Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-01-26
GNenln6 char

the State had acquired, through the
Capitol Park Extension Commission,
titie to the property of the Wesley
Union African Methodist Episcopal
Church. at South and Tanners streets,
PROBABLY did not strike most of the
people of the city as of very much i'm
portance in local religious history
Yet. as a matter of fact, it was the
sale of the church of the Oldest con-
gregation of colored people in Har-
rlsburg, and the property had been
occupied by 1t for within a few months
OF seFenty-hve years. There are only
three or four denominations which
nave had churches on one property in
harrisburg for that length of time
Ihis church was organized by the col
ored people of the city August 90,
1873, according to church records. al
though for the preceding five years
meetings had been held in various
places. The organization took place
In a log house at Third and Mulberry
streets which had been used for re-
ligious purposes for years before and
tradition says that 1t was once occu-
pied as a school. Curiously enough,
this section was known locally as
Judastown, although why no one
seems to know, and it was a long time
before that singular nickname passed
away One of the leading men of the
district resented it in a speech he once
made at political meeting before the
civil War. showing that it must have
been of ancient origin. Anyway, Wes-
ley Church did not stay long in that
locality, as in 1883 it's people secured
the plot which it just sold and Novem-
Der "a, 1889, moved into its first
church, frame structure, built out
OF the earnings of it's members, who
were aided by residents of the city.
That was about the beginning of the
time when the Eighth ward began to
fill up with colored people. There
were no slaves here after 1900. at
least. and the colored folks who were
mostly servants. made their homes in
that part of town, the number being
increased by those who bought their
freedom in the South or who escaped
to free soil. Thus it was natural for
the church to locate on what used to
be called Tanners alley" for it was
the center of the life of it's people.
c. Stuart Patterson, Jr.. one of the
philadelphia attorneys who is we'll
known here because of practice at the
Capitol, used to be in the United
States army and tells how he just es-
capped hanging a man. Mr.. Patterson
was In one of the artillery regiments
in the Philippines and once when out
with detail of fifteen men the guide
got lost or at least alleged that he
did. His memory was very much at
fault about the time the sun was
setting and as the country was full of
inurrectos Mr.. Patterson decided to
see II the guide could not be made to
remember. The man was accordingly
ordered strung up. I'm one minute"
says Mr.. Patterson, "he remembered a
way out. But do not know which
oct ty,
Filipino or myself"
The Readings line from the Phila-
delphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh
junction to its Rutherford yards is the
only one in this part of the State that
can show locomotives of four rail-
roads In use any day. Yesterday it
showed engines of as many railroads
in ten minutes. First came a Read
ing engine bowling along with a big
coal train; then a Cumberland Valley
stalwart hauling in train down from
the Valley, followed by a spanking
western Maryland engine with it's odd
device on the tender, running
Through" from Franklin county, and
hnally a noisy Pennsylvania yard en-
gine, bringing over a draft" as
string of cars without a caboose is
called, from the Harrisburg yards.
John P. Dohoney, the investigator
of accidents and trouble generally of
the Public Service Commission, used
to be a newspaper correspondent, and
a good one. He gets a large amount
OF experience travelling about the
state looking up accidents and his
newspaper training comes in well. One
time, not long ago, he went to look
into peculiarly bad accident. They
met him with fine reports, typewriter,
exhaustive and apparently frank. Mr.
Dohoney read them, asked questions
of the officials and then remarked
that he would now proceed to visit the
scene of the accident. But he went
not in the private car, but in the ordi-
nary train, and when he got there he
waited until the crew that had been in
the wreck came along. Then he made
his own reports.
People up at the Capitol are not
inclined to take very seriously the
complaint from the organizations of
fruit growers and others the last few
weeks because of the commodities act
of 1913. This is the act which pro-
Vides a standard of weight for about
eighty articles in daily use and re-
quireS every vessel used in measuring
to contain the capacity stamped on
the side. 1t seems that the act and
some measures used for years on some
farms and taken as the real thing for
miles around do not "gee" with the
standard set up. Hence the complaint
that the Legislature may be asked to
change things
OH. YOU TANGO!