The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1891-04-15
NEWSY NOTES.

NEhSY NOTES,
Judge Henry Souther, formerly of Erie,
died suddenly on the 4th inst. at Freder-
i%cksburg, Va, aged 81 years. He held ina
portant positions in the State. About four
years ago he removed to Fredericksburg.
He made a fortune in this State and was
extensively engaged in business il vir.
ginia.
A bill which has passed first reading in
the Senate has a definite effect on leases or
deeds for oil or other mineral rights in
lands. 1t provides that where persons
claim such rights by conveyance, lease,
reservation or any other writing, and the
right has been exercised at any time and
subsequently abandoned, or not worked,
for a period.-of 81 years, a release of the
said conveyance, &C., shall be presumed,
and u writing shall be void, unless the
claimant shall proceed to assert or exercise
the same within one year from the passage
of this act.
Now is a good time to prune trees of all
kinds. Prune for shape first, then prune
for fruit; cut clean and leave no ragged
stumps. Carry a sharp knife, a keen saw,
and a pot of thick brown paiut. After
every limb is finished, touch with paint
to keep out the water, prevent rot, and
make the wounds look slightly. Every
good limb must be saved. All limbs
which cross another should be cut out.
All crowding must be remedied by thin
ming out. Make the whole tree look rath-
| ar thin aG fha ~ :, m nr'C f,rn,.fI, mill 1860,
edy all that. Trim off all suckers, wheth-
er on the trunk, at the roots or on the
main branches.-Er.
The thin little wire loop in the glass bulb
of the electric light is about the most cost
ly thing about the lamp. That loop of
wire passing through the glass stem in the
base of the lamp, so inc that you can
hardly see it, is made of platinum. Its
present market price is $40 per ounce, or
about the same as gold. In a 10 candle
power lamp there are from 4 to s grains.
If six grains be taken as the average,
there is an ounce in so lamps. The cost of
platinum for electric lamps this year is
estimated at 81, 600, 900. That metal is
used because it is the only metal in which
the expansion and contraction are the
same as in glass, and a & great fortune awaits
the man who can produce a cheap metal
or alloy in which this valuable property
of platinum can be preserved.
DAVE NIcELY's CONFESSION.
When the Nicely's, Dave and Joe, were
hanged, a great many people believed, or
rather feared, that they might be innocent
of the murder for which they were con-
victed, owing to the repeated and siren
uous denials of the accused. The follow
ing confession, made to Rev. c. w. Gran
ger, Dawes spiritual adviser, was made
public one week after the hanging, in ac-
cordance with his request, and sets the
matter of their guilt at rest, and is a relief
to many who contemplated the horror of
hanging innocent men:
SOMERSET JAIL,
SOMERSET, PA, April l, 1891.
I, David Nicely, make, concerning the
murder of Herman Umberger, for which
I am convicted and sentenced to be hung
April 2, the following statement:-
I was present when Herman Umberger
was murdered. left my home about l
o'clock on February q, 1889, to go to some
place in Somerset county, for the purpose
of robbery but 10 murder, and did not
know who was to be robbed, not learning
Umberger's name until well along on the
road. The murder took place about 7
o'clock in the evening. arrived at home
about l or 2 o'clock next morning. / had
a pistol and fired into he ceiling, but not
with the attention of hitting Mr.. TIMBER
ger, nor did any shot 1 fired hit him. 1
intended only to frighten him. AS to my
evidence in court part was true and part
was not. My evidence was not true in
this: 1 said / was not present at Herman
Umberger's murder when 1 was. The
pocketbook produced in court as mine
was not the one which I gave to viii
Thomas, as L testified in court. 1t was
bogus. Hamilton Smiths testimony in
the case against me was false in this: 1
was not in Ligonier on February II, 1889,
as he swore. Lew Beener and Ed. Nc
Cracken did not meet me on the pike as
stated in court. Charles Vaneer and Lew
is Vaneer, his son, could o hav recog-
nized me, as their testimony says they
did, on the Pittsburg and Philadelphia
pike, February p, 1889. 1 make this
statement in view of approaching execu-
ton, in fear of God truthfully, to @. w.
Granger, my spiritual adviser.