Decatur Democrat, Volume 36, Number 48, Decatur, Adams County, 17 February 1893 — Page 7

CHEMICAL CL Al R VOY ANCE. I K Vf", w** ■ t • ' ft ■ ,|| M [The Story of a Man Who Knew of the Morrow, Written for This Paper. BY EDWARD S. VAN ZILE

■ CH AFTER I. I Ho was not a handsome man, from a I classic standpoint, but there was soineI ttnng in his face pleasing to the eye of ■ him who finds beauty In power. It was | a strong face; a face bearing the imSross of groat nientai foroo and showig those peculiar marks left on the ■ human countenance by lofty thoughts. I Do you want his picture ip detail? I’or- ■ haps not, yet; but if youjread his strange I story you will be anxious to know how I he looked. Taking It for granted, then, I that you intend to peruse this tale, let I me describe its central figure. I He was at the time of which I write I 30 years of age, but his dark hair had so I many gray locks, turning to white just I above the ears, that he appeared at least I ten years older. He was slender in I figure and about 5 feet 6 inches in height I —the Napoleonic standard. His head I was too large for his frame and his overI hanging brow and prominent nose added I to his general lack of symmetry. His I eyes were steel-gray in color, rather I small, perhaps, but very fiery when he I was aroused. His hands and feet were I delicate in outline, and, though he was I careless as regards his clothes, he alI ways paid strict attention to his gloves I and shoes. Even great men have small I vanities. I His name was Danton—Maurice DanI ton.*' His grandfather had come to New I York City sometime In the ’3o's, and I had made a fortune in real estate. The I father of Maurice had squandered a I large part of his inheritance and had I died young. His wife had not survived I him long, and at twenty Maurice DanI ton found himself an orphan, with an inI come of about $2,000 a yeer—the pitiful I remnant of hhs grandfather’s vast I wealth. I Maurice had been a gloomy, morbid I boy, a hard reader, and more inclined I to indulge his own queer reveries than I mingle with his schoolmates. Left I in the world, he decided to spend a few I years in Germany and perfect himself I in certain linos oi science. His income I was sufficient to support him in comfort I at the University of Heidelberg, and he I had passed ten years of his life in that I quaint Old town, not happy, perhaps, but too unambitious to break from the intellectual fetters that held him there. Ho had been looked upon at the university as a man of great talents who would never amount to much. His historic French surname had added to his unpopularity, and for a whole decade he had lived a lonely existence, poring over books, working in his laboratory, and brooding upon various problems as old as the mind of man. His only friend in all that time had been a weird-looking little man, at one time a famous professor, but now forgotten and neglected in his later years. ' Danton and he were often together, and the Professor’s den, at the top of a tum-ble-down house facing the Heiligenberg, was tire scene of many meetings between this strangely-assorted pair. A conveisation that took place between them a few months before Danton returned to this country resulted in the startling events forming the basis of this history. “Science to-day," the old man was saying, “is injured by its overbearing egotism. It siys, in effect, that the , scientific workers in the old days were fools and fanatics; that the scientific methods of the present are the only paths toward truth, and that even the ancient achievements of science were the outcome not of reason but of luck.” “In that, I think contemporary science is right,” returned Danton stubbornly. “What were lhe scientists—to abuse a great name—of past ages? Charlatans, cheats, chasers of the rainbow, men who sought to change Iron Into gold and find immortal youth in drugs. Faugh! The catalogue of those old errors is enough to make men blush to the end of time. The scientific present and the scientific past are as widely different as chemistry and clairvoyance. ’’ The weazened face of the aged German took on a peculiar expression. He seemed to smile sarcastically. “You are young and have the impetuosity of a Frenchman. There may be no such great gap between chemistry and clairvoyance as you think.” Danton looked at his companion in amazement. Was the old man’s brain equal to its weight of years? “What do you mean?” he asked. “Have you ever read the stories of that old scoundrel Balzac? Os course you have. He is one of your grandfather’s countrymen. Well, listen to this.” The Professor left his scat by the window, put on a pair of steel-bowed spectacles, found, after a time, the book he sought and resumed his place. "Os course,” he premised, “Balzac has no weight with you or me on a subject of this kind, but a certain passage here' will illustrate what I have to say to you before you return to the land of your birth. Listen: ‘ln these days so many authentic and established facts have come to light by means of the occult sciences, that before long these sciences will bo taught just as we now teach chemistry and astronomy. It is surprising that at this moment in Paris, where they are now creating professorships of the Slav and Mantchoo and other futile literatures of the North, they have not revived under the pane of anthropology the teaching of occult philosophy—one of the glories of the ancient university. In this respect Germany, a nation so great and yet so childlike, has outrun France, for there they have revived this science—a science far more useful than the various philosophies which are, in point of fact, all the same thing.' Now, there is a good deal of nonsense in this and just'an atom of truth. Balzac realized that those thinkers whom you call Seats and charlatans saw clearly cern things to which science now persistently and stubbornly blinds herself.” “You mean, then—to place the matter in a practical light—that such a subject j as clairvoyance, for instance, is worthy of attention from modern scientists?” ’ftldo. Let modern science pride herself upon her own achievements, but let her not forget that there were war- ' riors before Agamemnon and clever men before Bacon. The point Is just here. The alchemists and astrologers were, to a great extent, frauds, but their lines of endeavor were the outcome of many ages of human thought. Modern science arises and says that all those cen- % turies of investigation shall count for nothing, and the phenomena not at present explainable cannot exist—a decree as arbitrary and absurd as any ever made by the church against science. Nbw, young man, bear this in mind. If we could gather from the past whatever truth it discovered regarding the phenomena of what are called the occult sciences, and could apply thereto the methods of modern sol* ence, a startling result might be obtained. Do you follow me?” - I “Vaguely.”

“For instance, lot us take—but hold! I'll quote from Balzac again: ‘lf any one had gone to Napoleon <tnd told him that a building or a man projects, at all moments and perpetually, an Imago upon the atmosphere, and that all existing objects have within that atmosphere, a perceptible and obtainable specter or shape, he would have promptly sent his information to Charenton, just as Itlchellou sent Salomon de to Blcetrd, when that Norman martyr offered him the .vast conquest of steam navigation.’ Now if I should tell you that objects that do not yet exist project upon the atmosphere ‘a perceptible and obtainable specter shape' you would consider me as crazy as Napoleon would have thought Daguerre. But I make that assertion to you boldly. Not only does the atmosphere contain the specter of everything that was and everything that is, but In its bosom reclines the image of everything that will be. This is hard for you to believe. Let mo help you. Your mind still retains the picture I presented as I lay ill in bed a few months ago, does it not? Yes. Well, your mind now holds my image as I appear at the present moment. But, more than that; you know I will be at work in the library to-night upon a certain book which I described to you last night. Your mind can make a most vivid picture of me as I shall look in the nforning as the image you hold of me when 1 lay In bed. That is, the delicate chemistry of the mind is able to photograph the past, the present and tho M future. Do you understand?” Danton hesitated a moment. “I agree with you, in part,” he said at last. “But I doubt if I can accept the conclusion at which I see you are aiming;- You mean to Imply that if we could so reline the chemistry of photography that our apparatus would perform as delicate work as does the human mind, that we could obtain pictures of things that do not exist so far as our senses can determine. I have heard of pictures produced by spit it hands, but, being a scientific man, I have never for a moment admitted the possibility of this form of art.” The young man smiled sarcastically and relighted his pipe. “I do not ask you to accept spiritualism.” returned the professor, rather haughtily. "You call yourself a scientist. The world once gave me that name, and not without reason. lam a scientist, and if I tell you that there are more things in heaven and earth than you wot of, 1 still retain my right to the high title we both claim. No, I simply want you to grasp the fact that, if the ancients were right in their assertion that the future makes an impression upon the present, it is not beyond the reach of modern science to grasp and hold that impression. Listen. lam a very old man. For many years I have sacrificed my time, money, fame upon the altar of a great discovery.” The speaker arose and stood before Danton in a new guise. His time-worn-face had thrown off the marks of nge, his eyes sparkled with triumph, and his attentive form seemed to take on again the fullness of youth. “1 have proved, Maurice Danton, that photography can deal with the past and future; that it can give us a picture of Cmsar or the representation of a city still unbuilt. You look Incredulous. You think that much study has made me mad. But you are wrong. You claim to be a scientist, and yet you doubt the grandeur of science. I tell you, Danton, that man has only just begun to make intelligent use of Nature’s forces. You say the telegraph was a great discovery. Bah! Merely a crude device that should have been made available centuries ago. What’s that you say? lam inconsistent Not at all. Because I acknowledge that the older scientists suw something of forgotten truth, I do not imply that they achieved the triumphs that should have been easily won. My position is just this: By weeding the errors from the scientific past and by rendering the scientific methods of the present more delicate I placed myself in the way of making a combination the results of which will amaze you.” Danton could not resist the enthusiasm of a man who had heretofore seemed to him cold, cautious and indifferent. “Why do you tell me all this?” he cried. “Because,” answered the professor, changing his manner at once and quietly seating himself. “Because I shall confide my secret to you. I shall place in your hands a power greater than was ever held by mortal. My sands are almost run out, my blood is cold, and the pleasures of earth have no place for me. But you are still young. You have not tasted the dainty fare the world presents to him who possesses both youth and wealth. I have loved you, Danton. When all men neglected me, you sought mo out and became my friend. For years I had been looking for some one who would combine certain qualities. I vyanted a young man, a man of science, a student, a man who was glad to sacrifice worldly rewards for the love of truth, a man who would come to mo of his own accord and value my friendship as he did his books—for intrinsic value, not for sordid gain. In you I found the man I sought. You are a strange mixture, and for a long time I doubted your fitness for the task I have set. But long acquaintance has convinced mo that you are able and willing to push my scientific achievement to its ultimate triumph in tho eyes of men. Ami not right?” Danton smiled on the old man, and took his withered hand. “I care nothing, professor, for the material joys to which you referred. But you have aroused my scientific enthusiasm, and I give you my solemn promise that whatever aid I can render you tn regard to this affair shall be cordially yours. What Is the first step for me to taktr?” “Bead carefully this manuscript,” answered the old man, handing Danton a roll of paper. “Come tome to-mor-row afternoon. I will prove to you that the statements I have made therein are not the ravings of a madman." Danton returned to his rooms and spent the night in perusing the professor’s scroll. There was much in it that he could not understand, but his mental training had been of a kind that enabled him to follow in a general way the argument before him. His difficulty lay in accepting tho proposition that tho invisible world contained the imago of things not yet existent—the shadows of approaching entities. If that could bo established, there was nothing in the manuscript to startle a mind used to the contemplation of scientific achievements. ’ Weary with the sustained effort of the night, Danton threw himself upon his bed at daybreak and slept soundly for six hours. When he arose he felt re-

, and could

freshed and there came u-on him like a Hash of lightning tho co .vlothm that the professor's abortions wore founded upon truth. By that strange process known as uneonsc.ous cerebration ho had gained in his sleep a dearer insight into the problems presented to him than ho had obtained wnon awake. He I dressed hurriedly, nte a light bica'ifast, and hastened to tho prose sor's rooms. “Ah, you are early Danton!" exclaimed the old mun. evidently ploa ed. “You have come at tho right moment. A book has been written by on old acquaintance of mine atß<rlin. Hols about to send it to the publisher. See. : Hare Is the'annoimcement In a nrwspu- : par that the volume will be given to the public next month. Now yi ur faith in my discovery is still weak. If I should show you a picture of this book's title page would you be convinced that my photography is an improvement on Daguerre s?" Tho old num was in hgh spirits and seemed to take delight In watching the changing expressions on Danton's fate. He led the way to his laboratory, a small room, ill-smelling , and carelessly kept. “Now, my friend," continued the pro- ; fessor, “your appientiaeshlp is about to begin. If the book of which I spoke Is to be printed and bound this month—next month—ten years from now—whenever you nloase, there exists an image of it in tho atmosphere. Not only that, but each atom of the universe is a microcosm bearing Images of all that is or was or ever shall be. Do you follow me? You know that I could | obtain by photography a miniature | representation of your form as you j stand there. But further than that, if , I could place any atom of the universe I beneath a microscope of sufficient power I would find your image there also. This I cannot prove to you by experiment, but it is the only deduction possible from certain investigations that I have made in other directions. Were it not true, the miracle, so to speak, that I am about to perform would be impossible." While he was speaking the professor had been busy with various plates and chemicals. He allowed the sunlight to play for a time on a piece of glass which no had covered with an oily substance having a peculiar und unpleasant odor. Then he closed the blinds and shut out every ray of light There was nothing ostentatious in his manner. Ho went about his work as though he were about to perform the most eon.mon feat in chemistry. Danton watched him suspiciously at first, for the young man still had doubts now and then of the professor's sanity. But the man's methods were so thoroughly scientific in appearance, that skepticism seemed to be unjust to him. “Come litre,” said the professor at length, and Danton groped through the darkness tqjward him. “Look there.” Out of the gloom a phosphorescent light seemed to come, and the outlines of the glass plate became <)lain. Danton leaned forward and on the plate was a small, dark speck. , “I see nothing remarkable,” he exclaimed. “Takethis and place it above the black spot,” said the Professor, handing him a microscope. Danton did as he was directed, and was amazed to see clearly the title page of a book dated at Berlin in the following year. The letters and figures were perfectly distinct. After a moment the image laded rapidly and was scon swallowed up in the glare of the phosphorescent light. The Professor threw open the blinds and looked searchingly at Danton. “Have I proved myself entitled to your further .consideration?" he asked, playfully. “Yes. master; teach me your art,” answered Danton, humbly. CHAPTER 11. Some weeks later Maurice Danton found himself in New York —a stranger in the city of his birth. There was something in the bustle and hurry of the streets that annoyed him as he rolled up town. The marked contrast to the scholarly quiet of Heidelberg struck him painfully, and for a time he regretted his desertion of the place in whieh he had spent so many contented years. He had been urged homeward by a peculiar longing, a vague unrest that had increased in force "after he had gained a dear insight into the Professor’s method of advanced photography. Perhaps Danton had grown suddenly ambitious; perhaps the subtle magnetism of his birth-place affected him: perhaps the unsatisfied longings of mature manhood made him restless. At all events, he had .returned to New York to live, and at first he found the change distinctly disagreeable. His small income obliged him to take modest rooms in a crowded house on a eroSs-street, and his first night in the metropolis was rendered sleepless by strange and disturbing poises. He tossed about feverishly, wishing that the cats of America might yet become as phlegmatic as those of Germany. The intermittent roar of the elevated trains, the rumble of heavy carts, and the crying of a child in a neighboring room added to his discomfort. After a few days he became somewhat hardened to the annoyances that had affected him at first so unpleasantly, and gradually the peculiar fascination of life in a great city appealed to his impressionable nature. He sat looking out of hie front window lat? one afternoon, about a week after his return He had spent tho preceding days in roaming about aimlessly, enjoying the unwonted sights that met his gaze. Now, as he leaned thoughtfully upon the window-ledge and watched the changing lights made by the setting sun. his strong face wore an expression of dreamy contentment. “I think I shall like it here, after a time," he said to himself. “But I have work to do before lean enjoy myself. This city represents a great materialistic civilization Honor is paid to wealth. Riches are power, and a poor man stands no chance in such a place as this. Thank heaven I have in my grasp a magician's wand that shall open to me the treasures of New York. To-morrow I shall begin the acquisition of a fortune. I wish I knew more about the details of speculation. My capital is small, but I run no risk with it.” He took a newspaper from the table beside, him and scanned it carefully. “Twenty-four hours is all I need, and the experiment is simple. Let me have a glance at the stock quotations one day .ahead of other men, and no power on earth can prevent my attainment of wealth." He arose and unlocked a drawer in his bureau. Before him lay agile of green, crisp bank notes. “I suppose,” he reflected, “they thought I was crazy for withdrawing this.” There was $30,000 in the drawer, and he fingered them with awe. They represented a small part of that power for which ho had craved. His little fortune had been well invested, and, from the standpoint of a man who knows nothing of chemical clairvoyance, Danton’s acquisition of his capital was n reckless move. Faying investments are hord to find In these days. Tho following morning he retired to a small ante-room, which he had crudely fitted up as a laboratory, and began his delicate task. Under tho professor’s guidance he had learned to perform tho simpler feats of photography. As yet he could pot produce anything from tho remote future, but he was able to an- j

tlclpslo time by a few hours. TLs present intention was to gain a fleeting picture of a newspaper tho day before it was Issued from the press, an I, with the foreknowledge thus gains I, to put up his money on a margin with the certainty of large und Immediate returns. I Ho ha I la d his plans carefully. He had obtained f o "session of his < anital, and had j aid u visit to Wall street to learn something of tho modus operand! employed in the fleecing of lambs. Ho hn.<l even selected the broker to whom ho would go when his prevision hud given him u short cut to wealth. j He worked nervously all day, his fa -e : flushed and his gray eyes bla-k withex- , cltement. He required a certain drug, the preparation of which was a difficult I feat. Twice he failed to obtain the correct chemical proportions, and tho labor of hours was rendered vain in an instan'. Late in the day, however, his efforts were crowned with su ■'•ess and he. possessed the most important clement of his experiment. Carefully ! locking tho door of his laboratory, which was now filled with an almost un- • bearable odor, he camo forth tn the twilight haggard, worn, nervous, but inspired by a great hope that made his eyes gleam like sparks of lire in the darkness. He had eaten nothing nil day. and tho thought of u ceremonious dinner was distasteful to him. Habits acquired in Germany were still strong upon him, and he went forth to a quiet beer saloon on Eighth avenue and found relief , for his overwrought nerves in the seda- [ tive influence of malt liquor. Beer to a | man who is exhausted from bruin work , is sometimes the most restful beverage I in the world. Danton found it so in this case, and when he left the saloon he felt greatly refreshed. He strolled up tho avenue, whose plebeian surroundings looked less sordid by gaslight, anxious to free his mind from exciting thoughts. After awhile he turned towards Broadway and finally stood in front of the Metropolitan Opera House. Crowds were pouring through the great entrance, handsome carriages rolled up and deposited their loads of gayly dressed women, while loud-mouthhd boys rushed about with librettos, much as though they were racing programmes bearing "the names of the horses, color of the riders and the weights they curry." Danton, moved by a sudden irrq ulse, joined the throng of music-lovers who do not own boxes, and was soon seated in the vast auditorium. The enlivening scene impressed him pleasantly, and the opera had begun before he had satisfied his curiosity regarding the occupants of the boxes near at hand. It was his first glimpse of New York society on parade, and he was struck by the number of handsome women in the house. He had visited the leading capitals of Europe, and felt a patriotic pride in the discovery that the “materialistic civilization” of the new world has been able to produce a very attractive form of patrician elegance. Danton was not an enthusiast over Vagner’s operas, but the weird music and impressive story of the “Rheingold" affected him strangely that night. . It seemed to liim that the moral of the old legend poss .ssed a new significance in the light of his present purpose. Would he find the gold he sought a curse? Would he meet destruetipn in his search for the power lurking in the yellow nugget? For a time ho felt inclined to abandon what seemed to him at the moment an unhallowed design. Then he looked about him upon the outward signs of wealth and his ambition returned. In a box above him there appeared, at the end of the first act, a woman whose peculiar beauty made a marked impression upon Danton. He found himself watching her with more perseverance than good taste. She was not more than 2U years of age. Her auburn hair, clear-cut feature, brilliant eyes and white neck and arms formed a dazzling picture of youth and loveliness. There was in her face the repose of culture, and, perhaps, the ennui of wordly wisdom. To Danton’s eyes she seemed to embody the very essence of the scene before him. She was the final triumph of the evening, the reward that should come to him who found the gold nugget. The young man sat where he could watch her without appearing nide. As time passed by he saw that she was bored. “Why doos she come here if she Is not fond of Wagner?" he thought; but if he had gazed at other faces as searchingly as he did at hers, he would have discovered that tiiis question was of very general application. In her case he feared that he had found an answer when a man entered her box and engaged her in a whispered conversation He would have been unreasonably jealous had he not observed that the expression of ennui did not leave her face. |TO HE COXTIM ED. | Small Coin. When the civil war broke out coins, of all denominations went the wellknown way of the pin. and seemed completely swallowed up. Unfortunately they could not be so easily replaced as the less valuable articles. Tokens of various kinds were made first of cardboard, then of metal. A small coin about the size of the present one-cent piece was produced, having upon it various devices, such as “Not one cent,” “Good enough for defense,” “Our country forever.? From six hundred to a thousand varieties of these tokens were made and issued. As they were taken to represent a cent by everybody, chose who had copper enough on hand,, and could make or procure molds or dies, realized a good profit from the making of these tokens. The size and weight were convenient, and the United States Government saw that the people were better pleased with the smaller piece, though comparatively valueless, than with the one-half ounce coin. As the objeefwas to keep the subsidiary coins in the country, and as the people were content to use the smaller pieces, the experiment was tried in the issue of the “turkey buzzard" mixed nickel cent. They were larger, thicker, and heavier than the present cent, and did not please as well as the tokens had pleased. After trying two or three issues of the nickel coin, some with the flying eagle and others with the Indian’s head, the United States Government decided upon the present style of coin. ‘ ♦ It does seem a little strange that Uncle Sam cannot get along without buying the filthy, infected rags from Asiatic and European paupers to make paper. They at all times are liable to infection, but at this time the knowledge that they are loaded with disease and deat h makes every bale that is landed at our ports a crime against the people. 0' — ■ Sentimental lovers who had the word “Mizpah” engraved in their engagement rings will be shocked to Itjarn that the literal meaning of Mizpah is: “The Lord keep you from flirting or mean tricks when I am not near to watch you." It-ls a symbol oi ! suspicion instead of trust - W- ■’*»'' .-■ -• .. * f f f -jit k. 'Mi. -". L. 4b V/ 'Tdl yXiJba. —-

INDIANA LEGISLATURE. The bill to atop tho printing of gain pie ballots In newspapers again caino up for eonsldoratlon in the House. Monday, und was passed by a vote of 78 to 2. The two mumpers who voted against tho bill were Messrs. Ader and llodabaugh. Tho Barnes bill to aliollsh horse racing In Indiana during the winter months was passed by a vote of 7:1 to 1. In the Senate two legislative apportionment bills wore Introduced, one by Senator Fulk. Demobrat. am! one by Senator Wishard, Republican, tho latter ot which will be supported by the Republicans. Senator Fulk’s bill will not receive support from any quarter, as tho official Democratic bill, now in course of construction by a caucus committee, is a very different bill. Senator Fulk’s bill changes tho old apportionment in the following places: The Senatorial districting is changed in tho case of Brown County, which would bo taken out of the district now composed ofifrown. Morgan, and Johnson. Representative districts Lawroneo and Orange are placed together; Jay and Adams are given one Representative each, and Wells and Blackford are given a joint representative. Tuesday, tho Deery bill to abolish the prison contract labor was defeated by a vote of 44 to 34. Tho following bills passed: Requiring railroads to give employes eight hours’ rest after twenty-four hours’ work; to prevent township trustees from hiring teachers foi terms to begin atter’the expiration of the trustees term of office: fixing the interest tc be charged on school funds at 6 per cent.; to prevent die adulteration of sorghum molasses; authorizing township trustees to purchase not to exceed five acres for cemetery purposes: to describe promissory notes taxed as “notes owing” instead of “notes due." Mr. Hench's bill to fill a long-felt want in criminal practice was passetl- When the Supreme Court reverses a decision in a criminal case the prisoner is returned to tjie county jail. Then, if a rehearing is ordered, and the Supremo Coqrt reverses itself and affirms the lower court, there Is no provision for getting that prisoner back to the penitentiary. Mr. Bench’s bill is to correct this defect. The Senate wrangled for some time over the report of the Committee on Elections on Senator Kopelke’s bill, which proposes to reject the section of the election law which provides for the printing of sample ballots in not less than two newspapers in each county. Tho committee's majority report proposed a substitute for the Kopelke bill, which fixed the printer's fees at 50 cents per square for the first publication and 25 cents for «ach succeeding publication, being just half the rate now provided by law. The minority report favored tho passage of the bill, and it was on th* motion to substitute the minority report that the Senate tangled up in a debate that lasted the greater part ot the day. The majority report was adopted.

Both houses, Wednesday,advanced a score of bills to engrossment, and passed a number of minor.measures. Tho pharmacy bill, which requires the employment of a registered pharmacist in every drug store in compounding prescriptions, failed in the Senate for want of a constitutional majority. II Was made the special order tor Friday. The House, by an overwhelming majoritypassed tho anti-cigarette bill, as it is called, which makes it a misdemeanor tc sell , tobacco to any person under sixteen years ojd. The bill to change county scats was defeated! The following bills passed the Senate Thursday: Extending the conditions under whieh savings banks may loan their surplus funds; providing for the appointment ot “Investigators of the poor,” at a salary uot to exceed S4iUO, in townships having a population of 25,0U0 or more: dividing counties into three road districts, and giving each county commissioner charge of one district; requiring the publication of the date when property is to be sold to satisfy a school fund mortgage; requiring employers to furnish seats for female employes: authorizing the collection of a tax ot 15 cents on the SICC in cities and towns for electric light purposes: providing for the title ami custody of certain school property: requiring notaries of public to indicate with each attestation the date as the expiration of their commissions: providing that Judges ks well as juries may declare persons insane; providing for the refunding of surplus gravel road funds among the tax payers from whom it was collected: providing for the punishment of persons who bring stolen property into the State; legalizing the acts of Notaries whose commissions have expired; providing for long-hand transcripts and short-hand evidence at public expense in cases where the litigant is not able to pay for it: raising the age of consent from twelve to fourteen years. House bills passed: Requiring railroads to give employes eight hours' rest after twenty-four consecutive hours of employment: regulating the weighing of wheat in testers. - The House refused to reconsider the vote by which it passed the McMullen bill, which is intended to reach for taxation the foreign money loaned in the State on farm mortgage. The bill provides that where suit is entered to collect a uot*' the plaintiff must prove that the note has been listed for taxation else it is’void. The vote to reconsider was a tie. 42 to 42. It is not likely the bill will pass the Senate. The fee and salary bill received considerable attention Friday in the Senate on the report of the committee adverse tg a bill introduced by Senator Kopelke, proposing an amendment by which the jsalaries of all the officials in Lake County will be increased. The committee adhered to its determination to recommend no change in the law until it had been thoroughly tested. ‘ A number of senators, however, seized the opportunity to attack the law. It was shown that in Delaware County, where the Recorder was paid but $1,700. and in Grant County, where this official receives SI.SOO. each was required to employ four deputies, and that tile, recorders had served notice upon the county that the salary of the office would not pay deputy hire. These officers, unless the Legislature gives relief, will discharge their deputies, and. after doing what individual work they can. will let what is undone pile up for the official of the future. Other instances were eited of similar embarrassments. In the House Representative Hench struck a blow at the lobby which is fighting the eo-etnploves bill. He arose and said: ■‘The struggle between the corporations and the people has got to be fought out in tho Legislature, ami 1 move that the eo-ein-albyes liability be made the special order for londay at W a. tn.’'

The corporations have • w-•■strong lobby working against the co-employe bill, and it will not be passed without a struggleA new dog bill phased the House, wiping out till eniigtmnnts now in vogue, and imposing an annual license on all dogs. This bill went through with a whoop. Ona of its peculiar provisions is that any person at anytime is authorized to kill unlicensed dogs. .. Representative Rippin's bill was engrossed. providing that, the death penalty mav be imposed upon persons who place obstructions upon the track or misplace switches to wreck trains. Minor State Items. The Frankfort attorneys contemplate arganizitig a bar association. Richmond labor unions forbid their members patronizing Chinese laundries. Richmond has a school teacher who fills a child’s mouth with cayenne pepper for punishment. The expense of maintaining the 2,200 organized and enrolled militia of Indiana during the year 1893 was $24,844.36. Farmer John Clark of M ashington Township. Delaware County, had his fine residence wholly consumed by tire. Herr von Madai, who was for many years the President of Police in Berlin, was* vain, of his many decorations. Nd man in the country, outside of the royal princes, and Bismarck, and Von Moltke. could display so many decorations on his breast Every sovereign who came to the capital as a matter of course contributed a decoration to Von Madai. “Is this photograph not good of you?” once asked a young lieutenant. “No,” replied His Excellency. “I then had only fifteen decoration, and now I have sixteen."

AT Merryman’S FACTORY You can get all kinds of Hard and Soft Wood, Siding, Flooring, Brackets, Molding, » Odd-Sized Sash and Doors. Tn fact all kinds of building ma terial either made or furnished on short notice. Erie Lines. Schedule In eflect Nov. 13. Trains Leave Decatur as Follows TBAISS WEST. N 0.5, Vestibule Limited, dally for I ~.. p .. Chicago and the west f ' No. 3. Pacific Express, dally fori y Chicago and the west.. f 1 ' No. 1, Express, daily for Chicago I u and the west f 1■“ ’ ■“ ‘ No. 3L Local } 10:35 A. M TRAINS EAST. No. A Vestibule Limited, daily for I p u New York and Boston f ' ' No. 12, Express, daily for New I . York ~ f ’ ' ' No. 2. Accommodation, daily ex-1 o .n< p .. cept Sunday... f N 0.30. L0ca1....... J. W. DzLoxo, Agent. Frank M. Caldwell. D. P. A. Huntingion, Ind.; F. W. Buskirk. A. O. P. A., Chicago. 111. LOOK HERE! I am here to Stay and can Mil Organs and Pianos cheaper than anybody else can afford M ■ell them. I ieU different nakeo. CLEANING AND REPAIRING done reasonable See me first and sare money. J. T. COOTS,Decatur, Ind. A Scientific American Agency trade marks, DESIGN PATENTS, COPYRIGHTS, etcJ For information and free Jlandbook write to MUNN A CO.. 381 Broldway. New York. Oldest bureau for securing patents in America. Every patent taken out by us Is brought before the puolic by a notice given free of charge in the f fientific American Largest circulation of any scientific paper tn the world. Splendidly illustrated. No intelligent man should be without it. Weekly, 53.00 a year; fl.sosix months. Address MUNN A PL'bushers, 361 Broadway, New York City.

1 he Lyon & Healy Organ Is the best and most sa,ab,e Organ of the Day "fSSI Organs sold on Installment Payments at Low Figures. SEND J OB CATALOGUE. \ Fred K. Shafer, Agt, BERNE. IND. _j ORANGE BLOSSOM ALL FEMALE DISEASES. f»2 CH 110 nc TUC ■ A tired, languid feeling, low spirited and despondent, with no aaparent dUML Ul lOu dlmrlUlwui cause. Headache, pains in the back, pains acroas the lower part of bowels. Great soreness in region of ovaries. Bladder difficulty. Frequent urinations, Leucorrhrea, OoMtxpation of bowels, and with all these symptoms a terrible nervous feeling is experienced by the patient. lilt Ob. A MJB BLOSSOM TREATMENT removes all these by a thorough process of absorption. Internal remedies will never remove female weakness. There must be remedies applied right to the parts, and then there is permanent relief obtained. EVERY L.ADV CAN TREAT HERSELF. O. B. Pile Remedy. I >I.OO for one month’s treatment. jO. B. Stomach Powders. O. B. Catarrh Cure. I —prepared by— I O. B. Kidney Cones. J. A. McCILL, M.D.,& CO., 4 panorama place. Chicago, ill FOR Sale Holthouse & Blackburn. Decatur. Ask for Descriptive Circulars. HOFFMAN & GOTTSCHALK Keep a full litte of Drugs, Patent Medicines, Paints, Oils, Groceries, Lamps, Tobaccos, Cigars, aud a general stock of Merchandise. Prescriptions carefully confpounded. LINN GROVE, IND. H dh " ‘ At Magley, keeps a large stock of Dry ft ft Goods, Notions, Groceries, Boots, Shoes M||l|l MBU and in fact everything kept in a general 111 Mil store. Buys all kinds ot Country Produce Illi or which the highest market price is paid. ■W -3 fi'jJ J ten guarantee to euro all nervous disease!*, such as Weak Memory, ■W sHK "‘3LO I.OM of Brain Power, Headache, Wakefulness, Lout Man* IMJ ” y) hood, Nightly Emissions, <|uiekneaa. Evil Dreams, Lack ot \* V ' Confidence, Nervousness, Lassitude, all drainsand less of />, m adHk \ power of the Generative Organs in either sox eauf<d by over exer* i tlon, youthful errors, or excessive u*e of tobacco, opium orstlmu* WK lants which soon lead to InflrtnitV. Consumption and Insanity. Pul i \ ZIL >lup convenient to carry In vest pocket. Sent by mail in plain package any address for sl, or A for 85 With every ¥5 order we - riveawritten guarantee to cure or refund the money.) BETOIU AND AFTER USING. ' . . ; For Sale by W. H. Nachtrieb, Druggist, Decatur, Ind.

Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad Train* run on Central Standard Time, 2*mlnutca slower thiinColunihiia or former time. Tookteffi-ot Sunday, Dec. IH, 1832. GOING NORTH. STATIONS. No. 1 No. 3 I No. 6 No. 7 Cincinnati..lve | SOSam 010 pm Richmond ..... 2 211 pm 10.V> .. II 45 Winchester.... 317 .11 5«.. 112glatr. Portland.. 4 04. I2.t|lpin| 123.. Decatur 510 ..I 131 .. 220 Ft.Wayno...arr (100 . 2 1.">,. 3i<> •• “ ...Ive 235..13 20 .. RlWaru Kendallville 3 41. 4 25 9 10.. Rome City...... 3M.. 4 40.. 926.. Wolcottville... 401 .. 931 .. Valentine 4 11.. 9 42 .. LaGrange 4 19.. 505.. 061,. Lima..., 4 29 1008.. Sturgis..... 440. 526. 1019.. Vicksburg... 530.. 650.. 1109 .. Kalamazoo.arr ..,••• • 1140*.. •• ..Ive 4 20am 025 .. 900 . T22npm Gr. Rapids..arr 845 .. 810 . .... .. 220... " '• ..Ive 720 .. 14110.. 11,0 pm 415.. D.. G H.&M.cr >0 45 7 27 Howard City .1160 . 841 Big Rapids .... ...... .. 12:Wamj 945 Reed City. 1 OB Cadillac arr II 30 .. 205 .. 510 “ ... .Ivo ....... 230 910 .. Traverse City 7Otpm ........ Kalkuska 3 48 Petoskey .....A 635.. 916 .. . ...... MacklnacClty HOO .. 10 35 .. GOING SOUTH. STATIONS. | No. 2 [ No. 6 ' No. 4 I No. 8 MacklnacClty ; 715 pm 745 am 20<pm| Petoskey ....... | 910 .. I 92*).. 345 .. Kalkaska .12 38 111 38.. 5tr2..| Traverse City. 4110.. 4 50..* Cadillac ... arr 2 20am; 115 pm 7 80.. 8 05am ... Ive 2 15. 135.. B6optn 8 10.. Reed City 3 28.. 2 30.. 7 50.. 9 00.. Big Rapids I 4 00.. 2 58.. 8 25.. 9 45.. Howard City..l 451»,. 3 43.. 920.. 10 32.. D.G.H.AM.crI 605 505.. 1025.. 1135.. Gr. Rapids arr, 033 .. 1515 .. II 00 .. 150 “ ..Ive; “00 .. 801).. 1120.. 200pm Kalamazoo.arr; 850 .. 800 .. 1255 am 340 .. ..ive 855 .. 805 , 345 .. Vicksburg t 924 . J 833 1 4 12.. Sturgis 1019 .J 928 5115 .. Lima '1033 .. 940 517 .. LaGrange ....'lO 44 952 | 5 29.. Valentine; d 053.. J 002.. I 5:N.. Wolcottville... 1104.. 10 14 1 5 47.. Rome Citv 1109 10 19 52 .. Kendallville... dl 25 .. *lO 39 608.. Ft. Wayne, arr 1240 pm 11 50 7 15 .. “ ” ..Ive; 100.. 1258 am 545 am Decatur | 148 . 112 58 .. 630 Portland *2 40 . I 155 .. 730 Winchester... 317 ..I 2.30 .. 800 Richmond 420 .. 1340 .. 915 Cincinnati ! 7 00 1 855 .. 1201 nm Trains 5 and 0 run daily between Grand Rapids and Cincinnati. C. L. LOCKWOOD. Gen. Pass. Agent JEFF. BRYSON. Agent. Fint Claaa Night and Day Service between Toledo, Ohio, St. Louis, Mo. FREE CHAIR CARS DAY TRAINS—MODERM EQUIPMENT THROUGHOUT. VESTIBULED sleeping cars ON NIGHT trains! SS-MESLB SERVED EN ROUTE, any hour, OR NiQHT, at moderate cost. IsHor tickets via Toledo, SL Louis L Kansas City R. 1 CLOYEKLEfIF_ROUTE. For further particulars, call on nearest Agent of the Company, or address O. C. JENKINS. fiMwd ruMitr isvst, TOLEDO. OHIO. W. L. DOUGLAS S 3 SHOE CENTLEfIfIEN. And other specialties for Gentlemen, Ladies, Boys and Misses are the Best in the World. ■ J See descriptive advertisek i ment which will appear in j this paper. Take no Substitute, bat insist oa having W. L. DOUGLAS’SHOES,with mWj name and price stamped oa gSSs bottom. Sold by ! For Sale by Henry Whines, Second door West of Adams County Bank, Monroe St.