The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-03-04

one how the news was To be carried
and was told that small boy or small
man was TO ride along the wire to car
~ the news. The old fellow wanted
to know how the bog would get over
the tops Of the posts, as he went along.
He was told that the boy or man would
put his hands on the tops of the posts
aud jump over them when he came to
them. He believed it, and, after look
ing at the wire a while, he finally said:
"Graeious goodness, but won't it he
hard ON tine boys pantsr' The small
boy had marvellous stories 10 tell how
he had seen whole drove Of swallows
sitting on the wire, and how he slip
ped up and threw a stone or a club
against the wire, and they all fell or
dead. The other hoy, who bad not
witnessed any such performance, was
very enviOus because he had not
thought of the story before the first
boy told it. This telegraph line was
not very wei patronized, and
very likely it did not pay, as, after a
time the office was removed from Pet
ersburg, and, shortly before the war,
the wire was taken down. Probably,
telegraphing was too fast for Us; but,
during the war we would have been
glad to have the line again HOweyer,
in 1865, the great Western Union ran .
iine along the pike, and some yeas
later, the Mutual Union ran It's In q
along also; and now we have u
twelve wires strung on magnifict
cedar poles, recently put up, ali q
one set Of poles. The old pike also b,
a telephone line extending from Union
town, by was Of Marisleysburg, Somer-
field and Petersburg, to the Maryland
line.
Something has been said in these
papers about slavery along the border,
in Maryland, and how the slaves
would occasionally run away from
their masters, who would follow. and,
under the fugitive slave law, could
take them anywhere they could find
them, without danger of molestation,
and without requisition papers requir-
Ell 70 take white criminals. \ few
years before the war il was 20 very un-
common thing to see slaves, or at least,
colorcd persons, travelling along the
pike; and, if there were no white per
son along, and they could give no salts
factory account of themselves, they
We're taken up, and returned 20 their
masters, if any could be found. One
pleasant day in spring. when the sun
was shining bright aud warm, and
the women in the town were
making garden and cleaning house,
the report was made that two "run-a-
way Higgers' had been seen in the
bushes in Gen. Ross field. At that
time the Petersburg foundry was run
ming in full blast, and there were 81
ways several men about there, besides
Others At blacksmith shop ard wa--
onmaker shop close by. The Fropriy-
tor Of the foundry was a Yankee and
an AbO.itionisJ of the most rabid kind.
Ii did not take the news very long 10
run over town, about the ''aigsers,
and soon the whole foundry force. with
the Aboiltionist proprietor, were IN
hot psr-Uit, ermed with old pistol-,
clubs, or any other weapons that G.; ne
handy. The bushes were very thick,
the green leaves being just out, and
every once in a while the Tunawavs
showed themselves at an opening, a. 4
it occurred TO soue people as little
singular that they did not run away,
when the hUbbub Of the pursuit Wgs
heard. The pursuing party surrounded
the thicket in which the rUnaways
were hid, who, every few minutes were
seen, h0UTishing pistols, but making
10 effort 70 get away or TO shoot.
Whenever the ''ni.gers7 came to the
front, the purSuers fell hack in rather a
jisorgauized manner, but when they
disappeared, the fouadrymen closed Up
on them again, always keeping at "A
safe distance, each man seemingly
lliuti ll4tiE IuNiltl- itE iilc bliltI II -
low to % forward than he was himself.
The '.nigsers' shot off!heir pistols after
It while, & couple Of times, and the At
lacking party would count noses each
time TO see if all were there. Finally
the ''niggers' became bolder, and
came pretty close To the woUlt-be man
hunters; the latter discrcetly falling
back in fairly good style. Directly one
Of the ''niggers" came out so close 10
one man that he had no chance TO Get
BACK any further. The hunter said.
Come here, sir when the "nigger'>
began to laugh. They had had ian
enough. The runaway niggers'>
proved to be the doctor Of the town
and u young boyish friend Of the wri-
ter's. They had bushel Of iUn with
the Abolitiouist foundryman and his
companions, and the man-hunters
never beard the last Of IT,
Addison, Pa. VI.