Decatur Democrat, Volume 40, Number 2, Decatur, Adams County, 27 March 1896 — Page 1

The Decatur Democrat.

VOL. XXXX.

F. U. Gerard, of Si. Louis, Mo., jh the guest ol his son John of our ■city. Mrs. Birney Cramer, of Delphos, Ohio, is the guest of her sister, Mrs. Levi Ray. G. W. Menefee, of Wabash township, is the guest of the family of “ ye editor. Alva Miller, one of Union town-, ship’s most respected citizens, died last Sunday. John Merica and wife, of Wren, () , are the guests of Noah Merica and family. I — F. J. Barey, of St. Henry, Ohio, is in the city looking tor a location for a washing machine factory. C. W. Bohnke rejoiced Friday morning dver a ten pound girl at their house which has come to stay. W. F. Swaim, Auditor of Iluntihgtoh county, was in the city today. He was on his way to Richmond, Indiana. The infant child of Mims Kings was taken to Orleans today where its grand-parents will take care ol the little tot. Through the efforts of the city Board of Trade the prospects bid fair fora large bicycle works to locate in Decatur. Mrs. Chas. True received a box of choice wild flowers from her brother, C. .1. Lutz, who is al Palatka, Florida. Frank Cloud and Charlie Kitsan left last Friday evening for Monmouth, 11l , where they expect to spend the summer. Mrs. M. E. Allison, of Little Rock, Ark., who has been the guent of Dr. McMillen’s for some time past, left for Hot. Springs, Ark. Mrs. M. G'lson met with an acci-dent-while attending the funeral of her brotther-in-law at Portland which has confied her to the bouse. Last Thursday at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Fleming in this city, occurred the "marriage, of their daughter Lillie to John Grandstaff. Frank Bowser and family, of Knobnoster, Mo. y who have been the guests of Wesley Bowser, left for Portland Friday, where they will visit relatives for a short time. The different cities around ours are passing cigarette ordinances. Some of them prohibit the sale of them in the corporate limits with a penalty for the violation with a jail sentenep. K. O. Stevenson, who has been suffering for some time with lung trouble, died at noon today at the home of his mother, Mrs. Jacob Roop. Due notice of funeral will be given later. All business men wanting space in Heller & Grill’s book of books must make application this, Week. All those who have contracted space will please have copy for ad ready by Saturday. . o Last Tuesday evening about twenty of Mr. and Mrs. John Reynolds’ friends tendered them a surprise. Music, games, taffy pulling and a general good time was the “•program of the evening.*" A, Fnstotj has accepted a position with the McCormick Machine Company, as traveling salesman, and will start on the road next week. If talking has anything to do with making sales Jim will be a “beaut.” Lee Wertzberger died last night at the home of his ? ’p tire nt's on South Third street, after a lingering sickness from that dreadful disease, consumption. The funeral will be held Saturday afternoon at 1:30 from the Presbyterian church.

DECATUR. ADAMS COUNTY, INDIANA, FRIDAY. MARCH 27. 189(1.

Mrs. Helen M. Blossom has been j granted a pension. . Miss Emma Swartz,ol Ft. Wayne i who has been the guest of the Misses Fleming, returned '"Jiome today. Major Allison and wife have returned from their winter’s stay in Florida. They both returned in the finest of health. Mrs. Riker, of Willshire, returned to her home after a few days visit with Frank Winans and wife of this city. Hon. W. S. Denman and wife, of Toledo, are the guests of Drs. Neptune and families. Mrs. Denman is a sister of the doctors. Mrs. John Meibers returned from an extended visit with her daughter, I Mrs. Theo. Drappleman, ot Louis - 1 ville, Ky., last night. She brought! with her Mrs. Droppieman’s younp : daughter, who will visit here ab mt ■ three month*. —— The funeral ol Mrs. Kathrine Jacobs occurred Friday morning at 8:30 o’clock at the Sv. Marys Catholic church. Mass was read by Rev. Father Jacobs, Versailles, ()., a son of the deceased and Rev. Father Wilkens preached the sermon. Daniel W. Berry returned Saturday from Pittsburg, Pa., where he had been with a car load of horses. He had hard luck this time. One horse died in transit, while two died’ when unloading them and one after he got them into the stable. I'his with the unsteady market makes horse trade not as desirable as in former times. Judge Studabaker has received a telegram from Portland, Oregon, saying that the trunk of David E. Studabaker arrived there but there was no owner for the same, lie has ordered the trunk returned to this place and.will try and find where the boy. is. It causes the Judge some uneasiness to know- the boy is not there. Our business men are coming.to the front so that you have but little trouble in having your goods delivered at youi; homes. J. S. Colchin, the baker, opened the spring season with a fine bread wagon, while Sprang and True came opt with a new wagon, so that all you need to do is to send in your order and the goods will be forthcoming. The republican convention at Bluffton, Thursday, selected dele: gates to the St. Louis convention. T, H. Johnson, of Dunkirk, and W. T. Durbin, of Anderson, were selected, while B. W. Quinn, of Deentur, and L. C. Davenport, .of Bluffton, were selected as alternates. B. C. Shinn, of Hartford City, was selected as the presidential elector of this district. The geneva Herald says John Kelley and Thomas Gallogley, two of Jefferson township’s pedagogues, have opened a realestate, loan and insurance dflice in Geneva. Will also practice/law acccfrdingly, if there are any cleints left after being distributed among the other thirteen attorneys. There is no doubt but what the boys will meet with the success Jjiey deserve. The Methodist ladies of the Second and Fourth wards will serve supper at the church an next Tuesday evening from 5 to 7-• o’clock. Adults 25 cents, children 15 cents. Immediately after the supper a reception will be tendered the pastor and wife. fe ■ ■ 1 An interesting program is being prepared, and it is- hoped—-that every member maybe present, if * o possible, to extend a welcome to oiir minister, and all others welcomed.

A pie o-ant. surprise was given to ( Miss Ann i Sellemeyer Monday evening, it being her fifteenth birthday anniversary. Rev. H. W. Vitz and family and about twenty young people were present. Supper was served at ten o’clock. They returned home wishing her many more such happy birthdays. Pastor B. F. Vaughan, of the Christian church attended the convention of the Christian churches of the Fifth district ot Indiana, held at Huntington this week. He reports an excellent convention; said by those who have been attending these meetings to have been the best ever held in the district. The next convention will be held at Decatur in October and the churches in adarns county will do their best to make this convention eclipse all that have gone before. The Press m speaking of the selection of Mr. Snow as chairman of the democratic centra) committee,' referring to his duties among other! things says: “The good of the Democratic party is the one and only thing now to be considered.” We wonder if this is the same idea Ellingham had m his mind when he attempted to defeat the Democratic, party by abusing the county commissioners by calling them “Coon and two old hens, with the further appelation that they hadn't brains enough to grease a gimlet.” The republicans of the sixth district are at war. Hous. W. R. Johnson and James Eli Watson are telling nasty tales on each other. The last legislature fn'their attempt to gerrymander the state, placed both in the 1 same district hence their trouble. The Union City Eagle says Watson could not get anything m Randolph county and left for a more congenial where he .accidentally fell into the congressional nomination and the great landslide of 1894 carried him into congress. The Democrat places the attend ance in the republican conventional nine, tyhile the correspondent of the Fort Way.he Journal was sober enough to carry his count upto thirteen, Boys, can’t you get together and harmonize .your views?. Such a discrepancy leaves a horrible suspicion that some one lies,- — Journal. Now' deal fair Journalman, you w’ell know’ we qualified the kind our reporter saw there ami if you w’ant to be classed with them, get your phiz m shape and then we will say there was ten. The remains of Miss Blanch Lhaman, w’bo died at Elkhart, Ind., last Sunday, passed through here to Steele for burial Tuesday. She was a daughter of William Lhaman of Blue Creek township, and to those whp were acquainted with her she was a near and dear friend. She was among the bright and lovely young w’ornen of this county. Her brother, T. P, Lhaman, who is w’ell known as an educator lives at Elkhart and she was there visiting him when the Messenger came who called her from her labors here to that eternal home beyond. Her relatives and friends have the symathy of all who know them. The April McClure’s will contain what is about the first really an thoritative and -direct account yet given of Prof. Rontgen and his discovery of the cathode rays. Immediately on the announcement of, the discovery, the editors of the magazifte cabled H. J. W. Dam, pf London, to hasten to Wurzburg, and talk with Prof. Rontgen in his laboratory, and learn all there was to be learned of the new’ marvel in photography. J'he paper will be be illustrated with a "portrait of Prof. Rant gen and numerous photo gtaphs by the new process. A supplementary article by Cleveland Moffett will tell what has been done in America with the cathode rays.

A most deligh Ini surprise was | tendered Miss Etta Edwards at the j home of her parents on West Madison street, la«t evening the oe casion being her 2 Ist birthday. The evening was most pleasantly spent in music, games and an old-fashion-ed taffy pull. At a late hour the guests departed leaving their hostess their best wishes for many such happy occasions. Those present were M isses Hattie Moore, Minnie Shepherd, May Merica, Rosa’'Nelson, Mollie Shepherd and Etta and Daisy Edwards, and Messrs Chas. Foughty Loren and Dell Lake, Harry Reichart and F rank Geesinger. An advance agent of Robison’s Comedy Company was in the city last Saturday with a good supply of paper to bill the town for a week's engagement. And yon can imagine bis imbarrassment and surprise when he learned that Decatur had no opera house.' Not even a town hall. He said in all his travels over the various states, he never saw a town as large as this withe t an opera house. But a promine tj business man remarked to us the other day that a company woubl sooii.be organized that will build a fine opera house here this summer. And we earnestly hope he knew ■ what he was talking about. Let a i few moneyed men get together and | build a good play house. It will certainly be a good investment. -2- a_ ’ The K. of i”s. from this city who i attended the district meeting at I Bluffton yesterday' and last night 1 returned home this morning They speak highly of the way* they were entertained. Ihe city had on its holiday attire, being decorated from end to end, the streets aud houses all covered with decorations. The sister lodges «-li being in full accord with the K. of P. opened their lodge rooms and'' piaced-'every-thing at their disposal. The boys came home w’ell pleased with their visit and return their hearty thanks 'not only to the brother K. of Ps , butjo the citizens of Bluffton one and all for the kind and hospitable treatment they received while their guests. It was m 183F.lhat President Andrew Jackson signed the bill tor ! th.e free coinage of both gold and l silver at the ratio pt; I 6 to 1, wit h out awaiting the ' dctioii of any other nation, although England had demonetized silver, in IS 16. Old Hickory never did pay much attention to or regulate his action to-suit that nation. His act as to the silver dollar stood trnmolefjjed nearly forty years, or until 1873.—Portland Sun. Or until a republican party was hatched from the worst element of Democrats and Knownotbings. Then the schemes to wrong the people out of their money come with the new party and from that Until this time has there been a continual howl about the -finances of this country so as to keep the people in a condition that they have no confidence in the government. Christian Miller, father of Mrs. Barkley, died Thursday at his home near the Allen county line. He was about seventy years old aud one of the respected citizens of tjie neighborhood. He posessed a fair share of the part that helps to sustain life, but yvjth it he had a peculiar way of caring for a paTt of his means. In his vest pocket he carried a small paper, on which he diagramed the location of the places in which he had placed enough of the yellow metal to hold along, in lite. The' family followmg the directions on the paper irought to light over 81 > that was hid in coffee essence cans, some places there being onlv one 820 • gold-piece in a can. They brought the money to town in a grip sack thismorning anil placed the same in the blink for safekeeping until the estate is settled.

In order that our people may know how much they pay each year for gravel roads we append here- | with a statement as taken from the tax duplicate showing the assessed valuation of each township and the amount they pay each year for gravel road purposes. Townships. Valuation. Taxes. Union $416390 145 72 Root 784540 274 .58 Preble 639870 223 94 Kirkland 511745 179 11 Washington 1066345 373 22 St. Marys.. 674650 236 12 Blue Creek 294620 138 11 Monroe s 13855 295 34 French 467715 163 70 Hartford 607980 212 78 Wabash 756855 264 90 Jefferson 371150 129 so City of Decatur... .1484825 520 04 Town of Geneva. .. 202850 , 71 on Town of Berne 369075 129 is Total.. t 8583685 3347 63 From the above figures you see that the six no-thern townships pay 81*, 952.73 cd' the total or enough money each year to build one mile of the very b st gravel road that can be made. The city of Decatur with no gravel road pays 8520.JH, while the town of Geneva with all the benefits of a gravel road pavs 871. If the people of the north end of the county want to improve the road< they have to travel they will have to pike them and keep the money at home. Deserving of praise is the management ot-’jthe Logansport and Wabash Valley Gas Co., under the able management of .their affairs on ■ tins division of said plant. Ne'e’’ in the history ot this plant have lhe 'consumers of gas had such tine uninterrupted service, an ample supply for all classes of consumers, manufacturers apd domestic, use and this means that the factories have been kept in operation ami without it some would have been compelled to shut down for want i*f fiifel. With a material reduction in price to manufacturers aud such a regular supply for all, not one hour out of gas here, Monroe, Berne and Geneva the whole winter. This we consider service “up to date,” no kick coming on this and such service as this makes all consumers of gas feel grateful toward our-gAs company And their able managers of same and wb can feel as-ured’ by this evidence that we are in the hands-of men that will see to our welfare m this line and have the assurance they will give us good service m the winter to come. Mr. S. T. Murdock, general manager, of Logansport and Wabash Valley Gas Co., let us shake you by the hand and also John S.. Bowers your local manager here,-for the good already done and the good you can do us in the future. Editor Democrat: We did not impose on your readers this week with our reply to the editor of the Journal, but will now. Our people should all take the Cincinnati Enquirer instead of the Decatur Journal, because they buy their paper in car load lots and then they are responsible. Come now Mr. Everetts,«do not attempt to deceive your readers in that way, but if you have any reason why the council should allow the people to be charged fifty cents more for the work than it can be done for, please give,the same good reason; that your readers may knaw why the people have to pay more for their work. Then at the same tihie please tell the taxpayers of our city why the council pay you and the Democratic Press more for advertising than a democratic council allowed the Democrat and the Journal, We see in the l ist allow anees 8 10. JO allowed.. you and the same amount allowed the other pa per. Now I can shoxx vqu . the. figures where the same kind ot -an a-Ivertiseme.nt cost the city only six d dlars so that instead of a reform council your republican council is one that imposes on pie taxpayers big allowance for tln^benefit-of the

ones that serve them. Now don’t try to dodge this But go tothe rehiirds- | and then say to the taxpayers' why ! the council stands in with yon and the gang to rob the taxpayers, lhei ask yourself if you can with a gooii clear conscious rrtb the people. Democra i . If you call upon a young woman don't sit upon the opposite side of the room for an hour or two until the girl gets weary, but put your arms around her and hug Her until she sees stars—it won't hurt her and it will go a long ways towards convincing her that you mean what you say. There are large districts in China where labor is so cheap that it can hardly be reckoned on a mgriey standard. Thousands of Chinese laborers live on a little more than a handful of rice or so a day. and yet eventhen there 4. ' are thousands of unemployed practical- ! ly starving. I The hen that leaves tier nest after a j few days’ sitting becatree she does not ' hear the chirp ot chicks, is something like the merchant who quits advertising after the first few "throws ‘ because bis first calls ha/en't tilled his store with . clamor.ng customers — Fred " Scarboro in Printers Ink The following are the names of the teachers as selected by the school board for lsi'6 97: Misses Lell Segu;-, Mary ill. Lincoln, Tillie Felbaum. Charlotte X Malotte. Dora L Peterson,’ Rose j Christen, Ethel II -le, Bess. E. Congleto . Cora >ba<-klev. Kate Jackson. Maggie Beatty. Nellie Winnes. Dora A ■ Steele, Mena Myers, Olive Dailey. ; Tesse Barkley, substitute. Messrs. R R Ramsey. C. D Kunkle. C L fAVaiters. D. B Erwin. -I. > Falk, J. IM. Parrish. W. A ' Lower. Edward Christen. A I). Moffejt. Snp't. While W P Porter was at lodge Monday night, the good people of Pleasant Mills and surrounding community flocked in his house laden down with the good things that our community affords and when lodge was out Mr. Fuller told him he wished to get shaved and they rushed over to his shop. He said be would have to get another light and opened the door. What was his surprise to find a vast number of his friends silting there waiting for him. This is the first surprise he has ex’er had.served'on him. he always boasted that they could not i surprise him.- He acknowledged, hovi - 1 4iy that lb is ■ one was coni pint e. This was his JGtfi birthday. A generai good time was had by ail presen'. Every man lias a right to take a paper or stop it provided subscription is paid up . for any reason or no reason at all. But at the same time there is a certain responsibility attaching to ail actions, even to so trivial a one as stopping a paper, because the editor says something one does not agree with. There is complaint that editors lack fearlessness and honesty; that papers are too generally mere partisan organs that disregard the claims of truth and justice ! when certain interests are at stake. There is too much truth in the charge; but let us ask bow it is possible for a fearless, honest, out-spoken journal to live if every man is to cry "stop my paper" whenever he reads something that does not accord with his veiws? The men who insist that the paper they i read shall never say anything contrary ito their views are the ones who are in ' a large measure responsible for the | cowardliness and weathercock propensiI ties of modern journalism. One of two I tilings is abosluiely necessary: Either a paper must be a namby-pamby sheet that has no opinions whatever about . important events, or else its readers must make up their minds that a difference of opinion is not sullicient rea son fur stopping a paper. If all tne readers insist upon it that everything said must accord with their view’s, then i the editor mus,t say, nothing except an jtiie one subject on which they all agree, and the public must be left for- ‘ light on current events to bitter partisan papers. In a comjnunity composed enlrrvly paper" ( people, true independent journalism j would be aM inrpdssibility. Don’t stop i a paper that’ you believe to be honest, ’ eourageojis.' enterprising ami clean simply because its editor has written his own sincere xnews instead of vours k I ' -oi somebody e’s Ts. fef if ion do you i are ■ putting a premium bib insintereI imirualism and serving notice on a a I . ; editor that the xvay 'to succeed is to write what he thiuks will best, please bis readers, instead of what he honestly believes tb be the truth.

NO. 2.