Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 5, Number 305, Decatur, Adams County, 19 December 1907 — Page 1

Volume V. Number 305

DINNERS FOR POOR The Elks Will Make Many Homes Happy on the Christmas Day. CHEER AND COMFORT Will Be Contained in the Baskets to be Delivered Tuesday Afternoon.

The local order of Elks, in so fai as they are able, are going to make many a home happy on next Wednes day, Ghristmae, by delivering to the various homes of the poor of our citj a Christmas dinner. The entire pro ceedings have been placed in thf hands of a committee, who for the pasi week have been searching every nool and corner of our city for those whc would accept a little cheer of this kind.and who were worthy and whc would appreciate the same. Some thing like a hundred baskets will be delivered by the Elks special deliv ery wagon, which will start on this worthy mission on next Tuesday after noon. The baskets are to contain a substantial Christmas dinner consisting of a chicken, potatoes, celery, cos fee, bread and butter, and cranberries and will be filled according to the size of the family to which it is to be delivered. This sort of Christmas cheer is the real thing, as it helps to keep body and soul together and gives the poor a taste of the good things of fife that generally goes to only those who are rich and can afford the same. The delivery wagon will start from the Elks hall and will be in charge of the committee, who has at this time a complete list of those who will accept and by evening every one of these homes will be provided with a substantial and real Christmas dinner. This is a step in the right direction and the Elks should be congratulated upon their move as many a home that in the past has spent Christmas with an empty larder will this year be able to set down to a meal that will be fit for a king and will have some cause for giving thanks. The Elks is one of the greatest charitable organizations in the world and hundreds and hundreds of dollars are spent yearly in bringing comfort ad cheer to homes that are barren and desolate. o —

A MUSIC SCHOOL Prof. True Fristoe One of the Promoters of Such An Institution. AT TROY. OHIO Forms a Partnership With Prof. DeVai, a French Musician. True Fristoe, the Decatur boy, who for the past three months nas been at Troy, Ohio, whore he has been employed at the Orpheum theater as pianoist has entered Into a new field in the musical line and has formed a ■ co-partnership with a young French- | man by the name of DeVai, of that city, and they, operating under the name of Fristoe & DeVai have opened B up a school of music. They have enB gaged a suit of rooms at Troy, which ■ B have been furnished completely with B musical instruments and already have B a class of something near fifty pupils. ■ Mr. Fristoe's ability is well known B here among his associates and he is B considered a thorough musician and ■ that he has not taken this step sooner is a mystery to his many’ friends. There Is no question but that he will ■ ' succeed, as he is competent in every H respect. Mr. Fristoe will arrive in I Decatur Sunday and will take and asB sume control of the musical part of B the Elks minstrels sho wthat is to be H given January first at the Bosse ■ opera house. B o ■ Work is going merrily along at the B Brackett and Ward offices and they B will soon be well equipped with the B necessary parapharnalia to conduct | their business. Several stenographers | are busy now and a larger force will ■ be working the near future.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT.

should think practically. State Superintendent's Cotton’s Newest Idea. Indianapolis, Dec. 19. —in fifteen days John’s cow gave 63 gallons and 3 quarts of milk; how many pounds of milk each day did John’s cow give, and is that an average for a good cow? Thus would Fassett A. Cotton, state superintendent of public Instruction, have the school teachers of the fourth grades of the state of Indiana make the pupils think along practical lines. In his December bulletin, which was issued yesterday to the teachers of the state, Superintendent Cotton suggests such a question, with, of course, some explanation as to how much milk is required to make a pound. The bulletin for this month is devoted almost entirely to impressing on the teachers the importance of using con- ' Crete illustrations when dealing with the subjects of arithmetic and geography. HAPPY MOMENTS Were Those Spent at a Surprise Given for Grandma Gunsett. SHAKESPEARE CLUB Held Most Enjoyable Meeting of the Season—Mr. and Mrs. Lyons to Entertain.

Grandma Gunsett was a victim of a birthday surprise at the country home of her son, Mr. Henry Gunsett, south of the city, yesterday. When the time came for grandma to leave her home at Thirteenth street to spend the day in the country, she decided to stay at home and finish her quilt. I Before convincing her she must go, her son was compelled to give a small inkling of what was doing by telling her that Mrs. J. C, Lutz and Mrs. James Fristoe were their guests for the day, so finally she gave in and proceeded to the home. An hour after their arrival, Mr. Thomas Perkins with a sled load of ladies, and Mrs. James Fristoe and Mrs. Ed Lyons with carriages, drove into the yard and completed the surprise by stating to the honored guest that they had come to spend the day and to celebrate her sixty-ninth birthday anniversary. The company was composed •of Dr. S. D. Beaver’s Bible class, of which grandma Gunsett is a regular member, and a few outside guests. At twelve o’clock fourteen guests at a time were shown into the dining room where a large table was fairly groaning under the load of eatables. A description of the dinner could not be given by pen; all we need to mention is that very little was left. The afternoon passed by swiftly. At threethirty o’clock the company commenced to disband for their homes. Before leaving they sang “Blesseid Be the Tide that Binds" and Mr. Thomas Perkins’ led in prayer, after which they sang the closing hymn. “God be with You Till We Meet Again.” This part of the closing scene was very impressive to each member of the party. The class members who enjoyed such a pleasant day were: Mesdames Fannie Fristoe, Violet Perkins, Grandma Lutz, Samantha Dorwin, Julia Moses, Nettie Schrock, Mary Steele, Mary True, Haley Lee, Orpha Erwin, Edith Duer, Anna Lutz, Vinnle Lyons, Ida Beavers, Etta Tague. Outside guests were: Mr. and Mrs. Henry Gunsett, Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Gunsett, Thomas Perkins, James Fristoe, Mrs. Dottie Parent, Doris Erwin, Piney Lyons, Bertie Gunsett, Lida Gunsett. During the day. a beautiful set of furs were presented to Grandma Gunsett by Mrs. S. D. Beavers in behalf of the Sunday school class as a remembrance.

The most successful meeting of the Ladies’ Shakespeare club of this season was held at the home of Mrs. Elizabeth Morrison on Jefferson street, yesterday afternoon. The meeting opened with a very excellent paper on the continuation of the subject, music, given by the hostess, while each member had a sub-topic which were arranged in a very careful manner. BeI tween the readings of the different papers, the company was favored by instrumental and vocal solos rendered by Miss Herminta Weiking, of Bluffton, and Mrs. John Niblick, while m(Ooatinuod on ps«e

Decatur, Indiana, Thursday Evening December Iq it: 7

HEADSTOGETHER Not Much Legislation this Session of Congress. THE PARING KNIFE No Currency Law—A DoNothing Session this Time. t Washington, December 19. —The Rei publican leaders in congress have had i their heads together and they now j have a pretty general idea as to the legislative program for this session of congress. Their decision may be summed up as follows: A currency bill will represent the .only general legislation of the session. Appropriations will be scaled down to the lowest possible figure. The legislative body will not commit itself hastily to projects which will call for a large expenditure of money in the future. The work of the session will be so so shaped as to make it possible to adjourn early in May. There is small prospect of enacting a currency law early in the new year. Adjournment will be taken next Saturday until the first week in January and it is not planned to give any serious thought to currency legislation until after the holidays. The leaders say a bill may possibly be introduced soon after the re-assembling of the body, but there are indications that senators and representatives will wish to debate the subject at length, and it will not be a surprise if the talk runs unchecked until March or April.

Washington, December 19. —A delegation of prominent Philadelphia Republicans waited on Representative Charles B. Landis today, and invited him to make an address at the Union 'League banquet in Philadelphia on the ’evening of February 12. It is likely that he will accept the invitation. o Chalmer, the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Porter, who, for the past week has been very ill with lagrippe, and catarrhal fever, is improving slowly and it is thought that he will soon recover. K. P. COMMITTEE Meet at Bluffton Today to Arrange Program for District Meeting. JANUARY SIXTEENTH C. M. Hower, the Delegate from Decatur, on Program Committee. C. M. Hower went to Bluffton this morning to represent the Decatur order of the K. P. lodge in a meeting which was held there tcyiay for the purpose of arranging the program for the district meeting to be held January sixteenth at that place. A representative of each order in the district was present to have a voice in the arrangements for this event and from indications, it will eclipse all former occasions of its nature. At the district meeting degree work will be conferred, speeches made by representatives from the different orders. Good music will be had and an elaborate banquet will be served after the work is conferred. This district includes all the lodges in Adams, Wells, Jay and Blackford counties and it is understood that large delegations from each place will attend this, the most important meeting of the year. Men of prominence will be on the program for speches, musicians of ability will furnish the melodies, and degree teams of the best will confer the work. A large delegation from this city will, in all probability attend this meeting and the K. P.’s are preparing to have the time of their life on January the sixteenth, 1908. The program will be published in this paper in the near I future.

|K ar*-" " 'vSSF' * W * wMMr JmK >.k w L 4- 18. i 1 1 w - 'v ■ ■ JMKsSI I 1 J? 4 11 A ! T - f -J LI wtla 1-r j I O- f EMA7V6i7' Sb CHILDRENS RECORD J* Ge good little boys and girls, be good this week if you ever was in your life, ’cause Old Santa is busy looking you up, getting ready for his big trip next Wednesday night. If you have been naughty, tel Imamma and papa you are sorry and show them you are by being better tomorrow. Santa will know it and remember vou on Xmas.

TRIAL PROGRESSES Much Interest Manifested in the Legal Battle Now on in Court. THE FERTILIZER CASE Every Inch of the Way is Being Contested by the Able Attorneys. The legal battle to determine whether or not Kalver & Hurst shall continue their fertilizer plant at their present location, north of the city, is progressing as speedily as is usual in such matters. Every step is being contested, inch by inch, the records are being carefully preserved and it is quite probable that the cause will ultimately land in the supreme court. The state is still offering evidence and it is hardily probably that the cause will go to the jury before next Monday or Tuesday. There seems to be quite a division of opinion as to the merits of the case. One side argues that the stench is objectionable and annoying, the other that it is operated in a sanitary manner and a good thing for the community. A large number of people from the immediate neighborhood, where the plant is located, have testified and they seem determined in their ideas that the factory is a nuisance. The defendants have a large number of witnesses who will testifiy in their behalf and the progress of the trial is being watched with interest over this county. THEY MEET AT WINCHESTERRepublican District Cotivention on January 14. Anderson, Ind., Dec. 19. —District Chairman John H. Terhune issued a call for the Eighth district Republican convention to meet at Winchester in Randolph county, Tuesday, Jan. 14, for the purpose of selecting a new district chairman. Reports from all the counties in the district, except Wells and Jay, faivored Winchester. There are no pronounced candidates for the position although James Sayles of Bluffton, and George Quick and George Lilly of this city, have been mentioned for the place. The apportionment of de’egates this year is as follows: Madison, 32; Delaware, 31; Randolph, 20; Jay, 15; Wells, 10, and Adams 7, making a total of 115. — George Kinzle went to Berne this morning in the interest of the Citizens Telephone company.

THE WAYS OF A DRY TOWN. Sears & Roebuck Methods Working at Winchester. “I don’t have to go to Union City or anywhere else to get all the ‘booze’ I want for I have it delivered right at my door,” said a local citizen the other day to a Herald ‘representative. A little investigation brought out the fact that the mail order whiskey and ,wine houses are doing their best to relieve the drought in Randolph county, and especially in Winchester, and with considerable success, as the express companies say that large boxes of “wet goods” are delivered daily in this city and other places such as Parker City, Farmland, Ridgeville, Modoc and Lynn. This is also true in the rural districts. —Winchester Herald. themZelectTon A. J. Smith Chosen Lay Delegate and J. W. Vail Alternate to Conference. . IMPORTANT MISSION Will Vote for Six Delegates to the General Law Making Conference. An election was held at the M. E. church yesterday morning and evening to choose a lay delegate to the annual conference to be held at Anderson April Ist, where six delegates will be elected to represent the laymen of the North Indiana conference in the general conference which will be held at Baltimore, Maryland, next year. The general conference, which as generally understood, is the law making body of the M. E. church. The delegates assemble and make church laws in away similar to the legislature in making laws for the state, and delegates are sent to represent each conference of the United States the same as representatives are sent from each county of the state. The election at the church yesterday resulted in electing A. J. Smith as delegate and J. W. Vail as alternate. These gentlemen will represent Decatur in the annual conference at Anderson and at this time they will cast their vote for the election of the six delegates who will attend the general conference at Baltimore. The general conference meets but one time every four years, and their session usually continues one month, during which time the law makers, if possible, improve upon the old and make new ones. —.—oT. W. Watts made a business trip ito Geneva this morning.

FIRE DID SMALL DAMAGE. Speedy Arrival of Fire Company Saved Parrish HomeA fire alarm was sent in this morning about nine o’clock and the west end laddies responded at once, finding that the chimney at the Josh Parrish home was ablaze. With a few buckets of water the fire wan extinguished, but not until the entire upstairs of the house was filled with smoke. Had the members of the Parrish family not noticed the conflagration when they did we would ho doubt have a different story to relate, as a bedstead was placed close to the defective flue and a few moments later -would have been in flames. As it was however, the loss sustained was very small, and Mr. Parrish considers himself very fortunate that the entire building was not consumed. The chimney will be repaired at once to guard against any more mishaps. The central department was also at the scene but it was all over before they arrived. COURT HOUSE NEWS Mrs. Mary Knavel Demands a Divorce and Alimony from Husband. THE ABNET CASE Judgment Rendered for SSOO in Paternity Case—Marriage License Issued.

Attorney J. W. Teepie filed a new divorce case this morning, Mary Knavel being the plaintiff and Edward Knavel the defendant. Mrs. Knavel says that she and Edward were married September 20, 1901. That two weeks later he came home drunk and cursed her; a few months later he struck and knocked her down. He repeated this at frequent intervals, the last time being August 10th last. The defendant is also accused of committing adultery at various times. The couple separated Sept. 7th, A divorce and SSOO alimony is asked. Judge Merryman rendered judgment in the case of the State ex rel Grace Burley vs. Frank H. Abnet, fixing the amount at SSOO payable $50.00 within ninety days and $75.00 per year until said judgment and costs are paid. The defendants filed a motion to retax the costs. Frank E. Smith was admitted to the bar upon recommendation of the examining committee, attorneys Sutton, Moran and Smith. In the case of William E. Swartz vs. Journal Publishing company, the receiver filed a petition for permission to bring action to recover for unpaid subscription to capital stock and it was so ordered by the court, A marriage license was issued today to Paul Moser, aged twenty-six, of French township and Carrie Burri, aged twenty-nine, of Monroe township. The groom was married once before, having lost his wife, either by death or divorce, the application fails to state which, on November 16th, 1907, only about a month ago. A hunters’ license has been issued to Rufus A. Hunter, of Berne, Indiana, the only one for a week. J. F. Lehman, administrator of the Daniel Sprunger estate, filed an inventory of the personal property. o THEY WILL SOON LEAVE. Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Schafer Going to Dallas, Texas. Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Schafer are packing their household effects and getting | ready to leave for their new home |at Dallas, Texas. They will sell many things before leaving and have advertised a sale to be held at their residence, south Second street, at one o'clock on next Saturday, December 21. You will note their advertisement elsewhere. They expect to leave Decatur some time during holiday week. o C. E. Smith left this morning for Redkey to look after timber business. Attorney F. L. Lltterer went to Mon- ■ roe his morning to transact business.

Price Two Cents

SUICIDE STATISTICS I More Men than Women Became Tired of Life Last Month. > ' DEATH STATISTICS t Twice as Many Murders > 1 as in November Last , Year. More men than women became tired 1 of living in November, according to ; | figures compiled by Dr. J. N. Hurty, ’ secretary of the state board of health, Vital statistics for Indiana for November show that there were twenty-six 1 suicides in the state. Os this number | nineteen were men and seven were women. In November of last year thirty-two persons committed suicide in Indiana. Statistics for this No- • vember show a slight decrease in the number of accidental deaths. In November, 1907, there were 137 accidental deaths a(nd in November of the preceding year there were 145 accidental deaths. Os the accidental deaths last 1 November steam roads caused thirty < and street and interurban cars caused four. In November, 1906, the number of deaths due to steam roads was I forty-one and the number due to interurban roads and street cars was four. A slight decrease is shown in the total number of dearths by violence when compared with similar deaths in November of 1906. The total number of deaths by violence in November, • 1907, was 176 and the number in NoI vember, 1906, was 184. i There were almost twice as many murders during November of this year as during the same month last ' year, the number of murders for the ■ two months respectively being thirteen and seven. Os those who were murdered ten were men and three were women. Seven men and two women who were murdered died from gunshot wounds. One man’s throat , i was cut and three men were killed by blows on the head. o — Mrs. Will Schust returned to her home at Fort Wayne last evening after being the guest of Herbert Lanke- , nau. theneFmanager W. L. Ross Took Control of Clover Leaf and Alton Railroads Today. IS POPULAR OFFICIAL l — 1 1 [ George Ross Becomes VivePresident—Clover Leaf Will Double Track. The Clover Leaf agent here, as well [ as agents elsewhere along the line i this morning received notice that, be- ■ ginning today, Mr. W. L. Ross will serve as general traffic manager of the Toledo, St. Louis & Western and (also of the Chicago & Alton, the new froad recently taken over by the Clover Leaf. Mr. Ross has been the with the road a number of years, serving in a responsible position and is popular all along the line. He succeeds as general manager George H. Ross, who was recently elected vice-president of the new combination. This road is one of the few which admits making money, and it has advanced rapidly during the past few years. 1 Along with the announcement that the Clover Leaf has let the contract for the strengthening of the bridges j on the west end, or what is known as the Charleston-St. Louis division, comes the report that the general improvement of the roadbed is to be preliminary to double tracking the entire system, with a view of competing with the Wabash, Big Four and Vandalia for through passenger and freight traffic. Dr. Maxwell, of Newark. Ohio, who 'delivered an address at the M. W. |of A. Tuesday night, has returned jto his home.