Decatur Democrat, Volume 52, Number 20, Decatur, Adams County, 20 May 1909 — Page 2

A COMMISSIONER'S SALE John F. Snow Sold the Elizabeth Martin Farm In Hartford Tp. John F. Snow as commissioner held the boards at the east door of the court house Friday a. m. and sold the Elizabeth Martin farm, located in Hartford township in the oil territory and one of the best and most fertile sections of land in the county. Some lively bidding was Indulged in for a time, and the tract of eighty acres was finally sold to Morton J. Martin for $7,200, or ninety dollars an acre. The farm is a good one, and the buyer will make good with the purchase. Ninety dollars an acre is not half bad for land sold by order of the court. — o —— ;‘ BERNE TEACHERS SELECTED They Make Their Choice for the a Coming Year’s Work. The Berne school board have selectde their instructors for next year, room one being given to Mrs. Mary Baumgartner, room two Miss Cora Schug, rooms three and four by Misses Flora Neaderhouser and Matilda Sellemeyer, the latter of this city, room five, Asa Sprunger, room six and the principalship are yet to be supplied. The assistant principalship goes to G. A. Lehman, and. the principalship to F. D. Huff. All the teachers are good instructors and the Berne schols are among the progressive ones of the county, now having a commissioned high school and many other elements of strength tn school work.

Mary A. Barkley, mother of Mrs. U. S. Qress of this city, died at her home at MonroevilleFriday morning at five o’clock after an illness of several months caused by three successive strokes of paralysis, the last one occurring last Monday. The husband of the decedent preceded her in death by more than one year. Mrs. Barkley, seventy-one years of age, was the victim of a paralytic stroke in February, and consequently suffered much pain. A few weeks later she was the victim of another. Her condition was thus weakened and she gradually was losing strength when the third stroke occurring last Monday rendered her practically helpless and robbed her of every chance for recovery. Mrs. i Barkley was a good woman and dur- ■ Ing the times she visited in Decatur made many friends, who with her many other acquaintances join the relatives in their bereavement. The guneral services were held from the Monroeville M. E. church Sunday afternoon. Mrs. Cress went to the bedside of her stricken mother last Tuesday, and has remained continuously with her until the time of her death. ’ —O ; The Linn Grove public schools will . give their first annual high school commencement at the Evangelical church, Friday, May 21, 1909, at 8 o’clock p. m. This being I the first high school commencement in the his- 1 tory of the school. The address will i be delivered by Rev. John A. Gray, Ph. D„ of Fairmount, Ind. A free offering of a silver coin is requested at the door. March Nona Hoffmann , Invocation Rev. John Reese Solo . Ida Baumgartner Address—“ The Man of the Hour” ......John A. Gray, Ph. D. Piano duet—‘Columbine’ Misses Meshberger Presentation of Diplomas L. E. Opliger, Co. Supt. Duet—“ Abide With Me” .Glenna Miller, Tressie Meshberger Benediction ..Rev. John Reese The Linn Grove schools are among the best in the county, and have an excellent system and good instructors. They have made great progress in the past few years, and the commencement exercises scheduled for the evening of May 21, will be attended by many of the loyal supporters of the schools, and those too, who are interested in their success. , • o » The. Sam Henry post of this city are considering the proposition of securing iron markers for the graves of the deceased soldiers, something durable that will mark the graves of these heroes for centuries to come. It is a fact, and. a deplorable one, that even now there are many of these graves which can scarcely be located, and the effort of the post is a worthy one. It is understood that these markers are inexpensive and the public should assist the old soldiers In any way they can in this project. — o The school children within the last week have secured letters from Honolulu and the western states. Some of these, which are written by the school children, are very 'interesting. They describe the country and tell of its resources. It is considered by the teachers as a great aid to geography as it makes Vie pupils intersted. Some of the •■members of the grades have bad no reply, owing to the fact that their letters were carried by a delayed steamer. . ( l| i ;

Deputy Sheriff Ed Green hag tendered his resignation and will quit the sheriff’s office the first of next’ month. His place will be filled by Albert Presdorf, of French township, and a nephew of Sheriff Meyer. During the time that Mr. Green has been connected with the office of sheriff he has added to his friendships over the couhty, and has filled the place'' and performed the duties encumbered upon this officer with satisfaction to all concerned. He is not certain as yet as to what he will engage in after he quits the office, but It Is not his purpose to be Idle long. Mr. Presdorf who comes into the office, Is a fine young man, thoroughly capable to take care of the many things that fall to the lot of a deputy sheriff. He Is already quite well known here and it will not be long until he will be right at home as deputy sheriff of the county. —. * —o The school children of this and of every other state in the Union are

to be taught the rules under which the great postal system of the United States is conducted. This is in accordance with an act of congress which recently ordered the publication of a large number of pamphlets containing all the information necessary along this line. One of these pamphlets was today distributed to each school teacher in the public and parochial schools in Decatur by Postmaster Frisinger, and it now becomes their duty to give such instructions to the students as they deem necessary. These books are very valuable, and being issued by the government, are authentic. It Is a very convenient bit of knowledge to know the rates of postage, the rules, the proper way to address a letter or to send a package and all this and a hundred more things are explained In the book. In addition to this the postmaster today under a special order, has distributed to each house in Decatur, a card showing the proper manner to address a letter and the rules to be followed. -— o— — Mildred Naomi, two months’ and seventeen days’ old child of Mrs. Lucy Leßrun, died Friday morning from a complaint peculiar to infancy. The child has been ill for several weeks. Mrs. Leßrun is certainly having more than her share of trouble. But a short time ago her husband was ushered into eternity and now that her infant babe is taken by the hand of death, untold grief has been ocasloned. The funeral services of the child were held from the United Brethren church Sunday and interment was made in Maplewood cemetery. — o It will cost the residents of Wells county and of Allen county $4,158.15 to build the ditch between the two counties in the northeastern part of Jefferson township, this county. This was the amount of the estimate, according to the figures of H. B. Sark, county surveyor, W. A. Popejoy, drainage commissioner, Wells county, and George Shookman, drainage commissioner, of county.—BJuffton Banner.

“I was innocent and the Lord was with me,’ exclaimed John Zearbaugh at Portland, as he accepted the congratulations of friends at the close of the trial in which he was found not guilty of attempting the crime of incest. “My two wives were the weavers of the plot to send me to the penitentiary,” he said, “and my daughter who swore falsely against me was merely a tool in the hands of those two evil women. It was their plan to bring about my conviction, after which my second wife was to have brought suit for divorce and heavy alimony. What money she would have secured from my estate she had promised to divide with my first wife.” Mrs. Mary A. Cox, mother of Beulah Cox, was murdered by her foster mother, Mrs. Mary E. Wright at Devil’s Lake, N. D., has taken steps at Wabash to collect the Insurance money on her daughters life. Mrs. Cox asserts the insurance companies will not pay Mrs. Wright and are not entitled to escape payment. She Is very poor and for this reason was forced to give up the child to Mrs. Wright. Through Pension Attorney Robert Blackburn Mrs. James McCune has been allowed a pension. Her husband died April 16. She filed her claim on April 26th and it was allowed May 11th, one of the shortest cases on record. A New York dispatch states that former Vice President Fairbanks, of Indiana, will probably be invited to accept the presidency of the Equitable Life Insurance Society to succeed Paul Morton. The salary is $50,000 a year. Friends of Mr. Fairbanks do not believe he would accept. The former vice president celebrated his fif-ty-seventh birthday Tuesday by sailing from Honolulu to Toklo. Mrs. Ida B. Smith was granted a i divorce at Kokomo after she had testified in court that her husband, Walter Smith, had been in the Kokomo j jail 101 times.

■I 'Mrs. Otto Haubold has written some [very interesting letters and postals : to her relatives here, telling of the many delightful sights and events. > One of the latest cards was written while crossing the Medlteranean bound for Naples aboard the steami ship Romantic. In a program of sport Mr. Haubold won the prize in the ' walking race and Mrs. Haubold in the needle-threading contest. The following letter will be of interest to the many friends of Mrs. Haubold: April 26th, On board S. S. Dear Folks—This is my last opportunity to tell you about our visits to the Azores and Madiera before we land at Gibraltar, so I think I will spend the rest of the afternoon trying to give you some idea of the pleasure we have had the last few days. The Romantic anchored in the harbor of Ponta Delgada about four o,’clock last Friday morning, April 23, and long before breakfast many people were up, hanging over the rails, looking hcross the water at the quaint old town, and the hills beyond, of this largest island of the Azores, St. Michaels. After a hurried breakfast, we were rowed ashore in big row boats containing aboyt twenty people, manned by two husky Portuguese. How they ever got us ashore is a wonder, but in about 15 minutes we were at the foot of the stairs, at the bottom of a bowl-shaped entrance at the edge of the harbor. Up the stairs running through a gauntlet of Portuguese loafers—fishermen, etc., we stood upon a quaint foreign street. Carriage barkers seemed to come from everywhere, also cripples And beggars. Nearly every one was barefooted. The narrow streets are paved with lava stones, kept scrupulously clean, the buildings are made of the same kind of stones and a sort of plaster for an outside shell. These walls are tinted the prettiest shades of delicate pink, corn color, green, lavendar and bide with an abundance of whiteness and dark tiled roofs. The buildings are all low, connected, and set right on the crooked little streets. They have small balconies of wrought iron, prettily colored, built out from the upper windows. Viewed from the ship, with the deep blue harbor between, the city nestling at the foot of these hills, which are regularly laid out with little plots under cultivation, it presented by morning sunlight, a prettily tinted picture, beautiful beyond description, a veritable water color of the

daintiest hues. We hied eurselves to the market garden first, a few blocks down a narrow street from where we landed. It was the big market day of the week and scores of natives in their curious peasant costumes were there squatted in various places, according to what they had to sell. The market is really a square studded with wormwood trees, which completely shade the pavement. Around the square are little covered booths or shops. Under the trees are benches and tables and on these tables, vegetables of all kinds were piled, butter and lard in little earnthen jardinieres, queer looking sausages, and a great abundance of . different fruits, to say nothing of Woven baskets, etc. Leaving the market we bargained with 4n English speaking driverfather of nine children—who said" he was gqjng to "the States”., where he could make an easier living just as soon as he could get there. He lives in a pretty pink house with a green balcony which he showed us, while out on our drive. He drove urthrough several miles of narrow streets .lined with high tinted lava walls, fencing in gardens of all kinds of vegetables and tropical fruits. Nature has been very kind to these volcanic islands, for with an even climate she has given them a fertile soil capable oi producing luxuriantly nearly everything that grows. We got out at the efttrance of the Garden Borges. Ten cents apiece is charged admission, which the owner donates to the soup houses for the poor. This wonderful garden must have taken many long years in the making and is beyond adequate description. The sweetest songs everywhere came from the throats of birds. Hundreds of luxuriant tropical trees, including orange, lemon, date, fig, etc., stately royal palms, together with Indescribably beautiful flowering bushes were everywhere to be seen. ** Geranium plants, much taller than I am, azealas big as lilac bushes, such roses as I have never seen before and an abun-, dance of camellias, regular trees, with ■their large wax like flowers in all' i imaginable colors. I The guide gathered a beautiful bouIquet for each of us and then drove 'us to several other wonderful gar- j j dens, but none compared to this first • one, which we thought a perfect para-1 dlse. We visited a quaint Jesuit church over 300 years old, built on the. top of a hill, from which we could seel In every direction. Otto was busy with his camera, and "took a view of the harbor with the Romanic and Slavonia of the Sunard line anchored a little way out in the harbor for one

of his 17 pictures. We will have to buy an extra bag in which to carry his films if he keeps on taking pictures at this rate! I We called on the American consul, Mr. Nicholls, at his headquarters, and had a pleasant 'talk with him. He said he was glpd to see a "bunch of [good live Americans” again. He is certainly a fine type of American manhood. < There was no inviting place where we could get our luncheon, so we returned to the Romanic. Really we had seen everything of Importance, anyway, at Ponta, so there was nothing to do blit roam around* the crooked little streets, and we were too hungry to do that! In the aftemon the governor general of the Azores and his entire staff came aboard, also the French and American consuls. Every one was togged out in his regimentals. Tea was served and the orchestra moved out on the upper deck and played the gayest kind of music. The governor general, his father and two priests are going on to Gibraltar with us. When his staff left the ship .for their pretty white row boats, the strains of the Portugese hymn floated out over the waves and the Marseilles for the departure for the trim little Frenchman. When Mr. Nicholls left the Romanic, they played a medley of national airs, Including everything from "My Old Kentucky Home” to the z "Star Spangled Banner” and “Dixie.” Excitement ran high for a little while, then the stairs were pulled up, we lifted anchor and steamed away from this little fairyland. Otto says I have written quite enough for one time so I’ll either save Madeira, the wonderfully fascinating Madeira, for another time, or let you read my Impressions of it from my diary when I get home. Otto is interested in the “program of sports" for the afternoon, as you can see by the enclosed program, and as it is almost time for the fun to begin, I must close whether or no, with much love from both Otto and me. Your loving Carrie.

"Dead but not forgotten” are the departed heroes above whose graves will tower the emblems o|. our great nation, on the ever sacred Decoration Day, declared by both state and national comanders of the G. A. R. to be observed May thirtieth. How sweet and strikingly appropriate is the long established custom of placing upon the graves of these gallant patriots the stars and stripes which have for centuries represented the patriotic inclinations of the people of the greatest nation on the earth. Although ♦ this expression of respect adds nothing to the welfare of the men who sacrificed home affiliations, even their life that peace and liberty may become perpetuated, and survive during the on-com-ing generations as living monuments of their achievement, it has a tendency to promote loyalty to country, to state and abdve all to the God above. Though the army of surviving veterans has wonderfully diminished in numbers during recent those who today enjoy life are devoted In serving the memory of their departed comrades, and are ever willing during the progress of the great conflict. It Is the duty of American people to join the veterans in the observance of Decoration Day. If we owe our liberty, our happiness to their efforts, and we do, why are we not the ones who owe to the. memory of those who to the great beyond, our profound respect? A duty has fallen to the -people, the transaction of which Is demanded by justice and let us respond unswervingly. At a /recent meeting of the Sam Henry post G. A. R., the following named, comrades were chosen to mark the graves of the deceased soldiers at the various cemeteries within the jurisdiction of Sftm Henry Post and the committee can secure flags by calling at the Everett and Hite store. Alpha, Jonas Cline: Buffenbarger, James Louden; Beery, Daniel Kltson; Blakey, Wm. Barrone; Bethel, F. F. Freck; Clarks, F. F. Freck; Catholic, A. J. Teeple, John Colchln; Decatur? A. J. Teeple, S. B. Fordyce; Fuelling, Fred Franz; Maplewood, Wash Pyle; Mt. Tabor, J. M. Archbold; Monmouth, L. N. Grandstaff; Mann, Thos Mallonee; Martz, Eli Ray, John Hendricks; Pleasant Mills, James Boyd; Preble, Chas. Conrad; Ray, EH Ray, John Hendricks; Reynolds, Thos. Mallonee; St. Joseph,-D. K. Shackley: Salem, Geo. B. Cline; Shady, Jacob Spade; Steele, Jacob Spade; Smiths, Robt. E. Smith; Trlcker, Emanuel ■ Tricker; Union Chapel, R. A. Drummond; Zloft Chapel, Samuel Shell. , —— —o Fred Martin has telegraphed his rel-, atlves here of his safe arrival at 'New York, after a two months’ trip | abroad. He will visit his friends here before proceeding to his bomb at Fairbanks, Alaska. 1 The cases against Max Wiley and Sam Jordan, accused of swindling Joe JMvls, of Auburn, out of $3,000 on a fake wrestling match, have been dismissed and Jordan was released from jail Thursday.

I’ ■■ " ■ ■■» V! 1 psji Til! Henry B. Shoemaker, a pioneer resident of the county, passed away at his home one mile west of Relffsburg Friday morning at 4 o’clock. During the past winter he has been in poor health, and for the past two months his condition has been of a serious nature. He was ill with a complication of diseased and his advanced age increased the seriousness of the affliction. The deceased was a prominent farmer of Wells county. He was well known to the residents of this county and Adams as well, having moved to the latter firom Ohio in 1856, and residing there for several years. Because of his high principles of character he was respected by every one that knew him, and his last days were filled with a happy and contented peace because of his Christian experience. When a chPd he united with the German Lut’’°rnn church, in 1868 transferring his ehiirch membcjshlpi to the Methc<Mc* church, of which h? v-ns a laitM"l member at the tin--' o' b’’ March 9, .1832, Henry V. Shoemaker was born in Fairfield, 0., a son of Henry and Rebecca Shoemaker. His mother died when he was six years of age and his father passed away a before Mr. Shoemaker left Ohio in 1856 to move to Adams county. He was married to Miss Sarah Pontius in 1854, who died several years later. Four children were bom to this union: George Franklin, Danjel, both Dt whom died in childhoods, and Mrs. Julia Ann Blair, of Bryant, and Mrs. Mary Frederick, qf Delta, 0. August 15, 1861, he war united in marriage to Barbara Valentine, of Geneva. Six children were bom to them: Rev. Charles W., of Kokomo; Levi, now deceased; Dr. Samuel A., Mrs. Virena Linn, Alice A., of Muncie, and Mrs. Emma Johns, of Wells county. With the above mentioned children, ■he is survived by his widow, two half brothers, Ell Shoemaker, judge of the court at Lasafiimus, Col., and one half sister, Mrs. Lenn Huffman, near Toledo. The funeral will be held Sunday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the Reiffsburg M. E. church, Rev. B. F. Hornaday and Rev. George W. Carnes, of Poneto, and Rev. Cummer, of Keystone, having charge.—Bluffton Banner.

Captain Eberts gave out’some base ball dope today that sounds good and shows that Bluffton will soon have a team in active practice. He said today that the men already secured have been ordered to report so that practice will begin by Monday or Tuesday. He already has three pitchers on the staff including Eddie Hull, Bluffton's 1907 phenom, and Milllnlx and Webber of Toledo. The latter are men secured from the best that was to be found'in the Toledo Commercial League, and other Toledo players named were secured at the same place. These include Walker, a catcher; Allwood, a second baseman and Miller, an outfielder. Others on the list of men for try outs are Evert Scott of this city for shortstop; Herman Webber, of Waukegan, 111., for first base; -Bowman of Ossian, for the outfield; Kendall, of Cleveland, for the outfield, and Captain Eberts for the outfield. This makes twelve men already ordered to report, and Captain Eberts says that there are a number of others who will come for try outs. —Bluffton News. — o f Logansport, Indiana, May 16.— (Special to Daily Democrat)—An automobile driven by Judge Lairy, of the circuit court here, and containing Judge George Gamble and the Misses Sue and Minnie Blasslngham, turned turtle on a country, road near here today as the party were returning from a drive. All our were badly hurt, being bruised and It Is feared injured Internally. A more careful examination Will have to be made before It Is Renown whether or not any of the party were fatally hurt. All are well known over the state. —o —— The examinations conducted last week at the Acaaemy of Music came to a successful termination with Miss Genevieve Berllng taking a severe test In the seventh grade and Miss Naomi ■Niblick in the sixth grade. Both pw formers passed with high averages and will take a prominent part - In the musical program that Is to be rendered in June, when special h »n---ors will be conferred on Miss Berllng' by her being made the recipient of the first gold medal to be awarded by tbe academy. —o The local order of Knights of Columbus Is making elaborate preparations for the Initiation of 65 candidates on Sunday, May 23. The meeting will start at 8 o’clock In the morning and will continue until late that night. From 1,200 to 1,500 visitors are expected to attend. Special cars will be run to this city from Kokomo, Elwood, Anderson, Tipton, Union City, Hartford City, and a special train from Fort Wayne over the L. E .& W. —Muncie Star. 1 Vern Beal and George Walters, of Van Wert, Ohio, were the guests of Anna Clark and Celesta Wemhoff over Sunday. \

Washington May 16.-Senator Bev- ; erjdge unmercifully flayed the tobacco f trust in a speech in the senate yester- ; day. He pointed out where the trust ■ has taken $184,090,557.43 from the i pockets of the people in the last eight i years and put it in its. own pocket, ipstead of into the federal treasury. > This, the. Indiana Senator pointed out, was made possible by the repeal of the Spanish war taxes. An additional revenue tax had been placed On manufactured tobacco in 1898. Congress authorized the manufacturer, while paying this additional tax, to reduce the size of the packages, thus, in reality, compelling the consumer to pay the tax. When the additional revenue provision was repealed congress did not compel a restoration of the size of the packages, which resulted in the trust continuing to sell the short weight packages without rendering its equivalent to‘the United States treasury. In this manner, Senator TSoveridge declared, the people have i continued to pay the t n v, the trust has been the beneficiary and the federal treasury has been the loser. • Washington, May 15.-—President Taft administered a severe rebuke to Governor Stubbs, of and at the same time served warning to politicians that he did not propose to be used wittihgly to promote the causes of contending political factions. The president at the same time announced the withdrawal of the appointment of Robert Stone, of Topeka, to be an assistant attorney in the'department of justice. He made this appointment a week or so ago at the personal request of Governor Stubbs, who was in Washington at the time. Stubbs is making a hot fight fdr the senate against Senator' Curtis. Whep Stubbs got back to Kansas he announced that the president had appointed Stone as a personal favor, and that Senator Curtis, Representative Anthony and other members of the Kansas delegation did not cut much figure at Washington. The newspapers printed what Stubbs said, and yesterday Curtis carried copies of the papers to the white house. The president was angry when he saw them. He wrote a sharp letter to Stubbs, saying that he could not allow himself or the departments under him “to be made' the means of the promotion of the political fortunes of one faction or the other in a state so important as Kansas.” Then he said that he had revoked Stone’s appointment.

Two years of suffering from tuber* culosls has culminated in the untimely demise of William E. Smith, his death occurring Saturday at 3:30 a. m. The decedent was born In Allen county, and when sixteen years of age came with his parents, Peter and Sarah Smith, to this city for future abode. Sixteen years ago he was united In marriage and to this union have been born seven' children, three of whom preceded their father to the great beyond, the four surviving being Ralph, Wlnnlfred, Uriel and Florence. Mr? Smith had a wonderful natural ability as a musician, and although he never received Instructions In this line, he could successfully play almost any instrument known. He was known for many miles around as a musician of ability. About two years ago he was, taken ill from a lung affection and since that time has grown worse from day to day,-until he was compelled to take to his bed. He came from Ohio to Decatur'about two months ago, and since then he has been critically 111. Five weeks ago he was baptized and taken In as a member of the Christian church, from where the funeral'■will be held next Monday afternoon at two o’clock,, the cortege leaving the home at onethirty. Rev. W. H. Whardon, of Fort Wayne, will have charge of the services. Mr. Smith was willing to go, he was anxious to be relieved of the Intense pain. Before the spark of life became extinct he chose pall bearers whom he wished to officiate. Mr. Smith’s widow and children are joined by friends In their hour of sorrow. The deceased was thirty-five years old. '< O-r r— ' Fort Wayne, Ind., May 14.—Edward M. Holden, a brakeman on the Nickle Plate railroad, has gone to Providence, R. 1., to claim an Inheritance of $125,000 from his grandfather’s estate, from, which he claims he was kept for eight years, because he married a girl other than the one designated In his grandfather’s will. He Is now coming Into his own through the generosity of his sister, who secured the money when Holden entered the matrimonial bonds. Holden and his wife have planned a lengthy trip on which to enjoy the money. ——o — —— ' Mr. and Mrs. O. P. Edwards? of Leipsic, Ohio, sailed for Europe on the twenty-fourth of last month and are now in the beautiful city of Naples. Mrs. Edward is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Niblick of this city. Miss Bessie Garard arrived homo from Fort Wayne last evening, where she spent the day with friends