Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-10-24
Enrt1tttg Chat

Transition of the old three-story
brick building at Second and Locust
streets so long used by the United
Evangelical Publishing concern into
a home for the automobile registra-
ton and of the state government
calls attention to the fact that this
structure has played a rather i'm
portant part in Harrisburg life in
its forty years of existence. A row
| of houses stood on the site of the
building when it was bought in the
early seventies by Washington Barr,
who was the Col. John t. Ensminger
| in second hand goods of his day. i.
Mr.. Barr had a store in Second
street near Walnut and stored
various articles from wagons to
spinning wheels in yards in Front
street one being between Walnut and
Locust streets and another under
Market street bridge. Mr.. Barr's
building was quite an improvement
on Second street and it was soon
noted as Barr's hall. 1t was a place for
small meetings and various conven-
tions, but best known as the home
of numerous dancing classes in this
| city. Many young people of the
day learned to waltz and various
steps in that old hall, while the Sun
day evening spiritualistic meetings
are recalled by quite a few of our
people. Later on an undertakers'
school was held there. The first
| floor was occupied by Chambers
Mullin as a grocery. Mr.. Mullin was
also man of consequence in his day
and was for time in charge of
buildings on Capitol Hill. The
| United Evangelicals have held forth
| In hn
Ed Byers, historian in chief of the
| Western Union, remarked yesterday
when the operating force was being
moved up stairs in the building on
Third street occupied by the tele-
graph company that it was the first
time, barring an interval for repairs,
that the knights of the key had not
worked on the first floor in half a
century. The Western Union has
been in Third street for over fifty
years and its operators have always
lheld forth down stairs" Now they
will be up stairs" and the CONNER
Icial department will have the first
floor to itse't.
While saving a log from one of
1.-THE old hickory trees that formerly
Istood in the old Paxton Presbyterian
lohurch yard at PaXtang, Howard c.
Fry, the coal dealer, came upon a
round bullet deeply imbedded in the
wood. The ball had every appear
ance of having been there for a long
Iperiod and as the trees are for the
Imost part from 100 to 200 years old,
1.-THE piece of lead may have been
fired into the tree by some early
settler in search of game or in de-
fense of his cabin against Indian
Iattack. The bullet is perfectly round
land of caliber not used for many
years. 1t was used in the very old
lstyle muzzle-loading rifles in vogue
1 before the breeeh-loaders came into
luse. Mr.. Fry has preserved the bull
let in the wood as he found it and
has it on exhibition at his residence
in Paxtang.
Death of Mes. Charles f. Caro-
lthers, wife of the deputy secretary
Iof agriculture, recalls an interesting
Istory about this estimable woman.
When the deputy was sheriff of
Washington county Mrs. Carothers
Hooked after the welfare of the pris-
oners and did 1t in a way that turned
lmany q man back to right ways.
from that county, and more than
one man who made good after leaving
lprison returned to call and to tell
her about it. When she was taken
lsick and suffered throughout a long
ILLNESS there were numerous bou-
Iquets and gifts sent to her by men
whom she had shown kindness in
days when they were under penalty
of the law.
William II. Ball, secretary to the
IGovernor, has received a copy of
one of the propaganda newspapers
dropped by German airplanes on
French lines last summer from his
lson-in-law, Lieutenant Wesley
Harding. The sheet is printed in
French and contains some rough
cartoons, chiefly aimed at the Eng
lish. The whole thing is a very
manifest effort to make trouble be-
tween the French and their Allies.
1t is the first copy of the kind re-
ceived at the Capitol.
Howard E. Butz, the new state
fire marshal, has the distinction of
having travelled all over Hunting
don county. He certainly knows
more people in that county than
almost any man and his acquaint-
ance in the Juniata valley is very
extensive. In Harrisburg he is we'll
known by reason of frequent visits
and his service on the district draft
board.