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VOLUME 19.
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M
ost Harrowing- Tragedy of Recent
In Reynoldsville Occurred Sunday Morning
- 1 ' 1 4 -
Home of J. C. Ferris
The most harrowing Are tragedy of re
cent years in Keynoldsville oecured about
four o'clock Sunday morning, December
4th, when the home of Mr. and Mrs. J. C.
Ferris, on East Grant street, was almost
totally destroyed, and in which two of
their children wore burned to dcuth, two
more badly burned, and they themselves so
tcrrlDiy injured Dy ure ann cura urn hid
J life of the mother, at least, is despaired of.
The story of the catastrophe is sickening
in its horror. The family of six had re
tired Suturday night no thought of the
!vll that was to befall them before morning.
About midnight Mrs. Ferris awoke and
found that the baby of the home, who was
suffering from a cold needed attention, and
.she went to the kitchen to prepare a poul
tice. The family used coal for fuol and
after getting the poultice for thelnfant
ready, Mrs. Fen-is banked the fire in the
Uve, as had been done many times before,
"-Hiat it might hold and bo in readnoss for
Ahe morning. It is supposod the stove later
f became overheated, and ignited the paint
' on the walls of the house, which it is said
were within eight inches of the side of the
stove. It was about four o'clock in the
morning when Robert, the second son of
Mr, Ferris, a lad of four years, awokei saw
the flames coming through the bedroom
floor and ran in terror to his mother's room
to alarm them. It was but a moment un
til the household was aroused, but even
then the fire was found raging everywhere,
escape by the stairs was cut off, and- the
floor was 'sagging beneath them as they
-walked. The father picked up the eldest
girl, tne mother the infant child, and call
ing the two other boys to them they ran to
window, broke It down, and 'hen, clad
only in underclothing, Jumped from this
.second story window to the snow covered
ground below. The father fell through
. the window and was safe except for a
great gash out In the calf of Mr. Ferris's
loft leg. The mother calling to the children
to follow her and she would catch them,
jumped with the baby. The clothes of
both were In flames at the time and in a
moment after reaching the ground she had
rolled the ohild and herself in the snow to
extinguish the Are and then turned to catch
her children when they jumped. To her
unutterable horror, she found that they
had become frightened and turned back
.into the burning bouse. Calls were in vain
.and entrance to the home was Impossible.
'An that moment of awful mental anguish,
r-Jthe mother oecamo dazed, her mind wandcr-
' d and neighbors who came hurrying to the
rescue a few minutes later, found her sit
ting on the steps of her burning home,
swaying backwards and forwards, wring-
ing her hands in helpless woe and murmnr
ing an incoherent song that she had fre
quently nsed"to hill her children to .sleep.
Even as she 'sang it two of her children
were passing into the endless sleep of death.
Strong men who came upon her In this
.pitiful state were transfixed with horror
.and stood as though frozen to the
ground, and with their blood running
cold. ;,.,','V
The boys "who had failed to follow
their parent to the ground, went back
over the burning floor evidently in search
of some other means of escape. Onoe,
it la said, they were seen at the rear
-window trying to batter it down and
-escape from the raging Are around them
.but while they , vainly struggled at the
window, the floor gave way beneath
.them and they foil together into the
furnace of flame below. In the morning
when the fire had been extinguished, men
entered the ruins to search for the bodies.
It was long before they unoovered them
under burnt debris. When, at last, near
the foot Of the. stairs, they came upon
them, the little' lads were found locked
In a close embrace, their flesh roasted to
a crisp, and almost unrecognizable. The
two bodies were taken up and carried to
the undertaking rooms of Hughes - St
Flaming, where, after being prepared for
It- JH, the bodies remained until Monday
i noon. Owing to the fearful burns,
-do co was allowed to see the remains
C st Mng plaoed la th casket. "
la breaking open the . window and
ju. ping, Mr. Ferris was painfully and
RENIDDNG
Destroyed, Two Children Cremated, Father, Mother and
Two Other Children Painfully Burned.
dangerously cut In the calf of ono leg.
His burns were also serious and the
physical pain, with the mental anguish
following)the loss of his children and total
ruin of his home and household goods, was
so great that he at times pitcously begged
that he might be mercifully despatched.
Everything possiblo was done for the
family, the surviving child being taken
in charge by neighbors, and Sunday
morning the physician decided that careful
treatment in a hospital alone could save
tho lives of Mrs. Ferris and her infant
child. Accordingly Mr. and Mrs. Ferris
and the baby were placed on a street car
and taken to a Punxsutawney hospital.
Besides severe burns on face and back, it
is feared that Mrs. Ferris may have
inhaled flame and that she may, have
internal injuries that will result fatally.
The house was completely gutted. Not
an article of furniture was saved and there
was no insurance. Mr. Ferris was pur
chasing tho property on a time-payment
plan and still owed a few hundred on it.
The catastrophe wiped out all his earthly
possessions, incapacitated him for work
for several weeks, and almost destroyed
his family. Under the circumstance It is
little wonder that offers of assistance were
numerous and that several good sized
funds were raised by various organizations
for his Immediate relief. The; largest of
these came from the Men's Biblo Class
of the M. E. Church, of which Mr.
Ferris was a member, and from the
Elks. The latter organization also plans
to give a benefit performance of "Playing
the Ponies" in the Adolphl Theatre soon,
from which it Is hoped to reulize a
handsome sum for the affliUed family.
The two boys who burned to death
were Robert aged four years, and Ralph,
aged seven. It was the four year old boy
who discovered the fire and gave the
alarm which enabled the parents and
two children to escape. " That he who
saved the others should himself perish is
one of the saddest incidents connected
with the tragedy.. Maud, the oldest of
the children, was badly burned about the
face, arms and feet, but Is not In serious
condition. She Is now at the home of H.
L. Hoke.
The latest reports from the Adrian
Hospital, where Mr. and Mrs. Ferris and
baby were taken, sny that all are doing
very well and that there is very little
danger of death for any but Mrs.
Ferris, who on account of great mental
anguish and the severity of her injuries,
may have a hard fight for life.
The funeral of the two boys, Robert and
Ralph Ferris, was held in the Methodist
Episcopal church Monday afternoon, con
ducted by Rev. John F. Black, and
burial was made in Beulah cemetery.
MUTUAL STORES COMPANY
- BEING ORGANIZED.
i . A
Jefferson and Elk County Men
Head Company to Estab-
lish Stores.
A number of Jefferson and Elk county
men are at the head of a project to estab
lish a string of five and ten cent stores that
If plans carry out, may stretch across the
continent in an endless chain.
The Mutual Stores Company was recent
ly incorporated In the state of Nevada
with an authorized capitallzatlzatlou of
9100,000, ihe shares having a par value of
11.00 fully, paid and non-assessable. Its
president Is C. D. VanDuzer, a woll known
business man of Rldgway; vice-president
and general manager, O. C. Frampton",
of Punxsutawnev ; secretary and treasurer
J. Elson Smith, now of Punxsutawney, but
formerly of Reynoldsville. ''.-
The stock of the corporation is now be
ing floated. ! The Mutual Stores Company
proposes to establish." a siring bf stores, 1 In
fifty or a hundred different towns and cl
ties In various sections of tho .United
States.
KBYNOIiDSVILLE, PEW A.. WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7,
SCENES
GRANGE LEGTURE POSTPONED.
The lecture of J. 8. Brlggs, announced to
i be given In the Hormtown Grange Hall,
, December 17th, has been posponed until
December 2Hrd. ' Prof. Brlggs was forced
to usk a postponement on ue -cunt of import
ant demonstration work In Washington
county. .
Ellis' Memorial
Was Impressive
Large Audience Listened to Eulogy
of Departed Brothers.
An audience which filled every portion
of the main floor of the Adelphl Theatre
was present to witness the beautiful and
Impressive exercises of the annual Lodge
of Sorrow of Reynoldsville Lodge No.
519, B. P. O. Elks, Sunday afternoon.
The stage, tastefully arrnuged for the
occasion, with a large oik head and dial,
emblematic of the principles of the order,
conspicuous in the center, was occupied
by the officers of the local lodge, the
speakers of the day, and the members of
the octette. The services was in charge
of Exalted Ruler John H. Ewlng, and
the prescribed ritual of the order for
such occasions was carried out in detail.
The eulogy was delivered by Clement
W. Flynn, Esq., of Reynoldsville, and
was a dignified and touching tribute to
the- worth of the brothers who have
passed away, most of whom were per
sonally known to tho speaker, and whose
words were the more sincere and tender
or. that account. These departed brothers
are: John D. Nolan, William Degnan,
Edward B. Phalen, Scott McClelland, J.
A. F. Hoy, S. P. Evans, Daniel Sterner,
Sr., Page McNutt, 8. C Christ, and
Grier O. Sweitzer. It is the motto of
the Elks to "write the faults of their
brothers on the sands, tholr virtues upon
the tablets of love and memory." and the
eulogy, without fulsome flattory, with
out harsh criticism, was a just and
deserved tribute to the liner qualities of
the dead.
Hon. J. M. Evans, of Sharon, Pa., who
followed Mr. Flynn as a speaker, devoted
his time to a portrayal of the value of
fraternal ' organizations in promoting the
progress of civilization, and in a pre
diction of the future when '-the Father
hood of God and the Brotherhood of
Man" shall form a basis on which all
the races of mankind may unite ttnd
strife. His tribute to the order of Elks
was listened to with deepest Interest. He
Is a plain and forcible speaker, thorough
ly conversant with his subject , .
A feature of the exercise - which
was highly appreciated by the audience
was '; the - beautiful - vocal : selections
rendered by an. octette and the instru
mental selections of the orchestra.
The Invocation had been delivered by
Rev. John F. Black, of the Reynolds
ville M. E. church, and ' the benediction
was also pronounced by him.
WORK D11AYEDAT MEREDITH.
With the exception. of the kilns, the old
brick plant at Meredith has been razed to
the ground, and everything is In readiness
to go ahead with the construction of the
new plant just across the railroad from the
site of the old. The unexpected setting in
of winter made tt Impossible to proceed
with the laying of brick on the proposed
buildings at present, but promptly with
the coming of spring work will be resumed
under the management of T. W. White. 1
The best rubber footwear at the least
price. Adam's Boot Shop,
Years
AT FOIRE
. BOLNER GETS JLJGHT SENTENCE.
John Bolner, who was tried in the Jeffer
son county court last week on a charge of
murdering two men and scrously wound
ing his wife, was given un Indefinite sen
tence of from three to twelve years in the
penitentiary.
Late Local News
On Every Page
DRAMATIC INCIDENT AT
MI$S FUNERAL
Burial Delayed a Day by Tele
gram from a Sister Living
- in Indiana.
One more dramatic touch was added to
the last chapter In the life of Miss Anna
Smith, details of whose sad death were
given In last week's issue, by tho arrival
of a telegram as the casket containing her
body was being placed In the hearse'to be
token to the place of burial. The telegram
was received from a sister, Mrs. William
Graham, living at Ellwood, Indiana, and
stated that she was on her way to Reyn
oldsville to see once more the sister she
had been separated' from several years.
The casket had been placed in the funeral
car, and the relatives were getting In the
cabs to move to the cemetery, but immedia
tely on receipt of the telegram, the plans
were changed, the casket was returned to
the home of the parents and burial was
posponed until the following day.
Thursday Mrs. Graham arrived, viewed
the corpse of her sister, and at J:30 thut
day the casket was again placed in the fu
neral car and followed by the sorrowing re
latives to the Reynoldsville cemetery.
WILL OCCOPyjEW QUARTERS.
The first floor of the I. O. O. F. building
la being re-fitted and when completed will
be occupied by L Horwltz with one of the
largest lines of dry goods in the county.
Mrs. I. Horwltz was in Pittsburg last week
buying new goods and when It comes in, it
will be placed on display In the new quar
ters. The Horwltz store was established
In Reynoldsville six years ago and has al
ways been a popular trading place, for lo
cal people. There is little doubt that the,
enterprise shown In securing these fine new
rooms in the Odd Fellows building wili
be rewarded by a still larger trade.
NOTICE.
Notice is hereby given that hereafter
positively no billls of any nature for
work done on township roads will be
paid unless . such work has been
expressly authorized by .the supervisors
or the road , masters. This .applies
especially to snow shoveling.
Supervisor of Wluslow Township.
We are the ouly people In ReynoldsvUlo
who carry the Apollo Chocolates.
. ' Koynoldsville Candy Works,
1910.
1
DR. , CHARLES CALVERT ELLIS
One of the star instructors en
gagel for the Jefferson county
teachers' institute to be held
in Reynoldsville Dec. 19 to 23.
See eomplete program of the
institute and directors' con
vention on an inside page.
CENSUS FIGURES FOR
Now Has 63.090. a gain of 3,
977 in Ten Years! Results
in Othef Counties
. . ' . i '
The Census Bureau at Washington, D.
C, has completed the tabulation of the
thirteenth census of the population of the
counties of Pennsylvania, and issued a bul
letin giving the figures.
Jefferson county, which In the twefth
census had a population of 60,113, has gain
ed but 3,077 in the ton years, now having
63,000. Clearfield county, which had 80.614
ten years ago, gains 13,154, having 93,768
according to the latest returns.
The census figures for other comities in
the state are:
Lehigh, 118,832 ;'Blair, 108,968; Clearfield,
(13,768; Fayette, 166,440 ; -Cambria, 166.131;
Erie, 115,517; Venango, 66,359; Mifflin, 37,
785; Allegheny, 1,019,463; Carbon, 53,846;
Lawrence, 70,083; Lackawanna, 843,186;
Lycoming, 80,813; Jefferson, 63,090; Phila
delphia, 1,640,008; Warren. 39,573; Wash
ington, 143, 680; Westmoreland, 331,304.
The population of the state of Pennsyl
vania has Increased 31.6 per cent, which
will give the state six new congressmen.
CATHOLIC CHURCH WILL
PURCHASE A PIPE ORGAN
May be ' Installed in the Reyn-
noldsville Church by
Easter of 1911.
The various societies and members of St
Mary's Catholic church in Reynoldsville
are now actively engaged In raising a fund
for the purpose of purchasing a new pipe
organ for the local church. It is expected
that a generous donation will be made to
wards this project by Andrew Carnegie
and that the coemblned funds of
the local parish and donation will en
able the church to secure one of the best
instruments made.
ITALIAN BAND HAS
. RENTED OPERA HOUSE
An Italian band has been organized in
Reynoldsville with thirty -six members, and
there is a possibility that the number will
be Increased five or six more In the near
future. The Instruments, fine' silver
plated cornets and silver mounted clarineta,
arrived last week and the band met to
practice for the first time Friday night.
The second floor of the old opera house
building haa been leased by this band and
competent leador. Port. Nick Spent of
Kane, has been engaged to give constant
Intructlon until the band reaches a high
degree of skill. I Prof.' Spent- was the
organiser and Instructor of the Johnson
burg band, which spent two days In Reyn
oldsville dnriMg the Italian celebration.
rs-
if;!?;.
ah
NUMfiEB 31.
IF
it
A SAD Tl
AT THE HOME OF
Mrs. Margaret Heemer Com-
mits . Suicide While Men
tally Deranged.
SHE WAS A HIGHLY ESTEEMED LADY
Mrs. Heemer had Lived In
Reynoldsville for a Good
Many Years and News of
Her Act was a Shock to the
Community.
The community was shocked Thursday
morning of last week to learn that Mrs.
Margaret Heemer, wife of Conrad Heemer.
one of the best known residents of the east
end of town had committed suicide by hang
ing that morning. . .
, Mrs. Heemer, who was about 50 years '
old, had suffered at Various times from
doep melancholia and while inthese periods
of depression had been carefully watched,
as she would at times stato her wish to
die. Atone time it was thought wise to
place her In an Institution for the care of
the feeble minded, but she quickly re
gained her normal mental balance, and her
relatives brought her home. In recent
weeks she bad given no sign of a return of
the melancholy and was not watched as
closely as before. '
; Thursday morning, when Mr. Heemer :'
left home, Mrs. Heemer was still in bed,
but talked with her husband and he no- ,
tloed nothiug unnsual in her actions. He '
was gone from the house for about half an
hour, and upon his return was horrified to
find the lifeless body of Mrs. Heemer hang
ing from a gas pipe In a room adjoining her
bedroom. Apparently she had left her
bed immediately after her husband's de
parture, had gone into the adjoining room,
made a noose by means of tying the arms
of a night dress together, and while stand
ing on a ohalr had slipped one end of this
noose over a gas pipe projecting and plated
the other end around her neck. She had
then stepped from the chair and death en- .
sued from strangulation. .
Immediately after making the gruesome
find, the county coroner. Dr. J. C. Sayers,
was notlhed, and he made an Investigation.
The evidence of self destruction was so
plain that an Inquest was deemed unnecea
ary. Mrs. Heemer was born 'in Indiana
county in 1859. She was united in
marriago to Conrad Heemer in Perry
township, this county, thirty-three years
ago and to the eouple a large family was
born. The husband and following sons
and daughters survive: William Heemer,
of Pittsburgh, Mrs. "Pearl Trudgen, of
Reynoldsville, Charles Heemer, of
Eleanora, Walter, of Chicago Junction.
Ohio, Miss Lilly Heemer. at home,
Thomas Heemor, of Manila, Philippine
Islands. Miss Kate Heemer, of Reynolds
ville, Guy Heemer, of Reynoldsville,
Irene Heemer, Aidine Heemer, both at
home.
Mrs. Heemer had resided in or near
ReynoldsvUlo for over twenty-four years
and had gained the esteem of all, who
.knew her as a lovable, warm hearted
woman. The news of her rash act was a
shock to scores of friends no less severe
than to the members of her immediate,
family.
MONEY IN FARMING
FOR REAL FARI iERS.
We have learned of an instance where
piece of land located within one mile of
Reynoldsville, one acre in extent, which
had been carefully cultivated and a strict
account kept of all expenses, both for
materials and time, yielded its owner at
the end of the present season over 1160.00
actual cash. This land was not exceptional
in any way and had no more advantages
than are possessed by thousands of other
acres now laying barren or haif cultivated
around the town, and the crop was just
good old staple line like cabbage, . ,
Piano boxes for sale at Hasklns Moslf
8re. ' -
tAGEDY
CONRAD
HEEI'IER
I
(