Decatur Democrat, Volume 48, Number 17, Decatur, Adams County, 30 June 1904 — Page 1

al l the news all the time.

VOLUME XLVIII.

A tramp umbrella mender was on last evening ordered off the afreet by Marshall Cordua for getting too noisy in letting people Know his business and was told to go and sober up before he tried to work his trade, he kindly took: the hint, and got. The meanest young man in Indiana lives near Decatur. He asked a young lady what she wanted for a birthday present and suggested gloves, but the girl thought something for her neck would be nicer. On the evening of her birthday he handed her a small package neatly done up. Nervously she opened it in the presence of the other girls and found a bar of soap. • R. J. Holthouse tells of a wonderful feat he performed Friday and the story is one which will no doubt puzzle every physician in the city. At dinner Roman ate a piece ot fish and during the performance swallowed a fish bone. After considerable coughing the pain left him and he thought no more about it until undressing last night when he felt a peculiar sensation in his left heel and an examination was followed by the surprising discovery of the identical fish bone he had swallowed at noon. After a few more days practice Holty will no doubt be able to swallow a sword or butcher knife as well as Heller, LaDelle or any of the boys. Rev. Peter Vitz, aged father of Rtv. Henry Vitz now of Indianapolis, but recently of this city, died Saturday evening at nine o’clock near Huntington, Indiana. He was seventy nne years old and his death was directly due to the infirmaties usual at old age. Rev. Vitz was well known in this part of the state. He was the organizer of the German Reformed church in this city and left here in 1886. He was well known here and has relatives in the south part of the county near Vera Cruz. He was a kind old man, a devoted Christian and his long life has been one of useful years devoted to a great calling. The funeral services were held Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock at HuntingtonThe Bryant and Geneva telephone companies tired of isolation have decided to abandon the Bell Company’s toll lines and after the first of "August will be connected up with the independent lines. This gives them connection with the Home Talephone Company’s system in this city which was an end much desired both. here and there. As it was Bryant and Geneva were the only Bell exchanges of any consequence in this part of the state and whenever one of there patrons desired to talk to Portland, Decatur, Berne or any other point within a radius of a hundred miles he was compelled to pay a messenger fee besides having to wait indefinitely for the party to be located. The patrons of the two exchanges have gained great advantage in thus getting in connection with so many great local systems. —Portland Commercial Review. " Mr. and Mrs. Fred Sharpe of Os sian, are guests of M. E. Olds and wife, of this city. Their two years old son accompanies them and the boy is just recovering from a narrow escape from death by morphine poisoning. Employed by Mr. Sharpe in his store is a young man who rooms at the’ Sharpe home. He has been taking morphine tablets under a doctor’s directions for the ailment and recently left two of the tablets lying on his dressing table. A day or two ago the baby his room and found the tablets. In a few minutes the child came into the room where his mother was sitting and she saw the deadly drug in the baby’s fingers. Fearing that the child would swallow the stuff, she screamed and made an effort to get the stuff away from it. She was too late and the child swallowed one of the tablets before she could get to him. A physicians was hastily summoned and after cotfsiderable work succeeded in getting the drug out of the baby’s system und now has him alright but it was a very narrow escape.—Bluffton Banner.

Dbcatilr

While working at the home of Dr. I J. M. Miller Thursday afternoon E. Reynolds who has the contract to I plaster the house was slightly injured caused by the breaking of the scaffold upon which he was working. He was hurled with some violence to the floor and sustained a dislocated wrist Dr. Miller dressed the arm and Mr. Reynolds will be forced to lay off from work for several days to come. Ora Roop the seven year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Dick Roop died at two o’clock Friday afternoon the result of an illness of several weeks. Ora and a younger brother both suffered an attack of measles and rash a month or more ago. They , had almost entirely recovered when one morning two weeks ago they became suddenly very ill and for ! several days suffered terribly. The ; physician called pronouoed thel symptoms those of arsenic poison- I ing, but later developments passed that the attacks were due to kidney ; trouble. The younger boy practically recovered but Ora continued I to grow worse untill death relieved him this afternoon. The funeral arrangements have not been com-1 pleted but it is probable the services will be held at the Evangelical church some time Sunday. Mrs. W. H. Nachtrieb received a message Tuesday stating that her cousin Mrs. Frank Amsley died last evening at her home at St. Louis. Mrs. Amsley was formerly Miss Ethel Brown of Delta, Ohio. She visited the Nachtrieb family here and was very popular among the young people. She was married about six years ago to Mr. Amsley a St. Louis business man and has since resided in that city. She has been a sufferer from lung trouble for several months and her death was due to that affliction and other complication. She was twenty eight years old. Her husband survives, no children having been born to them. The remains will be taken to her former home at Delta, where the funeral services will be held tomorrow. Mrs. Nachtrieb will attend. The members of Company B. are busy these days arranging for the reunion of the 160th regiment of Indiana Infantry to be held here August 11th. They expect from 600 to 800 soldiersand will prepare to give them the best eneitainment they ever had. Three good bands of music, excellent public speeches, camp fires and other events including a big parade is a part of the program. The financial comimttee report good success and as this is the most important part we predict a good time. While the boys were in the service, their neighbors nearly all the time was the third Kentucky regiment and consequently they become very well acquainted. Invitations have been published in the Kentucky towns where the various companies of the old third were mustered in and word has been received that a number of, them will_, be here to attend the reunicn. Many people in this local:ty will remember Speedy the man who at the Eagles carnival at Ft. Wayne two years ago made the wonderful leap from the top of a ladder 125 feet into a little tank of water and will not be greatly surprised to know that he was killed Saturday at Zanesville, Ohio. The story is told in a few words, “he missed the tank. Kearney P. Speedy was one of the best known high divers in the country and had been with the Ferari Carnival Company for several years. ’ His dive was from a ladder probably 125 feet high and he performed the feat twice daily. Visitors at the Eagle carnival will remember the man climbing to the dizzy heights of his perch and then slowy measuring the distance to the small tank of water below. He seemed anything but a coward however and he explained that high winds sometimes swayed the ladder many inches making the dive exceedingly hazardous. The man was the only diver in the countrjwho sprang from his perch head first and it was this feature of his act that made him the headliner of the carnival company.

DECATUR, INDIANA, THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 1004.

Williain'Elzey aged about seventy . years, an old and respected citizen of this county died Saturday \ at two thirty o’clock at the home of his son Thomas Elzey in the north part of the city after an illness of . several months duration the direct , cause of his death being old age. | As we go to press no arrangements ' had as yet been made concerning the funeral. Arrangements have been perfected whereby Winchester will give one of the largest and best Fourth of July celebrations ever held in Eastern Indiana. The affair is in charge of the business men, liberal donations have been made and the prospects for a huge Fourth are most encouraging. The exercises will be held in town and there will be something of interest transpiring during the entire day. Mayor M. M. Dunlap, of Anderson, and Judge Richard K. Drwin, of De catur, will deliver addresses, and Carl Thompson will read the Decoration of Independence. Baloon ascensions, arial performances, band concerts, fire works, etc., will contribute to theday's festivities. Make your arrangements now to spend the glorious Fourth in Winchester. Come prepared to spend the day and evening.—Winchester Herald. "Bismark the glass eater” the man who made Berne famous by his marvelous feats of eating glass is in our city after an absence of something like two years and on last evening gave a number of his famous exhibtions of how to eat a pain of glass without it causing you any trouble. During his long absence he states that he has been in St. Louis, Chicago and Ft. Wayne and at all of the above named I places he has made his living and way by giving his exhibitions. He not only profeses to eat glass but will tackle matches, egg shells and even tacks and still insists that he feels no ill effects from his past experiences. He is certainly a remarkable character and his feat of eating glass with no ill effects has set all doctors to study - ing what kind of a physique this man has. Thelauditor’s office was the scene of action Sunday for a lively bidding match for ditch work, four such improvements being knocked off to the lowest bidder. According to tabulated figures G. W. Bouserman will build the P. B. Dykeman ditch his bid being $902. J. W. Wood secured the M- F. Aspy ditch for $693 Perry James the John A. Yeoman ditch for $194 W. O. Myer the G. R. Martz ditch for $829. The four ditches cover an area of ground that will be greatly enhanced in value by the improve ments that are this far under way When it comes to ditch improvements Adams county is also fast coming to the front rank and it can soon be said with truth and candor that the county shelters better drainage and better public roads than any county in the stateMost of the money thus far' spent has already been returned which speaks in itself of the wisdom of public improvement.

In Delaware county it is easy to direct a person to a farm any place in the county as it is to direct him to a certain number of any street in the city. This is made so by a recent plan adopted by the county commissioners and brought about by complete rural mail delivery. All the roads are named, east west and being called roads as Albany road and north and south road leading toEaton is called Eaton Pike. Roads running diagonlly are named avenues. The houses on the road are numbered on the century system the same as in the cities. A road running east and west through the middle of the county is the base line aud one running north and south through the mid die is the meridian line and the numbers are computed from these lines. If you wish to direct a person to the home of a farmer you simply give the name of the road and his house number and the number indicates the distance the farmer lives from the base or the me ridian line is there are 100 house numbers to the mile. The system is said Io be a great dcnvenience and it should be adopted in this county.

’?Miss Grace Harb who was taken suddenly ill Monday at the Mitten factory, which resulted in hemorrhages was in a very critical condition last night as she had seven hemorrhages between the time she was taken ill and ten o’clock. Dr. Miller who is waiting on her stated this morning that she was some better and chances for her recovery were now’ good. One of the features to be seen at the Mt. Pleasant church picnic Juy fourth will be a display of war relics that will no doubt prove quite an attraction. Mr. Sheets was a member of the 89th. Indian a and during his army life aooumuj lated many interesting relics. Among other things he has a copy of the Memphis News Extra giving a full account of the battle at Tupelo, Mississppi on July 25, 1863. Besides theses are many other interesting relics that will be worth your time to see. Fred Rinehart, city editor of the Bluffton News had an exciting time Thursday and as a result was badly’ beaten up. His assailant was Peter Poffenberger, a well known character of that city, whom it seems Fred had connected in a newspaper article with a disreputable scrap. Pete met * red on the street and proceeded to beat him. Fred pulled a 38 caliber revolver and fired but the bullett went wild. The gun refused to work the next time and Rinehart ran. Poffenberger chased him with an ugly looking knife finally catching him and beating him again. Rinehart was badly used up and Poffenberger has been arrested on charge of assault and battery’ with intent to kill. Had the revolver worked the second time the result might have been quite different for even an editor has the right to protect his life The Chicago Inter Ocean of a recent date contains the following relative to extensive improvements planned for the Erie by the present management: “F. D. Underwood, president for the Erie system, is coming to Chicago soon to make a thorough inspection of the compiny’s terminal facilities and decided as to what extensions and improvements shall be made. The Erie is the only company having its owner hails from Chiacgo to New York, and President Underwood's aim is to make it the greatest of trunk lines. Within two years the Erie will be double tracked all the way from Chicago to New Y’ork. More than two thirds of the work of double tracking is now finished and an army of men is pushing the construction of the remainder. In proportion to its mileage the Erie during the past three years, has purchased more motive power and freight cars of all kinds than any other eastern rail road”. Traveling Passenge Agent Brown, of the Clove Leaf, who was in town today gave some idea of the scarcity of passenger oars in a talk with a Banner reporter. He stated that the road was at the present time having geat difficulty in staving off demands for special trains. Frequently there is a demand made by some organization or other for a special train to take a picnic ciowd or a party’ of excusionists to some resort. It has always been the custom of the railroad company to make up these specials and people at this time cannot understand why they are turned down when they ask for a special train. Mr. Brown stated that the reason was not because the company had no use for the money that could be earned by the cars at such times, but because of rhe fact that they could not supply the extra cars. The season of World’s’Fair travel is at its height and the Clover Leaf is using all of its available coaches to get the Fair visitors into St. Louis. After leaving Charleston, 111., the trains west are made up from six to eight coaches, every train. At almost every station additional coaches are added, filled with people until by the time the train gets in to St. Louis it resembles a big excursion. The Clover Leaf is not the only road that finds itself short on cars at this time but all lines leading into St. Louis are finding the same kind of trouble.—Bluffton Banner.

Fred Linn received word Sunday morning from Wrenshall, Minn, stating that his brother Charles fell Saturday while putting up a swing for his children and broke his arm and leg and that he was in the hospital at Brainord, Minn., where he is being cared for Charles is well known here and his misfortune will no doubt prove a surprise to his many friends who wish for his speedy recovery. Hungry rats gnawing at the face and head of her five weeks old baby was the sight that greeted the eyes of Mrs. Rufus Wagner on Monday afternoon. Mrs. Wagner had fishing leaving the little one asleep. She gaid she was only away a little while when the children came to tell her the baby was crying and could not be quieted. The mother returned from the reservior to her home near by to find her baby in its death struggle with the hungry rodents who had eaten away the ittlle.one’s nose, eyes and forehead. It lived in awful agony for an hour and then death came to the baby’s relief. Nothing more horrible has ever happened in Celina and people shuddered, with horror when the grewsome details of the childs tragic death were made known. The baby was buried on Tuesday.—Ceiina Standard. The mysterious ladv in black is with us once again and is frightening women and children by her cat like movement. This in all probability is not the same lady, who viisted us a few years ago and played havoc in the north part of town as she was a tall woman, while this one is short and heavy set. This new mystery has been seen on several different occasions and her wandering seems to be confined to south Second street Adams and Fifth. Several people have seen her, but who she is or what is still a mystery. She generally makes her appearance on the street about one o’clock and then wonders around until two or two thirty when she disappears as quickly as she makes her appearance as yet she has molested no person but has frightened several peo pie on'different occasions. She was see again last night by several men who made an effort to discover who she was but she easily eluded her pursuers and her indenity is still a mystery. Death has taken from our midst our father and friend William Elzey, born March the Bth 1825. On June the 25, 1904 he sank into that solemn sleep which in this world knows no awakening. We cannot grieve at our loss for we feel assured it is his gain. Oar father i just fallen in the great pathway of existence will long live in the hearts of all who knew him. He was kind and loving good and gentle. Purity sincerity and charity were the active living principles that guided his life, frank candid and sincere. He believed in the power of kindness and gave freely to others the right that he claimed for himself. He knew that no one can be forced into kindness, that epithets cannot convince that curses are not arguments and that the finger of scorn never points towards heaven. One who leads such a life as our father has led had no need to fear death nor what may possibly follow after it. One who faithfully discharges his duty ao cording to the sphere in life he occupies has no need to regret at leaving this state of existence. If his actions have been governed by the principles of right and justice towards his fellow man he neither fears to meet him in life nor to part with him at the hour of death. He was perfectly willing to meet the consequences of a well spent life. In the year 1836 he came to Adams Co. with his father W’iliam, from Clinton Co. Ohio. The same fall hepled lay off Decatur and ever since has lived in and near the city. In 1840 he was united in marriage to Sarah Andrews, to this union weretgiven nine children six boys and three girls 28 grand children and 22 great grand children. His wife, two girls and one boy passed over to the great beyond some years ago.

CIRCULATION 2800 WEEKLY

NUMBER 17

On July Fourth, Independence day, the Blakey church Sunday school will give a big picnic in the Henry Grotz Grove which is just five and one half miles north east of our city. This picnic is to be carried out on the German order and a big time will be in order if the weather man will permit it’and the fourth of July will be duly and appropriately honored by them. This picnic is no invitation affair and all are at liberty to attend and enjoy themselves. This church has the reputation of doing things allright and if you attend you will be well pleased with your treatment as they will make you welcome. If you have nothing else to do that day till your lunch basket and spend the fourth in good old German style. Charlotte Westerfeld the little child of Mr. and Mrs. Westerfeld who arrived a few weeks ago from the west and are visiting with relatives here was quite badly bitten by a dog Tnesday morning. They were visiting in the country with relatives and the little child was out on the porch. She had no sooner stepped outside of the door when a big dog made a lunge at the child knocking it down and then proceeded to bite her before help could arrive and the animal be driven away. The child was bleeding quite profusely from two bad wounds, one on the chin which was very badly torn and one by the left eye which was also in bad shape. They immediately drove to town and Dr. J. M. Miller dressed the wounds it taking several stitches to sew up the one on the chin. Dr. Miller is of the opinion that the the child will recover with out any ill effects as the dog has not shown any symptons of being mad and would not have attacked the child had it not been a stranger. Rev. Vitz was severnty nine years old last October, and his birth place was at Rheydt, Rhenish Prussia. He came to the United States in 1853, locating in Wisconsin. His object in coming to America was to do the work of a missionary among the many German people who were coming to this country and were, in many cases, without the opportunities of hearing the gospel preached in their own language. The deceased finished his theological education at Tiffin, Ohio, fifty years ago and his first charge was atMagley, Adams county, this state, where he did an excellent work. He then located in Huntington and was pastor of the Reformed church for ten years. It was doubtless though his influence and able work for thechuroh that the congregation became so permanently established, and is now one of the strongest and most prominent organiaztions of that denomination in this section of the county, and a credit to the religi ms interests of Huntington. Rev. Vitz subsequently filled successful pastorates at Lafayette, Vera Cruz, Delphos, and other places until his physical condition, as a result of rheumatism made it impossible to take regular work. However, he never lost his zeal for labor in the Master’s vineyard and whenever able assisted in holding services. His mental vigor was remarkable for one of his age and he preached an excellent sermon for the Reformed people in this city less than a year ago. He was on the program for the series of dedicatory serices in the new church, but was too feeble to be away from home. He was a man of strong intellect and deeply consecrated to the cause he represented. Rev. Vitz was twice married, his first wife dying in 1854. To this union came one son, John Frederick Vitz, who lives in this county. The second wife died less than two years ago. Children in this marriage are Rev. Marlin Vitz, of Cleveland; Rev. J. Otto Vitz, Louisville; Rev. Henry W. Vitz, Indianapolis; Altbert Vitz Union township, with whom the fathe made his home; Martha, wife of r Rev. Kohler, St Mary’s, Ohio; Emma, wife of Rev. Henry Robrock, Sandusky, Ohio; Rev. Oswald Vitz. Vera Cruz, Ind.; Nathaniel Vitz, student in the theologiobl school at Tiffin, Ohio* — Huntington Herald.