Ref: Town and Country Newspaper Pennsburg, Montgomery County, PA Saturday - May 2, 1903 THE DEATH LIST Minnie KNEULE, the infant daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C.A. KNEULE, of Pennsburg, died quite unexpectedly on Wednesday morning at 4.15 o'clock, of pneumonia. The child had been sickly for some time. Aged 8 months and 14 days. The funeral will be held tomorrow forenoon at 9.30 o'clock at the house. Services and interment at the Pennsburg Reformed church. Rev. J.L. ROUSH will officiate. Mrs. Sophia SASSAMAN, widow of Samuel SASSAMAN, died on Tuesday evening at the residence of her son-in-law C.K. JOHNSON, near Obelisk, from general debility, aged 73 years, 2 months and 7 days. She leaves the following children: B.B. SCHOLL, of Philadelphia; Mrs. J.O. ZIMMERMAN, of Coopersburg; Mrs. M.S. SHANER, of Sanatoga; and Mrs. C.K. JOHNSON. Henry BARTMAN, of Pottstown, and Mrs. A.R. FRYER, of Spring Mount, are her brother and sister. The funeral will be held today at the house of C.K. JOHNSON. Interment at Keelor's church cemetery. Charles K. WEIRMAN, a life long resident of Schwenksville, died on Wednesday morning of paralysis. His age was 86 years, 5 months and 16 days. He is survived by two children: John, of Allentown, and Samuel, at home. Mrs. Daniel KRAUSS, of Woxall, who was buried last week was a sister. The funeral will be held tomorrow at 9.30 o'clock at the house. Services and interment at the Reformed Church Schwenksville. Rev. W.B. WERNER will officiate. Miss Annie MUTHARD, of near New Berlinville, died of infirmities due to old age. She is 78 years of age and is survived by one brother William, of near New Berlinville. The funeral was held yesterday from her late residence. Services were conducted at the Hill Church. Interment was made on the church cemetery. Rev. H.W. WARMKESSEL of Reading officiated. Miss Clara HIESTAND, nee BENFIELD, of Hill Church, died on Tuesday of consumption. She was ill for the past year but only bedfast for a few days. She was 23 years of age, and is survived by her husband, two children, her parents and several brothers and sisters. The funeral will be held today at the Trinity Union Church, of Bechtelsville. Interment was made in the church cemetery. The pall bearers are John SPOHN, John B. GRUBER, Daniel FRY and Emerson GROFF. Clarence SHEFFY, one of the twins of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson SHEFFEY, of Boyertown, died on Monday evening at six o'clock of convulsions. The child had only been taken sick in the morning. His age was two years and ten months. Daniel KAUFFMAN, a son of John R. KAUFFMAN, Sr., of Sunbury, died at his parent's home on Sunday morning of consumption. Mr. KAUFFMAN resided in Pennsburg about 6 years ago. He is about 40 years of age and a brother to our townsman John R. KAUFFMAN, Jr. The funeral was held on Thursday. KILLED BY TROLLEY A serious and most unfortunate accident occurred near T.S. COOPER's Stock Farm, Coopersburg, about 1.30 o'clock, Thursday afternoon, when E.J. SMITH, of Souderton, one of the oldest and best motormen and ex-Superintendent of the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley Traction Company, was killed almost instantly. The accident happened on account of a disregard of signals by SMITH. He was in charge of a car going from Philadelphia to Allentown in which were ten passengers. Motorman MILLER, of Allentown, was taking two snowplows from that city in the Brick Tavern car barn a short distance below Coopersburg, and into these cars Motorman SMITH ran, at a place where there is a slight curve in the road. Both were going at a high rate of speed when the clash came. SMITH was pinned between two cars and his life crushed out. None of the passengers of the car were injured. A daughter of our townsman Samuel KEPLER was on the car and she says they were badly shaken up. Mr. SMITH was about 38 years of age and is survived by a wife and two small children. He is the first employe on this line of the Company to lose his life in this manner. Mr. SMITH originally is from New York State. He came to Souderton from the Tonawanda and Lock-Railway in New York State, when the local, or former Inland, was in caurse of construction. DEMENTED WOMEN BURNED TO DEATH Suffering from temporary mental derangement, Mrs. Henry HEFFNER, of New Virginsville, Berks county, went into the cellar of her home Saturday and is supposed to have poured kerosene over her clothes, then set fire to them. When found she was horribly burned and died Monday morning. On Friday she received about $8000 from her deceased father's estate, which she carried in her dress pocket. This is supposed to have burned with her dress. LITTLE GIRL DROWNED Helen Mary, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ephraim FRONHEISER, on the WERSTLER farm, near new Berlinville, Berks county, was accidentally drowned in a small stream near its home. The child is only two years of age. The child's grandfather was out in the field ploughing and the little tot followed him. When it came up to him he noticed that it was minus a bonnet or hat, so he sent the girl home to put on a bonnet, and then it might return to the field. The child did as told, its mother attended to the hat and it went on its way to the field. This was the last time it was seen alive. After a short time the mother was anxious to know whether the child found its way to her grandfather and not seeing her she called her and ran in the direction of a small stream of water which runs through the field where the ploughing was done. She was horrified to find her little child lying in the stream cold in death. The mother picked the child up into her arms and carried it to the house, and she is nearly frantic with grief. WELL PERSERVED COFFINS Although buried half a century ago, eight coffins that were removed from Sprogell burial ground, Pottstown, the first interment in which was made in 1716, were still in almost perfect preservation. OLDEST RESIDENT OF THE BOROUGH OF RED HILL Zebulon GERHART (picture), of Red Hill, is the oldest resident in this section of the county. If he lives until the eighth day of August he will be eighty-eight years of age. He was born in Franconia township in 1815. His parents moved from Franconia to Salfordville when he was quite young and later to near Hoppenville. In the public schools of Franconia and Marlborough Mr. GERHART obtained a common school education. He assisted his father on the farm and as soon as he was of age he married and began farming for himself. This work he continued until about eight years ago when he retired from actual farm life. He, however, did not quit working, as he can be found doing odds and ends about the farm every day. Mr. GERHART has exceptional good eye-sight. He at his advanced age can read a newspaper without the aid of glasses. He was twice married and both wives are dead. He is the father of eight children, four by each wife. Louisa, wife of Nathan SCHWENK, of Red Hill, is the only surviving child of his first wife, and Benjamin, of near East Greenville, and Henry, of Red Hill, are the only surviving children of his second wife. Mr. GERHART is exceptionally hale and hardy considering his age, and the hard manual labor that he has done.