| SECTION A—PAGE 2.
THE DALLAS POST Established 1889 —
“More Than A Newspaper, A Community Institution
Now In Its Tlst Year”
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Member National Editorial Association
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hospitals. If you are a patient ask your nurse for it.
- We will not be responsible for the return of unsolicited manu-
scripts, photographs and editorial mattér unless self - addressed,
stafnped envelope is enclosed, and in no case will this material be
held for more than 30 days.
| National display advertising rates 84c per column inch.
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Preferred position additional 10c per inch. Advertising deadline
Monday 5 P.M.
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at 85¢ per column inch.
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~ Unless paid for at advertising rates, we can give no assurance
that announcements of plays, parties, rummage sales or any affair
for raising money will appear in. a specific issue.
Preference will in all instances be given to editorial matter which
has not previously appeared in publication.
i Editor and Publisher—HOWARD W. RISLEY
Associate Publisher—ROBERT F. BACHMAN
Bosociate Editors—MYRA ZEISER RISLEY, MRS. T. M. B. HICKS
i Sports—JAMES LOHMAN
i Advertising—LOUISE C. MARKS
! Photographs—JAMES KOZEMCHAK
& Circulation—DORIS MALLIN
A mon.partisar, liberal progressive newspaper pub-
Wished every Thursday morning at the Dallas Post plant,
{Lehman Avenue, Bertie, Pennsylvania.
Hditorially Speaking:..
TOMORROW MAY BE TOO LATE
For the protection of this area, residents are de-
manding ‘a much heavier siren on the State Correctional
dnstitution, and immediate warning the instant a prisoner
fescapes:
This is a community Whére a large percentage of the
men are employed away from home; where women and
children constitute the bulk of the daytime population;
where school buses discharge little girls to walk to their
ha along empty country roads.
It is a community where teen-age baby-sitters are
gommonly employed, sometimes until midnight; where
pea think nothing ‘of leaving the basement door
unlocked for the convenience of the ash man.
The Correctional. Institution is in cold hard fact a
prison for criminals who are of unsound mind, danger-
i ous crimminals, men from their late teens to their sixties,
Bll of them deranged. :
: ‘Only a very small percentage of the pobalation knew
that Tuesday afternoon and evening, for seven hours, a
prisoner was on the loose. Very few knew, six weeks
go, that a young man with a ten-inch butcher knife had
eld up a nurse in a convalescent ‘home before being re-
¢aptured. i JAR
b The radio stations were “alerted; the siren sounded,
but the wind was in the wrong direction for the bulk
>f area, people; Jackson Township police had the word.
B was (disseminated, little by little.
No ‘word can get around ‘as quickly as can the hor-
Brie shriek of a siren.
_People;-all of us, have a right to know when danger
threatens.
We have a right to protection. >
There is no place for secrecy when a dhpdions
criminal] escapes. We must know that he is at large, and
we must know at once,
Tomorrow may be too late.
Tomorrow, for some innocent little girl, may never
come. i
Poet's Corner
CHARIOTEER
In the 8:00 A.M. rush or 5:00 P.M. crush.
Driving to ‘or from town, you'll concur,
That right, from the start of
This trip, you seem part of
The . chariot. race of Ben Hur. 5
Qur charioteers (they're born with long ears)
‘Don't need Ben Hur’'s steeds to infuse ‘em
For ‘while Ben had buf four
‘They've got horses galore
And the Lake road's a good spot fo use ‘em.
The curves, he'll decide, are really. quite wide
An excellent spot for his passes
But: should he misjudge
Well, trees just don't budge— -
He'll propogate little green” grasses.
This charioteer (may his tribe disappear)
: Should be told to crawl up on a shelf
cade aur voice low
pred | know
friend—TO YOURSELF,
Williard G. Seaman
aa
EEPING WILLOW TREE
Bot who immortalized a tree
just how ornery a tree could really be
ifting up its: leafy arms to pray
on: ‘the fresh mown lawn i in most
oo unprayerful way.
ee, all summer, seems to wear
st of grudges in her hair.” : fen
while, disagmingly and charmingly, seems weeping
plotting moves best aimed tq keep me busy sweeping.
4
"he tree draws rhapsodies from folks, while being viewed
Quite dazzled by its sneaky charm, unmindful of our feud
Comparing nature's masterpiece to poor, imperfect me
Who's made a blooming martyr of an antisocial free.
The tree, | swear, enjoys my grief and laughs at my frustration
And calmly clutters up the lawn in.endless variation
So out of thought unprintdble, there's one that merits keeping
The weeping willow's sure misnamed—it's me who does
- the weeping.
Williard G. Seaman
SAFETY VALVE
Dear Friends,
Word Of Appreciation
oie
May I address you that warmly?
Because 1 feel we are friends. You ge
| helped me sa much last year with
the fine articles you wrote to honor
James Martin at the time of his
Then agdin you have been most
enerous in honoring me in my
ONLY
YESTERDAY
Ten and Twenty Years Ago
In The Dallas Post
|
' rr nappENED J{) YEARS Aco:
School boards’ were having their
troubles, as Lake Township rejected
Calvin McHose as principal, King-
ston Township faced cancellation dt
reimbursement from the State be-
cause of crowded conditions not yet
rectified, and Dallas Borough direc-
tors failed to see eye to eye with
each other.
East Dallas was still in the lead,
swamping Beaumont.
Society of Jesus was considering
establishing in the area a 6 million
dollar university.
First National Bank of Dallas pur-
chased the Reese property on Main
Street for construction of a new
building.
Butter was 2 pounds for 55 cents;
eggs, 25 cents; soda crackers two
boxes for 27 cents; tea 15 cents a
quarter pound.
Barnum and Bailey, and Ringling
Circuses were planning to visit Wyo-
ming Valley.
IT HAPPENED 20) vears aco:
Seven boys from the area were
selected for induction into the army.
They were James Glenn LaBar,
Thomas John Makravitz, Herbert
Hill Jr., Richard James Trugden,
Douglas William Riddell, and John
Maxwell Carle.
Melvin Mosier was killed in the
first fatal accident on the new high-
way. Daniel Murray Edwards, Alder-
son, was driver of the car which
struck the Kunkle man’s light de-
livefy truck on Memorial Day.
Residents of Goss Manor petit-
ioned Wilkes-Barre Transit to ex-
tend bus routes to their area.
H. Austin Snyder, supervising
principal of Lehman Schools, was
subject of a Know-Your-Neighbor.
Forty lots were brought down to
grade level when Banks Construc-
tion Co. excavated high banks bor-
dering the spur highway at the Y
leading into Dallas.
.Dallas, Woman’s Club was plan-
ning to open a dental clinic for
school-children of Dallas, Kingston
and Dallas Townships, with Dr.
Robert Bodycomb in charge.
Banks Construction Co. paid $23
first class postage on a package of
machine ‘ parts, when a letter was
found enclosed in the package, sub-
jecting it to first class instead of
fourth class postage.
Arthur Miers, Lehman,
25 from septic poisoning.
Tommy Dropchinski was getting
Lalong fine as a boxer in the Newark
area, fighting under the name of
Tommy Dew.
Professor Ernest E. Wood was
honored for thirty years of service
as organist ot Memorial Presbyter-
ian Church in Wilkes-Barre.
Violet Kline became the bride of
Harry Snyder.
Faith Kocher was wed to John
Honeywell.
IC. B. Rosengrant observed his
86th birthday.
{Albert Mekeel,
farmer, died at 57.
died at
Lehman = dairy
rr nappENED 1() YEARS Aco:
Local high schools graduated their
seniors, and school was almost out
for everybody. Kingston Township's
Valedictorian was Ronald Scott
Woolcok; salutatorian, Frederick
William Nicely. Ann Palmer was
valedictorian at Lehman, Ronald
Nuss salutatorian.
A huge crowd attended the Grass-
lands Festival at Sterling Farms.
Among those who demonstrated
were (Charles Long, Joseph Skopic,
George Bulford, and A/J Sordomi.
[The Fred Welchs were celebrat-
ing their silver wedding.
Lake Township Game Protective
Association released 120 rabbits.
Dale Warmouth had a poem in
a new anthology. Dale is a fresh-
man at Wilkes College.
Michael J. Kocher observed his
80th birthday.
Library Auction solletiation start-
ed.
Eleanor Doberstein became the
bride of Robert E. Smith.
Nancy Fahringer was wed to
William Whipp.
retirement this year.
1 deeply appreciate all this as
a personal favor to me as well as the
honor you, at the same time, give to
the teaching profession. I do feel
that high standards of our schools
do in a large measure depend upon
the teaching staff.
‘When the local newspaper recog-
nizes the school workers as you do
it proves our schools are of high
standards and have excellent public
relations in its community.
‘Again I thank you.
‘ Very truly yours,
Pearl M. Averett
IN MEMORIAM
“MY MOTHER
Her face was full Jf sunshine
Her eyes were kB bright,
She always said such nice things,
Made others feel all right.
She had a certain goodness
That showed her many ways,
Her family she loved for
Her love to give always.
My mother, how I miss her,
Her hand I'd like to clasp,
But I know she’s far much better
Tn the hands of God at last.
By Mrs. Roger Carey,
R. D. 2, Dallas, Pa.
3
THE DALLAS POST, THURSDAY. JUNE 8, 1961
From
Pillar To Post .
by HIX
Things were buzzing around the Paul Dugan household Friday
night, though as darkness deepened, the buzzing subsided to a
throaty murmur, and the bees settled down into a state of coma
for the night, their wings dampened by the gathering dew.
The Dugans are inured to bees,
Three years ago they had a swarm under the clapboards, and
though honey did not drip down into the living room and form
a pool on the floor as it did some years ago in a house in Tunk-
hannock, the workers were excessively busy at the height of the
of the season, and it was a cinch that they were laying up golden
treasure somewhere within the frame-work.
Mr. Dugan took measures. He sealed up the exit, and the bees
smothered happily in their own honey.
So it was no novelty when another swarm, attracted perhaps
by the still pervasive aroma of honey alongside the chimney, lighted
on the side of the house Friday night and prepared to set up °
housekeeping. There was the most microscopic of holes, but the
bees, by patient nosing, enlarged it, and zoom, the entire swarm
dribbled happily into the hole at early dawn.
Mrs. Dugan" followed established custom.
She called the Dallas Post.
What to do about the bees? ?
Ah yes, Bees. Filed under B.
It used to be simple enough. Mr. Rood always knew who would
come and persuade the bees to leave, but here we were, on
our own. ¢
But let's see. About a week ago, there was some talk of a
kid out at Harveys Lake Who knew all about bees, and would wel-
come another hive.
“Mrs. Dugan, there's a Bobby something or other who can
handle the situation, but I can’t for the life of me remember his
last name. Call Mrs. Stuart Marks. She knows who it is. And if she
doesn’t answer her phone, I'll drive over to the Dallas Post and
find Bobby's name. It’s buried under some church notices.”
And that was that.
Until Tuesday morning.
Tuesday morning Bobby Wintersteen appeared in the office to
talk about bees.
It developed that he had visited the Dugan home Saturday
morning, found that the bees had all disappeared into the hole
alongside the chimney, and were apparently well adjusted. . !
The Dugans were less well adjusted. If somebody could persuade
the bees to leave, well and good, They'd hate to snuff out the lives
of millions of bees, but they did not relish the idea of living sur-
rounded by honeycomb and the pulsating rhythem of wings. The
aperture. could be sealed up again, and the swarm entombed.
“I can trap them and take them away,” quoth Bobby.
He explained about bees. No chance of getting the queen out,
He said, but he could gas the old queen through the entrance, and
she’d die right away without ever knowing what hit her. And the
workers, he could entrap on- their way out to forage for honey,
and they could’t get back again under the clapboards.
It would take several days to trap them all, but by Friday
morning he would be ready to take off the trap, install the bees
in a hive, and present them with a new queen.
So tomorrow morning, Jimmie Kozemchak, Post photographer,
has a date with Bobby Wintersteen and the Dugans,
transfer is accomplished.
while the
And in about another week, the Post will have a nice feature
story on bees.
Where do you buy a queen bee? And does she come wrapped
in cellophane, cotton wool, or in a cage?
Stay tuned.
: !
Rambling Around :
By The Oldtimer —D. A: Waters
i
“Accused of violating the Logan
Law” is a common remark fating
the do- gooders who got behind the
movement to trade to Castro Amer-
ican Tractors and bulldozers in
exchange for Cubans held prisoner
by Castro. “The Logan Law’ is
about the only memorial to George
Logan, a prominent Pennsylvanian,
whose excellent qualities and ac-
complishments have been lost sight
of in remembering only the time
when he became a do-gooder and
incurred the wrath of most of the
governing men in the country, many
of whom had been his most intimate
friends.
George Logan was a grandson of
James Logan, secretary to and per-
sonal representative of = William
Penn. His father William and sub-
sequently - George, himself, inher-
ited from James a farm of five
hundred acres in North Philadel-
phia called Stenton. All the Logans
were Quakers and progressive farm-
ers, friends of the Indians educated,
and active in public affairs. The
Logan boys were sent abroad for
college and university training,
George becoming a physician after
the death of his older brother and
several lost years in business. He
was abroad during most of the
Revolution but like most aristocrats
was Tory in his sympathies. His
property “Stenton” = was about
wrecked during the war. Washing-
ton had made headquarters there
before the Battle of the Brandywine
and Howe afterward. While the
opposing generals probably did little
damage, subsequently the vacant
place was pillaged before he re-
turned home. His sympathy now
with the patriots, Logan, as a
Quaker, entered heartily into re-
lief work, In 1781 he married Debby
Norris by a Quaker ceremony.
Their property was restored and
became a visiting place for Wash-
ington, Jefferson, and other not-
ables. Logan traveled trying to
learn how to further improve his
farming practices. In 1785 he ent-
ered politics by election to the state
legislature on the Republican ticket,
the party of Jefferson. At the time
he endorsed the Jefferson views
but in later years cooled to many of
them. He became well known to
most of the national and state
leaders. In the meantime he organ-
ized farmers improvement clubs,
made extensive experiments on his
own farm, usihg oxen as power. He
studied bee keeping and animal hus-
bandry, emphasized the use of mah-
ure and land plaster, and acquired
the title, “The best farmer in Penn-
sylvania’.
A young transient worker living
nearby came down with smallpox. | yb
The family fled leaving the young
patient alone. Logan bundled him
up and took him into his own house.
This and other kindly acts made him
known also as “The Good Doctor”.
In 1798 a war swept the country.
‘Logan began to lose faith in Jeffer-
son, now vice president, and some
others, feeling they were not doing
enough to keep the peace. He re-
ceived the idea of a personal mis-
sion, at his own expense, to inter-
view both the English and French
authorities, many of whose leading
men he knew personally, and try
to calm things down. Jefferson, upon
request, without knowing in full
the purpose of the trip, gave him
a letter:
“I, Thomas Jefferson, do hereby
certify that George Logan, the bear-
er hereof, who is about to visit
Europe on matters of. business, is
a citizen of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania and United States of
America, of one of the most ancient
commonwealth, of independent fort-
une, good morals, —irreproachable
conduct,
such he is recommended to the
attention of all those who, from
principles of humanity, or a desire
to attach to their country the re-
spect of others, could interest them-
selves in seeing the protection and
hospitality of their laws entended
to a worthy and unoffending
stranger placed under their safe-
guard. Given under my hand and
seal, at Philadelphia, this 4th day
of June 1798. Th: Jefferson”.
The Federalists suspected a con-
spiracy and put a watch over Logan
but he went to Europe after getting
letters of introduction from the
French consul in Philadelphia, sel-
ling some land for expense money
and other preparations. When his
absence was discovered, during the
time the infamous “Alien and Sedi-
tion Laws” were under debate, in
Congress there was a great furore.
Official diplomatic agents in Europe
were alerted, spies were put on
Logan, and one actually saw his
papers. William Vans Murray, Amer-
ican minister at the Hague, asked
the Dutch government to arrest
Logan, but failed. He traveled exten-
sively and spent three weeks in
Paris, talking freely with members
of the Directory. He received a
pledge of peace and some relax-
ation of French harassment.
Regular government officials from
President John Adams down were
furious. Even Ex-President George
Washington, who had much vis-
ited Logah’s home and had jogged
Logan’s little boy on his knee, ber-
ated him soundly. And Congress
rushed through the “Logan Law”
although it took twenty-three days,
mostly of hot debate, some secret,
to get it to President John Adams.
Tt was made a crime, and still is,
for a private citizen to attempt to
make peace for the country. How-
ever a citizen may provoke war
with inpunity.
To Hold Covered Dish
Final meeting, until fall, of Dallas
Methodist W.S.C.S. will be held
Tuesday, June 13, in the church,
12:30. Those attending should bring
table service and a covered dish.
Mrs. Raymon Hedden is chairman of
the hostess committee. Beverage
and desert will be served.
and true civism; and as|
| Looking at |
With GEORGE A. and
EDITH ANN BURKE
THE ROARING TWENTIES —
Rex Reason is leaving the cast after
this season. The reason he gives is
that he won't participate in more
shoot-'em-up episodes which the
series will emphasize next season.
Another explanation could be that
Dorothy Provine hereafter will be
getting more attention and a bigger
part in the Saturday-night series.
Now that
leaving, it looks as though copy boy
Gary Vinson will be promoted to re-
porter.
BARBARA BILLINGSLEY, who
plays the mother of Beaver and
Wally in the “Leave It to Beaver”
show in real life has two sons, Drew
18, and Brud, 16. ;
She was widowed in 1955 when |
she lost her husband, Roy XKellino,
a prominent film and television
director. She remarried on June
28, 1959 to Dr. William Mortensen,
a well-known physician in the
Santa Monica-Los Angeles area.
Most TV fans admit that until the
Beaver show they never knew Bar-
bara Billingsley. But back in 1955
she co-starred with Steve Dunne in
“Professional Father.”
It was from this show that she
was considered for the Beaver show.
Barbara explains why ‘she thinks
the show has been such a success is
that all the situations are based on
things which
some member of the cast or to one
of the writers or producers. All of
the stories are believable because
they've actually happened,
Barbara was born in Los Angeles
and attended Washington High
School with Ester Williams. Her
favorite pastimes are reading and
cooking for her family.
JOHN DALY is expected to take
over this summer when Dave Gar-
roway leaves the “Today” show.
Because he is a professional TV
newsman it is expected that there
will be more emphasis on the news
when he takes over. Frank Blair
will still handle the news segments
with Daly concentrating on inter-
views.
MORE MONEY FOR PERRY MA-
SON — Evidently Raymond Burr
believes that high ratings go—with
high salary. For some time he has
been threatening to quit his tele-
vision role as Perry Mason. |!
Under a renegotiation of a con-
tract that still has a year to run,
Mr. Burr and CBS agreed on a two-
year extension with an option on a
third, How much of an increase he |
received is not known but every-
one is happy.
CBS has experienced this kind of
trouble before. James Arness of
“Gunsmoke” and Richard Boone of
“Have Gun Will Travel” received
financial improvements in new con-
tracts.
DARRYL HICKMAN, co-star of
“The Americans” is the brother of
Dwayne Hickman, known to many
as “Dobie Gillis.” Darryl is 29 and
Dwayne is 27.
Dwayne has been acting since he
was a youngster. When he got too
{ old for juvenile roles and wasn’t re-
and respectable families of the said |
ceiving any calls for adult roles, he
entered Loyola University in Los
Angeles and turned to his long-
time vocation of writing. He be-
{came editor of the college literary
magazine, won a national intercol-
| legiate play-writing contest and was
graduated with a B.S. in English.
During two subsequent years in
the Army, he produced, wrote and
performed in numerous service-
men’s shows with a fellow soldier,
Gordon Hunt, who is now his part-
ner in several civilian enterprises.
He has written five scripts for the
Loretta Young show, the latest one
seen on Sunday, June 4. He sold
another to Hawaiian Eye. He and
his partner, Hunt, currently are
peddling a TV series pilot, and
they're looking ahead to collaborat-
ing on a screen play.
Darryl says he loves acting but
“It is writing that has given me a
full sense of security. With “that
you don't have to depend on any-
one else.”
RATINGS * Three westerns still
lead Nielsen’s top 20. Among the
first five most highly-rated shows
are “Gunsmoke,” “Andy Griffith's
Show,” “Wagon Train” and “Have
Gun, Will Travel.”
Andy Griffith's show, produced
by Danny Thomas, tops Danny’s
own show which is sixth in the
running.
Senior Women Plan
Mid-Summer Dance
A meeting of the general com-
mittee for the summer dance of
Dallas ‘Senior Woman’s Club was
held recently at the home of Mrs.
George McCutcheon. Mrs. Jack
Rogers, General Chairman presided.
“Around the World” was the theme
decided on for this dance, which
will ‘be held July 15th at Irem
Temple Country Club Pavilion.
Reservations are in charge of Mrs.
Walter Phillips, Chairman, assisted
by Mrs. Kenneth Bayliss and’ Mrs.
Norman Schoell. Present were Mes-
dames Marion Harter, William Cle-
well, Henry Moyer, Edward Rat-
cliffe, Walter Phillips, Jack Rogers,
Ben. H. Edwards, and the hostess.
“In spite of what you hear, what
we have been going through is not
a recession. It's just a boom and
somebody lowered it.” — Edgar R.
Apking, Oaway (Mich.) News.
the leading man is
really happened to |
) Sn - A, we A NAS SS PRI de
DALLAS, PENNSYLVANIA
Of the 272 artillery pieces mustered at Gettysburg on July 1,
2 and 3, 1863 by the Army of Northern Virginia, and the 362
pieces brought to that Adams County. field, by the Army of the
Potomac, none ,has more significance for those of us in Luzerne!
County than the guns of Batteries F. and G., 1st Pennsylvania Light
Artillery commanded by Robert Bruce Ricketts.
You can still see them there—or similar guns—standing above
the stone wall beneath the shadowing elms of East Cemetery Hill,
where ninety-eight years ago the Union artillery on the evening of
the second day made its bold stand against the savage thrusts of
the Louisiana Tigers.
Brave, reckless men they were who stormed those batteries and
almost captured them in hand-to-hand combat. But of the 1.700
who made the charge 1,400 were killed, wounded or captured. The
Louisiana Tigers—so feared at Second Bull Run—were never again
known as an organization.
Of Scottish descent, Robert Bruce Ricketts was born at
Orangeville, Columbia County in 1839. He was studying for admis-
sion to the bar in the spring of 1861 when the Civil War broke
out, but enlisted for a term of three years as a private in Battery
F of the First Light Artillery, Forty-Third Regiment Pennsylvania
Volunteers! Battery F was composed mainly of volunteers from
Columbia and Montour counties.
His brother William W. Ricketts became Colonel of ‘the 36th
Regiment Infantry, Sixth Pennsylvania Reserves. Company A of that
regiment, recruited in Columbia County, was known as the “Iron
Guards.”
Bruce Ricketts was mustered into service on July 8, 1861 ‘and,
on the fifth of the following month, was commissioned First Lieu-
tenant of Battery F. He was underfire for the first time, December
20, 1861, in an engagement with a body of the enemy on the
upper Potomac.
The battery soon became known as Ricketts Battery. General
Henry J. Hunt, Chief of Artillery of the Army of the Potomac, in
a communication to the artillery commander of the First Corps said:
“None of your batteries are in bad order—the only corps so re-
ported. The batteries in the best order are Reynolds L, First New
York; Ricketts’ -F, First Pennsylvania and Lepperne’s Fifth Maine.”
Some weeks later Battery G of the First Pennsylvania Artillery
was attached to Battery F. and Bruce Ricketts was made captain in
command of the consolidated batteries, comprising three commis-
sioned officers and one hundred and forty-one non-commissioned
officers and men.
It formed a part of the Artillery Reserve of the Army of the
Potomac at ‘Gettysburg meaning, of course, that it was unattached
to any division but could be moved at will to any part of the field
where it would be most useful. There it was placed on East Ceme-
tery Hill close to the town.
In the midst of the general action late in the afternoon of July
2, the famous Confederate brigades commanded by Brigadier Gen-
erals Hays and Archer, composed of five regiments of Louisiana
infantry . . . formed in the streets of Gettysburg. Suddenly and
unexpectedly, with fiendish yells, they, charged Ricketts and his
supporting infantry.
As soon as Ricketts Sscovered the desperate Rebel columns,
moving on his position, he charged his pieces with grape and
canister and poured forth deadly volleys. The Union infantry sup-
ports lying behind the stone wall in front fled in despair—and so
the brunt of the attack fell on Ricketts. The young captain, with
an iron hand, kept every man at his post™ and every gun in full
play—and the terrible “Tigers” were beaten back!
A Union soldier,present at the time, later wrote: “Many of
them endured the deadly and destructive missiles, and reaching
the 11th Corps line, soon forced their way over the stone wall,
and in less time than I can tell the story, they reached the top
actually leaping over our men. They yelled and charged up the hill,
and captured Wiedrick’s Battery. Then it is they yell and charge
southward over the second stone wall, and capture the two left
guns of Rickett’s Battery, and attempt to spike the same; but
Rickett's men will not yield to it. Then occurs the hand-to-hand
struggle on Cemetery Hill, where they use ramrods, gun swabs,
hand-spikes, the buéts of ‘muskets, stones and even their fists. It is
then that Lieut. Brockway brains a “Tiger” with a stone; another
is brained with a handspiké, while still another is beaten to death
with a guidon.”
“It is then that General Hancock (another great Pennsylvanian,
Commander of the 2nd Corps) again comes to the rescue by send-
ing Carroll's Brigade to reinforce our men on Cemetery Hill. Then
it is we charge and drive down the hill what is left of the “Tigers”.
Six of Ricketts men were killed, three captured and fourteen
officers and men were wounded.
December 1, 1864 Ricketts was promoted to Major and, in
January 1865, he was put in command of the Artillery of the Ninth
Corps Army of the Potomac. He was promoted to Colonel of the
First Pennsylvania Artillery March 15, 1865. and was honorably
discharged on June 3, 1865 after the conclusion of the war.
Shortly thereafter at the age of twenty-seven he located "in
Luzerne County—there to remain for the rest of his life.
Not long after the war, Col. Ricketts came into possession. of
vast tracts of virgin woodland on North Mountain in‘ Luzerne,
Wyoming and Sullivan counties. Where, quoting Harvey-Smith
History, “for a number of years subsequently to 1892—alone and
in partnership with others—he carried on an extensive business in
the manufacture and sale of Lumber.
Later he converted a part of this ample North Mountain Estate,
including Lake Genoga, into a handsome and attractive place of
residence where for the last twenty years of his life he and his
family spent the greater part of each year.”
Col. Ricketts died at Lake Genoga on November 13, 1918 and just
six days later Mrs. Ricketts, the former Elizabeth Reynolds of King-
ston, died at the family residence in Wilkes-Barre. According to
their wishes they were buried side by side at a spot on North
Mountain which they selected. ;
The Harvey-Smith History says of him: “Col. Ricketts
possessed an abundance of cheerfulness and geniality and was
greatly beloved. He was ever a modest man, and it was a matter
of great difficulty to get him to talk about himself and. his achieve-
ments either as a soldier or civilian.”
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