Ref: Town and Country Newspaper Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA Saturday - April 22, 1905 REPUBLICANS HOLD SHORT CONVENTION The Republicans of Montgomery County held their convention on Tuesday morning in the Opera House, at Norristown, for the purpose of electing nine delegates to the State Convention at Harrisburg on the 26th of this month, when a State Treasurer and Superior Court Judges will be nominated. The chairman A.H. HENDRICKS, of Pottstown, called the meeting to order. The secretaries were Attorney John M. DETTRA and Walter F. CHILDS. The roll was called and a large number of absentees were noted, after which the chairman appointed the following committee on resolutions: J.P. Hale JENKINS, Norristown; Wilmer JOHNSON, Gwynedd; Freas STYER, Norristown; Frank POWNELL, Lansdale and H.R. BOSSERT, Pottstown. The following aspirants were then nominated and later elected by acclamation as the delegates from this county to the State Convention: Henry ARNOLDY, Norristown; B.K. BUTZ, Upper Hanover; Andrew ERVIN, Mooreland; Wm. F. McCRACKEN, North Wales; Wm. O. SCHOLL, Pottstown; Frank SHALKOP, Trappe; A.A. SHOEMAKER, Franconia; S. Gordon SMYTHE, West Conshohocken; Jacob RIDGEWAY, Haverford. While the convention was awaiting the report of the committee on resolutions, State Senator Algernon ROBERTS responded to a call for aspeech. It required just twenty-eight minutes for the convention to transact all its business. REPLACED DAMAGED PEACH ORCHARD James SCARLETT, of Fredericksville, had 2000 peach trees that were damaged by the winter, and he replaced them with new ones. NEST OF BLACKSNAKES INSTEAD OF DANDELION Hunting dandelions near Robesonia, Berks County, Mrs. Wallace DIPPEN encountered a nest of 12 large snakes, and masculine companions killed the reptiles. WILL OF WEALTHY BACHELOR The will of Jesse H. GERY, of Palm, Upper Hanover township, a former Prothonotary, of this county, was admitted to probate at Norristown on Monday afternoon. The estate is valued at $75,000 and is disposed of as follows: To Amanda GERY, his sister, his house and ten acres of land for life and after her death to Dr. Alfred O. GERY, to her is also given $4000, an iron safe, horse, carriage and household goods; to Thomas H. GERY, a brother, $10,000 and 31 acres of wood and sprout land and his wearing apparel; Dr. Alfred O. GERY gets $10,000, a 21 acre tract of wood and sprout land and his gold watch; to his nephews Jacob B. GERY $2500, Jesse B. GERY $10,000, Wm. B. GERY $100; to his nieces, Sarah, Anna, Mary, Daisy B. GERY, Lucy E. SMITH, Ida B. STAUFFER and Mary B. FEGLEY, each $2500; to the Pennsburg Reformed Church, of which he was a member he gives $500 in trust to keep his burial lot in repair. The remainder of the estate is bequeathed to his brother, Thomas GERY and nephews Dr. Alfred O. GERY and Jesse B. GERY. The document is a lengthy one and was written in the hand of the testator and was purposely unwitnessed as he declares his reason for the omission in these words: "Most any one that had any dealings with me, and there are a great many, can prove my handwriting and signature." His will was executed July 20, 1903. Mr. GERY was a bachelor and his sister Amanda, a maiden lady kept house for him. Beside her another brother Thomas survive him. The other GERY's mentioned in the will are all children of the brother Thomas. The executors of the estate are Thomas H. GERY and Dr. A.O. GERY. JUDGES IN THIS COUNTY WILL WEAR GOWNS Recently the members of the Montgomery County Bar Association passed a resolution requesting the three Judges, SWARTZ, WEAND and SOLLY, to wear black silk gowns while on the bench. Monday afternoon the judges notified a committee of the Bar Association that they had decided to adopt the silk robes in the near future. KILLED A SIX FOOT BLACKSNAKE A blacksnake six feet long was killed with axes by Albert BOYER, Jacob DICER and Maurice KELLEY, near Pottstown. WHIRLED ABOUT SHAFT AND SERIOUSLY HURT Benjamin RUCKSTUHL, aged about 45 years, of Hendricks Station had a very narrow escape from a horribe death by being whirled about a shaft at the nail works of the Lessig Iron Company, at Pottstown, Monday afternoon. His knit jacket caught in a pin while he was working in a shaft pit and the unfortunate man was whirled around until his companion, Nathan HIPPLE, could climb out of the pit and notify the engineer to stop the machinery. RUCKSTUHL had his left elbow dislocated, several ribs fractured and was badly injured otherwise. RUCKSTUHL, a tinsmith, was working in a shaft pit with Nathan HIPPLE ????? of them revolved shafting used in operating the blueing process in the nail mill. The space in which the two worked was cramped, and within a foot of them revolved shafting used to transmit power to the nail machines. RUCKSTUHL was engaged in soldering the funnel and had stepped back to survey the work when he came in contact with the rapidly revolving shaft. In an instant his jacket was caught on the pin and he was jerked off his feet. When the shafting was stopped RUCKSTUHL was removed from his perilious position. Nearly all his clothing had been torn off him and he was bleeding where his body came in contact with the wall of the pit. The unfortunate man was hurried to the Pottstown Hospital in the Good Will ambulance, where Drs. ASHENFELTER and HARRINGTON gave him surgical attention. It is not thought that he has been injured internally. MARRIAGE LICENSE FOR AGED COUPLE A marriage license was issued on Tuesday at Stroudsburg to John J. BARTHOLD, of Allentown and Amanda SHIFFER of Brodheadsville. The prospective bridegroom is 74 years old and the bride is 69. WOMAN WAS STRUCK WITH AN AX Mrs. Harvey SHANER, of Gilbertsville, met with a painful accident while watching her husband cutting down a plum tree with an ax. She was standing a short distance away and the ax flew from the handle and hit her, severely cutting her.