Ref: Town and Country Newspaper Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA Saturday - June 18, 1904 WEDDING ANNOUNCEMENT A SURPRISE At the close of the Lehigh commencement exercises it became known that Wm. H. WELKER, one of the most popular members of the class, was married. His bride is a very popular young Allentown woman, Miss Evie HUTCHINSON. They were married in Camden some time ago, and agreed to keep the wedding a secret until after the bridegroom's graduation. Mr. WELKER, who is a son of W.A. WELKER, of Red Hill, took the chemical course. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jas. HUTCHINSON. SHOOTS WOMAN INSTEAD OF RAT George SCHULTZ while in the act of killing a rat with his shot gun, through an opening between two sheds, accidently shot Mrs. Oliver GAUGLER in her back who was working in her garden on the opposite side and partly behind some currant bushes. Mrs. GAUGLER was invisible to the eye of the shooter when it happened. A doctor was immediately summoned who found that nineteen shot had penetrated the woman's back. The sufferer is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. BARN DESTROYED BY FIRE On Wednesday morning, about nine o'clock, the large Swiss barn of George HILDEN, was burned down. The origin of the fire is not known. The live stock and part of the farming machinery was saved. The building was insured in the Goshenhoppen Insurance Company, for $800, which does not cover the loss. FISHING PARTY AT GREEN LANE William ARBOGAST, Thomas WEIGHTMAN, Prof. GENSEMER, Wm. FREED, James CUNNINGHAM, Melvin SHAFER and Dr. CUMFORT, of Allentown, have been spending the past week in fishing at Green Lane. DOG BITE FOLLOWED BY LOCK-JAW Alfred BROWN, 13 years old, of Walnutport, near Slatington, is in a critical condition, suffering from lockjaw. While riding on the rear platform of a trolley car he was bitten in the leg by a dog. The leg is terribly swollen. INSTALLATION POSTPONED The installation and ordination services for the Rev. G.W. LUTZ, of the Pennsburg Reformed charge, which were to be held on Tuesday evening, June 21, have been postponed. The date will be announced in the issue of next week. DAMAGES REFUSED Henry W. ROBINSON brought suit against the Lehigh Valley Traction Company, in the court of Montgomery county, for damages for injuries received while a passenger on the platform of one of the cars of defendant company and the jury found a verdict in favor of the company. The defense had a number of witnesses on hand to prove that there was ample room in the car and that the plaintiff could have taken a seat had he so desired. The conductor of the car stated that at the time of the accident he had rung up 41 fares and that the car had seating accommodation for 52. After the case was submitted to the jury, they deliberated for several hours and then returned to the court room for further instructions as to passengers on platforms. Judge SWARTZ interpreted the law for them by stating that "A passenger who stands on the platform assumes not only all the risks of the road but also the risks of position. Unless he can give a valid reason for not sitting in the car, the passenger must hazard all of the perils of being elsewhere on it." After these instructions the jury retired and later on returned a verdict exonerating the Trolley Company from all blame. PASSED EXAMINATION BEFORE STATE BOARD Beulah KLINE, Charlotte HERSH, Jennie DIMMIG, Herbert HILLEGASS and Wallace DRESSLER, of Pennsburg and Catherine GREULICH, of East Greenville, accompanied by Principal M.N. HUTTEL, of Pennsburg, left last Saturday for Kutztown, where the first four, graduates of the Pennsburg High School, Wallace DRESSLER, a student at the Perkiomen Seminary and Miss GREULICH a graduate of the East Greenville High School and for the past year a student at the Seminary, attended the examination held by the State Board. All passed the Junior examination and will enter the middle class at the open of the next term of the Normal School. BLACK SNAKE BITES HORSE A horse of Michael SHIRK, of near Spring Mount, was bitten by a blacksnake the other day. His son Michael was returning home with a load of feed when the horse stepped on a six-foot blacksnake near Walt's school house. She flew up and bit him two or three times in the back and sides. The horse then ran off and tore himself out of the shafts and ran home. The boy driving, fell off and injured his head. The horse was badly swollen next day and had some fever but is all right again. The reptile escaped. TEAM SINKS INTO EARTH While Isaac PLASTERER, a South Lebanon farmer, was working in a field of growing corn with a cultivator, drawn by two horses, he suddenly felt the ground beneath give way and saw his team disappear. Drawing back just in time to save himself from being swallowed by the earth, he realized that a large sinkhole had made its appearance. Both horses were buried in a hole 12 feet deep and over 20 feet in diameter. Neighbors assisted in drawing out the animals, which were with difficulty rescued alive. LICKING P.O. STAMPS TAKES PART OF TONGUE Licking postage stamps has caused Miss Myra SYLVERNALE, assistant postmaster at Norfolk, Conn., part of her tongue. A few weeks ago the tongue began to swell, and physicians diagnosed the trouble as blood poisoning, due to the mucilage on the stamps. She went to the Hartford hospital, where an operation for the removal of nearly half of her tongue was performed. She is expected to recover, but will have a permanent impediment in her speech. WILL STAY AT RED HILL W.B. BERGEY, at present proprietor of the Red Hill Hotel, will vacate in the near future as the hotel property has been sold. Mr. BERGEY has rented the house of John BITTING on Depot Street and will stay at Red Hill for the present. FROM GERMANY FOR DAUGHTERS PARDON To seek a pardon for his daughter Barbara, who wAs coNvicted last week of larceny at the residence of W. Howard ENGLE, in Pottstown, Heinrich WEISMILLER will come all the way from Germany.