iwn
VOLUME
MeCONNJ-LLSM KG, PA.. JULY 19, 190(5.
NUMUI-K '4
BURR-HAMILTON DUEL.
One Hundred and Two Years Since It
Was Fought.
One hundred and two years had
elapsed on the eleventh day of the
present mouth since the memor
able duel between Burr and Ham
ilton, or as the punctilious records
of that day termed them, Colonel
Uurr and General Hamilton. And
when that duel was fought it was
the day of physical death tor
Hamilton, and the day of political
death for Burr. Singularly
enough, Burr and Hamilton had
some traits in common, and these
were physical, and many that
were different, and these were
principally mental. Both were
short and slight men, both were
handsome, both had been brave
soldiers in the Revolutionary
war, and both were practicing
lawyers in New York city when
the correspondence took place
that led to the duel. Hamilton
ever had the ctntidenoe of Wash
ington while the Revolutionary
war was iu progress. Hamilton
was on Washington's staff in the
war, and was his confidential ad
viser while President. For Burr,
Washington had formed.a dislik
ing that soon turned to a distrust
mid eventually to an aversion.
As is noted above both Hamil
ton and Burr were engaged in
the practice of the law in New
York city in 1804, and both were
eminent practitioners and enjoy
ed lucrative professional engage
ments, which latter, however,
Hamilton was disposed to set
aside in behalf of public services
which he. conceived were due thi
viiMncrnnrl frml rnnilWllP. llnt.H
were politicians in the other
sense of the word and the expres
sion which Burr selected as a de
mand for an explanation from
Hamilton was supposed to have
been used in a conversation be
tween Hamilton and several politi
cal associates, which took place
at Albany in the previous winter.
Hamilton distinctly abjured arty
remark which inight have reflect
ed upon Burr's personal charac
ter as distinguished from his po
litical character and the latter
then demanded a withdrawal of
any and every remark which
Hamilton ever made or was even
rumored to have made reflecting
upon him.
By the side of the burying
ground of Trinity Church, in New
York city, there runs a narrow
thoroughfare known as Thames
street, now banked on both mar
gins with huge office buildings,
but then partly fronted by resi
dences. Among these was a pub
lic house or tavern, standing next
to the cornar of Temple street.
This waj tae resort of many of
the wits, lawyers, and merchants
of the city, from the business
part of which it stood somewhat
removed. In the early morning
of theday fixed for the duel, Burr,
whose residence held his law of
fice, proceeded with a surgeon
and a Mr. Van Ness, of whom the
latter was his second in the duel,
to breakfast at this tavern, In
turding thence to "take boat," as
the phrase went, to Hobokeu.
While Burr and his seconds
were at break fast, Hamilton, his
Recond and tiis surgoon, and, ac
cording to the account, a man
who was believed to be his "barge
man," stopped for refreshment
at the tavern. There was a con
strained and formal recognition
between the principals and sec
onds, and Hamilton and his com
panions quickly departed, leaving
Burr at breakfast. Despite their
start, Burr was the first to arrive
at ine Held.
, The old tavern has been closed
and demolished, though for years
after aud even until lately, it was
a widely reputed resort. Thus
on July 11, 1804, there were two
meetings between Burr and Ham
ilton, one in New York, oue iu l(0
boken, and at the second, Himil
ton fell mortally wouuded.
Burt Gulf, of I'itUl.urg, came
io wus piucu last Kaiurduy even
ing to speud hi u in iUt)e vacation
am'ingV.WoVj u,ne friouOa.
FELL DEAD IN PULPIT.
The Rev. T. N. Alderlon Stricken While
Preaching.
The Rev. Thomas N. Alderton,
of Great Cacapon. W. Va., aged
50, dropped dead from apoplexy
in the pulpit at Greenwell Baptist
Church, at Rees Mills, W. Va.,
last Sanday, while preactfing.
The Rev. Alderton was nearly
seven feet tall and weighed over
300 pounds. He belonged to the
Primitive Baptist church, and
was an itinerant. Among the
churches wh'ch he served was
the Tonoloway church in this
county, two miles north of Han
cock. Mr. Alderton was well known
in the lower end of this county,
having been preaching in the dif
ferent Baptist churches for sev
eral years.
It is a coincidence that Rev.
Thomas R. Palmer, of Need more,
a co worker with Rev. Alderton,
dropped dead at the breakfast ta
ble at his home, less than a year
ago, of apoplexy.
Betrothal Announced.
At a luncheon given recently by
Miss Beaber m the city of Tabriz,
Persia, announcement was made
of the betrothal of Rev. Charles
Pittman and Miss Lucille Drake,
of that city. Rev. Pittman is a
son of Mrs. Sarah Pittman, of this
place, and he has been a mission
ary in Persia during the past six
years. Miss Drake is a native of
Chicago, and she has been a mis
sionary m Persia three and a half
years. At the close of one more
year's work in that country,
Charles will be entitled to a year's
vacation and may be expected
home, unless his marriage should
change his plans.
Q00D CROPS.
Government Report Shows that Country
Wheat Crop will be 722,000,000 Bushels.
The ciop situation is emmeutly
satisfartory. A wheat crop of
over 722,000,000 bushels, as Indi
cated by the last government re
port, is nearly 10,000,000 bushels
greater than the prospects of a
year ago. A corn crop ot 2,700,-
000,000 is the present promise,
which is almost a record crop and
50,000,000 above last year's indi
cations. A good cotton crop is
also promised, the average esti
mate being 11,000,000 bales.
Should we have a large wheat
crop, that means much prosperi
ty for the farmer, inasmuch as it
is a large money producer. A
big corn crop means much not
only for the farmer and the rail
roads, but also for the many di
rections into which it enters for
consumption, such as pork, beef,
whiskey, starch, glucose, etc. A
large cotton crop will be benefici
al, inasmuch as the larger portion
of it goes for export, and at pres
ent good prices will yield a large
amount of sterling exchange with
whicn to settle our foreign indebt
edness.
Hunting Trouble.
For some tune past numerous
raids have been made upon differ
ent lots and gardens of our town
and berries and fruit taken. The
vandals do not stop at this, but
destroy shrubbery, plants and
growing vegetables. This be
came such a nuisance that recent
ly a watch was set and it was
found to be the work of boys,
some of whom have scarcely en
tered their teens, and some boys
whose parents would blush to
know that their children are en
gaged in such work. To the boys
as well as others, we would say
that you are traveling on very dan
gerous ground, as the laws are
very severe for such conduct, and
if you persist in it the first thing
you know you will find yourselves
l eked up in jail. So take warn
ing in time.
Nora II. C. Watson is visiting
her grandfather, Mr. Henry Cau
tion, and other relatives in the vi
cinity of Mercersburg and Welsh
Rui
MAY BE LAST ENCAMPMENT.
Stale Guard and Regular May Have
Same Encampment. "
Various changes iu military af
fairs may make this year's en
campment at Gettysburg the last
division eucjinipmeut at. Gettys
burg. The Pittsburgh Dispatch
says :
"Old members of the Guard
and those interested are specu
lating on the possibility of numer
ous changes in the course of the
next year. It has been stated
that General Golm, present di
vision commander, will retireafter
this camp, which will naturally
give General John A. Wiley the
position, while Colonel Willis J.
Hulings will take command of the
Second Brigade. There is also
the possibility that this will he
the last of the division camps of
the Pennsylvania Guard as the
Dick Military bill strongly pro
vides for camps of the State
troops with the regular troops of
the U. S A.; and the brigade
camp of instruction which is to
be held at Mt. Gretna this year
under General Fred D. Grant, U.
S. A,, will likely call for assign
ments of the Keystone State
troops there in the luture. "
Ground Purchased.
It is reported that the heirs of
the late D. M. B. Shannon have
sold the tract ot timber land west
of Foltz, including the birthplace
of President Buchanau, to the
trustees named in the will of the
late Mrs. Harriet Lane Johnson
for three thousand dollars. The
birthplace is known as Stony
Batter. The tract sold contains
about 16 acres. It will be re
membered that Mrs. Johnson,
who was the niece of President
Buchanan and mistress of the
White House during her uncle's
presidency, provided in her will
that her trustees should expend
the sum of $100,000 in erecting
monuments at Stony Batter and
m Washington to commemoiate
her uncle.
One report is thau the trustees
will place only a marker of native
stone at the birthplace. Mer-
cersburg Journal.
Tired of the Chicken Diet.
Freeman Foster was Tax Col
lector of Rutland for a number
of years. He kept a large flock
of hens, Bays the Boston Herald.
The neighbor's hens had a habit
of trespassing on Mr. Foster's
domain. At last he could stand
it no longer. He interviewed the
neighbor and said : "I hrve just
shut my hens into the henyard.
Now, the next hen I see on my
premises I'm going to shoot."
A few days passed before Mr.
Foster noticed a hen scratching
iu his garden. True to his word,
he got his gun, shot the offender,
and threw it into his neighbor's
yard. Tho neighbor promptly
dressed the fowl and had chicken
for dinner. This act was repeat
ed a number of times.
Tho neighbor became tired of a
steady diet of chicken. So, just
after the last hen was thrown in
to his yard, he addressed Mr.
Foster thus : "You'd better take
this hen aud treat some of the
other neighbors. We're getting
sick of so much chicken."
"I'll teach you to keep your old
hens at home," replied Mr. Fos
ter. "But," explained the neighbor,
"I sold all my hens a couple of
months ago. Nobody else has
hens around here. You've been
shooting your own hens. I've
seen them flying over the feuce."
JOHN VALLANCE HURT.
Had Ilia Right Hand Crushed Under a
Steam Hammer Last Week.
John Vallance, of this county,
an employe at the Lorain Steel
Company's plant In Johnstown,
met ' with an accident last week
that will make him a cripple for
life. His Tight hand was caught
under a ponderous steam hammer
Wednesday evening ot last week,
and the member bo tadly crushed
that he was taken to a hospital
and three fingers amputated.
THAT CRAVE ON MOUNTAIN.
Party From Mu'onntllsbiirg Went Up Last
Week and Opcn.-d II. Found Bones.
In order to satin iy themselves
as to the speculation about the
motives which led to the disturb
ing of the old s.'rav i on top of the
Cove mountni i ai.out which the
News told last, weok, a party com
pose' i Charles Tritle, Martin
Woll, 11 hert Sliimer, and Robert
Jackson, took a shovel along when
they went on the mouutain for
huckleberries last week, and
made acareful examination of the
grave.
Among other theories advanc
ed for the motive, which led to the
tampering a few weeks ago, was,
that, probably, some one had com
mitted a murder, and thought to
hide the evidence of the crime by
placiug the body of the victim, in
the old grave.
The party of young men refer
red to above, opened the grave
carefully, and found that whoever
had opened it a few weeks a?,
had been down to the skeleton,
had throw a it out, and searched
tho bottom of the grave. There
was nothing to show that they
were rewarded for their search
by finding any hidden treasure,
and that when they were done
searching they had thrown the
bones back into the bottom of the
grave in a promiscuous heap, and
tilled the grave with the earth
they had removed in opening it.
The party who oponed it last week
say that some of the principal
bones of the skeleton are miss
ing. From an article in the Fulton
Democrat last week we learn that
Mr. A. K. Alexander ot this place
says that he recently received a
letter from his brother, D. K.
Alexander, of Des Moines, Iowa,
statiag that the latter had talked
with a man by the name of Smith,
who many years ago, lived with a
man by the name of Fagley. This
Mr. Fagley, was keeping the old
tavern at the top of the Loudon
mountain in the year 1832, and
Mr. Fagley said that the grave
was there at that time, but did
not know how long before that
time it had been made, and could
not give any lurther particulars.
We are informed that some of
the old settlers claimed that it
was an Indian grave.
BOROUGH TEACHERS ELECTED.
Same Corps as Last Year Profs. Thom
as and Lamberson and Misses Logue
and Grisslnger.
At a meeting of the board of
school directors of this borough
last Saturday evening the follow
ing teachers were elected for the
ensuing term : High School,
Prot. Emery Thomas; Grammar
School, Prof. B. C. Lamberson;
Intermediate, Miss Stella Logue,
and Primary, Miss Olive Grissin
ger. The salaries reinaiu the same
?s last year, namely, $42, $40, $35
and $35. The re election of the
old teachers is a deserved com
pliment. The length of the term will be
eight mpnths, and the schools
will open on the fifth day of Sep
tember. The Borough's share of the
State appropriation $501.19, has
been received, and that is suffi
cient to pay the salaries of the
two lady teachers, while the sum
received from "outside" pupils,
pays the salary of the High school
principal; so, you see, it is up to
the Borough to pay Prot. Lam
berson, and Keep the school houses
warm and clean, and to pay other
little incidentals.
Must Examine Mail.
Hereafter the 'opened by mis
take" excuse will be a mistake
that will co it two hundred dollars.
The post office department has
ruled that mail must be looked
after before leaving the office,
and that any letter put in your
box by mistake must be relumed
before leaving the post office nn
der a penalty of $200 for failure
to do so.
MARTIN W. LAKE, DEAD.
Stricken Down in the Prime of Life, a Vic
tint of Appendicitis. F mural Monday.
Martin W. Lake, om of Licking
CrePk townshipV most bstimahle
citizens, died a his h iae near
Harrison ville la- r, Saturday after
noon, after an illness of about ten
days. Mr. Lake us aged aoout
37 years, and up to the time of
the beginning of his last illness,
was a stout man, in apparently
vigorous I'm! ih. The con. mum ty
1'ns !. si, one of its best ciliz'-ns,
ivinl trie wife and children a loving
and faithful husbxnd and father.
The funeral was held from his
lato i evidence on Monday morn
ing, the Rev. J. C. Garland and
Rev. S. J.' Pitteuger crnducting
tho services.
The deceased is a son of the
Rev. Daniel B. Lake, deceased, a
well known Dunkard preacher;
and he is survived by his wife,
Maggie, who is a daughter of Mr.
Joseph Sipes, and by four bright
littlj sons. His mother is also
living, as is one sister, Alice, wife
of Homer L. Sipes.
Interment at the Dunkard
church down on Pleasant Ridge.
In the Financial World.
It is estimated that within the
next year there will be released
$125,000,000of United States Gov
ernment bonds, which may be us
ed tor bank circulation purposes.
It is estimated tiiat the Ameri
can banks will be obliged to pro
cure $50,000,000 from Europe du
ring the summer and autumn iu
order to tide over the demands
for cash which will be made.
Owing to the scarcity of bills of
small denominations, Secretary
of the Treasury Shaw urges na
tional banks to issue a large pro
portion of their circulation in five
dollar notes.
ONLY 45 STARS ON THE FLAG.
Salutes Fired for 46 States, but Okla
homa is Not in L'niou.
A lot of people iu different parts
of the country have been firing
salutes in honor of the forty-six
States of the Union, when there
are only forty-five. There seems
to be a universal impression that
Oklahoma has become a State.
The error traveled as far as Ma
nila, for it is reported that Okla
homa was included in the national
salute fired at the Luneta. What
is more astonishing is that at
some forts in this country, some
even as near to Washington as
Forts Howard and McHenry, Md.,
salutes of forty-six guns were fir
ed. There are just forty-five stars
on tho flag, and there will not be
any more than that before July
4, 1907. Then there may be forty-six
or forty-seven, according
to whether Arizona decides to
come into the Union. It is not
yet officially known even that Ok
lahoma is going to come into the
Uuiou. Tho law admits her if she
wants to come, but she hasn't vot
ed to come yet.
Along about the end of next
June the quar termaster general's
office will begin to turn its atten
tion to a rearrangement of the
flag so as to add the new star, or
stars, as tho case may be, in the
most artistic and effective way.
Until that time the flag will goon
looking as it does now, and per
sons who fire salutes in honor of
the Union need not Bhoot more
than forty-five times.
Ruling on School Law.
According to State Superin
tendent S ihaeffcr's interpreta
tion of the school law, any town
ship that does not have a high
school must pay the tuition of
scholars who have passed the dis
trict school and wish to enter high
school, even if tho high school is
located in another county. If a
township has a high school, it
does not have to pay tuition for
scholars who wish to go to other
schools even though such offer a
more advanced curriculum which
the student wishes to take ad
vantage of.
! TEACHERS' EXAMINATIONS
And Meetings of the School Boards for the
! Election of Teachers for the En
suing Term.
; Dublin township, at Fort Little
I ton. Wednesday, July 25th, from
I ! o'clock a. m , to 12 o'clock m.
! Tod township, at McGovern's,
1 Wednesday, July 25th, 3 o'clock
j m.
i Licking Creek U.irrisonville,
! July 2(Uh at H o'clock a m.
J Taylor Hustotitown, July rTth
i at H o'clock a m.
j Wells-Ilk. li School, July 28th,
at !i o'clock a. m.
i Belfast Need more. Julv ilOst.
at 8 o'clock a. m.
Ayr Webster Mills, July 31th
at 9 o'clock a. m.
Thompson Center, Augustlst
at 9 a. m.
Bethel Warfordsburg, Au
gust 2nd, at 9 a. m.
Union Ceutrr, August 3rd, at
9 a. m.
Brush Creek Einmaville, Au
gust 4th at !) a. m.
Inasmuch as there are only a
few applicants in the county who
have not been examined, we shall
examine only at Uustontown and
Need more.
All applicants v. ho desire an
examination are requested to
present themselves at one of the
above named places.
The minimum age required for
teachers is 18 years. Applicants
from other counties are required
to present a recommendation as
to character etc.
School Boards are urged to
meet promptly at the time speci
fied, except in Taylor and Belfast
whore on account of the examiua
tion, boards may assemble at a
later hour.
Chas. E. Bauton,
County Superintendent.
WILL FIGHT VACCINATION.
Clubs Formed to Work for Repeal of
, Compulsory Law.
Anti-vaccination cluos are be
ing organized aud they will en
deavor to have the existing vacci
nation law repealed at the next
session of the Legislature.
Mrs. Lola C. Little, of Minne
apolis, 'Minn., who is the most
pronounced and most prominent
of the anti-vaccinists in this coun
try, is leading the fight against
the law and is now touring the
anthracite region. Mrs. Little
has?, been working in this State
since April. In that time she has
organized clubs in Berks, Clinton,
Dauphin, York.Franklin, Luzerne,
Columbia, Carbon and Schuylkill
counties. In a recent interview
Mrs. Little said : We have knock
ed out compulsory vaccination in
three states Minnesota, Indiana
and Illinois and we expect to do
tho same thing in Pennsylvania.
Iu fact we are going to do it next
winter. I find the opposition to
compulsory vaccination very
rtrong in Pennsylvania and par
ticularly in Frankhn county. In
investigating the epidemic of last
fall I have come to the conclusion
that the disease was bred and
spread chiefly by vaccine virus.
Mrs. Little's plau is t j organize
good-health leagues in every town
and city of considerable size in
the State, and already the total
membership of these leagues in
the St:ite is formidable.
Blacksnake For Table Ornament.
The Huntingdon News says,
Mrs.' Joseph Cyrus, of McCon
uellstown, had quite a thrilling
experience with a blacksnake.
Going into her closed-up parlor a
few days ago, she noticed some
thing coiled up on a table. She
weut out again undaunted and
asked her son Clarence why he
had tried to fool her by placing a
piece of rubber hose on the par
lor table. He denied tho accusa
tion, and investigation revealed
the fact that the supposed ru bner
hose was a large blacksnake
which seemed unperturbed by
the farnilie's excitement. The
lad procured a hoe and soon had
dispatched the reptile. It is a
query as to how the reptile got
into this room as it had been clos
ed for several day .
ABOUT PEOPLE YOU KNOW
Snapshots at Their Comings and Going
Here for a Vacation, or Away
for a Restful Outing.
NAMES OP VISITORS AND VISITED
Miss Irvie Hull, of New York
City, is visiting her parents Mr.
and Mrs. Isaac Hull, South First
street.
Hayes Deshoug, of Pleasant
Ridge, was a business visitor in
town Thursday.
Huston Heeter, of Clear Ridge,
spent a few hours in this place'
Thursday.
Rev. Harry Dauiels, and Rev.
Holtzman, of Hustoutown, were
McConnellsburg visitors, Satur
day. Miss Dixie Robinson, of Balti
more is visiting her parents, Edi
tor and Mrs. S. M. Robinson, in
this place.
William Strait and Harry Ram
sey, of Clear Ridge, spent Thurs
day at the county seat on busi
ness. Mrs. Frank St. Clair, of Wash
ington, D. C, is spending a couple
weeks with her parents, Mr. and
Mrs. Benjamin Shimer.
"Uncle" John Ua-in of Saluvia,
was in town Tuesday. Mr. I Jan n
say? the turnpike is being badly
torn up by traction engines.
Mr. and Mrs. John Conrad, ac
companied by their niece, Miss
Annie Ott, are spending some
time with Mrs. Conrad's sister,
Mrs. W. B. Karns, in Everett.
Charles E. Goldsmith, who had
been spending a verv pleasant
outing at Everett and Bedford
Springs, returned to his home m
this place, Monday.
Wilbur Fraker and Mrs. Geo.
W, Comerer, of Burnt Cabins,
were in town Monday. Mrs.
Comerei- was here attending to
some business connected witli
the settlement of the estate of
her deceased husband.
Rev. Dr. West and Trustee J.
G. Reisner, of the Presbyterian
church of this, place, attended
the Reunion at Pen mar lastThurs
day. As far as we are informed
they were the only two repre
sentatives from this county.
M. S. Wilt and wife, of Fort Lit
tleton, spent a few hours in town
last Thursday. While they are
not young people any more, they
are both looking well, and we
trust they may be spared many
more years to journey'in life's
pathway together.
An automobile party composed
of Messrs. O. S. Palmer, of Me,
Keesport; Sol Palmer, of Connells
ville, and Al Weaverling, of Du
quesne, stopped in Everett, on
last Tuesday, while on their way
to Fulton county. Everett Re
publican. Mrs. Linna A. Trogler and lit
tle son Lewis Harold, and the for
mer's sister-in-law, Mrs. George
Deshong, of Uustontown, were
callers at this office Monday morn
ing. Mrs. Trogler brought her
mother, Mrs. Harriet Deshong to
this county last Wednesday, and
Mouday took Mrs. George Desh
ong back with her to Franklin
county for a week's visit. While
on that side of the mountain Mrs.
Deshong will' visit her mother,
Mrs. Fannie Mellott, and her sis
ter, Mrs. Maggie Kline at Green
castle. The McConnellsburg Cornet
Band di sire to thank the citizens
especially the ladies ef this
borough, for their liberal contri
butions of cash and cakes, and for
their assistance in holding tho
band festival on the fourth and
fifth instant, The Band cleared
$192.11 and on Monday ordered
uniforms, which will about clean
out the treasury. The suits will
be blue, trimmed with black braid
and when tho boys turn out, they
will present an appearance that
will be a credit to the town. That
they can "blow" music with any
of them, is a settled fact, and they
deserve all the encouragement
that can be given.