Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 11, Number 89, Decatur, Adams County, 14 April 1913 — Page 1

Volume XI. Number 89.

DEATH COMES SUDDENLY T. W. Watts Died Suddenly This Morning from Neu--wdgia of Heart. ILL BUT FEW MINUTES One of Most Popular Men in the County—Active in Church and Lodge. — After being ill but a few minutes and without regaining consciousness, T. W. Watts one of the most respected and well-known citizens of Decatur, passed from a peaceful natural sleep to the sleep that knows no awakening. A week ago, Mr. Watts suffered a severe pain in the chest and placed himself under the care of a physician who pronounced it neuralgia. After taking several treatments the trouble apparently disappeared and he was feeling in the best of health. Mr. Watts attended all the services at the Baptist church yesterday, of which he is a devoted member, and retired last evening without a single warning or forboding of the terrible quickness with which he would be parted from his dear ones. However about 2:15 this morning, Mrs. Watts was awakened by ' the low moaning of her husband and thinking that it was caused by the I . position in which he was lying she ens dejvored to awaken him. When he ret fused to respond to her endeavors she 1 hastily summoned a physician. Upon her return from the telephone she turned him upon his back and after L taking three short breaths be gave i his soul to the keeping of the Father i and irassed into the great unknown Thomas Wilda Watts was born near j Mendon, Mercer county, Ohio, March i 28, 1855, and was the son of William and Annlce Katherine Watts. His boyhood and young manhood was spent in that county with his parents. In 1875 he was united in marriage with Miss Susie Mefhls of Delphos. After living for several years in that place he removed to this city where forth« past twenty-eight years he has’been s resident. Upon his arrival in Decatur he was employed with P. W. Smith In the saw mill business. After sever ing his connection with that firm at was employed with the Schafer Hard ware Company, at which place he re mained until two years ago when lit became the local agent for the Peoples Life Insurance Company. Three child rea Were burn to Mr. and Mrs. Watts two of whom survive the father they being Mrs. Myrtle Bouse of Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Mrs. Kitte W-'i ters of-Adrian, Michigan, another daughter, Cora, having preceded hin in death. Mr. Watts Is also survivet by two sisters, Mrs. C. W ilder o Monmouth and Mrs. Rhoda Mahon oi Chicago, and by one brother, Jatncf Watts of Monmouth. The daughter tors. Bouse returned only yesterday morning to her home In Grand Rap'd: Vi.er having spent ten days with hei Parents. There is in all probability no another man in Adams county so popu lar and well liked ns was Mr. Watts Being in the position to make man] friends and also having a kind, qy ;n Pathetic nature and disposition h < readily gained the confidence am friendship of every one whom he met In the church he was one of the mos earnest and conscientious of workers doing every thing in his power for th< (Continues on fags 2)

DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT

GIVEN A SHOCK. , Was Defense—Attempt to Discredit ' Medical Testimony. The defense in the Ralph Hoover 1 wife-murder case in Van Wert. Ohio, was given a shock Saturday, when it became apparent that the state rebuttal would make a strong attempt to discredit much of the expert medical ] testimony introduced by the defense. So much was spent by both sides in arguing whether this should be given . that only one ritness. Dr. S. S. Tuttle, was used along this line by Saturday’s adjournment. The case will now probably drag along until about the middle of the week before it is finished. Public sentiment has undergone" little change, those who tTTink he will be acquitted being about equal in number to those who are of the opinion that he will be found guilty. WINS FIRST PRIZE Don Burk Wins First Place in State Intercollegiate Oratorical Contest. HELD IN VALPARAISO — Will Represent State at the Inter-state Contest —ls Also State President. Don Burk of DePauw university, son of Mr. and Mrs. John Burk, of this 1 city, won first place in the state oratorical contest Saturday evening at Valparaiso university. After the contest he was unanimously elected state president of the Indiana Inter-collegi-! ate Prohibition association for 1913- 1 1914. • ' The contest was given by this as-' sociation and five colleges were repre-' sented. They were: DePauw, Earlham, Taylor,‘Valparaiso and Wabash. By winning Mr. Burk Will represent ' the state in the inter-state oratorical held the latter part of May. Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Colorado, Kentucky and two other states jill be represented. Besides the honor that goes with it, Mr. Burk also received substantjil recognition,! as the first place carried with it a' prize of fifty dollars. The subject of Mr. Burk’s winning oration, which received straight firsts was “The Liquor Traffic Versus Social Efficiency.” Malcolm Campbell of Earlham won second honors. His delivery and manuscript were both very good. His subject was “State-wide Prohibition.” Mr. Burk, who is a graduate of the Decatur high school, will graduate from DePauw university next February. He there gets out a half year’s work toward a Master’s degree. Then in the summer he goes to Curry school at Boston to study technical dramatics and public speaking. Mr. Burk has made a fine record and the Decatur schools are proud to have sent out such a product. He stopped off at his home here, enroute from Valparaiso, and will return to school tomorrow. Today he is receiving the congratulations of all his friends. Judges were Professor Stllson, Adrian college: Professor Cochran, Carleton college; Professor Groat, Ohio Wesleyan. On delivery: Attorney Bruce, Crown Point; Professor Thomas Moran, Purdue; Harry S. Warner, Chicago. <j WILL GIVE RECEPTION. — Maccabees to Entertain for Great Officer Turgl. [ The local Maccabees will have as their guest tomorrow evening, Tuesday, April 15, the Breat Lieutenant Commander, Mr. Turgl, of Goshen. In his honor, the local order has arrangled for a supper and reception to be 'given at the hall tomorrow evening. \lKMaccabees and their wives are invited to come. The supper will be given at 6:30. o - ' ■, STEPS TO SECURE MEDALS. Steps have been taken by Decatur people to secure Carnegie medals for several who have jeopardized their lives in the rescue of others. The Carnegie Hero Fund commission has been written and blanks were received for the compiling of the necessary evidence which will be used by the commission in passing upon the cases.

“DECATUR CAN AMD WILL”

SUFFERINGS END Louis Schroeder Succumbs to Long Attack of Stomach Trouble. PROMINENT FARMER Resided Near Williams— Will be Laid to 1 Wednesday Afternoon. Louis Schroeder, aged 62, a prominent Adams county farmer, living a mile from Williams, died Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock after a long illness from what is thought to be ulcers of the stomach. For several days he-had been at the point of death and had been suffering much. He was a son of August and Sophia Schroeder, and was born October 18, 1801, in Allen county, Indiana. He was married November 9, ’ 1880, to Miss Anne Huser, who is still living. They took up their residence on the place on which they still live, having spent thirty-three years They have two children, Alma and Albert,' who are at home. 1 A half brother, August Schroeder, resides at Seward, Neb., and a sister, Mrs. Sophia Hoeltje, at Fort Wayne. The funeral will be held Wednesday afternoon. The procession will leave the house at l? 30, sun time, for the St. John’s Lutheran church, where the Rev. H. C. Jaus will officiate. The deceased was an enterprising farmer I and well known over the north part of the county. The funeral of Mrs. Anna Reffey, widow of David Reffey, was conducted j this morning from the Spring Hill . church in Monroe township. Her i death occurred Saturday morning aft■er only a brief illness. Mrs. Reffey’s , maiden name was McClain, she being ,a daughter of John McClain. John McClain, jr., is a brother and Newton McClain a half brother, both residing near the Reffey homestead. Mrs. Reffey was one of Monroe township’s pioneer ladies, having been a resident at the old homestead where her death occurred forty nine years. HEART ATTACK Partial Heart Failure Causes Fall of Joseph Mallonee —Well Known Man. ON SECOND STREET i Face Strikes Edge of Bench and is Bady Cut-Condi-tion is Weak. Joseph Mallonee, an aged man, well known about town, suffered a hard fall this morning in which the left side of his face was badly bruised and cut. The aged man was passing south on Second street and when he reached the east side of the Niblick grocery, he felt a weakness coming over him and sat down on a box to rest. He suffered a fainting spell and he presently wavered and fell from the box, striking his face on the edge of a bench-like seat sitting on the walk. Those who saw him fall hastened to him and laid him on the bench until medical help could be secured. The wound bled quite freely and the aged man, pallid and. weak, had the appearance of a dead man at the time. Several times during the wait for the physician he fainted away. The cuts were closed with sticking plaster and a stimulant given,. and the man was then taken to his home. It is the opinion of the attending physician that the fall was caused by a partial heart jailure. The injury sustained by the fall alone. Is slight. Owing to Mr. Mallonee'g advanced age, the outcome of the attack cannot be foretold. At noon today he was reported as resting. He is confined at the home of his son, Ross Mallonee, with whom he resides. — Miss Agnes Starost of Fort Wayne spent Sunday in the city with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Starost.

Decatur, Indiana. Monday Evening, April 14, 1913.

JUDGE MERRYMAN ILL. | ( Unable to Hold Court Today—Court House News. Judge J. T. Merryman has been very > ill since Saturday from neuralgia of the head and was unable to take his place on the bench this morning for the opening of the • April term of court. A telephone call to the house . this afternoon brought the word that! ■ he was very ill this afternoon, and it is not known at this time whether he will be able to attend court tomorrow, J The Adams county commissioners end Attorney J. C. Moran will go by automobile tomorrow to Mercer county, Ohio, to meet with the commissioners of that county relative to an interstate ditch—the Alva Curies train. The apportionment of the costs between the states will be, made at this time. Real estate transfers: Charles H. Kerridge et al. to Leroy Keller, 50 i acres, W’abash tp., |55jM James P. | Kcifcr to Grover C. Everett, lot 4, Sa- 1 lem, $125; Winifred J. Russell to Orval Harruff, lot 84, Decatur, $250; , Rosa L. Watts et al. to Martin Marhenke, realty in Root tp., $600; Mary | Watts Mills to Oliver A. Potter et al., lot 366, Geneva, 625; Albert B. Riley j et al. to Lloyd Campbell, 1.62 acres, ■ Blue Creek tp., $825; Otto Stucky to Daniel Baumgartner ,lot 168, Berne, $350. - IN THE CHURCHES. , Rev. Stephenson Preached First Ser-', mons as Local Pastor. — , Dr. D. T. Stephenson, late of the ■ Goshen First M, E. church, preached, his first sermons here Sunday morning and evening as pastor of the local' church. Dr. Stephenson is a good i speaker, possesses a pleasing person-. : j ality and untiring ability as a worker .. in all departments, and the congrega-, . tion is well pleased with having sei cured him. He will not move his . family to this city until the Goshen | [ schools cluse, which will be in about ' six weeks. His family of children com- ■ I prises five boys, the greater number of . whom are in school. v o TEST YOUR DRINKING WATER. Since the recent floods much of the ' drinking water is contaminated, and a I simple test as to its purity follows: j Take a glassful of the water to be ■ ■ tested and put int 3 a little potassium I permangenate, just sufficient to give it ja bright pink color and just opaque J enough so you cannot readily see through it. Let this stand twenty-four hours aid if organic matter is contained within the water it will turn from a bright pink to a rusty brown color. i This simple test is accurate enough I for all practical purposes. > DR. C. R. WEAVER. ’ THE CRISIS APPROACHES. Press Service) Rome, April 14—(Special to Daily Democrat)—The crisis of the pope’s illness will arrive tomorrow and in order to meet it the physicians are regularly administering heart stimuI lants to lower the pulse and also the temperture. The physicians are now wholly concerned with the pope's ' lungs. o GOES TO WEST> x Mrs. Bears who has been visiting nere with her sister, Mrs. Louis Gehrig and also with Berne relatives, left I today for her home at Portland, Oregon. She was accompanied by her nephew. Tilman Gehrig, who will make an extended visit in the west. He expects to remain until after the world’s fair at San Francisco, which he plans to attend. POLICE COURT. Reuben Woodruff was arrested Sat- ' urday night by Marshal 'Peterson on a charge of public intoxication. He was taken to jail and Sunday morning furnished bond for his appearance this morning. He appeared before the mayor this morning and was given a (Ine of $1 and costs, amounting to sll. He stayed the docket. LUTHERAN CHURCH OFFERING. Rev. Dornseif of the Fuelling Lutheran church in the city today to send away the special offering of S3O which the congregation took yesterday to send to the congregation at Omaha, Neb., which lost its church, parsonage and school house in the cyclone on Easter Sunday.

GAS CITY IS WET I Saloons Win Out in One of Hottest Contests Known in This State. BY JUST ONE VOTE Remonstrance Held Insufficient by Board—Minority Report Filed, X • Because of the similarity of the fight, the contest over the saloons at Gas City, has been watched by many here, with much interest for several! weeks. In that city an election was | held and the town voted “wet” by a small majority. Immediately a remonstrance was started and it was claimed a sufficient number of names : could be secured, the battle being waged before the board of commissioners . last week. The board decided Saturday night by a vote of two to one that the remonstrance was insufficient. The city will therefore remain "wet.” According to the opinion of the majority the remonstrance as filed in two parts contained 81 names. It was also held that the powers of attorney in 'six out of the nine withdrawals filed iby the wets were sufficient, and that ■ inasmuch as three signatures were on both remonstrances, they could not be counted twice and three of them l should be set aside. Counsel for wets and drys alike admitted two names , were those of illegal voters and should ,be discredited. The final recapitulation of the majority was that there were but seventy-six names of duly i qualified voters on the remonstrance, after the contested names had been J removed, and that the six withdrawals j which were sustained brought the number down to seventy, which is insufficient, seventy-one being required. It was admitted, however, by the majority that the question as to whether i the withdrawals were sufficient was a i fine one and of such a nature that the 'commissioners are willing a higher court should decide it if any further I question should arise. A SILVEMHOWER Given by Pupils of the Elzey School for Their Teacher, Emma Ma gley Nye. AT SCHOOL’S CLOSE Was Married During Term —Helen Fonner Closes Her School. Ms. Emma Magley Nye, who has been a teacher seven years in the Adams county schools, finished her last term last week, when she closed a successful year’s work as teacher at the Elzey school, Dist. No. 8, in Root township. The patrons surprised her by giving a big picnic dinner in the school, all staying to hear the excellent program rendered by the pupils. Mrs. Nye's marriage took place during the past term and the pupils took this time to give her a sliver shower. The gifts included a silver bread plate, a silver berry spoon and silver gravy ladle. The presentation speech was' made by a pupil, Miss Leon Baker, in , which she expressed the love and es-; teem in which the pupils held their teacher and asked her to accept the ' gifts as a token thereof. Mrs. Nye will leave this week for her parents’i home near Fort Wayne. Her husband, ■ Frank Nye, will finish his course in the Fort Wayne business college and they will then locate near that city. j The Mallonee school, Dist. N 0.7, in 1 Root township, closed Friday with the usual festivivty attending such events. 1 Miss Helen Fonner has been the efficient teacher here and under her direction the pupils presented a very good program. At noon the patrons and friends came and all enjoyed a big picnic dinner. Seventy-five patrons and visitors were present.

OFFERING IS GIVEN. I From United Brethren Sunday School to Peru Flood Sufferers. At yesterday's session of the United Brethren Sunday school a vote was I carried to give all of the morning of-1 sering to the flood sufferers at Peru. I I This was accordingly done, and the ■ goodly sum of $26 from the Sunday | school alone will be sent to do its good home missionary work among the sufjferers. c CALLED A MEETING. The members of the Kekionga' Lodge, No. 65, K. of P., are requested ■ to meet at the Pythian Home this ev- ' ening at 7 o’clock sharp to arrange for the funeral of Brother T. W. Watts. ( Let every brother give this matter immediate attention. R. D. MYERS, C. C. CAME JUST IN TIME I John Harvey Preparing to Seek Dayton Sister, Received Letter Today TELLING OF SAFETY ' ' Telegrams Telling Her of Father’s Death Returned Undelivered. I I i, Not until the death of their father i occurred, and telegram after telegram 1 sent to their sister, Mrs. '*Alta Rawe, ■ at Dayton, Ohio, returned undelivered >I , to the senders, did John Harvey, of this city, and his brother and sisters ['entertain any serious fears that their j sister may not have escaped the Day- , ton floods. Upon failure to get any word to her through telegrams, other steps were taken today and the outcome is anxiously awaited. . j Mr. Harvey received word last Mon- [ day that his father, George W. Harvey, , who had made his home here two . years with his son, before going a . 'year ago to Pickard, Clinton county, (Indiana, to live with another son, 'James, had suddenly been stricken i with paralysis. Mr. Harvey left at 1 once for Pickard, and fortunately ar--1 rived in time. The father was ill only 1 twenty-four hours, his death following Tuesday. The attack w’as very sudr den and no thoughts of the fatal illness so soon to over&ke him were entertained Monday when he ate dinner as usual. The deceased was seventyeight years and seven months old. During his two years’ stay here with his son, John Harvey, a well known farmJ er of south of the city, who is now a member of the Leonard & Harvey real estate company of Decatur, the de- ' ceased became well acquainted with many here. A daughter, Mrs. Cyrus 'Alexander, also resides south of his city. Besides the two sons and two daughters named before, Mrs. Cereldia Kirkby, Hamilton county, survives. 'The funeral was held Thursday. j I Greatly grieved because the funeral must be held without the attendance of the daughter, Mrs. Rawe of Dayton, and much worried because no word 1 had been received from there, tele- : phone communication being cut off, ; and telegrams returned undelivered, , the family finally decided to take more effective measures to learn whether the family was still live and in need of [assistance. Later: Mr. Harvey had first plan- 1 ned to go to Dayton today to seek his sister, but later had planned to send [ word to John H. Patterson, president (Os the National Cash Register comJpany,*who has been a great factor in ! life-saving and relief work, to ask him (to assist in the location of his reiaI fives. Just as he was formulating jplans, the long-looked-for word from [the sister came by letter today. The family was tn the flooded district, j where water stood twenty feet deep and they lost everything they had. The husband is now working in the light and power plant but the family is destitute, and wants Mr. Harvey to I come at once. He will call them by j telephone today’ to see whether he can (get out of the city should be go there, as the place is still under martial law, and all who come on sight-seeing ■ alone, are set to work at. once. — o , > A party of fifty Knights of ColumII bus went to Fort Wayne yesterday, - where they attended the Initiation and banquet which was held there.

Price, Two Cents.

FLOOD VICTIMS Mrs. Frank Armstrong and Daughter, Driven from Dayton Home. VISIT IN DECATUR Give Graphic Description of the Week of Terror in Stricken City. Arrivals in the city Saturday aiter,noon were Mrs. Frank Armstrong and 'daughter, Margare/ from Dayton, 0., !who are guests or Mr. and Mrs. John Stewart, of Mercer avenue. The Armstrongs were former neighbors of the Stewarts in Dayton, and were victims 'of the recent flood which came near destroying the beautiful city. Mrs. Armstrong and daughter were separated from her husband three days and two nights, and can picture most vividly some of the heart-rending scenes of the awful disaster. On Monday morning, March 24, Mr. Armstrong, on his way home from the I Y. M. C. A., was compelled to wade ■ through water at the Fifth street bridge to reach his home at the corner of Fifth and Sprague, in the west part of the city. Early Tuesday morning 'he arose and went to the bridge to ■view the river, as it was rising rapidly, to be in readiness to vacate his home in time if it became necessary, but no one believed it would have to be done in such double-quick time. While he was gone a man on horseback rushed through the residence district sounding the warning to the people to leave their homes at once as the water was rising rapidly, and it was believed ' than the levee could withstand the strain but very little longer. Mr. Armstrong returned to his family immediately, and gathering a few articles of clothing they rushed to the walk in ' front of their home. It was then 5:?0 a. m., Tuesday, and as they neared the ’ curb to enter a waiting automobile, a • neighbor lady and an invalid brother • came up. Mr. Armstrong requested 1 that this invalid bo taken into the ma- ’ chine, saying he would be able to get ’.to them in a very short time, as did 1 also the lady, who started on foot to 1 the hillside, where the auto was bound. ’ The water was then shoe-top deep. Mr. Armstrong ran back into the ' house, where he was compelled to ' stay. Later he managed to get to the 1 second floor, where another family ' was marooned in. This family con- ' sisted of a husband and wife and five ' days’ old infant. The water kept ’ creeping up until they were compelled ’ to get sill higher or give up the>r ’ lives to the waters now rushing madly 1 through the street in front of their 1 home. There was no way to get to ' the attic from their side of the double [apartment bouse, so with almost superhuman effort the men forced a hole ' in the wall to the apartment on the ' other side of the house. Through this opening they carried the sick mother and babe and went with them to the attic, from which they were rescued on Thursday evening. This was accomplished only by threatening to 'shoot those in charge of the rescue boats if they did not take them out. The boatsmen would not believe the men when they told them that they had sick people in the attic, thinking they were using that as a ruse to accomplish their own rescue. While in ■ the attio the men folks had made [Topes from bed-clothing''and other articles which they threw to others in the water and in a near-by home, thus pulling them to safety, 'rhe neighbor lady who had started on foot to the hillside, was able to get only two squares where she, too, was finally compelled to seek refuge in an attic, ' where she remained until Thursday ' ■ with three white men and a colored 1 man. ’ In the meantime Mrs. Armstrong and > [daughter had reached safety and wait- ’ 1 ed and watched every rescue boat as • it came in for the husband and father ’ they had left behind. At last they ' I were rewarded, but the strain on all >[had been something terrible. Their '.case is only one of the many hun--1 dreds. In some cases the loved ones , never met, and Mrs. Armstrong says' , the scene can never be told as it really t was. From the time the warning was ■given until the water went down great excitement prevailed, and the one object of all was to help others when It , J could be done. During the long hours 1 thatthey were separated, the otfly (Contfrmen on rage 2)