Region's early history marked by violence
In the late 1800s and the early 1900s, much of the violence occurred in mining and mill towns. Perhaps the most in proportion to the town size was that during the first third of the 20th century at the obscure village of Whiskey Run in Indiana County.
Whether the town name, which came from the suitability of the water in the stream contributing greatly to one community enterprise, added to the atmosphere or not, it did create outside publicity that the town received at the time.
More than 10 miles east of the town of Indiana, near the present-day site of West Lebanon, Whiskey Run was in a valley through which a stream known for its quality for whiskey making flowed.
Its violent history dates back to its 1906 inception as a coal mining town for Iselin Coal's expansion of two mines. Quick development brought miners and Italiam immigrants to hastily erected shanties and an early housing shortage.
Over its brief history, more than 25 of its murders were unsolved, although one was belatedly cleared up in 1941. As early as 1907, a headline reported ''Two Men Fall in Pistol Duel.'' Neither was killed, but feelings ran so high they had to be taken to different hospitals.
In 1909, a quarrel after a drinking session resulted in one death, a not infrequent event. Young women were also often involved.
One sensational 1910 case involved a dozen ''lonely men'' living at the same house as a young married woman. A man killed in it confessed on his deathbed that he had precipitated it by ''bothering her'' while her husband was at work.
A 1911 Indiana headline read that ''Five Were Killed As Result of Sunday Fights.'' Four were the result of a Whiskey Run quarrel over a ''pretty Indian girl.'' It was the only quadruple murder in county history.
Other examples of the town's violent existence were the murdering of the town barber in his shop, and two killings as the result of an argument at a baseball game.
By 1920, revenge killings, vendettas, Black Hand action and other elements were involved.
At that time, the town of more than 30 company houses, a company store-post office and mine offices was closemouthed. Killings were often unreported because of a community code of silence. Police and authorities got very little cooperation from residents, who considered the killings appropriate punishment.
The mines there closed in 1932, and Whiskey Run gradually became a ghost town. The small mining town made quite a mark on history with its violence and secrecy, however.
THIS DATE IN HISTORY
Townships in which March 11 has historic significance include Hanover in Washington, incorporated in 1786, and North and South Union in Fayette, which were chartered from the original Union Township in 1851.
Thus, the two that surround Uniontown are 150 years old today.
A century ago today, Andrew Carnegie's steel interests were sold to J.P. Morgan for $492 million, to be merged into the then newly formed U.S. Steel.
On this date in 1917, the power plant at the Westinghouse complex at East Pittsburgh was destroyed by fire.
Weather was a factor on March 11 on at least two occasions. In 1955, an unusual early morning storm with severe lightning, heavy rain, and winds of as much as 90 mph caused millions of dollars of damages in much of Pittsburgh and southwestern Pennsylvania.
The date was also marked by the second flood in five days at Pittsburgh in 1964.
GEN. MARTIN SIDELIGHTS
Edward Martin, from the Washington-Greene Ten Mile area, distinguished himself as a soldier, governor and U.S. senator. There were some little-known sidelights that in major fashion helped shape that career.
Born in a Democratic county (Greene) and raised in a staunch Democratic family, he rose to prominence as a Republican. He changed when, after helping extensively with the Grover Cleveland campaign, the tariff lowering had a drastic effect on his family's farm operations.
A veteran of both Spanish-American and World War I action, he was state adjutant general and commander of the 28th National Guard division when World War II broke out.
When the 28th Division was called up for active duty, he was because of age relieved as its commander and transferred to a corps headquarters administrative post.
He was on duty at that post in Ohio when he was suggested as a wartime gubernatorial candidate in his home state. To determine what to do, he consulted Army Chief of Staff Gen. George C. Marshall, also a Pennsylvania native (Uniontown) and a personal friend.
Marshall told him: ''Martin, where do you think you can serve best⢠On that swivel chair or as governor of that great arsenal of defense, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania?''
Marshall relieved him of his Army staff duty, and with strong backing of numerous state leaders, he was elected by an impressive vote margin and inaugurated as Pennsylvania governor in January 1943.
As his term neared an end, his outstanding leadership caused him to be elected as a U.S. senator, and he served there until retirement after a long and distinguished military and political career.
TAXPAYER SUBSIDY
The extent to which taxpayers should subsidize major industrial or commercial development, or even athletic stadia, has often confronted municipalities in this area.
One of the most dramatic, from the standpoint of scope, was the introduction of the Pittsburgh & Connellsville Railroad in the 1850s. The borough council at Connellsville in 1855 took on a bonded debt of $100,000 for the road.
This was said to be more than the total value of the town property. In fact, the total valuation of taxable property was but $48,480.
To meet that obligation financially, the council in 1860 took the drastic measure of assessing a railroad bond tax of 16 cents per dollar of property valuation. However, most was uncollected and uncollectable, complicating rather than solving matters.
The community concern that was set off by the initial commitment was reflected in a sharp drop in population as residents moved from Connellsville. The borough population in 1850 was 1,553. By 1860, it had dropped 36 percent to 996.
It was said that every time a locomotive whistle was heard, an inhabitant left town.
Amid much concern, many public meetings were held in churches, council explored options, many attorneys were employed and correspondence besieged railroad officials. A compromise was finally reached with railroad officials and the debt was reduced to $15,000.
A favorable court decision in 1868 enabled the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to take over the P&C, and by 1871, the railroad was completed between Cumberland and Connellsville, which made the line compete from Baltimore/Washington to Pittsburgh.
The opening of that main line put a new spin on things, and railroad commerce helped boom Connellsville. In 1870, the population was back up 1,292, and the ''coke capital'' moved rapidly ahead.
MINI-VIGNETTES
The Whiskey Rebellion in southwestern Pennsylvania in 1794 was the largest armed confrontation among Americans from the Revolution until the Civil War.
When financial planning for construction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was begun in 1937, the concept was too revolutionary for Wall Street and conventional security sale. It had to be financed with a combination of federal and state bonding and guarantees.
The disastrous explosion at Pittsburgh's Allegheny Arsenal, Sept. 17, 1862, which cost 78 lives, was the worst civilian disaster of the Civil War. Like so much regional history, the arsenal's major military importance and its role have not been fully recognized in our national heritage.
The 28th Pennsylvania National Guard division was the oldest regularly constituted unit in the nation's armed forces. It dated back to militia unit formation in this colony prior to the Revolution. Many southwestern Pennsylvania communities have had units of the 28th at times since.
Pennsylvania's first motion picture theater was the Nickelodeon at 433-435 Smithfield St. in Pittsburgh. Its program at the start about a century ago lasted 15 minutes, and 96 could be seated.
The first U.S. presidential inauguration speech to be broadcast was 80 years and one week ago at Pittsburgh. Station KDKA was able to broadcast it by getting an advance copy of President Harding's address and having someone read it on the air while he was delivering it at the nation's capital. Senior citizens will recall that March 4 was Inauguration Day then prior to the change to Jan. 20.
SPORTS HISTORY
Some sports trivia:
A college football game was once played at Pittsburgh on New Year's Day. It was in 1932, as Duquesne met Carnegie Tech in a game to help the President's Unemployment Relief program in the Depression. It resulted in a scoreless tie.
An early discriminatory situation in Pennsylvania sports was cited by Gov. Gifford Pinchot in 1933 when the state legislation to permit Sunday sports events was being debated. He argued that anyone with money enough could play golf or tennis, while those who did not have the price had no corresponding recreation. Sunday baseball and football became legal that year.
Famous baseball executive Branch Rickey, general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates through the 1950s and now in baseball's Hall of Fame, served as head football coach at Allegheny College in 1904-05. Among the losses on his two-year, 8-13 record were 50-0 to Penn State and 69-0 to Syracuse. After Allegheny, he served as athletic director and football coach at Ohio Wesleyan before turning to baseball.
One of the most famous athletes to play for Shadyside Academy a century ago was Ed Reulbach, a baseball pitcher who had a 182-106 record in 13 major league seasons beginning in 1905. Most of his career was spent with the Chicago Cubs.
Robert B. Van Atta is history editor of the Tribune-Review.
