Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-05-21
OBITUARY.
COL. T1DNlAS A. 6CU4T.

OBITUARY.
. COL riD6As a. scOrr. 4
A section os HI. c..eer 5fnas is Of Local
Interest.
News comes to day from Philadelphia Of
the death there this morning Of Col
ident of the Pennsylvania railroad CON-
pany, The Philadel lphia Press, with rare
enterprise and in anticipation of an event,
which it was we'll known could not
bo far distant, published this
morning a very complete sketch Of
his life of which VIC append the
leading points and give in detail that part
Of it relating to his residence in this county.
Tho indirect cause of Colonel So6tt's d.
ness was an injury received in railroad
collision in 1856. As a result his left side
was paralyzed and for several days he was
unable to move. From that time to his
death Colonel Scott suffered from this in
jury. Whenever he was sick or even
greatly fatigucd he has noticed numb
ness in his left side, which was very an
noying and at times alarming. This
superadded to his tremendous railroad
work shattered his system and made him
some years ago confirmed invalid.
Colonel Thomas A. Scott's parents were
of ScOtch-Irish descent, originally settling
in Lancaster county, and moving thence
to London, Franklin county, where tho
subject Of this sketch was was born in
1928. Tho story Of his youth and his
residence and clerkship in Columbia is
thus graphically told in the Press:
"Frcd, there's boy down there on the
canal that have taken liking to. Take
him in the store and give hum place. :"
And when Roland Diller spoke thus to mis-
partner, Frederick Baker, he was only
proving that the popular verdict that
named him strong minded and unusually
clear-siyhtcd was in accordance with the
evidence. Diller was in many respects a
remarkable man. Ho is still living in Now
Holland at the ripe old age of 30 years.
Along in tho thirtics of tho president CEN
tury Roland Dillcr and Frederick Baker,
uncle of Joseph Baker, former
superintendent Of the Pennsylva-
mia railroad and now E. living near
DowningtOwn on tho farm once
owned by President Buchanan, controlled
extensive in works in Huntingdon county
and in connection with their industrial es-
tablishmcnt and for the benefit particu-
larly Of their employees they opened gen.
eral store. One day as Mr.. Dillcr was
| walking along the canal he met boy
about 12 years of age driving horse.
There was an upward tossing of thoslad's
head and All untlinching look from his
clear eyes, and q general air of smartness
about him that impressed tho man, and
he began plying the youngster with
questions. The answers were bright
and quicklw made, and acting on
the impulse. that they created, Mr.. Diller
inquired of the lad how he would like to
enter his store. There was q ready as
sent, and so Frederick Bakers partner
shortly afterward told him of the boy
down on tho canal. 1t was in this way
that tho son of minc host Scott of Louden
came to mako his first step ON tho real
Journey of life. This was two years sub
| sequent to his fathers death, and during
this interim he had been living with his
sister, whose husband kept a country store
near WaynesbOrO, and also short time
with his brother, James D. Scott, who was
in business in Bridgeport, Franklin coun-
| ty, and for brief period he was under the
care of Metcalfe & Ritchie, merchants, Of
Mercersburg.
When Mr.. Scott's brOther-in-law,
Major Patton, went to Columbia, under
Gov. Porter as collector of canal tolls he
took Scott along rs clerk. He discharged
his Onerous duties faithfully but never
checked his social feelings, and SO it was
not long before "Aleck Z" ScOtt-ho was
not known as Thomas A. then-was the
most popular young fellow in Columbia.
His physical vitality and - his mental
alcrtncss were matters of great COM
mcnt. Even at this lato day tho mention
| of his name to any of tho old residents
| of Columbia will loosen tongue, and the
listener will be entertained with story after
story, all going to show what whole
sOuled, tcnder-h hearted, headed, hard
working, rollicking and smart young chap
was Alcck Scott. Ho was picture of
manly beauty. Not a handsOnler young
fellow could be found tho country round.
His blonde hair. ignorant of barber's
touch, hung over his shoulders, his head
being surmOuntcd by hat Of great
breadth Of brim of tho sort now affected
by Buffalo Bill. He was careless in dress,
and this trait distinguished him through
his after life, "for," as he himself once
expected it, 81 never have time to put my
clothes on right" His face was round and
rosy, and altogether he presented such a
strikingly handsome appearance COlum-
bias pretty girls never thought of the
pants tucked untidily in boots. Tho size
of his hat gives proper emphasis to . re-
cent remark by one of his old chums, Peter
SaylOr, Of COLUMBIA. "IIe was rs smart
as a whip and his heart was as big rs his
hat. There was more blood in him than
in any man l over saw"
In Columbia at that time the favorite
resort for the young men Of the borough
was club house controlled by cOlOrcd
man named Armstrong, who had a silent
partner in Stephen Miller, Methodist lay
clergyman, who afterward became pro-
thonOtary of Dauphin county, then, by
appointment of Governor Pollock, flour in
spectOr of Philadelphia, was next expelled
from the ministry for bigamOus practices,
drifted out to Minnesota and became gov
ernor of that state, afterward began silver
mining in Colorado and died last April
somewhere in the west in beggary. In Arm
strong's club house young Scott frequently
met and had for his moro intimate assO-
ciates James Duffy, now Marietta's mil
lionaire, whose great farm adjOins that
of Simon Cameron; Charles H. Koons,
now in Baltimore as the Baltimore s. Ohio
railroads agent G. c. Franciscus, after
ward first superintendent of the Phila-
delphia division Of the Pennsylvania rail-
road, but now dead John A. Hook, who
became the agent of the Union line, now
deceased; John J. Houston, also dead,
but who became Adams express
agent Joseph A. Black, present pro-
prietor of a hotel in Columbia; John
s. Given, now of Dover, Delaware r.
B. Mayer. who was Eastern shipper when