Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-10-15

For a house that is more than a cen
tury old, the structure is in excellent
condition.
For a very little outlay it could be
so arranged that it's solid walls and
stout roof would easily weather the
storms of another hundred years, but
nobody cares enough to take the in
itial steps.
Years ago there was some slight in
terest in the house, and a number of
citizens had it moved from the noun
tainS into the town of Mercersburg,
where it now stands Then there was
talk of converting it into a museum
but this would have cost money, and
as no one wanted to spend, the house
was left for the occupancy of whoever
wanted it.
SO the building in which was born
d man who shaped national policies,
and of whom Judge .Jere S. Black
said in his eloquent tribute. "He walk
ed on the mountain ranges Of the
law is uncared for, neglected, and
needs only some small act of careless
ness. some trivial neglect of precau-
tons in cooking or kindline a fire, to
end ii Whirling in flames
The State Is Lax.
Primarily the fault rests with the
state of Pennsylvania. Here there
should be sufficint pride to rescue the
birthplace of the only chief executive
the Keystone state ever gave the I'm
ion. Gov. Pennypacker whose favor
ite diversion is to bury his shaggy
head deep in history. ought to be the
ideal man to lead a movement for the
preservation of the Buchanan home
as state relic, but if he will not act,
then the United States government
should add the building to those mon
uments of our history. pretentious
and humble. that come under the pro-
lection of Washington.
Part of the original building has
been put to good use.
When the cabin was taken into
Mercersburs it was not found practi-
cable to remove the foundations
These stones had been put into the
earth to stay, and besides the difficult
ty Of extricating, the cost of carrying
the heavy material over the Blue
mountains acted as deterrent
So the foundation stones were per-
mitted to remain where they were.
Some few still keep vigil on the spot
around which the towhead, blue eyed
Jimmy Buchanan played among
the rocks and giant trees. but most
of them have been used for the foun-
dation of a schoolhouse nearby
1t is less hard to reconcile oneself
to have the stones of the historic old
cabin go into a structure for the de-
velopment of future presidents than
to the thought that the cabin itself has
been abandoned to negroes
Country Still Wild.
All the country Immediately around
has retained to surprising degree
that natural wilderness that marked
it century ago.
At the time of Buchanans birth the
turnpike had not been made, but there
are traces Of a packers path that
ran on one side Of the house and a
wagon trail that passed the other.
STONY Batter" the natives call the
spot where Buchanan same into the
world. 1t was a great center for
farmers of the western countries to
come in with products and make
trades for the neccssarics of life. "the
store goods" brought from Baltimore.
those days.
Within a stones throw of the place
where the cabin stood is a stream
called Trout Run, and il is probable
that here many a time the future
chief executive Of the greatest repub-
lies fished as a boy, and without fully
apnreciating all their wonders. reyeled
in HE towering glory Of the mountain
scenery.
If he Willed to hunt, there was
came a plenty, and big game, too.
2ears, wildcats and panthers came
$ close 10 the cabin that Buchanan's
lsiographer tells US that his mother
used to tie a bell on the future presi-
dents neck so that in his wander
ings he should not stroll so far away
from the house as to be placed in dan
ger from the wild beasts.
Perhaps but for this precaution
there would have been no president
form Pennsylvania.
When Buchanan was born in this
rugged place his father had only been
in the United States for a matter of
eight years.