I
I VOLUME 7.
McCONNELLSBURG, PA., FEBRUARY 21. 1900.
NUMliER 22
f
LEGISLATORS GO HOME.
Finished the Work of the Extra Session
at Noon Last Thursday.
ONE OF THE TEN BILLS DEFEATED.
The legislature of Pennsylva
nia, last Thursday at noon com
pleted the business for which it
was called into extra session by
Governor Pennypacker and ad
journed finally.
Alltbe reform legislation enum
erated by the Governor in his of
ficial call was enacted with the
exception of civil service tir state
otlices.
Three bills have already been
signed and the remainder will be
acted on during the next thirty
days.
Following is a list ot the legis
lation enacted :
Consolidation of the cities of
Pittsburg and Allegheny into
(Ireater Pittsburg.
Senatorial and Reprentative ap
portionment. Personal registration for cities.
Abolishing the fees of the Sec
retary of the Commonwealth, and
fixing his salary at $8000.
Abolishing the tees of the In
surance Commissioner, fixing his
salary, at $0000 and designating
the number and salaries of the
employes of the Insurance De
partment. Establishing a uniform primary
system of primary elections.
Establishing civil service regu
lations for the municipal employ
es 6f Philadelphia.
Prescribing the purpose for
which candidates and campaign
committees may expend money.
Repealing the Philadelphia
"ripper" which took from the
Mayor and placed with councils
the appointment of directors of
public safety and public works.
Regulating the distribution of
the state funds and making it a
misdemeanor to give or receive
state deposits for political influ
ences. Limiting t. $750,000the amount
to be expended by the state an
nually for the erection of bridges.
Requiring county commission
ers fr advertise for bids for the
erection of bridges when the cost
exceeds $250.
Prohibiting the municipal em
ployes of Philadelphia from tak
iug an active part in politics and
being assessed for political purposes.-
Regulating the assessment of
poll tax in cities of the first and
second class.
. The session also authorized a
legislative inquiry into the affairs
of the Philadelphia & Reading
Railroad Company and its consti
tuent companies; directed Attor
ney General Carson to inquire by
what authority certain railroad
companies in the state are engag
ed in the anthracite coalmining
business, and made an mvestiga
tion of the Insurance Department
and the souices from which the
commissioner and actuary receive
fees.
The Greater Pittsburg bill and
the insurance commissioner's sal
ary bill have already been signed,
The Philadelphia "ripper" repeal
er will be allowed to become a
law by default.
The Governor has signed the
bill for the payment of the ex
penses of the extra session. The
actual cost was $187,802.89. ex
elusive of the cost of pnntin j of
nie legislative Record.
After a visit of several weeks
in the home of his father and oth
er rneuds in this county, M
Charles Richards ha rnt.nrnod
his home at Lnwlaimro. rM
While here Charlie's father gave
him a relic of the Civil War which
. Iw prizes much. It was a little
block of pino about Ulriinv,Q
whittled out of a p.ece of timber
, ued in the famous "dead line" m
tiieAndersonville pria )D by the
i? der Richa.ds upn one of hl
Tisits to that "pen" jU8t at the
close of the war.
Subscribe for UiqNbjws.
SESSION COST STATE $172,027.24.
Exclusive of Expense of Printing Leg
islative Record and Wrapping.
Leaving out the cost of printing
the Legislative Record and wrap
pers, which cannot be estimated,
molding of the extra session of
the legislature cost the State
$172,027.24, divided as follows :
Senators' salaries. . . . $ 25,032.00
Senators' mileage. . . . 3,113.80
Senators' stationery . . r00.00
Seuators' postage (Re
cord) 750.00
Senate employes 11,072.00
Senate employes(mile-
age) 1,635.50
Senate (cleaning) 2,500.00
House members' salar- ,
ies 103,032.00
House members' mile
age 13,300.00
House Record postage 1,500.00
House stationery 2,040.00
House employes' sal
aries 14,010.00
louse employes' mile
age 2,077.30
House Work on Jour
nal 400.00
House cleaning 2,500.00
Record indices 300.00
Insurance Depart
ment Investigating
Committee..- 1,051.64
Senate sergeant-at-
arms (writs) 79.35
H o u 8 e sergeant-at-
arm (writs) 824.00
Senate sergeant-at
arms (Journal) 88.80
$172,027.24
Children Burned.
The Franklin Repository gives
the following account of a tei rible
tragedy which occurred in Horse
Valley, Franklin county, last Fri
day. ' Mr. Mack?y drives for a saw
mill outfit and is away lrom
home most of the time. In his
abs ince Friday his wife went to
the stable, which stands quite a
distance from the house, and fed
the cattle and milked the cows.
"In the house were the two
children, little girls, one and three
years old.
"Grant Mackey, a brother of
John, was working not far away
and saw the smoke. He went to
the stable and got Mrs. Mackey
and they ran to the house.
"When she opened the kitchen
door she was greeted with a burst
of flame and stifling smoke.
"They tried to enter the house
to save tho children but could not.
Nothing was heard of them and it
is likely they died before she got
there.
"The nearest neignbors live far
away, and by the time th?y got
to the place the frame house once
the Mackey home was burned to
the ground and all its contents
destroyed.
"Iln the ruins were found the
charred bodies of the two babies.
"The mother, who became al
most crazed, knows nothing of
how the fire started, but it is sup
posed the oldest child must have
gotten about the kitchen stove
and set fire to her clothing. Her
mother was too far away to hear
her screams if that was the case."
Reached His Majority.
On the 8;b lust., Mr. Nat Wish
art, of Johnstown, Pa., arrived at
his majority, and to celebrate tho
event, fourteen ot bis friends
joined him in an elaborate ban
quet at the Crystal cafe ; in that
city. Nat was the recipient of a
beautiful diamond-set stick-pin.
The young gentleman is a son of
Dr. and Mrs. H. S. Wishart, of
this place, and holds a lucrative
and responsible position with the
Cambria Steel Company.
Thanks!
Rev. and Mrs. A. G. D. Powers
ot Needmcre, desire through the
columns bf the "News" to express
their appreciation of the kindness
of the many friends who so kind
ly assisted in purchasing a new
bufe'gy, robe and whip, and other
presents which were formally de
livered on Monday of last ween.
The value of the several pifts was.
about seven ty dollars.
$139,000,000 PENSIONS.
Nation Has Up to'this Time Paid for
Pensions, a Sum Epual to One-half -'
the Cost of the Civil War.
MILLION NAMES ON THE LIST.
In presenting a bill in the low
er house of Congress for the ap
propriation of money to pay pen
sioners n?xt year, Mr. Gardner,
of Michigan, who had charge of
the measure, gave some interest
ing information concerning pen
sions. Forty years after the Civil War,
he says, the pension appropria
tion is at its maximum. There
are one million pensioners, all but
53,124 of them from that war,
with an annual roll of $139,000,
000. In the 53,424 are represent
ed veterans of all other wars the
country ever had.
The Civil war cost $6,000,000,
000. Up to the present time half
as mucti again has been paid out
for pensions, and Mr. Gardner
predicts that before the end of
its pension roll comes, the first
cost of the war will have b'jen
equaled. In twenty years from
now he predicts the pension rolls
will contain half a million names,
of which 132,414 will be charge
able to the Spanish-American
war. At the present time, he
says, the pension roll costs the
government just one-fourth of all
other expenses. In 1867, one
year after the Civil war, the in
terest on the public debt was
$143,781,591, and the pension roll
$20,933,551. Now these two
items are practically reversed as
to amount.
Mr. Gardner compared this
pension roll of $139,000,000 to that
of France, with an annual expen
diture of $26,000,000; Germany,
$21,000,000; Austria-Hungary,
$10,000,000, and Great Britain,
$9,000,000.
As to the Spanish war veter
ans, he slid to day there are more
of them on the pension rolls than
were in Shafter's entire army in
Cuba.
The necessity of enacting the
Paesident's order No. 78 into law
as provided for In the bill, was
explained by Mr. Gardner. Hia
order was intended to work auto
matically, and to make age the
only proof of disability. Com
missioner Warner had found the
order in conflict with statute pro
visions and it was thereoy robbed
of its operation. By eliminating
surgeon's fees,' Mr. Gardner es
timated that by enacting the or
der In to law, money would be sav
ed the government and benefit
extended to the veteran- The
amendment he regarded as a vir
tual service pension law, saying
in time it would place every sol
dier of the Spanish wai on the
pension roll at a maximum pen
sion of twelve dollars a month.
A Farm That Raised a Man.
The farm, at Hodgenville, Ky.,
upon which Abraham Lincoln was
born, February 11, 1809, was sold
at auction last August. Among
the intending bidders was a distil
ler, who wanted it to advertise a
brand of whiskey. Others had
designs little loss objectionable.
The place was bought for Col
lier's Weekly, which will turn It
over to the Lincoln Farm Associ
ation, a body which has its presi
dent. Governor Folk, of Missouri,
and twenty trustees of national
repute headed by Joseph H.
Choato, William II. Taft. Horace
Porter and Mark Twain. Theas
sociation will buy and restore to
the farm the log cat in in which
Lincoln was born, now the prop
erty of a showman; will enclose
and protect it, erect a memorial
and establish a historic museum.
By the Lincoln centennial in 190ft
the tjrva should be in good shape.
There is not in the world a more
impressive spot than Mount Ver
non. Preserved with like loving
car'e, the "little model farm that
raised a roan. "as Mark Twain de
scribes it, will have its lessons for
generations of A moricau citizens.
CONSTABLE'S FEES.
Entitled to Increased Pay by Superior
Court Ruling.
By tha sheriff's fee bill of 1901,
constables were entitled to $1 for
the first subpoena for common
wealth cases at tho Quarter Ses
sions court and 50 cents for each
additional subpoena in addition to
10 cents a mile direct. Accord
ing to a former !aw governing the
payment of cos is, constables were
entitled to ouly 15 cents lor each
service and 6 cents a mile circu
lar or 12 cents a mile direct. The
commissioners of some counties
continued to pay in accordance
with the old law, butp.-omised to
pay the constables at the higher
rate if the legality of the bill of
1901 was ever decided. A ruling
was recently handed down in the
Superior court which held that
c nstables areentitled to thehigh
er figure.
Nine Sheep.
In a.iswer to the "sheep" prob
lem iu last week's News Mr.
Emanuol Sipes, of Hustoutown,
sends the following :
How many sheep must a fai m
er buy at $3.50. $5.00, $0.00 and
$8.00 respectively that he may
close them out at $5. 00 ahead and
neither gain nor loje ?
4 at $3.50 ; $14.00
1 " $5.00 ! $ 5.00
3 " $0.00 . $18.00
1 " $S.O0 : $ 8.00
9
9 at $5.00
$45.00
$45.00.
Birthday Anniversary.
For some time past, the many
friends of Rev. and Mrs. A. G B.
Powers, of Need more, had been
planning a surprise for Mrs.
Powers, to lake place on Monday,
February 12 that being that
worthy lady's sixtieth birthday.
An excellent program had been
prepared in anticipation of the
day, but on the evening before
the entire community was shock
ed by the sad intelligence that
"Aunt Nancy" Peck as she was
familiarly called had passed
away. Under the circumstances
it was thought best to defer the
program as prepared. However,
during the lorenoon, quite a num
ber of friends assembled at the
home of the beforenamed parson,
and after partaking of a bounti
ful dinner, passed some time
pleasantly in social lutercourse.
Mrs. Powers was the recipient
of many beautiful and useful
presents; but for the Reverend
was reserved the chief surprise,
when W. R. Dantels, in a neat
speech, informed him that just
outside was a bran-new buggy
and lap robe, purchased for him
as a present by the congregations
of which Mr. Powers has been
pastor during the past year.
WEST DUBLIN.
Samuel Strait moved last week
from J. E. Lyon's farm to the W.
C. Mann farm in Licking Creek
township.
The local Institute at Laidig
last Friday night, was quite in
teres ting. There were good re
citations which were well receiv
ed by a large crowd.
Herbert Kirk, of Hustontown,
spent Sunday with Harvey Clev
enger. James E. Lyou has purchased
a fine span of mules.
Nettie Price, of Laidig, who had
been called home recently by the
illness of her sister Myrtle, ex
pects to return to Altoona to day
(Monday).
Luella Laidig, who has spei.t
several weeks with her "parents,
Jos. Laidig and wife, returned to
Altoona Monday.
Hester Witter, of Gracey, spent
Friday and Saturday ol last week
with her sister, Mrs. Ross King.
Names of pupils present at
Round Knob school every day of
fifth month : Raymond and Sher
man Figard, Custer and Glenn
Foor, Arthur, Charlie, and Ernest
Mort; Harvey und Austin Thom
as, Ethel Foor, aud Lillian Stlu-son,
HARVEST OF DEATH.
Brief Sketch of Those Who Have An
swered Their Final Summons
Recently.
DAVID BKLBAKER AND GEO. REIHART.
JOHN ECKEL.
Jehu Eckel, well known to all
our older people, died very sud
denly of heart failure at his home
in Chambersburg last Friday ev
eniug.
Mr. Eckel was born in Phila
delphia, January 4, 1834 Soon
after, the family removed to Mc
Connellsburg, where he received
hiseducatiou in the public schools.
When 18 years old he went to
Gettysburg, where he learned
the tinjiing trade. He practised
his trade in Eitou, Ohio, and then
went to Port Washington, Wis
consin, whore he engaged in the
grocery business until the out
break of the Civil War. After
tho war, he and Captain Calvin
Gilbert conducted a dry goods
store iu Cbamborsburg for two
years, after which Mr. Eckel ne-
came a commi rcial traveler, a
business in which he was engag
ed until his death. He had rep
resented the J. R. Keim & Com
pany woolen house of Philadel
phia for more than 34 years, and
had a larpe trade and thousands
of friends over his routes.
During his boyhood days he
was a e'erk in Fletcher's store in
the room now occupied by A. U.
Nace & Son, and in later life as
he made his periodical visits here
he delighted to meet h's old time
friends and go over the scene? of
early life in McCounallsburg.
OAVID HIiL'HAKER,
David BVUbaker, who owned
and lbed ou the old Kemp farm
in Dublin township, died last Sun
day of pneumonia after an illness
lasting but two days.
Mr. Brubaker was aged 59
years, 10 months and 28 days,
and is survived by his widow and
by one son, Charles, ot Saxton,
Bedford county.
The sudden taking away of the
father must awaken the keenest
syrapathy.for the surviving moth
er and son, for the family have
been compelled to drink the cup
of sorrow to the bitter dregs.
On the 13th of last September,
William, a son, was killed at
Quincy, Pa., by the explosion of a
gas tank. Through the tender
solicitude of the father, the re
mains of the unfortunate son
were brought home for burial
As told by the "News" last week
John, another son, died cn Mon
day of last week, after a distress
ing illness of six weeks of typhoid
fever. The care and anxiety of
the father for this son's comfort
and recovery, taxed his strength
to a point when the-e was prac
tically no vitality left to with
stand an attack of pneumonia.
The remains of Mr. Brubaker
were laid to rest in tho cemetery
of the M. E. church at Kuobsville
yesterday, services conducted by
Rev. B. A. Salter of Hustontown.
, GEOIIGE REIHART,
George Reihart, a well known
citizen, died at his home at Burnt
Cabins, last Saturday afternoon,
aged 48 years, 7 months, and 5
days. '
Although not a tall man, Mr.
Reihart weighed 360 pounds. He
was a blacksmith by trade; and
notwithstanding his extreme ob
esity, was agile, and a good me
chanic. During the past several
months he had been working at a
steam sawmill.
His funeral toon place Monday
afternoon, und interment was
made In the cemetery at the
Burnt Cabins M. E. church, ser
vices being couducted by Rev.
Whiteman.
The deceased is survived by
his widow, who was Miss Mar
garet Johnson, and by his moth
er, Mrs. William Butts of th Cab
ins.
Mr. Reihart was in his usual
health up to last Wednesday,
when he rapidly sank under an at
lack of heart disease and tfropuy
TOOK HIS PAY.
Legislator Couldn't Resist the Fascina
tion of That $500 Check.
Krom HarrlHburg Independent.
Only one of the Chester county
members of the Legislature got
his pay for the extra session, and
he only coralled the wad by break
his pledge. When ihe extra ses
sion, was called Senator Thomson
and Representatives Cope, March,
Wayne and Thorn psou, with a
great showing of dignity and an
equally great showing of scorn
for lucre, got together and made
a pledge that they would not take
any salary for performing their
duties during the extra session.
There is no law that would pre
vent them from getting the $500
due them, but they just wouldn't
take it, and that was all there was
about it. On Thursday, when the
warrants for the legislators' pay
were made out the Chester coun
ty lawmakers turned away and
said : "Not any for us."
That is all but one turned away.
Mr. Cope, one of the members of
the House, could not resist that
little old $500, and he forgot his
pledge, forgot that he had posed
as a man who simply made laws
for the good it would do the peo
ple, with no hope of reward for
himself, and going to the State
treasury he got his warrant for
$500. The warrants for the oth
ers are all ready for them when
ever they care to take them, and
if they do not the money will re
vert to the State treasury.
There is only one similar case
on record. During the extra ses
sion of 1883, Representative Al
fred G. Crawford, from Philadel;
phia, who was really honest in
trying to pass an apportionment
bill, was taunted by a Republican
member with trying to prolong
the session in order to get the ex
tra pay of $10 per day. Craw
ford, in a rage declared that he
would not take a cent of salary
for the entire session, and he did
not. Years afterward, when he
needed the money, a bill was pass
ed giving him the entire back sal
ary, and he got the money.
WELLS VALLEY.
Mrs. W. H. Baumgardner is
visiting her brother, Alfred John
ston, at Streator, 111., who has
been in failing health for some
time.
Misses Mary Defibaugh and
Bessie Helsel, of Sixmile Run,
visited friends in this place from
Saturday until Tuesday.
Dorsey and Will Barnett spent
several days with their parents
during the past week.
G. A. Stewart recently lost a
valuable cow.
Some of the people of our com
munity have been afflicted with
chickenpox and mumps for some
time.
A miscellaneous collection of
valentines flew in every direction
through our community last
week. The recipients were af
fected in different ways some
pleased, some amused, and some
well, mad, I guess.
LAUREL RIDGE.
Mrs. Robert Mellottand daugh
ter Goldie,'were visiting relatives
at Needmore last Sunday.
Michael Peck was visiting his
daughter Mrs. James Peck a few
days last week.
Jacob Clouser and wife, were
visiting friends near Warfords
burg and Hancock last week.
Mrs. Robert Mellottand daugh
ter Goldie. attended the birthday
dinner last Monday at Rev. A. G.
B. Powers.
Mary Shives and Maud Gordon
visited Mr. and Mrs. John Laley
last Sunday.
Edna Swisher of Cito, is spend
ing some time with relatives in
Thompson township.
Communion services at the
Presbyterian church iu this place
next Sunday mornljg. Prepara
tory services Fridiy evening and
Saturday afternoon.
Subscribe for the,"News," ouly
fl.OOayear.
ABOUT PEOPLE YOU KNOW
Snapshots at Their Comings and Goings
Here for a Vacation, or ' Away
for a Restful Outing.
NAMES OP VISITORS AND VISITED
Mrs. S. K. Pitt man and her
cousin Joanne Morton, spent sev
eral davs last week visiting
friends at Hustontown.
Wilbur Fraker, of Burnt Cab
Ins, was in town yesterday ar
ranging for the advertising of his
sale which will take place on
Tuesday, March 6th.
Mrs. W. D. Myeri, of Hancock,
accompanied by her son Claude,
spent a few days during tne past
week visiting her daughter Bes
sie, a student at the Cumberland
Valley State Normal school at
Shippensburg, and her sister,
Mrs. AB. Hanks in Chambers
burg. , Mr. Aaron Knepper, one of
Taylor township's substantial
farmers, was in town a few hours
Monday. A big wind storm
sweptover his premises just be
fore the holidays, and lifted a
large portion of the roof off his
barn, and plantde it down in the
barnyard.
J. iR. Morgret, of Fairmount,
111., in a letter enclosing the cash
for another year's subscription,
says they did not have any win
ter until after Ground Hog day,
but they have no reason to com
plain now. Aaron Hess, of Bel
fast township, is at Mr. Mor
gret's, and is entertaing Reilly
with some yarns about thedoin's
back in Fulton.
Mr. I. G. Waters, of Burnt Cab
ins, ana his brother in-law, Abra
ham Mathias, of Colorado, spent
a few hours in town last Satur
day. Mr. Waters and family and
Mr. Mathias and his mother in
tended to leave the Cabins yester
day for Monte Vista, Colorado.
Mr. Waters, whose sale was ad
vertised in the News, says he had
a splendid sale, and is much pleas
ed with our bills and advertising.
THOMPSON.
The protracted meeting at An
tioch is still in progress. Revs.
Garland and Powers are the min
isters in charge. Miss Andrews,
Mr. Garrett, and Mr. Bench of
West Virginia, are among the
choir singers.
Thomas Shives and daughter
Madge, of Pawpaw, are visiting
relatives here.
Mrs. Alice Keefer, of Ohio, is
visiting in the home of her father
Denton Peck.
Miss Bess Simpson spent a few
days recently on the Ridge. Miss
Olive Zimmerman also spent a
few days visiting friends hero.
Austin Peck, of Hancock, is
spending a short time with his
parents.
Misles Daisy and Annie Wink
of McConuellsburg, were visiting
among friends in this township
Saturday and Sunday.
John H. Brewer and wife and
John Tayman and wife -were
guests in the home of P. P. Shives
last Thursday.
John H. Simpson has returned
to his home in Washington, Pa.,
after having visited friends and
relatives here several weeks. M r.
Simpson is a very prosperous cit
izen of that city, but says he
would like nothing better than to
come back and spend his life on a
farm in old Fulton. "
Mrs. Elizabeth Hess is nick.
Miss Fite does not seem to im
prove. A Large Oak.
H. E. Dishong anti J. R. Siws
cut a white oak for A. M. Gar
land on U. P. Charlton's farm iu
Pigeon Cove, which measured 39
inches across "the stump, the
trunk making 59 ft. of saw log.
and the tree cut 2,017 feet of lum
ber, mill measure If any other
lumbermen In the county can
beat this let us hear from ttmm.
Big reduction on Tobaccos for
the next 80 days, at Goldsmith's
grocery.