Ref: Town and Country Newspaper Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA Saturday - July 23, 1904 ORIENTAL VISITORS Consul General FEE, from Bombay, India, accompanied by his wife, arrived at Easton, on a visit to Mrs. Ellen SAMPLE, the mother of Mrs. FEE. Last fall Mrs. FEE and her daughter were stricken with the plague from which the daughter died, while Mrs. FEE has not yet fully recovered. It took the consul general and his wife 42 days to make the trip from their far eastern home to Easton. 96 YEARS OLD, SMOKES 24 PIPES A DAY Mrs. Judith MOYER, who lives in Rockland township, Berks county, when asked to what she attributed her long and healthful life, replied, "I would never have reached my 96th birthday had I not smoked my pipe daily." Mrs. MOYER smokes 24 pipefuls of tobacco daily. "After I am unable to smoke I'll surely die," she remarked. BOY GORED BY COW FOR HITTING CALF Daniel RUNKEL, a 14 year old boy of Pottsville, while driving home cows from pasture struck a calf. Its mother turned in defense, giving him several tosses and then gored him until assistance came. The boy has a wound several inches long and is terribly bruised. ENGAGES IN NEW INDUSTRY F.C. SELAK has started the breeding of gold fish in Cumm as a new Berks County industry. DOCTOR SUES FOR DIVORCE Dr. Clayton H. SCHWENK, of Philadelphia, but who was raised, near Schwenksville, has entered a subpoena in divorce against his wife. Desertion is given as a cause, although the couple have lived under the same roof, she occupying the third story for the past three years and he paying all her bills for maintenance, while he had the rest of the house to himself. Cruel and barbarous treatment are amongst the charges preferred. The doctor says this state of affairs might have continued but for slanderous stories put into circulation by his wife whereby his character and his practice were injured. The practice he claims has dwindled from $10,000 to $2,000 a year since the stories about him were circulated. WOMAN SHOOTS BLACK SNAKE While picking raspberries last week, Mrs. James MILLER, of near Geryville, encountered a monster black snake that was coiled for a fight. On account of the unusual size Mrs. MILLER was afraid to attack it with stones and sticks so she hurried home to get her husband's gun to dispatch the reptile. Hurriedly loading the gun she repaired to the place where his snakeship was holding forth. The plucky woman took deliberate aim and pulled the trigger which put an end to the snake. On being measured it was found to be within a few inches of six feet in length. BARN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING During Tuesday's thunder storm, the barn of Frank STOFFLET, of Hoffmansville, used for a wagon shed and hen house, was struck by a bolt of lightning and a lot of broom corn set on fire, but fortunately Mr. STOFFLET was at home at the time and extinguished the flames before they could make any headway, had it not been seen for several minutes the entire building would have been burned down and probably the other barn as it stands just across the street. NEW VARIETY OF DAHLIAS B.F. HOLLENBACH, of Reading, has a new variety of dahlia. the plant is considerably larger than the ordinary dahlia and the bloom is almost as large as a small sunflower. It resembles the latter in many ways. The seeds were sent Mr. HOLLENBACH by a friend in New Orleans and planted early in April. Some of the plants are ten feet high. The flowers opened lately and some of them are twelve inches in circumference and have a pleasant odor. The plant is hardy and grows rapidly. It blooms all the year around. TO JAIL FOR FAILING TO PAY LAWYER'S FEE Because J.H. KAPP, of Pottsville, refused to pay a fee of $10 to lawyer L.D. HOUGHAWOUT, he was sent to jail. LIVED TO ALMOST NINETY, STRICKEN AWAY FROM HOME While visiting the family of Rev. R.T. ORTT, of Emaus, Mrs. Daniel (Caroline) STAHLER (picture), of Dillingersville, brought her life to a peaceful close last Saturday, aged 89 years, 4 months and 15 days. The aged woman was born and raised at Dillingersville, Lower Milford township, Lehigh county, and spent all her life in the immediate vicinity of her birth. Her entire life was spent on the farm. At the age of 27 she was married to Daniel STAHLER, who preceded her in death in 1893. Since the death of her husband she has made her home with her only daughter, Mrs. Tilghman RITTER, where she was joined by her sister, Mrs. Seth WEBER, who is her junior by five years. Almost 20 years ago Mrs. STAHLER was stricken with blindness but she bore her affliction with remarkable fortitude, and although being unable to see she continued to do farm work, doing corn husking and similar things that could be accomplished without the aid of sight. In the main her health has been good and her hair remained jet black until the day of her death. On Saturday a week ago she left her home of Emaus and was taken ill of bodily infirmities on the same days from which never recovered. Besides her daughter, she is survived by eight grand children and fourteen great-grand-children. The body was removed to her home at Dillingersville, from which the funeral was held on Wednesday, at the Chestnut Hill church. EXCITING RUNAWAY While driving from his home at Alburtis to Allentown, on Thursday, a farmer by the name of LITZENBERGER, met an automobile on the road. The horse driven by LITZENBERGER which was a spirited one, dashed into a nearby lane leading to a barn, the doors of which stood open. On through the threshing floor the rush was continued and out through the open door of the overshoot where there was a drop of 20 feet. Fortunately there was a heap of straw in front of the barn and the horse fell on this or he would have broken his neck. The buggy with the man in it, almost scared to death, was caught in the door and remained in the barn. Both horse and man escaped without serious injury. WATCH FOUND AFTER 41 YEARS While digging around an old tree on his farm in Cumberland township, Adams county, Althedorf BUSHMAN unearthed a gold watch in a fine state of preservation, even the crystal and hands being in good condition. It was found where the Twelfth and Second Hospital corps were encamped in 1863 and was doubtless the property of some Union officer. NEWSPAPER CHANGES HANDS Senator Webster GRIM has purchased the stock of the Doylestown Publishing Company, publishers of the daily and weekly Democrat, and will take charge August 1st. Senator GRIM, it is said, while an admirer of BRYAN, will be an ardent supporter of PARKER in his paper, and expects to put it on a firm basis. It is also said that he will run a morning paper. HORSE FRACTURES MAN'S SKULL Jacob HOFF, the hired man of Josiah WAGNER, of Zieglerville, was found in an unconscious condition in the barn yard on Tuesday, with blood oozing from his head. Dr. C.B. DOTTERER was called who found the left temple with a gash four inches long and the skull fractured. The supposition is that the kick of a horse caused the injury. DOCTOR FELL DEAD BY SID OF PATIENT At the side of a young man who had been mangled in a mowing machine, Dr. J.B. SHAW, of Delaware Water Gap, fell dead while giving directions to a nurse. The doctor had been practicing at the Gap for twenty-five years and at the time of his death was President of the Monroe County Medical Society. BOY INJURED WHILE PLAYING Willie, the son of C.G. FRIES, of Pennsburg, while passing bare-footed through the yard this week ran a thorn into his foot. Drs. C.T. and Fred WAAGE etherized the boy to remove the thorn which proved to be an inch and a half in length. SPEEDY JUSTICE Aaron TIMBERS, Jonas SIMS and Wm. AUSTIN, the three colored men who confessed to assaulting and robbing Mrs. Elsie BIDDLE, of Burlington, New Jersey, were on Friday sentenced to 49 years each in the State prison by Judge GASKILL. The three men were brought to Mt. Holly at 1.15 p.m. under guard of Co. A., New Jersey National Guard, which met them at Camden. They were handcuffed to three deputy sheriffs and marched to the court house, followed by several hundred persons. Only a few were admitted to the court room. Judge GASKILL was in waiting, and after the indictments had been read the three men pleaded guilty. The Judge then pronounced sentence of 49 years each, the extreme penalty for the crimes, which was divided as follows: Rape 15 years, robbery 15 years, assaulting officers 12 years, breaking and entering a dwelling 7 years. The men were immediately taken to a train under the escort of the guardsmen and hurried to State prison at Trenton.