i
AT THE FORKS O' THE ROAM.
Dar’s ol Trouble at de forks er de road—
Dunno which road ter take;
Don’t you he'p em fer ter tote his load—
Trouble is all he make!
Don’t you min’ w’en he whistle a song——
Dat w’en he whettin’ his knife!
Show ’'im de road—but show ’im wrong,
An’ run fer yo’ life—yo’ life!
—Atlanta Constitution.
Gofesdetefetotolofetafotagofafefolodeofolofeofolaiod
WITH A LOAD :
+..OF...
:
SPRING LAMBS.
By C. A. Stephens.
PN I I wan
One of my youthful neighbors,
Charles Coburn by name, who migrat-
ed from Maine to California a few
years ago, writes me most interesting
letters occasionally, telling me how he
is faring out there and what life is like
in the Golden State.
One of these long letters came only
a week ago, and among other things,
describes a somewhat startling adven-
ture which befell him while on the
way to the railway station with a load
of lambs. ie ais :
Young Coburn’s new place, as I shall
have to explain, is up among the Sier-
ras, at no great distance off the stage
road which leads from Berendo and
Raymond over to the famous Yosemite
valley. At the old Coburn farm in
Maine the boys were trained to dairy-
ing, sheep-raising and fruit-growing,
and Charley wished to follow these
lines of farming in California.
He therefore settled in one of the
elevated mountain valleys, where
sheep can be pastured and apple-trees
thrive.
For climatic reasons it is only in
these Sierra districts of California that
apples grow well. Here they flourish,
and Charley was able last season to
market 4000 bushel boxes of winter
fruit from his young orchards. With
the thrift of a true son of the old Pine
Tree state, too, he is putting his sav-
ings into sugar-pine timber lands up
in the mountains, which bid fair to
yield large profits in the not distant
future.
But my present story is of his ad-
venture on July 1st with a crate of
spring lambs, while he was driving
down from his mountain farm to
the railroad.
There were 23 fat lambs in the large
crate on the double wagon, and the
distance which he had to drive was a
little more than 30 miles, over three
mountain ridges, much of the way be-
ing through pine growth.
He had made an early start, and ex-
pected to get down to the railroad-sta-
tion by nightfall.
One of his horses was taken sick
on the road, however, when only ten
miles out. He had to unhitch, and for
a time expected to lose the animal. It
lay writhing about in great distress for
several hours. At last he rode the oth-
er horse to the ranch and stare of a
settler eight miles away for.a bottle
of “colic cure.”
Altogether the day was far advanced
before he was able to proceed on his
way, so far that, owing to the weak-
ened eondition of his horse, he was at
first minded to drive back home; but
as the night was warm .and not very
dark, he decided to go on. The lambs,
in faet, were required in Los Angeles
on the 3d.
He therefore drove on rather slow-
ly, hoping to make the outward trip
during the night.
Meanwhile the lambs, huddled in the
hot crate, were getting hungry and
thirsty. As yet, no really humane meth-
od of transporting such animals is
available in cases like this. Ere long,
as the horses descended through the
dark pine growth into the valley of a
little creek, the lambs all began bleat-
ing plaintively.
Otherwise the night seemed abso-
lutely still. Through the dense black
boughs of the treetops a few stars
shone dimly; but not a breath of
breeze stirred the sultry air, and the
bleating of the lambs woke strange
cadences off in the silent depths of the
woods.
It touched the young farmer’s heart;
and as soon as they reached the creek
and had crossed, he stopped and be-
gan watering all the lambs from a
bucket, dipping up one bucketful af-
ter another, passing it in to them at
the door in the rear end of the crate.
He was thus engaged when a crash
in the brushwood close at hand, fol-
lowed by a loud, harsh screech, broke
the stillness.
Well he knew what it was! but one
denizen of the forest ever gives vent
to that blood-curdling screech—the
mountain lion, or panther; and that he
had one of thése ugly brutes to deal
with there alone in the night was far
from adding to the pleasure of that be-
lated trip! There was little time for
considering the matter, however. Both
horses , started violently and sprang
forward.
Without stopping even to shut the
crate door, Coburn jumped to get hold
of the reins, crying, ‘Whoa, Jim!
‘Whoa, Topsy!”
He heard a splash in the creek be-
hind him, but leaped forward beside
the wagon, and with a quick bound,
regained the driver’s place, only to find
that the reins had been pulled off the
dashboard under the horses’ feet.
They were now running.
It was ascending ground here, and
the road turned sharply to the left.
Still calling out reassuringly te the
horses, he attempted to get the reins
by swinging forward on the wagon
tongue and reaching them at the sad~
dle: but just then the nigh horse trod
or them, jerked her own head round
and plunging aside out of the road,
brought the wagon up with a heavy
shock against stumps and stones.
Coburn was thrown headlong be-
tween the horses, but falling partly on
the wagon tongue, he recovered him-
self, sprang off in advance of the team,
and got the frightened animals by the
bits. They reared, snorting, and swung
the wagon out into the read again, for
they heard, or scented, the panther
stealing up behind. Coburn was
dragged along for some distance, and
had all he could do to prevent the
horses from getting clear away.
In the midst of the scuffle and clat-
ter, he had heard a savage growl and
jumped to the top of the crate. He
could see it there indistinctly, in the
dim starlight, balancing itself, trying
to tear off the crate slabs, to get at
the lambs. The horses now went near-
ly frantic, pushed violently back, then
sprang on again, and going off the
road on the other side, stuck the pole
back of a tree in such a way as to
bring the tree between them. With
his arms round the tree, Coburn now
got hold of the bits of each horse and
held them there, and after some mo-
ments—catching his breath—he pulled
the reins through the bits and tied
the heads of both horses close to the
tree trunk. They could not now get
away; in fact, they held each other
there hard and fast. : =
Meanwhile a frightful racket, accom-
panied by a loud bleating of the lambs,
was going on in the crate behind.
When the horses bumped off the
road the last time, the lion had fallen
or jumped off the crate. It was not now
in sight, and Coburn stepped cautions-
ly back beside the nigh horse, to see
where the brute had gone and what it
was doing. By the sounds, the lion
was evidently in among the lambs;
and Coburn’s first thought was that it
had torn the top of the crate off.
In the wagon box, under the driver’s
seat forward, was his coat and also his
belt, in which he was accustomed to
carry a revolver when out on the road
at night. The day had been so hot
that, while dectoring his horse, he had
taken the belt off and put it in the box
with his coat. The revolver was what
he was now trying to secure. Creeping
low beside the horse, he reached up to
the box, and raising the lid, got hold
of the belt and pistol.
From the noise in the crate he was
sure the panther was in it, killing a
lamb; and he slipped quickly along by
the wheels, to the rear end of the crate,
determined to risk a shot at close
range if he could see the animal. Now,
however, he discerned that the crate
door was open and that the lion had
sprung in there. But the lambs ap-
peared to be all huddled at the front
end, and it instantly occurred to him
to clap the door to and fasten it; for
he saw now that the top of the crate
was still intact.
‘While he was securing the door,
however, he nearly ran over two small
creatures close to the wagon-wheels.
They sprang away, but stood, snarl-
ing, a few steps off, looking in the
dim light to be no larger than house
cats. He at once surmised that these
were cubs, and that it was an old fe-
male had attacked him. :
He was not afraid of these little
fellows; but when He clapped the crate
door to, the old one suddenly dashed
back at it with a lamb in her mouth,
snarling frightfully. He fired at her
head as well as he could see—and then
pandemonium reigned inside the crate!
The alarmed lambs rushed to and
fro, bleating loudly, and the lion ap-
peared to be going heels over head
among them!
Coburn meanwhile was holding the
crate door, trying to get another shot.
Some moments passed before matters
quieted enough for him to do so. The
awful snarls and growls of the en-
trapped beast guided him as to its
whereabouts, however, and at last
making out its darker form among the
lambs, he fired again—several times,
in fact.
None of these first shots appeared
to do the brute any harm, and after
every flash lamb and lion went all
over the inside of the crate again. It
is not easy to shoot with anything like
accuracy in the night, even at close
range. He emptied his revolver, then
recharged it, before a shot really dis-
abled the lion and brought it to the
floor of the crate. Even then it
thrashed about, making hideous out-
cries, until, reaching in between the
slats, Coburn had fired several other
shots into its body. :
Satisfied at last that the beast was
done for, he got his lantern from the
box, lighted it, and opened the crate.
The interior presented a sorry spec-
tacle. The lion had killed two lambs,
and shots from the revolver had
wounded another—which had to be
killed later.
He puiled the body of the lion out
of the crate into the road behind the
cart. It was a lean, bony beast, and
would have weighed, Coburn thinks, as
much as 150 pounds. As he flung the
carcass off the highway, the cubs be-
gan snarling near by. He could make
out their fiery eyes in the brushwood,
and at last knocked one over with a
shot by lantern-light. The other ran
off to a greater distance; but for an
hour or two—before he was in condi-
tion to go on—he heard the little beast
yawling fearfully off in the under-
brush. At last he made a fresh start,
and eventually reached the railroad
with his crate of lambs.
He buried the careass of the lion
and her cub beside the road on his
way home the next day. The cub was
about a quarter grown, and Coburn
conjectured that it may have been two
months old. The other one was still
lingering about, but had become so
shy that he could not get near it.—
se gprron)
Glasgow's Great Success
in Running
Her Own Street Car Lines
By Frederic C. Howe.
{operated pn wl) paratpaiining)
= HE private company predicted failure, said the city would go
; ] bankrupt. So they refused to sell the council their cars, be-
1 cause they expected the system to come back to them in a
short time.
i The first thing the city did was to reduce the hours and
increase the wages of the employes. Then free uniforms
were added, along with five days’ holiday each year on pay.
J This increased consideration for the employes now costs the
department something like $500,000 a year. The council
did not stop here. Hauls were lengthened and fares cut down 33 percent. To
day one may ride a half-mile for a cent; two and one-third miles for two cents,
and three and a half miles for three cents. For fares are arranged on the
zohie system. You pay for what you get. The main thing is, what does the
average rider pay? In 1905 it was 1.89 cents, while the average fare charged
per mile was nine-tent.., of a cent. Of the 195,000,000 passengers carried, 20
percent paid but one cent, 60 percent but two cents, and only 10 percent of
the total number carried paid more than the latter sum. All fares in excess
of two cents might be abolished and the earnings would hardly show it.
And the cost to the city for carrying the average passenger (not including
interest charges) was just under one cent in 1905. An examination of the
earnings and expenses shows that the Glasgow tramway could pay all operat:
ing expenses, could maintain the system, could pay local taxes the same as
a private company, and still carry passengers at‘a universal. fare of one cent.
It'could do this and make money. On the basis. of last year’s earnings it would
make about $75,000 even if there was neo increase in traffic. For the operating
expenses and maintenance charge in 1905 were $1,884,150. If the 195,767,519
paksengers carried had paid one cent each, the earnings would have been
$1,957,6%5.—From Scribner’s. Tage Cie :
<r
: Improvements in Pekin
More Real Advance in China in the Last
Two Years Than in Previous Millennium.
ETS.
: By Joseph Frankiin Griggs.
vrei Ptnprgameninily
COMPETENT authority on things Chinese states that during
the Zast two years China has made more real advancement
than in the previous millennium. That his judgment is
sound is apparent to those who enjoy the vantage point of a
residence in Pekin. It has long been predicted that changes
would be surprising in their speed, but the most sanguine
had not hoped for what is taking place.
In passing through Pekin, the streets seem to be the
A
PENNSYLVANIA STATE NEWS
MOVE IN BANK CASE
Former Officials Make Application for
Examination of Books.-
” Washington.— William L. Lenhart
of Brownsville, indicted jointly with
Oliver L. Piper, former cashier, and
Max Avener on a charge of conspir-
ing to defraud the Peoples’ bank of
California, which was temporarily
closed, made an application in the
Washington county cburt to have the
books, papers and records of the
bank examined by an expert account-
ant.
The district attorney is required by
the court to show cause why the appli-
cation should not be granted. In his
petition Lenhart claims he has no
personal knowledge of false entries
in the books and records charged
against him. i:
In the indietments against Lenhart
and Piper the first 190 counts charge
the making of false entries to hide
anlawful transactions between the
two. All three of the men charged
with fraud and conspiracy will be
tried at criminal court next month.
SUBPENAS IN CAPITOL CASE
Names of Former State Officials on
List of Witnesses to be
Summoned.
Harrisburg.—Detectives started to
subpena the witnesses for the trial of
the second capitol case which will be-
gin on May 11 in the Dauphin county
court. On the list are the names of
ex-Governor Pennypacker, exGovernor
Stone, ex-Treasurer Harris, ex-Auditor
General Hardenbergh, ex-Superinten-
dent Byre and others.
The case is known as the metallic
furniture case, because it involves an
alleged fraud in contract for such
material. There are about 20 wit-
nesses to be subpenaed.
DENIES INJUNCTION
Judge Orders Gas Company to Put
Wall Around Well.
‘Washington.—Judge James Inghram
of the Greene county court has hand-
ed down a decision denying an injunc-
tion in the case of the Dilworth Coal
Company against the Ten Mile Gas
Company.
The proceeding was brought by the
coal company to prevent the gas com-
pany from drilling a well through an
abandoned portion of the Dilworth
company’s mine at Rice’s Landing. It
most striking phenomenon. Three years ago there seemed
little hope that the black mud, and the disgusting sights and stenches would
ever give place to anything better. The board that had been appointed to re-
pair the streets was considered to have an Augean task and was the butt of
many facetious remarks. Now the broad thoroughfares are fast being convert-
ed into handsome avenues. The central portion, a strip of about seven yards
in width, is being well macadamized with the aid of steam rollers. This is
flanked on each side by shallow drains of brickwork, a row of trees, an un-
paved strip of five yards in good repair, then a curbed sidewalk of varying
width cheaply cemented with pounded lime and earth. The building line has
been straightened, necessitating the rebuilding of many shops, the rehabllita-
tion of which is in keeping with the rest. Long-forgotten sewers have been
reopened, and places of conveniencee erected, the use of which is made compul-
sory, Innumerable unsightly sheds which have occupied half the madway are
being removed, forever, it is hoped, and the squatters have sought other fields
in which to ply their trades. The new roadways are guarded by uniformed
police in their sentry boxes, and kept in order by numerous laborers. Fine
line of the last few years. The telephone is no longer a curiosity, but is fast
becoming a necessity to progressive business men.—From The Century.
gow [here
Do Wild Animals Die?
By Dr. Theodore Zell.
HERE do wild animals ‘ die and what becomes of them
after death? The question is simple enough and easily an-
swered in some cases, but extremely difficult in other cases.
In a large number of cases the animals are killed by other
animals or by man and eaten. They find their graves in
the maw of their enemy, who in turn may find his grave in
the stomach of some other more powerful creature. Of all
living creatures man is the most bloodthirsty, and more an-
imals fall victims to his greed, cruelty or appetite than to
the murderous instincts of carnivorous or other animals.
It has been asserted that man is compelled to kill to prevent an excessive
increase in the number of animals which would threaten his very existence.
are killed by wolves every year, not counting the poultry which becomes their
prey. .
Some have made the assertion that certain animals, when they feel the
approach of death retire to some hiding place, a cave, hollow tree, or some
crevice in the rocks, and there await the end. That may be true and is decid-
edly probable, but does not explain the fact that only in rare cases are the re-
mains of dead animals found in such places. It has often been commented
apon that even in the districts where monkeys are abundant dead monkeys are
scarcely ever found. Ancient writers like Pliny speak with remarkable eru-
dition of the age which certain domestic and wild animals reach, but their
writings throw no light upon the question as to what becomes’ of the animals
after death. The number of carcasses and skeletons which are actually found
is fr too small to give a satisfactory evplanation of the puzzling question which
is still witing for its Oedipus.—Chicago Tribune.
Geiferferfroed jeigeageded
y=
Looking Ahead
8y Paul Alwyn Platz. 9
MPLOYES in the entry department of a wholesale cloth-
ing house were on the anxious seat because it was known
E that a promotion was close at hand. During all their dis-
cussions, however, one young man was too busy to talk as
he was working upon the sales-book which was in a tangle
and a month behind the orders, To bring it up to date was
a task that made all of the young men in the entry depart-
ment avold it, as it involved much detailed work. One day,
while they were discussing who would be the lucky one,
the young man closed the book with a cry of joy and exclaimed: “It’s up to
date!” “It's werk wasted!” was the comment of the others.
The next day the head of the firm came into the entry-room with a troub-
led look. “We're in a greal fix. 1 wish the sales-book was up to date!” "it
is,” responded the young man who had been, working upon it. “You do not
understand me correctly,” said the head of the firm. “I mean the big order-
bodk.” “The book is up to date,” and the young man reached over and pick-
ed up the pales-book, opening it on his desk.
When the promotion was announced, tlie young man who worked in his
Youth’s Companion.
spare moments was the lucky man.
telephone poles, strung with countless copper wires, replace the topsy-turvy |.
The mission of the carnivorous animals seems to be a similar one. In Rus
sia 180,000 head of cattle and other large animals and 560,000 smaller animals
was claimed by the coa] company that
| 828 would escape from the well and
i probably fill the mine. The court
denied the injunction on condition
f oo the gas company put a brick and
cement wall around the casing of the
well
WANT POSTPONEMENT
Attorneys Ask for More Time in Capi-
tol Cases.
Harrisburg.—In the Dauphin county
court application was made for post-
ponement of the arguments on mo-
tions for new trials for Snyder, Math-
ues, Shumaker and Sanderson, con-
victed of conspiracy in the first capi-
to] case.
Counsel argued that they could not
find time to prepare arguments in ad-
vance of the next capitol case, which
fs set for May 11, and tHe argument
will therefore be postponed until aft-
er the trial of Congressman Cassel
and the others. The argument was
fixed for Wednesday.
May Be Highwayman's Body.
West Newton.—The body of an un-
known man was found floating in the
Youghiogheny river here. It is
thought the man was one of two who
held up a Hungarian a week ago. A
posse overtook the highwayman. One
escaped, but the other was driven in-
to the river and was not seen to
emerge. In the pockets of the body
found today were $30, a watch and a
razor.
Fifth Survivors Celebrate.
Altoona. —The survivors of the Fifth
Pennsylvania Regiment, who served
under Colonel Burchfield in the Span-
fsh-American War, met here on the
27th to celebrate the tenth annivers-
ary of their departure for Mount Gret-
na. A regimental ascociation was
formed, and a campfire and banquet
was held tonight. The association
will meet next year at Huntingdon.
Trainmen Are Reduced.
Johnstown.—As a result of the con-
tinued decrease in the slow freight
movement over the main line of the
| Pennsyivania railroad, 16 engineers
were reduced to firemen and 26 fire-
men were indefinitely suspended at
the Conemaugh headquarters. The
orders issued will affect 169 men on
the Pittsburg division. A few weeks
ago a large number of suspensions
tock place at Conemaugh.
Robbers Tie Farmer to Tree.
Berlin.—B. R.- Hersch, a merchant
and miller in Northampton township,
gix miles east of town, was assaulted
at night by two robbers, who after
taking $19 in cash and a gold watch
tied him to a tree and beat him al-
most into insenbility. He was brought
here this morning and Dr. R. J. Hef-
fley attended him.
Ten Hours in Reading Shops.
Reading.—The Reading Railway
Company put its 650 car shop employ-
es on ten hours a day. For a long
period they have been on nine hours.
Altoona.—Ernest Wise, a railroad
car inspector, stepped between two
cars in the Altoona railroad yards
when the cars were moved violently
and was killed.
New Castle.—A four days’ conven-
tion of the State Board of Agricul-
ture and the Farmers’ Normal Insti-
tute will open May 26.
Baston.—The body of Michael Gal-
lagher, an Allentown boy who was
swept away in the flood last February
was found in the Lehigh river. 2
$20,000 FIRE ON THAW FARM |!
Horses and Farmhouse Are Destroy-
ed in Flames.
Greensburg. —The farm owned by
the Thaw estate in Mt. Pleasant town-
ship, near Hecla, where the Magee
Cook Company is building a large
plant, was the scene of a fire in which!
twenty-four horses and three cows
perished. The blaze was discovered
shortly after midnight by John Sny-
der, who lives on the farm, the big
frame barn being a mass of flames.
Snyder succeeded in saving three
horses, but a stallion valued at $1,000
was burned, together with twenty-
three draught horses owned by Con-
tractor H. Prank Stark of Greens-
burg. Stark had a grading contract
at the new coke plant. The total
loss is $20,000 with little insurance.
TAX COLLECTOR MISSING
Writes Letter to His Wife Threaten-
ing to Commit Suicide.
Philadelphia.—Lewis J. Chester, tax
collector of Glen Qlden, Delaware
county, near here, it was learned to-
day is missing, having, it is alleged,
embezzled about $10,000 of county
and school funds. ~
The alleged defalcation becam®:
known through a letter written by
Chester to his wife in which he stated
that he had gone to parts unknown te.
avoid arrest and intimating that if
he was captured he would somite
suicide. Chester was elected tax col-
lector in 1903. A warrant has beem
issued for his arrest. :
THIS MAN HARD TO KILL ..
Sustains 2,200-Volt Shock and Falls 35
Feet.
Uniontown.—Ira Barber of Thomp-
son No. 1, is in the Uniontown hos-
pital, suffering from the effects of an
accident in which he was almost elec-
trocuted. While working on a stable
he came in contact with a high tension
wire of the West Penn Electric Light
Company and 2,200 volts passed
through his body. ?
For fear of being killed, men re-
fused to go to his rescue and Barber
fell 35 feet from the top of the sta-
ble. Physicians believe he will re-
cover.
ASK FOR RECEIVER
Proceedings Begun to Wind Up Van=-
dergrift Company.
‘Washington.—Joseph H. Vandergrift
has commenced proceedings to have a
receiver appointed to wind up the af-
fairs of the Vandergrift Distilling
Company of Allenport. The property
consists of the distillery and a large
quantity of whisky on hand. :
John M. Vandergrift, by will, de-
vised his whole estate to his widow,
Julia A. Vandergrift, and appointed
her executrix. Since his death she
has been managing the distillery and
selling the output. 3
Five Buildings Burn.
Three stores, with all their contents,
and two unoccupied storerooms in
Herman avenue, Wilmerding, were de-
stroyed by fire that started at 2
o'clock in the morning, causiug a loss
of $10,000, covered by insurance. An
overheated gas stove in the confec-
tionery store of Harry Zaslaff destroy-
ed the building, with a loss of $1,000.
Arrested in Hospital.
Bradford—A. L. Whellan the engi
neer in charge of the light engine
which crashed
train on the Buffalo, Rochester and
Pittsburg railroad on the evening of
April 18, has been arrested at Roches-
ter, N. Y., where he was confined to a
hospital suffering from injuries re-
ceived in the wreck.
Organizes for Campaign.
Hollidaysburg.—The Blair county
Republican committee organized for
the presidential campaign. Mayor
Jesse L. Hartman of Hollidaysburg,
was re-elected chairman. The secre-
taries are Archibald Brumbaugh,
Charles Manlove, W. E. Howe and Ed-
ward C. Marks. !
Kittanning Farmer Maltreated.
Kittanning. —James Sowers, a farm-
| er, came to Kittanning Saturday after-
noon. Sunday morning he was found
under a wagon in an alley, beaten and
unconscious, and died at the hospital
a few hours laters His money -and
watch were missing.
Mystery Cleared Up.
Warren.—The mystery surrounding
the disappearance four weeks ago of
J. H. Jennings, a wealthy resident of
this town, has been cleared up through
the finding of his bedy in the Alle-
Shey river a short distance from
ere.
Bomb With Lighted Fuse.
Butler.—An attempt to blow up the
store of Kirkpatrick Bros. at Renfrew,
near here, was made. An Italian
was seen placing something under the
building and then running away. An
investigation disclosed a bomb with
a lighted fuse.
To Build Court House.
Sharon.—The grand jury instructed
the county commissioners to proceed
at once with the construction of a
new cour. house for Mercer county
to cost $20v 000. The. work of tear-
ing down the walls of the old build-
ing will start tomorrow.
New Castle—An appeal for clem-
ency, signed by nearly every lawyer
of the Lawrence county bar, was for-
warded to Governor Stuart in behalf
of Rosario Serge, the 18-year-old Ital-
ian under sentence to be hanged here
May 7. It is alleged the jurors were
prejudiced against all Italians.
e Strail to Die June 2.
Harrisburg.—The governor ordered
a warrant to issue in the case of
James Strail of Venango county, fix-
{ing June 2, 1908, as the date of his
| execution.
into the passenger -
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