The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-04-12
JAMES BUCHANAN.

lect and preserve the unrecorded .
local history Fulton county .
ought to have one. The older /
folks who remember the happen
ings Of the early part of the cen
tury are rapidly passing from
earth Last week Hon. w. Rush
Gillian, a familiar figure in our
courts, read a very interesting
/ paper on James Buchanan. We
have room for only a few para
graphs of this excellent paper.
"When James was about five
years of age his parents moved
to the village of Mercersburg,
where he received his first school
ing, and was taught the Latin and
Greek languages. The school
was at first kept by Rev. James
R. Sharon, student of Divinity,
with DR.. John King, the Presby-
terian pastor,and afterwards by a
MIR. Mcconnell and DR.. Jesse
Magaw, who married Mr.. Bu-
chanan's sister"
Speaking of Mr.. Buchanan's
later life Mr.. Gillian says: "Mr.
A. }. Unger, of Foltz, tells me the
two gentlemen came driving over
the pike from the direction of Nc
Connellsburg. They tied their
horse somewhere in the village
and proceeded to walk through
the gorge to Buchanan's birth
| place, Mr.. Unger, himself being
Il boy, having observed them. A
teamster, who had gone into the
mountain for a load of sand, saw
the two men, and recognizing Mr..
Buchanan from pictures which
he had seen, rushed to the village,
calling, Jimmy Buchanan is up
here" 1t was but a few moments
until every man and boy in the
village was on his way up the path
to see the candidate for Presi-
dent, and at the head of the party
was Brady Seylar, who at that
time ran a foundry at the Gap,
and Mr.. Unger's father. They
were both acquainted with Mr..
Buchanan. He received them very
cordially, and left Il very pleas
ant impression, especially upon
the boys of the party. They
drove over to Mercersburg, and
whether ON that occasion or some
one prior to that time, I do not
know, but Mr.. Buchanan at one
time, spoke at a meeting in front
OF Colonel Murphy's, now Fen
drick'" ;" hotel, which was presid-
ed over by Capt. Jack Cushwa.
%.#
"On the 18th day of June, 1868,
Mr.. Buchanan, in consideration
OF %l5, ,624, conveyed to Jeremiah
IS. Black two hundred and forty
acres and tifty-nine perches of
land near Mercersburg, known
as the Patchwork farm. This
was the last real estate which he
owned in this county, and was
the Dunwoodle farm which he
spoke Of in his autobiography as
having been conveyed to his fa-
ther in 1894. This farm is now
owned by Henry Van Tries Black
and Mary Forward Black, minor
children of Henry Black, the
youngest son of Judge Jeremiah
S. Black.
#.#
"Mr. Buchanan never accepted
a railroad pass, but always paid
fare. He never; while in public
office, accepted a Gift. On the
day on which he was elected
President Of the United States,
MIR Unger, who then conducted
Il distillery close to Buchanan's s
birthplace, made a barrel of very
line whiskey. He kept it for
three years and then sent it with
his compliments to thePresident.
Mr. Buchanan accepted it, but
shortly afterward there came to
MIR. Unger a package post mark
ed Washington, containing sew
enty-fiye dollars. Mr.. Unger
was at a loss to know where it
came from, and showing it to
Judge Carson, of Mercersburg,
who was familiar with the writ
ing of the President, was at once