THE NEW RAILROAD

The Erie and Central New York railroad followed the pink line on this map between Cortland and Cincinnatus, N. Y.

Train at McGrawville, N. Y.

Cortland Evening Standard, Monday, April 29, 1895.

THE NEW RAILROAD.

WORK TO BEGIN WEDNESDAY, MAY 1.

To Be Built to Cincinnatus in Short Order—Tioughnioga Bridge to Be Started At Once.

   At last the work of building the long talked about Erie and Central New York railroad is close at hand. Attorney I. H. Palmer received a letter this morning from Contractor N. A. Bundy saying that he expects to be in Cortland on Wednesday, May 1, to begin active work. He will be accompanied by Engineer Walter Meserole. All the arrangements for necessary material were made last fall, and the one thing essential to the building of the road was the actual cash in hand to pay for labor. This has now been obtained and work will be pushed.

   It seems to be the intention to build the bridge over the Tioughnioga river the first thing and thus enable a construction train to start out from Cortland working to the east. There is every reason to believe now that it will not be many weeks now before the road will be built and be in operation between Cortland and the mouth of Gee brook in Cincinnatus, and that has always been understood to be but the beginning of better things and of a short line to New York.

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.

CORA STAFFORD, AGED 14, TIRED OF LIFE.

Makes Use of Laudanum, but is Prevented From Taking all She Intended—Better To-day.

   Cora Stafford, adopted daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eli [or Ed] Stafford of 110 Groton-ave., attempted suicide at about 5 o'clock last evening in the Homer-ave. church by taking laudanum. It appears that there has been considerable idle gossip about Cora, which was entirely uncalled for. She has borne an excellent reputation in her neighborhood, but the stories which have been circulated at school and elsewhere made it very unpleasant for her. She became discouraged and said that she was tired of living, if people were going to talk like that and on Friday told Nellie Peak that she was going to kill herself. On the same day she asked Mrs. Stafford what laudanum was good for and her mother, not thinking anything wrong, replied that it was good to kill people if they were foolish enough to take it.

   Early Saturday afternoon Cora and Nellie Peak went to the drug store of Sager & Jennings and the former purchased an ounce of laudanum, saying she wanted it for toothache.

   Cora will be fourteen years of age next month and is a member of the Junior league of the Homer-ave. church and sings in the choir at league meetings, which are held at 4 o'clock Sunday afternoons. After meeting yesterday she bade her friends who were present, goodbye, told whom she desired to have for her pall bearers and said that she wanted Eddie Crozier and Abbie Daniels to sing at her funeral. She then said that she wanted to die in the church and stepped to the window in the south part of the church and drank about half of the ounce bottle of laudanum. She called to Nellie Peak, who rushed forward and knocked the bottle from her hands, but Cora gained possession of it and rushed out doors, where her cousin, Walter Stafford, secured the bottle, after a considerable struggle, and broke it.

   Cora and Nellie then went to the home of Lyman Jones on North Main-st. where the latter had been sent on an errand, but before they reached the house Cora became so weak that she had to be supported. Nellie did her errand and on their way home met Mr. Stafford, who had been informed of the affair. The girl was quite ill, but the walking was the best thing that could have happened.

   Dr. Angel was sent for and he administered an antidote and the patient was not allowed to sleep. She was soon out of danger, ate a hearty breakfast this morning and was able to give a STANDARD reporter part of the above facts.

FIRE AT J. S. SQUIRES'.

Rocking Chair Upset a Piano Lamp Saturday Night.

   What might have been a serious fire Saturday night at the home of Mr. James S. Squires, 44 Tompkins-st., was averted by the prompt action of Mrs. Squires and people who happened to be passing at the time. Mrs. Squires was reading to the children in the nursery on the west side of the house. She was seated in a rocking chair with her back toward a piano lamp. The end of one of the rockers caught under one of the legs of the lamp, upsetting it and spilling the oil which at once ignited. The room was soon filled with flames. As the lamp fell it struck a register nearly in the center of the room and rolled to the opposite side of the room from Mrs. Squires. Three times she attempted to get through the flames to the lamp to throw it out of doors, but each time her clothing caught fire and she was compelled to retreat and get bed clothing from an adjoining room to smother the flames on her person.

   About this time some gentlemen who were passing discovered the fire and rushing in threw out the lamp and burning furniture and succeeded in putting out the flames. Mrs. Squires was burned somewhat about the hands and arms; also Mr. Thomas Kane who helped in putting out the fire. A chair and book desk were damaged considerably, besides books and bed clothing. A basket of clothes standing near was entirely consumed as were several manuscripts of Mrs. Squires which were very valuable to her.

   As the lamp fell it struck the shoulder of her little daughter and her clothing was at once saturated with oil, but fortunately did not ignite.

   The loss is fully covered by insurance in the Five County Co-operative Insurance company.

TO RESUME WORK.

Cart and Carriage Co. at Factory of the Cortland Specialty Co.

   The Cortland Cart and Carriage Co., whose plant on Port Watson-st. was almost totally destroyed by fire, have moved the stock which was saved into temporary quarters in the factory of the Cortland Specialty Co. on Elm-st. opposite the Howe Stove works. The Specialty Co. are to furnish them power and they expect to begin work on a small scale this week with a force of ten or twelve men. No permanent quarters have yet been decided upon.

FAREWELL SERVICE

FOR DR. H. A. CORDO AT BAPTIST CHURCH SUNDAY NIGHT.

All Other Pastors Take Part—Splendid Addresses—A Decade of Successful Work.

   Dr H. A. Cordo on Sunday night closed a decade of extraordinarily successful work as pastor of the First Baptist church in Cortland and on Tuesday morning starts for Whitman, Mass., to begin his labors in his new field of work, where he has accepted the unanimous call to the pastorate of the Baptist church. Dr. Cordo's last day was a full one. In the morning he preached a powerful sermon, which in some respects formed a kind of parting exhortation and benediction to his beloved people. An account of this is given in another column. He also preached in the Baptist Memorial chapel and took an active part in the work of both Sunday-schools.

   In the evening a farewell service was tendered to him by the pastors of the other churches. At an early hour the Baptist church was crowded to its utmost capacity. The aisles were filled with chairs, the platform itself surrounding the seats of the speakers was fully occupied, the open space at the rear of the seats and clear out into the vestibules on both sides was filled with people standing, while many went away unable to gain admittance.

   Rev. J. L. Robertson of the Presbyterian church as the senior pastor in Cortland in point of service presided. After a splendid organ voluntary by Mr. Bentley and a fine anthem by the choir, Rev. H. W. Carr, pastor of the Universalist church, read the Scripture lesson from Acts xx beginning at the 17th verse, Paul's parting words to the church at Ephesus. Rev. J. L. Robertson offered prayer. The congregation then sang "Blest be the Tie that Binds."

   The first speaker was Rev. H. W. Carr. Mr. Carr said all men admire strength, courage, patriotism and self-sacrifice. He spoke of the work of some of the great religious reformers and showed how they possessed these qualities. He referred to Budha, Mohammed, Wesley, Calvin, Whitfield and finally to Christ as the greatest and only perfect reformer. He mentioned other kinds of reform and called attention to Garrison, Phillips and Dr. Parkhurst. Narrowing the circle he spoke of Dr. Cordo as a reformer in Cortland, as an advocate of good government and of right.  He spoke of the power of Dr. Cordo's words, and illustrated by the story of the two great Attic orators. When the first had finished, the people said, "Magnificent, incomparable;'' when the second had finished the people were on their feet with the words "Let. us go and fight." Dr. Cordo's words always affected him in the latter way, he forgot the man in the enthusiasm aroused in the cause. Mr. Carr closed with a reference to Dr. Cordo's friendliness and his friendship for him.

   The congregation then sang Coronation and Dr. L. H. Pearce, pastor of the  First M. E. church was called for. The doctor said he belonged to the flying artillery of the militant church, subject to constant orders to move on. He was accustomed to hear the order to strike tents and double quick. He was the latest comer of the ministerial brotherhood in Cortland, but he yielded to none in his esteem for Dr. Cordo. The flowers which he would toss at Dr. Cordo's feet were not artificial ones grown for the occasion, but were genuine, grown from the seeds in his own heart which Dr. Cordo had planted there. Dr. Pearce said that Dr. Cordo was pre-eminently a preacher, and he was a man of pre-eminent ability as a preacher. If this Baptist pulpit had not held a preacher for the last ten years, there was not a preacher in this town. The pulpit was his throne. Preaching is the chief prerogative of the Christian minister. Other things enter into the pastor's duties, but if he is weak as a preacher, his pastorate will not be strong. Dr. Pearce believed that chiseled over the door of Dr. Cordo's ministerial temple when he began his work in the ministry must have been the Pauline words, "Preach the word." Dr. Pearce then proceeded to analyze Dr. Cordo's preaching, and he found that it contained five elements each of which he enlarged upon to a considerable extent. These elements are that his preaching is Biblical, it is spiritual, it is evangelical, it is scholarly and it is characteristic.

   After the singing of Rock of Ages by the congregation, Rev. C. E. Hamilton, pastor of the Homer-ave. M. E. church spoke for a brief period. Mr. Hamilton referred to the bond of union which existed between the six ministers represented. Three of them, he said, were now in the ripeness of advanced years, and three were still what might be called "boys" in their work. This fact had been good for all. The youth of the "boys" had kept the older ones fresh and boyish in heart and the experience and ripeness of the older ones had tended to keep the "boys" on their mettle and stimulate them to their best paces. He wanted to make special mention of Dr. Cordo's friendliness to him. He well remembered the delightful letter which he had received from him when the Homer-ave. church was first dedicated and when he had been assigned as its first pastor. If any one, he said, had missed of snugging up to Dr. Gordo's great heart, he didn't know what he had missed. He felt, now that Dr. Cordo was to go, like saying with Elisha of old "My father, my father." Inference had been made to Dr. Cordo as a scholar. He wanted to say that this is the chief essential of a minister. A minister may have great success in many ways, but to make a long and successful pastorate a man must be able to stand in the fore front of the people to whom he is to minister. A minister used to be almost the sole arbiter of educational matters in a community. There is danger now of the pendulum swinging to the other extreme, of a desire to get a man who is called "a hustler," a man great in raising money, a man of affairs, and a man not enough of a scholar and a preacher. A young minister is foolish who neglects his study and the Book of Books. He should every day be contributing to a stock for to-morrow and the next day. This church cannot appreciate the good which has come to other young ministers in the past ten years by the scholarly presence of its pastor. But a man of culture may not be deficient in heart qualities, and this man was not. We of the ministers' association, perhaps better than the people of his church, know how thorough a scholar Dr. Cordo is. We were always careful to guard our words in Biblical discussions in his presence, for he was always watchful never to have the words of the Bible misconstrued or misinterpreted in his presence, and he was quick to challenge such words. We often remarked that he is an up-to date scholar. He always knows all about the freshest books and the latest periodicals. This church loses a young man, in that Dr. Cordo has all the freshness of youth with all the fire and ripeness and experience of years.

   Rev. W. H. Pound, pastor of the Congregational church, was then called for, but he had not yet arrived. Mr. Pound had an engagement of a year's standing to preach the annual sermon before the Odd Fellows upon this evening and according to their ritual the service could not be postponed.

   Mr. Robertson and Dr. Cordo then arose and, facing each other in the pulpit, Mr. Robertson as senior pastor in Cortland addressed to the retiring pastor formal words of farewell, not only for himself and his church, but for the ministerial association as well. Mr. Robertson said in brief: It now becomes my duty as senior pastor to express to you the sincere regret which we feel to lose you from our number, and the hearty desire and prayer that God's blessing may go with you and abide upon you in your new field. Various things conspire to cause this regret. You have heard the things which have been satd. We are all of one mind. You have commanded our confidence. Of your habitual ministry we have a high appreciation. The strong language of Dr. Pearce is not above our estimate. He has said that you are a Biblical preacher. You are not a preacher of your own theories and ideas, but of God's word. "What is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord." We regret that the voice is silenced in Cortland which has been wont to utter no uncertain sound. We shrink from losing the sound of the voice that has been tested. We pastors have realized your scholarship and this makes the parting the harder for us. Yet there is a thing of a more tender sort that causes regret—we have been brought into such intimate personal contact with you. We have sung to-night:

"We share our mutual woes,

Our mutual burdens bear."

   This is one side, but there is another. We have been very near together. The churches have worked well together. We pastors have felt specially near to each other. We have felt each other's pulses and looked into each other's hearts. They are no empty words when we say that we know you. We feel a personal love for you in addition to the love which your church and the community feels for you. Yet we are still to engage in the same work, we are under the same Ruler and we can still commit each other to his loving care. I give you my right hand as an assurance on the part of us all of the deep regret which we feel at your departure, and express the heartfelt wish that the last days of your work may be the best days of all.

   The choir then sang with much feeling and expression a very beautiful anthem, "Abide With Me," composed by the organist, Mr. B. L. Bentley, and dedicated by him to Dr. Cordo.

   During the singing Rev. Mr. Pound had come in, his services having closed, and in brief words he voiced his regret at Dr. Cordo's departure. He said that the standing of this pastor is not limited to his people. All the churches feel that they have a claim upon Dr. Cordo. His voice is everywhere heard on the side of law and order. He is considerate of the rights of other churches. His heart is full of interest in and kindly feeling for other churches. Mr. Pound referred to Dr. Cordo's work last year in the union revival services and his co- operation with others in the efforts put forth. He spoke of Dr. Cordo's words to himself on the occasion of his own installation when Dr. Cordo, in behalf of the Cortland pastors, had extended a greeting to him and has given him some good advice.

   Mr. Robertson then called upon Dr. Cordo himself for some final words. The doctor said he had determined long ago not to say any farewell words, but the action of his co-laborers in tendering to him this service had caused him to change his decision. He had thought that it might be easy to lay down his work here after the ten years' work, but he found many detaining bands when [it] came to go. He thought of the near 450 people to whom he had given the right hand of church fellowship in this room, and these people formed a band not easy to break, He had gone to the cemetery with many of his people, as they had laid away the remains of loved friends and he had sympathized and prayed with them in their grief and this formed a band not easy to break. He had stood with many at the marriage altar and had blessed their marriage vows and, as he had afterwards looked into the happy homes that proceeded from these vows he found that this formed a band not easy to break. He thought of the nearly 4,000 sermons and religious addresses which he had delivered within those walls and those formed a band not easy to break. He thought of the gatherings in the room below and this formed a band not easy to break. He thought of the regrets expressed on every hand almost every time he had been on the street during the last four months since he had given notice of his intention to resign at the end of his decade of work and he found that this formed a band not easy to break. The doctor referred to the resolutions that had been passed by his church, by the Memorial chapel, by the Sunday-schools of each, by the temperance societies in town, by the Ministerial association, and he found these actuated by a feeling which made another band not easy to break, He referred to the words of his brothers in the ministry, to their work together and said that he could reciprocate all the kind things that they had said. Dr. Cordo then spoke of the reference to the fact that his pulpit had been a Biblical pulpit and he devoted the remainder of his words to reiterating the articles of his faith and belief. He said that he desired that his parting exhortation to his people should be, be loyal to Jesus Christ.

   The doctor was very visibly affected, as he referred to the expressions of regard and affection manifested by his associates and friends, but when he turned to the matter of his faith and belief his words were delivered with a power, and earnestness and force probably never excelled in any of his pulpit efforts.

   Rev. Mr. Hamilton offered the concluding prayer and then the congregation joined in the chorus of the familiar hymn "God be with You till We Meet Again," Mr. C. F. Brown singing the solo.

   In pronouncing the benediction over his people for the last time Dr. Cordo prefaced it with the words of Paul to the church at Corinth as found in II Corinthians xiii: 11, "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you.''

   The organ postlude which was remarkably fine was played by Miss Carrie D. Halbert, organist at the Presbyterian church.

HOMES DEPARTMENT.

Gleaning of New From Our Twin Village.

   Superintendent Dunston of the Traction Co. was in town this morning and accompanied by the street committee, the president of the village and street commissioner, inspected the road to decide where it should be graded this spring.

   The Water Works company's men are repairing a leak in the water main in front of Dr. L. W. Potter's residence on Main-st.

   The pleasant weather yesterday called out many cyclists and drivers. The Traction company did a good business and the delightful walks and drives in and about this village were frequented by many pleasure seekers.

   The grocery firm of Smith & Eadie have dissolved partnership by mutual consent. Mr. Smith, the senior partner, will carry on the business alone.

   Mr. Gransberry has started out with a produce wagon with which he will make regular trips to the farm houses in Scott and Spafford. Mr. Gransberry started on his first trip this morning.

   The local baseball season has been inaugurated and although the series did not open very auspiciously for the home team, their ardor is by no means dampened by the first defeat. A fair-sized audience assembled at the fair grounds on Saturday afternoon in spite of the disagreeable weather. The Homer Stars and the Cortland Normals crossed bats promptly at 3 o'clock. Prof. Banta of Cortland umpired the game. Both teams played well and the contest was uncertain as to the result for seven innings when the Cortland boys proved themselves masters of the situation. The players were:

   Homer—Pimm, Gerard, Bates, Norton, Wiegand, Briggs, Burnham, Bosworth, Davis.

   Cortland—Mooney, Morey, Matteson, Beardslee, Burkee, Dugan, Stoddard, Doughty, Mead.

BREVITIES.

   —Edwin Robbins has aided a cash register to his well appointed cigar store.

   —An adjourned meeting of the board of trustees will be held this evening.

   —H. B. Hubbard put a handsome new delivery wagon on the street this morning.

   —Some of the temperance people call Ithaca a temperance town with a rum breath.—Ithaca Democrat.

   —J. M. Churchill has opened a general grocery in the store formerly occupied by D. Delaney in the Churchill building on North Main-st.

   —Mr. Enos E. Mellon is improving. He is able to sit up some and his mind is getting clearer. He was yesterday removed to the home of Mr. D. F. Wallace on Church-st.

   —The Clef society gave a very pleasant recital at Miss C. A. Covil's studio last Friday evening. The society has more than doubled its numbers since it was organized a year ago, so it is thought best to give the recitals at her studio instead of at the homes of the members as heretofore.

   —Dr. F. D. Reese is in a very serious condition from pneumonia. Dr. Higgins said to-day that the next twenty-four hours would doubtless be the critical period with him. He is delirious most of the time. There are some more favorable symptoms to-day and strong hopes are entertained for his recovery.