The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-02-22
OLD FORGERS
SORRY PLIGHT
WHOLE MALE PoPULACE Liza
BILE TO ARREST.
Every One of All the Nine Voters OF
Old Forge Township Make Them
selves Amenable to the Law by
Their Conduct Of Last Tuesdays
Municipal Election--The Affair,
However, Is to Be Kept Quiet and
Possibly Nothing Serious Will
Come Of 1t.
II there ever was case deserving of


May ., 1899, the Lackawanna court
all thoughtless or regardless of conse-
quences. carved Old Forge borough out
of Old Forge township.
When the carving process was COM
peted Old Forge township consisted of
All acres of farm land and forty-four
acres of culm dumps, and the popula-
tion remaining accredited to the
municipality was not such as kept the
census enumerators UP nights.
All told, the noses numbered thirty
six and out of these thrty-siX nine
only were eligible to vote and hold
office.
At first the paucity of population
caused no concern.
The good people of the little hamlet
didn't bother their heads much about
things other than farming. but, in an
evil moment, the fell desire to hold
Office came upon some of the male in
habitants and there their troubles be-
gan.
They didn't need any government, as
had been proven by more than years
experience, but those for whom the
glamor of office held an irresistible
charm argued that it was a sacred
duty to form and conduct a municipal
government and Il government was
formed and conducted.
WHAT THEY DID.
None of the nine citizens knew much
about the laws governing townships,
and not having the time to look into
the matter they just went ahead in an
informal way and filed up such of the
offices as they could remember belonged
to them, until each of the nine voters
had about all the duties of state he felt
he could comfortably bear up under.
Winter came, there was nothing to do
except chores and. as usual, mischief
was begot of the idleness.
Supervisor-S School Controller-Collec-
tor Justice -of-the-Peace = InsDectOr-of
Election John Weissenfluh got law
book dealing with townships and pro-
ceeded to map out a schedule of the
offices the municipality was regularly
entitled to.
President of the Board Of Health
School Controller-Township Treasurer
Henry Schultheis called a town meet
ing at his house. and the various offices
We're parcelled out. with the under
standing that on the succeeding elec-
tion day-last Tuesday-the apportion-
ments would be duly ratified by ballot
in such offices as We're elective.
Andrew Naegli, ir., was selected for
school controller, member Of the board
of health. township clerk and superin-
tendent OF schools.
Andrew Weisenhuh was named for
school controller. constable and chair
man of the board of health.
Henry NaeGli and Michael Wesen-
fluh We're named as auditors and school
board members. Naegli was picked out
for a member of the board of health.
Henry Harlos asked to be let off with
the one office of judge of election, but
his townsmen insisted that he was
bounden to take as many offices as the
next, and so he went on the list for the
board of health and school board.
John Weisenfluh, jr, and Andrew
Naegli, ST., We're picked upon for in
spectors of election and school board
members. Weisenfuh was further hon
ored with the health officer plum.
Henry Schutheis, who, with John
Weisenhuh, had been sharing most OF
the offices that We're filled informally
before the law book wormed it's way
into their midst. was called upon to
further accept the Office of assessor.
"a,
the other two ninths of the populace,
We're used for filling in the board OF
control and board of health.
CONDUCTED AN ELECTION.
Tuesday the voters assembled at Mr..
Schultheis' home and proceeded to con-
duct an election.
Being extremely honest, conscientious
SwltZers, the ticket they had agreed
upon was unanimously elected and the
returns duly forwarded to Clerk OF the
Courts Daniels.
1t was when the messenger bearing
the returns reached the clerks Office
that woe began to come to the citizens
of Old Forge township.
Some inquiries as to how they could
conduct an election for a big raft of
Offices with only nine voters to make
up the candidates and the election
board, disclosed to the man from the
diminutve township that he and five
of his fellow citizens had been guilty
of the severely punishable offense of
serving on an election board while a
candidate for office.
The messenger protested that he did
not know it was a crime, and that at
all events they could not do otherwise
than commit crime for if they excluded
from the list of municipal Office hold
ers the other four would have to COM
init the almost equally if not more
henious offense of taking the oath in