Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1911-03-10

- duster little out of sea-
son. A bundle tightly roll
ed in black oilcloth was strapped to
his back. He stopped in the middle Of
the road. Looking about, his eyes
rested upon weather-beaten sign
board upon which had once been
painted the picture of a black bear
resting upon its launches. For more
than a hundred years this sign board
had been swinging to and fro as II
beckoning and inviting passersby to
enter the little inn that was standing
some Is or 20 feet back from the
road 1t took Mr.. Herman Weisgar-
Der several minutes to decipher the
inscription beneath the faded picture.
When he had succeeded, as he thought,
he muttered audibly, Dish ish de
blace Der black bear vas inn, und
/ shust myself will walk in NIT him."
Bracing up little and stroking his
chin he stepped with heightened
stride into the little front room that
served as an office for the Black Bear
Inn. Here he found himself in the
presence of a pleasant-faced woman
VINO smiled COquettlSnly.
He greeted her In his own tongue,
in which she replied, and the conver-
sation was now carried on briskly in
the German language. 1t was a bux
ON widow on the one hand and ras-
cally counterfeiter on the other. He
was a longtime rogue, but she was
honest and unsuspicious. With her
the world was good, with him it was
dog eat dog and the devil take the
hindmost. The widow Hartz was al
together too unsophisticated to pene-
trate the dark recesses of the hollow
hearted man that had by chance come
suddenly into the affairs of her life.
She judged him by her own heart
and little dreamed of the misery so
soon to follow her chance acquaint-
ance with Herman Weisgarber.
Her husband had died about two
years before. At this time her heart
was centered on her son, a young man
nearly twenty years of age. John
Hartz, thanks to the training of his
father, was honest and Industrious.
The Black Bear Inn and the little
ldIlu duJOlIluS Was SdCItu Illicit
tance from his paternal grandfather.
The Inn was now somewhat out of
date, but was still doing its part to-
wards furnishing the mother and son
living and little to lay up for a
rainy day, Johns father had taught
him to stand firmly for the right In
all things.
Mr.. Weisgarbers gray blue eyes
were shining brightly beneath his
overhanging brows as he stood ex.
planning to the widow Hartz regarding
himself. The word tramp, now SO
aptly applied to the tie-path tourist,
had not been coined in that day and
men of his like were little understood.
He said he was just out on pleasure
tour and that he travelled on foot as
matter of choice He was moving
leisurely along that he might better
enjoy the lovely scenery and pure
mountain air. His words were well
chosen and deeply impressive as he
cautiously worked his way up to. the
point of offering to remain for a time
and assist in the work about the Inn
and farm. He had a smooth tongue
The turnpike, winding it's way
along up and down the sides, over
and across the Allegheny mountains
was then the popular highway fol
drovers and wagoners upon their way
to and fro between Eastern Pennsyl
vania and Pittsburg. The peopl,
along this route were principally Ger
mans. Some of them could neither
read nor speak English. They LIVED
mainly on what they produced ant
had little occasion to spend thei
money. Almost anything that looked
like money would pass, In thos'
days much of the paper none!
in circulation was of the wilt
cat kind. Between the counterfeit
and genuine issue there was but lit
tie choice. One passed from hand t,
hand almost as readily as the other
Herman Weisgarber, as he calle,
himself, had for many years been dode
ing about from place to place me
king a living by showing the queer
Under pretence of his inability to III
derstand the English language he wa
able to deceive the officers and OF
cape arrest. 1t was always "Nich
verstehe" with him. "He shust didn
know noting bout baper monies"
To the widow Hartz he appeared
man of honor She measured hi
character by her own and could Sc
no farther Six months had scarcel
passed from the time she met hiI
until he became her husband.
When John Hartz came in contao
with his step-father he was homes
and had he followed in the footstep
of his own father he would have 7,
manned so. II did not take long I
prove that he was susceptible an
easily drawn into ways that were dar
and forbiddlng. Step by step he wa
led along and craftily initiated int
the mysterious doings of counterfeit
ers.