Ref: Town and Country Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA Saturday - October 24, 1903 BROKE MAIL BOX Deputy United States Marshal Peter D. HELMS, of Philadelphia on Tuesday morning took to the Lehigh county jail Frank LINK, of Coopersburg; Milton SCHICK, California, Bucks county, and Uriah RITTER, of Richlandtown. The prisoners are charged with tampering with rural letter boxes, the specific charge being that they broke down the receptacle for mail near the residence of C.M. FURRY, about a mile north of the village of California, Bucks county. The information was furnished by William W. STONE, United States postal inspector, and the warrants for arrest were issued by United States District Attorney William W. CRAIG. SCHICK was arrested first and was taken to Richlandtown in a round-about way so that no news of his arrest would reech RITTER. He was taken within 100 feet of where RITTER was and placed under a guard in a room of the post office at Richlandtown. RITTER was then arrested and the two were held under guard while the marshal went to Coopersburg and arrested LINK. United States Commissioner O.R.B. LEIDY, of this district, who was attending court at Reading, came home to give the trio a hearing. The witnesses could not be summoned in time, however, and the accused were placed under $500 bail apiece for their appearance for a hearing. The crime with which the men are charged was committed last April. Their story is to the effect that they were returning home one night feeling the effects of too liberal indulgence in stimulants and that one of them leaned over the mail box fastened on a post and broke it off. The box belonged to Chas. FURRY. The matter was afterwards settled to Mr. FURRY's satisfaction by the payment of $75. They now claim that their arrest is due to spite work on the part of one of the men who is to appear as a witness against them. RITTER, one of the accused, was married on Saturday and was compelled to take a tearful farewell of his bride, the honeymoon being rudely disturbed. LINK is employed by T.S. COOPER, the Jersey cattle dealer of Coopersburg, and returned home from a trip to the island of Jersey with Mr. COOPER on Wednesday. Constable SOUDER, of Quakertown, accompanied the young men to Allentown. This will be Commissioner LEIDY's first official act. He was appointed to the office last July. A MEETING ALL SHOULD ATTEND An open meeting will be held in Odd Fellows' Hall, Pennsburg, on Thursday evening, at 8 o'clock, for the purpose of making arrangements to apply for a charter to institute a Commandery of Knights of Malta. District Deputy Jno. V. OMMEREN, of Quakertown, one of the Grand Officers, will be present to explain the merits and beauties of the organization and all who are interested to the extent of desiring information or who wish to join the Commandery about to be instituted in our midst should be in attendance for the purpose of hearing the remarks and entering their names on the charter roll. A most cordial invitation is extended to all. SPRING MOUNT MILLER BUSY MAKING CORN MEAL John H. CLEMMER, of Spring Mount, is very busy making corn meal. He does the roasting himself having a big roaster in operation which roasts the corn while running over the hot plate and from there the corn goes up into the hoppers, where it runs down in to the chopping burs. From there the meal is put into bags, which when full, will stop, and empty into a large box. All this work is done by machinery and requires but little attention. He has an extensive trade for his corn meal and ships to different points along the main line and North Penn railroad. PENNSBURG BUTCHER SELLS OUT Granville GERHART, one of the Pennsburg butchers on Wednesday sold out his butcher business to John K. SAYLOR, of Pennsburg. Mr. SAYLOR will take possession during the first week of November and will move into the house which will be vacated by Mrs. Emma SCHWARTZ. Mr. SAYLOR will consolidate the two butcher shops and routes. RENTED THE H.C. KEHL FARM Mahlon SNYDER, of Fruitville, has rented the farm of Hiram C. KEHL, situate near the New Goshehopppen Reformed church. He will take possession in April. PROMINENT HOTEL MAN AT THE COUNTY SEAT Percival K. GABLE (picture), proprietor of the Rambo House, Norristown, is one of the most prominent hotel men in Montgomery county. He was born at Skippackville forty-three years ago, and comes from a line of German-American ancestors, all of whom were famous as hotel men in their day. Mr. GABLE commenced his career as a hotel keeper at Skippackville, at the age of eighteen years, being proprietor of the Valley House, for three years. He then went to Norristown where he conducted the Hartranft House for a term of two years. Later he engaged in a similar business at Atlantic City, Lansdale and Quakertown. In 1895 he returned to Norristown and became the proprietor of the Rambo House which he still conducts. SHOT AT STRANGERS Mrs. John BRUNST, of New Hanover township, on Monday night heard a noise in the wood shed near the house and thinking her husband had arrived from the Philadelphia markets, she went out with a lamp. Mrs. BRUNST returned to the house, secured a shot gun, went out and opened fire on the intruders. The strangers at once fled for cooler quarters and nothing has since been seen or heard from them. It is supposed the men were lying in wait to rob Mr. BRUNST on his return from the Philadelphia markets, as he was expected to have a large sum of money with him. THIEVES ENTER TELFORD DEPOT Last Friday night the railroad depot at Telford was forcibly entered by thieves. The front door was forced open by them. R.S. MOYER's bicycle and a parcel express package that belonged to M.C. BEANS were missing. They also broke open a chewing gum box and secured about $4.00 worth of chewing gum. ENGLISH BIBLE DONATED TO CHURCH An English bible was recently donated to the Lutheran congregation at Argus by Mrs. Richard ACKER, of Tylersport. The bible was used for the first time on Sunday. ATTEMPTED SUICIDE Last Sunday afternoon the residents in the vicinity of Creamery, this county, were alarmed to hear that Mrs. Christian MEYER attempted to take her life. It appears that Mrs. MEYERS has been despondent ever since her daughter committed suicide sever weeks ago by hanging in the woodshed at their home. On Sunday afternoon the family missed Mrs. MEYER for some time and a search was instituted. She was found in the woodshed at the same spot where he daughter took her own life. Mrs. MEYER had the butcher knife in her hand and was cutting her wrist and arm. After being disarmed she was persuaded to go into the house where her wounds were dressed. Mrs. MEYER expects to go to Philadelphia shortly and stay with one of her daughters. PREPARING FOR HOLIDAY TRADE About 20,000 ducks are being fattened at GERNERTs Duck Farm at Greisamersville, Lehigh county. These ducks are to supply the holiday trade. NUMEROUS LARGE THINGS RAISED ON THE FARM The largest cabbage head in Lehigh county was raised by Wilson F. PETER, of Sagersville, and weighed, when trimmed ready for use, 16 3/4 pounds. It was raised in Heidelberg, the township which also raised the largest potato in the county, one weighing 37 ounces and produced by L.K. PETER. There is strong rivalry among the farmers of Berks county, each of whom wants to be the champion apple raiser. Among the leading farmers who have reported the dimensions of their apples is Gordon LESHER, of Moselem, who has a Rambo with a circumfarence of 14 1/2 inches; while Isaac DAUB, of Kutztown, has an apple of the Maiden Blush variety measuring 14 inches in circumference and tipping the scales at 20 1/2 ounces. D.G. TREICHLER, of Hereford, has a "Pound" apple with a circumference of 15 1/4 by 14 1/4 inches and tipping the scales at 19 1/2 ounces. But it remains for a Montgomery county farmer to put all these records in the shade with two apples, measuring respectively 16 1/4 inches and weighing 22 1/4 ounces, and 15 1/4 inches and 24 1/4 ounces. Franklin REEDY, of Host, Berks county, raised four pumpkins weighing 106, 70, 57 and 33 pounds respectively. The remarkable feature of this is the fact that they were raised from one seed. Harry RENNINGER, of Shanesville, Berks county, has a cabbage head that was raised on a last year's stalk. Last fall the latter was regarded as a scrub plant, but in the spring, as it showed signs of life, it was left standing. It began to grow, and finally produced a good sized head. A sweet potato forty-four inches in length was raised by John J. BUCHER, of near Schwenksville. This beats all that have yet been reported in that section. Mrs. John H. ROTHENBERGER, of near East Greenville, raised a mammoth radish in her garden. It measured twenty-three inches in length and twenty-five inches in circumference. We would like to hear of some one who can beat this.