The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-07-09
The Fourth in Mount Hollv.

NC T QuILu IN MOUNT hOllY.
Independence day was appropriately
celebrated in Mount Holly. The pleasant
weather, which brought many people to
town, was also responsible for others going
elsewhere to spend the day.
The order issued by the township COM
mittee put slight check to the use of ex-
! plosives previous to the Fourth.
The explosion of fireworks began in
earnest at eight o'clock Wednesday even
ing, and the din was kept up until the
hours of the Fourth had faded away. For
tuuately there were no very serious cas-
ualties in Mount Holly and no fires.
1t was Fourth of July instead of an
April Fool joke which Micajah E. Mat
lack and Henry W. Savage perpetrated
on an unsuspecting public, and the scheme
was carried out with such cleverness of
detail that the matter was accepted good
naturally.
According to announcement, for which
Savage was responsible, crowd collected
at the corner of High and Garden streets
at 10 o'clock, to witness pyrotechnic dis
play of unusual Characterize setting off
of flre-cracker alleged to have come
from the city of Pekin, and which
was secured after the allied forces
had captured that place during the Boxer
uprising. The fire cracker was said to
have been presented to Matlack by an at
taehe of the Chinese legation at Washing
ton, d. G. The plausibility of the story
was deceptive enough to interest MANY
people, some of whom expected to see
ugly dragons hiss forth and perform gira
lions over the pavement on High street.
A few minutes after the appointed time
hope was revived on the part of those who
had been waiting, when Matlack and his
assistants were seen coming down the
middle of High street drawing a childs
express cart, on which rested a |
giant cracker thirty inches long land
six inches in diameter. 1t was lying on |
some hay. with Chinese hieroglyphics in |
plain view on the red wrapper.
open your windows" was the order
given as the men passed on to the corner.
Placing the fire-cracker In the middle of |
The street opposite the Friends meeting
house, Matlack thoughtfully requested all
persons to fall back and stand on their tip
toes, as the shock was expected to be very
great. After awnings had been raised.
thrown up and trolley cars and
other vehicles stopped, Matlack applied
match to the fuse and there was a little
suffering of powder. Interest then be-
came intense because of expected results.
1ut only disappointment followed, and
he continued silence was not broken I'M
ii boy shouted: 'Its a faker" Savage
an up and grabbed the cracker under his
lrm, and carried it to in front of the
Elks home, when a small puff of
moke came from the piece of stove pipe
md exposed the whole scheme.
In the evening the Cinnamon set off long
trings of fire crackers, and the usual
arge crowd was drawn to the vicinity of
heir laundry.
Hundreds of people went to Rancocas
Park, to which place there was good troll
ey service. This was true on the return,
'ut as so many people waited until late
our, all could not be accommodated at
nee when they decided to return home.
In celebration of the day some people
we're having good time up to the hour
1 their misfortune, and those who were
'laced on the retired list by accidents are
s follows:
Micajah E. Matlack, face and hands
urned by the premature explosion of
annon-cracker.
James Garrett, son of John Garrett,
Ight eye burned by fire cracker.
Derr Gardner, bullet hole in right foot,
nd leg burned by the discharge of I
istol in the hands of another person, t
Howard johnson, face and eyes burned t
y cannon-cracker. t
The awning in front of the cigar store t
A R. Bedwell, on High street, caught {
re, and the flames were beaten out with t
broom which was taken into the house. I
Iater on the broom was discovered blaz-
lg in back room, and the fire was put |
ut. I
Many people appreciated action taken l
y members of the W.. G. T. u, who had t
arrels of ice water placed about town. &