The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1878-03-14
STORY OF PETER HERDIC.
WRITING HIS NAME IN THE SAND,
AND FAILING FOR $2.OOO.00O.
The Poor Boy that Come Out of the Pine Woods.
From the New York Sun ]


Williamsport's last sensation is the
production of man who can run in
debt to the extent of over $4,000 900, and
fail without penny of discoverable as
sets, His name is Peter Herdic. He
was born up near Fort Plain, in Mont
gomery county, N. Y, in 1924. His
father died when he was very young,
and his mother took him down to IthiCa,
Tompkins county. There he learned to
write his name in the sand, and this
seems to have been about the extent Of
his education. His mother married a
second time, and removed her family to
farm in Enfield township. Peter was
worker. When ten years old he cut
his cord of wood day, and picked up a
few shillings by snaring quail and rab'
bits. He saved every cent. His step
father died when Peter was thirteen
years old, and his mother sold her life
interest in the farm and bought fifty
acres of wild land down in Bedford Co.,
Pa. Peter and his brothers cleared up
the land, and added twenty acres to the
farm. When he was twenty years old
his mother proposed that he should take
the farm and give her life lease there
in. "No, mother" said he, "let Ben
have it, and l will go and care for my
SELF" He then went to work in Pipe
Creek sawmill for Ransom Light for rs
cents day, and afterward accepted a
situation under George Severns, at $12
per month and board. He loaned his
money to his employer at per cent. in
terest. He next shaved shingles on
halves for Charles Johnson, and sold his
halfto Johnson, for pile of log chains.
The chains were quickly turned into
cash through sales to settlers.
In the spring of 1916, Herdic stepped
over the boundary into LyComing county.
With one William Address he bought a
shingle interest in Cogan House town.
ship, and cleared $40 the first year. At
the end of three years he had saved ST.
| OOOs " IVA blAlD DOuSub a AdIuu Va al
exander Kyle, on LyComing creek, and
married Amanda Taylor of Tioga county,
N. Y. About this time the attention Of
people at distance was attracted to the
vast pine forests of LyComing. Peter
llaw this, bought tract of pine timber
and erected a steam saw mill. He real
lied $4,000 from the timber and after.
wards sold the mill for $1,000. Mean
time he invested in other timber lands,
and they returned him large profits. In
the fall of 1866 he came to Williamsport.
He built large Touring mill and began
importing grain from the West. He
found the lumber business more attrac.
tive, however. The -four mill was sold,
and he devoted himself with all his en-
ergy to the lumber trade.
The prosperity of Williamsport dates
from that time. With less than 1000
inhabitants in 1850, it increased to 1854
in 1860, over 10000 in 1870, and to-day
is estimated at over 10000. But as Her
dies energy infused wonderful life and
yigor ilto the old Dutch town, his fail
ure has left it dead and lifeless, sadded
with a municipal debt that will require
generations to wipe out. Herdic is a
man who thinks he can see money in
everything. His faith in his own ability
seems unbounded. Ifit had been posi-