Jtoltow mm VOLUME 7. McCONNELLSBURG, PA., FEBKUAKY 7. 1900. NUMBER 20 REV. GEOKUE B. SHOEMAKER. Tells of Things la Western Iowa. Suc cessful Union Revival Services. Eldoua, Iowa, January 29, 1900, EniTon News : I noticed In a recent issue of your paper, men tion made of iriyself by a gentlo- inan who wrote a very interest ing letter from one of the western states Nebraska I think. 1 am glud to know of his appreciation of my letters, and I can assure all who write for the "News-' that I enjoy very much the letters and articles they prepare. I read ev ery thing m the paper even to the advertisements; and while they do not often change either language or subject, 1 enjoy them just the same. Iowa has been good to us this wiuter. The month of January has .been exceptionally nice. I recall only two stormy days for the entire month, aud they were not severely cold. During the month we have had good sleigh ing, and scarcely any slush or Mft roads.' To day the snow is melting rapidly, and the water is running freely In the streets. Last night when we returned from church, I found that the furnace tire was out, but it was so comfortable in the house that 1 did not re kindle it, and we sat for a long time without fire had none until morning. Think of that in Iowa in January ! Real ly, it seems like spring. Of course the "old grumbler" is not happy, and out of the drawn down-corner of his mouth he is saying, "Ob. 'well, this is only a weather breed er. Wait 'until February comes in, and you'll see what we will get. Ugh ! I'm freezing now while I think of it." Well, February may bring cold weather, but I'm go ing to enjoy th's beaunful winter weather while I have it. One of the members of my church went to Chicago to day with ten hundred and fifty head of sheep. They had five double deck cars to carry them. These sheep were bought last fall out in Montana and shipped to Iowa Co., Farm tar feeding. They turned them out into the corn fields and let them forage, but awhile before shipping to market, they were fed for the purpose of fattening. These men handled at a good pro fit this fall and winter nearly four thousand sheep. I made mention in my last let ter about a proposed Union meet ing, am asked the Christian peo ple in the old horn a to pray for us. The meetings began on Sun day, December 31, 1905, audclos ed on Monday, January 22, 1906, and while the evangelist at no time announced the uumber of conversions, there were more than two hundred. Some old men, among them one man who was sixty-five years of age, whole families father, mother and children- were swept into the kingdom. WLile the Evangelist is a Congregationalist, he used the old method of calling peni tents forward, and upon their knees before God he led them to plead for pardon. Night after night the altar was crowded with penitents. Large numbers of students in the high school were happily converted. It made me think of the last meeting that was held in the old stone M.E. church in McConnelleburg that meet Ing from which I date my con version to God, and In which forty and more of the students of the upper room in the old brick school house were born again. Yesterday I opened the doors or our church, and forty-nine rer sous gladly and freely united on probation. Oh, what a meeting we had! It will be remembered for many years; yes, by many forever. The other churches will receive their h?re of the con verts. Perfect harmony prevail eu among ine christian people curing me entire time. All ex penses were met and a generou rree win offering was given the Evangelist.' I write this that the christian jwople of old Fulton FIRE ALARM. j The burolni Out of the Chimney in J. 0. 1 Keisner's Residence Last Friday Ev- enlnc Causes Excitement. What seemed for a time last Friday evening like McConnells burg was to have a very disas trous conflagration, was happily averted, and theexcitement which ran high for a time, subsided when it was found that the dan ger point had been passed. Ear ly in the evening flames were dis covered emitting from top of the chimney in the main building, of of the residence of J. G. Reisuer, throwing a shower of sparks and balls of burning soot, much of which was falliug on the wooden roof of Mr. Reisner's house and on that of Miss Mary Dan .els. The bmlding immediately to the west of Mr. Reisner's is the resi dence of Senator Alexander. Be ing one of the most methodical men in town, Mr. Alexarder is fcenerally equal to au emergency; and for the protection of his own property, keeps a hose attached to the water pipe in the cellar, and a ladder in easy reach; hence as soon as Mr. Alexander was ap prised of the danger, it only took him a minute to turn on the water grab the hose, and the next min ute he was scurrying up the lad der and throwing a stream of wa ter on the roof that protected it completely from any danger from gnition by the burning soot. The chimney was a good strong one and took plenty of time to burn out, and now Mr. Reisner feels that it is likely to be several years before he need apprehend any danger from that source again. Two-Cent Fares. The first blow at toe railroads since the anti pass rule went into effect was struck in the Ohio Leg islature, when the Senate passed a bill making the maximum rate to be charged in that State, for passenger traffic, two cents a mile. There was not a dissent ing vote when the bill was passed. A similar bill was introduced in the House and referred to the Committee on Railroads. The committee postponed action for one week, whereupon incensed members threatened to remove the chairman. This action of the Senate of Ohio is a forerunner of action which will be taken by the Legislature of other States. Bills of similar nature were in troduced in former Legislatures, but they never got beyond the committees because the repre sentative of the railroads, who was always in attendance, was able to pigeon-hole them by the judicious use of passes. At the present sessions of Legislatures, the railroads cannot influence or dire.'t legislation as formerly, the pass privileges having been with drawn. It is humiliating to con fess it, but new legislation is in spired less by desire to deal just ly with the traveling public than to get square with the railroads. Having been relieved ot all sense of obligation to tho trans portation companies, the Legis latures of other States will pass two-cents-a-mile biHs, and wheth er these be retaliatory or other wise, they will be endorsed by thjse who will be directly affect ed by their rperatkn. In the long run the railroads are bound to lose by the retirement of pass es. M r 8. Hen ry Bar montanddaugh ter Rheny and Miss Elsie Wag ner spent a day recently at the home of Daniel E. Fore, Esq. may rejoice with us. Down stairs, while I write, lit tie feet are pattering over the floor, and a little voice reaches me in laugh, or shout, or cry, and it seems as though old days had come back, and I was young airaln: but as I stop to think, I remember it is my grandson Well, I'm glad just the same, for he is the finest grandson the sun shines upon. If my friend A. U. Nace tells you that is not so, don't you believe him. Very truly Geo. B. .'Xhoemakeii. MIGHT HAVE BEEN WORSE. Scott Dickson Crashed Through the Glass In J. K. Johnston's Store Door. It it were not well known that Scott Dickson, son of druggist William S. DicKson, is one of the most peaceably disposed boys in town, there would bo reason to susjtect from the quantity of court plaster that he is carrying on his face thst he had been "do ing up" the chief ol police. Be ing surcharged with that excess of energy and vitality u.cident to a healthy growing boy, he went bounding into J. K. Johnston's store last Friday evening, and in some way one of his feet slipped just as hr reached the door, and he pitched headlong through the glass in the door, shattering the pane aud badly cuttiug his nose. Blood flowed profusely . for a time but when the wounds were dress el it was found that he had not been seriously hurt. The glass was strong double-thick, and it makes one shudder to think of what might have happened. The famous Horseshoe Curve on tho Pennsylvania Railroad is to be eliminated. This his been definitely deeded upon by the of ficials of the railroad, Two meth ods are proposed, and four sets of plans have been prepared. Two of the plaus are for tunnels through the Allegheny Mountains one nine miles, and the other elev en miles. The other plans ere for new routes across the moun tains, one 90 and the other 150 miles long. It is the consensus of opinion among the officials that the nine-mile tunnel plan will be adopted. President Cassatt ex pects at least to start this work before his retirement. The tun nel would enter the mountain at or near Kittsnning iJomt, and emerge between Cresson and Lil ly. This would be the second larg est tunnel in the world, the only one larger being the Simplon Tunnel through the Alps, which is twelve miles long. The tunnel will accomodate fou-tracks and will be ventilated by air-shafts reaching to the crest of the moun tain. All operations through it will be by electric power. The cost of the tunnel and making connections with the main line is estimated at over $15,000,000. Ex. Another Doctor. Monday, George with his little hatchet, nailed up his shingle Not George Washington. He's dead. Tho George we are now telling about is Dr. George M Robinson, a graduate of the Columbian. Medical College, De ciding to engage in the practice of medicine and surgery in this p'ace, iie went before the State Board of Medical Examiners l ist December, and passed a most satisfactory examination. He has now received bis medicines and instruments, aud has open ed on office in the residence of his father, Editor S. M. Robinson, on West Water street, where he may be found for professional servi ces. - Surprise Party. A surprise party in honor of the 20th birthday anulversary of Mrs. John Souders, who resides on the Sipes farm east of town, was given on Monday of this week, and the occasion was a very enjoyable one to'those present, who were, William Pavlor, wifeand daugh ter Phoebe. Mrs. William Comer' er, Mr,?., bamuel Kelley, Mrs. Jacob Mctter, Mr. and Mrs. P, Scheidleman, Mrs. Cyrus Merit zer, Mrs. Andy Mellott, Mrs. Lynn Alexander, Mrs. Danel Clevenger, George Paylor, wife and little sons Maynardand Law rence; Mrs. McQuadeand daugh ter Myrtle, Mrs. Philip Ott and daughter Nora, Mrs. Scott Sou ders, and Miss Susie Black. Mrs Souders received some very nice presents, and served a very nice dinner. Subscribe for the News. Tribulations of The Editor. If tha make up of the "News" this week seoms tamo, and there dyes net seem to be lha usual grist of startling events, we trust our readers will forbear mak'ng any harsh criticisms. To be able to serve up a whole newspaperf ul of crisp entertaining matter, and keep that up week in and week out fifty-two times a year, year in and year out, nay not bo just as funny a job as you might think. Sometimes things happen. Some times they don't. Sometimes they come very near happening, and then, all at once you find they did not happen. When you have beeu out of meat at your house, have you gone out, and after a weary hunt, suc ceeded in getting hold of a fat rabbit, and just about the time you were congratulating yourself upon your good luck, the rabbit made one desperate lunge, and tho last you saw of it, the cotton tail was disappearing in the green briar thicket? You went home disouraged, and all the more, if the preacher was to be there for supper Such is life. We came very near having a two column article, with a big three-decker scare head, right in this week's paper an article that would have been read by every man, woman, and child in the county, and telegraph edtftallthe leading city dailies. Yes; it would have attracted as muuh popular interest as the in vestigation of the methods prac ticed by the State Insurance Com missioner at Harrisburg. The head would have run some thing like this : "Terrific Explo sion." "Ono of the Leading Stores in McConnellsburg Blown to Atoms." "Kindled Morning Fire with Dynamite." Well, as we have said, the rea son the article does not appear this week is, that the material for it did not ripen. Not quite. This is how near : Mr. George W. Hays, who for many years was the trusted clerk in the Thomas Patterson store recently purchased from the Pat terson heirs, the remaining in terest in the store and building, and will now be the sole owner of the business. For several days, William Hull, of the Racket Store, J. Lind Patterson, formerly one of the proprietors of the Webster Mills store, and J. B. Runyan, McConnellsburg's marble and granite man, who acquired a practical familiarity with the mer cantile business several years ago all have been busy making an invoice of the stock in the store, preparatory to Mr. Hayes takag entire possession. Before closing the store one ev ening last week, Elmer Peck sent in for four sticks of dynamite and four dynamite caps. The order was filled or it was supposed that it was filled. Next morning Mr. Hayes was at the store early, aud assisted in sweeping up the paper and other accumulations on the floor, incident to the business of the day before. The store is heated by a great big box stove, and it was a con venient place to put the rubbish. Into the stove it went, just as ff rmer rubbish had do'ie a hun dred times before; but just as Mr. Hayes closed the stove door B-o-o-m-! wentsomethingwith in the stove that fairly lifted Mr. Hayes off his feet, and the great stove heaved, the smcke and ash es flew, and for a moment Mr, Hayes stood dazed. It was all over in a 8 jcond. No mischief done. Nobodyhurt. He looked into the stove. The wood was simmering as though unde cided whether to burn or go out. There was a mystery, and Mr. Hays could not solve it; at least, he did not until about au hour later, when Elmer Peck came in to the store and inquired where those dynamite caps were that he had purchased the preceding ev ening, and were not in the pack age when he reached home. It was all plain enough mow. The caps hud been brush-id off I Mrs. Christina Miller Dropped Dead In the Yard at the Home of Her Sis ter, Mrs. Peter Shives. Mrs. Christina Miller, wife of John Mil er, had been having her home with her son Clarenoe Mil ler, near Plum Run inlhompson township. While . not of robust build, she has been in reasonably good health for some time. A few days ago, she went down to the homo of hoi sister, Mrs. Peter Shives, near Hancock, to spend p few days, and intended to return to the home of her sou Clarence, last Sunday; and she had planued further to go this week to the Littl Ctve to visit her daughter, Mrs. George Yea kle. Last Friday morning she threw a breakfast shawl over her head aud walked out f the house at Mr. Shives'. There was nothing in this, of course, to attract any attention; but when it was notic ed by some member of the fami ly after a little tune that Mrs. Miller had col returned, they went out and found her lyiug near the house, cold in death. This was a great shock to the family, and her body was tender ly carried into tho house. Later the body was removed to the home of her son Clarence, where, on Sunday morning, funeral ser vices were conducted by Rev. A. G. Wolf, of the Ev. Lutheran church, McConnellsburg, and the remains taken to tho graveyard at the Methodist church in the Little Cove, and laid to rest be side the remains of her kindred gone before. Mrs. Miller was a member of the Lutheran church in the Lit tle Cove, and aged 0!) yea-s, 10 months, and 7 days. ALBERT SCOTT WALKER. Formerly of Clear Ridge, Dies at McKees port of Cerebrospinal Meningitis. The many friends of A. S. Walker, formerly of Clear Ridge, will be pained to learn of his death which occu i red at McKees port, Pa., on Friday, January 20, 19015. The deceased was a son of the late Edmund Walker his moth er now being the wife of W. R Fields, ol Clear Ridge. Some time last summer, Scott left his home at Clear Ridge, and like many other young men, went out to the western part of the state where work is plenty and wages good. At the time he was stricken down with that terrible disease, he was learning the trade of plas tering, aud by hisgeuial mauuers had wou many warm friends. He was aged about 23 years His body was brought t ) the home of his mother, arriving on Satur day night foil wing his death, and on the following Monday was laid to rest in the little graveyard at Cromwell's church. Isaac G. Waters, of Burnt Cab ins, was in towu yesterday ar ranging for the advertising of his sale, which will occur on the 15th of February. Mr. Waters intends to remove with his family and his mother-in-law, Mrs. E. A. Mathias, to Colorado, soon after the sale. Mrs. Mathias has four sons living out in that state; and, now, as her daughter, Mrs. Waters, is going, she, no doubt, feels like being near to her children. , Mr. Wa ters said they are expecting Ab ram Mathias, of Colorado, to ar rive at the Cabins almost any day, and he will return home when his mother goes. the counter tho evening before, and with the waste paper, they had gone into the stove about a minute before Mr. Hays was won deiing who had "loaded" a stick of wood for him. Had it not been for the fact that the stove Is one of those strong box stoves that Coouey Stor.er sells that will stand more dyna mite than a bugulnr proof safe, we might have gathered materi a enough to make a respectable write-up. SUDDEN DEATH. Hl'LDAH MELLOTT. Wife of Luther Mellott Dies at Her Home in Ayr Township, Saturday Morning. Mrs. Huldah Mellott, died at her Lome in Ayr township, last Saturday morning, after an ill uess dating back several years. Funeral services conducted at the home by Rev. J. V. Adams, of the Method:st Episcopal church of this place, after which the re mains were t.,keu to tha Sideling Hill Baptist church, where con cluding services were conducted bv Rev. J. C. Garland, of the Ger man Baptist church, and inter ment was made in the graveyard at that place. M rs. Mellott was aged about 43 years. She was a daughter ol the late David B. Mellott, of Belfast township, and is survived by two brothers and two sisters, name ly, Margaret, wife of John Riley, Cumberland, Md.; Mary, wife of Riley Garland, of Ayr township; Job H., of Gapsville, Bedford county, and Elijah, of McCon nellsburg. She is also survived by her husband and 7 children : Stell i, wife of Seth H. Mellott, of Ayr township, aud William, An nie, Edith, Ernest, Mabel, and Zena, at home. Mrs. Mellott was a kin I heart ed, industrious wife and mother; and while she had never identified herself with any church, the rite of baptism was administered to her recently by Rev. Adams, of the Methodist church, and she died in the full hope of a blessed immortality. Resolutions of Kespcct. At a meeting of King Post No, 305, G. A. 11., held in the Post Room at McConnellsburg, Pa on Saturday, February 3, 1906, the following preamble and reso lutions were unanimously adopted . Whereas, it has pleased Almigh ty God to remove from our midst our lute comrade, John Elliot Kiimmel, one of the charter mem bers of this Post aud formerly a gallant soldier in Co. II, 208th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers during the civil war. Whereas, tho intimate lelations long held by our deceased comrade with us, and his earnest labors as an officer and member of our Post seem to make it proper that we should in some way give expres sion to our feelings toward him, Therefore, be it Resolved by King Post, No. 365 G. A. R. R., Department of Penn sylvania: That in the death of our comrade, John Elliot Hummel, which occurred Sunday morning, January 28, 1906, at the age of 64 years and 2 mouths, this Post loses a most esteemed comrade who was always loyally devoted to ev ery interest in the 1 ost from the time he entered it as a charter member, and the community in which his life was spent a warm hearted, generous citizen whose loss will long be deeply felt by all who knew him. Reiolved that we tender to his widow and family our heartfelt sympathy in this their sad alHic tion. Resolved, That these resolutions be entered upon minutes of the Post and that a copy of them be sent to the family of our deceased comrade and to each of the coun ty papers. Geo. W. Skinner, W. L. McKibbin, H. S. Wish art, Committee. At the Reformed Church. "Foreign Mission Day" will be observed by St. Paul's Reformed Sunday school, this coming Sun day, at 10:30 a. m. Avprlnted Service prepared by the Foreign Mission Board will be used. The offerings will be devoted to Foreign Missions. Divine services in the evening at 7 o'clock. Mr. and Mrs Mathias, who called home ou account of the sickness and death ot the latter's lather, Nicholas MeUler, near Burnt Cabins, have returned to their home in Fargo, N. D. NEW ELECTRIC CAR LINE. It Will Run Between Bedford and Al- Joona. Tho prospects of an electric street car line between Altoona and Bedford have brightened considerably and talk of the pro posed line is current in the Moun tain City. It is an almost assured fact that the Southern Traction com pany will build the proposed road f i om Altoona through to Bedford Springs. The name has been changed to "The Altoona, Holli daysburg and Bedford Springs Railway company." Itissaidthat the organization will be financed by a New York trust company, and that a mortgage has been ex ecuted and recorded in the Blair county courts in favor of the New York financial institution for $1, 200,000. The construction work will be begun at once and it is ex pected the entire road will be com pleted with cars runmug on it be fore next winter. The building of the line means considerable to Bedford. The trolly would boom the famous Bed ford Springs by making it more accesmblo than it is at present. The company has already secured a right of way which taps many small towns. A Word About the Weather. January of 1906 stands as a rec ord breaker for many years to come. The warm wave which held the Eastern and Middle States is something of which we have no previous reliable record; and yet, in the Middle West, a blizzard raged and in Colorado trains were buried by the snow slides. In Pittsburg occurred one case of heat prostratiohn. At Devil's Lake, Wis., a blizzard was blowing with the temperature at 20 degrees below zero. The crest of the warm wave appears to have been In Ohio, where a temperatui e of 77 degrees were recorded on the 21 or nearly 100 degrees' differ ence between Wisconsin and Ohio. In Vermont, butterflies and caterpillars were seen, and wasps were flying about in Troy. In Saratoga, a thermometer plac ed in the sun at noon registered 86. At Coney Island many wad ed in the surf. But it isn't safe to lay away winter wraps where they cannot be reached readily. There is pro bably severe weather ahead of us yet. It will be remembered that the winter of 1887-8 was a com paratively mild one until the lat ter part of the season, when the weather grew more severe, cul minating in the big blizzard in March. The weather may have a similar surprise for us yet. While January weather was warm to the very last day m this anctiou, and much ploughing was done, February has shown that she believed in having cold weath er in winter time. Consequently when the groundhog came out last Thursday the clouds were drawn apart and the full blaze r f sunlight dropped down on the pig's back that made a shadow so strong that the pig was ft ighten ed and scampered back into his hole, there to keep warm while six weeks ot arctic weather shall have the land in its grip. Elias Hartz, the veteran goose bone prognosticator, in Berks county, is a firm supporter of the groundhog theory as an auxiliary to the belief in his own method. On Thanksgiving Day Hartz pre dicted that this January would be the mildest for years, and it happened to be so. He also said that cold weather would start about the beginning of February and that during the mldc'le of the month there would be a blizzard. He predicts plenty of snow and hail, and declares that the goosebone shows that the weather will be very severe. Thus far, his predictions have proved correct, the groundhog corroborates his forecast, aud the venerable goosebone man is In hia glory. He says that the cold weather will ext."j j wt1! i to March.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers