mumtmmi ~.. L . : ■*'"'*' ''* "'
HI*
Jislasinsim ■ lMftl§ Penwaat
VOL,.XXVII.
NO ESCAPING IT
"All Who Live l'ay Directly or
Indirectly Their Share of
Uental Value."
lIOW JOHNSTOWN WAS TAXED.
Bpeech of A. J. Moxliam, Esq., at the
Meeting of the Henry George Cluh
Last Night—His Explanation of the
Hinglt- Tux Theory—The Present Method
ot Taxation Wrong In Itself anil Lead
ing to Greater Wrong.
Pursuant to circulars sent to the mem
bers and notices in tho papers, the Ilcury
George Club ussembled in its rooms in
B tntiy's building Monday night at 8 p. ni-
The rooms wore crowded every seat
being occupied, among other distinguished
persons present being Miss Clara Bur Urn.
Acting President Eyre, upon calling the
club to order, stated that no meetings
were held since the llood because of the
disturbed condition of atfairs; but now
since mutters are getting into their former
state, it bad been thought advisable to
resume the holding ot the weekly meet
ings. Mr. A. J. Moxharn, the lecturer of the
evening, was theu introduced. lie occu
pied cue hour in speaking on the broader
and more general principles of the Henry
George theory. At tho conclusion of the
lecture, Mr. Eyre stated that it was custo
mary to cross-examine the speaker by
propounding to him questions on points
concerning which there were doubt in the
minds of those present, The question,
u Upon what grounds do you deny the
right cf private ownership in land ?" was
asked, and in reply it was stated that it
always woiked injustice to some one;
that a title to ownership in other things
than land originated in their be
ing produced by somebody's labor,
but wlio made the land ? Nobody
can add to'its amount, nor can anybody
make any less of it. In response to die
question, "How would the single tax
equalize the opportunities afforded by
laud, and prevent a monopoly of tbe best
opportunists as at present?" Mr. Mox
harn replied that it would do so in two
ways, by making it unprofitable for any
one to hold more land than he could use
productively, thus throwing all land not
actually in use open to labor, aud by
making the holders of great natural op
portunities pay the community what
ever value that the community
by its presence gave to those opportun
ities. It was also asked whether the tax
ing of land as proposed, would make it
dearer, to which reply was made thai it
would not. but the effect would be to
cheapen land and render it possible for
many who are now unable to use land,
owing to it high price, to obtain access
to it. Afic, 11 few concluding remarks
the meeting adjourned.
The following is a synopsis of Mr.
Moxkum's remarks :
• Though in ;i ly four months have passed sin o
the day of our sorrow, though the dreadful hush
that preceded the coining ot the wave crest and
the deafening crash or Its presence, are now part
of the past; Us memory lives with us as an echo
and Its echo is still vibrating In our midst, ut
least enough to have somewhat changed us all.
Perhaps we cannot quite bo what we were until
time has bided with us long enough to lay the
lust small tremor ot that echo in its grave of
forgotfulness.
Hut tho change need not harm Us. It may d
many thing" but among ot bers It may. If wo so
will It, make us braver, stronger, and perhaps
when all Is over oven happier, because better
tban we were before. For who Is there to whom
In sorrow such a page of t'hrlstllko love was
ever openc 1 before, who In this world that has
experienced such full handed measure or gentle
sympathy and tenderness.
It Is no raise pride that 1 say our people showed
themselves worthy of this help. For the first
gloomy day when we felt ourselves so far from
the outside world, and perhaps cut off from help
for many weeks, when we knew not who was
living or who was dead, there was no craven
yielding to despair. Help came with railroad
speed, bu' quick as It was, when It Uhl come It
tound ,loln>'i wn at work, at least trying to help
themselves. When this grand chapter of a grea
nation's help to a stricken portion of its eomo
rnunlty Is •: d, and the (! ptrers and th facts
of what ha- > en done arc given to the world
they will be radiant with the story of mankind s
unselfishness.
Aswc glance at tbe dollars uud cents of tho
final reports, the heart, forgetting figures, will
throb with gratitude at tbe memory of men like
captain Jones, of IJnu!dook, who almost per
suaded Ills own people to starve n day oi so In
order to keep us from hunger, and who, after
gutting his own place of all It had In tho shape
of provender, came down hero with an army of
men, completely self provided, and was at work
almost before we knew lie was with us. Of men
like J. v. ration, of the Baltimore & Ohio lfutl
lOad, who thought the place to help its m> t
was here In the midst of our trouble, and who,
sitting on an embankment of bis railroad track,
In the pouring rain, with Just one little tele
graph instrument to work with, sent one appeal
alter the oilier for help, and alternated these
Instructions to his road that put every car at
work bringing In what willing hearts had do
nated. When we glance at tbe totals of tho re
ports and analyze results, big as they will be,
somcuuv. 1 think the mind won't dwell on the
mere totals. It will wander to the memory of
men and women again. Men like IMtcalrn who
put the Pennsylvania Kallroad system virtually
Into the hands or the Pittsburgh Relief t
mlttee for our good, and women like t Lira
Barton and her many aids, .who came and set
tied amongst, us with her tents like white
winged angels of (ewe, and who have been over
Blnee quietly carrying tbe sympathy and lu lp
Of woman's loving heart wherever they can
JOHNSTOWN, CAMBRIA COUNTY, PA., FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, IBH9.
And (He sorrow that mo,t needs their tender
DCM,
Hastings, who forgot, himself In working to
heal our wounils, tho whole Wtlabtirgh doing,v
lion who braved discomforts, and suffering, and
while lenv ing a host of brainy men to direct op
erull oris at, home, sent a small army of the
bravest noldlers that, history has ever known
Into the very thick of the fight here at Johns
town.
The millions of the lol.nl footing* somehow
will not speak to us of money, they will be hut,
u feeble exponent of that great throb of love
that swept over the whole nation, shared by
city and hamlet alike. Tbev will be but the
ciphered factor of that great gulp In the throat
by which the Nation's manhood kept hack Its
sobs, to turn to active work and help.
I had Intended ualng no names. Wo owe so
much lo Philadelphia, the city of brotherly
love; Sew York, who stopped lis busy life to
subscribe to our needs, llcston, Chicago, In fact
to each and every part of the country, that. It
seems ungrateful to mention some and not an
nul It Is not Ingratitude, we thank them all,
but wo are only human, and we cannot dwell
upon the picture without at llrst thinking ol
those who catne In person and worked In our
midst, aud even of thoae we cannot mention all.
But Is there nothing to be learned from the
horrors ol tho Hood, and from the comfort of
tho nation's great help? I think there Is ut ' if
to us, the followers of Henry George.
We all know that taxation Is uieobsary, and
we all believe In It. We ail know that laxatio,.
uan only be paid for out of the produc i. of
man's labor, un l all, even our strongest oppo
nents will agree with us that It should be shared
by one and all not alike, but In proportion to
the good it docs the Individual ; so far our op
ponents go with us.
We tliluk we have found a means of securing
this result, and at this point we commence to
differ, our proposed means Is to tax all land to
Us full rental value.
We know that r. Nt is the exponent of the
value that man puts u;>on tho opportunities
of giving by land over and above
the cost of that living, and as man cannot alto
gether live la the air, nor la the sea, we think It
a tolerably safe measure of that value.
All wlio live, pay directly or Indirectly their
share of ten' ,ff value, There IE so escaping it.
Therefore If we tax rent .1 values we tax all.
Those who enjoy tho greatest opportunities pay
tho highest rental value, therefore if we tax lu
proportion to rental values we tax In proportion
to tho opportunli les of amassing wealth of each.
As a method or taxation It 11 not to-day much
disputed. But why do we want to take the whole
rental value?
Because we hold that the labor of this world
Is far from being as productive as It should be,
and that the cause Is private ownership of land.
Because we hold that unproductive as that
labor Is It docs not get Its full share of Its own
produce and the au Is private ownership or
land.
Because we believe that men and women cease
to be tied like when they have to work every
inotnen' >t ' he'r live In "rder to live, when
they become beasts of burden; and we hold t hut
on the private pasture ot laud ownership has been
bred the beast of burden. In the Cambria Iron
Company's rolling mills you will nnd some en
gines with lly wheels of tremendous weight
revolving at great speed. If you step up to the
Journals ot one of these engines and drop on
ihem a handful of emery dust, It will not be
long before you notice a change. I cannot out
line Just what, hut, I can say that the speed will
be less, the stops from heated bearing many .and
the useful product of the mill greatly reduced.
I can also say that the bearings, If not quickly
attended to, may so cut the shaft as to entirely
wear it through,and there may be a broken shor,
and buret tly-wheel and sail had havoc gener
ally, and yet i wus only a haniUul of grttty
iwwder. fo we hold that private ownership ot
land disturbs productive power to an extent
tur greater than lis face value would Indies e,
Let, us see. To-day our tramps number hun
dred's of thousands, and our men and women
who could work hnrdei and do not because their
heart is not In it. number millions. To-day our
death rate is high because we crowd together
lu miserable tenement houses, or because we
cannot afford that investment in sanitary
works needed to keep the community health..
To-day our cities are crowded, because If the
poor man lca\ c.i Ihe clty ho has got to go to the
con (Hie of civilization, away from fellow men,
to better himself, and being man, ho dies wllh
his fellow beings around him rather than live
away from tlieni. one and all only need land,
nothing else: anil around one and all exists
this land, and still more it exists vacant, un
used, bunt extsts monopolized by the private
landowner. It must be paid for, and tho more
It is needed, which is the same as saying tho
greater the suffering of those who need It, the
more must be it it might, a3 well not
exist, for the good It doe the many.
Now we hold that by taxing lnnd to its full
enlnl value, land only,not Improvements which
are the products ot man's labor, no one would
cure to keep tun., it..: i- or if i.c choose to ho
could only do so by pay ,i , 10 iho community in
the share of t ill . v.! ..it he kepi them
from Leaping. We would not only
open the door to every man now
Idle, but we would pnt the wages
en rued by man at Its full productive valuo. A
man who can sacuro land on which to earn his
living need not work for anybody elso at less
th n tliis living, and upon his own energy, thrift
and brain power would depend the comfort and
ex'ent of the living he could control. All tax
ation on the product or labor wo condemn. The
more you tax a thing tho less of that thing Is
produced. We believe It good to encourage
wealth, not to tax It. away.
All taxation on the opportunities of labor we
uphold, because It cannot reduce those oppor
tunities of labor. There is but one thing that,
cannot be reduced by taxation and that Is land.
There Is bui one thing that must and will lie In
creased by taxation of the full rental valuo of
land, that Is the amount of land put to produc
tive purpose, beeauso the advantage of keeping
it tile will have gone, and tbe move land that Is
put to productive use, th - ;re per thy wealth of
the community, still further, the more man cen
tralizes and lives together, up to the point of
overcrowding, tho more efficient his labor, ien
thousand human beings living within a healthy
measurable distance of each other would be
wealthier as a community, and happier as In
dividuals, than eight thousand living crowded
like animals In tenement houses, and two
thousand Isolated oil the confines of civilization.
It needs no abstract, political economy to em
phasize this; common senso sumces. The former
lathe Improvement on civilisation Hint we are
working for: the latter civilization as it exists
to-day.
in oi this moans that we hold our present
metliod of taxation wrong tn Itself and leading
U greater wrong i ban lis face value can measure,
l>o you doubt It ■; stop and think, on the
•'); i Of May Johnstown w.i lav -laid aunnterd
was the tax gatherer she was quicker
than man, She taxed u* In fifteen min
utes, instead of operating by man's
hoineopat hie met hods. Taxes of to-day reduce
Improvements. Ho did the llood, and a* mil,tire
Is very thorough, she made a clean sweep. W hat
was it she look ? only Improvements, only the
produef, of labor, houses, streets, factories,
bridges and goods that we hsd made, she took
of them, all that she thought, would suntee to
pay her In*, and If was heavy.
Hut she did not tax tbe land. It Is still hero
and tho opporf unities to labor are Just as good
as they ever were, ( end In Johnstown to-day
Is fully as high, perhaps a little higher than be
fore tbe flood.
I am fold that since the flood, capitalists
wauled to put up a lino hotel here, but were
driven away because land was too titgh. Would
It not. ben good thing to have that hotel here,
to have a number of wen busily employed lu Us
building J 1 am told that Ihu Pennsylvania
llalliuud wauled to bring some of Its Improve
ments Into Woodvale, which was swopt as hare
as t his Hoor, but did not do It because land was
too high, aud Ural while a majority of tbe people
wanted tt, one or two landholders stopped It by
demanding too much for their special pleco of
land. Would these Improvements not have been a
good thing for Woodvale?
'I be llood like our present system of taxation
a! i discriminated In Us tax gathering. Took
all but their lives from many, left everything to
other.o Look around you and seo how many
millions lu tills country have only their lives,
nothing else, as the insula of their work. Aye,
have e>on to work hard to keep want aud
hunger from the door, unu look uiouud awl see
how many have something more.
The Hood did one thing more. It took from
us no n, women and children. It hushed forever
the prattle cf little bodes, and silenced the voices
of t hose full grown. It took from our own small
circle, Eldridge, whom we mourn as one who
loved his fellow men so well that he would plead
with them to listen to our doctrines, only be
cause he believed It would make them happier;
and later. Conn, dear to our small band as one
of (he flrnt to liuvc the courage of his con
victions, a man who knew not self.
Sex nor age was spared, and we mourn our
loss deep in our hearts doing what we can not to
saytootnucli. Put men of Johnstown, do you
not know that It we take only this country,
which Is a small part ot the whole world, every
few days as muuy lives ure cut short by the tax
gatherers of the world, and as many sad and
weary hearts left to mourn their loss. Ilow the
tax gatherers? Because there Is but one thing
that cuu be rightly and Justly taxed, which Is
the tult rental value of all laud, uud the failure
to do this leaves existent, private ownership of
land, and tMOtUM this Vhlle keeping wealth
down, so divides w .. h .ore Is as to
make tbv hundred? of il-it ,r rich that, they do
not need their wealth, and the millions ol poor
so poor that they die lu j last l. -l iving to hover
dangerously near thai dru-atul precipice which
is the limit of life, viz: earnings too small lo
maintain flu family.
■The worltl does not realize It because it goes
on so gradually au J constantly that nun have
time to be born and to grow up to manhood with
these surroundings, hut wo here in Johustown,
have had It all revealed to us by the master
hand of nature tn a few fearful blood curdling
moments. You have thought many things of the
llood. When you leave us, think about tills and
come back If you will and toll up wherein !ho
Hood, in Its fifteen minutes havoc did one single
thing, which our present method of taxation
and private ownership of land from which It
springs, does not. do by slower degrees.
To those who profess themselves followers of
religion, be the denomination what It will, we
suy thai our doctrines teach us that the God
head Is 100 perfect to have so bungled in His
creation of this world, its to mako tt a natural
thing to suffer w ant uud misery here.
Wu Hold it to be Hie rankest sort of blasphemy
to say as Miliums and current political econo
mists say, that (lod llrst makes too muuy men,
and then has to make (food this bungling by
Bunding llts, famine and peai Hence to thin them
o again. We can ut least gtve them strong
reasons worthy ot their attention, tor believing
tliat the want and misery ot this world belong
to man's Ignorance and Injustice, and not to
God's laws. We hold that there Isnotiawln
what Is done by tiro Godhead. Wo behove I hat
we can show them political economy reconciled
with the ■'(iod or l.ove.''
And we believe that wo can prove that tor
what we lake away trom the laud holder, we
return to him 1 n other ways, more, much more
tUan wc take. '1 hat oveu trom a money stand
point, with very few exception, ho will be abso
lutely the gainer. We hold t hat wo can show
our remedy to be ono that Is Just beyond ques
tion, and instead being radical, it is a remedy
eminently conservative In Its methods.
To tho poor wo say we come with no won
drous specific, which will take mysterious
hordes ot wealth and dlv Ide It among poor labor
ers to m.ijm them rich, we merely say to tin m
that If tliero exists work for 1,000 men, and
there are 1,000 men who need lt,t hat the one sol
itary extra man by bis com petition can put
down tUo wages of the whole I,l**l who v. onld
otherwise earn tlielr Just due; atul that the
w ay to solve this problem is to create by Datura
means, work for 1,001 men where 1,001 men need
ihul work. Wo oner them nothing but the op
portunity to make an unrestricted living, the
making ot It rests with themselves. Nay, we
oven warn them In advance that our scheme
has no place for " charity," because we think
what men need Is opportunity and Justice, not
charity
lott will say wc arc claiming much for so
simple a measure. Yes, but do not forgot w bat
the one extra man can do to tho t.ooti, or what
the handful of emery dust can do to the engine,
we only want to put tint one man at work pi nd
to use that emery dust to make a rough surface
smooth, Instead of a smooth one rough.
If we are claiming to iruli, come and help lis
out of our delusion, l'rovlous to the Hood we
had outlined a course of study of tills problem,
that was to occupy one evening In each mouth,
and was to lake only six evenings In all. And
wo propose resuming this plan. We will t ike It
step by step, and as we dwell on ouch phase,
give those who want to know, an opportuntty to
learn with us, or those who do know tn'at v.. are
wrong. unojHportunliy to convert from tho
error t f our ways. To both we extend a cordial
Invitation to take part In on, debates.
Under a law approved and signed by
Governor Beaver oa the 7th day of May
last, the compensation of County Com
missioners in the several counties of this
Commonwealth was increased front three
dollars per dieui to tiiree dollars and fifty
cents. This pay is only allowed, How
ever, for each day actually and necessarily
engaged in the duties of their offlce, and
they are required to submit annually to
the County Auditors a full and itemized
stntement of the days and nature of tho
business in which they were employed.
an r,;• riiox turn rwut
Tli ll'irrnm of Tlit Awfitl *tht Oraphle
atory of ill* lt*prlsaes* of a
Mra. Samuel 11. Ilonrlo'a Thrilling As-
Mali
Mr*. Namiiel H. Hetifte, who has charge
of the Ked Cross Home on Doc list street,
from en interview relate* substantially
(lie following as hor ciperlenco In the
flood i
"Our homo was No. 114 Market street,
near the market-house. 4dl the morning
wi! had been closely watching the water
n* It approached our house, for many
houses on the level already hod several
feet of water in them. Ileforo noon It be
gan to come In, so we took up our carpets
and set up our piano. My husband and
myself, with our widowed daughter, her
little son, and a Mlas Green, comprised
(be household. As the water rose higher
and higher, we wero forced to go up
stairs. Expecting that the water would
soon lower, and with the excitement and
fatigue, we did not think to take with us
anything to eat. After a time wo thought
of this, and then my daughter waded In
waist dee p and got a loaf of bread. This
proved a wise forethought, for it was all
we had until the next day, not being able
to get downstairs again. We were watch
ing and waiting for the water to lower,
when, about 'i o'clock, M'ss Green walked
to the window and said : 'Mrs. Henric,
come to the window ; 1 think the water
is .'ailing. 1 looked, and I thought
it had fallen about three inches;
but, before I had turned away
from the window, 1 heard
the roar and crash, and Miss Green said :
"My God, Mrs. Ilenrie, what is that?"
I cried: " Close the window ; it is the
reservoir ! " I knew instantly what it
was. Then wo both fell on our knees
and asked God to tell us what to do.
This took only a moment, when we
rushed to the scwing-room where we
found my husband, daughter Maggie and
grandson, standing. At that moment the
compressed air knocked the top oiT the
the market house, it falling on our house
and crushing it and everything down
around us and at that co mer of the street.
Then we ran for the hall, my daughter and
myself being much bruised. Miss Green
and Me„giu sprang y> a table which
stood near, and, with their fists and feet,
knocked out. the window. By that time
the debris was piled nearly to the second
story window, and they climbed out upon
it and pulled me through after them. My
daughter called to her father to come,
hut he said iie could not for he had his
little f, 'i 'son in his arms. Then the
house tilted, and he was pushed and
crowded, and lie hardly knows how, hut
he got out and landed on the
wreckage around us. It was only
a step to the roof of our house
then, and I was almost helpless with
terror. Maggie tried to help mo on the
roof, but I slipped and went down in the
water to my neck. Her courage and
strength sceiucd superhuman, and she
pulled ine out and pushed me on the roof
of ttie house, I helping myself but little.
In her efforts to help me she sank in the
water to her arms; hut she said there
seemed to bo some force under her which
raised her to the surface again. I fear
that hut for this brave girl we would all
have been drowned or killed, Of course
we were all greatly excited, scarcely
knowing what we were doing. Only those
who saw that on-coming mountainous
terror can know what destruction and
death it meant ; hut no one had long to
dread it. so quickly was it upon us, grind
ing, crushing and crumbling everything
in its pat
"When wc were on the roof wo looked
and saw that all Market street had gone;
but our house, a little out of the
current, still stood on one side
crushed, but in its place. Directly the
wn -mill camo dashing down toward us.
When my husband said it was only part
of it I could not believe it, it looked so
immense as it jammed in just above us
and crowded us out into the current; and
away wo went almost to the arch bridge.
Here the jam was so great that the force
of the current was checked, and the back
water sent us out along the Kernville hill.
In this short time the horrible scenes we
witnessed were unspeakable. At one
moment wc would see maybe a mother
aud children clinging to each other on a
log, or roof, or house, when something
would strike it, giving it a roll in tiie
water which would send them under,
j Possibly one might rise to the surface,
but more probably the muss of wreckage
would close over them all forever. The
next moment a monstrous tree, driven
through the waters, would (lush against
another group, crushing them all. In
passing along through this dentil and
destruction, we looked across Napoleon
street and saw our other daughter, Mrs.
Kale Clawson, who lived in Kernville, ait
ting with her three children on a
part of the roof to their houso, the
kitchen and dining-room having
been swept away. We soon lost sight
of them as wo floated about a square
above, and drifted in near Morris street.
As near as we could tell, the distance we
were whirled was more than a mile.
Here we seemed to stop ; but the water
was not quiet enough for us to attempt
to get off until about 7 o'clock. Then we
climbed over hmiae-top*, logs, b'ohen
cars, and almost everything, some men
holding boards for us to walk on, and
landed In Bean (,'anan's attic, getting In
through tho narrow window, ffere we
found eighty-two persons who had gotten
there before us. The water was not quite
to the third story In this house, and all
nlglit we expected every moment that It,
too, would go; hut, It being a large, sub
stantial building, and not having been
struck by any heavy body, the force of
the backwater did not move It from Its
foundation. In all our perilous rldn to
this place there was not a scream from one
of us, nor a loud word spoken, nor a tear
shed—in fact there have been no tears of
any account shed since. It was too great
a terror and shock for tears f
"After the agony wo had passed
through, we hoped wo were safe in this
attic; but then the fire broke out,
and so fierce was it that by its light
we could see and know one another's
faces, and suffered from the added fear
that It might spread over the entire town,
not knowing who of our neighbors and
friends were being consumed In its angry
flames. Of course I bad my absent
daughter and her children constantly In
mind, and everybody was in a state of
feverish excitement, aggravated by fatigue
and want of food, for no one had had any
supper, and no one thought of it until
near midnight, when the children cried
for bread. Our little boy cried so pit
eously that we told him if he would go to
sleep when he awakened there would be
something for him to eat—not knowing
how it would come or that It would come.
At last the poor child fell asleep, but for
the rest of us it was a long, sleepless
night.
!' When daylight began to dawn, Mr.
iienrio looked out for some way to get
us to tho hills, and ho saw on the wreck
age at some distance a man with a loaf of
bread which he said was for an aged
lady ; but when be WAS told that she had
already gone to the hills, pud Mr. Hunrie
asked hitn for tho bread, he put it on tho
end of along pole and reached it to him.
This bread was broaken into small bits
and given to the people. When a small
picco was handed to my duuglitcr and
mc, remembering what we had told our
little boy, we could not eat it, but kept
it until he should waken.
" For all tbe blessings of a lifetime I
was never so thankful as when we got
into that attic.
" About 0 o'clock wc endeavored to git
out of this crowded place, und u plunk
v>ab reached across fiom emr window 'A
the window of the large building next to
us, and we walked over the plank, through
houses and over houses, until wc got to
tho hill, when we went to the house of
acquaintances of Dean Canau, a German
family by the name of What. Hete food
was offered us, but 1 hail no appetite,
thinking that my daughter and her chil
dren were drowned ufter we saw them
sitting on the roof the night before. Hut
very soon word came to us that they had
been rescued, and were near us on tlio
hill. I started to run down to tind them,
but fell from exhaustion, and could get
no further for same time. But Maggie,
delighted to hear that her sister was alive,
ran on, and, when she embraced Kate
and told her that we were al! living, Kate
sank in a dead taint, and it was hours
before we could restoro her to con
sciousness. This meeting was near a
Mrs. Kobe's, and she culled thera in and
showed every kindness, bringing tho best
she bad in the house to put on Kate, who
had lost everything but the wet clothes
she bad on. Prom fright, exposure and
cold her jaws were set, and for a long
time she could not apeak understaudingly,
even now, she has not regained her
strength.
"After my little grandson heard me
pray that night, lie said . ' Grand-mother,
don't be afraid, wc won't bo drowned.' 1
did not reply to the child at the time, but
a few days afterward I asked him why lie
thought we would not be drowned when
we were so near it, and lie said : ' You
always told mo if I said my prayers I
would be saved,' not understanding that
I meant bis soul instead of his body.
Perhaps such faith as that saved us.
" Before noon Mr. (Jlawson's brother,
from East Liberty, found us. Fortu
nately, be came searching over the
Kernville hill. Had ho gone around
on the other Bide of the river, no ono
can tell how long before ho could have
reached us, there being no way of
crossing the river, only away below,
and, consequently, all communication
with the other side was cut oft'. There
was no choice as to what was best to be
done with daughter Kate and her
children as there being no place for them
to stay ; so the next morning Mr. C'law
son started with them and Miss Green
for East Liberty. The nearest point
where they could take the train was Sang
Hollow, seven miles distant, all tho track
this aide having been washed away. They
found a man who would let them rido
with him as far as Morrcllville, where -he
was going, nearly crazy with grief, hav
ing been told that his wife and six chil
dren wore lying dead. My daughter said
that wns the most frightfully mad ried
that could be imagined. The man drove
us fast as he could go over almost every-
NO 25
thing, frightening them terribly. Several
limes, when they could endure It no
longer, they spoko to him, and each time
bo said he was not driving very fast. Io
his sorrow he could think of nothing but
eagerness to reach the scene of his for
mer home; and on they dashed. When
they reached Morrellvllle, more dead thah
alive, sure as fide' lie found that tho
dread report was true. There were his
wife and children, lying side by si-10,
"From Morrellvllle these girls bad to
walk in the rain and mud the remaining
four miles to get the train which was to
crowdod with dazed and half-rrazed
peoplo tbnt they were forced to be helped
In through the window, men actually
climbing on top of tho cars. More ex
citement ami confusion and sorrow eou'd
not be thought of. The girls did no
know they were without lints until they
left the car, 40 miles from home. It
would have made no difference if they
had, there were no hats for them.
"After Kate and her children !"ft u wo
went bneb to Mrs. Wnhl's ami remained
for two days. At thut hou - they fed
hundreds of people everyday, going miles
around In tho country for food. They
were constantly cooking; and, ns far an I
know, it was the same in every- houso
that was left standing. Such kindness
and willingness to feed everybody was
never known before; and tbe generosity
displayed by those who had dry clothing
in giving to those who came out ot the
waters destitute and barely alive, soon
reduced their wardrobes to what they
had on, and established in the hearts Of
all an abiding faith in tiic goodness of hu
manity.
WHAT BBC AM K OF M AliY ZEIUT*
Mh'* Could H'lVf Ifurifir Hot 1 riled
to Do Ho.
Saturday last wo published an item from
ihu Ebensbtirg Vretman, stating it was
bclivcd Miss Mary Zeru, of Carroll town
ship, was lost in the Hood. The article
stated tliut she was seen about a week
before the Hood by an acquaint at a
house that was washed uway. and the
entire family lost.
The facts are. ad to relate, only too
true. Sliss Zein perished in that ti.rible
disaster of May Btst. But she C' ol 1 have
saved heresolf if she had bad her > encC
of mind, or as it looks from tl e story re
lated by one of the survivors, if she had
so desired.
Miss Zern, when not otherwise en
gaged made ber home with her friend
Mrs. P. I'. Brown, who resided at the
time of the disaster, at No. 00 C.uicmaugh
street, Second ward, near the Point.
On the fatal afternoon when the dam
burst, Mrs. Brown's house was sub
merged by water from the Gmemaugll
rivor, and the lady IK ■ air: greatly
alarmed. When the terrible wo*, swept
ovei the town, it lilted Mr.*. Brown's
home, i. ti > bo-idi la , elf, Were her
sister m . l and and Mai ' Zern, and
floated it o;r, 'l'd, house fortnuately
lloated near the r<*si Iccee f Mr. ICeftgy,
and Mis. Brown, ier later and : . hand
succeeded in mailing their cscupo.
Mr. B'nwi , in re! liiug her experience,
said 'lint M' hrn i ould have e. :! y 03-
tatui!, 'mi she made no cfTc.it. She
simply fiat do- a, id folding her hands,
rorau'ki'd " ! I -tie to • I will bo in
lleaveil to-,col. iw."
Siiortly after 1:< iiouL-e vont to pieces
and Miss Z- rn . drowned* Shy was
about fi rty i ,r ; ,i Ia• t, and i very
devout t.'bri n. la b', member of the
Catholic Churoh.
■ ♦ ••• " 1
Vouthtut NoldUr I lay I,
WaslUni 'nn i o'ler.
Congressman McKlnlcy, of 01 was
a stripling of seventeen vlien he enh ted
as a private. He watt mustcn i out r.
brevet major Representative Booth*
man, of the same State, w it a;'far
older when h • shouhlcrc tu hot.
Thompson, of Ohio, wui tin- me ago, as
was Moffit, of New York : Clark, of Wis
consin ; Peters, of Kansas ; Gotf, of West
Virginia , Nelson, of Minnesota, and
others. Thomas, of Illinois, went in at
fifteen ; Struble, of lowa, at seventeen ;
Conger and Holmes, of the same State, at
nineteen. Laird, of Nebraska, now dead,
was ono oi the youngest soldiers in tho
war. He put on tho blue when ho was a
lad of thirteen. Nearly one-half of tho
Southern soldier statesmen enlisted as
mere boys. Cutchings and Allen, of
Mississippi, were only fourteen ; .ml two
Senatm i from West Virginia, Konnn and
Faulkner wero fifteen, Berry, o? Mis is
sippi, was hut sixteen, as were Breckcn
ridgc, of Arkansas, Crisp and Grimes, of
Georgia, and Lnnham, of Texas, b suitor
Rlddleborge ,of Virglnn. went iti at soyi
cnteon, ami Senator Daniel at nineteen;
Browne, of Virginia, was seventeen,:
Hopkins, eighteen, as were Wilson, o£
West Virginia, Ilowland and Henderson,
of North Carolina, Baukhead, of Ala
bama, Lubboon, of Kentucky, and An
derson, of Mississippi.
A Tramp Killed.
A man supposed to bo a trump, was
struck by a train near I.utrobo Monday
evening and cut to pieces. 110 was takCtt
to Dcrry, where Uc was buried yesterday,
Tlio Wontlior.
Indications for to-day is warmer, lor?
temperature.