NEWS: Selected items from the Evening Tribune, January 2, 1899, Altoona, Blair County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja jbanja@msn.com USGENWEB ARCHIVES (tm) NOTICE All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information are included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/blair/ ___________________________________________________________ Selections from the Altoona Evening Tribune, Monday, January 2, 1899 Death of Sen. John Blair Linn. BELLEFONTE, Pa. January 1. - Ex-Secretary of the Commonwealth John Blair Linn, one of the oldest lawyers of the Centre county bar, died to-day at his home in this city. He had been in feeble health for some time and during last week contracted the grip which caused his death. He was born in Lewisburg, Pa., in October, 1831. He graduated from Franklin and Marshall College, and was admitted to the bar in 1851. He was the first district attorney of Sullivan county and practiced law in Union county from 1854 until his removal to Bellefonte in 1871. In 1873 he was appointed deputy secretary of the commonwealth by the then Secretary of the Commonwealth Hon. M. S. Quay. Upon Mr. Quay's resigning in 1878 Mr. Linn was commissioned as his successor. Soon after he was succeeded in turn by Mr. Quay. While secretary of the commonwealth there was published under his direction a number of publications bearing upon the early history of many sections of Pennsylvania. He leaves a widow and two children. HOLLIDAYSBURG HAPPENINGS. Mr. J. Henry Albright, cashier of Armour & Co.'s house at Johnstown, spent Sunday with his father, Mr. John M. Albright. During the temporary absence of Merchant John C. West from his store on Saturday a sneak thief purloined his entire stock of grippe cures and cough medicines. I. D. Metzger, superintendent of the Hollidaysburg public schools, spent the holiday week in New York city. While there he was entertained by Lieutenant William R. Rooney aboard the cruiser New Orleans. Paddy, the little curly dog belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Guy R. Lingafelt, manifested a striking instance of canine devotion to duty last week. Paddy keeps watch and ward over the baby carriage in the household. The carriage needed mending and it accompanied by the little sentinel, was taken to Jacobs's hardware store for that purpose. Paddy refused to desert the carriage the entire day, and barked and snapped at the workmen who came near with the mending tools. The dog was chained while the necessary repairs were made. Paddy rode home in the carriage in triumph to the baby master. This is inauguration day at the court house. Register and Recorder-elect William H. Irwin, County Treasurer-elect William H. Wolff, Director of the Poor- elect H. H. Pensyl and District Attorney-elect William L. Hicks will be duly installed in their respective offices. The county commissioners will make their annual appointments. It is said there are no contests and the present appointees will be retained. A vigorous contest is being made for the position of almshouse steward, the choice being between P. H. Bridenbaugh, the present steward, and J. Kyle Orr, the of Tyrone township. County Auditors Coleman, Lorens and Gilliland will begin their annual labors this week. LATE HOSPITAL NOTES. Flagman Fred Wicker Hurt at BO Office Yesterday Morning. Fred N. Wicker, a flagman employed on the Pittsburg division, residing at 2508 Maple avenue, was admitted to the hospital yesterday morning suffering with a bad sprain at the back and bodily contusions. Wicker was in his caboose at BO office when a shifter pushed it off the track. He jumped and was hurt in striking the fails. James Funk, the bell boy at the hospital, while coasting Saturday evening struck a post and suffered a laceration of the lip and a contusion of the chin. The injury was dressed at the dispensary. Yingling Taken Back to the Hospital. Harvey Yingling, the lad who was shot by Charles Reem in Fairview, was readmitted to the hospital on Saturday, because of the fact that the bullet was located. The attending physician found it imbedded in the skull in the outer canal of the ear. The bullet can be extracted, it is though, without difficulty. The hospital surgeons now hope that after the bullet is extracted, the lad's hearing will be completely restored. RAILROAD FLAGMAN KILLED. Struck by an Engine at Gallitzin and Died a Few Hours Later. Edward J. Youler, of Pitcairn, a flagman employed on the Pittsburg division, was struck and fatally injured by engine 1376 at Gallitzin about noon yesterday. He was brought to Altoona on an engine but died in the ambulance while on the way to the hospital. Youler was a flagman of Conductor Keagel's crew. His train was lying at Gallitzin at the time of the accident and after eating dinner in the caboose, Keagel and Youler got off and started to walk forward to the engine in the six- foot. When they had nearly reached the engine, a cloud of steam from the locomotive blew down on the tracks, obscuring engine 1376, Engineer Glunt, which was approaching. The back step of the engine struck Youler hurling him to the ballast. The unfortunate man was picked up unconscious with blood gushing from his nose, mouth and ears. A Gallitzin physician gave him some attention before he was sent on the locomotive to Altoona. He never regained consciousness. The hospital surgeons made an examination of the remains and found he had suffered two fractures of the skull, one on the right temple, and the other at the base of the brain. Youler's crew had an eventful trip east from Wall. They left east at noon Saturday, and two hours later piled into the mixed passenger and freight train off the Unity branch at Latrobe. Engines 1014 and 170 which were hauling Youler's train were battered up, and Engineer Samuel Briar of the 1014 injured. Fourteen freight cars were smashed up. Engine 70 from Derry hauled the train from Latrobe to Gallitzin where Youler was injured twenty-four hours after the train left Wall. Of the crew of five which left Wall, but three return uninjured. Coroner McCartney was advised of the death. He viewed the body at Lafferty's undertaking rooms and decided an inquest unnecessary. Youler was aged about 50 years and unmarried. His home was in Johnstown though he resided at Pitcairn. He was one of the officials of the branch of Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen at Pitcairn. No instructions have been received yet as to the disposal of the body. DEATH OF MICHAEL HICKLE. Well Known Electrician Passes Away at His Home Yesterday. Michael Hickle, a well known electrician, died at his home, 1111 Fifth avenue, at 1 o'clock yesterday afternoon, of a complication of diseases, after a long illness. The deceased was born near Arch Spring 58 years ago. About twenty- seven years ago he came to Altoona and entered the employ of the Pennsylvania Railroad company as electric lineman. Of recent years he was foreman of the company linemen in the Altoona yard. Deceased is survived by his wife and one sister, Mrs. Mary Fisher, of Arch Springs. He was a member of St. Mary's Catholic church, St. John's Literary and Benevolent Society and the Pennsylvania Railroad Relief Fund. He was very well known in the city and county, and a host of friends will hear of his death with regret. High mass will be celebrated at St. Mary's church at 9 o'clock Wednesday morning; interment in St. Mary's cemetery. MARRIED ON NEW YEAR. Rookis Simon and Gertrude Wertz Joined in Wedlock. Mr. Rookis Simon, the well known Assyrian fruit dealer at 924 Seventeenth street, and Miss Gertrude Wertz, of Blair township, celebrated the New Year yesterday by plighting vows of eternal fidelity in holy wedlock. The marriage ceremony was performed at 4 o'clock by Rev. Father Schmitt at the Sacred Heart parsonage. Previous to the wedding, and according to the Assyrian custom the marriage feast was celebrated. There was plenty of good cheer of a liquid nature and some of the guests were so overcome by Rookis's good fortune that they were unable to attend the nuptials, where Mr. Michael Sophie officiated as best man and Mrs. George Azzer charmingly assumed the onerous duties of bridesmaid. At the conclusion of the nuptials, the wedding feast was resumed with the aid of more guests who arrived in the meantime. Rookis is generally liked by his neighbors, many of whom hastened to congratulate him when it became known that he was doing himself proud in honor of his new wife. IN OTHER COUNTIES. Items of Interest Clipped or Condensed from Our Exchanges. At Jersey Shore Thursday the 7-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Keeler, of the Third ward, was placing some paper in the stove when her dress became ignited. In an instant she was almost enveloped in flames. Her screams brought Mrs. Keeler to the room and seizing a blanket, she hastily wrapped it around the child, extinguishing the flames. Joseph Francis, while working about a saw mill near his home in South Huntingdon township, Westmoreland county, met with an accident on Thursday afternoon which caused his death. The engineer was reversing the log carriage and a leather belt slipped off, striking Mr. Francis with sufficient force to break his neck. The deceased was aged 60 years and leaves a wife and grown family. On Thursday a man named Priestley, an employe of the tannery at Ralston, Lycoming county, accidentally fell into an empty vat several feet deep and will likely die. He was hurt internally and vomited blood, besides having his brain injured. At Ralston the same day Keleon Packard, while cutting a limb off a tree that was bent over, was badly injured. The limb sprung and struck him on the upper jaw, fracturing it. Diphtheria is prevalent at Nanty Glo, Cambria county, and the community roundabout are very properly alarmed quite a little over its presence. There are said to be about twenty cases just in the neighborhood, which, considering the population, is a very great number, and some of them are reported to be quite serious. A 4-year-old child of Landlord Dunn succumbed to the disease on Wednesday, and other deaths are feared. Two weeks ago a store at Summer Hill was entered by burglars and a large amount of goods taken. This prompted a merchant, Wallace Plummer, of the same place, to place a watchman in his store. Thursday night three men entered the place by cutting out a window in the rear. The watchman shot one of the men through the breast, inflicting a terrible and necessarily fatal wound. The wounded burglar gave his name as Lambert and his home Milwaukee, but refused to give the names of his comrades who escaped. The wounded burglar was taken to the Ebensburg jail. The barn on the farm of John Kirby, at the head of Sugar run, in Bald Eagle township, Clinton county, was totally destroyed by fire at an early hour this morning. It is supposed the fire broke out about 2 o'clock. It was something past that hour when Mr. Kirby was awakened by roaring and crackling of the flames. About the same time some of his neighbors who had seen the fire arrived. The barn was then all aflame and the roof about to fall in. None of the contents of the barn was saved, as the fire had gained so much headway when discovered that nothing could be removed. All of last season's crops of hay and grain, farm implements, wagons and harness were burned. Two horses, three cows and three head of young cattle perished in the flames. TYRONE TOPICS. Some New Society Officers - A Child's Death - Other News. Wanted - Cook and baker. Apply to A. R. Grier, Birmingham, Pa. An infant child of S. Clement Wilson and wife died at their home on Adams avenue yesterday morning. Leroy Berg, druggist, of Wilkesbarre, Pa., is visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. L. E. Berg, 1207 North Washington avenue, in the Central City. Messrs. Hoopes & Blanchard have relinquished the management of the Academy of Music at this place and have gone to their former home at Baltimore, Md. Dr. J. M. Gemmill, of this place, departed yesterday at noon for Danville, Pa., where he had been summoned on account of the illness of Mrs. Gemmill, who has been visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Boyd, at that place. Paul Leslie, the 4-months-and-20-days-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Bice, of Columbia avenue, died at the parental home on Saturday morning at 11 o'clock of pneumonia. Funeral services will be held at the home of the parents this afternoon at 2 o'clock. Interment in Oak Grove cemetery.