The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1876-10-05

OF PENNSYLVANIA AS SHE BE-
HAvED JUST FIFTY YEARS AGO
WHAT A VETERAN KNOWS ABOUT
GRIsT-MILLS AND PRESIDENTS.
Decidedly the most interesting
young gentleman who has yet visited
theeCentennial city is Judge Gillis.
He was born in 1892, and while he has
outlived every occupant of the White
House and one or two Chief Magis-
trates who presided over the destinies
of the nation before there was White
House, he is yet hale and hearty, en-
joys n good joke, tells a rafting story
and is able to add ten years to the
vigor of any ordinary mans liver who
may be fortunate enough to enjoy an
hour in his company. His cheeks are
as ruddy as good health and regular
living can make them, and his we'll
shaped mouth, the very corners of
which are ever puckered for dry, old
fashioned grin, encases the hand
somest set of pearly teeth this side of
the continent. There is the slightest
suspicion of vanity in this rather
famous parsonage, just enough to lend
enchantment to the rest of his charm.
ing characteristics and check more
than unmerited hilarity over his spicy
anecdotes.
WHERE HE WAS RORN
Judge Gillis first saw the light of
day in the little town of Hebron, in
the central portion of Washington
county, New York State. This is one
of the most beautiful sections of that
occasionally wild and picturesque
county, within view of the slopes of
the Green Mountains, and but "a
stones throw" from the State of Ver-
mont. At an early age he moved to
Ontario county and there resided un-
til the winter of 1922, when he came to
the State of Pennsylvania and located
himself in what is now the northern
limits of Jefferson county. "At that
sat in the parlor of an old friend ofhis
in West Philadelphia last evening
"at that time Jefferson McKea and
Potter counties were unorganized, and
the whole of that section of country
was one vast and almost impenetrable
wilderness. There wasn't a church,
N
the entire section. In this lovely
region surrounded by oaks, and wild
cats, domiciled myself. / was right
sock in the woods, and when / had
hewn about me- enough to insure
breathing room named the place
Montmorenci, for the reason, I sup
pose, that no one would ever have
suspected that it was Montmorenci.
| went to work with will and
mapped out a farm of four hundred
acres, and cleared it at the rate of one
hunred acres a year for the first four
years of my residence, and during that
time built grist and a saw mill. and
was getting along swimmingly.
my nearest neighbor one way was
only twenty-four miles distant, and
the other way, sixteen miles. AS |
have said, neither of these three
counties was organized. The busi-
ness-legal business mean-of Potter
and Mexican counties, was all tran
sacted at Williamsport, while the peo-
pie of Jefferson county were COM
PEELED to travel into Indiana county
to have it transacted l don't re-
member exactly, but it is my strong
impression that Jefferson county was
not organized until 1850. Forest
county was set off after that time.
SOME INTERESTING HISTORY.
"The county of Elk was taken from
Clearfeld, Jefferson and Mexican
counties 1t was organized in 1S4S
and old Judge Burnside held the frs
court that was ever convened there, in
the early part of that year. Prior tt
that time there wasn't much justice
in those parts, save what was deman
ded one from another. To illustrate
what 1 mean, let~ne tell you LITTLE
anecdote. During the second yea
after my arrival there l engaged my
self in the business of logging in tn,
fallow', and l had a number of men
about thirty in all, to work for me
One day, along towards noon, a fellow
made his appearance in my neighbor
! hood, who looked all the world lik,
Daniel Boone He was rugged up in 1
regular hunting shirt, moccasins ant
green leggings,, the purpose of the lat
ter being to keep the rattlesnakes from
biting his legs. He came over to m
and says he, I've an execution 70
YOU Says l, you astonish me, m.
Christian friend; / owe no man re'
cent He then told me that the exc
cution was for military fines, ant
thereupon he showed me my name il
the document, and also the names Q
several of my men. 1 took him to tn
house, gave him his dinner, made hin
eat his supper afterwards, and thel
put him to bed. The next day CAV
him his breakfast, and was just ol
the point of asking him to stay to din
ner, when he had the impudence t
ask me whether 1 wasn't going to fl
matters in that execution. Then
got mad and told him I'd wear out