Decatur Democrat, Volume 39, Number 7, Decatur, Adams County, 3 May 1895 — Page 1

The Decatur Democrat.

VOL. XXXIX.

KK J B. Rice is at Sturgis, Michigan, on ■Kbusiness. KK AI Fristoe, of Blurtton, was m the ■ Kcity Tuesday. ■J- Wils Shepherd, of Hartford township, BKis in the city. IKL''Charlie Scuttles and wile were at Ft. ■Kp Wayne last night. K Mr. F. Streit, of the Bargain Store. BI left for Ft. Wayne yesterday. ■ Miss Lulu Porter and Elba Edwards IB were at Fort Wayne Tuesday. K Forty-eight applicants for teacher s I I license in the last examination. I| John Yager and Charles Spencer || were at F° rt Wayne Monday night. K Henry Waggoner and wife, of Berne. IK were here yesterday visiting friends. ■ Court has brought a large number of people to the city within the last week. K Hon. J. J. M. LaFollet, of Portland. K. has been attending court here this week H Miss Effie and Tude Ramey, of Portly land, are the guests of relatives and !'■ friends here. ■ The ‘ South’’ made an attack on k Sheriff Ashbaucher’s, residence on Sat- ■ urday evening. I Mrs. C- W. Miller accompanied by B her daughter, Mrs J. L McConjiel) I are at Ft. Wayne. B Misses DeLilah Huffman and Anna ■ Adler, of Linn Grove, were with DecaHu tur friends over Sunday I W. M Kline was called to Port WilI hams. Ohio, to see his brother Kellup K Kline, who is very sick E It is now about time for the fisherI men to give extended explanations how I the large fish all got back. * I Wm. Roebuck, who is now making | bis headquarters at Geneva, spent Sun- | day with his family here. , I ■ Miss Lizzie W ilken returned from I Cincinnati, Ohio, where she has been f for the last three months. John D Hale. W. 11. Niblick and R. | G. Kerlin are at Lafayette closing up the sale of the gas plant. Mr, Nicholas Rabbit and wife, of Warsaw, Ind., are the guests of W. P. Rice and other friends here Corn planting is now the order with the farmer. The acreage will exceed last year by a large per cent. Ward M. Cline was called to Xenia, Ohio, by telegram on account of the serious illness of his brother. Mesdames Herbert Rice and Rufhs K. Allison, and Mrs. Jessie Townsend, were at Fort Wayne yesterday. A new buggy firm has been started . -- up in the back part of the Stone building. Auten & Stoops, proprietors. The party that lost a Shropshire buck * can And the same by calling on Charles Carter, or address him at Monroe, ind. There will be an election of church trustees at Evangelical church, May 15, 1895, at 7:30 p. m. at the church in Decatur. Mrs. Josie Dean, of Pennville, who bas been the guest of her sister, Mrs E. P, Menefee, returned home yesterday. Mrs. Alice Sprang, wife of Daniel Sprang, died Wednesday night about 12 o’clock. Funeral will occur Saturday, at 2 o’clock p. m. Henry Krick with a few others are arranging to start a creamery and ice cream factory. They will get into operation at an early day. Adams county, or particularly Decatur has a “Fair” at the present time, The new store in the J, 11. Stone corner is known by that name. I. J. Miesse made a trip through the gas and oil belts of Indiana, returning home Tuesday night. He is surprised to t see the country crowded with derricks. The marriage of Mr Peter Stein of Lima, 0., to Miss Hattie Stetler of this city was solemnized Tuesday morning at the Catholic church at eight o’clock \■. - Memorial Day, May 30th, will be observed here in the usual custom. A committee will. call on our business men for a small donation to defray expenses. Mrs. 8. Cook, of Geneva, and daughter, Mrs. J Dean, of Camden, are the guests of the family of E. P. Menefee. Mrs. Menefee being a daughter of Mrs. 8. Cook. Mrs. T. R. Moore Anna Winnes and Mrs J. B. Ford have returned from | Indianapolis where they attended as 1 delegates to the Grand Lodge of the Order of Eastern btar. \ . E-‘ ’ :.. . .. "

DECATUR. ADAMS COUNTY, INDIANA. FRIDAY, MAY 3. 1895. ,

Mrs. Johanna Forker, sister of 8. B. Fordyce, returned to her home at Huntington yesterday While here she was the guest of her brother and other friends. Peter Hess died Wednesday evening. Funiral will be held Saturday norm g at St Marys church. He had been a sufferer from consumption and asthma for some time Mrs Lichtenwalter and sons, Orin, Walter and Albert, of Fort Wayne, are in the citv, having been called here by the sickness and death of the daughter and sister, Mrs. Daniel Sprang. Last Sunday morning Dr. Thomas operated on Charlie Nelson of this city for an abcess of the chest The opera tion was one of success. We hope Mr. Nelson will fully regain bis strength of former yeiifs..' The editor of the Pennville Gazette will soon have some beautiful store teeth. He was knocaed down by a ruffian whom he bad wrote up some time before. The lica loosened four of bis molars, but done no other damage. Oiir John Nix right royally entertained the craft of this office in commemoration of ins 20th birthday anniversary Tuesday. Sandwiches, pop, &c., were served. Hoping that you may live to enjoy many more such occassions is the wish of your shopmates. Monday the commissioners were' in Hartford township looking after the bridge that was burned last week by the fire put out by Mr. Shepherd. The public must be accommodated and a new bridge will be put in for the public good. ' Arther <fc Marshall will give one of their delightful Edison phonograph eritertaiments consisting of hand music, piccolo and.cornet solos and duets, and vocal solos and quartettes, at the Baptist cliurdh next Tuesday evening. May 7. Admission 20 cents, children It) cents. One of the most interesting relics of the explosion yet found, was one picked up by Will Fordyce, of Phenix. It is a piece of one of the oak trees and embedded deep in it is a dime, bent and doubled from the force of the glycerine. The wood was picked up about a mile from the ford—Bluffton News. At St. Marys Catholic church a large class will take , their first communion next Sunday. * Also, one of Adams county’s boys, Rev. Father Heffner, who has been away nine years, attending college, will say his first mass at 9 o’clock, sun.time. A teass band will attend the service. “Nearer, My God, to Thee,” by Gilmore’s band, “Rock of Ages,” by Baldwin’s Cadet Band, of Boston, “Washington Post,” by U. 8. Marine Band, “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” by. Standard Quartette, and “Home, Sweet Home,” a cornet solo, are some of the attractions at the Baptist church next Tuesday evening. The thirteenth annual reunion of-the Forty-seventh Ind. Vet. Vols. will be held at Roann, Wabash county, Ind., on Thursday, May 16, 1895. .All comrades are irt vited to attend. Comrades, the years are few on this earth in which we can commune together, so let us meet again and shake hands and feel that same glow that we did in days of yore. Tuesday morning at 8 o’clock at the St. Mary’s Church, by the Rey. Father Wilkens, occurred the marriage of „Miss Hattie Stetler. the accomplished daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Stetler of this city, and Peter Stine, formerly of this city. The bride was attended .by Miss Hellen Kintz and the groom by Clem Holthouse. Mr. and Mrs. Stine will reside at Lima, 0., where the groom is engaged in busineife. Last summer Mose Byers had at his house of call aline sea turtle, which was-served to his'customers. And many a man satisfied the gnawings that are felt at times when they want to wash the cobwebs down. But the turtle was soon a thing of the past. Mose, ever ready.to utilize all that can be made use of. had the shell dressed and varnished and lettered for a sign. You can see the same on the corner of his building. Wabash, and a part of Jefferson and Hardford townships were here Tuesday attending court. The case is a contest over the payment of a note givien for a harvesting machine, and by the time the contest is over the coSt will equal the price of two harvesting machines like the one that the note was given for. Thus the beauty of such matters are fully demonstrated. But last week a suit was decided in which the cost exceeded the amount in controversy.

8. B. Fordyce returned Sunday evening from Little Falls, Minn., where he had been to attend the funeral or his brother Jasper N. Fordyce who died last Thursday morning from blood poisoning. He was engaged in butchering a calf and accidentally cut bis finger which caused blood poisoning and resulted in his death. He was well known to our people here and about Pleasant Mills, where he lived about all his life. Ask some men for an advertisement or some locals and they will say they don’t believe in advertising—a paper is never read. Let one otthem lie caught kissing his neighbor’s wife, or trying to hold up the side of a building some dark night and his tune changes instantly, and if the printing office is in the garret of a seventeen story building he will climb up to the top and beg the editor to keep quiet—not to publish it in the paper, you know. Now that the weather is favorable for the improvement of our public streets and alleys, would it not be a wise move on the part of property owners along Second street, between Monroe and Jefferson streets, to improve the alleys on the east and west sides of Second street with the boulders taken from Second street. That the before mentioned alleys need improving, none will dispute and an early commencement in this direction should be inaugurated, Portland is to have the last test of their water works to-day. They have been testing them for some time past and have finally concluded to make the final test to-day. In view of this fact it behooves our city council to be careful. and when they contract to see that they get a plant that is good. One that can srafid a test that will not require m >re than one day. or two at most. Give the people a good plant ami none will complain: but a snide job will prove an eyesore to oUr -city that will continue for all time to come. On the 26th day of April of each year the Odd Fellows of the I’ttited States of America, hold an annual meeting at which meeting they celebrate another anniversary of Odd Fel owsbip. and in pursuance of such an anniversary the Daughters of Rebekah and Odd Feflows of this vicinity, whether members of this lodge or sojourners here, met at their Hall on the evening of the 26th inst., and from there proceeded to the M. E. church where Rev. Gregg delivered an able address which was listened to with marked attention. The treasurer of the Indiana Christian Endeavor Union, Mr. Chas. J. Buchanan who went Boston to make arrangements for Indiana delegates to the 14th International Christian Endeavor Convention to be held in that city July 10 and 15, secured the Parker House, the best hotel in the city for Indiana headquarters. Dr. F. C. Heath, master of transportation, expects to secure railroad rates within the reach of everybody. Boston is making most active preparation in anticipation of 60,000 delegates, Mr. and Mrs. Will Kuebler entertained a number of their friends at six o’clock dinner at their home on Third street, Monday. After dinner the evening was spent in various games and social chatz Mrs. Kuebler was assisted in entertaining by her sisters, Mrs. Frank Crawford and Miss Lena Barthol. The guests present were: Messrs, and Mesdames J. C. Patterson, W. H Nachtneb. J. 8 Peterson, C. A. Dugan, Dell Locke. J. T. France. D. M. Hensley, A. R Bell. A. L. DeVilbiss, Mrs. Frank Crawford and Miss Lena Barthol. Wednesday morning at 8 o'clock at St. Marys Catholic church, occurred a double wedding The contracting parties were John Lose and Lizzie Wolpert, and John Baker and Rose Wolpert Rev. Father Wilkens officiated. The brides were each gowned in steele colored silk, while grooms each wore suits °of conventional black. After the cere i mony at the church the newly wedded , couples and a number of friends repaired to the home of the brides mother where the wedding dinner was given Each one of the grooms has prepared a i home in this city for his bride. . i Steele, ) Adams Co., Indiana. | Editor Blackburn,—Please tell your I readers through the columns of your i paper, the amount of interest that is ( paid yearly on county orders, and to whom it is paid. And if the county treasurer gets interest on the money in I his hands. Does he get to keep the interest, or does it go to the county the same as taxes. I await your answer. Respectfully yours, J. W. We most respectfully refer you to ex- ! Commissioner Stacy. He can explain how it was during his term of office. Please interview him dud then let us < have, the statement for the beneflt.of ' dur readers. ■ 5 i

House Burned. The house of George Hobamer of Jefferson township, burned to the ground Sunday night. The fire was discovered about 9 o'clock in the wood shed which stood just north of the dwelling and which was soon carried to the house which soon caught, and before help arrived the fire got such a start that it could not be controlled. The building was worth about four hundred dollars and was insured in the , Ohio Farmer’s for one hundred and fifty dollars. Most of the household goods were saved Mr Ilohamer desires to return his thanks to his friends which came to their relief in this hour of need. OBITIiAHV. Franklin Edward, son of David Liby, of Kirkland township, died Tuesday, April 17, 1895. aged 19 years, 8 months and 6 days The funeral was held at Zion church conducted by Rev. Staffer. Interment took place in the Zion church yard He had been a sufferer'from la grippe which terminated in typhoid malaria which resulted fatal. He was an exemplary.young man, the pride of his parents and beloved by all of his associates. Truly does God love a shining mark The parents desire to return their thanks to the neighbors and fi lends for their kind assistance in this their hour of need. “Surprised”’ That is the way Mrs Thomas J. Hilyard expressed herself when some sixty-three of her neighbors dropped in her home last Wednesday evening. They came to remind Mother Hilyard that she had reached the 75th mile stone in her journey through this world of which we hear so much and see so little, but she, saw all her neighbors and friends in an hour when she least expected them, but they had come prepared to have a pleasant time, with her as the guest of honor., and everyone came away satisfied that the meeting was pleasant and the parting regretful. They wish for many more such meetings __ . < . A farmer of near this city was accosted by a man who said he was representing a Toledo wholesale house and that he would him groceries at the same price that their house did sell goods to our merchants. The farmer becoming suspicious of the salesman, ordered him to leave whereupon the fellow became somewhat saucy. The farmer led him to the gate and started him on the road saying that he could buy of our home merchants when he wanted goodsT"lf all our farmers would do the same they would not find themselves swindled so often as they are: when they think they are buying a bargain from some fake wholesaleman. The carelessness of some of the people in throwing paper on the street'will get them in trouble. Loose paper Hying around on the streets will scare horses when nothing else will, and when some of the teams get scared and runaway then will follow an accounting in court whereimthe defendant always gets the worst of a case, even if he is successful in defeating the suit, he always has an attorfney fee and the other small trimmings that always follows the luxury known as a lawsuit. Then we have a city statute that pro vides for a small fine for throwing waste matter on the streets. It would not be pleasant to be hauled up before the mayor charged with such an offense. The better way is to be careful and avoid all such law suits. Last Saturday afternoon from two to five o'clock Mrs. R B. Allison entertained about one hundred and twentyfive of her friends in honor of her daughter, Mrs. Jessie Townsend, who has just returned from Boston, Mass. .The guests were received in the front hall by Miss Tina AJlisoh. who escorted them to the front parlor where they were received by Mesdames R B. Allison Jessie Townsend. Jane A. Crabbs, of Toledo, and Sarah Ramey and daughter Effie of Portland.- As they passed on into the back parlor they were met by the Misses Hattie Stndabaker and Rose Christen who showed thenr into the dining room which was decorated m yellow where Mesdames, R, K. Allison, J. C. Patterson and Miss Lola Foster, of Willshire, served delicious refreshments. After leaving the dining room the guests were escorted into the library where Mrs. Herbert Rice presided over the punch bowl. The guests from abroad were Mrs. Jane A. Crabbs, of Toledo. Mrs Sarah Rainey and daughter Ellie, of and Miss Lola Foster, of Willshire. Notice. Sunday, May stb, the T., St. L. & K. C. R R will sell excursion 'Tick ets to Toledo. 0., and_ return at $2 for the round trip. E. A. Whinrey, Agt.

BLOWN TO ATOMS. Empire Glycerine Wagon Explodes With Fatal Results. W. ULMER INSTANTLY KILLED. The Wngon Accidentally Upsets, Blowing Driver and Team lo Pieees. Terrible Elt’eet of the Nitro-Glyeerlne shown in a Yawning Pit Sixty Feet Aerons. Manon. Muncie. Warren, Decatur and Surrounding Towns Feel the Shook, and Crowds Drove in the City to View the Scene. Six Thousand People Estimated to Have Seen the Work of the Terrible Exploeion- -An Interview with G. W. Hoagg, and His Explanation of the Disaster. At uine o’clock Friday morhing a terrific explosion startled every citizen in town. One of the windows yf the court bouse tower fell to the ground with a crash,while the shaking and jarring of the houses indicated that some powerful explosive had been setoff. The sound came from the direction of the nitro-glycerine factory east of the city, and within ten minutes a hundred vehicles of all kinds, from bicycles to drays were on the road to Powell’s Ford loaded down with those who were curious to see what had happened. Their curiosity was soon satisfied. At the crossing of the ford on the side of the river, a hugh hole sixty feet across and extmiJUCg down to the bed rock yawned in terrible significance as evidence of what had happ<fue<fe Bite of harness here and there, parts of bleeding horse flesh, uprooted trees and broken fences showed tbat oue’of the Empire’s glycerine wagons had blown up and that driver and team had been sen. skyhigh by the explosion. Back of the explosion.was the terrible fact that some human being had been ushered Into eternity, but as the glycerine company has three or four drivers, there was some question to identity the unfortunate employe. William Ulmer, son of John Ulmer ’ south of the cityq was the victim of the casualty Friday morning he -left the factory at about half past seven with 720 quarts of nitro-glycerine to the Montpelier fields, ami an. hour later when distant little over a mile from the. works the explosion occurred. The road leading through the woods is not m the best of condition and that length of time would be required to cover the distance. Emerging from the woods is a rough, stony track that leads across the ford to the river road, and then into town. Ulmer evidently followed this track until he came within ten or twelve feet of the water’s edge when the explosion occurred, either by leaking glycerine or by the wagon upsetting against the roots of an oak tree that overhung, the road: The latter theory is the more valid and is the belief of most of who viewed the scene of the- accident. Ulmer has been in the se-vice of the Empire Co. almost from its beginning, driving while Seaboid held a contract to haul the explosive, and later using his own team iu the work. He was aged twenty two years. One of the .most .peculiar facts concerning him .and his work was that his folks have bten very anxious to have ’ h|nt>engage in something les* hazardous, but as he owed a few dollar® more on his team/Re decided Thursday night to m,ake one more trip and then find work which if less! remunerative; would at least be s iter. The trip of Friday morning was ins last»-; All that could be found of U1 I mer’s remains were i few bits of j clothing and fragme its of bleeding flesh which were ide-ntified as human and whi£h were collected and taken to Coroner McHrid j's shop. Part of one horse was foind a hundred feet from the scene it the explosion,

whde another part fell on the river bank an equal distance away. About two hand ed feet from where the explosion occurred, a gypi sy family of ten or twt Ive were en | camped. None ot them were hurt, though they were thrown to the. j ground. They could see nothing of i the explosion exept a huge cloud of dust and dirt from the immense hole 1 made by the nitro-glycerine. A j glympee either of the driver, horses j or wagon was impossible, as tons of i dirt were hurled upward hiding them from view’. * It hardly seems possible to those unacquainted with the terrible ex - plosive power ot nitro-glycerine that so much damage could be done iby 720 quarts of the fluid. The ■ hole where the explosion occurred is sixty feet across the top, thirtylive feet at the bottom and extends fifteen feet through stone and gravel to the bed rock. Four or five mammoth oaks stood near the river bank. These were badly uprooted and broken into pieces while a smaller one was hurled a distance of five hundred feet. Window panes in various parts of the city are reported broken, and every farm house within a radius of two miles is without window glass. Fences and trees were blown down in fact the shock did incredible damage. Portland, Decatur, Muncie, Warren, Ossian and Montpelier felt the jar. Bicycle riders came in from all these points while Marion contributed her quota by sending W. W. Ford, of the Mornfng News, A. Gibson, Leader and Claude. Watts, of the Chronicle. Telephone messages poured m steadily from all points asking the nature of the explosion and the<extent of damage done. From the the time of the accident until evening, several thou sand people viewed the work of the nitro glycerine. The Lima explosion a day or two ago, .coupled with the fact that a resident of Bluffton had lost his life, made the scene one of unusual interest and gave'"it a drawing po'Uer "that brought out everyone. It was reported about that when Ulmer’s wagon was loaded two leaky cans had been taken from the vehicle, but that one remained, and caused the .disaster. W. G; Hoagtr, secretary of the Empire Co:, was seen bv a reporter Friday afternoon, an 1 was questioned concerning the matter. “I was in the Jackson township field this morning when the explosion tdok place,” he said, “and when I heard the sound thought the boiler on the 4ease had exploded— Not until I reached Warren did I learn the true cause, and upon my arrival fibre, hastened to Powell’s ford. In my opinion ffab explosion was caused- byXhe_wago.ii upsetting and from no other cause. Ulmer was a reckless driver, and left the factory this morning on a trot. He was ° seen near tfie ford with his team going at rather a lively gait, and when the wagon struck the rut near the river it must have turned over and the explosion followed. Our wagons are built expressly*so that a leaky can of glycerine w’ould have ■ no fatal effects. They are provided with, good springs, the bed is divided into two boxes which are Lined with zinc, and furthermore -with two layers of Brussels carpet, lu the bottom is a heavy rubber mat. The cans are kept ur separate compartments so arranged that no two are able to rub together, and should oneiof the cans leak it would be as harmless as wniter. Our loss will amount to ¥6OO or ¥7OO, but that is of no consequence compared with the death of the driver whom we have regarded as one of our best men. The load that exploded was sent to Montpelier for the .Lima Glycerine Co., w’hos.e works were destroyed Weduesdaygas wte_ had promised to help them out with a carload” of. the stuff to fill their contracts.” We copy this from the l>luffton, News, knowing they were on the ground and have a more correct report than any we gained from our talk with parfiek at the scene of < the accident. . Letter Lisi. TJsXbT unclaimedTettefs’Yftmiripjifg in the posfpffice at Decatur, Ind., for the week ending April 29. 1895:, Gottlieb Zerker, Calvin Supiget, John Schoeth. Clara Picket, Maudy Petter, - . Deliah Twigg. "Persons calling for the above will please say advertised. « . John Weekley P. M. , You can get the largest and best loaf 0 of bread -in Decatur at the Union Bakery. d3ostfw43tf

NO. 7.