The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1907-03-07
Owns HISTORIC CLOCK.
Chicago Woman Has Venerable Time
piece Held Many Years in
Her Family.
WAS SEARCHED BY GENERAL LEE.

sent by Mr.. JOnn L. Kerr, we'll
known former resident of McConnells-
burg, to John f. Kendall, of the Cove,
who has handed it to the News in the
hope that very many of our readers
would find in it much to remind them
of the stormy days of the Rebellion
Editor
la an Oak Park home stands
tall grandfather clock that timed
the movements of Gen. Robert
E. Lee when he led his army
across the Potomac and crossed
the Maryland Pennsylvania line
to Gettysburg.
The ancient timeplece that has
been running almost all Of the
time since 170l, when it was
made, aud is still ticking and
strising off the hours as it did
when a swarm of confederate
soldiers stared 1t in the face, and
even while the great southern
leader himself was making Its
capacious case the object of a
pains taking search for Important
papers.
Each hourly peal that comes
from the tall case in the col ner
brings hack food OF memories
to at least one member of the
household IN which it is yet doing
faithful duty. Almost every tick
starts the blood in a quicker
course, as thrilling experiences
CINE rolling back through forty
live years Of time. 1t recalls the
days when II year old girl left
with two brothers and two sisters
all younger than herself, was
turned forager and captured ami
mails to take the places of those
taken from her fathers herd to
provision the southern soldiers.
At that time the clock was own.
cd In the home of George N.
Mitchell, who owned fertile
farm about a mile and half out
of Green3astle, Franklin county,
Pa. Gen. Lee on his march from
Winchester, crossed the Potomac
to Willlamsport and started for
the capital OF the big Keystone
state. Right on the line of this
march was located the Mitchell
home, in which the oldest child
was then Kittie Mitchell, but
who to day is Mrs. W. |. Allen,
who is making her home with
her daughter, Mrs. Springer, in
Oak Park, Chicago.
For weeks the Mitchells had
been looking for the confederate
Invasion of Pennsylvania, and
Mr.. Mitchell had taken his herd
of animals to the mountains IL
the vicinity of McConnellsburg,
SIX miles orthwest, for safe
keeping. But the invading army
stayed IN Virginia longer than
had been expected, and the ex
pense of keeping the herd IN the
mountains was so great that fin
ally the father brought them bach
to the farm. That very day, from
the upper windows of the Mitch
ell stone house, was seen coming
up the pike tie advance guard o
Gen. Lees men.
About the first thing that thu
invaders did was to a.ake Mr.
Mitchell a prisoner on the charge
of having IN his house copies o
Horace Greeley's paper, and h'
was sent to Richmond. Their,
had been an older brother, bu
he had enlisted in the 126th Penn
sylvanla volunteers, was wound
ed at Antietam and was killed a
Fredericksburg. 1t was Kitti
Mitchell, then, who became he
fathers chief and only aid IN try
ing to save something of the hom
and fern, but after the fathe
had been hurried south, tn
mother being dead her brothe
also dead, 1t was the IA year-ol
girl, now "Grandma" Allen i
the Oak Park home, who was lei
as the sole protector and provo
er for herself and the four otbe
children that clung to her skirts
Mrs, Allen says that she. doe
not know now, while she sits wit
her needle and takes her tim
from the old clock, how she eve
happened TO think of dong III