DEATH OF COL. ANDREW J. MCNETT

Maj. Andrew J. McNett.

The Cortland Democrat, Friday, March 15, 1895.

DEATH OF COL. ANDREW J. MCNETT.

   Col. Andrew J. McNett of the United States Army, retired, died at his home in Belmont, Allegany county, last Friday at the age of 74 years. The death of this gallant officer recalls some important local events that happened in this place in 1861, some of which will be remembered by the older citizens of the county.

   The old 76th Regiment was recruited in this county and its headquarters were on the fair grounds until it was finally ordered to the front late in the fall of that year. Col. McNett, who had a company raised in Allegany county, came here with his men and joined the regiment with the understanding that he was to be commissioned Major.

   One Nelson W. Green, then a resident of Cortland, had passed some time at West Point and because of his supposed knowledge of military affairs, was commissioned Colonel. He at once began to carry a very high hand and assumed to be dictator of the region hereabouts and was reported to have made threats against certain individuals of the town as well as the town itself. His queer antics were tolerated because of the great excitement caused by the war.

   McNett was a Democrat and a man of ability and it was said that Green was jealous of him, fearing that he would outstrip him in the race for military glory. The citizens of this place were considerably surprised when they learned that Col. Green had ordered McNett to be arrested and confined in the guard house on the fair grounds. It was a plain board structure and illy ventilated and insufferably hot.

   A day or so after his confinement began, McNett asked permission of his guard to stand by the door for a breath of air. The guard granted him that permission. Soon after Green rode up to the door on his coal black war horse and ordered him to retire. McNett paid no heed to the order but stood with folded arms looking at his superior officer. Green then drew his revolver and fired three shots, if we remember correctly, directly at McNett's head, two of them taking effect. One of them came near ending the latter's earthly career, but he finally recovered and was assigned to another regiment He proved to be a brave and an intelligent officer, joined the regular army and was made Brigadier General by Brevet for meritorious conduct in Sherman's Georgia campaign.

   One hot afternoon in the early part of the summer of 1862, people on Main St., in this village, were surprised to see Col. Green riding up Main-st. on his black horse alone. Bands, banners and bayonets were made conspicuous by their absence and the dash and spirit he exhibited when he rode to the front at the head of one of the star regiments of the state, had left him. It was understood that he had been dismissed from the service and that the only blood he shed during his great military career was when he performed the heroic act of shooting a defenseless man in the guard house.

   Green was indicted for shooting McNett and after many delays the case was finally brought to trial at the circuit court held in this village. The jury was composed of Republicans and the result of the trial was a disagreement of the jury. Col. McNett never asked for a second trial.

   Some time after Green returned home he filed a claim to be granted a patent on the driven well, claiming to be the original inventor. He insisted that while the regiment was quartered on the fair grounds, he had ordered a well of that description put down on the grounds and that this was the first one ever put down. Byron Mudge, who put down the well, had already filed a caveat and a large amount of evidence was taken and much time was consumed by these two contestants, when Mudge finally dropped out of the contest. Why he dropped the matter no one seems to know.

   Green claimed that he ordered Mudge to put down the well while the latter insisted that he put it down without Green's knowledge. Green finally secured the letters patent and sold his rights to W. D. Andrews & Bro. of Brooklyn and much litigation followed over claims for royalty. Andrews & Bro. were finally beaten in the case.

   While Green was at the front James Suggett of this place had secured letters on the invention and the late Judge Duell became interested with him. It was strongly suspected at the time, that the wiley lawyer advised Green to make a contest for the purpose of standing both him and Mudge off, until he and Suggett could dispose of their entire rights in the latter's patent. That was the result at any rate.

HE HAS NO DIPLOMA.

But "Prof." Allard Prescribed for a Watertown Woman.

(From the Syracuse Courier.)

   WATERTOWN, March 13.—"Professor" C. B. Allard of Cortland, who advertises as an optician and fitter of eye glasses, is in trouble here. Allard has been posing as an oculist and a specialist in the diseases of the eye. He even went so far as to write a prescription for Mrs. John Hayes of this city for a blood tonic. The prescription was filled at a drug store and then Allard made himself amenable to the law.

   Local physicians secured the services of a private detective, who looked up evidence against Allard. When confronted, he confessed that he held no State diploma and that he had not registered. He agreed to leave town if proceedings were dropped.

   Allard is a native of Cortland where he has a wife and children. He is a traveling optician, and has branch offices in Syracuse, Utica and other cities.

Joyfully! Joyfully!

   A large company of young men, all of whom were Normal students, serenaded Dr. F. W. Higgins at his home on Lincoln-ave. Tuesday evening. "My Country 'tis of Thee," was sung, which was responded to by a brief but excellent speech by the doctor. The air was then filled by three rousing cheers for the new village president, good night was said and all returned to their homes with happy hearts.

  COM.

PAGE FOUR—EDITORIALS.

   ◘ The promoters of the Citizen's movement in this village secured a great victory last Tuesday. What will they do with it?

   ◘ The recklessness with which the anonymous editors of the Citizens Appeal handled the English language and the audacity displayed in distorting facts, would keep them in hot water if they had the courage to come out into the open.

   ◘ Senator Platt of Connecticut thinks that the Republicans are to be commended for opposing all legislation in Congress. As obstructionists they cannot be beaten. They would not permit any bill to pass that was likely to benefit the country for fear that the Democratic party would be entitled to the credit.

   ◘ The Republicans at Albany seem to be drunk with power. They are not only laying schemes to unseat Democratic assemblymen but they are breaking every rule of the civil service in order to secure all the offices. If they are unable to secure the places in any other way they propose to legislate Democrats out of office.

   ◘ If the Democrats of this village had all cast their ballots for the straight Democratic ticket last Tuesday, the entire ticket would have been elected. As a rule, when Democrats have an opportunity to win, they refuse or neglect to take advantage of it. The town would have been benefitted by the selection of experienced and competent officials.

   ◘ For some days past the Daily Standard has been filled with correspondence from anonymous writers. The correspondence was about equally divided between the supporters of the regular and the irregular Republican [Citizens' Movement] village tickets. The articles were mainly remarkable for the very bad temper exhibited, but it was a sort of Kilkenney fight and pleased those who were not interested.

Intolerant Republicans.

   A communication was printed in the Cortland Daily Standard last Monday evening calling on the Republicans who were engineering the citizens' movement to support one of the candidates on the Republican ticket for school commissioner, on the ground that he had made an efficient officer and should be re-elected and the writer appealed to the well known bigotry and intolerance of Republicans in these words:

   "Many of the citizens' party claim to be as good Republicans as those who do not indorse [sic] them, yet they nominate a Democrat in place of Mr. Smith, and ask their Republican friends to vote for a Democrat, as against him. Do we want a Democrat board of commissioners in this Republican town? Is this point not worthy consideration at the polls to-morrow?"

   The article was signed "One of the present Board." The spirit of intolerance exhibited in this communication is worthy or the old Spanish inquisitions. It hardly seems possible in this enlightened age that a man could be elected to a seat on the school board, who entertains such benighted and unworthy opinions of his fellow men and neighbors. That he should have the effrontery and excessive gall to print them is certainly beyond belief.

   Does any one in this community believe for one moment that Mr. Jayne, the only Democrat nominated for school commissioner on the Citizens ticket, or Messrs. C. Fred Thompson and Geo. C. Hubbard, the candidates on the Democratic ticket, are not in every respect the equals of the candidate he extols? There are nine school commissioners on the board and every one of them are Republicans. When the law was passed, it divided the members as near equally as possible between the two parties and the law intended that substantially that division should be observed in the future, but when that eminent champion of Republican bigotry. Mr. Clark [publisher of the Standard], brought the question of polities into our charter elections the Democrats on the board were soon side-tracked, owing to the large Republican majority in the village.

   Democrats pay taxes in support of the schools and certainly ought to have some representation on the board. Taxation without representation caused trouble in this country some years ago.

   The article was aimed at Mr. Jayne, mainly because he is a Democrat and happened to be on the Citizens' ticket and stood a good chance of election. The members of the present board evidently don't want to have a Democrat on the board. If there had been one on the board when the Central school building was built, the taxpayers might possibly have been able to read a report of the building committee. It would have been interesting to know where the original appropriation of $30,000 went to and who profited by it.

   We think we can promise the people that Mr. Jayne, who was elected in spite of the efforts of the school board to defeat him, will not furnish supplies for the school in direct violation of the statute. The election of one or even of four Democrats to the school board would still have left the Republicans in the majority. Was there not some other and stronger reason why the Republican school board objected so strenuously to the election of a Democrat? Who can tell?

HERE AND THERE.

   Prof. Jourdanais, the eye specialist, will be at Jewett's jewelry store to-day and to-morrow.

   Bingham & Miller call attention to their large stock of spring hats in an advertisement in another column.

   D. E. Shepard, Homer's popular dry good's merchant, is in New York this week for spring goods. Look for bargains in all departments.

   Mr. C. Fred Thompson expects to receive 35,000 trout fry from Caledonia next Monday which will be placed in the streams in this vicinity.

   The Cortland Standard Printing Co. has just added a new Pony Whitlock press to their press room. It seems to be a fine piece of machinery.

   Parties who are and have been engaged in shooting ducks on both the east and west branch of the Tioughnioga river since March 1st should know that they are liable to a fine of $25 for each duck killed.

   Last Friday morning Bert Rood, an employe [sic] in the Cortland Harness and Carriage Goods Company's shops, fell from the elevator to the cement floor in the basement and broke his left wrist. Dr. Reese reduced the fracture.

   The regular meeting of the W. C. T. U. will be held Saturday, March 16, at 2: 30 P. M. Consecration service conducted by Miss Libbie Robertson. Program for the hour in charge of the chairman of the finance committee.

   A operation for double hernia was performed on Mr. E. E. Ellis of this place on Tuesday evening by Dr. Robert T. Morris of New York, assisted by Dr. Nash of this place and Dr. Rood of Etna. There is every indication that the operation was a successful one.

   The supervisors, town clerks and commissioners of highways now holding office will have the honor of being the only officers in said offices, holding over for two years. The law has been repealed. It is just as easy to elect all town officers every year as part of them.

   Mr. A. S Brown of this place and T. E. Dye of Cincinnatus are erecting a cold storage building 40x64 feet and three stories high east of the E. C. & N. station. The ice will be ground on the third story and conducted to the first story by pipes for the cold storage of eggs.

   The repairs on the new hospital building are nearly completed and it will be ready for occupancy April 1st. Arrangements are being made for a reception and supper to be given on the afternoon and evening of March 27. Let all who are interested in a most worthy cause remember the date and come out to this opening reception.

   Last Friday morning as one of Garrity's bus teams was returning from the E. C. & N. station, the horses were frightened by the electric car which came up behind and a close race ensued up South Main-st. The whiffletree bolt jumped out in front of Nottingham's shop and leaving the bus, the horses ran up Main-st. and were stopped near St. Mary's church after one of the animals had tumbled down and been dragged some distance by the other. They beat the car.