Decatur Democrat, Volume 47, Number 4, Decatur, Adams County, 2 April 1903 — Page 1

ALL THE NEWS ALL THE TIME.

VOLUME XLVIL

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Baurcr of Mansfield, Ohio, are the guests ot Sheriff Butler and family. Marion is getting ready to spend ♦30,000 in improvements to their waterworks plant and will issue bonds to this amount. Abraham Meyers, west of town, sold his forty acre farm to Albert Werling of Preble Tuesday. The consideration was 12,800. George Crist went to Fort Wanye yesterday to have his eyes examined by Dr. Bulson. He has been suffering a number of years with afflicted eyes. Henry Bohnke, who lives five miles north of this city, has purchased, through the Schafer Hardware company, a new threshing outfit. The equipment consists of an eighteen horse power compound engine and an Advance threshing machine. The entire outfit is made by the Advance Machine company of Battle Creek, Michgan, and is veryi neat in appearance. The ladies of the Presbyterian church are making arrangements for Mrs. MeGravr, a speaker of unusual brilliancy, to deliver an address in this city. Mrs. McGraw has spent almost all of her life as a missionary among tde Indians of the west and is thoroughly competent to discuss ’all the interesting facts concerning the red man’s life. The ladies will also arrange for a missionary tea to be held at the parsonage on the same evening. A post mortem examination lias revealed the strangest cause of death in the history of the Michigan asylum for the insane at Kalamazoo. Six pounds of nails, buttons and other rubbish were taken from the stomach of Fred Cerrow, a patient. Since 1897 he had complained of stomach trouble and the condition of some of the articles indicated they had been in his stomach since then. Among the articles taken out and vouched for by the asylum phsyiciana are over two hundred nails of different sizes, screws, buttons, bits of wire, tinfoil stones and suspender buckles. Bill Emmenheiser the farmer who was assaulted and battered by Ad Craig a week ago has mysteriously dissappeared from his home east of Vera Cruz, and his family had two men in the city Monday looking for him. He came to town Wednesday to enter an appearance to the charge of assault and battery filed against, him for the Sunday night riot and has not been seen since. _ John Crosbie brought him to town in his buggy and Emmenheiser instructed his son to come after him in the wagon and they would drive north of the city and get a load of corn. When Emenheiser was acquitted he left the mayor ’scoUrt and that is the last that has been seen of him. His son too is missing and there is no clue as to the whereabouts of either. They may have been loafing about the city but no one reports having seen them. No motive is known for their leaving the country. Miss May Coverdale of Decatur, was the guest of Miss Wilda Gottschalk Saturday and over Sunday. On Saturday evening Miss Coverdale was made the victim of a surprise party consisting of about twenty young friends, who gather ed at the Gottschalk home to greet her. The evening was spent in a number of contests and other games and music was hugely enjoyed by all present. Earl K. Shalley won the prize for the beest pictorial illustration of the conntests on the book * ‘ Under the Flag. ’ ’ Miss Lida Rhone was the winner in an interesting flower contest. Another part [ of the entertainment was a mock w’edding. And about the chief number of the program was refreshnients served by the Misses Opal Shalley and Eva Diddy; and they performed their part to the ‘ * tip-top'' satisfaction of the guests. Among the other gusets of honor were Messrs. Amos and Noah Zehr and Thurman Gottschalk. Oscar Au- ; gsperger was the chief mogul at the piano. When parting came all were sorry to leave and were surprised [themselves at the fine enjoyment I they were able to have.—Berne WitI; HvbS.

DBNIOCft/jY.

Kirsch & Sellemeyer have filed a suit on account in circuit court against Nicholas H. Wagoner jr., demanding *75. The miperior court of Grant county is doing a land office business in granting divorces, twenty one being the number for the last two days. Miss Blanche Adlesperger, who has been suffering a number of months with consumption, is slowly sinking at her home on Fourth street. Miss Adelsperger spent two -winters at Denver, but the climate did her no good. Beery & Holthouse are arranging for a big horse salee, which will be held at the fashion barns next Monday, April 6. Fifty, fine horses, every one broke so as to work in harness, will be offered for sale and turned over to the highest bidder. The horses are fine ones and no doubt the sale will be very spirited as there is always a good demand for the kind that are already trained. A home on Nuttman street in the south paid; of town was badly damaged by fire at three o’clock Tuesday afternoon. The house was occupied by Mrs. Anna Williams, who works at the mitten factory, and who left the gas fire burning in the cook stove when she left at noon. The fire was discovered by John Winans, a neighbor. The kitchen floor was destroyed and the rest of the house damaged considerably by fire and smoke. The property is owned by Daniel Sprang. Postmasters hereafter will not be permitted to rent boxes to minners without the written consent of the parents. The order was made by the postofflee department to cor r rect an abuse growing out of the fact that minor girls rent boxes and open up correspondence with outside parties and in that way keep the correspondence a secret from their parents. This is a good ruling and. will doubtless put a stop to much flirtation. It ma>’ also stop a more serious evil. When girl has a correspondent she is ashamed for her mother to know she is treading on quicksand that may engulf her. The Randolph county grand jury has returned an indictment against the school board of Union City, charging the members with misdemeanor. The board is composed of Theodore Shockney, Dr. William Commons and J. F. Rubey, cashier of the Commercial National Bank. There was a smallpox epidemic at Winchester some time ago and after it subsided the county board of health issued an order to all township trustees to see that all school children were vaccinated or prevent them from attending school until they complied with the order. All district schools closed several weeks before the regular time. The board of health of Union City decided that since there was no smallpox here, there was no need of compulsory vaccination, and the school board did not enforce the order of the county board. The school hoard has engaged attorneys and will contest the indictment. The following business is a record of court doings Tuesday: Lewis L. Sadler vs Edward E. Smith et al, plea in abatement struck out, answer tiled to amended complaint, cross-complaint filed by Edward and George Smith, rule to reply, rule to answer cross-complaint. A. R. Bell and A. E. Rose vs Geneva and Charles Murray, motion for new trial on written reasons filed. Samantha Cassel vs Joseph D. Beery, additional paragraph to complaint filed. In court Paul G. Hooper, administrator of the estate of Almira Hooper, ordered on motion by Jonas Coverdale to make an accounting. Kate Baumgartner, administratrix of the estate of Valera Jackson, filed her report and notice was ordered. During this morning attorneys D. D. Heller, for the plaintiff, and C. J. Lutz and D. E. Smith, for the defendant, argued the case of Otto Bolds vs William and Minerva Shoemaker, the evidence in which. was heard last week. This is the case wherein Mr. Bolds seeks to recover.; the Custody of his two little children, who sinfe the death of their mother, have lived with their grand-par-ents. Judge Erwin has the case under advisement.

DECATUR, INDIANA, THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 1903.

Hower & Elzey, two enterprising young men, have started a paint shop and are now ready to do all kinds of work in that line. Miss Inez Ernst, who has been very sick for several months, has sufficiently recovered to be able to take a short walk and is otherwise showing evidence of perhaps a complete recovery. A suit in which the amount in controversary is only fifty dollars and in which the costs will no doubt exceed that amount -was filed in circuit court last week, being brought here on change of venue from Allen county. The suit is entitled Busoe & Meyers vs. William Pothoff, Elizabeth Pothoff, Martin H. Aukenbruck,M ary Aukenbruck mechanics lien, demand ♦SO. Three car loads of structural steel for the Erie railroad bridge over the St. Marys river was received in this city Monday. The old bridge -will simply be repaired and strengthened up as the Erie will soon place new and larger locomotives in service and all large bridges must be repaired. The bridge will not be built for a double track and will be altered but very little. The iron workerswill arrive in a short time and begin the job as it will take several months to complete the undertaking. A manufacturing concern at St. Paris, Ohio, arranging to put a novel device in the way of a hay tedder on the market this spring, the merits of which can be readily seen by the enterprising farmer. The machine is attached to the mower and the last swath is being tedded as the next is cut. In this way the sun affects the hay more intensely from the moment it is cut and a considerable amount of labor is saved to the farmer. The machine promises to have a large demand, both on account of its simpleness of device, its labor saving powers and being much less expensive than any other kind. Miss Olive Daily, for three years instructor of Latin and ancient history in the Decatur high schools, will leave next Thursday for Bloomington, where she will enter Indiana University. A leave of absence was recently granted her by the board of trustees and she will now have the opportunity to finish her course of study at that institution. After she has graduated there, which will be in June or July, Miss Dailey will probably enter some eastern school and complete her education in» flic east. Miss Dailey has been quite a successful and efficient teacher and has aided much in maintaining the standard of excellence which the Deatcur high school is known for. Miss Hathaway a sister of Miss Maud Hathaway, the present English instructor, will take the place left vacant by Miss Dailey’s withdrawal,’ although she will not have the same classes, and a change in the recitations will be* made. Irvin Ruder of DeKalb county, who is now doing time in the state penitentiary for selling stolen property, wriites the Garret Clipper and wishes that paper to tell the people of his innocence. It will be remembered that John Weber of Fort Wayne, who formerly lived here, was chargeci with receiving the stoleen horses and that there is an indictment for that offense nowpending against him. In this particular letter Mr. Rader states thta the horses were not his wife’s, but his own, and that her action was but a scheme to put him out of the way and thus gain possession of his persona property. He cited for instance where she would profit and told of |l,ooo worth of crops that fell into her handds. He further state that his wife has three living husbands, one of whom she divorced in two yeras, one in three months, and he, Raden, hung on for eleven years and she had him sent to the penitentiary. Mr. Raden thinks his imprisonment an outrage and in discussing the jury which sentenced him, he says, “that every living man with the sense of a monkey, could see that I really own ed the horses which I was charged with stealing.”He claims that there was undue prejudice shown in the jury decision.

Miss Moran is the latest arrival re- ; ported and she ig said to be a very stylish and good looking young lady. She weighs eight pounds, cam* 1 Tuesday and her parents, , Mr. and Mrs. John C. Moran are as proud a jiair as can be found in Decatur. A very interesting comedy, “Mr. Bob,” will be presented at Bosse’s Opera house on April 17th, by the members ofthe Decatur high school. The play was to liave been given on April Ist, and has been postponed to the above date. It is one of the best of wholesome comeedies an no doubt will be produced very successfully. Persons who each year plant flower seeds should remember that now is the time to plant them, not outside, but in pots or boxes so that the plants may be of suitable size to be transferred when spring comes. The seeds of the pansy, verbena, colesus, sweet alysum and such flowers that are to be transplanted should be planted now in a suitable box in the house in a rich soil and should be kept in an even temperature and carefully tended so that by the time they are to be transplanted they will be large enough to stand the change. Miss Edith Richards left Thursday over the Clover Leaf for Toledo where she met her affianced husband and went with him to the home of her parents, where the wedding occured Thursday. The groom is Mr. Dow’, a New York traveling salesman and they will make their future homein Georgia. Miss Richards has been employed in the central office of the E. L. Carroll Grain company and though she has resided here but a few months, is quite popular. Arrangements had been made to have the ceremony performed h<»e but Miss Richard’s parents insisted on her coming home and she made up her mind to do so. The. prospects of an early rise in oil market is now a favorite thqme among operators, as conditions in every respect are fast gaining in strength. January February and March saw a great reduction in stocks, production decreasing at the same fate, but now operations can be carried on without encountering so many severe weather conditions and at a much less expense. It is a positive certainty that ■when the roads get better so as to permit of heavy hauling there will be wonderful activity. Should no new pools be discovered, the wells which will be completed before July 1 will add enormously to the oil output. While there have been no heavy strikes within the week, several good wells came in, and the number of dry holes encountered was at the minimum. Ohio and Indiana finished up lacking two of one hundred and of that number but six were failures four being dry holess and two salt water wells. The case of Edward J. Kinney vs. Continental Insurance company, demand 11,500 was called in circuit court Friday morning and a motion made for continuance which was overruled. The jury was impaneled and all arrangements were made to gb on with the trial when a settlement was made with the defendant paying the sum of S4OO and one-half the costs. The cast' was one wherein the insurance company had refused to pay a loss on a barn because there insurance had been secured without notifying them. The plaintiff was represented by Attorney P. E. Kinney of Celina, Ohio, and C. J. Lutz of this city and the defendants by Thomas Baxter of Chicago and Schafer Peterson of this city. Other business transacted today was Kate Baumgartner vs.. Kate Baumgartner, admx. claim ofl ♦126. 71, cause dismissed at cost of estate. W. H. Niblick, guardian for Huston heirs, filed his current report which was approved. Isreal Bender, extr., Jacobjßender, filed inventory which was approved. Phillip Kbos, administrator of John Koos estate, allowance made for sale of corn and wheat at market price. At close of today’s session the jury were discharged from their duties. Judge Erwin thanked them their attendance and efforts to fulfill their duties. ;

Dr. Lawrence Hughes has decided to locate an office at Geneva and is having his rooms furnished this week. Dr. Hughes is a splendid young man, well qualified to practice his profession, being a graduate of the Chiqugo Medical College and he will,J no doubt, flourish in Geneva. We wish him all possible success. Charley Covalt, who was drowned last week in the lake at Celina, or who at least is believed to have drowned, was a relative of George Debolt of this city. His home was at Rockford, Ohio, and he left last Monday with a companion, John Stutler, of Celina, on a duck hunt. They never returned and their guns and game were found several days afterward on a stump in the lake? The boat was also found overturned Covalt was a cousin of Doc Covalt. A department for the retailing of leather for pyrographic work will soon be opened at the Harrod & Waggoner shoe factory. In addition to the leather a full line of pyrographic instruments and [accessor - ries and various materials used in fanney annd artistic work will be kept in stock. Stamped cloth for embroidery work, embroideried articles, shirt waist designs, and, in fact, anythng that goes in the'artistic line will be on sale. At the present time such articles as can be found here are not liandled by the dealers of this city and the ladies of this town will find the opening of this department quite a convenience. One room will be devoted exclusively for the retail trade and i’s now undergoing sSme repairs which will put it in shape for the opening which will occur sometime next week. A large assemblage of Decatur people greeted Dr. Willets at the oprea house Thursday, evening, and it is useless to predict that a single soul departed therefrom without feeling the pleasant sensations of the sunshine which can be had in such without bounteous quantities money and without price. It has truthfully been said that Dr. Willets is the king of the lecture platform, and this fact was demonstrated to a certainty at his appearance in this city. An old man, being past eighty-one years, yet the very elements of sunshine, peace happiness and contentment was a striking feature of his appearance. His lecture was the master of eloquence and his wit unequaled. Tliis feature lacked that biting sarcasm that usually predominates when a platform speaker gets funny. It was a grand good lecture and one that benefits mankind. This completed a course of six lectures, the best ever given in our city, and Rev. Allen and the Endeavor society of the Presbyterian church are to be congratulated upon the success of the course. A nlan who answered advertisements in cheap story papers had some interestinng experiences, says an exchange. He learned that by sending to a yankee he could get a cure for drunkeness. Sure enough he did. It was “to take the pledge and keep it.” Eater he he sent fifty two cent stamps to find out how to raise turnips successfully. He found out—■‘‘“Just take hold of the tops and pull.” Being young he wished to marry, and sent thirty-four one cent stamps to a Chicago firm for information as to how to make an impression, When the answer came it read, “sit down in a pan of dough.” It was a little rough but he was ]>atient and thought he would yet succeed. The next advertisement he answered read, “How to double your money in six months.” He was told to convert his silver, gold, copper and nidkel pieces into bills fold them and he would see double his money. Next he sent for twelve household articles and got a package of needles. He was slow to learn so he sent $1 to find out how to get rich quick. The answer said, “work like the devil and never spend a .cent." And that stopped him but his brother wrote to find out how to write a lettor without pen or ink. He wastold to use a pencil. He paid $1 to learn how to live without work and was told on a postal card to “fish for suckers as we do.”

CIRCULATION 2800 WEEKLY

Daniel Bailer a citizen of tliis town went to Fort Wayne Tuesday and have his left foot operated on by a specialist of that city. On June 21, of last year, Mr. Bailer was asssisting in skidding logs when by an accident a heavy log slipped and rolling back, caught his leg and badly crushed the bones of the ankle. Since that time the injured man has been unable to stand at all on the injured leg and a cartilaginous growth lias set in, which prevents the bone from properly knittninfi together. It is the intention of the man to have this growth removed and though a very crucial operation so submit to, he believes it to be the only way to a positive cure. Jacob Heller, perhaps the only tobacco grower in this section of the country, will make a shipment this week of the Adams county product He ships to a large wholesale house at Greenville, Ohio, where the tobacco dealers of many neighboring cities get their supply. The shipment this year will be about 20,000 pounds, and is but a portion of what they now have on hand. Tobacco can not be marketed the same year that it is raised, but must undergo process of curing that takes from two to three years. The crops that Mr. Heller puts out varies and the largest that ever was seen in this county was twelve acres. Adams county tobacco is large and of fine flavor and if the ground could stand it, tobacco raising in this section of the state could be made very profitable. The various Blackburns of the United States, including Robert, William and the family of the late Norval Blackburn of this city, are heirs to an English estate valued at ♦17,000,000. Dr. J. P. Blackbum of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, a cousin of our Blackburns, and attorney James Finley of Philadelphia, sailed last week on the Celtic for Europe, their errand being to unlock the estate which has been held by the government for over a hundred years. The case is not a new one by any means, having been in litigation for at least half a century. An old bachelor named Blackburn died intestate in England in about 1800. His brother came to this country shortly aferw’ards and from thpm have sprung the families known about here. Several of the heirs live at Fort Wayne, others in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. Norval and Robert Balckburn had some correspondence concerning the matter thirty years ago and the case has been going on since then. It is believed that the trip of Dr. Blackburn and his attorney to Europe will result in the unlocking of the fortune, and if it does it will mean a fortune to each heirs. A habeas corpus proceeding »in the Adams circuit court was till'd Tuesday morning, whereby Mrs. Mary Bentz, a daughter of Mr. and” Mrs. Herbert Pennington, will attempt to recover her little children, now inmates of the orphans home at Marion. Mrs. Bentz was granted a divorce from her husband, Joe Bentz, in 1899. and at this time the court gave the mother the custody of the children with the provision, however, that the father was to be permitted to have them visit him at times. Shortly after the granting of the divorce Joe left here and the next heard of him he had been convicted of forgery and sentenced to the penitentiary. In two years he was relased on parolmand went to the home of his parents at Marion. While there a sudden desire came upon him to see his children and he sent an appear here that they be allowed to visit him nf his parents home. They were sent over and after a few days Jw had them placed in the orphan's home there and the mother has been unable to get thein back. Since these happenings Joe has violated his parole and is again in the “penitentiary. Mrs. Bentz has worked and saved money to bring the proper proceedings in cyurf for recovering her babies and has finally succeeded m doing so. The habeas corpus proceedings will be the test as to whether or not she may have, the pleasure of living with her own children.

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