Punxsutawney Spirit, 1905-11-01

              WM •m », 1905.  VOL XXXIII. NO. 21. IF YOU ARE LOOKING Started With a Rush For a Suit or Overcoat for Fall and Winter, at a moderate price, come and look over our stock. We can show you every style. H. J. LOEB OVERCOATS Belt Overcoats, long plain Overcoats, rain coat?, top coats, priced at from $5.00 to $25.00. None but Reliable Goods and at Low Prices. Single and double breasted, worsted, cheviots and smooth finish cassimers. Priced at $5.00, $7.50, $10.00, $12.00, $15.00, $18.00, $20.00 and $22.00. SUITS . MEN'S AND BOYS'FURNISHER All fine garments that any man can be pleased to wear. Boys' Clothing stock never was so complete nor assortment so great and every suit is a bargain. Good, strong suits at $2.50. All mothers will be delighted with our two pairs of pants suits. Nice double breasted suits with belt and two pairs of pants, extra good values only $5.00, worth $7.00. Every boy who wants an overcoat should insist on seeing our stock. Complete line of dress shoes and working shoes. All the newest in hats, including the Knox, Neckwear, underwear, gloves, mittens, men's and boy's caps. COME IN AND SEE US. Men's all wool rait* from $10.00 to $25.00. Men'* all wool overcoat! from $10.00 to $25.00. Men's Top Coats. Men's Rain Coats.' We have a fine line of black, blue and fancy cheviots. The new green and brown, gray and grayish worsteds. We sell clothing that for style, fit, finish and wear excels most tailormade garments. The Hart, Schaffner & Marx and Clothcraft Clothing is guaranteed strictly all wool. at Weber's New Store Saturday. The room is not entirely finished or the stock satisfactorily arranged but we are prepared to show our customers not only the largest, but the best stock of clothing in the town at very low prices. J. A. WEBER One Price Clothier $anei( 9cstal "Cards Our assortment of souvenir and comic postals is large. Would you remember a friend ? Then send a series of those souvenir cards. Or, are you fond of causing people to shriek and scream with laughter ? These comic postals contain a world of fun. Send some to-day. for tftiff faint* TAXATION OF COAL COMPANIES. BROOJiVILLK LETTER. FALL TRADE PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA Iiiterretlng News Items From the Jefferson County Capital. Statement of C. Z. Gordon, Esq., in Answer to Libelous Charges Against .fudge Heed. REUBIN'S During this Sale ,we pay carfare to customers whose purchases amount to $10 or over STORE OPEN EVENINGS Anniversary Sale is now going on and will continue until Saturday, November 18. Until that date the Public may take advantage of the low prices which we quoted in our full page ad in a recent issue. In Its attempts to prejudice the minds of the voters of Jefferson County ag:iinst Judge Heed the Clearfield Monitor, and other equally reckless and unscrupulous disseminators of mud and misstatement, have charged that Judge Reed favored the coal companies in the matter of taxation. This charge was made during the last hours of the primary campaign, after all the newspapers had gone to press, and is now being ressurrected and rehashed by his present guerilla opposition. It was completely answered then in a circular letter written, by C. Z. Gordon, Esq., of Brookville, which is herewith given: "Judge Reed's opponents have come out with a circular alleging that, (ten years ago) he made an unjust reduction of taxes upon property at coal companies. This statement is wholly unfair and unjust. Article IX, Section 1, of the Constitution of Pennsylvania provides: "All taxes shall be uniform, upon the same class of subjects, within the territorial limits of the authority levying the tax, and shall be levied and collected under general laws." The above means that two pieces of real estate, of equal value In the same neighborhood shall be assessed at the same amount. Ten years ago the coal companies of this county appealed from the assessment in various townships alleging that the mineral owned by them was assessed twice or thrice as high as farms, (fee, surface, minerals, buildings and Improvements) owned by Individuals in the same vicinity.On the hearing it was shown that a farm of one hundred acres, underlaid with coal, with fine buildings, owned In fee by an Individual, was valued at $2,600, while the mere mineral right owned by a coal company under the one hundred acres adjoining was valued at $7,500— or in other words, the company was obliged to pay three times the taxes on mineral alone that the owner was obliged to pay on entire fee of the land and mineral adjoining. Here was a clear violation of the provision of the constitution above recited. On final hearing the three judges adjusted the valuation making valuation on mineral in the northern part of the county at per acre, In the central part of the county at $40 per acre and In the southern part of the county at from $50 to $G0 per acre. At this rate of valuation the coal companies paid on their mineral rights alone far more than Individual owners on their entire farms in fee, acre for acre, throughout the county,—even where those farms were also underlaid with coal. It should be remembered that at the time of rendering the above decision Judge Reed was assisted by his two Asociate Judges, who were more familiar with values than he. The adjustment as finally made was made by all three judges and was for that triennial period alone. Since then there have been a number of triennial assessments and in each Instance the assessors and County Commissioners have fixed the valuations and Judge Reed has had nothing to do with them. If there was anything unfair or unjust about any of such assessments any person aggrieved had the right to appeal to the Court, but no one, at any time for ten years, has taken any such appeal, nor has Judge Reed had anything to do with valuations in any shape, manor or form, , nor is he in anywise responsible therefor. I was one «>f the attorneys for the 'County Commissioners in the above mentioned tax case. We obtained as favorable a decision from the three judges as we could expect under the Constitution of this State. The Commisioners and their attorneys concluded not to take an appeal to the Supreme Court as there was evidently nothing in the case as decided on which we could hope to base a reversal; and, under all the evidence, we feared that the Supreme Court might order a further readjustment and might, possibly, order that the mineral of the coal companies be valued at a less rate than the fee—(surface, improvements and minerals,) of the adjoining individual owners. mislead them I can conscientiously assure the people of the county that Judge Reed has never, during his entire term, shown any favor toward any corporation or any individual, nor has he shown malice or ill will toward anyone, but has In every case which has come before him, administered the constitution and law in justice, equity and pood conscience, and I feel confident that the voters of this county will not be deceived by attempts, which are being made in the last hours of the campaign, to Yours very truly, CADMUS Z. GORDON'. The Jefferson County Agricultural Society and Driving Park Association has made the heart's of stockholders glad by declaring and paying a dividend of eighteen percent. This ig the first time in the history of fair associations In Jefferson County paying any dividend and It speaks well for the managers of the association. F. L. Verstlne on Monday morning received the new automobile purchased by him during a recent visit to Detroit, Michigan. The machine is a work of art and Is much ahead of anything heretofore seen In this vicinity. In doing some tinkering about his home on West Main Street one day last week Ed. Snyder had the misfortune to drop a piece of board which fell and broke the middle toe of his right foot. The accldenct was painful. Mr. Snyder Is compelled to hobble around with the assistance of a cane. N. E. Graham, of East Brady, formerly a member of the firm of Cook and Graham, spent part of last Saturday and Sunday with D. L. Taylor.Isaac Showalter dleJ at his home on East Jefferson Street on Tuesday, October 24, after an Illness of several months duration, from stomach trouble. He was the son of John Showalter, who died in 18S7, and Margaret Showalter who died in 1900. He was born In Brookville and was about 52 years of age at the time of his death and left surviving him one sister, Mrs. Eugene David, of Bradford, and three brothers, Williamson and Curtis H., of Brookville, and J. S. Showalter, of New York City. His widow and three daughters, Maggie. Alice and Lizzie also survive him. Funeral services were held on Thursday, October 26, by Rev. Dr. McCamey, pastor of the M. E. Church, interment being made In the Brookville Cemetery.David Mullen, whose serious illness has hereioiore been reported in these columns, ~.ed at the home of Mr. and Mrs. James D. Hays, In Carrier's Addition, where he has been stopping since he was taken seriously ill on Saturday morning of last week. Mr. Mullen had for some time previous to his death been suffering with a cancer on his breast. Bright's disease aftetrwards set in and Mr. Mullen sank rapidly. He worked for many years at the old Wailnwright and Bryant, afterwards the Simpson saw mill, and was considered one of the best men on a boom In this section. After the shutting down of the Simpson Mill he worked at whatever turned up until about six month ago when he went to West Virginia where he was ■■mployed on a saw mill until the cancer on liis breast compelled his return to Brookville where his houseliold goods were stored. Mrs. Mullen having gone to New York State for a visit, learning of Mr. Mullen's Illness, she came to Brookville and was Ills constant companion and nursed him to the last. The widow ilone survives. Funeral services were held in the Catholic Church at 9 o'clock on Monday morning. The remains were £iven burial in the . atholic cemetery. Harold, the fourteen-vear-old son >f Mr. and Mrs. N. L. Strong, died suddenly in Pittsburg where he whs it tending school on Friday morning, 'tis remains were brought to Brookville and funeral services were conducted at .*! o'clock on Monday afternoon. Interment was made in the B rook v i 11 e cemetery. Williard Porter, son of W. L. Porf or, of Rose Township, who went West over 21 years ago, during which time he has roamed all over • lie far Western Si;!1 . latterly settling in California, has, after these many years, returned to Brookville for a visit with his father and sisters, Mrs. James S. Carroll and Mrs. John T. Stewart. Mr. Porter will return to California after concluding the visit here. Messrs. P. A. Hunter and H. G. Fitch left on Tuesday for Polk Township where they expect to spend several days hunting. It was raining when they started but they were comfortably tucked away in a hack and had with them several guns, an unlimited supply of ammunition, enough cigars, tobacco nnd pipes and a liberal supply of refreshments, both liquid and solid, to last them four days. There is not much danger of their being lonesome even if U.e rain continues tor several days. The remains of a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Truman, formerly residents of Jefferson County, who died of consumption in Ridgeway the latter part of last week were brought to Rrookville on the 1:50 p. m. train on Monday and given burial in the itrookvllle Cemetery. 'Squire J. W. Walker, executor, has advertised the personal property of the late Judge S!"i>lien Oaks at public sale on November 8. "Doru T ronie." The coming of cool weather tightens up the joints. If the sockets aren't well oiled there's going to he trouble, at least that's Ihe theory. Some people think they can —Special sale of ladies' coats and suits. See Fink's Ad. Rowland and Clifford's production of "Dora Thorne," Lmn B. Parker's dramatization of bertha M. Clay's famous novel, is the type of play that is perhaps the very best seen on the road. It is a love story pure and simple; and, at tho same time, amusing and Interesting. It teaches a wholesome lesson, it leaves no bad impressions, but rather an abiding pleasure that benefits and inspires and rests those who see and hear it. Few better plays will bo seen. At the Opera House Monday evening, November 6. Prices 25, 50 and 75 cents. statement that Mrs. E. Norine Law not working under the auspices ( and is in no way connected with, t work of that society in this count and further that the W. C. T. U. i ceives no part of the proceeds of lectures delivered by her. A false Impression having gotten abroad concerning this, Mrs. Iddlngs desires that It be corrected. —Mrs. Jddings, president of tl Woman's Christian Temperance TTi Ion of this county, authorizes tl —Ask for a copy of the Novel her Rank Journal at the Farmei Nalional Rank. —Now dress trimmings, 15 to cents a yard. Murray and Jordi Fink's ad. —500 ladies' coats on sale. Torrence Block, Punxsutawney, Pa. ' ®l)c Spirit.