Mrs. Wallace RAUDENBUSH, of this borough, died on Sunday morning after a lingering illness of several months. Her death was due to dropsy and heart disease. Deceased's age is 33 years. She is survived by a husband and two children, Mabel and Lizzie. The funeral was held on Thursday at the New Goshenhoppen church. Interment was made on the church cemetery. Rev. O.F. WAAGE officiated.
Walter KULP, the four year old son of Edwin and Lovina KULP, of Pennsburg, died on Sunday. The cause of death was due to heart affection and dropsy. The funeral was held on Thursday at Huber's church, Niantic. Rev. J.J. KLINE of New Hanover officiated.
Mary MILLER, wife of Solomon MILLER, of Powder Valley, died on Saturday at 5 o'clock. She was 78 years, 6 months and 6 days of age. Deceased is survived by the following children: Llewellyn, of Woodburne, and Milton and Carolina, of Powder Valley. The following brothers and sisters also survive: William KUHNS, Old Zionsville; Joseph KUHNS, Macungie, and Lydia STROHL, Pottstown. The funeral was held on Wednesday at the U.E. Church, Upper Milford, of which she was a member. Interment was made in the adjoining cemetery. Revs. BUTZ and FREED officiated.
Carrie QUIGLEY, the six months old twin child of Bennet QUIGLEY, of Camden, N.J., died unexpectedly on Saturday while the family was on a visit to Mr. QUIGLEY's mother at Bally. Soon after the family arrived at Bally one of the twins took sick, just when this seemed to get better the other took sick and died soon after. The remains were shipped to Camden, where interment was made on Monday.
Charles W. HEIMBACH, son of the late William and Caroline HEIMBACH of Allentown, died on Thursday morning of hasty consumption, aged 25 years. The deceased was the head of the plumbing firm of C.W. HEIMBACH and Company. He was sick seven months. The following are the surviving sisters and brothers: Mrs. W.H. WIEAND and Mrs. C.J. GEHMAN, of Allentown; Miss Celia G. HEIMBACH, of Philadelphia; Dr. Jas. HEIMBACH, of Kane, Pa.; Dr. A.E. HEIMBACH, of Renovo; Frank HEIMBACH of East Greenville, and Harvin HEIMBACH, of Frankford, Ind. The funeral will be held at the home of C.J. GEHMAN on Monday evening and will be continued on Tuesday morning at Old Zionsville church at 10 o'clock. Interment in the church cemetery.
Annie KLINE, daughter of John and Sarah KLINE, of Gratersford, died very suddenly on Wednesday morning at 2 o'clock, from galloping consumption. She was conscious to the end and gave good-bye to every member of the family. She was a devout christian and her death has cast a gloom over the community. She was 22 years and 20 days old. The funeral will be held today and the remains will be buried at the Old Goshenhoppen church cemetery. Revs. N.F. SCHMIDT and G.A. CAMPBELL will officiate at the house and Rev. C.R. FETTER at the church.
Oscar A. YOUNGKIN, of Quakertown, conductor on the Quakertown and Easton railroad, died last Thursday of over exertion in intense heat. He was 46 years old. He was shifting cars at Richlandtown when he was overcome by the heat. Physicians were summoned but notwithstanding the united efforts of two physicians he did not regain conciousness.
Whose grave is it? Why, have you never heard of the time we had up here in '63, with Capt. BARTOLET and "Bill" HOWE? That's where "Bill" is buried.
The subject of these oft-repeated remarks is a little mound in the corner of a field in Frederick township in the upper end of Montgomery county. A rough, flat stone, probably taken from the ground near by, marked the head of the grave, and a smaller one indicates the foot. There is no inscription to tell of the man's virtues or his people; no "zum andenken," or "Hier ruhet," as is the custom in the grave yards here-abouts; simply the grass covered mound six feet long, and its crude stone signs to tell us of the close of the tragedy of Deep Creek.
It is a long, hard drive up into that country. The road from Perkiomenville leads into a rugged, hilly, and unresponsive land, that produces abnormal crops of boulders and cedar trees. The farm houses and barns do not compare favorably with the traditional Pennsylvania German buildings. Dilapidated worm fences, thickly hedged with blackberry bushes and poison ivy, abound there; instead of the business-like post and rail fences of the prosperous farmers in other parts away from the "Stone Hills."
It is not a very inviting section of country, unless one is up there for no very practical purpose; but it is what might be called Montgomery County's "Sleepy Hollow," and if it is ghost stories and romances and tragedies one is looking for, then it is worth the hardship of sticking to a carriage seat for a few miles of the trip, even though the day be hot and the wheel tracks worse than an old Philadelphia cobbled street.
The tragical story of Abraham BARTOLET's death is an incident that formed the subject of volumes of talk in its time. The older people still remember it distinctly - there is an essential difference in some of the details but all must agree on the main facts, viz: "That United States enrolling officer BARTOLET was shot; that William HOWE was the man who shot him and was hanged for it, that HOWE was buried in the field in front of the house where the tragedy occurred.
The scene of the tragedy is a little one-story-and-a-half stone house about three miles west of Perkiomenville. It is like many of the other houses in that vicinity, with its front yard full of old fashioned flowers, arranged in all the beautiful simplicity of no arrangement whatever. Great stalks of pink and white and purple hollyhocks in all their richness of velvety color, and blue flags, and phlox, and sweet-williams, and honeysuckles seemed piled into the bit of a yard, and over the white-washed picket fence in such confusion and in such extravagance of bloom, as to suggest the thought that a man with a hay-wagon-load of the flowers could not have tossed the beauty in more richly or with greater profligacy. A fine ash tree, which has seen many winters, stands at the back of the house giving beautiful shade to the place. Near one corner of the yard is an old well, with a wooden windlass and its moss covered bucket, and the whole picture is one that the observer would associate with anything else in the world rather than a crime that made widows and orphans almost in the twinkling of an eye.
It was during the time when the greatest Civil War recorded in all history - the war for the preservation of the man - was raging that it happened. William HOWE enlisted in Company A, 116th Regiment, August 8, 1862, Colonel HEENAN commanding. The regiment had been in camp for several weeks in the woods near Hestonville, and on August 31st it was mustered into service with 1000 muskets and soon ordered to the defense of Washington. About three months later the regiment was sent ot Harper's Ferry, Va., where it was attached to the "Irish Brigade" and the history of those gallant soldiers gets the names of most of them that survived its long series of battles into the stories of such memorable and some stirring struggles as Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Spottsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg and Appamattox. It gives the names of the two hundred and twenty-nine of its soldiers who died in service an honorable place on "fame's eternal camping ground." Bates' history contains only a few words of the military career of Wm HOWE, but they are very cold-blooded. Bates really has not given or did not have sense enough to give his name, residence, date of enlistment and "Remarks," to recite his bravery at Fredericksburg, where he was one of five to bring the "regimental" colors off the field of the deadly work he did with an Enfield rifle, when he had discarded his musket and gone on the field again with the skirmishes and stayed all the rest of the day and all that night, for he was a good shot and he was proud of it. His life in the hills of the Perkiomen had given him the training with the rifle which was to make use of later on. All these things are left out of Bates' history, to which you will be sure to be referred to the first thing when you ask after Wm. HOWE.
It was left to his counsel and friends later on at the time of his trial by court martial, to find out he had some strong points, that personal courage and an iron will were several of them. When near to capture he swam the Rappahannock, and escaped under circumstances that would have discouraged most men, and then to have all his glory spoiled by not taking "his chances with the regimental doctors," as some express it, "in an attack of inflammation of the bowels." HOWE remained with his regiment until December 26, 1864, when he with about 30 others, who were afflicted determined to go to Washington for treatment; unfortunately he overlooked the fact of securing the right permission he ought have gotten and still more unfortunately he failed to recognize that the 116th Regiment had claims upon him which were somewhat binding. He went home from Washington, instead of rejoining his command, and was there nearly two months when Enrolling Officer BARTOLET came to look him up. HOWE was considered a deserter.
BARTOLET lived up at the "Swamp," or New Hanover as it is now called and it was his business to arrest such men who were neglectful of their obligations to the government in the manner HOWE was. One evening BARTOLET and three other men who accompanied him, arrived at WEAND's tavern about three miles west of HOWE's place, on the "Great Road." Up in Frederick the older people will today tell you of the stop they made, how the men drank while their valor grew with every drink. BARTOLET boasted openly that he had come for "Bill" HOWE, that he would capture him alive or dead; if they had to shoot him, he, BARTOLET would carry first-rate across the saddle bow. As can be anticipated, HOWE had nearly as many friends if not more - than BARTOLET who had secured his position through politics, as many had done through that war. One of them was Aug. BITTING also a deserter, who, by the way had enlisted in the same company as HOWE, and who with HOWE escaped from the army. BITTING, who had heard of the boasting of BARTOLET, had put him (HOWE) on his guard about the intended effort to arrest him at his house on the night of June 21st, 1863, and so when BARTOLET and his men called on HOWE at about midnight, they didn't exactly surprise him. At the back part of the house just alongside the door is a little many-paned window, looking inside you can see a door opening from the stairway which leads into the second story. The men were working at the door outside, trying to force it - so it is said by his near relatives - when HOWE coming down stairs, opening the door, he saw a man with a lantern standing about 10 feet away, directing the operations of the men at the door. HOWE was heavily armed, it was the work of a moment to fire two shots at the breast of the man, to dash up stairs, jump out that window at the end of the house, take to the woods and escape the arrest which the imprudent enrolling officer had planned. BARTOLET received both charges and fell dead. Then they carried the dead man to the further end of the house and laid him under a cherry tree - so it was indicated to me - while one of the deputies hurried off to Enos BOYER and got a wagon in which they drove home with their ghastly burden. HOWE escaped capture until the 13th of July, when he was apprehended in a saloon in Allentown. An acquaintance, Milton RICHARDS, saw HOWE and Aug. BITTING enter the door of a saloon. He informed a police who made the arrest. BITTING who also was a deserter escaped. The day following he was taken through Norristown to Philadelphia, where in the February following; he was tried by court martial for killing BARTOLET. Notwithstanding the able presentation of HOWE's good record by his counsel, Edmund RANDALL, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to death. The execution was to have taken place on June 24, 1864, but a stay was secured and additional efforts on technical grounds were made to save the doomed man. His counsel applied for a writ of habeas corpus to bring HOWE before court for his discharge on the ground that he was not amenable to trial by court martial. The case of Archibald TORE, a noted one in the Irish rebellion of 1798, and almost identical with HOWE's, was cited in support of the motion, but Judge CADAWALDER refused to interfere. The execution was again fixed for Friday, August 26, 1864, and the prisoner was returned to Fort Mifflin. Later on he was removed from there, after an almost successful attempt to escape by means of tunneling, and confined in the Eastern Penitentiary, where he remained until the morning of the day set for the execution. Then an ambulance and a guard of three men took him back to the fort, where he was hanged. As HOWE stood facing the sally-fort of Fort Mifflin, looking out into the sky for the last time, he made a brief address in which he defended his action, stating he had not sought the death of BARTOLET and gave his reasons for leaving his regiment which were: Because physically he could not stay in the army on account of his exposures while serving his country, and second he had a wife and two sons who were in want and said that his sentence of death was undeserved. He took an affectionate and heart-rendering leave of his faithful wife and children, which moved the stoutest heart. Then he turned toward the wall, the cap and noose were applied and in a few minutes the last act in the tragedy of Deep Creek was over. It was a great day in this part of the country when HOWE was buried. Excitement ran high in this community at the time of the shooting and during the progress of the trial. The sympathy of the public was with the accused man all through and against enrolling officers in general and some of the residents urged resisting HOWE's arrest to the last. It may be imagined that the closing scene in the affair would draw out a great crowd of people. The funeral services were held in Keeler's Church and were conducted by the Rev. Henry WENDT, who then ministered there, but the Council refused permission to inter in the churchyard, the body was laid in the nameless grave in the hills, within a stone's throw of the scene of the tragedy that was his undoing.
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