Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 9, Number 298, Decatur, Adams County, 21 December 1911 — Page 1

Volume IX. Number 298.

BOYS ARE PAROLED Benjamin Lett and John Durbin, Two Adams County Boys Paroled BY PARDON BOARD Served Little Over Year at Reformatory-‘A Glad Christmas for Them. ludianapolis. Ind., Dec. 21 —(Special

to Dally Democrat) —The nardon board which was in sessloji all of last week, has filed its report with the governor and the chief executive today took official action on the recommendations as filed with him. In the list of application for parole were three from Adams county, the board acting 'avQ-r, on two of the applications and refusing the third. The two paroled were Benjamin Lett and John Durbin, both being sentenced to the Indiana reformatory on September 24, 1910, for grand larceny, the terms of sentence being from pne to fourteen years. The application of Dick McKinney, sentenced April 17, 1906, for two to fourteen years for forgery was refused, and he will have to continue to serve the sentence given him. Good places on Adams county farms have been found for the first two mentioned, and it is the belief of the pardon board that they will not break the confidence reposed in them by the board. The news of the parole of the two young men, Benjamin Lett and John Durbin, who aye members of very fine families of Adahas county, will be received with the greatest of pleasure by their many friends here, and the toys will, no doubt, consider this the happiest Christmas of their lives. It is the desire of their every friend to extend to them the glad hand of Christmas cheer, and to welcome them home again, where they may take their places in the ranks of citizenship to conscientiously assist in carrying out the great plan of life, and to become the influential citizens that this county desires.

FOUND LONG-LOST DAUGHTER. "That's my daughter; she's the perfect image of her dead mother!” exclaimed A. B. Armstrong Monday afternoon, as he treaded his way through a throng oj holiday shoppers at the Knox store, pointing at one of the salesladies "ho was busy with customers some distance away. Finally ho reached her side and grasped the hand of the daughter, whom he had not seen since she was a little tot of four, fourteen years ago. Mr. Armstrong in the old days was a street railway employee in Fort Wayne. He handled the reins over the hack of a mule when this sort of power was used to propel the cars over Port Wayne streets. His wife died, their little daughter was adopted by relatives and the father went west where he has been a rancher. That was fourteen years ago. Until recent ly there hail been no communication between father and daughter, the latter now grown to young womanhood. Finally, the father learned that his daughter, Ethel Armstrong, w’as employed in Fort Wayne as a stenographer and he determined to visit, her. He had the address of the family with whom she had made her home, but on teaching the city Monday discovered that they had moved, and then set about on a new quest for his daughter.. Luck was with him and in a few hours he located the girl he had not seen since her babyhood. Miss Armstrong had no recollection of ever having seen her father, but the reunion was a happy surprise. With his daughter found, Mr. Armstrong began to seek his companions on the, street car system In the old days, and his first finest was for J. W. Pearse, then su Perintendent of the lines, and "Tony Lintz, who is still Identified with the street railway system. —Fort Wayne Sentinel. —. -o—. —- ~ Noah Frauhiger, the auctioned. - st Bluffton looking after business in the line of sale crying. He is a h uss Plan these days and has many sales billed ahead for the near future.

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

SHORTEST DAY OF YEAR.

While the days to do your Christmas shopping are becoming shorter, today. Thursday December 21st, the winter solstice, is the shortest day of the year. To compensate for the extra amount of energy wasted to make a long day out of the shortest will come the longest night of the year for rest. The practical theory of the winter solstice is that the sun will not shine continuously on this territory, but some portion of it will always be involved in darkness or below the horizon. On June 21, the summer solstice, the opposite condition prevails, while or March 21, and September 21, the days and nights are of equal length. TO PLSHTHE SALES Special Effort to be Made Saturday to Close Out Red Cross Seals. OVER THE STATE Efforts to Make Indiana i Lead in Largest One-day Sales in Union. Saturday will be a Red Cross Christmas seal day throughout Indiana. This announcement was made today by the state sales managers at the headquarters in the postoffice building at Indianapolis. The purpose is to interest every man, W'oman and child in Indiana to buy at least one seal on Saturday, in order that the campaign may close with an impetus which will place In- i diana in the front rank of states selling the largest number of seals this season.

In order to make Red Cross Christmas seal day a thorough success, every person in this community is urged to carry a card or small sheet of paper to which has been affixed a Red Cross Christmas seal. This should be displayed all day Saturday by tying or pinning to coat lapels and dresses. It is also urged that every man and woman who is interested in reducing the number of deaths by tuberculosis grom the usual harvest of 5,000 which this dread disease garners in Indiana each year will obtain a small supply of the seals, which they will help to sell to all persons failing to wear one of the seals. It is also requested that those in charge of the sale of seals shall keep an accurate record of the Saturday sales in order that announcement may be made of the result of the special effort. It is believed that Indiana will be enabled to report the largest sale of seals ever made in any state on one day. It had been promised that Indiana would sell at least one million, five hundred thousand seals this season, and this figure has not yet been reached. There are thousands of unsold seals in the hands of agents here and elsewhere, and the designation of Saturday as a special day for the whole public to participate, will assist the agents in their desire to avoid returning any unsold seals to the state headquarters. LIFE OF PRISONER. Governor of Tennessee Spending Two Days in Prison to Study Life. (United Press Service.* Priceville. Tenn., Dec. 21-(9pecial 10 Daily Democrat)—Governor Hooppr early today arose from his bench in a cell in the state prison today, washed his hands in a little tin pail like the other prisoners and ate a regular prisoner's breakfast. The governor has settled himself down to two dayß in prison in order that he may study prison conditions for the first time. PASSED GOOD NIGHT. (United Press Service.) Boston, Mass.. Dec. I)aily Democrat)— The Reverend Clar L n ee Richeson, who yesterday tern mutilated himself with a piece oj -....ged tin, while awaiting trial for the ' murder of Miss Alice Linnell. his former sweetheart, passed a good nig' l” the Charles street jail infirmary, 'Medical Examiner Leary visited him o'clock this morning anl sa lh e r e is little doubt but that ie Cable to attend trial on January do, ■1912.

ORDAINED TODAY I Rev. Father Knapke, C. P. P. S., Brother Ben Knapke, at Carthagenia, Ohio. SOLEMN MASS SUNDAY Mr. and Mrs. Knapke Will Leave Saturday to Attend Ceremony. Mr. and Mrs, Ben Knapke will leave on Saturday of this week for St. Henry, Ohio, and on Sunday, December 24th, will attend the first solemn high mass of Rev. Olhman F. Knapke, C. P. P. S., a brother of Mr. Knapke, who was ordained today at Carthagenia. Ohio, by Archbishop Miller of Cincinnati, Ohio. It is thirteen years since he begun studying for his desired vocation, going first to Burkettville, Ohio, w'here he spent a year in prepar ation. From there he went tn Renssalaer, where he pursued his higher course of studies, remaining there for seven years.. After this, and when his course of philosophy and sacred theology were to begin, he was sent to Cai' thagenia, Ohio, where he completed his studies and where most solemn services were observed on the 19th, 20th, and 21st of this month. St. Henry’s being his home, where he wished to celebrate his first solemn mass, it will be a happy day, not onlj' for himself, but for his folks as well, who will respond to the invitations which have been sent out to attend on this day, and where the Christmas holidays will be spent together. MY! SUCH ROADS! Highways Through Country Are Said to Have Never Been Worse. < BUSINESS AFFECTED ] I People Cannot Come to City from Long Distance to do Holiday Shopping. I. “Not for many years have the conntry roads been in as bad condition at , this season as now, saiu a farmer who came to this city. Many highways. ; following the recent rains, have be- i come so badly cut up that traveling is . almost an impossibility, save with i lightly loaded vehicles and double the i number of horses. Dirt roads are prac- l finally impassable. Decatur merchants say that the condition of the highways has interfered ’ very much with trade and that be- 1 cause of the weather, but a few farm- 1 ers have been coming to town. In a 1 number of the local groceries, the < Saturday produce supply was shorter . than usual, due to the inability of i those regularly supplying the trade to reach the city. Business men of all i classes are hoping for colder weather i ' that will freeze the roads sufficiently 1 for travel The factories who are dependent 1 upon the daily arrival of timber are 1 also affected by the heavy roads, and f 10 ads of great weight cannot venture, out for fear of becoming stuck along < lhe wa y thus crippling their running 1 in the capacity which they could oth- ! erwise enjoy. . | MARY SCHNEIDER LFADS |< In the Doll Contest at the Lachot & I Rice Drug Store. ■—i! December 21, 1911- 1 Mary Schneidei Beta Beavers ( Mary Poling ••, Naomi Stults Thora 11. Johnson Marcia He lnl . Horine Michaud Mary L. Vail , Margaret Kinzle Kathryn Kocher Kathryn Ernst ( Pansy Bell * T„« o nhine Burns

Decatur, Ind. Thursday Evening, December 21, 1911.

EIGHTY PER CENT OPPOSE TAFT. (United Fiess service.) I Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 21—(Special to Daily Democrat) —Eighty per cent of the 1,000 prominent republicans of Indiana, who have replied to letters sent out by State (.’hairman Edwin M. Lee are opposed to the renomination of President Taft, according to Lee here today. Seventy-five per cent of the number wish Former President Roosevelt to head the republican national ticket, while five per cent of the number express their preference for LaFollette, asserts Lee. National . Committeeman Hary S. New says the deduction is malicious as the two Indiana sentiments. HUNDRED AND TWO J Joseph Lomax, First President of G. R, &I. Railroad, . > Still Living. I i . LIFE OF HISTORY ' .. < Now Living at Indianapolis j Careful Living Ascrbed for Long Life. i — Kalamazoo, Mich., Dec. 21 —Joseph i Lomax, first president of the Grand i Rapids & Indiana hallway company,' who Tuesday celebrated his 102nd birthday, bears the distinction of be-j ing the oldest living ex-editor, ex-rail-road president and attorney in the. country. Besides this he is the oldest living thirty-second degree Mason, j being sublime prince of the royal se- ■ cret in the order of Scottish Rite, and also the oldest living Knight Templar. I i Mr. Lomax holds his Scottish Rite membership in Grand Rapids and his , Knights Templar membership in the Kalamazoo lodge, although he is now ! a resident of Indianapolis, Ind. His last birthday was spent quietly at the home of hip daughter, Mrs. Martha Martin, 2255 Chicago avenue, ' Indianapolis. A few friends called to extend greetings and scores write letters congratulating him upon his good health at such an advanced age. All expressed a hope that he might live to enjoy several more birthdays. Until advanced age forced him to | retire from business. Mr. Lomax was , one of the busiest men in Michigan. 1 He organized the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway company and was its ' president from 1854 to 1866. At that■ time he was a resident of LaPorte, I Ind. Born in 1808 in North Carolina,! Mr. Lomax moved with his father to I Wayne county, Indiana, in 1816. This was the same year Indiana was admitted to statehood. He worked on his father s farm until he was eighteen years of age, attending the district schools during the winters. While still a young man he learned the wheelright trade, but decided to give this up and studied law. He was admitted to practice in Laporte county. Indian !, in 1850. After being admitted to the bar he went to Marion, Ind., w'here he spent four years in lhe mercantile business. It was while a resident of .Marion that he organized and was elected president of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railyway company. Soon after he moved to Sturgis, Mich. He put $60,000 into the enterprise and lost every cent in the failure of the old company. After the failure of the railroad venture, the property was taken over by another corporation and Lomax drifted into the newspaper business, but without great financial success. As a publisher Mr. Loiuax once owned The Kalamazoo Gazette, and later became a partner of Wilbur E. Story in a newspaper venture In Richmond, Ind. Mr. Story later founded the Laporte Herald and also the Chicago Times. It was after the Richmond venture that Mr. Lomax went to Grand Rapids, whene he entered the treasury department of the Grand Rapids & Indiana. He was employed by the railroad until he was ninetyone years old, when he was forced to retire under the pension system. Although the company offered him a pension, he refused to accept it, saying he would not accept money for services he had not rendered. He is greatly interested in public affairs, and especially the recent activity of the democratic party. He lias always been a democrat. He looks for a victory in the 1912 campaign. A temperate life, careful living and good habits are ascribed by Mr. Lomax for his long life.

MANY WILL COME I Various Counties Report They Will Send Large Delegations Here. ON TWENTY-NINTH Plans Being Completed for the District Meeting to be Held in Decatur. I !■ — — j Word from every county in the dis- | trict is to the effect that large delegations will be selected. Muncie and i Anderson will each send a special cat, I present arrangements being to come j on the morning of the convention, out lan effort will be made to have them I come over the evening before. Jay j county and Wells will each send a big crowd and Randolph will likewise be | well represented. The reception committee wjll meet at this office this evi ening on call of the chairman to com- | plete arrangements for meeting the j guests and taking care of them. An- | tomobiles will make the various ! trains and the delegates will be aci corded every privilege possible. The } committee on decoration is preparing i to get the court room in readiness for i the big occasion. The committee will , meet here on next Wednesday when ■ the delegates will be chosen and when | delegates for the congressional and I state conventions will be named. Al that time also a county chairman will 'be chosen. The political game seems ,to be opening and promises to be | about the warmest in two-score years. I So far W. A. Kunkle of Wells county is the only avowed candidate for district chairman. RURAL CARRIERS Will Serve Their Patrons on Christmas—Will be no

City Delivery ON THAT HOLIDAY New Year’s Will Give Both a i Holiday—Rush at Postoffice is on, i I In spite of the fast that Christmas is a legal holiday within the state of: Indiana, the rural mail carriers will be obliged to work on that day, on ac count of the great bulk of mail that would double up for the succeeding day. The city mail carriers, however, will make no deliveries, and those who would desire their mall must call for ies will be made. The postoffice, howbe open between 8 and 9 o’clock Christmas morning. New Year’s, however, will be a grand holiday for both city and rural mail carriers, and no deliveries will be made. The postaffee, however, will again be open for callers there, at the usual time, from 8 to 9 o'clock a. m. The usual Christmas rush is on in full force now, and some tall hustling is in order, both on the part of the office clerks and the deliveries. There is, however, no necessity for the employing of extra helpers, as is the case in many of the city offices at this rime of the year. MRS. BLAZER DENIES STATEMENT Mrs Rosa Blazer denies that Mrs. Harmon has been an associate of hers and says that they have not more than spoken for a number of vears. She says that she works hard to support her children and does not want any one to think the worse o' her. Mrs. Blazer’s name was mentioned in !the complaint filed in the Hannon divorce case a few days ago. —o TWO GAMES TONIGHT. I The two games to be played this ev- ■ ening between the second team of the ■ high school and the second team of ; the Liberty Center school will furnish i much pleasure for the home people and the game to be played between | the two divisions of the girls will also - be interesting. Admission, 15 and 25 cents will be charged.

GO TO PORTLAND. The Decatur high school basket ball I team will leave tomorrow for Portland 1 and in the evening will meet the high 1 school team of that city in a fast an ' ticipated game. Portland has a team that makes them all look up at them from their past record, but the locals, who have done as well as the best, are not a bit frightened, and will again try to hold the clean record of taking all games so far played this season. Their usual line-up will be in trim for tomorrow’s game and the locals believe that a good safe victory will be theirs. They have been getting in considerable practice recently and a number of rooters will accompany them for the game. DIED LAST NIGHT \ Will Schwartz, Well Known; Farmer of South of I Monroe DIED LAST NIGHT ■ Had Been Ailing Long Time Was Last Member of His Family. Relief from suffering many months came Wednesday evening at 6 o’clock to William Schwertz of Monroe township, when he passed away at his home a mile west and a mile and a half south of Monroe. Mr. Schwartz had been ill with a complication of heart and dropsical affection fora long : time, his illnes staking a more serious ■ turn in the last two or three weeks. Mr. Schwartz, who was fifty-one i years of age, was unmarried, and liv- I ed on his farm, residing with his ten- 1 ants, the Wils Markley family. Mr. ; Schwartz was the last member of his j < family, his mother, Mrs. Tillie , i Schwartz, passing away about five or ] 1 six years ago. Mr. Schwartz was quite 11 well known and was a prominent man I 1 of his community. Mr. Schwartz was born in Owen ! i county, Indiana, but redded here 11 many years. His nearest living rela-I J tive are two uncles —Norris William- f son, residing at Waterloo, DeKalb ' s county, and Isaac Williamson, at | Shirley, Indiana, and an aunt, Mrs. | < Esther Weaver, at Canton, Ohio. Sev- ' < eral cousins, living at Monroe include i f Mrs. Matilda Woods. Mrs. Maria Wai-! < ton, Mrs. J. T. Johnson and Mrs. O. ] T. Hendricks. The funeral will be ' ] held Saturday morning at 10 o’clock j 1 from the M. E. church at Monroe, the ■ ; Rev. Lantz officiating. ! i c BIG UNCLE TOM. Colliers’ Production at Bosse Opera i House Tonight. Colliers’ famous “Uncle Tom's Cabin i Company will appear for the first time In Ibis city at the Boses opera house! tonight. This company carries all of I their own special scenery and electrical effects and one of the largest companies on tile road, traveling in their own special cars. The company is composed of thirty people and some of the best talent in the profession. This will be the only “Uncle Tom’s Cabin" company here this season, and if you ; want to see this magnificent produc-■ tion, secure your seats at the drug I store. o — WHITE CHRISTMAS PROMISED. A storm that centered last night In eastern Texas is sweeping northwa ■ J and is due to reach this vicinity this evening, bringing with it real Christ-' mas weather and a deluge of snow, j This cheering news to residents of this section of the country, for, while' cold and snow are not generally popular at any other time during the win ter, every one wants a “white (’bristmas. Snow will come with the first billow of the cold wave and will con tiuue to fall and enough of the beautiful will be deposited, say the officials of the weather bureau to last until after the 25th. — ——o SIGNED RESOLUTION. (United Press Service.) Washlngon, D. C„ Dec. 21— (Special to Dally Democrat)—President Taft today signed the Shank resolution adopted by congress and ratified his action in informing Russia that the United States will terminate the treaty of 1882 at the end of the neces sary twelve months.

Price, Two Cents

THE FEDERAL JURY « Federal Grand Jury Investigating Matters Relative to Storing OF THE DYNAMITE Used in McNamara Case— Boyd Daugherty on the Grand Jury. Boyd Daugherty of near Monroe, one lof the number of the federal grand I jury, now in session in Indianapolis, is hearing some evidence in interestJ ing matters, ameng them being mat- ! ters relative to the storing of dynaI mite used in the McNamara case, according to the following Indianapolis disptit<Jr “People who for weeks unknowingly ! lived near enough dynamite to blow ■ up the neighborhood, and whose cliil- ; dren skated over the floors of a vacant house in which nitroglycerin had I been spilled, testified in the govern- ' ment investigation of the dynamite | conspiracy before the federal grand I jury this week. | “Witnesses from Muncie, Ind., were quet tluntd concerning what they knew of the renting of a house in Muncie to Ortie McManigal in December, 1909. After paying rent for several months in advance McManigal stored it with boxes and sawdust in which he packed nitroglycerin. The fact that the rent had been paid and the house, always in darkness, was visited periodically by a stranger, created an element of mystery-, which still was unsolved even after the place, again deserted, was thrown open and school children skated over the floors, upon which appeared grease spots. Later it was found the spots were caused by nitroglycerin and experts were called to destroy its explosive power. Among the witnesses from Muncie were Mrs. Elizabeth Hiner, Isaac Grant and a manufacturer who sold boxes to McManigal. “The evidence was traced by the investigators not only to conform McManigal’s confession which implicates John and James B. McNamara, but also to bring about who, if any, assisted them. “Other expressions of horror at discovering they had been living near explosives came from members of the family of D. Jones, a farmer near Indianapolis. For a long time prior to his arrest on April 22, 1911, J. J. McNamara, secretary-treasurer of the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers, on the pre- ! text that he was storing old records, kept in Jones’ barn a piano box filled , with nitroglycerin, from which McManigal replenished his supply when ! going on dynamiting expeditions. The I piano box still had 25 pounds of dy- ! namite in it when Jones, digging on j his farm, was apprised of the fact by j detectives who visited the place the I day John J. was arrested. “It was learned that these witnesses willingly told of the representations under which they rented their places and what persons paid them money. “So far ns the iron workers’ association is concerned, no opposition hereafter will be made against the removal of the books and paper taken from theff headquarters from one jurI isdiction to another. This was anI nounced today when an attorney for I the iron workers withdrew au appeal ■ to the Indiana supreme court from an order of the county court to turn the records over to the federal authori- ' ties. Although action on the motion to dismiss the appeal will not be taken ■until after January 2nd, it is understood the records, including books and correspondence of John J. McNamara, may now be carried between and federal county jurisdiction without opposition.” LUCKY ’TWASN’T A BUTTON. Tommy (who has been to church for the first time) —Did you see that pretty silver plate the man passed i around? His Mother —Yes, dear. Tommy—What did you get out of it? I only got a nickel. 1 THE RECEPTION COMMITTEE. ! Members of the reception committee s for the district convention nre requestB ed to meet at the office of the Daily . Democrat at 8 o’clock this evening, to - complete arrangements J. W. TYNDALL, Chr'm.