With great rejoicing the members of the Pennsburg Reformed congregation went to their beautifully decorated house of worship on Wednesday evening to witness the ordination and installation of their recently elected pastor, Rev. George Wellington LUTZ. Long before the time for the services to begin the commodious auditorium of the church was crowded to its utmost capacity, as not only the members of the congregation had assembled but a number from the Niantic and Sassamansville congregations, embraced in the charge, were present to take part in the ceremonies. Promptly at the time set the services were opened with an anthem rendered by the choir. This was followed by an invocation by the Rev. W.B. WERNER, of Schwenksville, who also read the scripture lesson and offered up prayer. The congregation joined in singing an appropriate hymn after which Rev. Jacob ROTH, of Boyertown, briefly addressed the pastor in appropriate words, setting forth his duties in the work which he has undertaken. Rev. D.K. LAUDENSLAGER, of West Point, then addressed the congregation in well chosen words, defining their relation to the pastor and their duties towards him and the church. After an anthem by the choir Rev. WERNER ordained the pastor formally, but so impressive were his words and his manner that the ceremony left a deep and lasting effect on the audience. The ceremonies were brought to a close by the singing of the Doxology, and the Benediction by Rev. LUTZ. Tomorrow morning Rev. LUTZ will preach his first sermon as pastor of the charge in the Pennsburg church. In the evening his theme will be "You need the church, and the church needs you."
The consistory of the Pennsburg Reformed Church met on Tuesday evening and among other business, elected Miss Celesta A. TRUMBORE, of Pennsburg, as organist, a post which she has filled with credit for the past six months, as supply. Miss TRUMBORE is fully equipped to fill the important post. She but recently graduated from the Mozart Conservatory of Music, Philadelphia, where she took a complete course in Harmony and the pedal organ. While pursuing her studies she prepared a composition entitled "Viriti Flora." The composition is in the hands of publishers and will be ready for the public in a few weeks. Our town can feel proud of having so able and talented a musician in its midst and the Reformed Congregation can consider itself fortunate in securing her services.
Miss Clara J. PRIZER, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John G. PRIZER, of Schwenksville, and Dr. Norman H. RAHN, of Souderton, were quietly married after the Sunday morning services in the Lutheran church at Schwenksville, by Rev. SCHMIDT, in the presence of the immediate families of the contracting parties and the congregation. After the ceremony the couple left on an extended wedding trip. Upon their return, after August 1st, they will reside at Souderton where the doctor has built up an extensive practice.
Guy SANDS, son of Mrs. Clara SANDS, of East Greenville, and Miss Missouri MILLER, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sorado MILLER, of Pennsburg, will be married this evening at the home of the groom in the presence of the immediate families of the contracting parties and a few invited friends. Rev. O.F. WAAGE will perform the ceremony. Immediately after the wedding the happy couple will go on a wedding trip to Atlantic City.
James TATE, brakeman on a Reading freight train, slipped while attempting to jump a car on a siding near North Wales and fell beneath the wheels of the locomotive. Both his legs were cut off above the knees. He was removed to the Jewish Hospital, Philadelphia, where he died from his injuries.
During an electrical storm which passed over Cheltenham on Sunday lightning struck a large oak tree on the lawn of William B. GILL, on Laurel avenue, and John M. SULLIVAN a laborer, who was standing under the tree was killed. The bolt struck the top of SULLIVAN's head passed down his side and tore off the sole of one of his shoes.
E.J. WIEDER, of this borough, made a business trip to Philadelphia on Thursday.
Rev. N.F. SCHMIDT and Horace RAHN, of Schwenksville, were visitors in these boroughs on Tuesday evening.
Mrs. Lucinda REIFF moved on Thursday from the residence of her sister, Mrs. Jonathan P. HILLEGASS, of this borough, to the unoccupied portion of the residence of Hiram WICKERT on Fourth st.
The wife and children of Rev. O.S. KRIEBEL, of this borough left on Thursday for the home of her mother in Ohio, where they will stay until September.
Miss Mabel WIEDER, of Philadelphia, spent several days during the past week with Miss Lillian HENDRICKS, of East Greenville.
Miss Ella HERSH, of East Greenville, and her friend Miss CRIPPEN, of Ambler, left for Boyertown to spend the Fourth with friends at that place.
Prof. W.D. RENNINGER of the Perkiomen Seminary, this borough, has entered the University of Chicago to pursue advanced studies.
D.K. GRABER, of this borough, sold a trotting horse to Rev. J.J. KLINE, of Pottstown, this week for $270.
Forrest FLUCK, in the employ of Miller & Son, contractors of Pittsburg, will come home today to spend the Fourth with his family in this borough.
The watch for this week's distribution of the J.T. NANDER watch club was awarded to John FENNEL, of Red Hill.
J.T. NANDER. of this borough, made a business trip to Philadelphia on Friday.
Dr. H.R. SAYLOR, of Royersford, made a business visit to these boroughs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Mrs. Annie HUNSBERGER and daughter Edna, of Lansdale, spent Sunday with relatives in these boroughs.
S.J. CROLL, of this borough, moved to Trumbauersville on Thursday and took possession of the hotel at that place.
Rev. A.R. SCHORMANN, of Germany, of the Mennonite Church, is the guest of Prof. M.H. KRATZ, of the Perkiomen Seminary.
A well prepared and very instructive sermon was preached in St. Mark's Lutheran Church last Sunday evening by W. Frank HERSH, of Pennsburg, a first year student at the Gettysburg Theological Seminary, on the theme, "What must I do to be saved," Acts 16-30. The young man had made thorough preparation and delivered his sermon with an oratorical effect that promises to place him in the front rank of pulpit orators and theologians after the completion of his studies.
Although he has graduated from the law department of the University of Pennsylvania last week, Robert SCHOLL of Pughtown, Chester county, will have to wait two years before he can practice his profession, as he is only 19 years old. He will work in the office of Congresman Thomas S. BUTLER, in West Chester, until the expiration of that period. Mr. SCHOLL graduated as an honor man when only 16 years old at the Pottstown High School.
Mrs. Kate R. BALD, of Philadelphia, last week visited her brother Henry RITTER, in South Bethlehem. This was the first meeting of the brother and sister in 42 years. When a child Mr. RITTER was bound out to a farmer with whom he remained for 18 years. Since his separation from his sister he tried to locate the latter through advertising and inquiry. After a wait of almost half a century Mr. RITTER, through an acquaintance, located the sister.
Governor PENNYPACKER, on Saturday, appointed John BOOTH, trustee of the Norristown Hospital for the Insane, to succeed Dr. Goorge M. STILES, deceased. Mr. BOOTH is one of the best known citizens of Conshohocken, being a member of the cotton manufacturing firm of H.C. JONES & Company.
Last week Dr. Allen Z. KEELOR condemned and killed five head of cows for Abraham G. HEANY, of near Telford, out of a herd of eleven. The killed cattle was in an advanced stage with tuberculosis.
The consistories of the Cedarville, Fogelsville, Morgenland, Weisenberg and Ziegel Lutheran Churches, Lehigh county, held a church council and elected the Rev. Elmer O. LEOPOLD as their paster. He is a son of their late pastor, the Rev. O. LEOPOLD.
Charles SELAH and George HEFFELFINGER, bricklayers, while working upon a thirty foot scaffolding at the Masonic Temple, Norristown, were seriously injured through the collapse of the scaffolding.
The home of Isaac Y. KRAUSS, of Kraussdale, was the scene of a happy gathering on Sunday. The daughter Florence with her husband, W.F. DIXON, of Philadelphia, and his sons, Charles and wife, of Roxborough, Edgar and wife, of Kutztown and Rev. Elmer, of Chicago, had all assembled to spend a pleasant time with their parents.
After serving as Vice-Principal and Instructor of Latin and Greek for the past two years of the Perkiomen Seminary, Prof. Maxwell H. KRATZ has resigned to take a course in law in the Law Department of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Mr. KRATZ was educated in the public schools of the county and after attending the Normal School at West Chester, taught two terms in the public schools. Later he entered Perkiomen as a student to prepare for College. He graduated from the University of Princeton with the class of 1900. On graduation he accepted the professorship of Greek and German in St. John's Military Academy at Manlius, N.Y., from which place he came to the Seminary two years ago. Throughout his career Mr. KRATZ took a great interest in athletics, and while in our midst was the coach of the Seminary base-ball and foot-ball teams. Mr. KRATZ made an enviable record for himself while in our midst both as a student and teacher and the many friends he has here regret his departure.
Rev. William L. BOLLMAN, of the Salem Evangelical Church, Reading, at the session of their Sunday-school last Sunday urged the members of his flock to make themselves comfortable by telling the women to take off their hats and the men their coats. The Rev. BOLLMAN on being interviewed said: "The announcement applies not only to young people, but to those of all ages attending our church. It refers to all services, including congregational and the Young People's Alliance meetings. "As a result a number of women removed their hats and men their coats on Sunday, when, as you know, the heat was terrific. We do not want warm weather to interfere with the attendance at our services, and you know the discomfort caused by wearing hats by the women or coats by the men keeps not a few away from the Sabbath services. Rather than wear them, no matter how anxious they are to attend, some would remain in the cool of their home, or go somewhere where they can with propriety remove them. "There were a number of persons in attendance at our services and meetings Sunday hatless and coatless and the remark was general that it was a very excellent innovation. They said that comfort and religion are a much better combination than suffering from heat during worship."
While Howard HALLMAN and lady friend, of Lederachsville, were out driving last Sunday evening, their horse took fright at a freight train as they came near Kuhn's Crossing above Gratersford at about 10.30 o'clock. Mr. HALLMAN did not hear the train till his horse was in full speed and beyond control, when both jumped from the carriage. Every effort to stop the team was futile and both team and train arrived at the crossing at the same time. The horse was struck and thrown down the bank with a broken leg and the carriage was partly wrecked. Neither of the occupants of the team was hurt. The injury to the horse was of such a nature that the animal had to be killed.
One of the freight engineers, of the Perkiomen Rail Road, Charles SCHLICHER, of Allentown, discovered a man making an attempt to enter his house during Wednesday night. Mr. SCHLICHER took his double barreled breech loader, slipped in a shell and aimed for the intruders legs. The report of the gun was followed by a howl of pain and Mr. SCHLICHER saw the man drop to the ground but before he could reach the scene the would be robber escaped.
Lewis J. RAYEUR, of South Bethlehem, pleaded guilty in the United States District Court in Philadelphia on Wednesday of stealing money from the mails, and was sentenced by Judge MCPHERSON to an imprisonment of 15 months in the Eastern Penitentiary. RAYEUR was a letter carrier of South Bethlehem, and postal inspectors sent there to investigate thefts from the mails detected RAYEUR by mea ns of decoy letters.
Charged with selling beer by the keg to clubs composed of minors, George J. and Adam J. STOCKER, of the Stocker Brewery, Reading and Charles DIEHL and William SCHWARTZ, employes, were placed under arrest. The prosecution grew out of the death of Elmer KERCHOFF, aged 18, who fell and had his neck broken while carrying a keg of beer the Sunday night before.
The Bucks County Intelligencer will round out its one hundredth year of existence on July 7, and exercises will be held in the Town Hall to mark the anniversary. Many of the State's newspaper veterans are expected to be in attendance. Among the speakers will be General W.W.H. DAVIS, of Doylestown, and ex-Postmaster General Charles Emory SMITH, of Philadelphia.
In mowing a meadow one day last week John BELTZ, of Washington township, Lehigh county, felt something dangling around his leg. On looking to ascertain what it was he found a copperhead snake had fastened its fangs in his boot heel with such force that they stuck fast. BELTZ quickly stamped the life out of the reptile but almost fainted from the shock.
Rev. and Mrs. Harvey WELKER, of Bluffton, Ind., and William WELKER and wife, of Allentown, are spending the week with the parents of the Messrs. WELKER, Mr. and Mrs. William A. WELKER, of Red Hill.
Jacob S. WALT, an employe of the coal firm, of Metz and Leaf, of Pottstown, was found with his neck broken, lying head down on the side of the coal heap in one of the bins in the yard on Monday afternoon by one of the members of the firm. The unfortunate man had been engaged in his present employment for the past two years and was known to be steady, industrious and sober. His duties were to unload coal from the cars and do other needed work about the yard, and he was engaged in some of his work when he met his death. A physician was summoned immediately after the body was found, who made a thorough examination and found that the neck was broken and that there were three holes in the skull. The opinion of the physician is that death was instantaneous. As to how the accident happened nothing can be definitely known. Foot marks were found on the plank walk along the trestle about seven feet above the place where the body was found and while prssing along this walk the man must have lost his footing or been stricken with a sudden dizziness to cause the fall. The survivors of Mr. WALT are a widow and two children, of Pottstown, a brother Samuel WALT, of Schwenksville, and a sister, Mrs. Lizzie FREDERICK, of Boyertown.
P.J. IGO, Thomas GRADY and Martin LALLY, members of the First Ward Election Board, Shenandoah, have each been sentenced to four months' imprisonment for conspiracy to prevent the voters of that ward from voting. It was shown that they closed the polls at 10 o'clock in the morning on the plea that they feared a riot, but causing 700 citizens to lose their votes. Judge BECHTEL, of Pottsville, said their crime was "next to murder," and although 200 citizens petitioned him not to send the convicted men to jail, he said he felt bound to imprison them.
The 25th anniversary of the pastorate of Rev. O.H. MELCHOR, near Pleasant Valley, Bucks county, to-day. An elaborate program has been prepared and many clergymen from neighboring congregation will participate. Rev. MELCHOR's charge is composed of Trinity Church, Springfield, Christ Church, Springtown and Durham.
The WORMAN Family Association, of Pennsylvania held a meeting at Doylestown, to perfect arrangements to prosecute claims to an estate valued at $300,000,000. This great fortune belonged to Christopher WORMAN, a silk manufacturer of England and has been accumulating for more than a century and a half. A.R. PLACE, a Lansdale Attorney will go to London as the representative of more than 200 claimants.
Thieves broke into the office of the SAEGER Milling Company, Allentown, one night last week and blew open the safe door with some high explosive. The booty secured consisted of a few personal papers of no value to the burglars. It is supposed that a gang of hoboes who have been bothering the residents of the vicinity for some time are the guilty parties.
William MARSHALL, who was recently convicted by a jury in the United States District Court for the second time on the charge of breaking into the post office at Port Kennedy, last October and Edward PATTON, who pleaded guilty to the same offense, were sentenced by Judge MCPHERSON to two years and six months each in the Eastern Penitentiary.
The annual campmeeting of Milford circuit of the Evangelical Association, will be held in the grove of the estate of Joel SCHULTZ, one mile West of East Greenville, beginning on Wednesday evening, August 17, and close on Thursday, after the evening service, August 25th.
Philip N. STUFFLET was found with his head badly mutilated lying in a pool of blood in the tool grinding room of the McClentive-Marshall Construction Company, Pottstown, on Monday. The man expired without being able to tell what happened. And the only thing to tell the tale was an exploded emery wheel.
Sixteen year old Harry SHANKS while bathing in the Schuylkill above the West Conshohocken dam, seized fourteen year old William HASBEN and cried "sink or swim" as he rushed the younger boys who could not swim, into water that was beyond his depth. In vain the boy struggled to recover himself and would have drowned had not a companion sprung in and brought the unfortunate boy to the shore.
Miss Irma WIEAND, a daughter of Rev. C.S. WIEAND, the founder of Perkiomen Seminary, has been elected a member of the Pottstown High School Faculty.
There are two widows of Revolutionary soldiers living. One of these is Rebecca MAYO, now over 90 years old, who resides at New Berne, Va. Stephen MAYO, her husband, had four terms of service in the Revolution, and fought at the battle s of Brandywine and Germantown. She married him in 1834, when he was 77 years of age. The other surviving widow is Esther S. DUNCAN, of Plymouth Union, Vt. The Committee on Pensions of the United States House of Representatives has reported in favor of granting an increase of pension to Mrs. MAYO from $12 to $25 a month.
Mr. and Mrs. I. Heston TODD and Charles M. TODD and family, of Valley Forge, have given a valuable piece of ground to the Washington Memorial Chapel, at Valley Forge, to provide for the extension of the buildings. Upon Mr. TODD's lands are located the only traces remaining of the huts which once gave shelter to the soldiers at Valley Forge. While the plow has long ago removed the marks of the location of all the other troops, the site of the huts of the Rhode Island soldiers has been sacredly kept for 126 years as virgin soil, preserved to the American people by the owners of the land.
The people of Finland were aroused from their slumbers on midnight on Monday to discover the saw mill of Milton GERHARD in flames. By the time the fire was discovered it had made so much headway that it could not be gotten under control and the entire mill was destroyed. The origin of the fire is a mystery. The mill had been in operation till sundown after which no one was seen on the premises. The loss is upwards of $1000 on which there is an insurance of only $400.
Joseph BOSLER, of Jenkintown, when selected to represent the Eighth District in the Electoral College of the state said: "I would rather be an elector than a bank director." Mr. BOSLER has been prominent in representing delegates in this county for 25 years, having attended every National Convention during that time, except the one last week, either as delegate or alternate.
While shooting at a large carp in Maiden Creek the gun of Epharim DRIES, a farmer, of Molltown, Berks Conty, exploded in his face and lacerated it terribly. He will lose sight of both eyes.
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