Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-02-13
Ehrnttg Gl1at

ings have added so much to the
store OF local history not only in
Dauphin, but in Cumberland and
FRANKLIN counties, has called atten-
tlon to the fact that the Lafayette 1
cannon which was reported as again
discovered at the State Arsenal,
was presented to the republic right
atter the conclusion of the Revolu-
uon. In reality the cannon once
more discovered is one of three
ana with its companion pieces and
TWO others from. another war re-
pose on trestle in the State Arsenal
yard. State military people say 1t
has been there for years and was
! never slowed away in the basement
OF the Arsenal at all. Mr.. Mead,
who gave the history of the cannon
in the address he delivered at the
annual meeting of the State Fed
Grafton of Historical Societies during
his presidency, worked out the his
tory of the pieces and sets forth
the fact that the cannon that was
discovered" again and the other
four pieces used to be in the State
capitol Park. The trestle which
heid them was climbed over by many
juvenile Harrisburger and terrible
battles were fought in imagination
by boy gunners who manned" the
old cannon which faced toward the
Cumberland hills.
Mr.. Mead says that when the War
for Independence ended three can
non, appropriately marked and all
nne, were presented by Lafayette to
the Continental Congress at Phila-
delphia. The so-called Lafayette
| cannon, with the arms on it, was
| one of them Whnn in
the State of Pennsylvania succeeded
to many things which the Congress
possessed the state officials became
| trustees for the old French pieces,
which had been brought over by
Lafayette when he came to the aid
of the struggling colonies and fol-
lowed the migration of the capital
of the Commonwealth from Philadel-
phia to Lancaster and then to the
banks of the Susquehanna. They
were placed in the Arsenal which
was originally built in the park
where our grandfathers and great
grandfathers looked them over
When Scott captured most of the
Mexican cannon at Cerrogordo he
sent two o/Pennsylvania and the
five pieces were mounted on a trestle
and placed on the west side of the
Mexican monument built in Capitol
Park. This monument which was
later moved to its present location
was surrounded with fence made
of muskets of the Mexican War.
This fence was taken apart when the
monument was moved and the mus
kets were packed away in the cellar
of the present Arsenal, which re-
placed the Capitol Arsenal some
years after the Civil War. Mr.. Mead
gives a detailed description of the
pieces, including those taken in
Mexico and makes n plea for the
State is so rich and which it is
the hope of everyone interested in
the story of the Keystone State to
have gathered together and the parts
they played told to the children
When the new buildings are erected
in Capitol Park provision will be
made for an enlarged State Museum
in which can be grouped many OBJ
jects which would cheerfully be pre-
sented 10 the State IL suitable and
Icommodious quarters were available.
Legislative news flies, but tt does
not always fly with accuracy. Last
evening a girl at one of the moving
picture places was compelled to halt
in the midst of sales of tickets to
take her part in this:
"Will the show be put on Sunday
night? So.
show Sunday"
Guess, you'll be selling tickets
here next Sunday all right"
Say, go on. How many Whats
biting you?"
New law allows Sunday movies"
"Ain't come here yet"
"Aw call IN the Capitol and find
out"
The epidemic of chicken pox which
exists in some wards of the city
is giving the usual amount of an
novance to DIR. j. NJ. ]. Raunick'
the city's health officer. One man
threatened to appeal to the STATE
if his neighbors were not compelled
to observe quarantine because OF
nrevalence of the ailment. Just the
contrary view was held by another
man who stormed because he did
not think a card should be put up.
Observers of traffic on the Penn
sylyania and Reading systems say
that there is considerable more coal
moving now than there was last
] January in spite of the demands due
J 70 ths winter conditions. The Penn
sylvania has been sending east huge
trains, it's movement being helped
by the open winter, while the Read
ing traffic, which is helped out by the
III. S, A." engines, seems almost
like a continuous procession of coal
cars over the bridge at Vine street
sizes of the coal ears appear to have
materially increased, too.
lust as an illustration of the way
some of the counties of Pennsylva-
mia are going at the perpetuation OF
what their sons did in the great war;
J II NAV be said that in Warren coun-
tv a historical organization has pub
) Iished an illustrated book OF what
Warren county did in various lines OF
war activity. 1t contains not only
the names of all the men sent out
under the draft, but photograph OF
every draft contingent that went out
from Warren county. Names OF men
, who enlisted are also given and the
hook shows what an alert ana Wig
, orous county can do. The book is the
! first in the field.