USA > Pennsylvania > Crawford County > Pioneer sketches : scenes and incidents of former days > Part 24
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Mr. Everett would saw as good lumber as any man ; get as much out of a log ; grind your grist as well; toll it as honestly ; repair the saw or grist mill, make you a secre- tary or wardrobe, or a nice bracket or piece of furniture, or a nice black walnut casket to lay away a departed soul in the tomb, as nicely as any man who had two good eyes and wore a pair of double concavo-convex Dutch spectacles.
Then is not Mr. Martin Everett to be credited with performing something quite wonderful and miraculous ? This should afford a lesson to mankind of what can be accomplished by will power and a thorough cultivation of the senses.
CHAPTER CXXXIV.
AN INTERESTING CORPSE.
N THE 28th of August, 1884, Mr. John H. Gately, of Oswego, N. Y., effected an in- surance in the Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association for $2.000. On the 21st of July, 1890, a body was found floating in the Erie Canal, near Syracuse, which was taken to the morgue, where it was left in the custody of the well known undertaker, Mr. John McCarthy. Gately, the party insured, having previously disappeared, his brother, with other citi- zens of Syracuse visited the morgue, and after carefully viewing the corpse, positively declared that it was not the body of his missing brother. After the usual exhibition of the remains they were buried in Woodlawn Cemetery, at the expense of the municipality.
Mrs. Gately, who was the beneficiary under the policy of insurance, and who in the absence of her husband had kept up payment of the premiums thereon, was determined that the corpse recovered from the canal was none other than the body of her own dear John, with whom. unfortu- nately, she had not lived for several years. But her much- mourned-for husband was of more account to her dead than alive. She had $2,000 of stock in his cold clay which she desired to capture as a balm to her laceratad feelings. So she would insist that John's light had gone out in Lighton's Lock on the Erie, and that she was a veritable widow. To remove all possible doubt, her husband's relatives arranged
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that she should go with them to Syracuse where the body would be exhumed and all could view it together.
Mrs. Gately, however, failed to put in an appearance, but two days thereafter, accompanied by a Mr. Kennyon, she caused the body to be raised, and amid tears that welled out into a black bordered handkerchief, both she and her friend identified it as the body of her husband. To make assurance doubly sure, on the 30th day of July, at the re- quest of Mrs. Gately, her son-in-law, Mr. Lyman Mason, with Mr. E. W. Kennyon, Mr. Morris Conners and Mr. John Keefe, all of Oswego, went over to Syracuse and had the body again taken up, which all identified as that of John H. Gately, declaring that the marks described by Mrs. Gately as being marks on her husband's body were found on the body buried at Syracuse. The evidence was deemed conclusive, at least so far as Mrs. Gately was concerned, and she lost no time in forwarding notice of the death of her husband to the Association from the funds of which she hoped to replenish her exchequer to the extent of the insur- ance claimed. The usual blank forms for proof of death were immediately forwarded for execution, to which Mrs. Gately's attorney responded as follows:
LAW OFFICE 6 AND 7 GRANT BLOCK, } OSWEGO, N. Y., Aug. 9, 1890. S
Mutual Reserve Fund Life Association, Potter Building, 38 Park Row, New York City:
GENTLEMEN: John H. Gately, who was insured under your policy of insurance 23254, is dead, as you already know. He was drowned in the Erie Canal at Syracuse, N. Y. In making up the proofs of his death we cannot furnish you any physicians or clergyman's affidavit, nor do I think we can fur- nish you with affidavit of undertaker, except on information and belief, as the undertaker did not know deceased. There
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was no inquest held. Will you please send me instructions as to what kind of proofs of death will be satisfactory under the circumstances, and greatly oblige
Yours, very respectfully, C. N. BULGER, Att'y for Beneficiary.
While this bold game was being played on the part of the claimant in order to identify the body of the unknown as that of her husband, the officers of the Mutual Reserve were rather suspicious that their insured member was still meandering around somewhere outside the confines of the necropolis. Consequently Mr. E. W. Thomas, the special agent of the Association, bethought himself of the propri- ety of running up to the city on the lake, with the view of ascertaining how matters were. It took him a very short time to take in the situation and tumble on to the alleged defunet absentee, who had all the time been quietly rusti- cating on a small farm near Syracuse, where he had uncon- cernedly read the interesting. notice of his own demise. An excellent photograph of him was taken so as to establish his identity shoukl he again take it into his head to disap- pear. Mrs. Gately's would-be husband still lives among the unknown in Woodlawn Cemetery, but whether the quasi widow will renew wifely acquaintance with the lamented original John, for whom she had shed a Niagara of tears, is not yet a matter of history.
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CHAPTER CXXXV.
A PIONEER MORTGAGE.
E BOUGHT in 1665 a farm of stumps and stones, His name was God-be-glorified, his surname it was Jones,
He put a mortgage on the farm, and then in conscious pride, In twenty years I'll pay it up, said God-be-glorified.
The mortgage had a hungry maw, that swallowed corn and wheat,
He toiled with patience night and day, to let the monster eat; He slowly worked himself to death, and on the calm hillside, They laid beyond the monster's reach, God-be-glorified.
And the farm with its encumbrances of mortgages, stumps and stones,
It fell to young Melchizedeck Paul Adoniram Jones; Melchizedeek was a likely youth, a holy, Godly man,
And he vowed to raise that mortgage, like a noble Puritan.
And he went forth every morning, to the rugged mountain side, And he dug, as dug before him, poor old God-be-glorified; He raised pumpkins and potatoes, down the monster's throat to pour,
He gulped them down and smacked his jaws and calmly asked for more.
He worked until his back was bent, until his hair was gray, On the hill side through a snow drift, they dug his grave one day. His first born son, Eliphalit, had no time to weep and brood, For the monster by his doorstep growled perpetually for food.
He fed him on his garden truck, he stuffed his ribs with hay, And fed him eggs and butter, but he would not go away; And Eliphalit, he staggered with the burden, and then he died, And slept with old Melchizedeck and God-be-glorified.
Then the farm it fell to Thomas, and from Thomas fell to John, Then from John to Elezur, but the mortgage still lived on; Then it fell to Ralph, Peter, Eli, Absolom and Paul,
Down through the generations, but the mortgage killed them all.
CHAPTER CXXXVI.
THE COURT HOUSE REMOVAL.
HE removal of the Jefferson Court House to Ashtabula, Is now the all absorbing question, surely; Last spring the beligerents went to the Columbus Legislature, To talk about something of this very nature.
Ashtabula desired to get a vote of the people, To build a new court house with a grand and lofty steeple; Their forces were arrayed with very good taet,
But the "lever" of the Jeffersonian killed the enabling aet.
And there was wafted in the breezes a singular warning, That Jeffersonian lawyers rise carly in the morning; And before the bill came up for discussion, A log roller touched it off with one percussion.
And when the smoke of that percussion had cleared away, "Twas found recorded " killed" ( resurrected at some future day); And the beligerents retired to their quiet homes
To dream of prospective court houses, spires and domes.
Ashtabula being the largest county in the State, And the okl court house not large enough at any rate, Then came the natural spur, for removal to Ashtabula, And there build a court house grand and spacious, truly.
Jefferson thought of its intrepid war horses Giddings and Wade, Whom in their quiet sepulchers they have laid; What ! remove the capitol ? whose bell peeled forth its chime Oe'r the last sad rites of its heroes requiem. Jeffersonians and the commissioners went for the county fund. Already grand improvements have begun; And the enlarged court house will not be inferior In grandeur, to many others, on the exterior.
It might be possible to eut AAshtabula County in twain, For there is territory enough in her domain To make two counties large as Geauga and Lake, But this would be unpleasant to undertake.
And now, please allow me to ask, If removing an oldl county seat is an easy task ? To move it off its original domain,
Or improve the same and there let it remain.
CHAPTER CXXXVII.
A SAD INCIDENT.
THE FARMER - THE TAVERN KEEPER-A FARM CONSUMED BY WHISKY -REMOVAL-DOWNFALL AND TRIAL OF A YOUNG GIRL-RELEASE -LICENSE TAKEN FROM THE TAVERN KEEPER.
HE FOLLOWING occurred at Meadville, Pa., some years ago: A man who, with his family, resided on his farm in Crawford County, became addicted to the use of liquor. A tavern near by was fre- quented by the farmer, who in time became an inebriate, as also did his wife. Their liquor bills in time consumed their farm. and their once happy home passed into the bands of the tavern keeper. Then the family repaired to an old dilapidated building to live, and soon fell into the depths of degradation, living a carousal and dissolute life. Mary, their young girl, aged 14 years, became the mother of a child and was turned out of doors by her unnatural parents, with nothing but a blanket to wrap around her babe. Thus driven from home, not knowing where to go, she went to the tavern kept by the landlord who got away her father's farm for whisky, and owed her for husking corn. That night, when it was time for retiring, the tavern keeper made a bed of old clothes in one corner of the bar- room on the floor, on which he told Mary that she and her child could repose until morning, when he wanted her to leave and not come into his house again. That evening a gentleman paid this landlord a $2.50 county order which she noticed he put into a vest pocket which hnung on a nail in the wall near her cot, and she thought it would be no harm for her to take that order and buy some clothing for her child, as he had got away her father's farm and refused to pay her for husking corn. When morning came she set out for a lady friend's, ten miles away, poorly clad in snowy weather. On her way she came to a store where she stopped and exchanged that order for goods to make some clothes for her child. She arrived that day at her
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friend's house, where she was welcome to stay and make the necessary garments for her child.
When the landlord found she had gone, and the order missing, he got out a warrant, armed the constable, and hunted down the poor girl like a greyhound does a rabbit. From the store he tracked her to the house of her friend, and there attempted to arrest her. The woman of the house told the constable that he could not take her away. He got a posse of men and was going to force an entrance and capture the girl. The brave woman met them at the door with a gourd of hot water, saying, "I will scald every devil of you if you enter my house; you shall not take away the poor girl until she makes some clothes for her child, then I will see that she is at the justice's office." The constable and posse then went away.
True to her promise, she went with Mary to the justice's; a trial was had and Mary was bound over to court; in the absence of bail she was placed in jail to await her trial at the next term of court. The time having come for her trial, with no money or counsel to aid her, the judge requested the Hon. A. B. Richmond to defend her. Mr. Richmond asked to have a consultation with the girl rela- tive to her case, enjoining her to tell him a full history of the case. This done, Mr. Richmond was prepared for battle, and manfully fought for his client. When the tavern keeper was sworn and giving his evidence, he writhed and choked under the sarcasm of the gallant Richmond. The jury could do nothing less than to bring her in guilty, but recommended the mercy of the court. The judge, in his charge, said, "Mary you may go and when I want you I will send for you." Mary then asked the judge if she could have her child. "Yes," said the judge, "and take good care of it." "I will," said Mary. And as she was leaving the court room she turned around and said, "Judge, will you please tell that man not to sell my father and mother any more whisky ?" "I will," said the judge, and he told the elerk to make out papers for the tavern keeper to appear in court and show cause why he should not have his license taken from him.
CHAPTER CXXXVIII.
NOTED LIFE SWINDLER CAUGHT.
A
RECENT dispatch from Prescott, Arizona, says that Under Sheriff MeInery had lodged in jail one of the most noted swindlers in the Southwest, James M. Wilson, alias Mathews, alias Holley, alias Madison. Wilson has made a specialty of swindling insurance companies. His first venture was in Arkansas, some years ago, when he blew up a cottage in which he lived. The explosion occurred prematurely and as a result he was severely injured and now wears a silver plate on the top of his head. His supposed body was found in the wreck and buried by the widow, who recovered the amount of his insurance policy. In 1888 he settled in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, with his wife, and immediately took out a life insurance policy for $8,000 in the New York Mutual Insurance Company, and an additional accident policy for $10,000. A few months after receiving the policies a fishing excursion was organized on the Rio Grande and Wilson was reported drowned. A search re- sulted in finding his supposed body, which was buried. The suspicions of the insurance companies were aroused and an investigation was started, when Wilson's wife and other confederates became alarmed and fled from the country. Large rewards were offered for his arrest, and some of the best detectives in the country started in search of him.
During a recent visit to JJerome, Under Sheriff McInery identified Wilson there and made the arrest. Wilson admits his identity, but asserts that he fell out of the boat into the Rio Grande accidentally and floated a long distance down the stream before reaching the shore. Having previously had a quarrel with his wife he thought it would be a good way to avenge himself by pretending to have been drowned. When found he was living in a gulch some distance from camp.
CHAPTER CXXXIX.
THE SHENANGO RAILROAD.
HIS ROAD opens up extensive bituminous coal fields in Mercer and Butler Counties, Pa., and runs a good portion of its way on the old tow path of the Erie & Pittsburg Canal and taps the Nickel Plate about one mile east of Girard, and affords an easy, cheap grade and a good investment for its progenitors, Messr -. Dick, Huidekoper & Co., of Meadville, Pa. This road will be something of a competitor to the E. & P. Rail- road in the coal and passenger traffic, also a great factor to the commerce of the beautiful and rich Shenango valley for time to come.
The famous bituminous block coal is found on the east and west sides of the Shenango and in the vicinity of the Mahoning valleys. Mercer and Lawrence Counties, Pa., and Mahoning County, O. The pioneer operators or coal producers were: C. G. Carver, Sharon; Messrs. Joy, Fruit, Scott & Rankin, Clarksville; Gen. Jas. Pierce, Sharpsville; M. C. Trout and others, Middlesex, Pa .; Messrs. Powers, Andrews, Hitchcock and others, Youngstown, Hubbard and vicinity.
The section of country contiguous to the Shenango and Mahoning valleys has produced some of the best quality of bituminous block coal yet mined in America. A coal that will bear shipment and sell readily in any market in the world: containing but little sulphur, comparatively clean to handle, would burn to white ashes and could be split, with the grain, into flakes or slabs and burn free as wood, yet adhesive and woukl not break up in shipping like other brands of coal; hence its commercial value. Block coal is not found in such vast quantities as other brands of coal, such as is extensively found in Butler
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County, Pa. There is, however, a fine quality of block coal underlying the Cox farm, situate about eight miles northeast of New Castle, Lawrence County, Pa., on the Younstown road. A shaft was first sunk by the Cox Brothers in a sag or sunken spot on the farm near the south side, to a depth of about 12 fect, when a nice vein of block coal three feet thick was found, then a strata of fire clay 12 or 15 inches thick separated the upper from a lower vein about three and one half feet thick. Large blocks of excellent quality of coal was taken from this shaft. Eastward from this shaft the land gradually rose considerably higher, with every indication that these veins of coal would continue to exist as found at the shaft under the entire 100 acres.
This property was leased by the writer in 1861. Thereafter C. G. Carver, the pioneer coal operator, of Sharon, purchased an interest in said lease and drilling was commenced in different places on the farm to depths rang- ing from 45 to 65 feet. We found the veins of coal to be but two to two and one-half feet in thickness and the strata of fire clay separating the two coal veins to be from three to five feet in thickness. There being two miles of railroad to build to transport the coal to the Erie & Pittsburg Canal, it was thought best to abandon the enterprise.
Coal operators and miners are well aware that strange freaks exist in block coal fields. Mr. Carver related an incident he experienced while operating his famous coal mine at Sharon in 1840-50. All at once the entry driver struck what is called a "horse back," which is a hard sub- stance almost impenetrable; $2,000 was expended in driving through this horse back and the coal was found to be of a very different quality, containing much more sulphur, more seamy and would not bear shipment to distant markets. Only at the home market could he use it. Thus ended the famous Carver Mine.
Thus it is not in your kaleidoscope, nor in mine, Nature's law and treasures to define; And if you will allow me so to speak, There exists in nature many a strange freak.
CHAPTER CXL.
THE ROUND-UP.
HE Montana, Kansas and Texas ranchman makes his yearly round-up, that he may ascertain the condition and value of his stock. The merchant also makes his yearly round-up, or invoice of his stock. The railway, vessel and steamship companies, the telegraph and mining companies, the insurance companies, and in fact all corporate bodies on the face of the earth, make their yearly round-up, that the status of their institution may be known, though generally best known to themselves.
Over four thousand years ago the Lord commanded Noah to make his round-up and take into the Ark people and animals of every living species on earth, that they might be spared to start anew, to propagate and replenish the earth. Things don't come by chance. Laws inexor- able and immutable as the Rock of Ages, transcendently Come down to yours and mine, The hand that made them is divine.
How magnificent and grand the work ! Not a particle of matter lost. The steam, smoke and vapor arises, pass- ing off through space, clarifies, and returns to us in other forms. Since the creation of the world on great occasions the hour comes for the round-up of the day.
Nineteen centuries ago Jerusalem had become a great city. The Jews and their king. Pontius Pilate, saw a miraculous Christ, and He must be nailed to the cross. Swift justice, through inexorable law followed in the hands
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of an inscrutable Providence. The round-up came. "O, Jerusalem, where art thou !" And thence traveling down the ages the immutable law seems to have been meted out to us without stint or favor, and to man as the instrument has been delegated on the field of relentless strife to make the round-up.
In Young America first by George Washington. The next great part played in the drama was by Abraham Lin- coln in 1861-5, and the grand round-up by an heroic army under the command of General Grant.
Ah, says one, this cruel war looks to me like anything but grandeur. Very true, but when it comes with all its horrors upon us, threatening annihilation, and to sever and destroy forever our greatest boon-liberty and union- then a result like that of our American conflict may well be called the grand round-up.
And now, young man, as you start out in life in any honorable pursuit, and there are many in which to engage, when upon your journey you will find different roadways to take in making your round-up-be sure to take the straight road and you are bound to make a grand round-up.
CHAPTER CXLI.
FOSSIL MINES OF THE WEST.
R
ECENTLY there was started for Washington the most extraordinary procession of ani- mals ever seen on the face of the earth. In this wonderful parade were gigantie reptiles as large as good sized houses, some of them one hundred feet in length; flying dragons with a twenty- five foot spread of wings; huge birds with teeth; mammals two or three times as great in size as elephants; sharks as large as the hughest whales; other fishes clad in mighty plates of armor, and countless specimens more of equal strangeness, and enormous dimensions, such as actually in- habited the world before man arrived in it. For nine years past the government has been digging up and putting together the skeletons of these strange creatures, and now the vast collection stored in New Haven, Conn., has been got ready for shipment by rail to the national museum. The whole of it would occupy one-half of that building.
The business of digging for these fossils is carried on pretty much like any other mining. In various parts of the west there are great deposits of them, into which the sei- entific enthusiasts eagerly delve for relies of epochs thous- ands of centuries old. One of these chosen hunting grounds is the region between the Rockies and the Wasteh Moun- tains. Ages ago the upheaval of these hills by the geologi- cal action cut off a portion of what had been sea between these ranges from the ocean, and the water thus shut away
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formed many big lakes. A typical one of this sort existed in Wyoming and around it the mighty antedeluvian animals gathered in herds to crop the succulent vegetation of what was then a tropical climate in that region.
They died natural deaths or became mired in the mud when they went to drink, and the sediment slowly deposited in the water covered up their bones and preserved them from decay. This sediment reached a mile in thickness, holding between its layers these ancient skeletons distribu- ted like currants through a cake. At length the water draining off left the land dry, and in the case of the Wyoming lake referred to, subsequent floods washed away much of the sediment previously deposited, leaving what are now called "Bad Lands," picturesque with cliffs, peaks and columns, carved ont in fantastie shapes and of various coloring. Through such a region as this the scientific explorer travels with his eyes as wide open for fossils as the gold hunter keeps his for the shining metal. If from the face of some rocky cliff he chances to see a bone project, exposed by the action of water that has cut away the hill- side, he sets a party of men to quarrying with drill, blast and pickaxe until whatever is there in the way of remains is taken out. Possibly some great deposit of some pre- historie monster may be struck, in which case the find is kept as secret as possible, being regarded by the discoverer as his private mine.
Professor O. C. Marsh, who directed the gathering of the government collection referred to, has such mines of his own all over the west, from which he can draw to order the most astonishing variety of gigantic creatures. He made the remark recently that there was one small valley he knew of where relics of the ancient monsters were so
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plentiful that passing through it one day he noticed the skeletons of six of those mighty swimming lizards, each 80 feet in length.
Usually these amazing fossils are found imbedded in rock. After they have been roughly quarried out the sand- stone or other matrix enclosing them is carefully chiseled away from the bones. The latter are given a coat of ghnie, to keep out the decomposing air, and any that are broken or splintered are bound up with twine, after which they are packed for shipment. When one of these beasts of antiquity died, its carcass being covered with sediment that after- wards became stone, the skeleton was apt to be preserved entire and with the parts in position all ready for mounting in a museum.
There was a new reptile found in Wyoming the other day in such a complete state, which was named the Pronto- saur. It was 60 feet long and stood 15 feet high when alive, and weighed 20 tons. Cast in the rock from which it was taken was a perfect mould of one of its eye-balls, with which it looked upon the world 3,000,000 years ago. It had a very small head, a long and flexible neck, a short body and a huge tail. In the same neighborhood has also been discovered recently another monster. called the Triceratops, which had an enormous bony frill around the back of its neck. This surprising development, measuring six feet across, was intended for the attachment of great muscles that were necessary in holding ip the huge head. The animal, though tremendously massive, was only thirty feet long, but it was covered with plates of armor and had a sharp and horny beak, not to mention a horn on its nose and another on its forehead, the latter two and one-half feet in length.
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