The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-06-19

Niial ucilcnicu- ana uil any KIND OF o1d
jobs that came in his way. He carried a
rope with him. and told everybody he
intended to hang himself, but the people
had heard him say the same thing so Oft
: en- that, like the boy and the wolf, they
had no faith in what he said. Finally,
however, he was not seen for several
days, but no one thoagh; strange of that,
for he often wandered here and there
over the country. What was then called
the New Bury Church stood some two
miles west Of Petersburg, and was the
first elifcc erected distinctively for re
ligioas services i'm the county. One Sun
day morning two uncles of the writer,
hslf-growG boys, weat b the church to
open it and get il ready for preaching.
When they opened tie door they saw
man hanging to an old fashioned bier,
that was used in the cemetery, and de-
posted behind the door when not i'm use.
Most boys would have been frightened.
bTt.they did not seem to be. joe said:
John, you hold himup and viii climb
up and cut him down" So John took
him around the legs and Joe climbed up
and when he saw the mans face he said:
John, he is rs dead rs the deyil.' They
cut him down, though, and when they
! examined him they discovered the body
was that of Stein. lie had put his Oft
threatened scheme into dread reality.
The writer's grandfather was magis-
| trate, and an inquest was held in the
church instead Of services. Stein was de-
MED burial in the cemetery, according to
! the superstition Of the time, and was bur
led under "A large red oak standing in the
! lane leading up to the church from the
pike, 4 large log was put over the grave
aud it remained, as did the tree, until
few years ago. Stein was the ''bojie," in
the writer's b0yish days, with which un-
ruly boys were threatened, and, when we
! came TO the tree, we instinctively quick
ened our pace, and fnrtiVely looked
around, almost expecting to see Stein af-
ter Us, and none were bold enough 10
sit on the log.
An old EnglishmaH, named Abraham,
| lived IN Petersburg in those days, as did
"a man named I.abb. These two worth
( les had been 10 SOmeriield once and had
"looked upon the wine when it was red"
until the wee sma' hours" when they
! took their more or less devious and tor
,uous way towards Petersburg.
When they got To the lame, leading up
to STEMS grave, Labb, whose name was
Jacob. proposed 10 Abraham to go up and
interview Stein. Abraham objected but
Labb insisted, and, as Abraham by this
time had his fears aroused, he was in
quandary as to what to do. lie was
afraid 10 90 with Labh, and more afraid
to go on or stay alone, so they went 10
STEMS grave and seated themselves ON
the log. I.abb, who feared nothing, called
out in loud voice, come forth, Isaac,"
Stein's-name-"he-e are Abraham and
jacob. who want TO see you" Abraham,
although in a maudIin condition, finally
managed to get his legs under him and
he made 4 bee line down the lane and
down the pike at more than "a 2:i0 gait.
When he reached Petersburg he declared
S.cin had been Mt iis heels at every
jump, and most likely Labb was dead.
lie was 4 more sober, if not a wiser, man
than when lie started for Someriicld.
labb spent the night trying to interview
Stein, going into the church and calling
him, when he could not raise him at his
grave.
Abraham once attended a Methodist
clasS-meeting, or rather he was at preach
ing and stayed for class. When ne came
out some one inquired where he had been,
rs he did not have any religious views OF
any kind. lie told where he had been,
and WAS asked what they said To him.
He said they wanted him to ''jine.-
What did you say then? said the inquir-
ec. IL told them was as good hoat a.
hin. then ! would save the quarterage,"
said Abraham, logic his interlocutor
did not attempt To deny. Towards the
end of his life Abraham's eye-sight fail
ed considerably, and one day a mischiev-
ious boy thought he would have some
fun with the old man. SO he got on all
fours, threw something like sheet over
him. and went into Abrahan's room
backwards. The old man did not know
exactly what was coming, but he con-
cludcd II investigate with his cIna. a
heavy hickory, at the same time bring
ing it down with terrific force ON the pos
terror portion of the boys anatomy, not
only once, but good many times, before
the hoy could get away, which he did
bowling with pain. For some time af-
ter the boy preferred standing to sitting,
and was never known tn try to scare
Abraham again. Labb, the man spoken
of, was Marylander by birth, and al
ways had good deal to say about cock
lighting. horse-racing and card playing,
which he had followed in his youth.
lie was hard drinker and very pro-
fame man, bat all at once he quit drink
ing and swearing and joined the Presby-
terian Church and lived a sober life ever
afterwards. Some young fellows under
took to scare him once, bat they were
compelled To retreat in confusion and
disorder, rs he was not one ~ the scary
kind. lie lost his mind once and was
! sent to the Poor House, at Somerset, for
treatment. After he got well he said the
name poor house was a mistake, for il
was the richest house he ever was in.
.I.abb took great delight in an argument,
no matter what subject, religion, politics.
science, philosophy, anything. There
was not much in his arguments, except
the persistence with which he stack to
his position and the loud tone in which
he spoke. \ man, as queer as any |
have mentioned, named Isaac Boyer, al
50 lived here, and, for real originality, he
| was the peer of any one. He WAS short
OF stature. hut very strong, unusually 50,
| in fact, with comical leer on his face,
and funny way of sticking oIt his
tongue when talking, and Il tone OF voice
absolutely incapable OF being described.
| He rode Il horse whose hind legs were as
| straight as the front ones, more 50, in fact,
as the front ones were knee sprung, and
all his legs were remarkably long aud
his body lank. Boyd was one day rid
/ ing this horse through town, when, right
| in front of DeWitt's tailor shop, the
horse scared at something and threw
Boyd of on the hard pike. Dewitt came
to the door to commiserate with him in
| his misfortune, bit Boyd wanted none of
it. and he said: That's all right, Mr..
Dewitt, this horse always throws nine
tailors before breakfast" in his inimita-
| BILE way and his indescribable voice, AMI
Dewitt fled.
| In those early days the old ''bOys" used
to have pretty large times when they
would get together. The writer has fire.
| quently been told of frolic of some kind
held al the place where John Mi.cheirs
famous hotel now stands to-day, in the
long ago. Something of public nature
,,.a., ,,,i,,,- an tho xvrifar dnas NOT rpmaftl-