Decatur Democrat, Volume 51, Number 11, Decatur, Adams County, 16 May 1907 — Page 3

ASKS JUDGMENT ON VERDICT Case of Wittwer vs. Clara Sheets set ■ I ’for Trial—Other News from the Court Records. > A transcript of former proceedings [was filed in the Adams circuit court the case venued from Jay county fetate vs. George D. Allen. The defendant is charged with a misde-l-nwmor. I The case of Amanda Sell vs. j)ra Sell was ordered left off the Socket. I Frederick Schafer et al vs. Chris Beery, a demurrer was filed to the lecond paragraph of the defendant’s |>lea in abatement. H I Eli Meyer vs. Julius Haugk; a molion was filed by the plaintiff for a' Judgment on the verdict rendered in Rhe case tried a few days ago. I William Wittwer vs. Clara D. Sheets ■dministratrix, for claim of $43.87; Base set for trial Wednesday, May 22. ■ Joseph W. Murphy vs. John Fox ■nd Amiel Sprunger for damages 8L, 375, Frank M. Cottrell entered his ■ppearance for the defendants. Rule I) answer. B Marriage licenses were issued to ■/alter Koos, twenty-seven, of Ft. Wayne, and Bessie Jackson, twenty; B r illiam Fronefield, fifty-two, and MaBuda Zimmerman, fifty-seven; John B. Juday, sixty.seven and Delilah A. Bwigg, sixty-two, both of Geneva. Q_ —— BeTHODISTS WILL CHANGE BASE Bhey May Change Their Summer I Home to Winona Lake. 5 B Since the Methodists have decided Bit to rebuild at Acton park and since Bland Park assembly, their summer ■treat at Rome City, will not be in B.eration this summer, the indicaBins are that the Methodists of InBina will hereafter make their sum. Ber headquarters at Winona lake. ■ie r ßev. Frank Snyder, for years at Be head of the Island Park assemBy, has joined the Winona assembly Brees and is endeavoring to induce Be old Island Park following to go to Biaona lake during the coming seaBi. The Northern Indiana Methodist Baference is considering the question B making Winona lake its permaBnt meeting place. The Rev. W. J. B?us, of Wabash, one of the bestBown ministers of the denoniination ■ the state, is organizing a company Bich proposes to erect a hotel at ■ nona lake to be known as the Meth■st building. It is to cost about $75,- "■> ’ and will be built entirely by Bthodist money. It will compare B h the SBO,OOO, which the PresbyteBps are now completing at Winona 111 o-Jft-L BETWEEN THE JOISTS IjjJ Painful the Injuries are Not \ W —be Out in a ■ Few Days. ■j/hile working the cold storage de■tment of the new packing house, BL is under construction near the ■pago and Erie railroad, Edward Mitright sustained painful injuries K falling between two joists. Mr. Wtright was working on the second ■■r/and was starting to walk across I joists to the otner D .ue of building, when one of -.is |B>w workmen called to him. JB.urned around quickly and in doing Bost his balance and fell between ■■joists. Had he not caught himself *IB hd* joists the fall may have been B , and Mr. Whitright is shaking | Bis with himself that he escaped I B icky as he did. |B o I Bling impure merchandise ’ ■ lt J* Food Commissioner Shows up Mail Order Houses. ■,e deputy food commissioner of t®fetate of Michigan stated to the

mtion of retail grocers and genmerchants of the state of Michrthat all the food products that he Examined, from the firms of Sears, tjstk Co., of Chiqago, Montgomery I Co., of Chicago, and the Larkin i Co., of Buffalo, were impure and prions articles of food. In view Jis fact, the public will feel like tg the retail grocers and general pants, denouncing and condemnpe sale of impure- articles of food ft are injurious to the public h and pledge themselves by ev Jieans in their power, to handle, |»r use nothing injurious to the I health. The only safe way, and lost economical in the long run 111, is to buy only of home merp, respectable men who have 1 honor at stake and are right

AN APPEAL IS PROBABLE Werling Ditch Established—Angola Furnace Company Wants Name Changed to Decatur Furnace Co. In the case of the George A. Bohrer Brewing company vs. Harry Cordua and others, returned a verdict Friday' night at 8:30 o’clock as follows: “We the jury, find for the plaintiff as against the defendants, Harry Cordua and Jonathan M. Andrews and we assess its damages in the sum of $410.54 and interest for $7.18, and attorney’s fees of $75, and we also find for the defendants, William Roop and Ludlaw L. Sheline. E. S. Christen, foreman.” This verdict was in accordance with Judge LaFollette’s instructions, that if they found that said Andrews signed the bond without the knowledge and consent of Roop and Sheline, it aniounted to a change of contract and released Sheline and Roop. A new trial has been asked and if refused, the case will probably be appealed to the supreme court. ■ " The case of the State vs. Lafayette Ellis, selling liquor to minors, has reached the appellate court, being submitted under rule nineteen. The case of Malinda Ashbaucher et al vs. William H. Bollinger, partition of real estate, was redocketed to correct the description. The motion was sustained and the clerk ordered to correct same. Attorney C. J. Lutz representing the Angola Furnace company filed a petition to change the name to the Decatur Furnace company. Attorney J. R. Hoffman, of Akron, Ohio, was hftre today looking up witnesses in a damage case to be tried in the Akron court. Mr. Hoffman is a nephew of T. R. Moore of this city. The case of Noah A. Loch et al vs. Anna Meyers, suit on account, demanding $l5O, was dismissed and the costs paid. The drain petitioned for by David Werling and others was established. The assessment on the Chicago & Erie was reduced $65.44. All assessments on the main ditch were increased 1% per cent. The work of establishing the drain was assigned to L. L. Baumgartner, who is to file bond in the sum of $4,000. A petition for an order to sell certain claims was filed in the case of Noah A. Loch vs. Edward Dirkson et al, receivership. Ira France et al vs. Calvin Miller et al, suit on bond, second paragraph of answer filed by C. A. Dugan; reply filed in one paragraph.

Fred Schafer et al vs. Decatur Oil and Gas Co. et al, demurrer by plaintiffs to answer of J. D. Hale and others filed and overruled. Reply filed to answer. A marriage license has been issued to Walter Koos aged twenty-one formerly of St. Marys township, now of Fort Wayne to Bessie Jockson, aged nineteen of this county. The groom has gained some reputation as a coneposer of music and poetry. , BETTER SALARIES LAST YEAR. County Superintendents Fared Better than Ever Before. According to statistics gathered by the state statistician, the county superintendents of the state fared much better in the way of salaries during the year 1906 than they did in 1905. The same is true of truant officers. The county commissioners and county councilmen of the state did not fare so well. The conn-, ty superintendents received a total of $126,655.58 in salaries in 1906. The office expense reported by the county superintendents for the year was $14,594.35. The total allowances made in Indiana for county institutes made $9,200. In 1906 the total amount paid out by the counties of the state in salaries to truant officers was $33,266.35. At the rate of 25 cents admission for children this money would enable 133,065 barefooted boys to play “hookey” from school and attend the circus. The county commissioners of the state received in salaries a total of $114,743.98. The county councilmen were paid a total of $7,716.25. . o Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Allison returned Sunday evening from Tarpon, Texas, where they spent several weeks fishing. They report an excellent trip, and say that the fishing was remarkably good and that they made some great catches. L. C. Waring, who accompanied the party south, did not return home as he is making a short visit with friends and relatives in the South. The entire party are sunburned and tanned and show the es

INTERVIEWED BY OUR REPORTER Gives An Interesting Story of Her Recent Several Months’ Trip Through the South and West. Mrs. A. B. Morrison, who, accompanied by her niece, Miss Sallie Vesey of Ft. Wayne, made an extensive trip through the South and Southwest, returning last week, was interviewed by a representative' of the Democrat, who learned many interesting things about places that were visited. Mrs. Morrison and niece left here January 16th, going by the way of St. Louis to Ft. Worth, Texas, and for three weeks visited friends at Ft. Worth and Dallas. From there they journeyed to Austin, Texas, and while there were the guests of Mrs. Numbers, one of a family who identified Itself with the early history of Decatur. Three weeks was spent in this city, after which they went to Monterey, Mexico, which is situated high in the mountains, and here is where their sight seeing began. The peculiar costumes of the people and the grandeur of the scenery was interesting. From here the party went to San Antonio, Texas, a winter resort, and found the hotels crowded almost to their capacity, but they succeeded in finding accommodations. While at this place they saw old Spanish missions that were established by the Spanish fathers when the state of Texas was apart of their belongings. Only one of the missions is used at the present time, the others being in ruins. Mrs. Morrison and niece next went to El Paso, Texas, for a stay of two days, and from there went across the line to Juarey, Mexico, but as nothing very interesting presented Itself, they returned in a few hours. # Tucson, Arizona, was their next stop. Here they found the Indian and mission schools quite interesting. Phoenix was the next city in Arizona they visited,where they found as in other Arizona places cactuses that were as high as 12 to 14 feet, the stem being 18 inches in diameter. The state house at Phoenix was visited, also the Indian school which is supported by the government, and both were quite interesting to the party. Grand Canyon, Arizona, the next place they visited, afforded one of the greatest sights that has ever been looked upon. While the mountain scenery in this region is .beautiful, it does not compare with the picturesque scenes that the canyon presents. This canyon is one mile thirteen miles in width and 25 JB iles ln One’s mind cannot fathom what a gash in the earth this is, and only by beholding it, can a person imagine its immensity. Mrs. Morrison and niece mounted on mules, traveled down bright angel trail, which is a narrow footpath, and descended cliffs, seven miles in length. They were on mules all day and only traveled 14 miles. From Grand Canyon they started for California, and the train upon which they were riding passed through Salton sea. In some places the train would be in water several feet deep. It will be remembered that the Colorado river broke its banks at this place a few years ago, and swept houses and all buildings before the rolling water, the river formed a new channel and efforts to get it back in the old channel have ptovbii futileL Never in the history of Saltoa hdd fain fallen there until the Colorado waters broke her banks and formed what Is now known as Salton sea. Rains are now frequent. The party then rented a cottage on a cliff overlooking the Pacific ocean at LaJolla, where they remained three weeks viewing many beautiful scenes. They returned to Los Angeles for a two weeks stay, and traveled from 60 to 200 miles a day. They then went up the coast to Santa Barbara, where they took, both the mountain and valley drives. They then went back to Los Angeles, and while there bought an idol from the Hope Indians. They then took the valley road to Joaquin valley, thence to ;Raymond, California, and from there to the Yosemite valley. They took stages and drove for five days through the mountains, witnessessing as they went among the many things yellow pine trees 6 or 7 feet in diameter and about 260 feet in height. They drove to the floor of the valley which is 5,000 above sea level, and saw the Yosemite, and Bridal Veil Falls. They then went to Mirror Lake and saw the sun rise over the mountains, which they declare is wonderful to behold. They drove to Happy Isles, and saw many different species of trees, Marposa groves, grizzly giant and others, and the coach with horses drove through the trunk of a tree which was 30 feet in diameter. They then went to San Francisco and took the coast line to San Jose, then they went to the Lick observatory, where they could see many unique sights by looking through tne oQ-incii telescope mat was mere.

in the world. The observatory cost $87,000. From there they went to Palo Alto, California, where they visited the Leland Stanford uiwversity. Thence to Salt Lake, Utah, via Sacramento valley, and visited the Mormon Tabernacle. The pipe organ in this place has 5,000 pipes. Then, before returning to old Indiana, Mrs. Morrison and niece were at Colorado mountains, Colorado Springs, Cheyenne mountains, Denver, Colorado, Kansas City, Mo., and St. Louis, arriving home May 7th. Mrs. Morrison states that they had a splendid time while absent, the trip being one of the most enjoyable in her extensive series of traveling. o WANTS THE DITCH COSTS PAID. Meeting to be Called of Persons Interested in Fast Ditch. Wqrd has reached this city and county that Charles S. Bash, of Fort Wayne, is Interested in having a meeting called of persons interested in the Fast or Little river drainage matter. It is understood to be his desire to have those interested assemble and adopt some plan by which costs in the litigation pending since }so2 may be paid, and the case may be dismissed. It is understood he is representing that all Huntington county people have lost faith in the proposition but one. Numerous others deny this statement, and they insist that the ditch be built under the present proceedings, just as Judge LaFollette at Decatur recently ordered after certain corrections of clerical errors have been made in the report of the viewers. There are twenty-three names on the original petition fpii (the drain. —Huntington Herald. o HIS FRIENDS STILL WITH HIM Many Adams County People Believe that He Has the Long String on the Nomination. — . I A special dispatch from Washington says: “That politicians at the national capital are astonished over the word that comes to them from the Eighth Indiana district. They learn, from what they consider indisputable cources, that the Cromer organization is being revived and put in condition for another gory battle next year, led by that indomitable political chieftain who never knows when he is licked —Gen George Washington Cromer. This news from Indiana has caused a flood of talk in Washington, where the opinion prevailed after the last disastrous election in the Eighth district that Mr. Cromer never would enter the politcal ring again. Cromer’s closet friends here say that they will not be surprised if he himself shall be a candidate for the congressional nomination again next year. They point out that although he has been in some very hard-fought contests he met his first and only Waterloo last year and this, they say, is not such a bad record as to discourage him from further efforts. Judging from recent developments the Eighth district will again occupy a large and conspicuous place in the Jjme-ligh; | again year/' Many of the Adams equity admirers and supporters Os Ms. CfOilidi* insisthat their champion will 1034 the party hosts and be their candidate for congress again. Not simply a candidate for the nomination, but the nominated candidate at the general election. Some of them talk so confident that one is led to conclude that some inside information has been passed around, and that they are talking by the card. — 1?" - OWN« FULL BLOOD ANGORA CAT Miss Jessie Winnes the Proud Possessor of a Pedigreed Feline. Miss Jessie Winnes is the proud possessor of a full blooded Angora cat, which she received from Chicago by express Friday night. The cat is a full blooded animal and is valued among cat fanciers at a nice round sum. The father of this cat has been shown at a number of pet stock shows in and about Chicago, and has captured a number of valuable prizes for its owner, and is valued at two hundred and fifty dollars. The cat is a pretty little animal, and has a pedigree as long as your arm to show that it is the genuine article. Miss Winnes has the cat at her home on Jefferson street, and is so proud of the Same that she shows it to every one who even hints that they would like to look the animal over. If you are a lover of cats, call and see this one. o— ■ The Marion city council will pass an ordinance providing that all circuses must pay a license of SSOO Instead of SSO, as heretofore. The cause of the : action is the offense given the coun- < oilmen by the press agent of the Hag- i enbeck-Wallace show, which failed to | pass out enough complimentary tick- J ets to supply the councilmen.—Blufft n "RorktiAi*- 1 * " i*" b?

SEVERAL HEIRS IN DECATUR The Sprunger Family Can Trace Back Over Three Hundred Years. Mrs. Fred Tauge, Mrs. Elmer Johnson and Miss Ada Springer of this city are probable heirs with a number of others to an immense estate in Stockholm, and it is claimed by those who are investigating the matter that the chances for closing the affair soon are very bright. The Evening Leader of St. Marys, Ohio, published, a long article showing the line of descent and mentioning a number of the heirs. In part that paper said: Away back in the year 1600, the King of Sweden, at Stockholm, took a homeless waif under his personal care, giving him the name of Springer, and he was afterwards known as Lord Baron Springer. Nothing was known of the youngster’s family history prior to that time. He grew to marihood, under the protection of His benefactor, and was united in marriage to the, daughter of a prominent Stockholm family. To this union there was born, in 1658, one son, Charles Christopher, who, when a young man came to America and settled along the Atlantic coast. He became the father of two sons, Lawrence and James Carrol Springer, and the Springers of Mercer and Auglaize counties are the descendants of the latter. It seems that in the year 1779 these two brothers were the owners of 1030 acres of land in Delaware, near the present city of Vv ilmington, and they leased this land for a period of 99 years, the rental for which, according to the terms of the contract, was to be used for educational purposes., When the lease expired, in 1879, the matter was taken up for investigation and for a time it seemed that the rightful heirs would come Into possession of their property, but for some unknown reason the matter was dropped. The greatest trouble has been to get a trace of the heirs of both Lawrence and James Springer, but the life tree on James’ side of the family seems to have finally been completed. Many descendants of the various branches of the family live in this vicinity, and while the number of heirs will no doubt be large, the estate is now worth millions, and if recovered, would be sufficient to provide each heir with a comfortable fortune.

DELIGHTFUL PROGRAM PLANNED Including a Big Dinner and a Trip to Fort Wayne and Return over the Fort Wayne & Springfield. Saturday, June Ist, is the date fixed for the fourth annual meeting of the stockholders of the Fort Wayne and Springfield railway company. This important event to occur at the general offices in this city. The morning hours will be devoted to the transaction of business and the hearing of reports, while the rest of the day will be spent in a delightful manner, rather celebrating the company’s success during the pas;t year. At 12:30 a banquet will be served at the Meibers hall, Baker & Anderson acting as caterers and the menu is conclusive proof that this hour will be a very happy" one. Johlj H- Koenig, the company’s attorney, wL’l be master of ceremonies, and the following program will be given: Invocation Rev. Paul G. Kluge Address of Welcome.... Mayor Coffee Advantages to communities brought about by interurban lines Judge Erwin All vantages and disadvantages to a city of an interurban railway stopping in a town, without any outside communication Judge Merryman Shall we, or shall we not extend the interurban from Decatur?... C. J. Lutz, company’s attorney Closing address Father Wilken Immediately after the banquet special cars will be provided and the entire crowd will be invited to enjoy a trip to Ft. Wayne and return. The day promises to be a delightful one. Contractor Davis, who was here last night from Portland to bid on sidewalk work and who has in the past done work in this city, stated that he had adopted the co-operative plan of working his men. Each man in his employ is expected to be worth one hundred i square feet of walk a day and this is 1 the day’s labor. They are paid a fixed « price -for doing this much work. How- 1 ever, if they lay more than this ’ amount, the record is kept of the sur- 1 plus and at the end of the job, the wonk is credited to the men who have

remained faithful at the regular rate of wages. Mr. Davis says the plan saves him an extra foreman, that he gets much more work done and that his employes are much better satisfied than under the old system.—

WERE ARRESTED AT GAS CITY They Were Living There as Man and Wife, but Could not Prove it to the Police. Fred Blazer and Miss Lena Harshman, two former Decaturites, were arrested last Friday evening at Gas City by the police on a charge of cohabiting. The arrest was made at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Dan Straub, who are now residents of Gas City and to whom the above named couple had informed and made believe that they were legally married. The arrest came as a surprise to Mr. and Mrs. Straub, who were ignorant of the fact that they were harboring such people, and when the demand was made by the police for the couple they willingly showed them where the couple were sleeping, and the arrests were made. From what we are able to learn, the the affidavit and information was received by the Gas City police from Van Wert, Ohio, where Miss Harshman’s former husband is supposed to be living. The couple were taken to Marion, Ind., where they plead guilty to the charge and were fined a dollar and costs each and in connection were given thirty days and they are now confined in the Marion jail. Young Blazer is well known here as being a young man who had been in trouble nearly all his life and Miss Harshman is a young lady who has borne a bad reputation for some time. However, for the next thirty days the public will be free from their company. o FACE AND HANDS IN BLISTER Escaped Gas in the Furnace Caused a Bad Explosion at the Nachtrieb Home.’ j

t George Nachtrib, the son of Mr. B and Mrs. W. H. Nachtrieb, was pain--3 fully injured Sunday night at about 7 8 o’clock by attempting to light the gas in the furnace at their home. During s the afternoon yesterday when the gas s was quite low, Mrs. Nachtrieb turned 8 the valve wide open in order to get a all the gas possible. She had forgot- [, ten to partially close the valve in the i evening so as to regulate the gas as the increase came, and it came on so strong that the fire was blown out. J At about seven o’clock Mrs. Nach. trieb sent George to the basement to see why there was no heat coming j from the furnace, and the little boy, when noticing that the flames had expired, struck a match and not being aware of the danger that was confronting him, placed it into the ;furnace. In an Instant the escaped gas j exploded, burning his face and hands to a blister, and also burned his hair j and eyebrows. The terror stricken boy went hurriedly up stairs to his mother and she extinguished the fire that had caught his waist. Dr. Mc_ * Millen was hastily summoned to care for the burns and the boy is getting I along as well as is expected. o—f MACADAM ROAD BOND SALE 8 • 8 Winchester Road Bonds to be Sold 3 May 21—Commissioners to Paint r Court House. f » * A certified copy of the proceedings the commissioners of Wells county j relative io macadaqi roads on the Adams-Wells County vwhleh a petition wftS jtfesented to the i board in Wells cottnty at their last session. Three petitions were presented affecting the townships Os Pre-’ ble, Kirkland and Fren'dh in thfes county. At their meeting Saturday the board set May 28 as the date for a joint meeting with the Wells county board, said meeting to take place in Bluffton. •i - . Treasurer Lachot has advertised the bonds for the Winchester Macadam Road, another improved thoroughfare for Root township. The date of the sale is Tuesday, May 21, the total amount of bonds being $4,280, payable in twenty semiannual installments of $214 each, witji four and one-hajf per cent interest. The commissioners have ordered specifications for the painting of the court house, an improvement necessary for the preservation of the building. Charles N. Christen is drawing up the necessary specifications and bids will later be received. - o NOTICE TO OUR CUSTOMERS. We are pleased to anounce that Foley’s Honey and Tar for coughs, colds and lung troubles is not affected by the National Pure Food and Drug law as it /xmtains no opiates or other harmful drugs, and we recommend it as a safe remedy for children and