Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-04-06
HAGERSTOWN NEWS GRIST
DIsFRANCHIsED CoLoRED VOTERS
ORGANIZING NIGHT SCHOOLS.
Rich Vein of Anthracite Coal Found
Near McConnellsburg,


Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
HAGERSTOWN, Md, April 5, 1901.
The colored men of Hagerstown and this
portion of Washington county are not slow
in getting into line to meet the require
ments forced upon them by the ''disfran-
chisement act" or new election law passed
at the recent extra session of the Maryland
legislature. Indignation meetings have
been held in several of the colored church.
es of the city, at which nothing has been
said or done, however, to give offense, the
only object apparently being to arouse the
race to the Importance of educating them
selves to qualify as legal voters Night
schools are being organized with large at
tendance The church meetings will be
continued at intervals to keep alive the
interest in this matter. From present in
dfcationS there will be few if any of the
colored illiterates of this section of Mary
land who will not be able to read and
mark his ballot intelligently by the time
of the election in November next.
A loan of $4,000, which, it Is said, Will
be in the nature of second mortgage upon
the Cherry Run and Chambersburg branch
es of the Western Maryland railroad, is I'M
der consideration by the directors, and will
doubtless be approved for the purpose OF
making Improvements upon the western
extension of the road. OF the amount Sc
cured by the loan 100000 will be spent
in improvements at Hagerstown, including
a handsome new passenger station
A rich vein of anthracite coal has been
discovered on the farm of jeremiah Gull
don, near McConnellsburg, Fulton county,
Pa, few miles north of Hancock, this
county whence a railroad has been sur
veyed and will be built to that place. A
large force of men has been working the
nine The vein was reached at depth
of thirty-three feet. Two hundred acres
of the land have been placed under lease
and jG
discovery has caused much excitement in
the locality and in the western section of
this county, which is believed to be rich
in undeveloped coal and is attracting the
attention of capitalists.
A new military company with seventy
members has been organized at Hagers-
town and application made for its adj
mission to the Maryland National Guard.
The officers are David Leckron, captain;
Harry Weller, first lieutenant, and Joseph
Donohue, second lieutenant.
The Postal Telegraph Company is string
ing through Hagerstown three additional
copper wires between Pittsburg and Balti-
more. H. c. Brown, foreman of construc-
ton, and force Of nine men, who string
about six miles Of wire per day, have
reached this city.
The municipal election at Hancock this
county, resulted in the election Of the
following officers: Burgess, w. D. Myers;
assistant burgess, Peter e. Dawson; coun-
cilmen, E. P. Cohill, James w. Ditto and
John w. Bridges.
Mr.. George Shelly has leased the De Ford
tannery buildings at Berkeley Springs for
the establishing Of a glass factory. Mr..
Shelly is backed by Pittsburg capitalists
who own the white sand works at Han
cock, this county.
J. Marburg Keedy, an attorney of Ha-
gerstown and a member of the Washing
ton county bar, now in Cuba, has been re-
tanned by the Cuban commission to aid
Senior Lopez, recently appointed by an act
of legislation to revise the laws Of the
island.
Mrs. Sarah Sparrow, Mrs Mary Lowder-
milk and Mrs. Slick Of Washington are
visiting Mrs. H. Sparrow, Locust street,
this city.
Mr.. Raymond Zimmerman of Washing
ton is in the city and attended as one of
the ushers at the brilliant Gehr-Shank
wedding at Fort Frederick, this county,.