Decatur Democrat, Volume 47, Number 12, Decatur, Adams County, 28 May 1903 — Page 1

L THE NEWS |%uthe t| me-

jJ)JE XLVII.

'Wednesday per 1 Kedan operas upon Mrs. John o f Preble, removing a ■Jfromher left breast. She is • ■“ nir elv -UJd Dr. Clark says he, fc” die wft soon be in hett*. K -th than for same tigje. ■Lkeman C. F. an X of theG/R- 1. railway i W ! ’ nr had his thumb badly tl-Ld Monday evening and the J v n .mired the amputation of ■ . ra einber. He was on'a gravel Kin which brought in a train of; K’ a < for use on the Rapids yards | ■ this citv and was making a ■ , Dlin g when the accident oc-j ■\l Dr. J- M. Mil Her was sum. ■3'and dressed the wound but ■ not perform the operation. f ■judge Walter E. Evans, of the ■ral court, lias rendered a ffici- ■ that is <>f importance to every ■master in the United States. I ■ ■that postmasters are liable for | ■tai funds stolen from them. The of Judge Evans is the first ■rial'opinion bn this question in ■■'.' division, as it is very rarely ■ a postmaster is called upon to ll'.. „jr>,. S es sustained through ■- decision is in dffectj ■ -no matter what means a post-| ■tor may have used to safely Kurethe funds in his hands, if the ■e become lest, they ' are liable | ■- die fufl amount. ■ The heavy, wind storm which pre- ■ J Saturday afternoon, wp-eked ■ uncompleted oil derrick .near ■ - eva and two carpenters who Kre working on the tower at the ■me had a narrow escape from ■ath. The derrick was alniost K.pk'ted; standing near forty feet Kh. and at the time .of th? accident Kre man was on the very top while Ke other hung midway on ' the Kdder. Strange to say, the 'man K’hest up escap'd Uninjured while K. v lapanmn. who a much K-rter ' distance, • ■ was severly K't.issl. I Dick Meyers received a letter ■rm Ed Miller of Linn Grove, last K-nday, which conwved the in-K-nnation that the funeral of John ■ Hanna of Berne, the eircumE- • death -was given in ■aturday evening's Democrat, K'uldprobahly lx-held on Saturday, ■he deceased was a soldier at the ■ffieofhis death and was a member ■fcommpany B, 160th Indiana regiKent during the Spanish-American ■rar. An attempt <*t arrangements ■or a military funeral are being ■uade and if the services art' held ■ n memorial day the G. A. R. post ■ - drneva and many of the de■™>ed's comrades from this city fr'.'.i attend. s ■ ? ■ The Decatur Driving’club was in fr-on Saturday evening au'dtfe- |. .. . ... . !■: h ■»’- been proposed for Decoration They deemed this as expedient as but very few horses will K m contlitiari for racing at so early ■ tate. Fourth of July ' was then tel as the time for a big euienwjl | g the committee on program was I'-riietial to ake complete arrange■t’ts. which will soon lx*madepubis understood that the running E 1 cSng and pacing races arc. to be ■pen to the'world and this condition poked by big purses, will undoijbtfdb bring some good horses to |his city and fast racing wil be the ■result. I The base ® ball game between |b- vtur ai*l Ohio City, played at e latter Sunday, resulted in w iincalJetl for deSat of our team a Store of seven to five.® At no K ttme had the home team #n ' I’ycnse to win except through T " rs that could IqjNe been avoided OUr men been well planede score on its merits should have , n about one in Decttur’s V ° r ; of Berne, did the 1 1 '‘log for and he cer,, ®ly has a good arm, too good for catcher. Although our fifcys a r ' defeated they hail a very clean ffie - The next game will be a le header in both the morning afternoon on Decoration Day at e s park between Huntington. BaVe arranged to have of s ner ® SB^an » and Biersdorfer ' w * r^n ß an d a ,■ * nes of games is expected as - Wonie.

wEcatub

f A laboring man who has visited Marion and other gas belt towns this week says that the strikes ' have tied up all contract work. He would like to know how it cdfces that stakes are becoming so fye-1 quent in these days of “unexam ' prosperity." Perhaps sixty members of Sam 1 ! Henry Post attended memorial j services Sunday morning at the Methodist church. Rev. John CrMhite, the pi,stor, delivered a very eulogistic and cultured sermon. in ' which a deserving tribute was paid ! the valor of those who took part in i i the conflict of that trying period. It was truly a flowery discourse in which the pilnts were clearly pre|sented illustrating the spiritual re f hellion now in fierce and unrelenting j combat. Members of the post were ! aglow in entiiusiasm and praise and I unianmously decreed it a happy commemoration of Memorial day. If Frank Touhey can be located he will Receive information that will make liim stop and "consider for a moment at least. He is a fugitive ! from justice just now, and no one has .heardot him fora month past, jasliort tinie after he forged the I name of his father-in-law Captain , Wheadon, to a eertifiea'e of deposit for |BOO and had it cashed at the ' Old Adams County -Bunk in this city. His little daughter, said to !«• a bright and beautiful child, took sick last vyeek. and after a few days suffering, died Friday, evening. Frank's wife lias been living with her parents at Van Buren and there occurred the death of the baby daughter. It is probable that Frank will not know of his less for a time at least. The marriage of John G,.Herman and Miss Clara Meyer was solemnized Tuesday at eight o'clock at the St. Marys Catholic church by Rev. Wilken, mnid very imposing ceremonies. The bride’ is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs: 'John Meyer of this city, and the groom, who formerly lived at St. Henry before coming here some years ago, is a very popular young man. The best man was Lawrence Meyer, a brother of the bride, and the bridesmaid was Miss Paulina Ehrman of F<>rt Wayne. The bridal c<>uple leftover the Clover Leaf for St. Henry, where tln-y will visit several days with tjie groom's parents, after which they will return here for their future home. The Democrat offers congratulations. The Pittsbur Live Stock. Journal of Friday said: “Thefirst horse sale of the summer Ifeld by George R. Watterson at the Pittsburg Central • StocS fifards, closed last evening. Both afternoon and evening sessions on Wednesiiny and Thursday Were Well attended an !• good prices were realized. Quite a number of horses of speed, consigned by Elmer Johnson of Dei'atur. Indiana, were sold at good figures, Maud M. bringing $380; Decatur Boy |350; Jim AL $300; Baj- Billy, $325; Prince Nutwood. Jr T , $3?5; Little Doctor, $275 and a speedy teanr of chestnut mares $175. Cobs, high-acting and Kentucky drivers sold around $225 and $2.?0, with draft horses going forsloo to S2OO. A vw?ek ago the farmers of central Indiana were hoping for rain. Now they are,hoping it wi 1 quit raining. They say they are getting too much of a good thing. On account o£/fiie dry weather and the inability to put the ground in condition, corn planting was delayed a couple of weeks. After the rain of last week the ground "worked beautifully” to use a farmers words, and progress was made. A good deal of corn was planted during the wtxk but it is estimated that about 60 per. cent, of the crop is yet to be put in. here in the central part. The rain last night means the I<>* of several more days and farmers now foresee that with wood luck they will not be able to finish planting before June-Ist. With seusonaJMe weather, they say it is possible tT make a good crop with such late planting but they | d 0 not like the «ay. Ordinarily r the corn planting season in Indiana . is from the first to the fifteenth of. May.

DECATUR, INDIANA, THURSDAY, MAY 28, 1903.

The watch shanty at the Erie railroad and Winchester street crossing, which is used by Pete Sitz, was shaken from its foundaions Monday evening and came near being demolished. A ear was hacked , through a mound of earth which inarms the end of a sjub switch and struck the shanty with ■ enough force to throw the watchman from within. ® |Rev. H. N. Allen is at Lima, Ohio this week attending the State meeting of the Christian Ministers which will be in session there several days. From there he will go to Cleveland to attend to business and will be absent until the later part of next week, when he will return here and arrange to move to such place as they may decide to locate. Rev. and Mrs. Allen are earnest and sincere workers and during their residence here have made numerable friends who regret that they have decided to work in other fields. Any community in which they may decide to spend their future years will be enriched by their society and beii"fltted by their assistance. The gas question for next winter in Decatur is a serious one, and already the Logansport & Wabash Valley company, who own the plant here are getting ready to meet it. In am-th -r colunin may be found an official notice from S. T. Murdock. secretary and general manager of the company. The notice is to the effect that the gas has practieally'gi ven out so far as the question of furnihsing fuel and lights for people of this community is Concerned, and it therefore it becomes necessary to do something. On and after October Ist. next, every consumer of gas wili be obliged to burn by meter, and the • price will be twenty-five cents per 1 ’,OOO cubic feet. Heretofore the meter rate has been eighteen cents per I,OCO cubic feet, making an increase of seven cents. This means that many people will quit using it and those who do retain it will be more careful tham heretofore, thus allowing the c< nnpany to furnish a fair supply, even though they have no more of the "real stuff” than heretofore. The company will drill twelve new wells this summer and purchase a few from oil companies who are arranging to leave the Jay county territory. This will give the' company about thirty gassers to start with, and they expect by the new rule to accommodate their customers fairly well, lhe notice in another column gives full information.

Mr. Kenyon, an oil operator of Bluffton, and one of the best known atid responsible Contractors in the Indiana field was in the city Saturday and made a proposition that Jonk< good if we want the territory about here developed. He ’ stated that he believed this was an oil county and this being so, drilling is as likely to get oil in one locality as another. lie would like to do some prospecting here and thinks that he has an offer that will win. He is willing so we are informed, to drill a well within a few miles of this city at any place to be determined and when the proper time comes and to guarantee a forty barrel oil well. If the well produces less than that- he will pay all expenses but if it is forty barrels or over then the business men are to 'pay for the same and he retains the well. In other words it simply means that the business men pay for the opening the field if the oil is here, if not it eosts them nothing. Mr Kenyon would also put in a supply store and .make this a pay station and Decatur would soon be a real oil town if he is successful in getting oil. It is certainly a great proposition and one in wich we have everytiling to gain and nothing to loose for if a forty barrel will be found near here, there would be a hundred wells drilled within three months and every business man here could well afford to pay his share of the $1,200 or $1,500 it would cost to get the business started. He mentioned the statement to several business men today each of whom said it was mi >4 too good a proposition for Mr. Kenyon to be in earnest about, but they would willingly contribute hind its up to him.

“It would be difficult to estimate the worth of the rain to Indiana farmers,” said State Statistician Johnson, “but it-was worth hundreds of housands of dollars. While it was of much benefit to all growing crops, it probably helped oats more than any other. It wili also help the farmers' to hurry their work of corn planting. The farm , ers are about ten days behind with this work and taking the whole state, not mcg' than sixty per cent, of the corn land ha* been planted. Some business was transacted in court Monday and as shown on the docket was as follows: Frank Gilbert vs ■ Peter E. Fugate, motion to retax costs sustained. The famous suit on account of $3,000, Lewis L. Sadler vs Edward E. Smith et al ' was dismissed and the costs paid. Julius Haugk vs Mary Brown et hl, partition, distribution ordered according to finding of court heretofore artaile. Marion Sachs et al vs Charles D . Murray, answer filed and case Stet for trial Friday, May 29. George W. Zimmerman vs T. Selby, default as to defendant, judgment for $5.27, f ireelosure of chattel mortgage. F. E. Felts vs W. S. Smith, set for trial June 9. In the cause of Andrew J. Robinson, Eli W. Steele guardian, a motion by Eli obinson to modify court's order of custody was substituted and the court- ordered that Andrew J. Robinson lx* brought into court Saturday morning . The cause of Emma G. De Voss et al L- C. De Voss guardian was ordered off the -yilocket. Francis M .Andrews guardian for Henry C. Andiyws filed inventory, bond of S4OO filed. •Saturday is Decoration Day, when every true loving America a takes off his hat to the old soldier wlu fought for the Union and offerd his life as a sacrifice for the stars and strijjes. The evnt, as has been the custom for so many years, will fittingly observed in Decatur and the memorial services should be well attended. Col. I. B. McDonald of Columbia City will deliver the address of tne day. He is one of the he--t known men in Indiana and the G. A. R. post here are to be congratulated on securing his presence. this day it is the duty of every one to decorate his home and business house, for only an ex-soldier knows how to appreciate such offers of respect, in connection with this we wish to publish the following notice written by Robert Blackburn for the benefit of the public and which gives information not generally known: “In decorating your places of business please note the bunting should be placed' ’ namely ’' the red at the bottom and the blue at the top. The blue represents the sky, the red the earth aJid the wnite** the‘edninion vision," *hw.;A - - read from bottom to top, red, white and blue, yeryrespectfully, Rob't. Blackburn.

The farmers will be interested in the demand which has just been made by the American Society of Equity, a national organization which has headquarters in Indianapolis. This society has prepared a bulletin, to be issued today, calling on farmers to stand together and refuse to dispose of any wheat at less than $1 a bushel. To the end that the desired results may be obtained, it is argued that- the strictest co-operation among the farmers is necessary. In other, words a “trust” would be formed, with the farmers as the individual beneficiaries. Those who are prominent in the movement claim that they have received much encouragement. This movement attracted widespread attention when the details were first- promulgated, but recently little had been heard of iC The officerrs have been quietly at work, however. Steps may soon be taken to orgnize a local branch in this county, but up to the present time little’interest has been manifested in the movement in Adams. Such a movement .will meet with determined opposition from any quarters. With the minimum price fixed at $1 it is hard to tell where the maximum price would go in the event of a scarcity. Representatives of all classes will watch the development with interest.

The city council of Decatur, Ind,. Tuesday evening jiassed a resolution which offers as inducements free electric light and water to any new factory that can be secured for Decatur. The council and the Commercial club are co-operating. In aiMition to free water and lights, the city willjpxenipt the real estate of the fOtories secured from city taxation. JThese inducements will be given for a jieriod of two years. —Hutitington News-Democrat. George Alfred Homer, a young man twenty-one years old drowned Sunday morning about nine o’clock in the St. Marys river near Pleasant Mills;- He, in company with an older brother and another companion, were in bathing at a place about half a mile south of Pleasant Mills. George could swim fairly well and the three men seemed to be enjoying the bath, when he suddenly sank and when his companons coukLreach his side he could not be located. The water was perhaps eight feet deep where they were swimming and it- is believed the young man simply gave out for he sank almost without a struggle. His companions quickly dressed and gave the alarm and a 'number of people soon gathered and engaged in the search for the body which was found about eleven o’clock, a short distance from where he sank. Coroner R. D. Myers of this city, was notified at once and went immediately to the scene, where he viewed the body and made his report, the verdict being simply that the man had met death by drowning in the St'-. Marys river. The remains were then taken in charge by Undertaker Buchanan of Willshire, and taken to that place to be prepared for burial. The funeral services will becheldat Wren tomorrow. The young man’s parents live south of Wren and he had been in this county but a short time, being employed on his brother's farm. A peculiar accident- occurred Monday, which proves that lightning performs many freaks. A young man was struck by a bolt of lightning,his doilies torn and -ht--strings burned and yet he lives, though he remained unconscious for many hours. Hugh Dull, of Wrep, in company with three other men went to Pleasant Mills yesterday afternoon to fish. About- six o'clock a storm came up and the men sought refuge at various places Two of the men got under the dam, another wandered upstream, while Dull crawled up on the bank and seated himself on the roots of a large tree. A few minutes later came a sharp stroke of lightning and a terrific clap of thunder. The companions were rather startled but thought nothing of it until a half u ’aAv'- .v.rain slackened up and they came out from their places of shelter. One of them went up on the bank and there found young Dull unconscious and a glance at the tree under which he had sought shelter told the story. The oolt of lightning had struck the tree and tore down through it leaving the usual marks of violence. Glancing off the bolt struck Dull on tile right shoulder, ran down his side and leg below the knee, then seemed, to jump to his shoe for the laces were Burned out clean Large red ma¥ks on the body showed plainly the course of the lightning and it was at first supposed that Hugh was dead. Dr. Havice of Wren, was one of the party and soon discovered feeble signs of life. The young man was carried to'the office of Dr. J. W. Vizard ami the two physicians worked incessantly all night. About three o’clock he regained consciousness and today was taken to his home at Wren. During the night Hugh suffered untold agonies apparantly and no one who saw him supposed his system would stand the awful shock, but he did and there is little doubt now but that he will live. Dull is twenty-seven y«<rs old and a farmer. The tree, which of course received the force of the bolt was bady shattered, and it is lucky that the lightning had so nearly spent itself before reaching the body. As it was, the escape was certainly a very narrow one.

CIRCULATION 2800 WEEKLY

NUMBER 12

The bank of Ossian has made one outlie most phenominal records of any bank in the state, particularly in a small town. It has been in existence about twenty days and the deposits show $20,000, or at the rate of SI,OOO a day. The nwpey is not a,, loss to the banks of the city, as good ilMl it was banked at Decatur and,Hurt Wayae.—Bluffton News. © The Entre Nous club of this city will present their famous shirt waist minstrel show at Geneva on - Thursday evening, June 4. A representative of the club was at Geneva today and arranged with the school board for the use of the school house on that night and thecompany will go down thirty mehi - bers strong, so give Geneva the best performance they ever witnessed. The boys have a great show and the people of Geneva will be well pleased. The club has been contemplating this move ever since their successful performance here and a telephone meessage today from our Geneva representative gives the information that- the deal has been closed. @ The Society Ladies” Minstrel show was undeniably a great success. First, the management was successful in the sale of seats and secondly, they- succeeded in pleasing the big audience and selfsatisfying them that they received their money’s worth. When the curtain first rolled up there was a thunderous burst of applause for the people saw a company of minstrels that vouched for a first-class production. Every member of the troupe was costumed in a catchy way and their makeup effetive that it was impossible to distinguish them. There were colored gents and colored belles and hill were cleverly arranged on the stage so that they presented a very amusing spectacle. The program was divided into two parts, the first a musical number and the second a polite vaudeville which consisted of a number of specialties that passed the bounds of expectation. The first part of the show opened with a grand chorus “When de Minstrels come to Town, ” and was followed by a number of solos and the best of jokes, as told by the minstrels to the interlocutor, Miss May Coverdale. The solos were each received with great applause and the songs were a feature of the show. Miss Bowers sang “In the Sweet Bye and Bye;” little Mary Erwin. “Johnny was a Bad, Bad Boy;” Miss Kate Mylott, “Mandy,Won’t You Let Me be Your Beau;” Miss Niblick, ”My Japanese Cherry Blossom;” Miss Gyp Dorwin "Nancy Brown;" Miss Clara Ter veer, "Ain" dat Scan’lous Miss Grace Peterson, "Coinin' Thro” the Rye;” Miss Gertrude Forbing, "Carri Couldn'Carry any More;” and Miss Marie Meyers, ’‘Why He Don't Eat Lum’ no Mo’,” The popular coon song, “Ridin’ on the Golden. Bike,” as sung by Miss Rogers .assisted by the I'ntire company was the grand finale of the first part. The second division was equal to the first and was highly successful. It was started with a fancy dance by Vivian Lee, which was a fitting introduction for the line of good specialties that succeeded. Miss Rose Geary rendered an excellent violin solo and was followed by four colored belles whose dance received much applause. One of the most pleasing stunts of the entire show was the colonial dance by the five little couples who were asked to do their turns three times over. “The Captivating Swells” by four of the black four hundred was a catchy song and a clever dance. The program was concluded with a song and drill by the purity brigade, which was applauded enthusiastically by the audience. The entire performance was under the direction of Miss J. Pearle Rogers, whose reputation is not only sustained but enhanced by the success of last evening’s show. The Pocahontas lodge, who promoted the event, and Miss Rogers are. surely to be complimented on thefr efforts, for they* gave an exhibition which pleased the people as was evidenced by the enthusiasm with which it was received.