The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-05-29
@AXIE,'
AID
The Other "Argonauts."
by T. =. LIvENGOOD, VI. D.
AXIE. .

ders in the index," >" may be somewhat
misleading to the readers Of the HER
AID who are conversant with the
classics To them the writer wishes
70 say that while there Is a Jason, he
is here known 10y another name, and
that the expedition in quest of the
| "G0lden Fleece instead of embark
/ ing at Colchis, starts in ElSliclS town
ship and goes up into the mountains
to battle with sylvan gods, gnomes and
Dragons who guarded the treasure
they coveted. Many people now living
in the southern part OF Somerset couu-
/ ty recoilcct an eccentric, venerable
looking old man vulgariy dubbed
| "Axie'' Ncder. The writer well r.
members seeing him in Salisbury
about the time of the "Harpcr's Ferry
Insurrection." as il was then called.
The people were very much excited for
/ fully week after the news reached
Salisbury, and some prcdicted-and
| truthfully too-that il was the prelude
| to a civil war. "Axie" and ''rhe
/ Grammar King J. J. Stutzman, were
discussing John Brown aud the slavery
| question. Axle was at that time about
seventy years old, very stopped, and
had an astnmatic cough that could
be heard quite a distance. He was an
Amishmam and wore the gar6 chaIae-
/ teristic of that denomination. lie
walked with a staff in each hand. The
I Amish patriarchs cOunselled their peO-
pie to avoid the trades and the profes-
sions agriculture was 10 be their vo-
cation.
"Axic" was = blacksmith ana a chen-
ist, and, although there IS no tradition
that the church everreprimanded him,
it was well known that his vocations
were far from orthodox. The superb
ority Of his axes earned for him the
atlas Axle" Expert aNmcG declared
that one f"Axie'sn axes would outwear
three Of those imported from PitJ-burg
or Baltimore. Great was the surprise
OF the citizens, when after hi, death his
personal property was being sold al
public aution, to sec the retorts, cruel
bIes, mortars, blow-pipcs and other
chemical apparatus that were brought
out of the laboratory. H. his chemical
experiments he discovered process
for hardening or tempering steel,
which gave to his cutlery an edge 20
keen and lasting that it quite rivailed
the Damascus steel or the Toledo blade
"Axier was also an inventor. The
process Of making nails at that time
by hand was slow and tedious one
Besides, il made nails expensive,
/ though labor was cheap. \ machine
/ for stamping them out Of sheet metal,
rs is now done, WIS invented by
Axle" The persons who saw the
model say it was "a beauty. Instead oi
going TO Washington and securing a
caveat, he went around exhibiting il
and trying to sell it 10 the iron manu-
faclurers at Pittsburg. \ >hrewd man
saw the possibilities Of The invention,
copied it, procured a patent and b.
came rich 1T "Axie's' expense.
During his palmy days his forge WA
located at "Yoders;et,le," row Me
chanic.burg, and hc employed a many
a. five iourueyInan blacSsmitiis ant
had seveEal apprentices. There Wa:
always demand for more axes, draw
- ing knives, chiscls and small cItlerl
than he could supply. Had he no
. been visionary he might have spen
, his declining years i'll luxury, instea'
Of striving rs he did at hard labor L
earn his daily bread. over the forge
, i'm the loft, at Mechanicsblrg, he had
room fitted up as i laboratory, whicl
was always kept securely locked y
person by the chemists permission
was ever permitted 70 cross the thre>
hold. As he often would remain Il
the laboratory for 4 number OF day
! together, the citizens supposed tina
Axle and MephistopheleS, or eve
, old "Iiornie' himself, were in COLI
sion. aud no doubt thought he had i
many devils harnesscd and at work ;
Master Michael scott Oneof "'-AXie'7
aatrans who lived III that vicinity W
man by the name Of Felix. Felix ";
a practical Joker and = man alwal
bristiing with curiosity. Often i
; sauntered into the shop, especially a
a rainy day, TO smoke and chat wiz
d "Axie," who, by the way, IN Il got
+ humoT was quite gaTulous. One da
Felix appeared mt the forge, aad n
tjcinr "Axie's' absence, asked whe
: he-had gone. Oae OF the men replie,
..He has been locked in his 'kemmeTi
- meaning laboratory - lor thr
DAYS. We can hear him, but nave II
,r once seen him in that time Pc
sad. ~ must see what this means
= and stared for the ladder leading
sr the Iogi and .'kemmerly.' ''No, n
m vou mustn't" shouted all the blac
ID smiths and apprentices in choru
i. "He will not let you in, and II "
disturb him ne will kill someone
this shop before night, such Is his 4
, ger" Felix was powerful man Al
y wherew;thal courageous. He thoug
ie he saw "A chance for some fun, and
l. gan the ascent 10 the regions aoo'
G He advanced to the door of the labor
III tory. and suddenly "Axie' heard
N -.tapplus,
ASof SOMEONE gently rapPius,
Rapping at his chamber Gooi
80 OEly this and nothing more
At first he paid no attention to
ho but it increased in volume until
= sounded like n regular rcceiHc- Tn
voice came from within, "'Cer q
fcafeI kIuppody" There was no
swer, bat the rapping continued r.
10 WAS determined to solve the mysier
re- Of the ''kemmerly," and was ot
ter waiting FOR the door to be UnlocA'
The blacl1smiths ineontinently III
H. leaving Felix rs they thought To
,Iv do.m. Just then Felix heard the
i slowly and stealthiiy turning IN
RIM lock and saw the door gently 3
Did cautiously opening. With all the 10
he could muster he rushed against
door. forcing il wide open and kno
ing "Axie" peil nell amongst
glass apparatus, making quite as M
of havoc Is bull in a china shop. =
:, -, ,,-r,tb know no bounds.
II b,,,i of B1shan" WAS lam5 in e.