Decatur Democrat, Volume 47, Number 34, Decatur, Adams County, 29 October 1903 — Page 1

ALL THE NEWS all the time.

volume xlvii.

The Indian opera, “Powhatan,” will be given in the opera house, December 5. The owner of the copyright, Mr. William A. Baker, of Chicago, has been specially engaged to direct the rehearsals and performance of thisjjbeautiful opera. It was given in the Auditorium at Winona, before an audience of over four thousand people, from all parts of the country, ard was praised by all. Col. L. F. Copeland who will be heard here Monday evening in his famous lecture ‘ Seeing the Elephant,” has been upon the platform since 1880 and is called the king. The Philadelphia Press says of him: Col. Copeland’s lecturers have no make-up or read-up flavor about them. While evidently thought out with care, the fluency of the language the broad [and firm grasp upon the principals, the logical progression of the argumentation, show a well furnished disciplined mind a ripe and ready scholarship, and make everything fresh and strong and lively as the product of the moment. The frequent sallies of wit or humor and the rich fun, as well as apt aillustrative force of the anecdotes, contribute happily to keep awake the interest and secure unwearied attention. One of the most atrocious crimes ever committed in Indiana was the one near Marion Sunday when Jesse McClure killed his two little sons, aged seven and five years. McClure seperated from his wife a year ago. She refused to live with him and returned with her children to her father’s Home. Sunday McClure hired a rig at Elwood and drove to the farm of Mrs. McClura’s father. He found the children playing in the front yard and induced them with candy to take a ride with him. He drove a mile up the road, carried the children to a fence corner and shot them with a revolver. The older one was found dead a few minutes later and the younger was dying a piece of candy’ still being in his mouth. McClure went to Marion, gave himse If up and was taken to Indianapolis to prevent a lynching. Mrs. Lizzie H. Francois, of Redwood, Minnesota, sister of H. S. Porter of this city was a heavy looser by the fire fiend Thursday morning. Two business blocks were destroyed entailing a loss of 1128,000, nearly half of which falls '■ .IJrancois w bo owned what was known as the Hotel iraiicuiJ block and a half interest in a large general store. The fire originated in the big hotel and a number of guests had narrow escapes. The hotel was a three story brick block and practically new. This building was owned solely by’ Mrs. Francois and was valued at $42,000. She also owned a half interest in the Francois & Schmal store, which carried a $35,000 stock making her loss nearly $60,000 with less than $20,000 insurance. The loss is a terrible one and the Decatur friends of Mrs. Francis sympathize deeply with her. The fire was the fiercest ever witnessed in Redwood and means much to the business interests of that thriving western town. lu an address before Grant county rural carriers association at Marion Wednesday evening, Congressman Landis said: “I favor paying rural letter carriers $l,lOO a year. The mounted carrier in the city of Marion gets SBSO a year, and pays his own expenses for keeping a horse etc. The rural carrier is entitled to the same treatment. The postal department shows a deficit each year. Say it is $10,000,000 a year. That sum it not a large one in view of the stupendous transactions of this government. Fifty millions is not a large amount when ue look at it as Uncle Sam looks at epxenditures. The government pays $145,000,000 a year in pensions. Who notices it? No one feels it. This is an immense concern, tins government. It goes on a ate- 1 scale. The carriers ask for the first year, $750 the second year of services and SBOO a year a < i that. If a man does the work from the first year, why is he not entitled I to the same money he would get | in the third year?

Asa Brown today compromised his suit against the Empire & American Nitro-glycerine Co., receiving in full settlement of all damages $25, says the Bluffton News. The suit was brought about a year ago and Mr. Brown demanded SI,OOO for damage done to his farm by refuse which escaped from the company’s factory north east of the city. He alleged that the poisonous material got into a creek which flowed through his farm and when the creek overflowed injured the land,killed the vegetation and made the legs of cattle sore when they waded in the creek. In the settlement of the case today the company pays the cost. Mr. Brown shortly after he filed the personal suit for damages was appointed fish and game commissioner and filed several state cases against the company. The suit was brought to Adams county on Change of venue and was set for trial next Monday. The 1903-1904 lecture course opens at Bosse’s opera house next Monday evening with Col. L. F. Copeland, king of the American platform as the drawing card in his famous lecture, “Seeing the Elephant.’ The course is in charge of the Christian Endeavor Society of the Presbyterian church who have worked hard and secured five splendid attractions for the season course. The committee will begin to deliver tickets to those who have subscribed tomorrow. Mr. Copeland is a wonderful lecturer and the treat of hearing him is alone worth the price charged for the entire course. If you have not already secured tickets you should do so for you will certainly be making no mistake. Among the other events of the course are A. A. Willets, Ambery, Crane the cartoonist, and a famous concert company. The seats my be reserved after November 2 but you can buy them any time.

State Superintendent Frank A. Cotton has started a lively discussion over the conditions of many Indiana school teachers. Interurbans have changed the old situations and many teachers do not live in the district. It is proposed that hereafter no teacher should live outside his school district. The report just sent out byj Supt. Cotton says: “No teacher should expect to teach in a community and live outside of it. Patrons and pupil are entitled to the teacher’s interest, and this teacher boards five or six miles away from the school in which h e lives. Boys and girls are inspired by a visit from the teacher to their homes and the teacher is better able to teach the children for having known the children in their homes. The parents' day will be one occasion on which all patrons may assemble to see what their children have done. May we riot have more os-cn days? And may we not expect more visits from the teachers to the childrens’ hemes?

The auditor’s office was the scene of more genuine activity than any place in town, the occasion being the sale of the P. Holthouse ditch. The bidders were there in plenty and to spare, many of them bidding on a few sections, while others took in the whole works. Fred Koenig was successful and bid in the entire ditch for $6,000, being from SI,OOO to $2,000 below all competitors. The bids were Fred Koenig $6,000 R. M. Rittenuor & Co., $7,428, Samuel Doak $8,287, Frank Arnold $6,994, Fred Engle $7500. Contract was immediately entered into for the construction of the gigantic piece of ditch work, and in all probability work will begin at once. The contract price is $2,300 below the estimate It contains twenty eight sections and a total of 728 stations and will be sufficient to keep a contractor busy for some time to come. Many of those interested in the payment of the ditch were present, several of them bidding on certain sections, but the bid as a whole was over SIOOO below this kind of bidding It is generally accepted that the contract as bid in, was extremely low in price, the length of the ditch being a fraction less than fourteen miles.

DECATUR, INDIANA, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21), 1903.

Officer Ostenrieder, of the Erie special force arrested four hobos at Markle JModday afternoon and brought them to this city where they are at present languishing in the calaboose. The men were stealing a ride in an Erie refrigerator car when the car caught fire and was badly burned. While riding in this car the knights of the road became cold and the brilliant idea of building a fire in the car was conceived by one of them. The plan was carried out and by the time Markle was reached smoke was seen issuing from all the openings in the car. The train was stopped and an effort which was only partially successful was made to extinguish the flames. The floor of the car, several sills and the sheafing were badly burned. The four men whose names could not be learned •were given a hearing before Mayor Anderson last evening at 8 o’clock but no other action than that of remanding them to jail was taken.—Huntington Journal. The Columbian Club boys are busy completing arrangements for their opening formal dance to be given Friday night instead of Saturday Hollow’een, owing to many other affairs which are planned for that evening. It will be one of the gayest events of the season and is sure to be a social affair long to be remembered. One hundred invitations are out and it is expected that many out of town guests will participate in the function. The orchestra has not been secured yet but it is assured that the music will be the best and the announcement of this feature will be made in a day or two. The Columbian Club is one of Decatur’s best and their informal dances have always been events of the most pleasurable kind. Their first formal affair is therefore looked forward to with keen appreciation by the many who await the date, knowing full well the enjoyment sure to be derived. Ha How’een comes but once a year and the boys will celebrate it right.

E. D. Beeler of this city [proposes to furnish Ohio City with electric lights, providing the town council there see fit to grant a franchise which contains provisions suitable for such an enterprise. The matter was first presented to the council at a meeting held a few days ago, but nothing has been done toward having a franchise voted him. This will likely be taken up at an early’date,’ 'esjieciaiiy 'it "&W oil and citizens generally are favorable to moie and better light. The usual provisions of such a franchise is what Mr. Beeler will ask of the town authorities, and it is likely that they will see their way clear to place him in possession of the proper authority to produce this light. It would certainly add much to the appearance of Ohio as residing there, to have this new addition as proposed by Mr. Beeler, electric light is not a luxury but a necessity in this period of time, and they had better gobble up the opportunity presented at this time. The Convoy Crescent speaks in this cheering manner of the unsuccessful attempt to strike oil in the locality of that town: The oil field here will be abandoned. We didn’t much want oil or gas, anyway. Oil towns as a rule are “tough” places and then they have an odor that makes the buzzards turn pale. The shooting of the wells acted as a sort of a curta.in raiserwhichaloneworth the price of admission. Then the kodak fiends trained their instruments on the derricks, and the manager dropped the go-devil in the well and made a more or less graceful retreat. Dull explosions followed, and the water and gravel was hurled upward. The result was of course discouraging, and will probably put an end to the experiments, although there are a number of persons who have not lost their faith, and cite numerous instances where paying fields have been developed after repeated failures. ' The rigging of the Mollenhopf well iis being shipped to Wood county, .the Cullen well to Geneva, Ind., . the Bon weitz and Shepard weK- to ! Dunkirk.

The Huntington Herald said last evening: Judge Branyan announced in circuit court this morning that matters in the disbarment proceedings against Henry C. Morgan had been satisfactorily adjusted between all parties concerned, and the court directed the attorneys appointed to prosecute the mutter to dismiss the proceedings in the superior court at Fort Wayne to which place the case was venued from this county. An accident occurred at the C. & E. depot Thursday in which Clel Johnson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Johnson had his left arm broken and dislocated at the elbow and’as a[result hejmay be crippled for life. The lad with a companion were on[the rear end of the baggage wagon and started tojjump off just as the wagon began moving. At the same time some one threw a mail sack back which struck the lad and he fell to the ground. He was taken to the office of Dr. J. M. Miller who dressed the arm. The little fellow was brave but the arm pained him considerable. The accident should be a lesson to other boys who make a practice of riding on the bus and baggage wagons. The driver has no time to watch them and they are often in danger of being seriously hurt. It is almost impossible to keep them off unless the parents help and this should be oone. Messrs Dibble and Meibers both feel very sorry over the accident, though they were not to blame in the least, nor was the driver, Jeff Odel. George Butler, the young man so badly injured at Boone, lowa, four weeks ago Tuesday arrived home Sunday but minus his left leg and arm. He is a son of Mrs. Tobias Meyers who lives in the south part of town and left here about seven years ago. He has been all over the country and served three years in the army. He was down street this morning greeting his friends and seemed as happy as any one could be especially under such circumstances. He says he wanted to cross a 200 foot bridge, very high near Boone, and over which no one was allowed to walk. He climbed a freight train and failed to get up high enough on the ladder. He was struck by a stone abuttment and thrown under the moving wheels. When carried to the hospital at Boone it was feared he could not live but in three weeks time certainly proving that he has grit enough for several mon. He is staying for the present with his sister and has no plans for the future. Besides the fact that one leg is off above the knee, an arm off above the elbow he has an ugly looking gash on his head and his recovery so soon seems miraculous. The accident happened on the Chicago &

Trustee L. H. Boknecht has in circulation three macadam road petitions whiich have in view the completion of the thoroughfares in Root township. They are known as the north Root township roads which begins at the Aber school house and runs north to the county’ line, being three miles in length. Another is the Root township central road, beginning at Belleview, the A. R. Bell farm, running north to the Waggoner corner one and one half miles long. The other is the south Root township road, commencing at the Piqua road and running north to the John Christen corner one mile long. The first two hours succeeded in getting forty odd signers to the petition, thus showing an almost unanimous sentiment in favor of these roads. The petitions will be offered for signature during this week and then same will be presented to the board of commissioners at their November session which begins Monday. It is the intention to rush the matter to an early vote, the view ers appointed will likely be instructed to complete the work with this end in view. The routes petitioned for will give Root township a complete system of macadufß roads, and be worth to them many times the cost in taxation.

John Christen, Tuesday, was probably the most thankful man in Decatur, that the injuries he received Monday afternoon are no more serious than they are. He had cilmbed a tree to pick apples when he got too far out on the limb, it snapped off throwing him heavily to the ground and giving him a number of body bruises. Mr. Christen is rather an old man and at his age it is a wonder he was not seriously hurt. The accident occurred at his home on Tentn street. A. B. Holand, of Titusville, Pa. one of the principal owners of the Enterprise Oil company, is in Marion looking after the holdings of the company. When seen by a News Tribune representative he talked freely regarding the oil situation. Among other things he said that one of the head officers of the Standard Oil company told him that the price of oil would reach the $2 mark in a short time. He is confident that there will be several big jumps within the next few weeks. Mr. Holland said: “The Standard Oil company is worried. The difficulty in getting oil has started them to thinking. They are now afraid lest they lose their power.”

Aleander Johnson of Fort Wayne was a visitor at the Michigan City pennitentiary a few days ago and while there talked with Fred Richards who was sentenced from this county for life twenty years ago for thee murder of Baekestoe. Mr. Johnson thinks Richards should be pardoned and gave the following statement to the Journal-Gazette: Mr. Johnson talked to Fred Richards, who was sentenced twenty years ago for life for the murder of an old man over in Adams county, and who had his trial here. Richards, who once was a fine specimen of manhood, weighing 225 pounds, is now aged, is a phyical wreck, and is confined to the hospital ward. He has over 200 letters from prominent people urging his pardon, and among these is one from Attorney Henry Colerick of this city, who asisted to prosecute him. “Richards should receive a pardon,” said Mr. Johnson. “He has changed sadly since I saw him last, about fourteen years ago. He has been a model prisoner and I would be willing to trust him to as great an extent as any’ man. He has not long to live and I believe he has gone through all that the law requires of a man who has committed a crime and I think that he has been «R<. ■ vn.'hly ,, ■ Fassett A. Cotton, superintendent of pubile instruction, has about completed his plans for the collection of the state educational exhibit to be made at the St. Louis World’s Fair, and circulars are now being sent out from his office to the county superintendents and teachers, instructing them how to prepare the displays. At the recent meeting of county superintendents held to discuss the subject of the educational exhibit, these plans were gone over pretty thoroughly, and since then Mr. Cotton has received word from many of the officers who attended the meeting that their counties have taken up the work and will have exhibits who offer to go into the state display’. In the circular sent out to teachers Mr. Cotton makes several suggestions regarding the preparation of the exhibits. He advises that in every rural district each school should arrange for an exhibit of its own to be held at the school some time before Dec. 2. The best papers and samples of school work should be sent to the county superintendents, who are asked to arrange for county exhibits of the work of the various schools to be held before Jan. 15. At these exhibits the best work from the county will be picked out to be forwarded to Mr. Cotton to go into the state display. Samples of stationery’ on which papers must be prepared; and of the cardboard on which graphics are to be made have been sent to i the county superintendents and j will be distributed among teachers. Mr. Cotton expects to have the educational exhibits ready by the first of next April.

CIRCULATION 2800 WEEKLY

NUMBER 34

Henry Schlegel was arretted by Marshal Cordua for public intoxication and up to this time he has had no trial yet. In all probabilityhe will plead guilty, which means $9.30. Azale Emmet Patterson d ied at 11:30 Monday night at the ho re of Dr. J. S. Coverdale, the end coming as a releif after many months of sufternig from an unknown cause. He lived on a farm near Rochester until about three weeks ago when he came to this city. The hand[of death was plainly visible when he arrived and how he managed to stand the trip is almost inconceivable. He was given the best of care while here, but it was too late, being beyond the help of humans. Dr. Coverdale diagnosed the case as either Sorasiss or cancer of the liver and a post mortem will be held tomorrow morning to ascertain the real trouble to a certainity. He was fifty two years and three months old, was a native of Ohio, but reared in this county. He left here twenty one years ago and this was his first visit to Decatur for nineteen years. He was a brother of Mrs. J. S. Coverdale, Mrs. M. Rauley and brother in law of William Pillars. Rev. E. A. Allen will conduct the funeral services at the Coverdale home Thursday morning at ten o’clock. Intrement at Maplewood cemetery. Friends may view the remains at the Coverdale home from two to four and seven to nine o'clock Wednesday afternoon and evening.

A suit involving practically every grocer in the state and some in this city and in the towns of this county, has been filed in the district United States circuit court at Indianapolis against H. B. Clark & Bros., of Wabash, Indiana by the Delphos Can Company of Delphos, O. The Wabash grocery firm was picked out as one of the number in the state to be made defendant in the suit, which is one brought on account of the selling of an alleged infringement of patents held by the Delphos company, another company using the same patents, it seems to manufacture the goods. It is claimed that there are a number of grocers in Adams, Allen, Jay, and Randolph counties who are handling these goods and that practically every city in the state has grocers who are involved in this cause. Local firms handling these goods have received a circular from the attorneys for the plaintiff containing nc'Jjco.-, “Yq.u will further take notice that under the patent laws of the United States every seller or user of an infringing device, as well as the maker thereof is an infringer and liable as such to an action for damages and an injunction by the owner of the patent infringed.” A representative of the Delphos Can Co., was in the city today, and stated that the suit would be pros- v, tnfe-d te. a cc.nelnsion, but beleived that the mnanuEaohsrsrs would be held repsonsibje., The following from the Toledo Times refers to the original suit there: “Suit was brought yesterday in the United States circuit court by the Delphos Can company, of Delphos 0., against the Standard Oil Company of this city. The action is for patent infringment. The complainant is a large manufacturer of oil cans and fillers and other oil novelties, and it owns a number of patents covering the same and it is claimed that the article manufacture by the Toledo company infringes upon the claims of several of these patents. The bill prays fcr an accounting of the profits derived by the defendant from its alleged unlawful manufacture and sale of the articles in question, and for a perpetual injunction against such manufacturer and for damages for 1 injury alleged to have been done to j the business of the Delphos firm by | the sale to the Toledo product. The Itelphos Oil Can which is the one ■ referred to as being imitated is very popular in this vicinity. It was exhibited at the Great Northern Fair a few weeks ago by the Schafer Hardware Co., of this city and is sold by them and other dealers here. It is said a similar suit will be filed in Allen county in a few days.