Decatur Democrat, Volume 46, Number 48, Decatur, Adams County, 5 February 1903 — Page 5

The commissioners, on Tuesday granted a liquor license to John M'. Andrews whose place of business is at Mom oe The license was asked and granted in Washington township, the township line running along the side of the town. No remonstrance was filed. Surveyor McKean filed two bonds in commissioner’s court each calling in amount for $(>,000. They were given as superintendent of the Woods and the Decatur A Preble macadam roads, the law requiring this heavy bond for superintending such public work, both bonds are gilt edge and were approved by the board. The funeral services over William Witte, who died at his home in Freidheim last Friday, was held at the Freidheim church this afternoon. This was the first funeral service held in the new church, and peculiarly coincident with that fact, the wedding of Mr. Witte was the first ceremony of its kind held in the old church. Some one has been stealing corn from the crib at the county jail and Sheriff Butler is justly mad. To make things worse the thieves on their last visit failed to shut the door and as a result when Albert gets down the next morning he finds his own and the neighbor's chickens enjoying a genuine feast in greedy fashion, almost foundering themselves. NowAlbert, while he feels a little chagrined at the idea that people are bold enough to rob a jail, still wouldn’t feel half so bad if they would just lock the place up hereafter, because that’s what will be done to them if they're caught Henry Lewin, the Bluffton saloonkeeper has filed his answer to the complaint of Ada Cochran, at present residing here and who has sued him for $5,000 for breach of promise. Henry says it’s a case of the rankest kind of blackmail, and he is arranging to fight it as long as there is a court to listen to his troubles. He says Mrs. Cochran is a rank imposter and a woman of low character who went to Bluffton from Fort Wayne the last of December. He denies the allegation in the complaint and will try to show that Ada's heart strings have net been torn to any alarming extent, at any rate not $5,000 worth. J. E. Moser the photographer, has purchased the George W. Roop business properties adjoining his gallery. The purchase has been made several days, he buying them simply as an investment, and in years to come when they become worth SIOO per foot street frontage, the wisdom of the purchase will be more apparent. It is certain that the business portion of the city is walking that way, and in the last year or two this fact has become more certain than ever before. There was a time when the Moser gallery was considered away out of town, but now it is <- in it,” as the boys say. City real estate is expected to soon take another healthy boom. Clinton Pontius of Hartford township, was in town Monday, and while here bought at the Bower’s quarry the stone for a fine new house which he will build on his Hartford township farm this summer. The new structure when complete will be one of the most handsome countryresidences in the county, it containing all the modern improvements of the times. Mr. Pontius is one of (hose fortunate individuals who not only makes money but he makes all kinds of money. As a side issue seven producing oil wells keeps him in pin money. The last one is good for sixty barrels daily, all of which makes him an income of a very healthy sort. The members of the Masonic Chapter lodge were enjoying life last Wednesday night, the occasion being the initiation into their mysteries of three well known young men, Gustave Rosenthal, Herman Freidman and Henry B. Heller. The boys look worn and considerably older today, but they are happier and wiser men. The event was pleasurable and nearly every member of the lodge was present. The work at the lodge rooms continued until eleven o’clock, when the members with the three newly established, as guests of honor, proceeded io Martin’s restaurant and were feasted at a banquet of considerable dimensions. A handsome team of horses, the property of H. H. Hart, the west end livery man, stirred things up on Second street yesterday and the result of damage is so small that it seems almost miraculous. The team was hitched to the coal wagon and were standing ntar the G. R. & I. tracks. The cold weather made them frisky and they startl'd down Monrot* street at a lively gait, almost going through the front of Hholthouse, Schulte A Co’s, clothing store. They swerved just in time, ran up Second street to Madison,then west to Seventh and back to the barn. The coal wagon wan badly mashed and was scattered all along the line. There is within the limits of our city acontemptable man who seems to feel that his duty on earth is to rid Decatur of dogs and he is getting in his work about as faithfully as could lie asked. During the month just passed at least a dozen dogs, some of them quite valuable, have been found dead, and an examination in each case has proved that they went the poison route. Recently a female Irish setter, mother of ten little pups and the property of William Jackson was poisoned. The dog was worth twen ty-five dollars and Will was negotiating for her sale. Such occureuees are far from being jokes and the inhuman person who does such work should lie punished as he will be if he is caught.

Julius Hougk vs Mary Blown and Adam Brown, her husband, was filed in circuit court today same being a partition suit. Mr. Hougk owns twothirds of the Brown farm in Union towflship, and Mrs. Brown owns onethird, the former having been granted a deed by the United States court. The suit asks for an order for sale of land in question and was filed by Attorney D. E. Smith. Satuday was perhaps the best business day our merchants have enjoyed since the holiday rush. Second street has been alive with people, and all of them looked more or less full of business. Trade was brisk from early morning, and the result was a landoffice business everywhere, including The Daily Democrat, where new subscribers kept the force busy. It is becoming more evident every day that Decatur is the best town on the universe and does more business to the square inch, for its size, than any on the map. Merchants carry large and select stocks and do a large volume of business. W. A. Groom of Anderson, is organizing and promoting an enterprise that will corner all the abstract, loan and insurance business in the state by the formation of a gigantic corporation. A meeting of many interested in the scheme was held at Anderson Friday and the plans were thoroughly discussed. Mr. Groom has for several months past been developing this project and claims it is perfectly feasible. His idea is to unite under one head all the important abstract real estate insurance and rental agencies in the country, thus forming a trust in this line of work that would crowd out the smaller firms and ultimately control the business, from one general office. Thomas H. Baltzell left Thursday afternoon for Biltmore,North Carolina, where he will attend a sale of English Berkshire hogs, with the expressed determination of purchasing the finest male Berkshire in the world and its safe to say that Tom will do this very thing. Stock men from all over the country will attend the sale in which will be sold sixty-five head of Berkshires, shipped direct from England. Tom expects to buy several but the one on which he has set his heart is a Berkshire boar which recently took first prize in the Royal stock show at Loudon and which is said to be the finest hog in the world. There’s nothing too good for Adams county stock men. August Studler, a well known farmer living in the southwest part of Hartford township will operate a Louisiana lottery of his own. and the prize will be his farm of eighty-six acres, on which are several first-class oil wells. He values his land at $9,000, and not being able to sell it outright for that sum has determined to dispose of same to the man holding the lucky ticket. The price of the tickets has not tieen made public, but it’s safe to say it wiP take several days to dispose of them. Mr. Studler, it is said will retire from an active farming hfe when he has sold his farm and will make a visit to his native home in Switzerland, and may possibly remain there. A west bound freight train on the Erie was wrecked about one mile west of Rivare yesterday. The engineer left his train standing on the main track and came to Decatur for water. Being in a hurry to clear here for No. 3, he sent his engine back at a terrific rate, and when within a short distance of his train, the throttle refused to work and he applied the emergency brake, but not in time to prevent the disaster. The tender was smashed to splinters, and several cars were telescoped. There were no injuries received by any of the crew, which seems almost miraculous. Traffic has been blockaded for several hours, but will be resumed as soon as the wreck train clears away the debris. Farmers living east and southeast of the city are complaining against a dangerous practice indulged in by teamsters of the Empire Glycerine company. They say that the men hauling the explosive to the oil field south of here load the wagons the night before they are ready to start south, and take them to the Vera Cruz gravel road and allow them to stand on the road near its intersection with the Nottingham road until the next day. Should a runaway strike one of these wagons the explosion which would likely result would cause loss of life and would put an artificial lake on the adjoining farms. Sonieof the wagons which stand there are empty, but farmers say that on several occasions they have seen the teamsters come out the next morning and hitch to loaded* wagons and start for the oil field. Bluffton News. A representative of a Chicago factory was in the city Tuesday, his business lieing to measure and locate positions for the mitten machines at the Waring Mitten factory. The improvements to the Ark building are going on rapidly and it is hoped will lie completed this week, and if such is the case, operation will lie started within two or three weeks at least. The exact measurement of the rooms showed that sixty-five machines could be placed on the second floor, thus allowing the ground room for the cutting machine, stock and other necessary articles. While this is only about half the size building desired, scarcely that, Mr. Waring desires to begin work at once is proving himself a thorough business man. Arrangements are being made and negotiating for a larger building are going on now, though nothing definite has been made public. The mitten factory will soon prove itself a great industry for Decatur.

That Decatur and Adams county is the greatest horse market in the west was demonstrated Thursday. J. W. Campbell shipped five big car loads of draft horses to New York City. Mr. Campbell is one of the biggest dealers in horses in the country, and informs us he has never visited a community in all bis career where so many good horses could be purchased. His agents have been here only a short time and have gathered up something near 120 head, and they are the ki-jd that are wanted, fine, sound, stylish-looking animals, that would sell at any market in the world. Mr. Campbell will continue to make this his headquarters, as he says it’s the best place he knows of for his business. Fields & Company, owners of the largest general store at Geneva, have sold out to Minch & Co., of New Corydon. The invoice began last Monday after which the new firm will take charge of the business. The retiring firm are pioneers in business at Geneva and liberal advertisers in the Herald. That newspaper now wisely asserts that if the Geneva business men desert his advertising columns he will bring in competitive advertising from outside towns. The Geneva business men should not permit this state of affairs to long exist, as they will be cutting off their noses two different ways. Newspaper advertising is the only method of making business and keeping what you already have, and the sooner merchants in every town realize the fact the more business they will do. A family of nomade characters, living in the Dvonis Schmitt building, along the Erie railread, have been ordered to leave town by the city officers. The family consists of two men, their wives and children. Their state of squalor is intolerable to their neighbors. They have no household goods, no bedding, but sleep on heaps of straw. The women beg sustenance and get a little money by a house to house canvass. The money is gobbled up by the men and spent in drunken revelry. Although their condition is very precarious, they are wholly undeserving of public charity, as there are many people in the city who are unfortunately destitute. The city officials do not discountenance charity but they do not countenance the support of such people who have no regular way of gaining their livelihood. One day last week a great oil well was struck on the Flager farm, in Liberty township, and hundreds of barrels went to waste before the well was placed under control. Since then the well has been averaging forty barrels an hour. Monday evening the drillers struck what appears to be a greater gusher on Joseph Alger’s farm, four miles from the Flager well and six miles from Van Wert. The oil gushed forth in a solid stream high above the derrick. A large force of men were immediately put to work digging cisterns, but they had to abandon the project, as the well (lowed faster than the cisterns could be made. Scores of farmers in the vicin ity volunteered their services, and finally large embankments were thrown around the many cisterns to catch the overflow. For over fortyeight hours it has been flowing without any signs of abating. The owners are Connecticut capitalists, and it is their first well in the field. They have a large number of acres in Van Wert and Mercer counties. About fifty members of the W. R. C. and G. A. R. fell into line and proceeded to march to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Parrish on Jefferson street last night, to tell Mrs. Parrish that she had reached the sixty-fourth year of her life. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather Mr. Parrish himself was surprised to see such a large number present. Everylxxly enjoyed themselves to the fullest extent, and at the proper time a delicious lunch and coffee was server!. Games, music and songs were indulged in and especial praise is due Mesdames Doak, Mayer and Louthan in the rendition of some patriotic and soul-inspiring songs. Mrs. Z. (). Lewellen of Monro**, was the out of town guest. Mrs. Parrish was the recipient of several nice presents, among which is one from the Woman’s Relief Corps. This crowd of not-afraid-of-rain-in-the-face have another vietim booked for the near future. Ralph Gregory, a lawyer of Muncie, has unearthed a statute which, if put in force, will compel Governor Durbin to surrender to the Kentucky authorities the persons of former Governor Taylor and former Secretary of State Finley. The statute is embodied in Burns’ Revision of 1901; Sections 1074 bto 1071 f. In brief it is specified that whenever one who shall have been indicted for a criminal offense in any state of the union is within the borders of Indiana, any one may go before a justice of the peace or before the circuit court and swear out a warrant for the arrest of the person so charged! that after the governor of the state of Indiana shall have l>een notified of such warrant he shall cause the arrest of such individual and then notify the governor of the commonwealth in which the crime has been committed, and surrender such individual to the accredited officers of said commonwealth. Under this statute Governor Durbin would have no choice but to surrender to the Kentucky authorities the persons of Taylor and Finley. Mr. Gregory has called the attention of a number of leading lawyers of Muncie to the statute, and they all agree that it exactly fits the case of Taylor and Finley. The reason that this statute has hitherto escaped notice is that it is indexed improperly in the revision.

INVENTORY | ■ 0 fl Clearance Sale! I Call while you can share in the rare bargains I I and save 33 to 50 per cent on your purchases in 1 I Men’s, Boys’ and Childrens’ Suits, Overcoats I I and Furnishings at ’ I Gus Rosenthal, ! The Square Man. Decatur, Indiana. I

The idea of collecting damages from the city whenever one falls down seems to lie coming into fashion in Decatur, and the council are quite frequently called on to pay these bills. Usually only a sufficient amount is asked for to pay doctor bills and loss of time from one’s work, but now comes Fred Sievere, a bartender at Todd’s saloon, and says that he must have the sum of SSOO for injuries he received in a fall last Saturday evening. He says he was walking through the alley from Madison to Monroe street, and when just back of Smith, Yager and Falk’s drug store fell over a barrel which contained broken pieces of glass and other rubbish, and as a result cut his left hand very badly. His petition sets out the fact that the alley is paved with brick and is used considerably by pedestrians, and that the property owners along said alley should keep it clean and free from any rubbish of this kind. The barrel was standing close to the building occupied by the drug store. A new law firm has been formed at Marion and two of the best known lawyers of Decatur are included in the partnership, the same lieing the firm of Petsrson & France. The new firm will be known as the firm of Kersey, Peterson & France and their offices will be located in the Wilson block at Marion. The firm is composed of well known men, each member being an excellent lawyer. John A. Kersey, senior member of the firm is a native born resident of Grant county and one of the best attorneys of the state. He has a large and lucrative practice and needs the assistance of good lawyers to handle his business. Robert S. Peterson and Carl O. France of this city who nowbecome members of the firm are well known to most of our readers. The former has practiced here for more than thirty years and is considered an able counselor and judge of law. His reputation has also spread to surrounding counties and he has already transacted considerable business in Marion. Mr. France is the oldest son of Hon. John T. France, deceased, and has a very promising future in the law practice. He will move to Marion next week and assume his duties at once. Mr. Peterson will not remove his family at once but will be in Marion most of the time. Their library and office fixtures will be moved to the new office as soon as possible. The newfirm of Kireey, Peterson A France will be an exceptionally strong one, and will no doubt do the business they an* deserving of. While we regret to lose Messrs. Peterson A France as citizens, we wish them all possible success in their new field. The partnership was formed yesterday, Mr. Peterson going to Marion for that purpose and the contrac* was formally closed this morning.

A decision of the appellate court 1 Tuesday is to the effect that one who has a deed or mortgage recorded must ascertain whether it has been correct ly transcribed and bring suit for damages in case it has not, within five ' years, or he cannot afterward sue the county recorder and his bondsmen for any loss he may sustain by reason of an incorrect record. The’case grew out of a mistake of the recorder of Cass county in 1889, by which the land covered by a mortgage was incorrectly described in the record as being in the northeast quarter of a section instead of the northwest quarter. The land owner afterward mortgaged the land for all it was worth to another party and the first mortgagee being unable to collect anything from her debtor, lost nearly SI,OOO by the recorder's mistake. A judgment in favor of the defendant in a suit by the mortgagee for damages, which was brought in 1900, was affirmed, although the mortgagee did not actually know of the mistake for nearly ten years after it was made. Col. Dick Townsend of the Burt, is at home from an important ten days trip to New Orleans, during which time he attended to some very important business and as a result has un der consideration a proposition of large proportions. Dick has a reputation for general business ability that covers half the states and has proven that whatever he undertakes he will carry out in a thorough and business like manner. Some two weeks ago a rich cotton plantation owner of the south came here and asked Mr. Townsend if he was in a position to take hold of his business, offering a hand some salary. As a consequence the popular landlord of the Burt left ten davs ago for New Orleans for the purpose of viewing the situation. The plantation is situated a short distance from New Orleans and consists of | 3,400 acres under cultivation and 2,(XX) that can be made ready for use in a short time. Dick spent several days i on the farm and while attending to 1 business also enjoyed life to the limit. He was entertained a ilay or so at the palatial country home of Governor Estopenal, whose plantation is located close to the one in which Mr. Townsend may become interested. He says . the governor is a pleasant, affable and genial gentleman and with whom as a neighbor he could get along admirably. He says the only objection lie can see to the proposition is that life there during the summer months i might be a great hardship to a north- ; erner, though as manager he would ' not necessarily have to expose himself a great deal. He has considered the proposition very seriously and has not yet given a final answer, though he seems to think that the chances are that he will refuse to leave Decatur at present at least. Ho says the south is a great and coming section of the country.

The city dads met in regularsession Tuesday evening, all members were ! present and with Mayor Coffee in the ‘ chair. A petition filed by Fred Sie vere, asking that he be granted an allowance for injuries sustained by fall ing over a barrel of broken glass, was referred to the judiciary committee. A claim, simular to the above concern - ing the injury received by Mrs. Robert Polling through a defective side walk, was also referred to the judiciary committee, the street committee having investigated and found that the sidewalk was in good condition. James P. Haelling, administrator of the estate of George M. Haelling, deceased, asked that the council include in the Elm street sewer asses ments, the sum due the late G. M. Haelling for serving as inspector of the aforementioned sewer. The prayer was referred to the judiciary committee which immediately reported to the council and the demands of the petition were denied. The Elm street sewer question was entirely omitted save that the expense of the sewer committee, recently appointed, be included in the assessments against the property holders affected by the sewer in question. The next to be considered was the matter of public improvement. Calvin Miller contractor asked that he be released from the contract with the city for the paving of Fourth street, for the reason that he had not been permitted to construct the same when the contract was let, and the same was granted. The street committee was authorized to renew the contract with E. Woods <& company for the construction of the Marshall street sewer and with W. P. Robinson for the macadamizing of Rugg, Fornax anil Thirteenth streets. The committee on buildings and improvements reported unfavorably on the proposed construction of a one story building by Loch & Linn on inlot 148, and the council voted it down. William Baumann, a safe ex pert from Marion, Indiana, reported that he had made an examination of the old city safe, has found it in good condition and would open and place the same in first class condition for $60.00, a contract was agreed to and he will liegin work at once. The re- | port of George Steele, waterworks superintendent was then heard and approved of. The following bills I were allowed: Chicago Electric Appliance Co.. $19.02. J. W. Robin son, rent $3.00, electric light ein- , ployees $145.00. street commissioners ; pay roll $5.55, Varney Electric Supply Co., supplies. $1.04, John Thomas hauling coal $57.85, J. G. Smith, labor on streets $2.70, J. G. Smith labor electric light SU>.B(), J no. Coffee services as strwt commissioner $45.83. Harry Daniel, printing $49.90, Jacob Mangold salary $40.00, Amos Fisher salary $40.00, H. B. Knoff, salary $40.00, Erie K. R. freight, $57.58. The council then adjourned and decided to meet next Morning at 9 a. tn.