The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1911-08-22

| Ing curious they SEEK To nnd out now
that crack came there several conflict
ing explanations at once present them
selves.
| The one commonly accepted is that
| the famous bell was cracked while toll
| ing for the funeral of CHIEF Justice
John Marshall ON July 8. 1888
Rauch Breaks Silence.
Now, more than three-quarters of a
century after the old bell was silenced,
comes man who declares that none
of the more or less accepted versions
of how 1t came to be cracked is cor
rect; that his version alone is the true
explanation of the incident. For more
than fifty years, he declares. he has
been reading in newspapers and else
where all the various conflicting sto-
ries of the accident, but inasmuch as
his has been an extremely busy life
he has never bothered his head over
much about them until quite recently
So when a few days ago this man
saw yet another story Of how the Lib
erty bell was cracked and realized yet
again that his memory branded it as
Incorrect he FASTENED to protest.
II was one of those who were
present and assisted in the cracking
of that bell. Perhaps | am the only
person now living who was present"
he stated.
The man who. as he says. helped
crack the old Liberty bell is Emman-
Hundred and Sixteenth street, New
York. He is eighty-six years old. He
was born at Chester. Pa. of Pennsyl-
vania Dutch stock. on Nov 6, 1925,
and removed with his parents TO Phil
adelphia when he was seven years
old. 1t was three years later. in 1885.
that, according to him. the cracking
of the Liberty bell occurred That is
the year usually given as the one in
which the mishap occurred. but Mr..
Rauch Is emphatic in his statement
that the bell was not cracked on the
occasion of Chief Justice Marshall's
funeral. Here is his own version of
the occurrence:
1.-The Liberty bell was cracked, as
remember. on Washingtons birthday.
1885, and this is the way it was done:
How Bell Was Cracked.
81 was then ten years old. On that
day had been sent by my mother ON
an errand to shop not far from our
home. On my return | was walking
through Statehouse square when | no
ticed that the janitor or steeple keeper
of the old statehouSe building was
reckoning to me. His name was Down
ing-Major Jack we used to call him
and he was a we'll known character in
Philadelphia at that time.
".Come herer he called to me and to
several boys whom he spied in the
square. After he had corralled six or
eight of uS-I don't remember exactly
how many-he told us that he wanted
us to ring the Liberty bell In honor
of Washington's birthday. The idea
pleased US very much-we boys were
not in the habit of ringing the old bell
and we agreed to do it.
Then Downing climbed into the
steeple of the statehouse and tied
rope to the clapper of the bell. Com
ing down again. he put the end of this
rope into our hands and instructed us
to pull with all our might, which we
did.
I'VE were working away and the bell
had struck. so far as I can recall, about
ten or a dozen times when we noticed
a change in the tone. We kept on ring
ing. though. but after awhile the stee-
pie keeper noticed the difference too.
Surmising that something might be
wrong. he told us to stop pulling the
rope. Then he climbed back into the
steeple. we boys following behind.
ION the side Of the bell that hung
toward Walnut street we found that
there was big crack a foot or fifteen
inches long. Downing then told US to
run along home. We obeyed.
What happened after that ! forget.
Boylike. didn't do any worrying and
heard no more about the cracking of
the bell until some years later. Then,
however. and many times since / have
read of how the bell came to be crack
ed. but never have / seen the version
which l have just given. l honestly
believe it Is the correct one"
RUFF SUGGESTS REFORM.