Ref: Town and Country Newspaper Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA Saturday - July 30, 1904 STILL HANDLES THE SICKLE IN THE HARVEST FIELD For long years the sickle has been displaced by improved machinery as a harvesting implement and the man who can still handle the ancient cutting tool is hard to find in our day, but the village of Bally has a citizen who is still an expert in this kind of work and only last week this famous old harvester, Jacob ESSIK (picture), cut the grain around a three acre field with one of these antiquated tools, in order to get in and around the field with a binder. After all the grain of Mr. ESSIK had been cut by the binder, he conveyed the entire harvest to his barn on a hand wagon and felt no results from the work. The aged man in remarkably well preserved and is hearty and able to do any ordinary kind of farm work in almost the same time that it would take a man sixty years younger to do it. Mr. ESSIK was born in Vietenberg, Germany, on July 18, 1818 and is 86 years old. He remained in his native home until he was 29 years old. On his arrival in America he spent one year in Philadelphia. He then came to Bally and bought a tract of land in 1854, near the Mennonite Church. On this he built a house, doing all the work himself, as he had learned the carpentering trade in his native home, and a few years later built a barn. In 1851 he was married to Annie KEMP, of Landisville, Berks County. His wife died 16 years ago. The couple were blest with three children, William and Augustus, of Reading and Mary, who resides with her father. During the Civil War, Mr. ESSIK served as a soldier for 9 months in 1863, under Captain SCHOLL, and for this service he is drawing a pension. After returning from the war he followed his trade, working in the coal regions for twelve years, six of which were spent at Mahanoy City, his family remaining at Bally all the time. A DOUBLE TRAGEDY At Lancaster, James GOOD, a machinist, aged 26 years, shot his 17 year old wife, Ella, on Wednesday evening, inflicting wounds from which death followed soon after and after shooting her twice turned the revolver on himself, pulled the trigger and died instantly. The pair were married two years ago and soon began to quarrel, as he was of a very jealous disposition. Ten days ago their quarrels lead to a separation, the girl wife going to the home of her parents. On Wednesday the young woman went to Rocky Spring Park and there her husband met her and soon they were quarreling again. Later they left for the home of her parents and entered the kitchen and there in the presence of her mother, immediately upon entering and before the mother could interfere, the deed was committed. The wife received two bullets, one entering her brain and the other the heart. The bullet that killed GOOD paased through his heart. WILL AGAIN ENGAGE IN THE LUMBER BUSINESS Granville GERHARD, of Pennsburg, has bought the saw mill at Finland, which he formerly owned, from his brother and will take possessien at once and rebuilt it. He has also bought the portable saw mill of James MILLER, of Sumneytown, and will put it into work in the near future. As soon as suitable arrangements can be made Mr. GERHARD will move to Finland again and sell his house here if possible. WALKS A MILE AT 96 The 96 birthday anniversary of Mrs. Sarah RINKER, of Lower Saucon Northampton County, was celebrated on Tuesday. The aged woman is still possessed of all her faculties and gets along without glasses. She walks from her home to church every Sunday, a distance of more than a mile. BEAN PICKERS ON A STRIKE A strike has been instituted among the string bean pickers of the H.S. MILL Canning Company, of Springtown, Bucks County. The Cannery is kept running by uprooting the bean vines and picking the beans therefrom inside of the factory. CORNER STONE LAID FOR HISTORICAL SOCIETY The Bucks County Historical Society laid the corner stone of their new $20,000 building, at Doylestown, on Tuesday. General W.W.H. DAVIS, president of the society, made the principal address. FRIGHTENED TO DEATH Shortly after 5 o'clock on Monday evening, Marion RANKIN, of Andalusia, Bucks county, asked her mother to take a walk down the road. The permission was granted and the mother followed the little girl to the gate and looked after her as she ran merrily down hill. Mrs. RANKIN turned to go into the house when she heard the scream, "Oh! Mamma! Mamma! Save me!" Recognizing the voice of the child the mother hurried after her and had gone but a short distance when she met Joseph HEISER, aged 29, who in a fit of dimentia came galloping along, shouting and waving his arms, and a few steps further on was the child moaning in the arms of Scott FERRY, a blacksmith who had come to her assistance. The child was quickly taken to her home and a doctor summoned, but within five minutes she expired. The man who caused the fright is subject to epileptic fits and when taken by a spasm is a raving maniac. As a matter of precaution he has been placed in jail and an effort will be made to have him committed to the asylum at Norristown. NO SNORING IN CHURCH For being shaken by two ushers while snoring loudly during church service, a suit of assault and battery was brought by Mrs. Anastasia KANOVITCH, of Wilkes-barre. The magistrate before whom the hearing was held, discharged the ushers and imposed the costs on the woman with the remark that Church was a place of prayer and not of sleep. SENDS WALNUT LOGS TO GERMANY Harry BARNSHAW, of Bridgeport, is engaged in loading walnut logs to be shipped from New York to Germany. This week he hauled a log from the farm of William GODSHALL of Worcester township, 16 1/2 feet long and 62 inches in diameter at each ends. The long weighed a little less than eight tons. EXCEPTIONAL HARVEST RECORD Samuel MARSH, aged 80 years, of McMichaels, Monroe county, has the record of binding 2000 sheaves of rye during the harvest just finished. Farm hands were scarce so Mr. MARSH concluded to extend a helping hand. HOT AUGUST PREDICTS HICKS Rev. Irl R. HICKS, the weather prophet, predicts intense heat, destructive storms, tornadoes and some cool nights for the month of August.