JMtow
VOLUME -4.
McCONNELLSHUUG, PA.. NOVEMBER 1902.
NUMBER S.
TIIK CONFESSION I
OF I
mm. r-a mm . w m t m t
TIIK NOTED
HIGHWAYMAN AND COUNTERFEITER.
(Continued from last week.)
The association which 1 had
formed la New York was govern
ed by certain rules and regula
tions, and to make thein more
binding and appear more, solemn
they were written on parchment,
in ink of blood drawn from our
own veins while we kneeled in a
ring or circle with our hands mu
tually clasped each other,' and
one of the band standing in the
centre with a basin to receive the
red fluid of life. According to
one of the articles the fruits of
our joint spoliations were to be
divided among us at stated pe
riods and for this purpose we
proceeded with all the formula of
a bank director, having a presi
dent, directors, cashier, teller
and clerk, and so particular were
we iu"providing against deception
that one of the rules prohibited,
under, penalty of expulsion, any
member of the company from be
ing concerned in burning any of
the books or altering any of the
entries. The depository of our
plunder was denominated a vault,
nnd committees of examination
were regularly appointed to in
spect Us contents, and report to
the company at a general meet
ing. A divideud was declared ev
ery Sunday night just as the cock
gavo his midnight crow. On one
of these periodical settlements a
disturbance of a singular nature
took place that disgusted mo a
good deal-with the fraternity and
occasioned my abrupt separation'
from them ; it was this :
During the previous week, I at
louded the "ladies auction room"
on Broadway, and had been very
successful in picking up and con
cealing the velvet reticule of a lady
who had made considerable pur
chases of some rare aud expen
sive articles of female ornaments
and dress goods, principally of
French manufacture, such as
Brussels lace and jewelery. I had
taken my stand on tiie opposite
side of the street, aud lounged
about until eleven o'clock, when a
handsome equipage stopped, and
I saw a lady descend and enter
the room. I immediately recog
nized her to be the wife of John
Jacob Astor, Esq., one of the rich
est merchants in the city, and
who report said, was very lib
eral in his presents of money, to
supply to Madame's pin mouey
establishment. I soon crossed
over, and dressed like a "gentle
man in true dandy style,"the sure
passport of admittance into fe
male society, entered the auction
room and saluted the ladies with
all the graceful ease of an old ac
quaintance. The' experienced
salesman, knowing that the best
plan for picking a lady's puree
was to dazzol her eyes, soon ex
hibited to the view of his fair cus
tomers the finest lace and the
most elegant jewelry that the
workshops of France ever pro
duced; the sale commenced, and
before many minutes had passed
away, I saw Mrs. Astor pack into
her velvet bag several pieces of
luce aud as mauy ornaments of
jewelry as might suffice to decor
ate at least half a dozen of brides.
After she had completed her pur
chases she carelessly threw her
reticule on a bench in a remote
corner of the room, aud immedi
ately opened a brisk conversation
"with a surrounding group of mule
and female companions, who buz
zed around her and vied with one
another for volubility and uon
sonce. The gobble of voices could
not fail to attract the attention of
the other spectators who crowd
ed the place, and while some were
occupied in talking, and the rest
engaged iu listening admiration,
lttld of the bag with appar
"t carolessness, and thrusting
11 lckly into my bosom, left the
room unnoticed, taking a French
Iave of thetompany.
I honestly showed to ray com
1 'anions the whole amount of my
Valuable prize, and finding Melin-
THE DEATH ANGEL.
i-ersons vno iiuve Heen sum
moiied to the Other World.
.MRS. URIAH W. KLINE.
Mrs. Susanna Kline, wife of
Uriah W. Kline, died suddenly at
her home in Licking Creek town
ship Friday morning, October 31,
aged 55 years, 2 months and 23
days. Mrs. Kline had been suf
fering from consumption the past
eight months. She seemed to be
no worse, and on Thursday as
sisted her daughter Ella in some
light house work. Thursday
night she was attacked by a
smothering spell and before med
ical aid could be secured death
ended her suffering. She is sur
vived by her husband and 6ix
children, namely, Ada J., wife of
O. E. Ilaun, Saluvia, Pa.; Jihn C.
and Martin V. of Deshler, Ohio;
Eliza F., wife of William Hershey
West Dublin, Pa,; Mi-,8 Ella S.
and George N. at home. Funeral
services at the home by Rev. Cal
vin Garland. Interment at Side
ling Hill Baptist cemetery Satur
day morning.
The deceased was a daughter
of the late John S. Mellott, and is
survived also by her brothers,
David R., Nathan, George S. and
Noah. .
UALTZER DECKER.
After a protracted illness, Mr.
Baltzer Decker died at his home
in Licking Creek township Fri
day morning, October 31, 1902,
aged C5 years, and 7 months. His
remains were followed to their
last resting place at Green Hill on
Sunday by alarge number of sor
rowing friends.
Mr. Decker was a veteran of the
Civil war, being a member of Co.
II. (Captain Thomas Sipes' Com
pany) 158 Regiment, P. I., was
mustered into service, November
4, 18C2 aud was mustered out
with his regiment on the twelfth
of August 18G3. Much of that
time, the regiment was in North
Carolina, and while they did not
engage in many battles, they saw
much hard service and had many
exciting experiences.
Mr. Decker was a member of
the M. E. church, and one of those
jovial generous men whose com
panionship was always a pleasure
and few men in the ordinary walk
of life has had a larger number of
genuine friends.
He is survived by his wife who
has been very sick for some time,
and. by the following children,
namely, Fernanda. Milton, Nettie
wife of Reamer Sipes; Ella, . wife
of William Mellott living at Hynd
mau, Bedford county; Bertie, wife
Elmer Deshong; Frances, wife4of
Charles Stech, McConnellsburg;
Elsie, wife of Logan Deshong and
Susan, wife of Harvey Stouteagle
of Martinsburg, Blair county.
Mrs. Bennie Wilds and Miss
Olivette M. Woollet of Fort Little
ton were pleasant callers at this
office last Saturday. Miss Wool-,
let and her mother Mrs. Annie L.
Woollet are this weok moving to
Wilkinsburg, Pa., where they ex
pect to reside indefinitely.
da on my return home in low spir
its and much dishearted, I pre
sented her with a piece of laco,
which she refused to accept for a
long time, and not until I succeed
ed in making her believe that I
drew it as a prize in a lottery i o
ceutly established to befriend a
poor widow, whom misfortune iu
trade had obliged to decline busi
ness. The company met the third
day after this transacting, to set
tle up the doings of the preceding
week, and omitting to reudor an
account of tho lace, I had giveu
my wife, I was accused of a fraud'
ulent concealment. The opiuion
of the majority coinciding with
my accuser, high words ensued,
and blows, succeeding words, I
was severely beaten, aud my un
generous companions threatened
to lodge an information agaiust
me at the mayor's office, I sud
denly determined upon quitting
them,' and made arrangement
accordingly for leaving New York
the next day.
(To be Continued;
REV. GEO. B. SHOEMAKER
Writes of Ills New Home in the
Upper Iowa Conference.
Maouoketa, Iowa, Oct. 24, l!t02,
Editor News: The great
Methodist wheel for the Upper
Iowa Conference has gone around
again, and I liud myself and fam
ily comfortably settled in a new
home. Our present appointment
is in tho eastern part of the con
ference. We afe only about thir
ty miles from the Mississippi riv
er. This is the longest move I
have ever made one hundred
and fifty miles, at least almost
across the entire conference ter
ritory, for Iowa Falls is the far
thest appointment west, and Ma
quoketa is near the eastern bor
der. I am thankful they stopped
me before they got me into the
Mississippi river ; for while 1
used to visit the old Dougly hole
frequently when a boy, I never
learned to swim.
My work here opens very
pleasantly, and I am looking for
ward toward a good year. Our
town has four thousand of a pop
ulation and is an enterprising
place. We have a good brick
church in splendid repair, and an
excellent brick parsonage. Our
membership is about three hun
dred, with a Sunday school aver
aging in the neighborhood of two
hundred in attendance. We have
plenty of people unsaved. It is a
large field, and we hope for a
great harvest.
I have been reading the "News"
to-day. 1 see thoy are paying (iOc
a hundred for bones. They were
buying bones when I was a boy :
I should think they would have
had them all bought up before
this time. It makes my back
tired now to think of the loads of
boues I used to carry. I was
surprised in reading the names
of the county officers to learn
that Mr. Chesnut was still coun
ty superintendent. I thought I
had read some time ago that Mr.
Barton was elected to that office.
The paper must be right, of
course, but it confuses me a lit
tle. I was much pleased while at
Crystal Springs campmeeting
last August to meet a number of
very pleasant people who spoke
to me in kindly terms of my let
ters occasionally sent to the
News. What they said loft a good
taste in my mouth, and I thank
them for their words'. The wife
who said to her husband, "John,
if the pies aud the doughnuts and
the cookies are good, tell me now,
don't wait until I am dead and
then tell me," was not far from
right in her request.
While at conference at Mar
slialltown Mrs. S. and I were
walking along the street and we
saw a large basket of chestnuts.
Of course, we bought some, and
the next day we bought some
more, &c. How we did enjoy
those chestnuts ! Why I could
see the trees, and hear the nuts
drop, and could almost feel the
burrs sticking into my fingers.
I want to go chestnuting in old
Fulton county before I die.
I saw a man with a load of hard
coal ou our streets a few days
ago. He only asked thirteen dol
lars a ton for it, and I concluded
not to buy. I will wait a while.
Coal will be cheaper before
Christmas. New York apples are
selling at three dollars a barrel.
Winter apples raised here are
! selling at seventy-five cents a
I bushel, but there are not many
I of them.
j I suppose I will have to believe
it, because the editor of the News
says it is so, but I find it consid
I erublo of an effort to swallow his
cabbage story of last week and
not choke on it. That cabbage
I must have gone to college and got
j the big head to swell up so that it
j would not go into a flour barrel,
j Never saw anything like that in
this great West. My! what a
head!
j The weather this fall is excel
1 lent. But little rain, and plenty
of sunshiue. So warm this week
! we do not need fire.
It Is so near election time that
I think some of tho readers of
the News might enjoy this elec
tion story, with which I close my
letter : .
"An ambitious citizen of Penn
sylvania, who rather indiscreetly i
had set himself up as a candidate
for some political office, after the
election was found to have re
ceived only one vote.
"The candidate's mortification
was extreme, aud to increase his
chagrin all his neighbors talked
as if it were a matter of course
that he had cast that one ballot
himself. This anuoyed him so
much that he finally offered a
suit of clothes, to be worth not
less than $50, to the lone voter if
he would declare himself.
"A Dutchman responded to his
appeal, proved his claim, and call
ed for the reward.
" 'How did it happen,' inquired
the candidate, taken by surprise,
'how did it happen that you voted
for me?'
"The Dutchman hesitated, but
on being pressed he said :
'"Ef I told you, you dou't go
back ou dem clo'es you promise?'
" 'O, no ; you shall havo the
clothes anyhow.'
" 'Veil, den, I dels you. I make
a mishtake iu de teecket.' "
Very truly,
. Geo. B. Shoemaker.
THE INSTITUTE NEXT WEEK.
No Pains or Expense Spared to iMuke It
tho llest In the History of tho County.
Superintendent Bartou has his
arrangements all complete, and
everything points to a most inter
esting and profitable, time next
week. The corps of day instruct
ors has been made up with much
care, and the earnest teacher may
expect to receive much that -will
bo helpful in his work as he goes
back to his school.
A brilliant array of talent has
been secured for the night enter
tainments, and those who miss
auy of them will lose an opportu
nity that does not often come to a
McConnellsburg audience.
Besides being an able lawyer,
Leon C. Prince, the lecturer for
Monday evening, is an instructor
in history and oratory in Dickin
son College at Carlisle. Senator
Penrose says of him, "In manner
he is magnificent, aud in effect,
powerful." Ex-Gov. Rob'tE. Pat
tison says, "Mr. Prince is a geu
tleman of ability, eloquent and
fascinating."
The Geneva (O) Free Press says
Riggs, the Tuesday night man, is
a whole orchestra, and that his
lecture bubbles over with humor.
Rev. Roddy, pastor Presby terian
church, Harrisburg, says that he
has enjoyed no entertainment
more than the one given by Mr.
Riggs ; that his mission upon the
platform is a grand one, eleva
ting, as ho does, our thoughts
and aspiratious while we laugh.
The Marion Wilson Quartette,
Wednesday evening, promises to
be a great hit. They cost money
but good things coino high, you
know. Don't miss them.
Frank Mack's "Seeing Things
Day and Night," on Thursday
evening, will bo a fitting climax
to tho course. Rev. Hutchins of
Brooklyn, N. Y., says if he could
get people to remember his ser
mons as well as thoy remember
Frank Mack's loctures he would
die perfectly happy.
Get your tickets at Trout's
drug store.
Dott.
Eld. W. T. Eastern, of Virginia,
preached two very able sermons
at Hills Chapel last Thursday and
Friday evening.
A. P. Hill who was visiting his
friends in, this vicinity has re
turned to his home iu Blue Mound
111.
Jacob Myers met with a very
painful accident last Thursday.
While hulling clover seed for Mr.
J. T. Hill, tho huller booame
choked, and while attempting to
relieve the machine his baud came
iu contact with the cylinder with
the result that two of his fingers
were badly lacerated. Dr. Swartz
welder rendered the necessary
surgical assistance.
Eld. T. N. Alderton will preach
at Hills Chapel Monday and Tues
day evenings the tonjth and elev
enth of November.
DR. JESSE D. BUCHER
A Former Fulton County Teacher ;
Writes From the Old Dominion j
nunxiKWATKK, Va , .)ct 28, 1902 I
Dear Editor : I have been a i
constant and intensely interested !
reader of "The News" for more !
than a year past, and have enjoy- j
ed the letters from various parts
of the country, but more especial-
ly those from the Fulton county j
boys who have gone away to oth- j
er states as J have dono. '
The letters of Editor Barron I
appreciated very much; and, nl-,
though he left Fulton county
about the time I became a resi
dent iu 1852 he brings to mind
so many of the old associates and
teachers of those times that I feel
almost acquainted with him.
He votes me nn old school
teachor, does he? Well, he is
partly right; for I taught three
years in Bethel towuship, one
term at Warfordsburg, and two
terms on Black Oak Ridge at
"Tho Chapel." I wonder how ma
ny of the boys and girls of those
days would recognize me now.
I have become a grandfather in
teaching, and yet have not taught
but two terms since 1880. By
that I meau that some of the
prominent teachers of this coun
ty wore my school boys twenty
years ago. But that needs only
to be explained by saying that I
helped organize the first Normal
School and Institute in the State,
and that "little bit of leaven" lias
Normalized the whole State.
Iu passing, I wish to say that
this county Rockingham has
about two hundred and fifty
schools, and pays its county su
perintendent G. H. Hulvey, an
old associata in Normal School
work, only if 750. 00 per annum,
while "Little Fulton" pays 1000.
Some of your school men will
wonder at it when I tell them
this is the largest aud richest
county in the State.
I wrote a letter to the News
last winter and mentioned some
of my old schoolmates Wash
Crouse for one, whom I had
mourned as dead for fifteen
years. A friend forwarded the
News to him at Lanark, 111., aud
the result was, a long letter from
him. I found him nofdend" but
"numerously alive" and kicking,
as he told me he had a wife and
ten children t. keep him compa
ny. I wrote him a long letter,
but have not yet had an answer.
I have been preparing notes of
late and gathering facts about the
battle of McConnellsburg from a
Cpn federate standpoint, and will
give that as my next communica
tion if this escapes the waste bas
ket. SABBATH BREAKERS.
Three Mischievous Young Men
Drill in the Wrong Hole.
David Ileffeltiugor, Joseph My
ers aud Robert Dissingor, throe
young men employed by the
Pennsylvania Railroad Company
at Mapleton, started last Sabbath
a week not for church, but for a
Sunday walk, and visited a stoue
quarry. Here they found several
drills and hammers lying about,
just as the workmen had left
them. At the suggestion of one
of tho young men, they concluded
to do a little drilling. Finding a
hole that had been partly drilled
out thoy put in a drill which Uef
felfinger and Myers held while
Dissiuger used tho hammer.
The holo contained a charge of
dynamite, aud the drill, after sev
eral blows had boen struck, hit
the cap and touched off the
charge. Tho three men were
hurled into the air and badly in
jured. They made their , way to
Mapleton aud were sent to Altoo
naon Way Passenger train.
At the hospital it was found
that Heffoltiuger had his face and
eyes burned by powder and filled
with sand. His left eye is so se
riously injured that he may lose
the sight of it. Myers was also
burned about the hands, face and
eyes. Dissitiger suffered a com
pound fracture of tho left arm
and had his face buruod by powder.
FATAL HUNTING ACCIDENT.
Benjamin Seylar, Son of John
Seylar, Killed at Cove (iap.
With his friend Benjamin Gor
such, Benjamin Seylar, aged 13,
son of Mr. and Mrs. John Seylar
spent last Friday afternoon hunt
ing near his home at Cove Gap.
As evening advance 1 the two
turned their steps homeward and
wn loitering close to a fet ce be
foi i crossingou to land of George
Sieiger. As they stopped to talk
young St-ylar held his gun, "Lu
lu," a single barreled weapon and
while stories differ as to how the
gun exploded, it is pretty well
established that as he swuug his
foot caught the trigger, discharg
ing the weapon. The load entered
the left side of his head below the
eye, instantly killing him and
scattering his brainou the ground
roundabout.
Gorsuch who had warned him
to be careful, screamed for help,
gathering up the body of his lit
tle friend and carried it the dis
tance of eight panels of fence.
Then he found his burden too
heavy and sat down, holding the
body until help arrived. The
family of Win. Cowan living near
by, heard his cries and went to
his assistance. They found him
with the dead form of young Sey
lar in his lap, his clothing stained
with the life blood of his friend
and crying as though his heart
would break. As gently as pos
sible they took the remains from
him and gave them into the cus
tody of the boy's cousin, Leslie
W. Seylar, who took the body to
Mercersburg, where it was pre
pared for transfer to the home of
his parents, who live at Cove Gap.
The parents had previously been
iu formed of the tragedy, but the
sight of their dead son almost
drove them to distraction.
When the news of the accident
became-kuowu at his home there
was considerable excitement
The victim had been popular
among nil who knew him and he
had the regard of the entire com
munity. i
Tho boys had gone hunting for
rabbits in the fields between
Mercersburg and Cove Gap, and
they had reached a point about a
mile distant from their home
when the accident occurred.
The unfortunate boy's mother
isadaughterof Mrs. Rebecca Com
ererof.this place, and sister of
Mrs Annie Shimer of this plade
Mrs. Elliott Ray at Big Cove Tan
nery, and Mrs. Joseph Lohr at
Uustontown.
Mrs. Elliot Ray of Big Cove
Tannery, called at the News office
a few minutes while in town last
Saturday morning.
Communion service at the
Greenhiil Presbyterian church
next Sunday mornine. Prepara
tory service Friday evening at 7
o clock and baturday morning at
10 o'clock.
A big black bear that has been
seen abouttheRidge several times
within the last few weeks, crossed
the pike last Saturday morning
near the old toll-gate at J. K. Tri
tie's and went across to the
Meadowground mountain, The
boys who go out that way to hunt
rabbits had better look out for it
is a long way to run home.
A voluntary hill of potatoes in
the garden at the Alms House,
Shirleysburg, produced 47 pota
toes that weighed 20 pounds. The
crop of potatoes produced on the
farm this year was 525 bushels.
Cross Ties. .
Wanted 60,000 mixed oak or
chestnut cross ties, 8 feet long, 6
inches thick, 8 inches across mid
dle of tie. 2,000 chestnut poles,
34 feet long, 7 inch tops, for de
livery during next five months on
cars, point between Erie, Pa., and
Conneaut, Ohio. Also good tract
of chestnut timber suitable for
telephone poles.
Union Railway Supply Co.
1005 Real Estate Trust Co. Bldg.
Philadelphia.
LOCAL AND PERSONAL.
Brief Mention of Persons and
Places You Knew.
Mr. Thomas Bender is visiting
his parents, Mr. ancf Mrs. Samucsl
Bender.
John Bender is occupying a
position on the board in Charlie
Stevens' tailoring establishment.
Charlie Scott, Fort Loudon's
hustling merchant spent Sunday
on this side of the mountain.
R. N. Fryman and daughter
spent a few days with friends at
Saxton last week.
Dr. and Mrs. Hill, of Fort Lit
tleton spent last Saturday at Mc
Connellsburg.
Albert D. Hohman, of Pittsburg
is visiting his parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Leonard Hohman of this
place.
Clarence N. Trout of the Phila
delphia Dental college came home
last Saturday evening for the
election holiday.
Rev. D. P. Drawbaugh, of Al
ttKiua, is spending a few days
among his friends at McConnells
burg. Miss Lizzie Deitrich ofWaynes
boro, Pa. ' spent two or three days
the past week with her niece M rs.
Ella Fryman of the Cove.
Elder S. L. Baugher will preach
at Oakley, Sunday November 9, at
10 A. M. ; at Antioch at 2 P. M.,
and Mays Chapel at 7 P. M.
Mr. and Mrs. M. A. Grissinger
of Saltillo are spending a week or
two among their many friends
here.
Robert N. Fry man of Ayr town
ship has a good mare six years
old and that will work anywhere
that he will sell right.
The News is full, not the Edi
tor; hence we send it to you a lit
tle earlier this week. You will
get the election news later.
J. W. Fraker, Dyson F. Fraker
auu oujuiuuu AJLUntll Ul run Jilt-
tleton, G. A. R. people, attended
a meeting of King Post at this
place Saturday.
Misses Ella and Fannie Kendall
of the Cove are visiting their sis
ter Mrs. Thomas Shepherd in
Ohio.
Mr. Cornelius Lambert of St.
Thomas, spent last Friday night
with Mr. and Mrs. D. V. Sipes
near town.
Ed Shimer who has been with
aU. S. Geological Survey corps
since last May returned to his
home in this place a day or two
ago..
Mri and Mrs. D. V. Sipes, D. T.
Fields,- Abram Runyah, and John
P. Sipes, Esq., were among the
number who attended the funeral
of Baltzer Decker last Sunday.
Frank Deshong and family, of
Shippensburg, have moved to
Fannettsburg, where Mr. Desh
ong will be employed in a harness
factory.
David Thomas who has been
employed with C. B. Stevens, for
about a year left last Saturday
morning for the Smoky City
where he has employment.
Mrs. Ann Troupe, who has been
spending several weeks with her
daughter, has gone to Maryland
lor a short visit and will tben re
turn to ner home in Philadelphia.
Pr. W. L. McKibbin who has
had editorial charge of the Fulton
Republican, went down to his '
home last weok accompanied bv
his son Herbert, the latter of
whom returned Monday.
The Gettysburg "Compiler"
says j "The Hon. S. McO. Swope
judge of the courts of Adams and
Fulton counties, continues to im
prove in healthand has been able
to take short walks on the street".
One of the longest beets we
have seen this year was sent to
this office by Mr. aud Mrs. L, A.
Youse. It was one of those rad
ish shaped beets and measured
about one-eleventh of a rod in
length. To keep it from f roezinsr
over winter we think we shall, as
it is pointed at the root end, drive
it into the ground and lay a Btoua
on it. '