THO*. W. PHILLIPS
E: itches iu li«* Life or a Distinguished
and Remarkable Gentleman.
Froai an Humble Beginning He Acquires
Riches in the Oil Fields, Falls for Half
& Million Dollars by Persistent Worlt
Fays an Enormous Debt, and Kow Has
an Independent Fortune.
A history of Butler county and its
principal production, oil, would not be
complete unless a sketch of the work
accomplished by Phillips brothers, of
Lawrence county, were incorporated.
The benefits of their hard work is
incalculable, even at this day. r fbey
have spent more money in locating
new fields than any other operators in
the county, ami as a result, brought
millions of dollars to the property
holders.
Thomas W. Phillips, of New Castle,
Lawrence county, is the only one of
the brothers who is now actively en-
in the oil industry. His monthly
pay roll is the largest in the county
and averages more than ten thousand
dollars. lie holds thousands
of acres under lea?e and is the largest
individual producer in the country to
day.
The following tribute from the pen
of Senator Lee, we copy from the
Philadelphia Times:
"Thomas W. Phillips was bom in
Beaver (now Lawrence) county, Penn
sylvania, on the 23d of February, 1835,
aud is now in the very prime of life.
His father waa born in New Jersey,
and his mother in Philadelphia. In
1818, soon after their marriage, they
removed to Beaver county, purchased
a tract of land whfjre Old Enon now
stands, and bnilt thereon a fulliDg
mill and saw mill. Ten years later
they removed to a f..rm near the vil
lage of Mt. Jaeknon.in the same county,
where the father diet', at the age of
forty, leaving a family of eight chil
dren, Thomas, the youngest, being but
ten months old.
At the time of the father's death bis i
farm, of one hundred acres, was s« :
heavily encumbered with debt as to en- i
tail upon the faithful- and devoted i
mother a long and painful struggle ]
in the care of her large family, in which i
struggle the youth of the youngest boy
was so envolved that his education
was for the most part obtained in the
common schools and from such instruc
tions in the higher branches as his <
older brothers were able to give him
during their vacation from college or i
from teaching. The opportunities af
forded him he improved to the utmost.
As he attained manhood, being the
youngest member of the family, the
care of his aged mother naturally de
volved upon him, which alone preven- i
ted him from prosecuting a collegiate
education, the cherished desire of his
life. He wr.sposessed of a mind which
did not require the spur or stimulus
which a college is thought to afford,
and his mental deve!opement and
growth were, perhaps, not much re
tarded by his inability to secure these
supposed advantage. Aside from his
studies he read widely, history, bio
graphy,and scientific literature and was
passionately fond of tho lyceum—the
college of tho common schools—and
obtained local distinction for hiaability
as an original thinker and debater.
He proposed entering the ministry
of the Disciples, and at the early age of
20 gave large promises of obtaining
distinction in his chosen profession.
Having received an injury to his lungs
by being thrown from a carriage, he
was compelled to abandon this purpose
and turn his attention to some out
door pursuit, with a view to restoring
his health. About this time the oil
business, then in its infancy, was at
tracting considerable attention. He
went to the oil regions, looked over
the field, invested and was successful.
Tho business thus begun was con
tinued under tne firm of Phillipsßros.,
composed of Isaac, John, Charles and
Thomas W. Phillips; Thomas being the
youngest, and obtained such magni
tude as to place them among tho larg
est producers of petroleum in the:
world, and caused them to be well
known, not only throught this country,
but In Europe also. In addition to the
oil business, they also operated largely
in real estate and coal property.
Tho firm was successful and were
generous with their means. They con
tributed largely during the war to the
Sanitary and Christian Commission, to ,
young men seeking education, to the j
poor, to churches, colleges, and the
manifold objects of benevolence exist
ing on every hand.
In 1862 Mr. Phillips was married to
Clarinda Hardman, of Lowellville, 0., j
who, prior to her death, which occur
ed November, 1866, achieved consider-:
able reputation as a poetical writer-
Her poems were subsequently collected
by her husband and published in a neat
volumn of 140 pages, to be presented
to her circlo of friends and admirers
v. ho desired a copy of her work, which
they could procure in no other way.
Four years after the death of his wife
lie was married to Pamphila Hardman,
her younger sister, who is ono of the
leading ladies in New Castle in literary
work, besides being actively engaged
in charitable and Christian deeds.
When General Garfield received the
nomination for the Presidency at
Chicago, being an intimate and warm
personal friend of the General, of
many year?.' standing, and moreover
an ardent and truo Republican, Mr.
Phillips laid aside his business and con
tributed his entire time until election
in behalf of his friend and part y. His
efforts during the campaign took a
wide range.
First, ho conceived and planned the
Republican text-book for the campaign
of 1880, written by B. A. Hinsdale. He
: ssisted in compiling its materials and
became its financial backer. It covered
the'wholc flold of information necessary
to tho contest more comprehensively,
thoroughly and concisely than any
book before produced in any political
campaign. In speaking of campaign
books tho press place this at the head
of tho list. It was the first book ever
compiled for campaign purposes which
gave the platforms of botli parties and
their principles, together with a his-
Tory of the candidates. Since then
Doth parties have adopted the book as ;
a guide for campaign?.
In the early part of July, before the ,
campaign opened, Mr. Phillips went to J
Indiana and planned and put Into'
operation, forces which told with such
marked effect upon the results of both
State and general election that he has
been justly accredited with having
done as mnch, at least, as any other
one individual by personal efforts to
secure the success of the Republican
cause in that important State.
Although never aspiring to, but al
ways declining office, he, nevertheless,
has, as a private citizen, taken an
earnest and active interest in the wel
fare of his party and contributed liber
ally of time and means to its success.
By his efforts in the campaign of ISBO
he was brought into such prominence
that in the Legislature of Pennsyl
vania his name frequently appeared
among those who were likely to be se
lected as a compromise to end the long
struggle and he repeatedly received
votes in the open convention of both
houses. Had he then been chosen such
was his influence with President Gar
field and his well-known conciliatory
character that the war of factions which
followed might have been averted and
the whole course of political events
changed.
In every movement for the protec
tion or improvement of the important
industry of producing petroleum Mr.
Phillips has taken an active and lead
ing part. In 1866 he was largely in
strumental in securing the removal of
the direct internal revenue tax on oil
of one dollar per barrel. In 1879 he
was placed at the head of a committee
to oppose a direct tax upon oil well
rigs of §I,OOO, or the alternative tax
upon oil of ten cents per barrel, pro
posed by bill in the Pennsylvania Leg
islature. By his thorough knowledge
of the business, his perseverance and
well-applied energy, he was of great
assistance to the members of the Leg
islature from the western part of the
State in securing the defeat of these
anomalous taxes.
In the recent movement undertaken
by producers of petroleum to limit pro
duction to enable the excessive stock
of oil in tanks to be reduced, by being
refined instead of wasted, and to put
the industry upon a permanently bet
ter footing, he was the acknowledged
and chosen leader. The undertaking
was eminently successful. He refused
to go into this movement to curtail op
erations unless some provision was
made to compensate and protect the
labor engaged in the industry, and for
this purpose the profit which would
accrue during the year upon two mil
lion barrels of oil was set apart.
From this oil a larger sum was real
ized and distributed to the labor en
gaged in the oil business than went to
the producers themselves. This is the
first time in the history of any business
that the cessation of operation was ac
companied with such just and ample
provision for the labor employed. On
account of the facts narrated above
there is no man, /ind this can be said
without disparagement of others, who
has so large and enthusiastic a follow
ing in all the counties where oil is pro
duced.
Mr. Phillips' business career has been
remarkable, both for its success and
for the tenacity of purpose displayed.
It was, however, attended with one
great reverse which would have ap
palled a less courageous man, butj
which only served to bring out the
strong charactor of Mr. Phillips. Just
prior to the unforseen panic of 1873
the firm had bought large tracts of oil
land, with deferred payments, upon
the basis of the prices paid for oil,
which was «ver $3 per barrel. The
panic and the discovery, about the
same time, of prolific-producing oil
fields depreciated the price of oil to
forty-six cents per barrel, and corre
spondingly the land they had pur
chased, and involved the Srm in a debt
which may be stated, in round num
bers, at half a million of dollars
They were repeatedly urged by
friends to discharge the debt by certi
ficates in bankruptcy, and the specious
plea was employed that this would not
prevent their subsequently paying it
if they became able. This they de
clined to do, saying they would pay
the debt and interest, and with in
domitable energy renewed the busi
ness of producing oil upon a vast scale
and a plan exclusively their own, made
good their promise to their creditors,
paying them, with the interest added;
over eight hundred thousand dollars,
in the short space of 15 years.
When tho debt was half paid, Isaac,
the older brother died, in 1884. This
threw the burden on Thomas W., but
he did not shrink from the work. He
not only accomplished this herculean
debt-paying task, but accumulated a
fortune which may be safely estimated
: at a million dollars. It was the pay ment
of this indebtedness which was the in
spiring motive of all his energy and
plans. The business was organized
and conducted on a basis commen
surate with the debt. The fortune nec
essarily followed its payment. It is
I not strange that Mr. Phillips has the
1 unbounded confidence and esteem of
' all who know him. To sum up this
\ sketch, It may be said in brief that he
is a man of remarkable executive
ability, possessed of a strong, vigorous,
logical mind, with great powers of
generalization, large intellectual at
tainments, untiring industry and un
swerving integrity."
It was not till the fall of 1890, that
Mr. Phillips was prevailed upon to be a
candidate. The call was so urgent and
unanimous that he was forced to con
sent to allow his name to be used.
He was nominated on tho Republican
ticket, for Congress in the Twt nty
fourth Congressional District, com
prising Beaver, Butler, I>awrence and
.Mercer counties, at Harmony. The
cause which led to this convention
have been rehearsed too often to need
mention bore. Mr. Phillips had only a
short season to make the canvass.
While It was next to impossible to
elect a Republican with two on the
ticket, yet Mr. Phillips polled a sur
prisingly large vote, which clearly
demonstrated that he was the strong
est man in the Republican party. Mr.
Phillips makes his home at New (las
tie, Lawrence county, where he is
revered and respected. His business
office is in Butler, on Jefferson street.
He is ably assisted in his labors by his
son, Victor Phillips, a promising
young man who is following in his
father's footsteps. On the urgent re
quest of his many friends, Mr. Phillips
has allowed his name to be used as a
candidate for nomination for Congress
j on the Republican ticket.
No man in tho district is betterquali
fled to fill the important office. His
years of experience in the financial
! and commercial world, together with
sterling integrity and being noted as a
hard worker, leaves no doubt in the
j minds of the people that he is to the
"manner born."
1
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C. D. GREENLEE. C
1
One of the Firm Who Struck the Largest
Oil Gusher In the World. {
One of Butler's most successful oil ,
operators is C. D. Greenlee, E*q., who i
has worked his way upward from an
humble beginning.
To-day the firm of Greenlee &
Forst are among the largest operators
and producers, and their present out
put at McDonald has had a material
effect on the market. Mr. Greenlee
was born at Sandy Lake, \ enango
county, in 1852. He graduated at the
high school, after which he entered the
employ of Geo. K Anderson, who rec
ognized the young man's abilities and
merits, and took him into partnership,
which proved very advantageous to
both men. It was at Shamburg, in
1873, that Mr. Greenlee made his first
rich strike, which placed him on the (
high road to a prosperous and busy
career.
For eight years Mr. Greenlee has
been developing in the Butler county
oil fields, with success, in which time
he has been instrumental in having
one hundred and fifty wells drilled. I
The discovery of the pools in the Mc-
Donald fields, in Washington county,
found Messrs. Greenlee & Forst leas
ing at the front, with what success the (
world has been made aware by the (
strike of the enormous gusher the 26th
of October, 1831, which has flowed on ,
an average of sixteen thousand barrels
daily, and up to Feb. 20 had produced
over 400,000 barrels.
! The office of Greenlee & Forst is ,
located in the Vandergrift building, '
Pittsburg. The firm were also fortu
nate in striking a large gas well in
Butler county, which is being piped to
New Castle to supply the mills with
fuel.
Mr. Greenlee is a director in the
Butler Count}' National Bank, and the
Trade Dollar Silver Mine Co., Idaho,
which is one of the richest in the State.
Their office is located at 95 Fifth ave
nue, Pittsburg, Pa.
A new town and several large manu
factories are about to be.jerected at
Aliquippa, on the Ohio river, at a
beautiful spot, formerly used as a pic
nic ground, on the P. & L. E. R. R.,
controlled by the latter company. This
enterprise also takes Mr. Greenlee's ,
time and attention, as he is a member
of the board of directors. Mr. Green
lee makes his home at 401 West Pearl
street, Butler, where, with his wife and
two children, he is enjoying the fruits
of his labors.
His wife, whose maiden name was
Miss Clara Russell, was a resident of
Reno, Franklin county. She takes an
active interest in the M. E. Church
! work, and together with her husband,
are among its sfaunchest supporters in
town.
Mr. Greenlee is a Prohibitionist in
politics, but is so attached to his home
that he cares only to spend his time
there when released from business,,,
hence he has never taken an active
part in politics. He is a quiet, pleas
ant gentleman of dignified bearing,
sound business principals and sterling
integrity. His recent heavy trans
actions in oil, has brought him promi
nently before the people.
Col. E. L, Drake.
Petroleum was first produced on
the banks of Oil Creek. From the
earliest times the creek had been
called by that name on account of the
oil springs found along its banks.
The oil was collected by placing
blankets near the springs and wring
ing them out. Many wells sunk for
salt water, produced |>etroleun), but no
attempt was made to collect it for the
market until 1857, when a company
was formed by George H. Bissel and
others, who leased, from Brewer, Wat
son & Company, a tract of land in
Venango county, on the banks of Oil
creek, a short distance south of Titus
ville, where indications of oil were
found on the surface. The first opera
tions were by trenching the land,
pumping the drainage of mixed oil
and water into vats, allowing the
water to settle and collecting the oil
from the top.
The first three barrels obtained in
this way were analyzed by a chemist
and pronounced of commercial value;
and some members of the company
thought it would bo better to drill
a well to find the vein of oil. They
• employed Col. E. L. Drake to superin
tend the work. The region was then
almost a wilderness and many delays
were experienced. Ho attempted to
dig to the rock, but was thwarted by
- quicksand and water. Finally he
drove an iron pipe down 36 feet to the
i rock. The drilling proceeded very
slowly and it was over a year before
j any results were obtained. After
I drilling in the rock 33 feet, on the 28th
j day of August, 1859, at the depth of 69
.'feet, the drill suddenly dropped six
j inches into a crevice, and was left till
! the next day, when the hole was found
to be full of petroleum. The well pro
. | duced ten barrels per day for some !
I' months. As oil then sold for fifty
i cents a gallon, the receipts for tho oil
i! ment, and the oil business rapidly tie-
I j veloped into a great commercial
L j industry. The drilling tools used by
! Drake weighed less than two hundretl
( ! pounds and his derrick was only 34
, feet high.
j From this beginning has arisen the
~ magnificent business, which has given
. j to the world over 400,000,000 barrels of
petroleum, worth at the wells in cash
' 1 about $350,000,000.
4 1 Col. Drake, himself, obtained but
, i little profit from his enterprise, and fco
! ward the close of his life was an
, invalid.
? On April Bth, 1873, the Legislature of
9 j Pennsylvania passed an Act reciting
| that E. L. Drake did discover large
M I quantities of petroleum, which greatly
t j stimulated various Industrie t and
B added directly to the revenue of the
| Commonwealth, and granted him an
arfnuity of $1,500, to bo continued after
his death to his widow.
1! When tho illness of Col. Drake be
came known, munificent testimonials
1 were tendered him by tho various OH
e Exchanges of the country, and his last
e years were passed with all the com
forts that money would procure; and
on his death, contributions were made
by the oil men and a handsome monu
ment was erected over his grave, in
gratitude for the service he had ren
dered to the commercial world.
The Waverly House
Owing to the influx of strangers into
Butler, attending the oil excitement,
accommodations were scarce, and the
re-ult was a new house. The Wav
erly was built and placed in charge of
Chess Stoner, an old and experienced. •
hotel keeper of Armstrong county
The Waverly is located handy to both
depots of the town, on South McKean
street, and is gaining a reputation
second to none under the present
management. The house was recently
completed, so that everything
throughout is new. The rooms are
well ventilated and lighted. All the
modern improvements are found in the
house, which is heated by steam, and
lighted by gas and electricity.
The management guarantees good
accomodation at moderate prices, and
all are invited to give the place a call,
and satisfy themselves on this score.
' jj.
WILLIAM HENRY REIHINO.
A Short History of the Late Lamented Pro
prietor of the Wlllard Hotel.
The late lamented William Henry :
Reihirg, whose remains were so re
cently laid to rest at Calvary Ceme- i
tery, Butler, was a man of worth to
the town; an untiring worker; a good
husband, and a kind father. His loss
wil! long be felt in the community in
which he resided.
He was born in Butler, March, 1861, j
and made it his home until 18 years of |
age. His father was born in Germany |
and his mother in Pittsburg. While a
lad in the village he carried the Pitta- :
burg papers. He spent six years of |
his life in Pittsburg, where he met his j
wife, Miss Mattie Golden, and they
were married September, 1883. Their
union was blessed with three children.
Mr. Reihing returned to Butler and
worked for the Campbell', when they
were proprietors of the Willard Hotel.
He leased the house for two years and
finally purchased the property four
years ago. Last year he spent f30,000
improving and refurnishing the struc
ture. It will now compare favorably
with any in Western Pennsylvania
During his life he took an active inter
est in everything appertaining to
the welfare of the borough and
worked incessantly to increase the
in .ustries.
He was an active member of the B.
P. O. Elks, No. 170, and was considered
one of its leading lights and promi
nent members. He was also con
nected with and a member of the old
First ward hose company. He was a
faithful and staunch supporter of the
R. C. church. He had suffered for
many months with a complication of
diseases which eventually carried him
off Feb. 22, after having been given
the sacrament by Father Welsh.
The test of his popularity was evi
denced by the large concourse of
friends who attended his funeral
on the twenty-fifth inst. The B. P. O.
Elks and the town fire companies
turned out to pay their taut tribute
and respects to the body of their
friend and neighbor. The deceased
had a brother in the west, and two
sisters, Mrs. A. Donovan, of West
Virginia, and Mrs. Lizzie Karns,
of Butler. The Hotel will remain
under the management of Mrs. Reih
ing, his widow, under whose super
vision all patrons of this well known
and popular hostelry will receive the
nest of hospitality and good cheer.
The traveling public all agree that the
Willard is second to none in Butler
county, or in fact in the western part
of the state. The guests and visitors
of the house will find Mr. Brooks, the
head clerk an, affable, polite, accommo
dating gentleman, who is zealous for
the welfare of the Willard's patrons.
An Interesting (inn.
Perhaps the most Interesting and Im
portant engraved gem ever found was one
that bore a legible Inscription locating a
store of treasure in a bill In I'ontus. There,
the inscription said, much wculth that
once belonged to Mithaidatcs might be
found, and when the spot was dug open a
priceless deposit was disclosed, including
among other things hundreds of onyx
vases, amulets, caskets and trappings for
horses and men, all Incrusted with cameos
and intaglios.—Jeweler's Weekly.
During the witchcraft delusion In this
country, In every town to which the "af
flicted" were carried young girls were wire
to lie taken with the same fits and see the
dime sights.
A Cherlnhcd M«*inory.
A gentlewoman arises in memory—small,
slender, dainty from head to foot and
beautiful till past her seventieth year.
Her dress, never varied during a prolonged
widowhood, was always black and of se
vere simplicity. No ornaments were ever
known to mar its artistic uuity, but al
ways over her soft abundant hair, of
which the thick coil and the natural wave
were the envy of younger women, the
matron were a sheer white cap of tulle or
lace. The transparent candor and straight
forward honesty of this dear woman's
character were, no to speak, accentuated
by her dress, which, as the years went, on,
. seemed to her children and grandchildren
as the very garment of her soul.
Hlio had been many years In heaven,
when a grandson, a mere child at her
death, [Hike of his memory of her as very
clear and distinct. "Sho always looked,"
said the young man, "so perfectly like her
self, ao complete, so exquisite, like a nun
or a lady abbess."—Harper's Bazar.
Six Weeks Wltlio.it sleep.
Hermann Boerhaave, a Dutch physician,
• scholar and scientific author, who was
i born in 1008 and died in 1738, has left it on
record that lie was once so alwtorbed in his
studies that he passed a period of six
weeks continuously devoted to work. Dur
ing all tlilS time be existed without sleep
| 1 —l> mil on Tit-Bits.
COAL OIL JOHNNY.
A Sketch of the Operations »f an Lce-en
trie Character.
The Visit of Sirs Steele In Pennsylvania
Kecalli the Story of Her Husband s
Rig* from the Rani of Teamster to That
of Millions Ire.
OIL CITY, PA.
Mrs. John Steele, of Ashland, Neb.,
haa been here on a visit for the past
week. Mrs. Steele is the wife of p
man whom the discovery of petroleum
in Pennsylvania gave a wider rep
utation than any other man; and one
concerning whom many true stories
as well as many fictions have been
related. He Ls none other than the
famous "Coal Oil Johnny," whose for
mer home was near Housevi lie, this
county, and who now has a farm near
the Nebraska town named.
Mrs. Steele was given an opportu
nity to correct in an interview some of
the Arabian Night tales told about her
husband's eccentric actions in the
days when he was a reported million
aire, and when his source of wealth
seemed inexhaustible. She had been
wearied long ago by exaggerated in
terviews with her husband and herself
and declined to talk, but the following
interesting points were obtained from
an authentic source:
The wealth of Mr. Steele has un
doubtedly been overrated —that is to
say, his wealth in cash. At the time
the Pittsburg Sanitary Commission
made an offer to donate a soldiers'
monument to the county making the
largest contribution the producers of
this section agreed to set aside for
that purpose the proceeds from their
wells for one uay, and Mr. Steele's
contribution for that day was !J2,500,
which was a fair gauge of what his
wells were doing.
The farm and other interests be
queathed to him by his grandmother
he probably could have disposed of
for half a million dollars or more when
the same came into his x>ossession, but
it is doubtful if at any time he pos
sessed more than §IOO,OOO in cash. His
expensive eccentricities were many,
but did not include, as often reported,
the purchasing and giving away of a
hotel in Philadelphia. That story
probably grew out of the fact that ho
experienced some difficulty iu securing
a hack, and finally bought one out
right; that when he got through with
the rig the driver asked him what to
do with it, and he told him to keep it.
It was on that trip to Philadelphia
that he, while with Slocum, the fellow
who was "showing him the world,"
attracted so much attention by going
about with bills of various denomina
tions tied in the buttonholes of his
clothing; by making small purchases
with good-sized bills, taking no change
back, and even lighting cigars with
money.
Another of his eccentricities on that
trip was the forming of a negro min
strel troupe, each of the. members of
which he bought a suit of clothes when
he engaged them. He brought his
troupe here, and that was about all he
did wilh it.
The details of his doings in Philadel
phio, New York, Saratoga and else
where, including his experiences with
sharpers—notably his slo,oooacquaint
ance with John Morrissey—have been
written threadbare.
Summeel up briefly, the main points
in his life are these : When quite young
he became an orphan and was adopted
by his grandparent*, Mr. and Mrs.
William McOlintock. He was mar
ried two or three years before he be
came of age, and worked on a farm
until the oil excitement began, lie
then engaged in hauling oil down Oil
creek and hauling coal back, with a
pair of lean horses. The result was the
possession of a good team of his own.
The McClintock farm became ono of
the most valuable along Oil Creek.
Mrs. McClintock survived her husband
several years, and when she died in
1865, the adopted son, Steele, became
sole heir to her property. He soon
concluded to see some of the world
with his wealth—and he saw it. He
sought notoriety—and he got it. He
spent hia money like a man with Monte
Cristo backing—was bleel by leeches,
fleeced by sharpers, and in a few years,
his oil Interest, in the meantime rapid
ly depreciating in value, he found him
self again a poor man But no one
ever heard him complain of fortune or
express regret over the loss of wealth.
At ono time when he was at tho heigth
of his eccentric extravagance, Capt. J.
J. Vanelergrift, T. 11. Williams and
others sent for him and kindly expos
tulated with him, urging him to save
some of his money. He thanked them
for their friendly advice, but said that
he had made a living by hauling oil
and coulel do it again if necessary.
He couldn't rest until he had spent
that fortune and ultimately he reached
the condition precedent to that rest.
A cousin of Mr. Steele maintains
that the estimates which have
been put upon Steel's wealth
have not, as a general thing,
been exaggerated. He says he person
ally knows that when Mrs. McClintock
tlied, Steele inherited $12">,000 in gold
and about §IOO,OOO in other money.
The income from his wells then was
from SI,OOO to §2,000 a day. The cousin
says that from his knowledge of
Steele's affairs he should say that at
one time "Coal Oil Johnny" could have
produced $1,000,000 in cash. Pittsburg
Commercial Gazette
BIRTH AND DEATH COINCIDENCES.
Shakespeare was born April 23, 1064, and
died April 28, Him.
Timothy Swan, composer, was born July
Si, 17.18; died July 1542
Sir Thomas Browne, author of "itelign
Medici," wa« ban Oct l!». m« di. d Oct
19, lfiSM.
St. John of tiod, oue of tho most eminent
of the Portuguese saints, wa* born March
S, 14U5; died March ft, lli'iO.
John Sobieski. kins of Portugal, who de
livered Vienna from the Turks, was born
June 17, 16110; died .lull' 17 |fi!*>
Raphe] Segio d'Crbino. the great artist,
was born on Good Friday, 1483; died on
Good Friday, |."._'o, a -e I thirty seven. C<*"l
Friday is a movable (■ ,i ! the day of the
month may not have I ■en the same, but
the "F.ncyclnp.edia Britanniea" -ny < "In
died aged exactly thirty seven
EXPOSITION ECHOES
Ceylon will conduct a lealmus on Mid
way plaisanee
New South Wales ha > ked for :Wo,o<>
square feet of space
Queen Margaret of Italy lias promised i<
loan her famous colled ion of rare laces fo»
exhibition at the fair
A practical, working busiie s colli""
which is purely an American institution
will lie one of the exhibits at the fair.
lowa, in its exhibits at the exposition
will show the various forms in which con
products are useful as food and al-o t
process of their preparation.
The enormous steel trusses to sustain tin
roof of the Manufactures building are the
largest ever made for architectural pi»
poses. They span ■"•'W feet and rise to a
ti/iiirbt cj 'ill (wtt
OLCOTT AND JUDGE.
T i 1 ortoer Head of the Theo*nphi*ta
and Hi* Sure*- «r.
Correspondence.!
NEW YORK, March ■>— Colonel Henry
Steele OUotT. who ha- just resigned the
presidency of the Theoaophical society
on account of a condition of health
which forbids his traveling and speak
ing in public as he lias done for many
years, !■« an old New Yorker. New
Yorkers, however, have pretty well for- 1
gotten the very honorable record he
made for himself during the civil wat
by his service if the war department
under the great war secretary, Stanton.
He is now only remembered by reason
of his identification with the society the
leadership of which he resigns.
v %
[jp
•j/
HENRY STEELE OI.COTT.
In his letter of resignation, which h<
sent from India in January, he an
nounccs that he will, from this time on,
devote himself to literary work which is
to be in aid of the society. The nature
of this work is readily to lie imagined
by reading the announcement made hj
The Theosophist, a magazine published
in India and circulated all over tlx
world. It liegins in the March numbei
a series of articles by Colonel Olcott
entitled "Old Diary Leaves," which art
reminiscences of the origin and vicissi
tildes of tho Theosophical society, ami
personal anecdotes and recollections ol
Mine. Blavafsky. her phenomena and
her friends.
Colonel Olcott's resignation, which
has been accepted, leaves the vice pros
ident, Mr. William Q. Judge, in charge
of his office, and also leaves open the
question of who his successor will be.
The leadership of opinion in thus curious
organization is by no means a preroga
tive of the presidency, and while there
are various opinions as to who will bt
the leader, only one name has been really
seriously considered for the presidency.
It is altogether probable that Mr. Judge
who has been the virtual head of the or
ganization in this country ever since
Mine. Blavatsky's departure, will la' the
next president.
There is, however, a formal election
necessary as a matter of course, and
that has been arranged for. It will take
place at the annual convention of the
American section of the Theosophica!
society, which is to be held at the Palmei
\
WII.LIAM Q. JUDOE.
House, in Chicago, ou the 24th and 25th
of April. Already notices have been
sent out to tho various branches of the
order all over the country requesting
them to take action in the matter by
designating the person for whom they
desire to vote. Equally, as a matter of
course, it is impossible to predict what
the various branches may do, and it is
possible that the question of choosing a
new president may bo one that will oc
casion dissension and heartburnings.
Thero is, however, no real reason to
doubt that Mr. Judge will be the choice
of a substantial majority of the society.
DAVID A. CURTIS.
Senator ralmor's Memory.
Senator John 51. Palmer is known per
sonally to all the people in central Illi
nois, and it is rare that ho is accosted by
a young man or woman that ho cannot
say: "I know your father. Ho is So-and
so, and used to live on tho Smith farm
near Kdwardsville," or whatever the
nauio and place chanced to be. Liko
Secretary Blaine, he has a fondness for
tracing out kin and pedigreo, and his
memory, even at seventy-live, is probar
bly more comprehensive and accurate
than Mr. Blaine's ever was. He remem
bers not only the old names and faces,
as is the case with many mou of ad
vanced age, but among the thousands of
new acquaintances in Washington one
is rarely forgotten. Occasionally he
meets persons he has not seen for forty
years, and at once calls them by their
right names.
Henry C. Howen.
Colonel Henry C. Bowen, of the New
York Independent, the famous light
of tho Beccher trial, is now past eighty
years. Ho divides his time between his
town house in New York and his beauti
ful country seat at Woodstock, Conn.
When in the city and health or weather
permit he visits Tho Independent office
daily. Ho has three sons, one of whom
is identified with the paper. Another
son, Clarence Bowen. is prominent in all
local affairs, haviug done much to pro
mote tho success of tho Washington cen
tennial a few years ago and to interest
New Yorkers in tho World's fair.
A Y»IMIK Minister's Experience.
A clergyman tells the following story of
an experience in a wild community:
"One night a man called at my boarding
place iu the village and said that 1 was
wanted at < arey Ridge, a dismal spot some,
three miles from town. He said he would
lake me thero and bring me back. I sup
posed that somebody was (lying, and as
there was no minister around said I would
go. My conductor rode in silence, and
Ilnally I a ked, 'Who is It that wants mef
" 'Me hnither."
" 'What is the trouble?'
" 'He wants to get married.'
" 'Married!' I gasped; 'why, I can't
marry him. I'm not an ordained minister.
! am not, allowed to marry people.' He did
not answer, so I liegnn to reason with him
and asked him to take me hack. But it
was no use, so 1 sat still, resolving to make
a test of the matter when I saw the com
pany. To my surprise I found tho whole
crowd composed of men, armed to tho
teeth.
'• 'Gentlemen,' I began.
"'lie wants to sneak,' Interrupted my
conductor. 'Now, you preacher chap,
you've i;ot to go ahead when tho couple
comes iu or you can take a pill. Here's
your pay,' and he placed a bag of money
on the table. Just then I heard some
shouting outside and a yell, and then there
galloped tip a man on horseback, holding a
girl in his arms.
••'<io on,' said my conductor, 'and go
quick.'
"I don't know what I said, except that I
pronounces! them man and wife without
looking at them, for my eyes were on a re
volver in the hands of my gentle nrger. A
minute lati r the father and brothers of the
girl dashed up to the shanty, but the girl
laufched in her father's face, and I decided
that discretion was the better part of valor
and so held my peace. I was taken liack
to my boarding place pretty thoroughly
frightened. Before leaving me my com
panion wane d me to hold my tongue about
the whole mat ■ r 1 did so, but wilhiu a
month was utile to explain matters and see
tin- couple legally married." —New York
Tribune.
RoH«r Oo»ttin( on a Farm.
Old Sam Johrwin live* down in » Ken
*eb*« county town. As long as Johnson
t*n't his name. I'll tell yoti that he ia af<mt
the sonrest and most s'ralt laced old fel
low von ever saw
The other day he heard ar awfu l clatter
out on a long hill near his house. He got
out to the scene just in time to see his son
Jed mount Itie ox cart, hold rip the
"tongue" and coavt down the hill with a
thunderous roar and in a clond of dust.
The old man started on the trail down the
bill, picking up a club ou tte way and yell
ing for Jed t« come back and take a lick
ing. But the nearer he got to the trem
bling Jed the more the real novelty and
humor appealed to him. When he got to
the foot of the hill he was grinning like a
"chessy cat," as Jed afterward declared.
"What in tiiuenation you doin with that
oxcart, Jed?"
"By gorry. dad. I'm a-sliding down hill
in her. dad. and it's more fun an er
Jest help me toost'er up hill and take a
ride," said Jed, taking courage from bis
father's grin.
"You sassy imp," sputtered Sam, "I'm
a good mind to welt you!"
"Oh. dad come on, it's slathers er fun."
"Not by adurned shot, and 'sides some
one may see me."
"Git out; they won't neither. Take bolt
here an we'll run 'er up hill."
The old man couldn't resist; chuckling
he helped push the cart up bill; chuckling
still, he crawled in and he tittered as he
told Jed to "hold tight and steer straight."
Away they went. But they had just got
under headway when a team came jogging
around a liend in the road at the foot of
the hill. The old ox cart roared down in
its headlong rush. A wicked smashup
seemed imminent. The frightened Jed,
bewildered by a volley of squawks and
yells, yanked the tougae about, and the
flying cart sheered for the fields. It
careened wildly, hopped the highway
gutter, crashed over a stone wall and came
to a wrecked standstill, bottom upward.
Jed and the old man were beneath.
It was six weeks before Johnson got the
crick out of his back and recovered the use
of his battered members. His first duty at
the end of those six weeks was to lick Jed,
not passionately and intemperately, but
thoroughly, conscientiously, earnestly, ac
cording to a carefully matured plan and
determination. —Lewistou (Me.) Journal
The String; itroke.
Blank comes to Brooklyn every day from
one of the prettiest of I.ong Island towns,
where he has one of the prettiest of cot
tages. His wife has a sister in Carleton
avenue, and to this sister Mr. Blank often
carries fresh eggs by the score. Mr. Blank
has plenty of money, and he conld easily
afford to keep a thousand unproductive
chickens, but the Carleton avenue lady
conscientiously saves all the unused bread
for Mr. Blank's fowls, and the bane of his
life is the lady's hat box. in which it ac
cumulates and in which it is Anally trans
ported to the chicken house.
week a consignment of eggs went
one way, as usual, and a consignment of
bread the other. Mr. Blank is well groomed,
well attired and good looking, but he is
alxiut as domesticated as oue of his own
fowls just the same, and he never could
summon up enough courage to get up a re
volt on the hrv.ul carrying question. His
last experience proved to lie the straw that
broke the camel's back.
Among his fellow passengers on the
train were two ladies. He didn't know
them then, and bo doesn't want to know
them now. As he left the car he over
heard one of them say:
"That's the kind of a husband to have;
he's taking a new hat home to his wife."
Mr. Blank had the hat box by the strinp
with which is was tied, and the string
with which it was tied didn't happen to be
very strong. It broke. A choice collection
of stale oread scattered itself over the plat
form, and the ladies —well, the ladies
laughed as ladies will.—Brooklyn Life.
Punic During an Earthquake.
I was staying ou the Riviera when the
famous earthquake of ISBB occurred. 1
was awakened by a shock which dashed
two pictu res off the wall of my room and
upset the wash hand stand. While I was
Btriking a match another shock strewed
me and some chairs among some fragments
of broken crockery. I had presence of
mind enough to remember that during an
earthquake you are no safer in the streets
than in a covered building; so I dressed
without mad precipitancy, and, after a
desjierate struggle too|>en my door—which
had got jammed—walked down stairs.
The sight waa one never to be forgotten.
Men, women and children in dishabille
were huddled in the front hall, crying,
■bricking and praying. Some had bolted
out of doors with hardly any clothes on
and had made for the sea, where they
clamored to go out in boats. Among the
panic stricken folk was an old gentleman in
pyjamas, who bad come down the stairs
three steps at a time. But on reaching the
hall he exclaimed that he had forgotten
something and must go back. His friends
shouted to him that the tipper stories .-ere
dangerous, but he turned adeaf ear, bound
ed up stairs and presently returned pant
ing. The thing which he had forgotten
was his set of false teeth. —Cor. San Fran
cisco Argonaut.
I.ament of tlie Shl|i Chandler.
"The business ain't what it used to be,"
•aid a ship chandler in Old Slip the other
day. "In the good old days of clipper
ships, when Old Glory floated in every
port, and South street was roofed over with
tba jibbooma of the full riggers, you
wouldn't ha' seen a ship chandler standiu
around in his shirt sleeves like I'm a doin
now. He'd ha' been rushin around his
store busy from morning till night takin
and flllin orders for chains, anchors, rope,
conuectln blocks, provisions and what not
that goes to fit out a ship. Now we can do
It all in the forenoon and chew tol>acco and
spin yarns till it's time to put up the shut
ters. I make almut fs.OOO a year now where
I made fci',ooo in those good old time*.
"It all comes from the steam tramps that
are takln everytliin in sight until a sallin
ship has to figure mighty close to make a
profit out of a voyage. Then there are
only two kinds of sailin ships practically
in this port—those that come from the
provinces and those that come from the
old country."—New York Tribune.
Death to Pluiple».
A great many men are troubled with
pimples on the face, which are unsightly
at best, and especially annoying when they
come, as they often do on the nose. Of
course they arise from some impurity of
the blood and need constitutional treat
ment, but until this Is obtained a safe and
easy way of preventing them Is to apply
arnica to the akin. A pimple never cornea
without warning; a few hours before there
Is always a slight inflammation or swell
ing, and if a drop of arnica tie applied to
the spot when the swelling liegtns half a
dozen applications in the course of a day
will drive the pimple back under the skin.
Bt. Ixjuis Gtolie-Democrat.
A Itallcate Refusal.
A literary man relates that he made a
proposal of marriage to a charming young
woman, and she asked for a day or two In
which to consider the matter. The next
afternoon ho received from her a package
accompanied by a note inquiring, "Do you
think it is safe?" Opening the packago lie
found these books: Fronde's "letters and
Memorials of Jane Welsh Carlyle," Dau
det'a "Artists' Wives," "The Unhappy
Loves of Man of Genius" and a copy of
Longman's Magazine, containing an essay
of Mr. Lang's advising young women not
to marry literary men.—Hartford Times.
She Likes America.
Kvery one's right to "life, liberty arid the
pursuit of happiness" must certainly be In
the air of the land of the free. It ls told
of the Corean minister to Washington that
a lady asked him how ho liked America.
"Oh, very good," he replied.
"And your wifo. How does sho like Itf"
"Oh, sho like it too good! She say: '1
good as you now. I not go baclt any
more.' " —New York Times.
A HlugicUli I.lrani.
The ttiatawa, a !> Inch long lizard of
New Zealand, Is said to bo the most slug
gish animal In the world. He Is usually
found clinging to rocks and has been
known to remain In the same spot for
months. How ho Uvea is a mystery —New
York Press.
Coal Was Known :ioo 11. C.
The first record wo have of coal ls about
300 years before the Christian era. Coal
was used as fuel In Kngland as early as K2i,
and In 1234 the first charter to dig for It
was granted by Henry 111 to the irihabi
; tants of Newcastle-on Tyue. —Notes and
I Queries.
Keep Your Kir» o|»rn.
The man who journeys through this
world with his eyes O|K<II will learn things
every day for nothing that other people
have had to go without butter on their
I bread to llnd out. KJUU'S Horn.
Eitenmiller House,
Eitenmiller & Siebold, Props.
GOOD ACCOMMODATIONS.
:E3a/tes ISeasonalole.
334 and 346 South Main Street,
BTJTLEB, lE 3 -^-.
Shoup Bros.,
EVANS CITY, PA.,
MANUFACTURERS OF
Knittels Patent Bailer Valve.
The Finest Valve Ever Offered to the Trade.
Call or Address the Above. .
NORBERT T. WESER.
NEWS DEALER.
TOBACCONIST CONFECTIONER
DIALEIt IN ALL KINDS OP
Books, Magazines and Reading Matter,
Headquarters for Sporting Goods. Manufac
turers of all Kinds of Rubber Stamps and
Stencils. Cigars Wholesale and Retail.
LARGEST LINE OF FIDE CHOCOLATE CANDIES IN THE CITY
ALWAYS FRESH AND KEPT IN STOCK.
A Special Department for the Ladies and Headquarters
for Fashion Magazines.
A large and complete line of stationary. Largest
and finest News Depot in Western Pennsylvania. Every
thing in stock. Mail orders will have prompt attention
Don't forget the place,
POSTOFFICE BUILDING.
K TXMKm'" A iron neammßsaiE
Kiiiil lilrKf.il