JFilf0i
VOLUME 16
McCONNELLSBURG, PA., JUNE 17.1915.
NUMBER 39
THE GRIM REAPER.
Start Sketches of the Lives of Per
sons Who Dave Recently
Passed Away.
Henry D. Betz.
Henry D. Betz, a veteran of
the Civil War, died at the home
of I. W. Schooley in Licking
Creek township, Friday, June 11,
1915, aged 83 years, 3 months,
and 19 days. The funeral took
ice Sunday afternoon and in
terment was made at the Asbury
M. E. Church at Greenhill. While
Mr. Betz had been in declining
health for some time, the imme
diate cause of his death was a
stroke of paralysis.
The deceased, a son of Luke
and Catherine Newman Betz,
was born about a mile' north of
Greenhill. During the Civil War,
he was a member of Company B,
3rd regiment Potomac Home
Brigade, Maryland Vols. Heen-
isted February 25, 1862, and
served to February 29, 18G4.
Four days later, he re-enlisted,
served to the close of the war,
and was honorably discharged on
the 28th of May, 18C5.
His first wife was Catherine
Skipper who died about twenty
years ago, anfl was buried in
Clearfield county, Pa. To this
union ten children were born,
namely Ida, Maria, Anna, Rebec
ca, George, Sheridan, Hattie and
Efiie. Two children died in in
fancy. Hi3 second wife was Rebecca
Deshong, who died about ten
years ago. To 'this union were
no children.-
The funeral services at the M.
E. church at Greenhill Sunday
afternoon were conducted by
Rev. E. J. Croft, and attended
by a very large number of peo
ple. The text was "He is not
here; he i3 risen." The remains
were laid to rest beside the
graves of his father and mother
and a sister, Mrs. Dolly Metzler.
His second wife, Mrs. Rebecca
Deshong, lies in this cemetery.
All his daughters now living
some in Ohio; one in Harrisburg;
some in Bedford county got
home in good time for the fun
eral. Three octogenarians near
same age as deceased were at the
funeral, namely, George W. Mum
ma, John H. Kline, Mrs. J. A.
Stewart, with J. Wesley Hoop,
Jacob Strait, and Solomon Desh
ong as close seconds.
Mrs. Catharine Kegerise.
Mrs. Catharine Kegerise, wid
ow of Adolphus Kegarise, died
Thursday, June 10, 1915, aged
W years, 2 months, and 14 days.
Funeral was held on the follow
ing Sunday, interment being
made at Hustontown, services
conducted by Rev. Nathan T.
Bishop. About four years ago,
she went to live with her son-in-law
and daughter, "Mr. and Mrs.
Geo. Arnold, near Mercersburg.
At the time she became helpless,
serious sickness in the family of
Mr. Arnold made it impossible to
nurse two patients, and several
old ladies in the Franklin County
Home undertook to care for her,
and she was removed to that in
stitution where she was well
cared for until the end. Mrs.
Kegerise was a member of the
M. E. church. She was a daugh
ter of Michael Butts, of Dublin
township, deceased. The follow
ing children are living: Eliza
beth, wife of Solomon Palmer.
Connellsville, Pa. ; Sarah Hill, of
Umo; Scott, of Altoona; Eliza,
ife of George Arnold, Franklin
county; Atrnes. wife of Frank
Hure, 7v". Va.; Rebecca, wife of
D. McCurdy, Mt. Unio'n, and
Jennie, wife of Solomon Deshong,
f Clearfield.
Geortre Arnold and wife, and
f S. Arnold, wife and daughter
-all near Mercersburg were
among those from a distance who
attended the funeral.
Mrs. Hayes Sowers.
Mrs. Bessie Florence Sowers.
ife of Hayes Sowers, died at
l"eir home in Ayr township, Sat
Ur,ky, June 12, 1915, aged 27
pars, 5 months, and 27 days.
"AULD ACQUAINTANCE."
Bits of News and Gossip Extracted
from the Letters from Our
Distant Subscribers.
Mrs. Hattie Starr, Chester
town, Md. ; This has been a good
year, so far, for most crops. The
weather was cool all through the
spring, but fruit and vegetables
have seemed to come through all
right. Strawberries are plenti
ful, and are bringing 6 cents a
quart. A man not so far from
us picked 58 crates of berries off
an acre last. Monday. We are
gathering for sale beets, 'onions,
peas, cabbage, berries, and have
tomatoes as v large as walnuts.
We are well on with our work.
Corn is looking well and harvest
will be hre by the 20th of June.
Wheat it- short but well headed.
Mr. Starr Wao Iricked by a horse
and the smallt bone of the low
er part of one of his legs broken
the last Sunday in May. The
rest of our family are well. Si
mon Deshong's family are all
well as usually. Norman De
shong took unto himself a bride
on the 24th of April a lady of
Milford, Del.
Will Build a Road.
It surely is rough to pay taxes
and then have to build the roads
by private work; but since Penn
sylvania has made such a muddle
of the system of road making,
what else can a long suffering
puplic do? Good Roads Day
work in the State aroused people
to see that they could do what
fifty "bosses" riding in automo
biles failed to do. (By the way,
Governor Brumbaugh has dis
missed those fifty men as useless
ornaments of the Highway De
partment). To come to our story,
the business men of Everett sub
scribed $100, a private citizen
subscribed $100, and two town
ships .subscribed each $100, to re
grade arid repair a road to Friends
Cove. W e congratulate our
neighbors for their pluck. They
expect to save many times $400
in horse flesh, wear and tear on
wagons, to say nothing of time
saved in traveling, and the com-
'fort of riding over good roads.
Also, the business men of Ever
ett will not be disappointed in
their expectation of increased
trade with the district connected
up by a better road.
Morton Hess, of Needmore and
his son Riley, of Taylor township
brightened our sanctum last Mon
day. Call again.
Funeral was held Sunday after
noon, services conducted by Rev.
J. L. Yearick, and interment
made in Union cemetery. Mrs.
Sowers was not sick when death
came. Instead she was perform
ing her accustomed household du
ties when she fell to the floor and
expired immediately. Dr. Rob
inson was called, and pronounced
the cause of death to be heart
failure; but as he had never made
an examination during her life
time, he was unable to name the
particular lesion.
Mrs. Sowers was a daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Geo. B. M. Sou
ders and is survived ly her hus
band and two little children a
boy aged about 6 years, and a
baby girl aged 3 months. -
George Walker.
George Walker (colored) died
at the home of his daughter, Mrs
Ed Keith, in Thomastown, Ayr
township, Friday, June 11, 1915,
at an estimated age of about
73 years. He died of heart trou
ble from which he suffered for
about six months. Funeral was
held on the following Saturday,
services being conducted by Rev.
Spriggs, and interment made in
Union Cemetery. George had
the misfortune to lose part of one
of his legs a few years ago;-but
that did not prevent him from
trying to make a living by labor
at whatever he could find to do.
Prior to the time he lost his leg,
he was a dependable farm hand
among Big Cove employers.
Good Citizen.
Mr. David Gregory, of Thomp
son township, spent a few hours
in town Tuesday. Mr. Gregory
belongs to one of the oldest fam
ilies in the County find owns the
farm which has been in the fam
ily name from the time of his
great-grand father back in Rev
olutionary times. While David
has been called on by his town
ship to serve in local offices, the
Gregories have never been office
seekers, and have not sought nor
held a County office in the his
tory of the County. By plenty
of hard work and careful man
agement, Mr. Gregory has shown
ability in managing his own af
fairs, and as may be seen by his
announcement elsewhere in this
paper, he solicits the support of
the Democratic voters at the
coming primary election for the
office of County Treasurer.
Chicken Thief Captured.
Miss Ellawea Johnston, of Ayr
township, had seventy-five young
chickens about ready for the fry
ing pan. She now has but sixty.
A thief had been helping him
self to the tender morsels. Last
Thursday morning she discovered
Mr. Thief in the chicken house.
She called to Harry Grcss, her
tenant, who came running with
a club. A smart tap on the head
put the Great Horned Owl to
sleep. We measured its wings-
four and one-half feet from tip
to tip. The fact that the owl
was found inside the house in
daylight indicates that impudent
fellow had resolved to take per
manent board where living was
so good.
Eve Injured.
Harry L. Ott, foreman of a
gang of men working on the Lin
coln Highway, met with a pain
ful accident last Thursday when
a sharp spawl from a stone which
he was sledging struck him in
the eye. Workmen tried to re
move the spawl, but the piece
was too tightly driven in to be re
moved by ordinary means. W.
C. Patterson took him to Cham
bersburg hospital. Fortunately
the wound was at one side of the
eyeball, and he will not lose the
sight.
Arm Broken.
Mary, ten-year-old daughter of
Mr. and. Mrs. George McEldown-
ey, of this place, fell and broke
her right arm between the wrist
and elbow while at play with
companions last Monday evening.
A party of little folks were roller
skating on the smooth pavement
on East Walnut Street, near Fred
Black's shop and Mary had the
misfortune to meet with the
above accident. Both bones of
the arm were broken.
I. 0. 0. F. Memorial.
The McConnellsburg Lodge, I.
O. O. F., held Memorial Day ser
vices last Saturday evening by
marching to the cemeteries and
decorating the graves of depart
ed members. The Lodge hereby
expresses its thanks to the Band,
and to the boys and girls, for
assistance. The girls are especi
ally commended for the many
beautiful bouquets provided by
them.
Billy Hoover Married.
Mr. and Mrs Charles R. Wil
liams of Chicago announce the
marriage of their daughter Fran
ces Beatrice to Mr. William Wash
ington Hoover, on Tuesday even
ing, June 10, 1915. The groom
is a son of Mr. and Mrs. John
Hoover at Hustontown, this coun
ty, and is a rising young attor
ney in Chicago.
McConnellsburg Teachers.
At a meeting of the McCon
nellsburg Board of Directors last
week the following teachers were
elected; Primary, M'ss Jeanette
Stouteagle; Intermediate, Miss
Grace Lodge; Grammar, Miss
Joan Morton; High, vacant for
the present and a principal will
not be selected until July,
LETTER FROM GEORGIA.
J. Cal Maun Writes of His Impression
of Conditions in the South Land.
Cheap Farms.
J. C. Maun, whose business as
an expert mechanic takes him all
over the country writes interest
ingly of a State that the average
Northerner knows but little about
Here's his letter:
"Thinking that some of your
readers might be interested in
some of the things that interest
me in this south land. I will risk
sending you a few items. First,
let me say that I am especially
interested in the railroad pro
ject you have in hand now to
connect Fort Loudon and McCon
nellsburg. The Fulton county
newspapers do no seem to be
greatly excited over it, however,
for an event of so much impor
tance to Fulton county should be
heralded in G-inch type, and
painted on all sign posts. Well
I am hoping that when I come
home I can buy a through ticket
at Fort Loudon, and make the
trip to McConnellsburg on a fast
train without stops.
"On the 24th of May, I com
pleted the building of a grain ele
vator at Norwalk, O. I had nev
er before had opportunity to see
Ohio in spring attire; and she is,
certaiply at this season, a beau
tiful state. I am led to wonder
whether those thousands of ac
res of wheat, corn, and oats shall
become sustenance for the war
ring nations across the seas or
shall remain at home to make
cheaper food for our own people.
My trip through Ohio might be
pictured by the letter Z. Going
in out of Pittsburgh to Toledo;
from Toledo to Zanesville and
Cincinnati. Taking a night train
out of Cincinnati I saw little of
the country as I passed through
Kentucky. Day broke probably
an hour above the historic old
city of Chattanooga. At one o'
clock, p. m., we reached the city
of Atlanta; at 4:45, we were at
Macon, Ga., and Culverton my
point of destination at 8 o'clock
p. m.
"Culverton, the town at which
I am at present located, is a lit
tle village in a farming district
in Hancock county, Ga., about 50
mile3 east of Macon, on the Geor
gia railroad. We are about 150
miles northwest of Jacksonville.
The northern part of Georgia is
rough; but down this way the
country is simply beautiful. The
climate is fine, the sun of course
comes down the near way, but
there is always a nice breeze go
ing. Hancock county is not flat,
but rolling sufficient for fine drain
age. There are no hills, one can
see the head light of a locomotive
six miles away. There is practi
cally no twilight. After Old Sd
sneaks behind the horizon, form
ed by pine groves, pecan and
peach orchards, it is dark. The
soil is mostly of a red clay under
laid by a deep subsoil that is any
where from six to thirty-five feet
in depth. The eastern section is
underlaid by gray ganister rock,
and when there is an occasional
rock cropping, it is always ganis
ter. The soil is very productive
of all kinds of crops, except
where it has been robbed by sue-
cessive croppings, and this is
quite frequently the case. Two
crops a year of almost all kinds
of grain may readily be grown.
"When I came here on the 28th
of May, oats harvest was in full
swing. They raise a winter va
riety of oats which is sown in the
late fall. After the oats is har
vested in the last of May, they
make the ground ready for cot
ton, corn, beats, peas, or pota
toes. Two crops of Irish potatoes
are grown, one succeeding the
other".
"There-is quite a colony of
Northern people in this county,
and the surprise to the writer is
that there are not more of them
here. Land changes hands at
ridiculously low figures. I am
reliably informed that land of
elegant quality lying only three
miles away from a railroad may
It Makes a M Road.
It would seem that there has
been enough condemnation of
roads made of broken stone and
covered deeply with clay to for
ever exclude that method from
practice. But it seems that there
are still some road makers who
think they must follow it. Who
knows of a piece of road made in
that manner where the stones
did not sooner or later come to
the top and become a real nui
sanee?.The reason for the move
ment of the stones to the top is
not hard to find. When clay is
wet, it is slippery as grease; and
when heavy vehicle pass over it
when wet, the stones slip out
from under the weight exactly as
a cherry seed "scoots" outof the
skin when pinched between the
fingers. Soapstone slate has the
same greasy properties, and when
very wet, the same results arise
if stones have been covered with
it. To make broken hard stones
stay where they are wanted,
they must be pounded or rolled
down until face finds face of
broken surface, and friction then
holds them in place. It is better
ten times better to let the
public rattle over the bare stones
for a time until they settle, than
to ruin the work by covering it
from sight temporarily with clay,
only to have them reappear and
torment travelers forever after
wards. The only exception to this rule
is in case mountain sandstone is
used. These stones are easily
crushed, and unlike limestone,
and some others of similar break
ing character, a very thin layer
of dirt not more than an inch-
has been found to hold them in
place. But experienced road
makers tell us that more than an
inch of covering for sandstone
creates the conditions complained
of.
Little Girl Injured.
Last Saturday evdning, Beu
lah, aged about thirteen years,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus
Wagner, of Tod township, went
to the field to drive home the hors
es. In some manner which the
little girl cannot explain, she was
knocked tiown by one of the ani
mals, and when picked up by her
father, was unconscious, but she
quickly recovered. She received
a hard bump on the back of her
head, her upper lip was badly
cut, and she received many deep
scratches across the chest Dr.
Robinson was summoned; but he
could find no broken bones. She
seems to be on fair way to recov
ery. .
be had as low as $8 an acre. On
ly a few days ago, an 800-acre
tract was sold for about $8.50 an
acre. It was purchased ba a man
from Columbus, Ohio. At this
writing, corn is shooting tassels,
and cotton is knee-high. This is
the land of the big Georgia wa
termelon, of pomegranites, and
figs; the sweet, fragrant Magno
lia and the Mocking Bird. I
missed the strawberry crop, but
was in time for peaches and
plums. To a Northern man it is
a novelty to pick, perfectly ma
tured peaches and plums in May.
"I am building here a brand
new flour mill, to be the finest
75-barrel mill in the state. This
modern mill is being built to en
courage the growing of wheat
and I believe it will be a success.
The Culverton Milling Company
is composed largely of an old, and
interesting Southern family. I
am quartered in the home of the
oldest son of one of Georgia's
representative families. He re
cently completed a residential
mansion that is grand almost be
yond description; you could set
the average McConnellsburg resi
dence in the reception halls of
this one. This home has its in
dependent water and light sys
tems. Here I am treated more
as a guest of honor than as a rep
resentative of a commercial man
ufacturing company from Yank-ecland,
LETTER FROM CHINA.
John II. Rcisner Tells of Country Life
in "The Flowery Kingdom." Brush
Used for Fuel.
In a letter to his parents Mr.
tnd Mrs. Jacob G. Reisner, John
H. Reisner give3 an interesting
account of a recent trip up the
Yang-tse river in China, along
with a party who went into the
interior to study forestry condi
tions with a view to getting at
the root of some of the evil3 pre
vailing in that section. The par
ty traveled in two boats one a
launch owned and furnished by
the governor of the province from
which they started, and the oth
er a small gunboat carrying a
small number of native soldiers
to guard against anything like
robbery, &c.'
It will be remembered by many
of our readers that Mr. and Mrs.
John H. Reisner went to China,
last fall to teach in the Univer
sity of Nanking. Each had pre
pared for work along special lines
In addition to graduating at Yale
Mr. Reisner took complete cour
ses at Cornell and elsewhere in
scientific agriculture, and as soon
as he requires sufficient mastry
of the Chinese language to work
along that line, he will devote
his time in the Department of
Agriculture in that institution
He will, during the coming win
ter, write an elementary agricul
tural text book for that college
During most of the way up the
river, Mr. Reisner and the for
eign members of the party trav
eled on the gunboat. His state
room was a cabin 6i x 5i feet,
half the space being taken up by
a bedstead with wooden springs.
He had to furnish his own bed
ding, towel, soap, wash basin,
etc. The arrangement was to
travel by river between the moun
tain ranges and then go ashore to
make observations. At all stops
they were met by river police
who acted as guides, and the sol
diers accompanied the party up
over the hills and into the moun
tains. He said it was good to
get back into mountain regions
again. The poor natives proved
to be reasonably civil, and the
soidier protection would hardly
have been needed. As stated,
the study of possible reforesta
tion of the denuded hills was the
chief object of the trip. Near
larger towns, they found no large
trees except in the groves pre
served about the sacred temples
of which there are many in Chi
na. Even the brush is cut by
poor people who carry it on their
backs to the towns and barter it
for rice. To some of them, this
is their only way of making a
living. This, coupled with the
fact that ownership of land is al
ways in dispute, makes it a hard
matter for even the government
authorities to set about refores
tation; for as soon as some im
provements are made on a tract
of land, some claimant bobs up,
and well there you are.
Farther on during the trip up
the river, they saw some fairly
well cultivated fields of grain,
and, in one or two instances they
found some good beginnings at
re-forestation under the protec
tion of local police. The need of
trees is great, and Mr. Reisner
says that he saw abundant evi
dence that the barren hills could
soon be clothed with timber if al
lowed to grow. His description
of farm life, as he saw it is
about as follows: The house or
sometimes several of them on a
"farm" are always built of mud
straw, and bamboo grass. They
are occupied by the farmer and
his family, and by his sons and
their families, and by the pigs
and their families. Each farm
has a few buffalo and some goats
and nearly always some pigs.
The pigs are the privileged mem
bers of the live stock, and they
may be found as frequently in
the dwellings of the farmers'
families as in their own quarters.
The farming implements are of
the simplest kind-machinery be
ing almost unknown. The thresh
PICNIC DRINKING WATER.
Little Talks on Health and Hygiene by
Samuel G. Dixon, M. D. Lt. D.,
Commissioner of Health.
The Picnic season has begun.
Every alluring spot for miles
around in the vicinity of the
towns and cities will be the Mec
ca for pleasure seekers from now
until frost comes.
Almost everybody attends a
picnic sometimes during the sea
son. Now that the automobile
has made even the remote dis
tricts readily accessible for city
dwellers, the number of urban
residents who seek an occasional
day's relaxation in the country,
ha3 tremendously increased.
Nobody thinks of going on a
picnic without a generous supply
of food; but few people are far
sighted enough to carry their
drinking water. Some spring,
brook, or farmers well they feel
will be sure to supply this essen
tial. Aa a result of the indiscri
minate dependence upon unfa
miliar sources of water supply,
there are hundreds of pleasure
seekers who contract typhoid fe
ver every season.
That period of the year when
typhoid fever is always most pre
valent is that at the end and im
mediately following the vacation
season. While this is not alone
the result of picnics they unques
tionably play an important part 1
in this annual toll of illness and
death.
It is not a difficult matter if
one i3 taking an auto trip to car
ry a supply of drinking water
from a source that is known to
uncontaminated. Moderate pri
ced vaccum bottles or other form
of containers can be secured and
which will keep the water cool.
If a local water supply with
which one is unfamiliar must be
used, boiling the water for twen
ty minutes will make it safe.
Unfortunately clear water is by
no means pure water. Many a
sparkling, crystal-clear, roadside
spring is open to pollution and
no matter how attractive the lit
tle brooklet which babbles along
under the overhanging trees may
appear, one must needs follow it
to its source to be certain that it
is free from contamination. So
for safety's sake, carry your
drinking water in the picnic bas
ket Inter-County Judiciary League.
Citizens representing almost
every district in the County, met
in the Court House, May 2Gth
and formed an organization to be
known as the Inter-County Judi
ciary League. The object of this
organization is to co-operate with
a similar organization in Adams
county, and make it their busi
ness to find out from judicial can
didates just how the said candi
dates would interpret the word
necessity" in the granting of
liquor licences in the event of
election. The officers of the' lo
cal branch are; President. R, R.
Sipes, Licking Creek township;
Vice President Amo3 Sharpe,
Thompson township, Secretary,
Rev. Robert E. Pcterman, Mc
Connellsburg; Treasurer, Hon. S.
W. Kirk, McConnellsburg, Press
Agent George W. Reisner, Mc
Connellsburg. Subscribe Jor the "News"
only tl.OO a year.
ing is done with a flail, or by
beating the heads of grain over
the edge of a receptacle into
which the grain falls.
John does not seem to be stuck
on Chinese horses; at least after
having ridden one on part of this
trip, he says, "before I had . rid
den far I wished for PeajT Lo
gue's "Dynamite" or "Lolley"
the one I had at Fort Littleton
the summer I was there."
Mr. Reisner' s description of
what they sometimes got to eat
in some of the villages is amus
ing. A good sample was a hearty
meal consisting of hard boiled
eggs, lots of peanuts, and tea.