Ref: Town and Country Newspaper Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA Saturday - December 3, 1904 PROPRIETOR OF HOTEL LEFT FOR OTHER PARTS Fearing to face his creditors, it is alleged, John F. MENSCH, proprietor of the Green Tree Hotel, in Frederick township mysteriously disappeared last Thursday. All traces of him have been lost for ten days, although a persistent search for him has been made by his family. Mr. MENSCH is a well known hotel man and has conducted the Green Tree Hotel for a number of years. He was reputed to be in good financial circumstances until recently, and close upon the news of his disappearance came hints of irregularities in his business dealings that have surprised his friends. During the past few days it is said that notes which Mr. MENSCH turned into cash at the Schwenksville National Bank, and which were discounted by that institution, have been discovered to be forgeries. The authors of the notes claim that they never put them out. The extent of the worthless paper said to have been issued by Mr. MENSCH is not known. His creditors have taken steps to protect themselves and judgments have been issued against the missing man. Sheriff LARZELERE has seized his property and will sell it to satisfy Mr. MENSCH's numerous creditors. It is claimed that Mr. MENSCH has of late been a heavy drinker and that the excessive use of intoxicants made him unfit for business. He left a wife and seven children. The oldest is only eleven years of age. SLACKED LIME IN CREEK James, son of Farmer Abraham DOTTERER, of Hill Church, Berks county, had an experience one day last week which he will not soon forget. He was hauling lime from the OBERHOLTZER lime kiln and had sixty bushels on his body wagon. He thought he would use a quick way of slacking it, so he drove into the creek with the load and poured water on the lime. By the time he was ready to drive out of the creek the lime spread, bursted the body and broke the chain on the top-boards. Mr. DOTTERER, Jr., will in the future slack the lime in the old fashioned way. BOY WAS CAUGHT WHILE FELLING TREES Allen RITTER, of Hill Church, Berks county, assisted his father, David RITTER, in felling a tree and was caught by the branches. He was pinned down to the ground and it was some time before he could be extricated. His nose was broken and he received slight bruises about his body. Dr. R.Y. LECHNER, of Bechtelsville, was summoned and dressed the lad's injuries. HANGING LAMP FELL FROM CEILING A slight fire occurred in the hardware store of John F. WEYAND, of Pennsburg, on Saturday evening. The hanging lamp in the office fell from the ceiling and the oil was scattered on the floor and burning. Henry D. SPAAR, the salesman discovered the blaze at once and hurriedly extinguished the fire with the dry powder fire extinguisher. The damage was very slight. WILL OPERATE BIRCH DISTILLERY AT BALLY John FOX has erected a birch distillery close to MELCHER's pantaloon factory, at Bally, in order to use Mr. MELCHER's power. He expects to start manufacturing birch oil, about Monday. He already has a large supply of material at the distillery. THIEVES STEAL BOOTS AND SHOES Thieves ransacked the shoemaker shop of Jeremiah CASE, of Bally, Tuesday night. They took with them several pair of boots, one pair new ones and several other small articles. They also visited several other places, but secured no booty. DOG'S SCRATCH KILLS MASTER Philander K. POTTER, of Scranton, died on Wednesday of hydrophobia, caused by a scratch from a pet dog which he was chloroforming two weeks ago, the dog having gone mad. BULL GOES MAD Farmer John RHOADS, of near Steinsburg, had a thrilling experience with an infuriated bull, which he purchased at a public sale about a week ago. After purchasing the animal he drove him to his home and when ready to put into stable the bovine becomes infuriated and started to run away. Several neighbors assisted Mr. RHOADS in trying to secure the animal but without avail. For one whole week the bull was running wild and Mr. RHOADS concluded to shoot the animal. E.G. KRAMER and Edwin ROEDER started out one morning to shoot him, they got a glimpse of him, but he got away from them before they could fire at him. They then scoured the woods until late in the afternoon when they came close enough to shoot him. The carcass was then removed to Mr. RHOADS who slaughtered it. MAYOR SENTENCED HOBO TO BATH TUB Mayor PRICE, of Wilkesberre, on Wednesday sentenced Joseph KUTZ, a vagrant, to spend two hours in the bathtub. "Make the water hot, and let him soak," he ordered. After the bath KUTZ spent forty-eight hours in the lockup on bread and water, and he will then be removed, in any direction he wants, thirty miles from that city. As the city does not provide a fund for deporting vagrants, Mayor PRICE will foot the expense of sending him the thirty miles. He has done this in several cases, preferring to pay the money rather than have the vagrants remain in town. He thinks the bath sentence will frighten some of them away. MOBBED HUSBAND BY MISTAKE For some time residents on Grant street, Allentown, have been perturbed by one of their fellow countrymen persistently beating and maltreating his wife. Wednesday morning his wife came screaming from the house and ran down the street, and the neighbors piled into the dwelling and gave the husband a terrific beating. Then they learned that the wife had not been touched, but had only become hysterical on account of the sickness of one of her children. MAY NEED THIRD JUDGE FOR NEXT WEEK A third judge may again be required in this county, for the December term of court, the criminal sessions of which will begin on Monday next. The PAYNE-ROBERTS civil suit encroaches and will not be finished until the criminal court opens. If such be the case a third judge will be necessary to take the place of Judge SWARTZ in the criminal court, and thus permit the court to dispose of the many cases. SIXTY-FIVE BITES AT $17 EACH In the Cumberland County Court on Monday in the case of Harrison NOR against William MELL for $2500 damages, the jury rendered a verdict in favor of NOR, for $1100 and $325 for his father. This was the bulldog case in which damages were claimed for injuries inflicted upon young NOR by two ferocious bulldogs which jumped upon him, biting him 65 times. The dogs were killed. AUCTIONEER PUTS UP BIG BELL Phaon DIEHL, the auctioneer, of Allentown, this week received a bell weighing 1200 pounds from Chicago. The bell will be placed on the top of his new seven-story building on North Eighth street and will ring for the first time Christmas morning. It will be used to announce auction sales. STARTED A DANCING SCHOOL AT CRESSMAN William OMEN, of Cressman, formerly of Quakertown, started a dancing school in the hall at the Spread Eagle Hotel, Cressman. The class meets once a week on every Wednesday evening. MAY GET PORT APPRAISERSHIP Rumor has it that District Attorney Abraham H. HENDRICKS, of Pottstown, is to be appointed to the office of the Appraisership of the Port of Philadelphia, as successor to the late Linn HARTRANFT, a Montgomery county boy. NEW PROPHET RISES IN BERKS COUNTY George YOUNG, an aged tinsmith, of Hill Church, Berks county, claims to have the ability of foretelling the winter weather. He says no ice will be housed this year until after the holidays. DIED ON HEARING NEWS OF DEATH When Mrs. Sarah BOWMAN, of Norristown, was informed of the death of her brother-in-law, Mark BOWMAN, she fell over and expired. The woman had been ill for several days.