VOL. XIII. NO 35
<524,000 $44,000 O J
v Which Do You Prefer • >
C The average man earns about si, 100 a year. He/'
✓ works 40 years and earns a total of $44, 00 in a life V
\ time. The average clay laborer gets $2,000 a day or 112
J S6OO for a year of }oo days. He earns $24,000 in a j
\life time. The difference between s44,oooand $24- r*
JOOO is $20,000. This is the minimum value of a >
education in dollars and cents The in- <L
self-respect cannot be measured in money. J
\ Why not stop plugging a way at a small salary when ?
✓ the International Correspondence Schools, of Scran- V
\ ton, Pa., can give you an education that will make /
V high salaried man of you ? No matter what line of \
J work you care to follow, this great educational 'n-Q
x stitution can prepare you in your spare time and at A
r a small cost to secure a good-paying position. Our 112
\ local Representative will show you how you can V
/ triple your earning capacity. Look him up today, r
✓ He is \
? C. IF 1 . IBIRyIEISTINr A IN". >
O. I. S. Representative. TOWANDA, PA.
COLE
> " HARDWARE
No Place Like this Place
For Reliable
STOVES and RANGES,
COAL OB WOOB
HEATERS;I
ONE OP WINTER'S GREAT DELIGHTS.
House Furnishiug Goods, Tools of Every
Description, Guns and Ammunition
Bargains that bring the buyer back.
Come and test the truth of our talk.
A lot of second hand stoves and ranges for sale cheap.
We can sell you in stoves anything from a fne Jewel Base !
Burner to a low priced but satisfactory cook stove.
Hot Air, Steam and Hot Wator Heating and
General Repairing, Roofing and Spouting.
Samuef
The Shopbell Dry Good Co.,
) 313 Pine Street,
WILLIAMSPORT, PA.
January Clearance 3ale
of Ladies' sSaits and Coats.
Profits have lieen entirely clipped oH in this January Sale—cost in no way
figures in the selling prices.
Ladies stylish ('oat Suits, in plain anil black colors, good aseotlment to choc.-c
from. .Suits that were formerly
sls to $25 are now reduced to ; $9,115
#2B to t<32 are now reduced to $1 I.'JS
s3:£so to f3B. are now* reduced to #19.75
$38.50 to $42.50 are now reduced to $22.50
Made of plain and fancy cloth ar» being closed out at just one-hall' the regular
price- £lO to $35 values, now marked at
$5 to $17.50
Two other lots of Ladies' Long Cloth Coats have heen marked
$3.00 and $5.00
Which are Jess than hall the former price.
Children and Misses Winter Coats
One lot children's cloth and Hear Skin Mioses'plain and fancy cloth ("'oats. !•>
Coats, 2to 0> years si7.es, navy, cardinal to 14 year sizes, $5,00 to" SIO.OO values
green, gray, brown and white, were $3.00 for
to $4.00, now * -y c/\
ci en 3>«*.SU
* ('tie lot of Misses' chinchilla cloth
One lot of chi'dren's plain and tancy Coats in navy, red, gray and brow n, were
cloth Coats. $4.25 to $5.00 values, for ' $12.50 to 14.00, now
$2.95 7.00
Change of Prices on Furs.
Furs will take a drop in prices to be in keeping with the Coat Sale. Here
will be the chance of the season to select Furs that you will be proud to own.
Subscribe for the News Item
Republican News Item.
LAPORTE, SULLIVAN COUNTY PA. THURSDAY JANUARY 21, 1909.
Dcalh of Henry Hvflmaster.
Henry (j. HufTmiistfr of I)uslior<
<li< >1 Sunday morning of pneumonia,
at the age of 70 • years, * two month.-
and one day. Ilenry G. Iluff'mastei
was a son of Henry Hufl'master, a
native of Germany who came to
America with his lather, Fredric
Huffmaster, in 18:51. Mr.lluff'master
was by trade a carpenter, lie serv
ed one term as County Commission
er and held several township oflioes,
being an able end efficient otlteer.
Me is survived by two eons, 1-Mvvard
W. and llush of Cherry. Funeral
services JJwill he held Thursday,
meeting at the house at lOo'cloek a.
m.
New Pension Bill.
Washington, 1). C., Jan. 18.—
Many thousands of pensioners
throughout the country are interest
ed in a Hill introduced in the Senate
by Senator Penrose. It is entitled
a bill "For the better payment of
pensions." It provides that ail pen
sioners with permanent (Usabilities
and the widows of soldiers and siii
ors who are receiving pensions for
life shall be paid their pensions
monthly and by checks mailed on
tiie last day of the month covering
the amount of pensions due them
for that month with restrictions no
more onerous than are made by the
Treasury department in paying in
terest cm government bonds, I'nder
this system it would only be neces
sary for the pensioner to file with
the pension agent an affidavit sta't
ng his residence and post ofHce ad-
Iless, t'nder the present .system
hey ire paid every three months
md it each payment the pensioners
oust make an affidavit before a
lotary. t nder the plan proposed by
Senator Penrose the pensioners in
•luded in the provisions of the bill
vill save the notary's fee as well as
eceive their penson at more frc
juent intervals.
Liquor License Notices.
Notice is hereby given that tin' follow
ng applicant ions lor liquor license have
ii-on tiled in my oltiee ami the fame will
te presented to die i ,'ourt ot (Quarter Ses
ions ot tlie I'ence ol Sullivan County on
MONDAY, the Mhdayol FEBIU'A It Y
I'lOtf. at 2 o'clock p. in,
CHEERY r\VP.
Cherry M ills:
loh ti K. <>rosH. tavern license,
I inshore.
Leonard Hilbert, wholesale license.
Mildred.
Klla Murphy, restaurant license,
i'rai.k I'. Seliaad. distillers liceise,
lohn C. Schaad. tavern license,
lames .1. Connor, tavern license,
Joseph A llelsinan, lavem license,
lolm Haley, tavern license, .Mildred,
I oil u Nestor, tavern license.
Michael I . Donovan, whole-ale license.
Murray.
William llalev, tavern license,
Satterfield.
Patrick McGee, restaurant license,
COLLEY T WP.
C. F. Ilmisinger, tavern license, Colley
DUSfIOHE BOROUGH.
Thomas •!. Krogan. wholesale license,
.lohn D. bane, tavern license,
Elizabeth < arniody, restaurant license,
Margaret Connor, restaurant license.
Robert Mcliee, restaurant license,
Philip E.Grace. tavern license,
P. .1. Fiiian, tavern license,
B. E. Saxer. restaurant license.
DAVIDSON TYVP:
Sonestown.
Daniel 11. Lorah, tavern license,
Harry Baelcv, tavern license.
Miincy Valley.
William L. Parmetcr and i
Brady Ilonseknecht )' tavern license
Dennis Palmatier, tavern license,
•I. William Morati, restaurant license.
Emmons.
Michael •!. Devanney. tavern license,
I.opezs ®
.lames P. McGee, restaurant license.
•Steve Halabuk, tavern license.
George < Hsziewski, tavern license.
Joseph llruhenak, restaurant license,
Abe Goodman, wholesale license,
Anthony House, tavern license.
Theodore Shiniansky. restaurant license.
Maxim Musiala, bottlers' license.
EAGLES ME HE BOROCGH.
Win. H. \ anl uakirk, tavern license,
111 LLSGRt IVE TWP.
,1 acob ('aseman,tavern license. 11 illsgrove.
L.VPi iHTE BOROUGH,
Theresa Gallagher, tavern license.
.lohn Ifassen, dr., tavern license.
LAPORTE T v\ p.
lieo. M. Fiester. tavern license. Nordniout
Sll b'EWSBt RY TOWNSHIP.
Smith Bondman. restaurant license.
Norman E. Stackhouse, tavern license.
ALBERT E. HE ESS, Clerk.
Clerk's office,Laporte, Pa., Jan. IS, 1909.
Educate Your linive'.s With Ciucaretk.
Cindy Catlianic, euro constipation forever.
If C. C C. fai*. druggistsrefund aiou&v
HISTORY OF THE W. & N. B
RAILROAD.
Williamsporl Svn Prints Interesting Story
ol This Important Short Line.
In connection with the published
reports that the Willianisport and
North Branch rail road may enter
Williamsport directly within the
coining year, The Hun of that city
prints the following interesting his
tory of the road:
Some time in the late forties ol
the century there came to the north
eastern part of Lycoming [county,
that portion which was afterwards
set off to form the country of Sul
livan, a man named Michael
Meylert. He had considerabit
money of his own and represented
vast land interests. He acquired
for himself and others tens of thous
ands of acres of the wilderness, wa>
instrumental getting the new
country erected, laid out the town of
Laporte, erected and presented to
the new county its Hrst Country
house and entered upon a scheme
of development with an energy
that proved Iflm to he at least fifty
years ahead of his gene-ation. lit
early learned of the vast coal de
posits in the mountains of Sullivan
county, and in the fall of 1851 en
gaged with prominent Towanda
capitalists and business men in a
scheme to construct a lailroad for
the purpose tapping the black dia
mond treasury. The scheme was an
unbitious one no less than to build a
railroad from Towanda on the
north through the Sullivan county
■oal'flelds, and reaching Catawissa
:>n tht. south. At that time the Read
ing railroad was constructed as far
north as the Catawissa and the Le
high Valley had not yet been con
ceived, of. so that Michael Meylert's
scheme was really an extension of
the Reading railroad. The title of
this proposed road was to be the
Towanda and Catawissa railroad. In
November he caused a survey to be
made by William a Mason and
by Major Klias McNeil, and during
the session of the legislature of IK">2,
i)f which he was a member, he se
cured a passage of an act authoriz
ing the building of the Towanda
and Catawissa railroad, anil the
company was empowered to "make
such connections with other roads
and have a> full authority over any
part as though they had completed
the whole road." This subsequent
ly became the basis of other legis
lation, by which the State line and
Sullivan Railroad company and the
Muncy Creek company were charter
ed.
The peculiar wording of the en
abling act, which phraseology was
afterwards engrafted into the charter,
is virtually authority to the old
Muncy Creek railroad to build rail
road wherever they may happen to
want to for all time to come. Compe
tent legal authority has declared that
not even the Pennsylvania railroad
charter confers upt.n the road such
unbounded authority as is possessed
by this little Muncy Creek its heirs
and assigns. In this the fine hand
of Mieliat I Meylert was made evi
dent. Interesting} Philadelphia capi
talists, be obtained from them a
promise of sufficient money to build
the road if the if the coal veins wen
all to be claimed for them. A ge
ologist by the name of Shaffer was
engaged to examine the field, but he
failed to find the coal that Meylert
knew was there, and reported ad
versely. In 18.">9 the rich vein of
near what is now the thrilling min
ing town of Bernice was aeeidently
uncovered, and it was clearly demon
strated that there was coal enough
to pay for the road. Before arrange
ments could be made to build, the
Civil War came 011 and paralyz
ed business all over the county, but
as soon as the war was over the plans
were again laid to construct the long
talked of railroad through the Sul
livan coal fields. In 18<>7 work was
begun at Monroeton, four miles
south and east of Towanda, on the
State line and Sullivan road and by
1871 this was completed as far 4s the
present town of Bernice, and coal
mining began.
Meanwhile Meylert was beset
with financial dilliculties, and his
end of the road did not prosper as it
should. The Muncy Creek railroad
had been chartered wfth Michael
Meylert, H. It. Mehrling, Robert
Taylor, George Bodine and A. L.
Detrick named as incorporators, and
the expressed intension of building
from Muncy up the creek to La
porte, and thence to a connection
with the Htate line and Sullivan at
Bernice. Meylert was president
of the company, Joshua Bow was
treasurer and B. M. Ellis, secre
tary and 11. 11. Mehrllng superin
tendent. Muncy offered little en
couragement to the scheme and tin
southern terminus was changed to
Halls. Work was begun in 18(1(5,
and in 1807 nine miles of road were
built northward from Halls, to a
point three miles beyond Ilughes
ville. So far the work had been
easy and comparatively, inexpen
sive, but when the foothills of North
Mountain had been reached the mon
ey ;was all gone and the Phila
delphia capitalists would not fur
nish another cent. In 1872 the Cata
wissa extension of the Reading was
built up to Williamsport, and a con
nection made at Halls with the am
bitious little road that was headed
for the mountains. It is not sur
prising that this little strip of road
was a financial white elephant and
in 1881 it was sold by the bondhold
ers under foreclosure proceedings and
the company was then reorganized
under the title of the Williamsport
and North Branch railroad and Ben
jamin Welch became the general
manager. Work was resumed in
188(>, and a dash made for the heart
of the mountains, and the long wish
ed for coal fields. The road was
carried as far north at that time as
Noidmont. There was no Nord
mont when the Railroad stopped at
the gorge of Muncy Creek because
there was no money with which to
build a bridge, and the little ham
let sprang up around the blunt end
of the railroad and was given the
Scandanavian name that signifies
North Mountain. '
Thus things rested until 1893,
when another reorganisation was
effected, this time with Buffalo par
ties holding a controlling interest in
the stock. John Saterfield and
Henry Taylor undertook the financ
ing of the road, and the company
was organized with 11. C. McCorm
ic, of Williamsport president; John
Satterfield of Buffalo, vice president,
and J. Henry Cochran and Seth T.
McCormic secretary and treasurer.
Work was resumed and in the fall
of 18!);) the road finally reached a
junction with its northern twin, tin-
State line and Sullivan, at a point
that used v to be called Dohijj's Sum
mit, but waa changed to Satterfield
in compliment to the man who was
furnishing the money.
Meylert had long since died,
and what ever ambitious project
was on foot with the little North
Branch at that time w as defeated by
the sudden death of Satterfield and
the refusal of his heirs to continue
in the scheme. The Lehigh Va'ley
had required the State Line and Sul
livan In 1885. and about the time of
there-organization ol'the William
sport and North Branch, the Read
ing railroad had effected a lease of
the Lehigh Valley, whereby they
became absolute masters of the road,
and it was freely said at the time
that the completion of the North
Branch was but the completion of a
connecting Spur between two great
branches of the Reading and that it
was to form a part of a grand trunk
road from Philadelphia to Buffalo,
and that the Reading would run
through trains iu the competition
for western traffic. About the time
the road was completed to Satterfield
the Reading defaulted in its pay
i. dnta on.he Lehigh Valley lease
and the two roads became separated
and their interests diverged.
The renewed activity of the Wil
liamsport and North Branch affairs
would indicate that large moneyed
interests have again seen the possi
bilities of the road, aud that it may
yet take its place in the great rail
road systems of rhe state.
«tm*t Tobacco Spit and Sii vke lour rift' in,,.
7*l quit tobacco easily and forever, be run"
Übtic. lull ol life, nerve and take No 'Lo
Sot, tile wotuier-worKer, Uittl onuses uoalt me:
strong. «li drncfcists, SOc or Jl. Cure guarur
te«a. Booklet and ramplo free. Address
Keroody Co . Clitcagc <. * Yorit
75C PL R YEAP
Friday, February Il\ 190!), will he
the one-hundreth anniversary of
Abraham Lincoln's birth. r J'he day
should Hi) fittingly observed in evcy
school room in the county. Prepara
tions should be made for these ex
ercises, which to be effective must
be based on a larger and more ap
preciative knowledge of the great
President.
Hon. O. T. Corson, who was with
us in one of onr Institutes has col
lected a valuable fund of material
for such exercises and will forward
the same to any address for 10 cents.
This barely covers the cost of pub
lication and postage. Address Ohio
Educational Monthly, Columbus, O.
A picture of Lincoln should be
found upon the wall of every school
room. Hen. J. P. McKasky of Lan
caster will wend a picture 2lx.'iO for
50 cents or four for SI.OO. The t;
offers are generous OIK S ami and are
made by men whose whole desire
is to place within your rea< h
the material you need to make the
Lincoln Exercise a profitable one.
We can think of no excuse which
any teacher could advance that
would justify her in failing to ob
serve this anniversary. The oppor
tunity which the occasion presents
for the inculcation of patriotism and
all the virtues which this noble
man's life exemplified should not be
permitted to pass unembraced.
Perhaps it would be well to say
that this occasion presents an excel
lent test of your teachers progressi ve
il ess.
"This centennial celebration will
be an excellent test of the teachers
enterprise and resourcclulness. If
there is a lilting exercise in other
schools and none in ours our patrons
will wonder why, and they may
reach the conclusion that the
teacher had to do with the omission"
We will appreciate it as a courtesy
to receive from all teachers who cele
brate this anniversary a copy of the
program with a report of the in
terest and attendance.
Hoping that every school will
celebrate and that much good will be
accomplished.
J. E. lteesc lvillgore, Co., Supt.
The sheets of paper on which bills
and bonds are printed are delivered
daily by the loans and currency
division of the secretary's office to
the bureau on requisition. From
the time the blank sheets are de
livered by careful count until ;J0 d«ys
later, when the printed bills are
sent to the treasury to have the seal
printed thereon, the bureau must
account for every sheet in its hands.
It is counted when wet, when print
ed on one side, when dried, when
wet again, when printed again,
when dried a second lime, when ex
amined fori nperfection, when num
bered—in short counted some 50
times before it finally escapes from
the bureau. It has become accustom
ed to he counted before it starts out
into the world as monoy, and then
continues to be counted until it is
returned, ragged,dirty and worn out,
counted to death—only to be again
ounted and destroyed.
Would Pennsylvania with its
bulging treasury and her face set to
ward the works of love and charity;
Pennsylvania with her hand stretch
ed out to stop disease, poverty and
death, —would Pennsylvania tax her
poor by levying a tax on every ton
of coal the poor man's family needs
for warmth and household exigen
cies?
This is a question now under
serious consideration, the out
growth of a proposition to place a
small tax of perhaps one cent a ton
on anthracite and bituminous coal in
order to provide more revenue to
meet heavier appropriations for
schools, good roads and so forth.
Undoubtedly the statu will need
a greater revenue and ways must be
provided to get it through new tax
ation. The demands upon the Slate
treasury grow greater each year and
it is to the credit of the common
wealth that her charity and benefi
cence is expended with lavish hand.
Hut coal should not be taxed. No
necessity of life should be taxed.
Pennsylvania has laid no burden of
taxation upon the homes and fire
sides of her people ,nd let us hope
she never will.