Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 6, Number 87, Decatur, Adams County, 10 April 1908 — Page 1

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT.

Volume VI. Number 87

EXECUTIVE BOARD Os the Adams County Sunday School Association Held Meeting WITH MRS. VOGT This Week and Plans for Ensuing Year Have Been Perfected The executive board of the Sunday school association of Adams county met at the home of Mrs. Crris Vogt this week, and planned the dates for spring conventions, the first of which will be held the third day of next month. This association has regular meetings each year, and much good is derived therefrom. The past year has been a most successful one and the various meetings which were well attended and enthusiasm in behalf of the organization was much in. evidence. Prominent speakers delivered excellent lectures and every movement attempted met with an abundance of success. As arranged by the board, the place and time of the conventions are as follows: May 3, Union and Root townships; May 10, Preble and Kirkland townships; May 17, Wabash township; May 24, Washington township; May 31, French and Hartford townships; June 7, Blue Creek and Jefferson townships; June 21, St. Marys township; June 28. Monroe township. O. E .Kemp, of Geneva, was appointed to fill the vacancy of Mr. Laßue, who has resigned the position of president of Wabash township. The committee decided to have a model program during the ensuing year and the aim of the organization is to create much interest in Sunday school work. The subjects to be dismissed are Missions. Temperance, House to House Visitation and Statistics.

Mr. and Mrs. E. Baumgartner arrival from. Berne this morning. Mr. iaumgartner will remain in the city chile Mrs. Baumgartner will go to ama. Ohio, on a visit. )0 BUSINESS SOON Conroe Grain,Hay and Milling Company Building Nearing Completion PROSPECTIVE FUTURE 'his Concern Will Be Ready for Business by June — It is Modern The new building that has been uner construction for the Monroe irain, Hay and Milling company, is taearly completed and ere the sunny month of June presents itself this enterprising institution will be doing business. The stockholders of this company are all energetic business men end their aggressiveness in the crealof the milling company and the ter in which they have so far conid the interests at stake, indicate ■osperous future for them. The set was advanced a little more a year ago relative to the constion of a modern merchandise ng company and a few of the live at Monroe created such a senti- . in its behalf that many of the ers of the vicinity readily apfor stock in the proposed conBut a short time was consumed aising a capital stock of SIO,OOO |ftd plans were at once drawn for the (Wilding. The promoters have used BBnscrvative discretion in building the . slll and every equipment known to Modern millers has been installed and Monroe can well say that she has one the best institutions of its kind in His section of the state. The officials a few months ago that it was to raise their stock to $20.This was easily done and w'hen Be Monroe Grain, Hay and Milling Hiding is completed, it will launch >Hst its business career under the most jHtorable auspices. The structure is stories high and venired with ce-

a little case of figuring. Get Out Your Pencil and Help Out the Preacher. A young man went to the preacher to get married and the preacher asked ' How old are you, John?” He replied lam half as old as my father. He is two years older than my mother. My eldest sister is two years older than m - youngegt sister. My youngest sister is four years older than my younger brother.” “How old are they altogether?” asked the preacher. The young man replied that the five children are seventeen years older than his father and mother. How old is John and each of the children and his father and mother? —Exchange. Well, if the young man isn’t married until the preacher gets his age figured out, Methuselah would be a kid compared to him.

SAVED HIS NECK Anderson Youth Who Killed His Mother Escaped the Death Sentence TO PRISON FOR LIFE He Plead Guilty—His Age and Previous Record Were in His Favor Anderson, Ind., April 9.—Judge McClure at 3 o’clock this afternoon sentenced Grover Blake to imprisonment for life for the murder of his mother, Mrs. Louisa Blake, which occurred at noon Saturday, March 21, at the Blake home in this city. The courtroom was crowded with people, the majority of whom were women, an hour before court convened this morning. There was a rustle in the courtroom as the prisoner entered and people craned their necks and stood upon seats in the back of the room to catch a glimpse of young Blake. The youth paid little attention to the crowd, but kept his gaze fixed steadily upon Judge McClure. He seemed to give little attention to the testimony. A motion to quash the indictment, made by Attorney Ed Daily, was overruled by Judge McClure. Daily then entered a plea of guilty for Blake. The first witness called -was Ozra Reynolds, who reviewed the history of the two days —Friday and Saturday —prior to the commission of the crime. Several witnesses weer placed on the stand who testified that the relations between Grover Blake and his parents had alw-ays been of an affectionate, obedient nature. Mrs. Herman Biest, the prisoner’s sister, testified that he had always been kind to his mother, and at night before retiring he always kissed her good night. While his sister was testifying Blake gave the first evidence of emotion, and wept freely for a few moments.

William Blake, the father, testified that the young man’s conduct toward himself and the boy’s mother had been kind and obedient and that he had never caused them trouble except when he was drinking, a habit which he formed about three years ago. His father testified that he was honest and trustworthy. He said he sent him to Kansas two years ago with $3,000 to purchase horses and that the boy accounted for the money accurately. Several witnesses testified as to the whereabouts of young Blake the morning the crime was committed. After reviewing the evidence at length Judge McClure requested Blake to take the stand and asked him if he had anything to say in his own. behalf. He said he had not, and Judge McClure stated that owning to the youth of the prisoner and the fact that this was his first crime, he thought the law would be vindicated if the defendant was found guilty of murder in the first degree and sentenced to prison for life. The sentence was received by the prisoner with scarcely a change of countenance, but on the way to jail he remarked that the judge had been very-, kind to him.

A party of Decatur people will go to Fort Wayne tonight to witness the play “Forty Minutes from Broadway” which will be staged at the Majestic theater. This show is recognized as one of the best on the road, and the Decatur party will no doubt be well entertained.

HOME DESTROYED Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Parker Are Rendered Homeless by Conflagration INCENDIARY ORIGIN Is the Opinion of Wakarusa People—Rev. Parker Off for Nappanee

Mr. and Mrs. J. D. Hale are in receipt of a letter from their daughter, Mrs. E. B. Parker, who, at the time of the writing was at Lagrange, stating that their home, the M. E. church parsonage at Wakarusa was completely destroyed by fire Wednesday night. Mr. and Mrs. Parker were the guests of the latter’s parents in this city Tuesday night, leaving the following morning for Lagrange to make a visit with Mr. Parker's parents. While visiting there a telephone message from Wakarusa informed them of the conflagration, which, is is supposed, was of incendiary origin. At a public meeting in Wakuarsa, Mr. Parker was chosen to represent the temperance forces and to circulate a remonstrance fop the abolition of the saloons. The movement was successful and as a consequence the saloon element is up in arms against Mr. Parker and the consensus of opinion is that it was some one from their ranks who destroyed the parsonage and its contents. The loss represented the neat sum of S4OO and insurance to the amount of S2OO was carried. A fortunate thing in connection with the cowardly work of the firebugs was that Mr. Parker’s library was practically saved, as luckily he had taken most of his books to the church. The church, located but thirty feet from the parsonage, not damaged in the least. Rev. Parker had contemplated moving to his new charge at Nappanee today, where he will preach next Sunday. The many Decatur friends of Mr. and Mrs. Parker extend heartfelt sympathy.

ANOTHER VICTIM The Deadly Corn Shredder Continues on Its Deadly Career BURKETT BOY HURT Three Fingers Were Amputated as a Consequence of the Shredder’s Work The deadly com shredder has added another to its long list of victims in the person or Orville, the sixteen year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Eli Burkett, of Kirkland township, who, in trying to extricate an ear of com from the rollers of the shredder had his hand caught and the fingers of his right hand badly mutilated. The boy was working about the machine and it became necessary to remove tho com from the rollers. As all other victims of the deadly contrivance, he neglected the removal of his glove before trying to accomplish his purpose and the glove caught, drawing his hand between the rollers. Before the entire hand was ground to pieces, the young man succeeded in. releasing his fingers from the perilous situation. He was at once brought to the office of Drs. D. D. and C. S. Clark, where after administering an anaesthetic all the fingers but two of his hand were amputated. Before the operation, however, the injured boy fainted and was deathly sick. The com shredder has been the means of crippling many -persons for life and the operation of same necessitates more discretion than probably any other device used on a farm.

Mrs. H. P. Pennington, of Buffalo, New York, will arrive to be the guests of Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Sutton on Mercer avenue, for a few days. Mrs. Pennington was formerly Miss Grace Sutton, of Geneva.

Decatur, Indiana, Friday Evening April 10, 1908.

TEST TWO-CENT FARE LAW. The Indiana & Illinois Southern, John R. Walsh's road, it is stated, is to bear the brunt of the first legal struggle over the constitutionality of the 2-cent passenger rate law in Illinois. If the contentions of the attorneys of the road are sustained by the courts, the lower passenger rate, which has been accepted by all the more powerful roads in that state, will be knocked out by the Walsh line. Armed with supreme court decisions of recent date. Judge Burroughs appeared before the circuit court and has presented figures to support the assertion that the law is confiscatory in its effect. o Mrs. Charley Meyers, of Angola, who has been visiting here with her sister, Mrs. Fred Bell and father, R. D. Patterson, went to Bluffton to spend Sunday with friends.

HE WON HER BACK

After Engaging in Fistic Encounter Zack Sprunger Wins Wife Back WERE SEPARATED For One Month and William Richards Interferred But in Vain Angered for the reason that Zack Sprunger, of south of the city was trying to effect a compromise with his wife after being separated from her for more than a month, William Rich-

ards, a brother-in-law of the woman in question hailed Sprunger, who was driving past his home and in a fit of anger he struck him several terrific blows, stating as he did so that if he (Sprunger) did not desist from talking to the woman he would deal with him roughtly. Sprunger, however, was not to be so easily interrupted and he retaliated by exchanging blows. The encounter was witnessed by a large number of people and after its close, Sprunger repaired to the office of Squire J. H. Smith w'here he filed an affidavit against Richards charging assault and battery. Richards plead guilty, paid his fine and in turn filed a similar affidavit against Sprunger, who also plead guilty and staid the docket. The respective fines being $9.30. To furnish a fitting climax to the affair, Sprunger succeeded in winning his wife from the embrace of the Richards family and went on his way rejoicing, taking his spouse to his home, where all their differences were soon settled and forgotten.

SOME WILLSHIRE NEWS ITEMS. Borrowed from the Herald of That Hustling Town. At the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Sol Hettier on Thursday evening, April 2nd, at five o’clock occurred the marriage of L. B. Campbell to Miss Florence Hettier. Nearly fifty guests witnessed the ceremony, which was performed by Rev. E. Jones of the Monroe circuit. The groom is a school teacher of Blue Creek township and the bride is a popular young lady near Monroe. Immediately after congratulations a bounteous wedding supper was served after which the guests departed wishing the young couple a long, happy and prosperous life. The guests from a distance were: E. D. Campbell, of Fort Wayne; Jacob Hettier, of Mansfield, O.; J. W. Hettler and family, W. Malony and son Frank, of Muncie, Ind.

Miss Marguerite Case, of Decatur, Ind., was the guest of Miss Edythe Gause from Thursday till Sunday, and while here she and Edythe called on Miss Mabel Roop. M’jss Marguerite was a schoolmate of Miss Edythe while the Gauses were in Decatur, Indiana. —Willshire Herald.

Don’t forget about the good lemon, chocolate, cherry, blackberry, pumpkin, peach and mince pies, spice cake, white and dark cake, doughnuts, oat meal, waiters with chopped nuts and raisins in them, potato salad, nice fresh eggs and bread. At gas office Saturday hours 10 a m. to 3 p m.

WHAT EASTER IS This Sacred Occasion Was First Instituted in A. D. 68 A MOVABLE FESTIVAL Is Easter and It May Be as Early as March 22 and Late as April 25

Easter Sunday with its attendant joys, is neap at hand, and the occasion will be commemorated in various different ways. The anniversary of the resurrection of Christ is well worthy of the prominence it has and will be accorded and the people of the country will assemble in their respective churches to rejoice in the victory of the divine one over the tomb thousands of years ago. A. D. 68 or thereabout, Easter was.first instituted and while at that time it was observed wholly by religious worship, as the decades hurried by this sacred occasion has been observed in many different ways. The rabbits and the eggs occupy the attention of the young folk. The ladies are not themselves without a towering hat bedecked with flowers, foliage and feathers that was purchased for the occasion. Thie small boys gather the eges and scamper off to the woods to bail them and the larger boys and girls usually indulge in egg eating contests also. With all the joys characteristic to Easter, the minds of the people are concentrated upon the real meaning of the sacred occasion in reverence to the Almighty. Easter is a movable festival. It is always the first Sunday after full moon which happens on the next day after the twenty-first day of March and if full moon happens upon a Sunday, Easter day is the Sunday after. The foregoing directions were copied into the Episcopal prayer book from the act of the English parliament providing for the change from the old to the new style. Easter may be as early as March 22 and as late as April 25. Easter regulates all the other movable feasts of the ecclesiastical year.

ROYAL RECEPTION Will Be Given for Dr. and Mrs. C. B. Wilcox Tonight at Church PROGRAM IS OUT And It Represents the Very Best Talent in the City— Public is Invited

Great preparations have been made for the reception to be given for Dr. and Mrs. C. B. Wilcox tonight in honor of their return to the Decatur charge. The Epworth leaguers who planned the event have left nothing undone that would add to the appropriateness of the occasion and as a consequence thereof the program which is to be rendered represents the very best talent in our city. Not only are the citizens of Decatur thankful for the return of the pastor, but Mr. and Mrs. Wilcox are equally as glad that they will remain here for another year, and tonight a joyous festival will be in order. The program for the evening consists of the following: Violin solo . J Don Burke Piano solo Florence Edwards Selection Loch’s orchestra Piano duet ....Marie Allison, Carrie Thomas. After this program has been rendered J. C. Tritch will address the Epworth league, Mrs. J. Niblick, the Sunday school; Hon. J. T. Merryman the church; Rev. Spetnagle the ministerial association and Hon. J. W. Tyndall will address the citizens. This program is one that will interest every person and the public is cordially invited to be present and enjoy the festivities of the occasion. Refreshments will be served.

DROWNED IN A POST HOLE. Jay County Baby Met a Tragic Death Yesterday. Joseph, the two-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Victor Harkins, of one and one-half miles east of Antioch, was drowned just after dinner Thursday. The accident happened when the infant fell into a large post hole filled with water, about one hundred yards north of the house. Mr. Harkins was ditching a short distance from the house, and the little one, just able to walk, had started to go w-here he was employed. In some way it fell into the water and before the father could give assistance the child’s lungs were filled with water. It was taken from the water as soon as posible but died in the father’s arms before the house could be reached.—Portland Commer-cial-Review.

SHUT THEM OUT Negroes Not in it With the Virginia White Republicans THE PAPER TRUST Prosecution on the Way— President of South American Republic

Washington, April 10. —The orders of the managers of the Taft campaign to shut the negroes out of the Virginia Republican state convention at Lynchburg yesterday were carried out to the letter. Persons from this city who attended the convention say the declaration of speakers that it was a white man’s convention, and that from now on the Republican party in Virginia would be a white man's party were loudly cheered. The convention even refused to listen to the plea of the negroes for representation. The four delegates-at-large were instructed to vote for Taft. The negroes are considering the advisability of calling a convention of their own and selecting delegates to Chicago. Washington, April 10. —The house resolutions introduced by Speaker Cannon .requesting information as to what steps have been taken to prosecute the "paper trust,” reached AttorneyGeneral Bonaparte and were by him referred to Mr. Purdy, assistant to the attorney-general, who has been charged with the preparation of the reply to the house. It is understood that this reply will show that the department of justice already has taken the initial steps to bring the “paper trust” officials to trial on criminal charges, and probably for that reason it will not be possible to supply congress with much detailed information which might endanger the success of the prosecution.

Washington, April 10. —President Roosevelt would like to give President Castro, of Venezuela, a sound thrashing. He would do it if he believed public sentiment in the United States would back him up. He is so much in doubt about what the public’s attitude would be that he is unwilling to press matters without the backing of congress. The legislative body does not seem to be greatly excited over the controversy with the South American republic.

SHIP SUBSIDY GRAFTER WORKING

Washington, April 10. —The ship subsidy hunters are still unwilling to give up' their fight notwithstanding the rejection of their bill by the house committee on postoffices and post roads yesterday. They now propose to attempt to have the bill hitched on to the postoffice appropriation bill, which is pending before the senate committee on postoffices and post roads. They began making a poll of the house to see how much strength they can depend on in that body in case the measure Is put on the postoffice bill. This action is believed to have put a quietus on subsidy legislation so far as the present session is concerned.

D. E. Studabaker sold his big team of heavy work horses to a Van Wert contractor this morning. This was one of the most valuable teams in the county, consisting of a four year old sorrel that weighed 1.980 pounds and a five year old roan weighing 1,850 pounds.

J Price Two Cents

FEELING CHESTY Democrats Hope to Win the Next House of Representatives IS GETTING LIVELY Twenty-Nine More Democrats Would Give Them a Majority

Washington, April 10.—The Democratic congressional campaign, committee, under the leadership of Representative Lloyd, of Missouri, is starting out in away which indicates that it means business. Mr. Lloyd is an experienced politician and he has gathered about him men who will be helpful. The present plan of the committee is to conduct its campaign from Chicago. The committee is hopeful the Republicans will nominate a candidate for president who will be unsatisfactory to the negro vote of the north and to the labor vote. Chairman Lloyd believes the Democrats will elect the next house of representatives in spite of anything the Republicans may do. but he would be thankful to the Republicans, of course, if they saw fit to make the work before his committee easier. The Republicans are greatly concerned over the outlook for the coming congressional elections. With a full house, there would be this year 224 Republican and 167 Democratic members, giving a Republican majority of fifty-four in the house. Fifty-four is a narrow majority by which to hold the house of representatives in a year when a landslide is possible, if not expected. It is said that the Democrats will be supplied with funds with which to try to capture the house, and if business conditions should continue adverse to the party in power, the returns from the close districts would be watched with a good deal of interest next fall.

WAS WELL PLANNED Music Section of Euterpeans Entertain Other Members and Outside Guests AT NIBLICK HOME Every Moment a Happy One and the Hours Passed All Too Quickly The music section of the Euterpean club entertained the members of the Art and Literary sections of the club and twenty guests at the home of Mrs. John Niblick on Third street last evening. The gathering was delightfully informal, each member having a share in the merriment. A guessing contest based on musical terms, was an interesting feature of the entertainment. Another interesting part was charades in which titles of songs were Illustrated by pantomine. "The Lost Cord.” “Sweet Marie.” and “The Rainy Day” were among the most pleasing of the latter. The dining room, where a delicious two course luncheon was served, was decorated in pink and green, the colors of the club. The table at which Mrs. J. C. Patterson and Mrs. C. B. Milcox presided. stood beneath the lights which shone through pink crepe rosebuds and festoons of smilax and was dainty in its arrangements of pink candles and smilax. Miss Carrie Thomas entertained the company with some well executed musical selections. The hostesses of the evening were the Mesdames John Niblick, Earl Adams, C. B. Wilcox, F. M. Schirmeyer. J. C. Patterson, Misses Midge Smith, Bessie Schrock, Marie Patterson. Annette Johnson and Myrtle Beachler. o - Mrs. Fannie Cole and Mr. H. S. Wilson will attend the “Forty-Five Minutes from Broadway” performance at the Majestic this evening.