ing the last hours of Mrs. Harrison's ill
ness. After urgent and persistent solicita
tion, he made the following statement:
"There have been criticisms in certain
quarters that my recent statements to the
press have given no 'details regarding the
pulse respiration and temperature of the
patient There .was no occasion for the
suppression of these statements, and if
they were not stated publicly it was
limply because no one thought to ask for
such information. As a matter of Tact Mrs.
Harrison's cough, temperature, pulse and
respiration decreased after she reached Loon
Lake, but the improvement was only
temporary, and the cough and fever
soon became as bad as before.
After her return to Washington, a little
over a month ago, he'r cough has been con
tinuous, her temperature has ranged from
103 to 104, and ber respiration from CO to
60 a minute. The pulse has averaged 120.
HOW DEATH CAME.
The Resistance of the Sufferer's Constitution
Was Most Remarkable.
Washington, Oct 25, The resistance
offered by the constitution of the patient
was marvelous and surprising to the
physician 'and all at the bedside.
There was no struggle, no exhi
bition of pain, but a simple passive
resistance that was baffling in its quiet in
tensity. Br. Gardner took up the feeble
land .and felt the wrist The blood still
crept through the contracting arteries, but
obltoKMHrsA .JU.tMOK Ma.AfM'ftiMlJLto Uob. JTamcKJiWsvJUUiW.W-Vauic
said that a brief 15 minutes mast surely
finish the struggle.
The agitation of the family physlo'an
could no longer be controlled, and, realizing
his utter helplessness to longer cope with
his formidableifoe, and from consideration
for the sacredness of such grief as this, the
devoted physician and friend bowed his
head and ."passed out of the door.
Outside of the threshold he took his station
and waited. It was not a long time. The
minutes flew like seconds and suddenly
there was an expression of heart-stricken
woe and the end bad come. "The President
was beside his dying wife, aa he had been
for nine hours. ' ,
DIED LIKE MRS. TYLER.
Mrs. Harrison the Second Wife of a Presi
dent to Die in the White House.
Washington, Oct. 25, Special Al
though the historic old White House has
been the home of Presidents for nearly a
century, only one President's wife has died
under its roof. This was Mrs. Letitia
Christian Tvler, wife oi President John
Tyler.
She was the first woman to die in the
White House, and her husband had suc
ceeded to the Presidencyiby the death of
.President William Henry Harrison, grand
father of the present Executive, who was
the first President to die in the mansion.
Her death occurred in 1842
Cleveland's Condolence Premature.
Washington, Oct 25. Special
Among the first telegrams received at the
Wnite House to-night was a message of
condolence to the President and family
from Grover Cleveland. He was at once
informed that the announcement of Mrs.
Harrison's death was premature.
CUPID HAD HIS WAY.
The
Son of an Ohio Millionaire Elopes
With a School Teacher.
Speingfielb, O., Oct 24. Finley B.
Thomas, son of John H. Thomas, the mil
lionaire manufacturer and politician of
this city, eloped Sunday with Miss Minnie
Wadsworth, a pretty school teacher of
Cold Springs, Ky., and the couple were
married Sunday morning at Newport, Ky.
Their arrival here this afternoon created a
sensation, as not even Thomas' parents
knew he was a benedict.
The marriage ends quite a romance. A
year ago young Thomas met his bride while
traveling through Kentucky. He
visited her frequently and fin
ally asked her to marry him,
and she consented. Some five
months ago the couple eloped to Newport,
Ky., but they were stopped by a peremp
tory telegram before llie marriage
was consummated. Miss Wadsworth
then spiritedly refused to have
anything to do with Thomas unless he
secured his parents' consent, bat 'after five
months' persuasion he finally overcame her
objections and another elopement was suc
cessfully planned and the marriage was con
summated Sunday.
A FEUD REVIVED. f
Three Additions to the Long Elst of "Victims
of a Kentucky Quarrel.
St. Louis, Oct 21. A telegram received
Jiere says the ToUivar-Howard feud has
broken .out again -in Western Kentucky
with fatal results. A general fight occurred
at Hogtown, Bowau county, last night be
tween the twb factiousvaCoIsnel Tollivar
was shot'in t"he breast and instantly killed.
Wylie Tollivar was shot in the bowels abd
Sam Howard received four rifle balls iu the
body. The men will surely die. Their
relatives and friends are arming and a bat
tle is expected to-night or to-morrow.
This feud has been slumbering for two
years, ever since Captain Hank Tollivar
married the widow of one of the Howards
be had killed, and everybody thought the
troubles had ended by the marriage. Cap
tain Tollivar has been in Virginia for a
year. This feud has already resulted iu
more than 50 deaths, and the present
trouble promises to add many to this list
WOMEN'S BUILDINGS DEDICATED.
Another Department Added to the Western
Deserve University.
Cleveland, O., Oct 24. Tho new
buildings ofthe College for Women, a new
department of Western Reserve University,
co-ordinate with Adalbert College, were
dedicated to-day. The buildings consist of
Clark rjall, the gift of Mrs. Eliza Clark, of
this city, costing $51,000, and Guilford
Cottage, given by Mrs. Samuel Mather,
costing $25,000.
The principal address was delivered by
Mrs". Alice Freeman Palmer, formerly
President of Wellesley College, on "Xhe
Higher Education of Woman and the Way in
Which She is Gaining Recognition at the
Larger Eastern Institutions. " The College
was founded In 1888 with two regular stu
dents, and it now has 83 enrolled.
WAHAH&KEB WINS A SUIT.
A District of Colombia Court Decides a
Case in His Favor.
Washington, Oct 24. The District of
Columbia Court in general term, this
morning decided the case of the United
States, ex-rel Elizabeth Trask, against John
Wanamakcr, Postmaster General. The re
lator was the Postmaster of Emporia, Kan
Bat, lrom 1804 to June 20, 1870, but claimed
that she was eutitled to a readjustment of
salary and there was due her 2,206 19, and
sues by mandamus to compel such readjust
ment and that she be credited with the
amount seated.
The Court holds that the act of I860 was
prospective and the act of 1883 does not
alter this act so far as to entitle the re
lator to the relief, and the writ is de
nied. .
A MYSTERY SOLVED.
The Atlantic City Suicide Was the Son and
Heir of a Self Murderer.
Atlantic City, N. J., Oct 24. Some
what later developments were brought out
to-day at the Coroner's inquest over the
body of Hicks P. Garrett, of San Francisco,
who was found dead in his room at the Man
hattan House Sundav morning where he
had given the name of Wilson. P.Eldredge,
a dentist of West Chester,Pa.,who was Gar
rett's friend, testified that the latter was
the son and heir of Enos Garrett, who killed
himself in West Chester about a year ago,
and left a large estate of which Eldredge
was the executor.
BLOWS DP BY DYNAMITE.
A Hundred Founds Exploded by a Spark
From a Blacksmith's Anvil. ,
Huntingdon, Pa., Oct 24. A spark
from a blacksmith's anvil ignited a large
can of giant powder and 100 pounds of dy
namite at the sand quarries of L N. Fonst
near here to-dav, causing an explosion that
resoundedfjor miles around, and 'rattled the
the windows throughout this town. The
shops and other buildings at the quarry
were totally demolished and Fireman Levi
Mundorf instantly killed. He leaves a
wife and eight children.
A Reception to Minister Egan.
New YoBK,Oct 24. Patrick Ford, edi
tor of the Irith-American, tendered a recep
tion, at his residence in Brooklyn to-night,
MRS. BENJAMIN HARRISON.
A FAMINE t)F WATER.
Eastern Pennsylvania Suffering From
the Long Drouth.
RIVERS AND STREAMS RUN DRY.
Crops Itefn.se to Germinate and Fields Be
come a Dreary Waste.
A SEBI0U3 CONDITION Of AFFAIRS
Reading, Pa., Oct 24. The drouth,
water scarcity and mountain fires have all
contributed to the very general alarm which
is to-day felt throughout the eastern section
of the State. There is not merely the state
ment that the water supply is meager, but
to-day, as never before in the Lebanon and
Schuylkill valleys, there is an actual and
impending water famine, a serious condition
of things never known before. Iu the
country districts hundreds of wells are dry
in every township, and farmers have to go a
great distance for water. The fields
which were plowed and sown a month ago
are baked hard and dry. The once produc
tive fields seem to be covered with nothing
bnt barren dust, and in-many instances the
seed sown early in September has refused
(o develop, while farmers are plowing fields
over again.
The low condition of tho Schuylkill is
explained by the fact that all. the streams
which empty into it have dwindled away
into mere rivulets. The Perkimen, Maiden
creek, Ontelaunee, Little Schuylkill, Cac
cossing, French creek,. Manatawney and
others, which at this season in other years
were almost ready to burst their banks, now
only carry an insignificant volume of water,
while many meadow streams are as dry as
ovens, and some farmers and stock owners
are sorely pressed tor a water supply and in
some cases live stock is driven a mile and
aiore daily to water.
Only'a Sluggish Stream Now.
The Schuylkill 20 miles above Reading
has developed into a sluggish, lazy little
stream, incapable of holding more than a
rowboat, and it can be crossed by merely
stepping from one stone to another. Along
the Perkimen Valley everything is drvinir
up, and to-day the prevailing, all-absorbing
topio everywhere is the great water scarc
ity.
Three, or four boroughs and other places
in the coal regions shut off their water sup
ply from householders a certain number of
hours each day and at several boroughs in
this county notices have been posted that
water.shal'1 not be willfully wasted. A
person who has kept a record says that there
were ten Inches less rainfall in the Schuyl
kill Valley this year than during tbe same
period last year. The figures are: 1891, 44
inches; 1893, 34 inches.
In Mahanoy City, Ashland and neighbor
ing places, the authorities are especially
vigilant to prevent a waste of water be
cause ofthe low condition of the reservoirs
and only turn it on a few hours daily. In
many small coal region towns children are
kept" from school and their time occupied In
carrying water from long distances, while
at several places water is distributed in
large tanks filled at remote places and
hauled on the railroad.
Fears of Cold Weather.
Some people entertain the fear that cold
weather will set in before the water supply
is enhanced by rain, in the event of which
the situation would become doubly dis
tressing. This is the situation of affairs,
and one well-informed person says that a 48
hours continuous rain would be worth 500,
000 to Eastern Pennsylvania. This is not
a fanciful picture of the situation, but bot
tom facts.
Added to this drouth and water scarcity,
are the mountain fires which have raged in
Schuylkill and different parts of Berks dur
ing the past 24 hours, and well-informed
parties declare that, for the removal and de
struction of every acre of timber, the suffer
ings of the community at large from a water
famine will only be so much severer. Val
uable property had a narrow escape from
destruction on the mountains surrounding
Reading last night, and hard work alone
saved it from destruction. In lower Berks,
at several places, farmers were fighting
flames nearly all night and hnndreds of
acres of valuable timber have been de
stroyed. FOREST FIRES RAGING.
Mountains Ablaze in Many Localities and
tbe Kuln Spreading.
HUNTINGDON, PA., Oct 24, The mount
ains surrounding this town are ablaze to
night for miles in extent with the fire
spreading rapidly. On the east, in Hender
son township, the forest fires now cover the
publio roads, leaving no outlet to the
farmers and rendering the roads impas
sable. The farmers in many sections of the
county have been hustling with the flames
for several days in order to save their
buildings and fences. Some who are now
oloselv pressed have removed their house
hold goods to -places of safety. The flames
in most cases originated through the care
lessness of gunners. . t-
A dispatch from Carlisle, To., says: ITmir
large mountain fires are raging in this
vicinity. Two in tbe South Mountain have
a frout of 40 miles, and are sweeping south
ward. The warehonse of the Philadelphia
and Reading Railroad Company at Hun
ter's Run was destroved last evening, and
.apw all that b left wpn U one house and a
stable. Forest fires are ragin- fiercely on
the mountains 'near Treraont, destroying
much valuable timber and placing in jeop
ardy the different towns. The outlook for
that place was very poof yesterday when
dwellings on the outskirts ot the town were
menaced. To .save the buildings and the
total destruction of the town the citizens
turned ont en masse and fought fire with
fire, and in that way saved the town.
DIBIT LINEN AND DABKNESS
The Results of the Water Tamlne in the
Vicinity of Altoona.
Altoona, Pa., Oct 24. Dirty linen
and darkness are the latest probabilities of
the Altoona water famine. Two "of the
largest laundries in the city were burned
out lost wees;, and the others cannot get
enough water, dirty as it is, to do their
work.
The Eastside Electric Light plant must
close down unless more water is furnished,
and the otner plant is kept in operation
through the generosity ofthe Pennsylvania
Railroad Company, which has permitted the
running of a hose line from one of its plugs
to the big boilers.
HEIRS WANT DAMAGES.
General Johnson Sued hy Brothers for
Alienating Mrs. Isewcomb's Affections.
LornsviliLE, KT.,Oct 24. It is reported
here that a remarkable damage suit for 5100,
000 is about to be filed against General
William Johr.son, President of Tnlane Col
lege, New Orleans.by 'Warren and William
Henderson, of this city. The petition will
allege that General Johnson has unduly in
fluenced the mind of Mrs. Mary Kewcomb,
an aged widow of New York, with a for
tune estimated at $3,000,000, against the
Hendersons, who are her nearest rela
tives.
Mrs. Newcomb is also a relative of Victor
Newcomb, the Louisville and Nashville
Railroad President who went insane. She
had made a will, it is alleged, leaving the
bulk of her estate to the Messrs. Hender
son, but it is charged that General John
son prejudiced her mind against her rela
tives and induced her to change the will.
The suit is for damages resuItlngfrom the
alleged alienating ot the affections of Mrs.
Newcomb from the two Hendersons men
tioned, by which they claim to have been
injured as prospective heirs.
MARRIAGE AND DEATH.
The Sensational Suicide of a Woman AVI tile
Her Lover Was Wedded.
Columbus, O., Oct. 24. Special A
combined wedding and suicide presented a
strange scene at a Westside residence to
night. Frank WeiganJ, ,a well known
young man of the town, and Miss Sfattie
Cbarleton were the contracting parties and
quite extensive reparations had been made
for the event at the home of Louis More
head, a friend of the groom.
Nearly SO people were seated at the table
enjoying a feast when the news was passed
in that Flossie Smith, which is the half
world name for Mary R. Greene, had just
committed suicide. She had threatened
some days ago that it Weigand married
Miss Charleton she would kill herself. She
had been Infatuated with Weigand. She
had gone into the female department of a
saioon near the residence where the cere
mony occurred and taken morphine this
afternoon. At 8 o'clock to-night she was
not so far gone, but she was able to renew
the dose, and died at once.
THE PRESBYTERIAN SYNOD.
A Recommendation That J. A. Cooper Be
Publicly Censored Adopted.
Washington, Pa., Oct 24. Special.
At the Presbyterian Synod to-day the
complaint of members of the Chester Pres
bytery to the effect that seven colored min
isters had been ordained too hastily was
sustained by a vote of 60 to 52. The Pitts
burg Female College was reported to be in
prosperous condition. Tho Judical Com
mittee on the Cooper case, who was charged
with un-Christian conduct,. recommendeU
that the decision of the Erie Presbytery be
reversed and that J. A. Cooper be publicly
admonished by the Presbytery for the of
fense charged.
The Public Morals Committee recom
mended the members of the Synod to labor
for local option, and alter a long discussion
the report was adopted. It was decided to
ask Congress to repeal all laws' injurious to
the Chinese and the'Synod decided that it
was unnecessary for the Church to go on
record on the question of sectarianism in
the public schools.
, A Servant Girl Assassinated.
Sedalia, Mo., Oct 24. The butchered
body of Johanna Schoolman, aserant girl,
was found here this morning. There were
evidences of a hard struggle, as the girl's
hand was badly cut by grasping the assas
sin's knife and the ground in the vicinity,
which is a lonely spot, was trampled and
bloody, showing that the girl had fought
desperately.
The Arrest of an Ex-School Collector.
NEy YoitK,Oct.24. Ex-School Collector
James Scott, Jr., of Stapleton, S. I., an al
leged defaulter in the sum of $3,470, was
arrested last night on a warrant issued by
Police Justice Marsh, on the complaint of
William Cole, Chairman of the Board of
School Trustee
I,
. v
EW YORK
tli Chairman
CarferAa Other Lead-
ers of His Party.
CAMERON -IS THESE, TOO,
And
the Democrats Have Gorman
to Help Them Out
EIYAL MEETINGS IN INDIAN!,
it
Which Eeid, Sepeir and Cockran
Are the Speakers.
SOME BAKEE BALLOT PUZZLES E0LTZD
CSrSCIAI. TII.ZOIU.JI TO THE DISPATCH.
New Yobk, Oct. 24. The national cam
paigners welcomed some very eminent re
cruits to-day. Hon. Arthur Gorman came
from Maryland and will remain in town
until election day. He is a member of the
present Executive Committee of which Mr.
Harrity is Chairman, and he is also a mem
ber of the Campaign Committee, of which
Mr. Dickinson is Chairman. Senator Gor
man is fertile of resources. Senator Gor
man will confer almost daily with William
C Whitney and others.
Chairman Carter's Republican heart was
made glad by the arrival of Hon. Matthew
Stanley Quay and his associate in the
United States Senate from Pennsylvania,
Hon. Don Cameron. Hon. Tom Dolan,
another eminent Pennsylvania Republican,
has also turned up. That means a great
deal. Mr. Carter conferred with Mr. Quay
and Mr. Cameron at the Plaza Hotel to
night. Everybody Shakes Qnaj's Hand.
Every Republican of any note at the
Fifth Avenue Hotel grasped Mr. Quay's
hand. Mr. Quay will remain in town as
long as possible. He will have daily con
ferences with Mr. Carter and other mem
bers of the Republican party.
All of these experienced campaigners are
mightily troubled about a feature which is
entirely new to almost all of them. They
are compelled for the first time to confront
the new ballot laws in a more or less com
plete and presumably effective form in 28
States.
The statements published to-day in the
city papers regarding negro colonization in
New York by Republican managers was
evidently not considered of much weight at
headquarters, and nothing was said re
garding it, but this evening cer
tain literature was issued calling'
attention to similar methods on the part of
the Democrats at Albany, N. V., and the
assurance is given that the Republican
managers are fully alive to the importance
of checking any endeavors on the part of
the Democrats at illegal voting.
Some Prisoners Are Confessing.
A number of arrests have already been
made, and the prisoners in some instances
havo made full confessions, implicating
those in high authority. To counteract il
legal measures a system has been decided
on which will be carried out on
election day, and anyone attempting to cast
an illegal ballot will be promptly arrested
and placed in jail, and a vigorous prosecu
tion will follow the offender.
The Democratic business men decided to
night to postpone the great demonstration
announced for the Madison Square Garden
next Saturday night Mr. Cleveland was to
speak at this meeting, but it was feared it
would interfere with the registration of that
day.
BAKER BALLOT DECISIONS.
Candidates Named by Nomination Papers
Cannot Have Their Main Party Pref
erence Expressed A Number of Candi
dates Notified ofthe Decision.
Hakkisbueo, Oct 24. The board, con
sisting ofthe Auditor General, Secretary of
tbe Commonwealih, and Attorney General,
has decided, that the words "Republican"
and "Democrat" cannot be used as parts of
the designating words lor the political ap
pellation of candidates nominated by nom
ination papers. The following persons have
been notified of this decision:
lnoch J. Ayers, "Independent-Republican,"
Twenty-tHlrd Senatorial district;
Rosers 8. Searle,' "Independent-Republican,"
Fifteenth Congressional district: Her
bert Welsh, "Citizens' -Republican," Twenty
first Representative district, Pblladelpblai
A. EUwood Jones, "Citizens-Republican,"
Twentieth Representative district, Phila
delphia; Augusius Relmer, "Independent
Republican," Fourteenth Representative
district, Philadelphia; Robert Anderson,
"Independent-Republican," Seventh Repre
sentative district, Allegheny county.
The board has also declared the certifi
cates of nomination papers of the following
candidates to be invalid as to form, etc.:
Wil'Iam H. Hodgetts, "Independent-Democrat
"Foiirtli Representative dlstrict.rhlla
deluhla; William H. Tumbleston.ProMbltlon
TJarty Twenty-slvth Representative district,
Philadelphia; William A. Lutz and Jacob
Ilawn, Prohibition party, Cumberland coun
ty Jonn A. Jones, "Independent-Renubli-c'lii
" First Representative district, Phila
delphia. Secretary Harritv, through the Attorney
General, has asked the Dauphin County
Court lor a rule requiring O. E. Herr, the
candidate ofthe People's party for Senator
in Lsncaster county, to snow cause wny nu
nomination papers should not he declared
invalid by reason of the absence of the
requisite 3 per cent of the vote for his party.
The rule is returnable Thursday.
In the matter of the protest ot the Re pub
can Chairman of Fulton county against the
nomination papers of Captain George M.
Skinner, the Democratic nominee for tbe
Legislature, Judge Simonton has decided,
so far as his jurisdiction goes, that the first
certificate filed- by Captain Stunner in the
State Department is valid, and that any
question of form must be left to the board
consisting of the Attorney General, Secre
tary or the Commonwealth and Auditor
General. He decides that Big Cove Tan
nery is the residence of Captain Skinner,
and divides the costs of the proceedings be
tween Chairman Alexander and Captain
Skinner. The latter filed an amended cer
tificate at the State Department to-day. It
is believed the board will give him a place
on the official ballot
WAKING UP INDIANA.
Messrs. Held. and Depew Enthusiastically
Becelved at Its Capital.
Indianapolis, Oct 24, Hon. "White-
law Reid and Chauncey M. Depew received
a genuine Hoosier welcome to-day all along
the line in Indiana. At every stopping
place thousands turned out to hear the dis
tinguished speakers. At Loganiport Mr.
i 3b-,-z
I CounstaO1
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