NEWS: Items from the Altoona Tribune, December 5, 1879, Blair County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by DBA Copyright 2006. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ _______________________________________________ Items from the Altoona Tribune, Friday, December 5, 1879 WASHINGTON THE MONEY NEEDED FOR MARSHALS AND THEIR DEPUTIES. Representative Bingham's Amendment to the Pension Act - Providing for an Inventory of the Money and Assets of the Freedmen's Savings and Trust Company - The President Congratulates the Czar, &c., &c. WASHINGTON, December 4. - In the Senate to day a number of private bills were introduced; also a bill by Mr. Morrill to facilitate the refunding of the national debt. Mr. Carpenter offered a resolution declaring that the resumption of the circulation of gold, silver and greenbacks as lawful money, and the expectation that finances would not be disturbed by precipitate legislation, had been followed by revived industry and general prosperity; that successful conduct of business depended on a stable financial policy, and that, therefore, in the opinion of the Senate, any legislation during the present session materially changing the existing system of finance would be inexpedient. Senator Morrill's bill is a duplicate of the Treasury Department bill introduced in the House yesterday by General Garfield. After a short executive session the Senate adjourned till Monday. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Among the bills and resolutions introduced and referred this morning was one by Mr. Gillette, declaring that Congress is not only opposed to any reduction in the volume of United States legal tender notes but, on the contrary, is in favor of substituting greenbacks for national bank notes, and that it is in favor of free and unrestricted coinage of the 412 1/2 grain silver dollar. The House went into committee of the whole for the purpose of discussing the President's message. When the committee rose the House adjourned till Monday. MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. The House Committee on Rules have authorized Representative Frye to report a resolution for the creation of a committee of nine members, to whom shall be referred all matters introduced in the House which shall relate to the subject of woman suffrage. Mr. Bingham, of Pennsylvania, introduced a bill in the House to-day proposing to amend the Pension act of June 18, 1874, so as to include as pensioners all soldiers and sailors who have lost the use of their arms by resection of bone and who are consequently so disabled that they cannot use them. The bill introduced to day by Representative O'Connor provides that an inventory of all moneys and assets of the Freedmen's Savings and Trust Company be filed in the office of the Secretary of the Treasury; that all such property shall be sold, and that the Secretary of the Treasury shall pay depositors the balance of deposits due them by the said Freedmen's Savings and Trust Company, and that two million dollars be appropriated for that purpose. The Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations to day received a communication from Attorney General Devens stating the amount needed as a deficiency appropriation for the United States Marshals and Deputy Marshals during the current fiscal year is $600,000. This is the amount voted by the two houses last session in the bill which President Hayes vetoed on account of its restrictive clause, prohibiting the use of any portion of the money for the payment to Deputy Marshals of election. The committee will meet to morrow to consider the subject. Secretary Evart's has telegraphed to the Czar the President's congratulations on his escape from assassination. Voluntary Increase of Wages. SCRANTON, December 4 - The Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company have voluntarily increased the wages of their 1,500 workmen ten per cent. The Lackawanna Railway Company has voluntarily increased the wages of six hundred men in the car shops from five to ten per cent. The miners of Jones, Simpson & Co., Archbold, are on a strike. They demand that their weighmaster have the right to inspect the company's books. PATERSON, N. J., December 4. - The silk weavers of Murray mill are on strike against the running of two Jacquard looms by one weaver. A Farmer Shot by a Negro Burglar. HUDSON, N. Y., December 4. - A negro named John Thomas last night entered the residence of Ransom Losee, a farmer residing three miles from Coxsackie, and demanded money. Losee refusing Thomas shot him in the chest, when a scuffle ensued and the negro escaped, but was subsequently arrested and placed in jail at Catskill. The mob threatened to break open the jail and lynch Thomas and military protection has been called for. Losee's wound is regarded as fatal. Disaster to the Chilian Forces. VALPARAISO, November 14. - A telegram has been received here which confirms the previous report of disaster to the Chilian forces near Loa, at the mouth of the river of the same name, on the boundary between Peru and Bolivia. After a stubborn fight 1,000 Chilians surrendered to the allies, with all their cannon and ammunition. The Chillian commander was killed. The Bolivian commander occupied Conchas Blancas. ELECTRIC SPARKS. Telegraphic Flashes from All Parts of the Worlds. Queen Victoria on Wednesday telegraphed the Emperor of Russia congratulating him on his escape from assassination. George Mansfield was killed at Jonesboro, Ga., on Wednesday night by J. M. Walker. They were opposing candidates for Intendant, and were electioneering. The London Times, in a financial article, says United States government bonds are hardly to be got there now, and their prices are a mere reflex of those of New York. George Smith, the colored man who murdered his white mistress, Harriet Saville, at No. 128 Leonard street, New York, on the 7th of November, was arrested last night. St. Patrick's Society, of Montreal, have asked the clergy for permission to collect funds for the relief of distress in Ireland. A mass meeting will be held on Monday night. The New York Chamber of Commerce has appointed a committee to co operate with the committees of other commercial bodies in making arrangements for the reception of General Grant. A letter issued by Charles S. Parnell states that the Sligo prisoners will be tried at Carrick-on-Shannon on the 11th inst. He also appeals to the public for subscriptions to defray the expenses of the defense. A dispatch from Ansonia, Conn., says a man named Upton returned home drunk, threw at his wife a lighted lamp, which fell into the cradle and burned his child to death. The wife, in endeavoring to save the child, was probably fatally burned. The ostensible cause of the suspension of the publication of the St. Petersburg Golos for five months was an objectionable article in it feuilleton, but it is believed the real reason was the hostile and defiant tone of the Golos toward foreign powers, especially Germany. War Among the West Africans. LONDON, December 4. - The conflict which has broken out in New Calabar, West Africa, is between King Amachree, of New Calabar, and his followers on one hand, and a powerful chief called Willbraid and his adherents on the other. Some time since the King of New Calabar died and the accession to the throne of Amachree has not given general satisfaction. During the conflict mentioned in a previous despatch quarter was shown to the wounded or prisoners, who were immediately killed, and in many cases eaten by the lower classes of natives. It was thought the British naval commander would not interfere unless the English factories were threatened or destroyed or British subjects molested. Bonney is suffering almost equally with New Calabar, and the trade of the district is almost at a standstill. King Jaja is also reported collecting forces and war material to join in the struggle. In such an event the inhabitants of Three Rivers would be drawn into the conflict. Her Majesty's ship Dido was outside the bar at Bonney, ready to enter or send in a boat in case of necessity. Complaints Against Methodist Missionary Work. NEW YORK, December 4. - Complaints are published against the policy of the Methodist Episcopal Church with regard to its missionary work among the Indians. It is shown that of the $600,000 annually appropriated by the Methodist Missionary Society only about $3,500, taking the present year as an example, goes towards missionary work among the American Indians, and that of this small amount only the pitiful sum of $700 is set apart for use among the Indians of the far West. The Methodists are the complainants, and these consider the apparent neglect the more remarkable because, under the plan adopted during President Grant's administrations, the Methodist Church controls the nomination of agents to fourteen out of sixty-eight agencies, or more than one-fifth of the whole number. Terrorism Rampant in Louisiana. NEW ORLEANS, December 4. - The Observer, the Republican organ, publishes a statement received by the Republican Campaign Committee from Delta to the effect that Dave Armstrong was hanged on Sunday night; R. H. Brown, late postmaster, hanged and ex-Sheriff Peck whipped and stretched on Monday night, and twenty-five others run away from the parish. The terrorism is complete. The parish has been counted by over 2,000 majority for the Democrats. The Republicans did not vote. The Outrage on the Czar. LONDON, December 4. - A correspondent at Berlin, discussing the attempt on the Czar's life, says: "Committed but a day or so after the Czar, in leniency, had commuted the sentence of death passed on the Nahilist Mirsky, the outrage of Monday night cannot but imbue the government with an unrepentant spirit and intensify its resolve to show no pity to those incapable of compassion." A $7,000 Coal Oil Fire. CHESTER, PA, October 4. - The shoddy mills of Bowers & Sons, this city, were almost entirely destroyed by fire this evening. Loss about $7,000; insurance, $6,000, in Philadelphia companies. The fire was caused by the explosion of a coal oil lamp. A Vessel Infested with Small-pox. ST. JOHN, N. B., November 4. - The schooner Four Brothers has arrived at Bathurst from Quebec with small pox on board. Captain Gervais Paulaine died of the disease last Friday. The vessel has been quarantined. Andrew Tracy's Posthumous Statement. TITUSVILLE, Pa., November 4. - To morrow the Titusville Herald will publish the posthumous statement of Andrew Tracy, the unfortunate young lawyer who was hanged at Smethport for the murder of his cousin, Miss Mary Reilly, in September, 1878. The document will fill nearly four columns of the Herald; is written in remarkably well chosen language, and is itself interesting. It was prepared during the latter months of Tracy's incarceration with great care, and perhaps few posthumous statements have ever appeared in more attractive form. Tracy claims that the deed was not murder, but was instigated by his intense love for Miss Reilly, whom he says he could not bear to think of marrying another. Their love, it seems, was not mutual, but her objections to their marriage was their near blood relationship. The case is one that created intense excitement throughout Pennsylvania and Western New York. Horrible Murder in New York. NEW YORK, December 4. - Antonio Calendono was murdered to night by Francisco Bello at No. 42 East One hundred and Eleventh street, one of a row of tenements known as "Italian row." Calendono made a desparate effort to defend himself with a chair, but was butchered before the eyes of his wife and child. Bello struck his victim in the left temple with his knife and then stabbed him three times in the back, killing him instantly. Bello has been arrested. The parties had been playing cards and quarreled. Success of the Indian Commission Assured. LOS PINOS, Col., December 3. - Jac arrived this morning unattended. Jack is on the stand and has promised Ocray to give full particulars of the troubles at White river and the causes that led to the outbreak. Ocray say that with the co-operation of Jack and Colorow the commission will be able to settle the difficulty to the satisfaction of the department. The success of the commission is thought to be assured. Chicago and Northwestern Dividend. NEW YORK, December 4. - At a meeting of the Directors of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Company to-day a semi-annual dividend of 3 per cent on the common stock and a quarterly dividend of 1 3/4 per cent. on preferred stock was declared payable December 26. The transfer books close on December 13, and will be open on the 29th. The company will have a surplus, after paying these dividends, of $1,270,803. Heavy Transfer of Street Railway Stock. PHILADELPHIA, December 4. - Twelve thousand six hundred shares (a controlling interest) of the Union line street railway were sold to-day to a party of gentlemen interested in the Continental Passenger Railway Company at $100 per share. The par value of the stock is $50, but during the past year its average market value has been $70. Thrown from a Window. NEW ORLEANS, December 4. - W. W. Beavy, while under the influence of liquor, seized Mrs. M. J. Herbert, boarding house keeper, and threw her from the third-story gallery, killing her almost instantly. Mrs. Herbert leaves two children and Beavy has a wife and one child living in Alabama. Adventure With a Wildcat. While riding in Union county, Oregon, recently, E. A. McAllister, a herdsman, came upon a wildcat. Unslinging his lasso he slung the same and caught the beast fairly around the neck. Instead of pulling back, however, the wildcat made for the horse and rider with powerful leaps. McAllister fled for his life, with his end of the rope tied to the pommel of his saddle. He ran at break-neck speed for a mile, and then, looking back, saw that the animal was dragging dead behind. Merriments Picked Up on the Laugh. Clubs are to their members meet and drink. One touch of humor makes the whole world grin. Old settlers - The egg-shells thrown out of the coffee pot. "That's all that's in it," is a new phrase to be spoken with an aggressive shake. Sweet cider is hard to get, consequently men are driven to drink hard cider. The Indian wears moccasins and has no cats, so he is just as well off without a boot jack. You may safely commit the child's clothes to the servants, but the rest of the little one you had better take care of yourself. It must have been slippery weather when the prodigal son returned, as it is recorded that the old man "fell on his neck." One good turn deserves another, but it does not seem possible that there can be more than two good turns in an old silk dress. "Why," the boy asked, "do you blow down the muzzle of your gun?" "To see," replied the man, "if it is" - And he discovered that it was. Mistress - "Mary, these eggs are very small again." Mary - "yes, ma'am; shure I think I must tell the dairy woman she must let the hens sit on them longer." At the close of the sermon the minister became impressive. Raising his voice he said "Judgment! judgment!" and a small boy near the vestibule door shouted, "Out on the first!" The touching sentiment: "Our first in heaven," appeared after an obituary notice in a Philadelphia paper, and the father of the child came into the office raging mad. It was the third death in the family, and he desired to know of the clerk where he supposed the other two had gone. A Brave Boy Shoots a Wild Cat. (Mifflintown Sentinel.) One day last week James Agler, a lad aged about 14 years, a resident of Walker township, was in Londenslager's wood, in Walker township. His dog barked up a tree. He could not tell what game sat on a branch of the tree up which the dog barked. A couple of men working near by were called; they pronounced the game to be a wildcat. The boy, having more faith in their quality as marksmen, offered the gun to them in turn, with the request that they should shoot the animal; but they declined the honor. "Well," said the boy, "I am not afraid," and suiting the action to his word he raised the gun and fired, but the animal did not move. The firing of the gun did not even disturb its composure. The young huntsman speedily reloaded his gun, rolling into it a few buckshot, and when all was ready he "fired" the second time. Down came the game. It was shot in the head. It measured four feet in length from tip to tip, eighteen inches in height and weighed eighteen and three-fourth pounds. Loudenslager's wood is about a mile and a half southeast of Van Wert. A Right Down Glorious Woman. (Albany Journal.) Frank and Alice I - have been married several years, but have no children. Frank is shiftless and dissipated, while Alice is tidy and industrious. She is obliged to work out, and has several times been discharged from good situations owing to the conduct of her husband on visiting her. She now has a good place in family, and Frank showing a disposition to annoy her she caused his arrest, and the case came before Justice Clute for examination. Frank cried and whimpered when Alice insisted on his being sent up, and promised all sorts of things if she would only let him off. She was inexorable, however, saying: "Now Frank, you know you have not treated me right. I'll put you up there for the winter, and you will come out like a spring chicken. You will come out a man. In the meantime I'll work and get a pleasant home ready for you to come to when your time is up, and then if you don't behave yourself I will send you back." How long do you want him sent for," queried Justice Clute. "Four months," said Alice. "And four months it is," said the Judge, and Frank was led away. The Gentle Mantle of Peace. (New Orleans Picayune.) Lo! the conquering hero comes. He is willing to compromise on a basis of blankets, rations and Peace Commissioner whisky. STATE NOTES. Sneak thieves trouble Williamsport. Walk is the significant name of the proprietor of a new stage route between Curwensville and DuBois. Myers' mill, in Oliver township, Mifflin county, was stopped by eels last week. The turbine water wheel was jammed full of them. Berks county almshouse has 580 inmates. There are thirty milch cows and fifty sheep at present on the farm, as also a large number of hogs. Dr. Shurlock, chief clerk of the House of Representatives, is not a candidate for re-election, as he will remove to Dakota, where he has bought a farm. Adam Wilt has been County Surveyor of Juniata county for nearly twenty years. Reason - no Republican can be elected to it, and no other Democrat is fit for the office. There is a division among the Presbyterians of Mifflintown, and now they have two churches - one of which is named St. James and the other St. Ezra in honor of the schismatists. The Lehigh Valley Railroad Company carries on its pay roll over 11,000 men, including miners, road and Morris canal. To pay this army of men requires more than $300,000 per month. There were forty-five prisoners recorded on the books of the Dauphin county prison on Wednesday evening. None of the prisoners confined are held for a higher grade of crime than larceny. There is a grave yard at Lehmasters station, Franklin county, which has been in use since before the Revolutionary war, in which quietly sleep the remains of Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan, the parents of the late President. John Bogue, an old man of Pittsburgh, who had lived alone for years, was found dead in his room on Monday morning, having shot himself in the head. It was thought that he had money hoarded up, but in a paper left by him, he stated that he had not as much as five dollars. A man named Bear has been arrested at Waynesboro, Franklin county, for desertion. He was about to be married to a young lady of that place, when Mrs. Bear, accompanied by one or two cubs, came on from Virginia, and had him arrested. There is a storm bruin for him. The 59,149 shares of Pennsylvania railroad stock held by the commissioners of the sinking fund for the city of Philadelphia were sold on Wednesday morning to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. The price, $2,957,450, will be handed over to day and will be converted into the city's own four per cent loan. The price paid was $50 per share, the par value. The Spoils of the Contest. (New York Sun.) The State count seems to show that Horatio Seymour, Jr., is elected, and that with this exception the Republicans have got the oyster, while Governor Robinson and Comptroller John Kelly have each got a shell. CITY AND COUNTRY. THE IRREPRESSIBLE BOY. An Institution to be Depended on to do Disagreeable Things. Harper's Bazar has been studying the intricacies of the irrepressible youth, and says in some families, where the daughter is attended with every care and solicitude, the boy is often turned off to seek his own companions and his own amusements, to run all manner of hair-breadth escapes, moral no less than physical; to ride on wild engines, to clamber among the shipping at the wharves, to dodge loose horses and mad dogs. To be sure he learns reliance upon himself and his resources by this means, while his sister sits tamely and securely at home, afraid of her own shadow. While he is diving off the end of the wharf, struggling with cramp in the surf, paddling his own canoe amidst rocks or rapids, breaking air holes in the skating pond, running with the fire engines, accumulating strength and knowledge of the world's ways, she perhaps is learning crochet or lace stitch or to daub with water colors. Left to his own devices his judgment is cultivated daily to his game of stick-knife, in his trade of old nails for new coppers with junkmen, in his wrestling match with unexpected dangers and his intercourse with the bully of the neighborhood. In short, the boy is only half appreciated, notwithstanding the lack of masculine element in the community. A hungry boy does not awaken the sympathies as readily as a hungry girl. One feels that an orphan boy can strire (sic) for himself, but a girl must be provided with proper guidance. We have small concern for the blisters on his hands, for his bare bruised feet, the shabbiness of his clothes. It is a matter of course that he should rough it; it is the process that fits him for the rough and tumble in the great world, and no one wastes a sigh over the affair. But if there is an errand to run, a kitten to dispose of, a caterpillar's nest in the fruit tree to dispose of, a horse to catch, or any disagreeable thing to do the boy is called into requisition. In the meantime, while his discomforts are considered of no consequence, or at least such as every boy must expect to go through on the way to becoming a man, as passport to that dignity, he grows to discharge them himself and to reckon it of little account whether his clothes are wet or his ears tinged with frost, as that rude specimen of his kind bore witness who, being asked if his feet were cold, answered: "I dunno; feel of em." No doubt this lack of cosseting and consideration hardens him so that he may endure the shocks of misfortune with great equanimity on reaching manhood and think of other things than of his own sensation. The December Stars. The month is full of interest for those who follow the movements of the planets. Venus holds the palm as the radiant morning star throughout the month, and is especially beautiful on the 10th, as she hangs above the slender crescent of the moon. Jupiter, Saturn and Mars still challenge the admiration of observers as they throw their starry girdle over the skies in the early evening. But they are all traveling from us toward the sun, and their brightness is fading. Before the end of next month Jupiter will sink below the horizon early in the evening, and the temporary trio will be broken up to give way to some new combination equally interesting, for infinite variety is one of the charms of the grand science of astronomy. A Slight Fire. As alarm of fire sounded from the Vigilant engine house about 12:45 o'clock yesterday, which was caused by the partial burning of a small outbuilding in the rear of Mrs. Margaret Ginnivan's dwelling on Thirteenth avenue. There had been some sausages hung up in the structure for the purpose of smoking them, and it is supposed the fire originated in this way. There was no great damage done, nor were the services of the fire department called into requisition. A few buckets of water sufficed to extinguish the flames. School Report. The following report shows the relative standing of the pupils of the Sixth Ward Second Grammar School for the month ending December 1, 1879: A CLASS. Wesley Snowberger. . . 100 Monroe Craine. . . . 98 Sadie Hurd . . . . . . 100 Carrie Cline . . . . 98 Delia Yingling . . . . 100 Lala Vaughn. . . . . 97 Cora Jackson . . . . . 99 Harry Walker . . . . 86 Lucy McClure . . . . . 99 Florence McDonald. . 82 Ellen Yerger . . . . . 99 Maud Jackson . . . . 77 Katie Paisly . . . . . 98 Mary Mitchell. . . . 77 B CLASS. Lizzie Utley . . . . . 99 Eva Tate . . . . . . 93 Maude Kerns. . . . . . 99 Charlie Elder. . . . 89 Katie(?) Peck. . . . . 99 Ida Coho . . . . . . 88 Harry Canan. . . . . . 98 Emma Heiler. . . . . 87 Bella Tate . . . . . . 98 May Glunt. . . . . . 84 Alice Lockard. . . . . 98 Mattie Martin. . . . 84 Mollie Smith . . . . . 98 Josie Dougherty. . . 76 Mertle Owens . . . . . 97 Sammie Miller. . . . 76 Sammie Abrahims. . . . 95 Celia Findley. . . . 76 Anna Weisgarver. . . . 95 John Martin. . . . . 74 Wilson Cornell. . . . . 95 Eddie McCartney. . . 44 Lizzie Evans . . . . . 94 Sarah Powell . . . . 42 Annie Findley. . . . . 93 The following is the relative standing of pupils in Eighth Ward Second Intermediate School (advanced) for the month ending December 1, 1879: A CLASS. May Orner . . . . . . 100 Jessie Postlethwaite 84 Jessie Brenneki . . . 100 Calvin Marshall. . . 79 Mary Ross . . . . . . 100 Gertie Klein . . . . 79 George Bitner . . . . 100 Charles McCormick. . 76 Mary Cook . . . . . . 97 Nettie Wagner. . . . 75 Charles Ross . . . . 95 Edgar Fleming. . . . 73 Henry Kunzig . . . . 94 Lydia Lingenfelter . 71 Minnie Palmer. . . . 92 Sadie Benson . . . . 70 Harry Morse . . . . . 92 Mary Sample. . . . . 64 Harry Weest . . . . . 91 Annie Garrecht . . . 59 Agnes Hoy . . . . . . 90 David Longinecker. . 59 Amelia Johnston . . . 90 George Blyler. . . . 52 Ellie Black . . . . . 85 B CLASS. Annie Anderson. . . . 100 Lizzie Brown . . . . 75 Willie Moore. . . . . 98 Estella Guyer. . . . 75 Bayard Jellison . . . 95 Mary Thompson. . . . 70 Annie Berkheimer. . . 94 Cora Guyer . . . . . 66 Be?tie Johnston . . . 90 Charles Kelley . . . 63 Charles Hamilton. . . 89 Carrie Spangenberg . 59 Nettie Law. . . . . . 83 Katie Kelley . . . . 59 Effie Kuhn. . . . . . 83 Stella Jellison. . . 58 Allie Gardner . . . . 83 Jane Benson. . . . . 51 George Raugh. . . . . 83 Minnie Brown . . . . 47 Minnie Black. . . . . 75 Mary Carson. . . . . 46 Alice Mathews . . . . 75 FROM HOLLIDAYSBURG Miss Emma Kinne, of Milesburg, Centre county, is visiting Mrs. Brotherline and will remain all winter. Miss Mollie Strong, of Altoona, is in town visiting friends, having come over to attend the Baxmyer-Rudel wedding. The young folks connected with the Lutheran Church will give an entertainment in the Opera House on the 13th inst. Mrs. Sarah Neall, wife of Dr. Charles H. Neall, and son Charles, of Philadelphia, are visiting the family of C. B. Jacobs, Esq. A young dentist, who wishes to become mercantile appraiser, was ousted out of Reed's restaurant a day or two ago on account of using his mouth too freely. Next time he should place a shutter upon it and it may not get him into trouble. As a market wagon was passing the public school building yesterday morning it was surrounded by a number of boys who tied up the wheels, much to the disgust and discomfort of the occupants. It was fun for the boys, but such conduct may get them into trouble. Mr. Ezra Hill is ill make a first class officer. OUR SICK. Mr. James Malone, an old citizen, is again very ill at his residence near the Masonic Hall. Mrs. McMillan is lying very ill at her residence on Front street, and no hopes are entertained for her recovery. The many friends of Mr. George W. Russ, who has been confined to his bed for many months with rheumatism, will be glad to learn that he is able to sit up. FROM TYRONE. The January issue and all subsequent issues of the "Travelers' Official Guide" will be published at No. 46 Bond street, New York. The President of the Sheridan Band now carries a baton of rather large proportions. He says it is to be used in baton such cusses as us over the head. The "what is it" on Main street still remains enshrouded in mystery. One ignoramus had the impudence to say that it was being fitted up for a railroad tunnel. Depravity. A 15 months-old son of James Owens, flagman on the Tyrone division of the Pennsylvania railroad, died on Tuesday night of diphtheria after a very brief illness, and was interred in the cemetery to-day. Two older children of the same family are just recovering from an attack of the same disease. In this bereavement the family have our sincere sympathies. Paper is now substituted for wood in Germany in the manufacture of lead pencils. It is steeped in the adhesive liquid and rolled round the core of lead to the required thickness. After drying, it is colored, and resembles an ordinary cedar pencil. The pencils sell in London to retailers at about sixty-five cents a gross. - Travelers' Railway Guide for December. PUBLIC COMPLAINT. John Warefield was on one of his big drunks yesterday and made himself generally obnoxious. How long are our peace loving citizens going to tolerate the insults of such characters? Why have we not at least one good, determined man as policeman or Constable, as you please to call it, who will faithfully attend to the duties pertaining to such office? THE TIDE OF INDUSTRY. Study & Co., of Tyrone, are doing an extensive business at the Huntingdon furnace mines in wresting from the bowels of mother earth large quantities of brown hematite and manganese iron ores. At present the output reaches nearly one hundred tons per day. This enterprising company contemplate putting up an additional ore washer, and after it is in operation it is expected the production will be increased thereby nearly double the present yield. The ore is hauled on wagons to Stone Barn siding, near Birmingham, and from thence shipped by rail. The brown hematite is shipped to the Rockhill Iron and Coal Company, Orbisonia, Pa., and the Glamorgan Iron Company, Lewistown, Pa., while the manganese ore is sent westward. These ores are both of superior quality. THE PHANTOM BALL. As early as 8 o'clock on Wednesday evening and on up until half past 9 little crowds of the elite of our society, married and single, could have been seen wending their way to the residence of Captain John Elliott, where, as previously announced in the TRIBUNE, a phantom ball, the opening of a round of gatherings, was held. Out of the sixty persons present fifty donned their sheets, pillow cases, white stockings and masks, in which costume they danced until ready for supper. A great deal of fun was experienced in trying to fix the identity of partners. In nearly every instance the disguise was so complete as to almost defy detection. At 11 o'clock the phantoms formed themselves into line for the grand march, and then filed off to the dining room, unmasking as they went. The collation consisted of cold turkey, cold chicken, sandwiches, the finest of cakes, fruits, nuts, etc. After supper, having disrobed - that is to say, laid aside their ghostly apparel - the dancing was renewed and kept up until 2 o'clock G. M. (good morning). The Tyrone orchestra furnished the music and for their efforts deserve special mention. Thompson, too, the caller, did all that could be expected. J. B. McCullough, as the floor manager, acquitted himself in a very creditable manner. As announced, the next of the series of these pleasant gatherings - which, however, will be full dress, minus any phantometrical appurtenances will be held at the residence of Mr. A. B. Hoover on New Year's eve. Four or five of Altoona's fame aspiring youth were down, and to their credit be it said were among the handsomest ghosts there, if such can be among the personators of spectres. The boys complained that the muslin masks, with only holes for the eyes, got terribly uncomfortable toward the last, bringing out the perspiration freely. FROM WILLIAMSBURG. Mrs. Mary McCormick has returned to Altoona. Her mother, Mrs. Mowery, is much better. Mr. James Patterson has a sail on his boat. A little wind takes the boat over the water quite fast. Many a porker has been killed the last week. Mr. Isaac Decker killed the largest. It weighed 456 pounds. Harry Royer, of Philadelphia, arrived on the train yesterday. He intends to do some work while in this county. Any of our boot and shoe men will find him a very agreeable salesman. From the present signs quite a stock of holiday goods will be brought to our quiet town this month. Some of our store keepers have received a large stock of goods and intend on getting more. Weather Probabilities. For the Middle States rising barometer, cooler northerly winds veering to east or south, and increasing cloudiness, followed by rain, falling barometer and in the northern portion rising temperature. CITY AND COUNTRY Things Briefly Told. A sad case - a coffin. The best trade mark - $. A striking tale - the whale's. Spoiling for a sensation - the reporters. A change of base is always a desideratum to the small boy who is being spanked. Squire Hooper visited the almshouse on Wednesday. Looking out a room, eh? Two freight locomotives ran off the track at the switches above the depot last evening. The moon gets down to her last quarter at 2 1/2 minutes past 6 o'clock to-morrow morning. The grand jury of Cambria county have recommended the building of a new Court House. Sheriff elect Bell has selected H. M. Baldrige, Esq., as his counsel. A very good selection. Major Theo. Snyder, of Martinsburg, is in Washington attending to the duties of his position. Rev. H. F. King, of the Hollidaysburg Baptist Church, will preach in Lewistown next Monday evening. Manayunk young men are coming here for the purpose of seeking employment in the shops or positions on the trains. Colonel Samuel McCamant, of Tyrone, went up to Bennington yesterday to see the conclusion of his house building. Ladies who want perfectly fitting and beautiful shoes should go to Sol. Blumenthal's and buy E. C. Burt's goods. A four and one-third foot vein of hematite ore has been found on the land of A. W. Swoope, opposite Mapleton, near the old turnpike. A small boy, whose name we could not learn, had two fingers broken yesterday by a stick of timber falling on them at the First ward school. Editor Over called to see us yesterday. He was talking something about starting a branch of the Register daily in this city. And yet there is room! To see "Dutch John," in an eloquent debate, flinging his hands around resembles the dips of a whale's tail in struggling to release himself from the harpoon. William Sterner, of Lock Haven, has taken it into his head that Altoona has not a sufficiency of cigar stores, and has come hither with a view to increase the number. Another lot of beautiful white blankets have been received at H. Mayer & Co.'s which will be sold 25 per cent. cheaper than they can be bought for elsewhere. The ore mine at Matilda furnace, Mifflin county, has been leased from B. B. Thomas and the product, some twenty tons daily, will be furnished to the Rockhill Coal and Iron Company. The Altoona daily TRIBUNE is the paper for our people to take. It gives later news than either the Pittsburgh or Philadelphia papers and arrives here at noon every day. - Clearfield Journal. A walking course has been laid out on the lot of a certain First ward citizen and the urchins of the neighborhood have gone into training. The racket they create is enough to deafen an ordinary mortal. Yesterday was "pension day," and the Aldermen didn't appear to be doing much else than scooping in their little fees from the pensioners. Consequently there was no business of an exciting nature to report. Rodman furnaces (Duncan estate) will go into blast in about ten days. Had they been put in operation a year ago, as was intended, with the royalty and boom in iron they would have netted between $40,000 and $50,000 by this time. A new lot of ladies' and children's cloaks have been received at H. Mayer & Co.'s which they will sell 25 per cent. less than any other house in this city. Straw brings a huge price up on the mountain - $16 a ton. The contract price is only $12, but when it gets to the customer it jumps up to the former figure. Don't' it Nicholas? Arrah washer! A splendid new tock of gentlemen's hand and machine made Waukenfast's have just been received at Sol. Blumenthal's. Gentlemen, call and examine them, 1119 Eleventh avenue. If boils have a pecuniary value, as they say, then are Charles W. Fisher and Josiah Arthurs, of Thirteenth avenue, rich. Frinstance, Charley had one in his nose that bunged his eyes, and Arthurs carries his left arm in a sling because of a painful protuberance on his hand. During the winter of 1828 the Valentines, of Bellefonte, ran an ark load of iron to Harrisburg every month. Weather prophets say the present winter will be much like that, the prediction being based on the thaw that took place after the hard freeze in November. Soft as silk, with golden hair, Bright as stars were her eyes of blue; Truly I loved my lady fair, Truly my lady loved me, too. Did it break my heart when my love lay dead? Why, bless your soul, she didn't die. Time wrought a change as it onward sped; She loves another - so do I. Mr. George A Patton is at present busily engaged in preparing for the opening in a very few days of his branch store for the holidays in the Opera House, at the corner of Eleventh avenue and Eleventh street. Mr. Patton is unpacking the most complete stock of goods that has ever been seen in this city, and will include the finest candies and confections. The interior of the room will be arranged in a neat and tasty manner and in the evenings will be brightly illuminated. Patton knows just what the people will buy in holiday times and he has just what they want. There will be a special meeting of Lieutenant Stephen Potts Post 62, G. A. R., Saturday evening at 7:30 o'clock, in the Knights of Pythias Hall, above Fries' hardware store. A full attendance of the members is requested. Business of importance will be transacted. Depot Master Wilson went over to Bellefonte last evening to see "Ma." He took "Gip" along, and to keep the canine from straying away or biting any one had a rope around his neck strong enough to hold a bull. The New Postoffice - General Coffroth. The want of a new postoffice building is a necessity apparent to every one who has business at the present structure, used for that purpose, in the evening. Its unsuitableness is admitted on all hands. The crow that usually assembles for their mail matter makes the place uncomfortable, and the ingress and egress is with difficulty. The people of Altoona have it in their power to remedy this inconvenience, or aid in doing so. General Coffroth, the representative in Congress from this district, at the extra session introduced a bill appropriating $60,000 for the erection of a suitable postoffice building here, and it is now pending in the committee to which it was referred. General Coffroth will be at the Logan House on Saturday and will remain during the day. He is desirous of knowing the sentiment of our people on this matter - and we know it is next to unanimous in favor of the pending bill. Therefore our business men and citizens generally should make it a point to call on the General and express their views and give him such encouragement as will secure the passage of the bill through Congress. The matter is within our grasp, and all that is necessary is for our people to back up the General in his effort to do something handsome and substantial for Altoona and Blair county. Give him a cordial reception and good results will surely follow. General Coffroth will be glad to see all persons having private business with any of the departments at Washington, so that he may intelligently present it and have it promtly (sic) attended to. Warnings that Ought to Have Been Heeded. An accident by which a yard brakeman named William H. Corkle lost the use of his right hand occurred in the company's yard in this city between 4 and 5 o'clock yesterday morning. Mr. Corkle is a blacksmith by trade and formerly lived at McVeytown, but now resides with his wife at the boarding house of Mrs. Brown, on Eleventh avenue, between Ninth and Tenth streets. He was in the act of coupling cars, and on his hand he wore a glove. The deadwoods came together and caught the gloved hand, lacerating it terribly, mangling it all the way back to and including a portion of the wrist. The unfortunate man acknowledged that nobody was to blame but himself, as he had been told not to wear a glove and had also been advised not to abandon his trade for a position in the yard. The injuries to the hand were such that a company physician found it necessary to amputate the whole of the thumb and index finger. Philip Hall, a single man, 23 years of age, had the first finger broken and the second and third finger of his right hand bursted by being caught by an engine which backed upon him as he was drawing a link while engaged in making a coupling at Portage about 8:15 last evening. Hall stated that the engine backed without giving a signal. The injured man, who resides at Wilmore, was brought to this city and a company physician dressed his wounds. An artery in the middle finger had been torn open and the hand bled quite freely. Hall remained at Allen's restaurant all night and departed for his home this morning. Feeling of Delicacy that Should be Thrown Aside. The man Beard, the condition of whose family has been already twice mentioned in this paper, is rather independent in his manner with reference to the help that has been tendered him. Several articles were left at the house yesterday and Beard didn't seem to like it a bit - he didn't want to be considered an object of charity. At one time he actually declined to receive the provisions. Just then the physician happened along, and Beard asked him - "Who put that in the paper?" The doctor explained the manner of the publication, and Beard said he thought perhaps some of his enemies did it. After this he seemed to get in a better humor. Mrs. Beard was very thankful for all that had been done for them and thought that the neighbors were very kind. A load of coal was also sent the family yesterday. Some fifty or sixty dollars have been raised for them by Beard's fellow workmen in the company's blacksmith shop, in which he was employed as a laborer. Notwithstanding his pride he has been convinced that he ought to accept the help extended him for the sake of those depending on him for support. Serious Illness of Captain Thomas Myers. Captain Thomas Myers, the well-known leader and organizer of Myers' orchestra, is lying very ill at his residence at the corner of Howard avenue and Ninth street. Captain Myers' sickness is the result of a wound in the lungs, which he received at the battle of Fredericksburg in 1862. After being wounded he was captured by the rebels at Gettysburg on the 2d of July, 1863, and was held as a prisoner at Macon, Ga., and at other points for about twenty months. His wound, which was a very bad one, has given him more or less trouble to this day, and his subsequent imprisonment in connection therewith served to shatter and sadly impair an otherwise vigorous constitution. Captain Myers is a man of large and varied information and of the most genial disposition. His numerous friends and acquaintances will, we are sure, regret to learn that his condition is at present rather serious. The Military and the Grant Receptions. The First, Second and Third brigades, National Guard, have been invited to participate in the ceremonies of the Grant reception at Philadelphia on December 16. The Fourth brigade - which embraces the Fifth regiment - has not been invited. The invitation was extended to the brigades east of the Allegheny mountains. As the majority of the Fourth brigade regiments are west of the mountains the presumption seems to have been that the Fourth would take part in the Pittsburg demonstration. The railroad companies have signified their intention of granting free transportation to the military. It was understood at a late hour last night that the Grand Army post of this city had been invited to one or other of the demonstrations. As the post is to have a special meeting on Saturday evening the rumor seems to be strengthened thereby. An Anxious Mother's Excitement. Last evening a woman hurried into the office of an East Side physician and in a tremulous voice stated that a 6-year old girl whom she carried in her arms had been playing with a box of concentrated lye about noon yesterday and had swallowed a piece about as large as a hickory nut. After careful inquiry by the physician, during which he closely scanned the features of the little one, he bade the frightened mother be of good cheer, as there was little danger to be apprehended. The child exhibited no symptoms of poisoning, and - truth to tell - the medical opinion was that she had probably swallowed a chunk of dirt instead of lye. Entries for the Pedestrian Match Closed. The entries for the Eureka Social Club's twelve-hour pedestrian contest at the Opera House were closed at the rooms of the club last evening. The Altoona men jumped at the bait so rapidly that, although the contest was open to Cambria and Huntingdon counties, none but Blair county men - and all of those from Altoona - secured places on the list. The complete roll of the contestants is as follows: C. C. Shannon, Jr., Edwin Lamar, J. H. Brown, "Unknown," Charles Smith, James Linton, John McGarvey, William Fasick, A. J. Kendig. McCann, who petered out in the Thanksgiving walk, was ready to enter, but his fee arrived just a few minutes after the books were closed. Literary Notes. The Atlantic Monthly is to contain more good things than ever, and in more inviting form. Beginning with the January number, it is to be printed from larger type on a page considerably larger than the former and will be increased to 144 pages. A new serial story, by Mr. Howells, begins in the January number, and will run through six months or more. This is probably the most gratifying announcement that could be made to American magazine readers. The fine life-size portrait of Dr. Holmes, which Messrs. Houghton, Osgood & Co. offer for a dollar to the subscribers for the Atlantic, can hardly fail to have a very large circulation; certainly not, if the American people remember how much the wise and witty "Autocrat of the Breakfast Table" has contributed to the brightest and best, and most entertaining portion of American literature. Rev. Baker Unceremoniously Pounded. The pastor of the First Lutheran Church was "pounded" last night at the parsonage by a large number of the members. The evening was spent very pleasantly - music, but no dancing. The only thing which marred the pleasure of the occasion was that one of the matched horses had his head knocked off by one of the young ladies. A Calamitous Emigration. The Azor emigration party that started from Charleston in April, 1878, for Liberia has proved a calamitous scheme to all concerned. The bark Monrovia, which arrived at New York on Tuesday, brought back eighteen of these emigrants, and they give a melancholy account of the suffering and mishaps through which they have passed. According to their account only sixty of the three hundred and seventy emigrants that left Charleston now remain in Liberia, and that more than two hundred and fifty have died in the country to which they went to better their condition. The Azor, which was owned by the Exodus Association, has been sold at Charleston to meet the expenses of what was designed as the pioneer trip to the promised land. Something of an Elk. The Red Bluff (Cal.) Peoples' Cause says that Tipton, the hunter, during one of his excursions after game shot and killed an elk measuring ten feet in length and when dressed weighing eight hundred pounds. He says that the animal was divided out among the neighbors, each one getting a piece, after which Tipton had enough left to fill a barrel, washtub and a few molasses kegs, which he salted down for winter use. The horns, after being cut off from the head and laid on the ground, stood five feet high. The hide was large enough to be used for making the end of a small barn, supplying the place of stakes and lumber.