Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 13, Number 163, Decatur, Adams County, 8 July 1915 — Page 1

Volume XIII. Number 163.

MANY LIVES LOSE Devastating Storm Sweeps Over Southern Indiana and Missouri. PROPERTY DAMAGE Estimated to Reach Millions —Boats Are Sunk and Trains Wrecked. Cincinnati, July B,—(Special to the Daily Democrat)—Twenty-one known dead, thirty missing, about fifty hurt and property damage estimated at $1,000,000, makes the latest count of the toll exacted hy the tornado that swept Cincinnati last night. The list of dead include three men killed when a special train was blown from the Pennsylvania tracks near here. Fourteen people were hurt. The train was carrying horsemen and horses from the Latonia race track to Windsor. Canada. Many of the horses will never race again. Cincinnati. July B.—(Special to the Daily Democrat)—Cincinnati today gathered the harvest of dead and devastation sowed hy last night's storm. Hourly the list of dead grew as firemen and police dug into ruins of . homes and dragged the river for the dead who perished when the tow-boat Dick Ftiltcn, the steamer Convoy and a shanty boat went down during the gale. Police today estimated that nearly 40 persons perished. At 0 a. m. there were fifteen known dead' with scores missing ami injured.] Property damage was estimated at $1,000,000,000. Three were killed and' 10 injured when a Pennsylvania train was blown from a track near here. Louisville, July 8, —(Special to Daily Democrat) —The storm that swept through the Ohio valley last night, fell with fury on Henderson, Ky„ and un-l roofed buildings in Owensburg, but Louisville escaped without heavy damage. Reports from Carrollton today said the storm struck there with great force and that four lives were lost. With the exception of points along the Ohio river, Kentucky did not suf-, fer material damage irora the storm. , St. Louis, July S,—(Special to Daily Democrat) —Seven were killed and over a score injured by th tornado that 1 swept the counties adjacent to St. Lcilislate yesterday according to reports today. The property damage is] estimated at $1,000,000. Among the freaks of the storm was the derailment of a Wabash train near Gilmore. Fifteen persons were injured, none fatally. Vincennes. July B—(Special to Daily Democrat)—One was killed and several Injured in a terriffic wind storm that swept through this section yesterday. Houses wore blown down and wheat and corn fields swept clean. Clara Riley, 17, who lives on a farm in Illinois, was killed when the Riley home was destroyed. OH— ————— THE GREAT SILENCE At the Crystal theater this evening, Francis X. Bushman, the popular moving picture idol, will appear in one of the greatest three reel plays ever shown in this city. The play is entitled “The Great Silence" and Mr. Bushman is supported by the cream of the artists in the Essanay company. This is a story of a red blooded character of a mining camp in Alaska and is considered as one of Mr. Pushman’s finest plays. For tomorrow evening Manager Parent has billed another three reel feature by the Kalem company entitled “The Girl of the Music Hall’ and featuring Alice Joyce and Allan Glynn. The price of admission for the feature always remains the same, five cents to all. TWO GIRLS BORN Baby girls arrived at the homes of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Lengrich in Washington township and Mr. and Mrs. Leo Ullman of Union township. The physician Dr. D. D. Clark reports all as doing fine. _____O—SENT FINE TROUT Dr. C. T. Rainier is ni receipt of a :• mess of fine speckled trout, from Dan Sprang who is spending the summet at his cottage at Oden, Michigan.

DECATUR.. DAILY DEMOCRAT

|" LECTURE WAS FINE W. N. Steele, Supreme Ben Hur Instructor, Lectures. S The ilustrated lecture on the book of Ben Hur given at the K. of I’. homo last evening by W. N. Steele, supreme instructor of the Ben Hurs was exceedingly fine. In spite of the incessant rain which came up about lecture , time there was a good attendance, but J not nearly the crowd that would have been in evidence but for the rain. Mr Steele is a fine speaker and with his S good subject and the fine pictures illustrating it, the evening was ave-y instructive as well as enjoyoble one. Miss Mabel Weldy gave a reading before the opening of the lecture, that was much appreciated. o p ■ ,THE COURT NEWS t ’ Will Contest Case Sent Here t t on Change of Venue J from .Jay County. 1 3 CURRENT REPORTS 5 In Guardianships Allowed— Board of Review Raises r and Lower Assessments. ' A case was received in the Adams ■. circuit court on change of venue from ! Jay county. This is the case of John Rupe and eight others against Manda E. Rupe, administratrix of the will of Martin Rupe, there also being ten other defendants. Except for the ad- j ministratrix, the nine plaintiffs and! j ten defendants are children of the de-' ( ceased Martin Rupe. The suit is for | the contest of the Martin Rupe will which gives all the estate for life to Manda Rupe for her support and that I cf her children, and which at her death is to be divided among the ten! children made defendants. Allegation is made that the will is not the last I will of the decedent; that he was of unsound mind when it was executed and that it was unduly executed. The claim of Dr. D. D. Clark in the guardianship of Maria Robinson was! allowed and the guardian, E, Burt; Lenhart was authorized to pay the . same out of the ward's funds. The current report of James O. Bail, guardian of John A. Fetzerm was ap--1 proved. The current report of Edward Moser, guardian of Florence E. Moser, was approved and the trust continued. t The board of review today heard complaints of property owners and' reduced several assessments, raising one. —o HAD POCKET PICKED. Alfred Ayres, who went to Fort Wayne to see the liberty bell Tuesday, was one of many who had his pockets picked. The Fort Wayno Journal-Gazette says: “At this point Alfred Ayres, of Monroe, Adams county, who was in the city on business, was an interested spectator of the historical relic. His wallet was in his pocket. Two minutes later he felt for it and it was gone, he told Chief Lenz at the police station later in reporting his loss. The ' purse contained $65 in bills, one note • for $l4O, made out to himself, and an- . other note in favor of his son, Royal i L. Ayres, for SGS.” o CROCHET NEEDLE IN FLESH While playing at her home witli sev- - era! little friends, Helen, the eleven ■ year old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. > Lawrence Schlegel, residing on North 1 Seventh street experienced a very ? painful accident yesterday afternoon f when she fell in such a manner that a • crochet needle penetrated the flesh just below the left shoulder blade. It was necessary to call a physician to extract the needle. o f PENNSYLVANIA WASH-OUT On decount of a wash-out on one o f a the southern divisions of the Pennsyl- - vania railroad the Northern limited s due here at 11:44 p. m. on tire Grand Rapids and Indiana did not arrive until about seven-thirty this morning. The wash-out must have occurred m the extreme southern part of the state a as none of the regular trains on the n G. R. & L were delayed. The place of ■rlthe wash-out was not known to the I railroad agents at the local office.

LECTURE WAS FINE

Decatur, Indiana, Thursday Evening, July 8, 1915.

FORD TRACTOF < Performs Its Tasks—Accomplishes Remarkable Feat in Demonstration. > AT DEARBORN . MICH. I Climbed Nearly Impossible Grades and Plowed Through Swamps. Dearborn, Mich, July 7,—-Moving picture men were completing here today the work begun yesterday of taking pictures of the new Ford tractor at work. The pictures will be taken to Washington this week and shown to President Wilson to prove to him the government should deepen the river Rouge to hasten the work of building these machines. Henry Ford, the world famous manufacturer, discarded his fame and mingled with the farmers and town folk in yesterday’s celebration. He was among his old friends. On every hand he was greeted as “Henry." The feature' of the celebration here was a demonstration of the new trac tor. It climbed well nigh impossible grades, plowed through swamps, hub deep in water and turned in its own tracks. It is this machine that will be turned out by hundreds of thoui sands in the new factory to be erected on the banks of the river here. Ford anounced at the close of the day that if the government could not spend the money to deepen the river i in order that his ore boats might come | to his factories, that he would accomi plish the task himself. o PARK AUUBORN Costing Twenty Thousand Dollars Donated by Chas. Eckhart of That City. I WILL BE COMPLETE I Has Already Given Y. M. C. A., a Library and Other Gifts to His People. Charles Eckhart, formost citizen cf ' Auburn. Indiana, has just announced ! that he will spend twenty thousand dollars in giving to that city a beauti- . ful park. He appeared before the council and asked their consent and a promise of police protection, which of course was granted and he has already started the work of surveying. The park wil be completed by November and will be a handsome one of eightteen acres located in the south part of the city. Mr. Eckhart will have the ground properly graded, will build artistic bridges over Cedar Creek, fence the park, build two comfort stations, three drinking fountains, two ornamental fountains, an enclosed pavillion, band stand, 200 lawn seats, tool house, a play ground for the children, with all appartus, walks and drives, buy $2,000 worth of trees and shrubbery, build lagoons, lay water mains, put in electric light posts and asks only that it be called Eckhart park as it certainly ought to be. All hail to Mr. Eckhart. He’s the right kind. In addition to these gifts, this generous man has already given to Auburn a SOO,OOO Y. M. C. A., a $40,000 libra- y, drinking fountains around the pul Lc square, play ground apparatus at the public schools worth SSOO and other gifts. He is the head of the company which manufactures the Auburn automobile. o AT HARRY STRAUB’S HOUSE Alfred Moser called at this office last evening and asked us to correct the statement that the poker raid ■ last Saturday was at Ills home and I informed us that the game was at I Harry Straub’s house. Tills state- • ment is substantiated by the police- . men who made the raid and we gladly i make the correction. It Is also said ■ that but two of the men were playing > at the time the officers went in and f the hearing will come up this evening ? with Straub as the defendant, Grim having eluded the officers.

j| THE RINGLING CIRCUS. World’s Greatest Shows—“ Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.” '* Official information confirms the announcement that on Saturday. July 17, Ringling* Bros.’ circus wil give two performances in Fort Wayne. Many new features have been added this year, the most notable of which is the spectacle “Solomon and the . Queen of Sheba." This collossal production is presented with a cast of 1.250 people, a ballet of 300 dancing j girls. 735 hor«os. ami a train load of scenery, costumes and properties on the biggest stage in the world. Following the spectacle, a circus program of unusual brilliancy will be presented, including an array of foreign and American acts new to the circus j world. The menagerie contains 1,003 >- wild animals, forty-one elephnats, and :- a "baby zoo.” The circus is transt ported on eighty-nine double length 3 cars. Special arrangements have } been made by the railroads to ac--13 C ommodate the crowds that will visit' r the circus from this city and the sur- , rounding country. o —

WED IN MUNCIE r Reba Conrad, Former Decatur Young Lady, and Lloyd Fuller Married ) I — SATURDAY. JULY THIRD i Bride a Granddaughter of Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Odle of This City. Miss Reba Conrad, the daughter oi Mr. and Mrs. Louis Conrad, of SLG Brotherton street, was united in mar riage to Lloyd Fuller, of Montpelier Saturday, July 3, at the home of the bride's parents. The bride was attended by Miss Justine Conrad and Miss Marie Wertzberger of Hammond. Ind. Following the wedding, a supper was served to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bushnell, Arthur Bushnell, Mr. and Mrs. Will Fuller, Fred Conrad, Garnet Conrad, Justine Conrad, William Burkett, cf Bluffton, Mr. and Mrs. Odle of Decvatur, Mr. and Mrs. Parley Fuller, of Montpelier, and Marie Wertzberger, of Hammond, Mr. and Mrs. Fuller left Saturday evening for a trip to Chicago, and will be at home after July 15. Both are well known, in Muncie. —Muncie Star. The bride was a former resident of this city and is a grand daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Odle. o SESSIUNCLOSES Board of Commissioners Award Scheumann Road to Haugk & Son. THE STATE BOARD Will Give Adams County a Hearing on 27th—Attorney Heller to Attend. The board of commissioners met ( this morning and concluded the work ! of the July session. Notice having , been received from the state board oi '■ tax commissioners that Tuesday, July ’ 27th had been fixed as the day on r which Adams county will be heard . the board directed H. B. Heller, the county attorney to attend the meeting and represent Adams county. It appearing that there is not suffl j cient funds for the building of the t Barkley county line road, the board 1 ordered that one half the preliminarj 1 expenses be paid. t

I ■- The county board of charities filed i- their annual report, showing visits to V the county poor asylum and the county 1 jail and same was approved. ? il The contract for building the Henry g Scheumann road was awarded to Jul u ius Haugk & Son aud the bonds wen ordered sold.

MAKE WORD GOOD If You Pledged to Take Tickets You Are Expected to Purchase Them. IT IS IMPORTANT To the Fifty Men Who Have Signed Guarantee—Besides it Saves Money. Have you taken your tickets pledged last year? If you do not do so you work an injustice on the fifty men who acting in good faith on your pledge, signed the guarantee. The ladies who have canvassed the city r •- port that in ■'"some cases only a part of the tickets pledged are being taken. This will work a hardship on the men who guaranteed the sale

of 700 tickets. Your word was taken as good and the committee feel that you should take the tickets pledged, unless there is some very good reason why you should not. The outlook for a great week could not be brighter. The weather man is promising a fair week and the program is the best ever offered here or any where else. Every body is boosting the big Chautauqua and with just a little assistance from those who are holding hack the event will be the greatest success ever. If you havn’t taken your tickets yet. you should arrange to do so at once. By buying a season ticket you save a large amount over buying single tickets as the big attraction alone costs a dollar and many of the others are fifty cents Get your ticke* at once. —o TO CONVENTION Special Train Leaves Fort Wayne for Chicago to C. E. Convention. HOyVARD J. WISEHAUPT Transportation Supt. of Indiana C. E. in Charge of the Party. Christian Endeavors from this court ty. Fort Wayne, Huntington, Berne, Muncie and other points in north eastern Indiana, left Fort Wayne yes terday at noon by a special train ovet the Pennsylvania for Chicago, to be in attendance upon the fiftli world's and twenty-seventh international Christian Endeavor convention which opened last night in the Coliseum. The party is in charge of Howard J. Wisehaupt, of Kinksland, transportation superintendent of the Indiana Christian Endeavor, and included in the party is O. F. Gilliom of Berne, state treasurer, Miss Ina Maxwell of Fort Wayne, secretary of the Fort Wayne district, and Rev. Edward H. Clifford pastor of the East Creighton Avenue Church of Christ, who is the Indiana vice-president of the World's Christian Endeavor. A special train from Indianapolis wil carry the Endeavors from the south aud central portions of the state. The two trains are scheduled to arrive >n Chicago at tlie same hour, 4:30 this afternoun, in time for the opening session tonight. The Indiana delegation is fortunate in its hotel assignment as it will be quartered at the Hotel Sherman which will be the headquarters of the United Society officials, us Boston, and the Canadian delegation. The convention will be in session through Monday night. July 12. Tomorrow the Indiana delegation will have a special meeting aud important business conference in the assembly hall of the Hotel Sherman. The principal address to the Indiana Bndeavorers will be delivered by Rev. Daniel A. Poling, of Boston, president’s associate of the United Society of Christtan Endeavor. _o _ THE STORK’S STOP Mary Catherine is the name of the eight pound girl born to Mr. and Mrs Leo Ulman. Mrs. Ulman was formerly Miss Agnes Miller. Mother and bain are doing nicely.

m PRISONER KILLED * At Indiana State Penal Farm—Strunk By Lightning. C The first death at the Indiana State Penal Farm at Greencastle, occurred late yesterday afternoon when lightning Instantly killed one of the prisoners as he was walking in an open field. Two companions escaped with slight I injuries. The man was a new arrival and officials liad not yet announced an Identification. The heaviest rain and j electrical storm of the season struck Putnam county yesterday afternoon and evening. One and a half inches of rain fell between one and four o’clock. It is believed that wiieat and other crops are damaged. o ■ON DITCH LAW r » Letters Received by Townt ship Trustees from Ac3 counting Board. 1 I TRUSTEES ADVISED 1 1 Statute is Ambiguous—Says Court Will Construe Law in Time. k ■ Indianapolis. Ind., July 7,—Gilbert H.' Hendren, state examiner of the state, board of accounts, has just sent a letter to all township trustees of the 1 state, in which the state board official-' 1 iy has interpreted the township drain-! age act, passed hy the 1915 legislature. I Approximately 500 inquiries relative to various provisions of this law had been received by the state board, and tlie letter is intended to give uniform , meaning to the law throughout the state. The letter follows: The township drainage act of 1915. Acts 1915, page 320, provides that «v-, ery public drain (or ditch) in the township, except dredge ditches, shall . be cleaned at least once in each two ( sears in conformity with the orignial ( specifications for such drains or , ditches. If, for any reason, the ( county surveyor refuses to do the | engineering work necessary (by set- . ting the grade stakes, etc.) in preparing to clean these drains, you should ( obtain tlie services of some other (] competent engineer. 1 s Tlie 1915 act provides that engineers may be paid not to exceed ten t dollars ($10) a mile for their services. . This is the language of the act, and ( if you can not hire an engineer for, that price, it seems that it will be t necessary for you to raise the balance £ by voluntary contributions from those £ who will be benefited. The law con-, templates that all drains shall be di- ] vided into stations of one hundred 8 (100) feet each, and that the contracts | should be let by the station rather i i than by the rod. e We construe the law that township 1 trustees are authorized to pay for the * temporary engineering work out of the s township fund, but this preliminary c expenses so paid shall be replaced \ with interest when the trustee shall ; have made and collected assessments t which assessments shall include the i amount paid the engineer for such i preliminary work, provided in said i 1915 act for cleaning a drain you 1 should follow the provisions of the, 1915 act for cleaning a drain and give ;i notice to bidders. The township 11 trutee is paid for his service out, i of the township fund. He acts as. township trustee and is paid his reg-. ular per diem. No provision is made , authorizing the trustee to hire an; assistant to make assessments. AU drains in the townships, “except. dredge ditches,” shall be under the | , exclusive charge and supervision of | the township trustee. , Section 12 of the new ditch law. Acts 1915, page 20, require you to reI cord assessments for biennial cleart ing of ditches and drains “in a book , known as a township record.” Forms for such a drainage record, notice contract, etc., have been prepared by I this department and samples will be i. sent to all township trustees desiring same, upon request. Many townships have a small number of public ditches and 1 have been informed by several township trustees that it would be an easy matter e to have an engineer set the grade s. stakes according to the orginal specv ifications and pay the engineers , c charges so- such preliminary work (Continued on Page 4)

Price, Two Cents

ANNUAL JEPORT Os County Fann and Jail as Filed by County Board of Charities. IS DULY APPROVED By Board of Commissioners—Report Shows Conditions and Needs. County Poor Asylum. The county poor asylum was visited by Mesdames D. D. Heller, John Everett, W. A. Lower and Mr. Sim Fordyce on June 21, 1915. The asylum is situated two and onehalf miles south of Decatur on a large farm of two hundred and seventy acres of fair land of which two hundred and sixty are tillable and the other ten are covered with timber. The land is valued at about one hundred and forty dollars an acre. The farm is stocked with forty cattle (of which fifteen are cows), eight horses and forty-five swine. The farm has about three acres of garden and an orchard of five acres of trees. The estimated net annual expenses besides products is about twenty-five hundred dollars a year. Mr. Martin Laughlin, the superintendent, has turned into the commissioners about eighteen hundred dollars since January. Tlie capacity of the asylum is about eighty-one, but the present population is thirty-one. It was thirty-two, one man having died since we visited the farm. There are six men working at least a part of the time, nine are either sick or crippled, three are I very old, two blind and one insane. There are six sick or crippled women, two quite old and three insane. The three insane women and one man are locked in cells away from the main building. Tiie sexes are separated by locking the hail doors which connect tlie two departments. The house is clean and well kept. The inmates bathe once in two weeks. There are live good bath tubs and toilets in tlie building. The bedding and clothing are sufficient for the present. There is not much furniture in the living rooms of either the men or women and the men especially need some comfortable chairs. The building is well lighted by electricity. It has no special ventilating system, but has plenty of windows to admit light and air. The inmates are well fed and are required to help do all the work they are able to do, both in the kitchen and the dining room. Dr. Parrish of Monroe is the regularly employed physician and receives a salary of two hundred dollars a year. He is very kind and attentive to tho inmates and his efficient work is much appreciated hy the superintendent and his wife. Plenty of good reading matter is supplied to the inmates by persons outside who are interested in their welfare. Religious services are held about every two weeks, but we have not a definite record of them. The required records are kept but it seems that it would be better to have them a little more complete. The asylum is built of brick as are also the heating plant and the cells for the Insane. The other buildings are of wood and in good condition. The fences are good and the door yards, especially the large front yard, looks fine, but a few good shade trees , would add much to the appearance of the place as well as to the comfort of the people living there, j According to the opinion of both , the superintendent and the board of charities, the following are the iinmeIdiate needs of the institution: There is a very large ventilator which cannot be used at all, placed high above where the kitchen ceiling should be, in the inmates’ kitchen. This big open space receives all the heat from the kitchen below, leaving the lower part of the kitchen too cold for the people working there. This could easily be remedied by placing a wooden or other ceiling where it rightfully belongs, thus cutting off all the open space above. This should be attended to without tail beiere cold weather. There are no graves permanently marked in the cemetery and it would be impossible to find a special grave should any one so desire to try. The (Continued oo ?age 2.)