Decatur Democrat, Volume 58, Number 4, Decatur, Adams County, 23 January 1913 — Page 1

Volume LVIII

C;TY DEBT I IS REDUCED MW '*• * W inderful Showing Made ■lin Mayor Teeple’s Annual ■ "Report to City Council. Tl-F TOTAL IS $46,000 As Compared to $129,000 EE. ven Years Ago—Mayor ’iL Favors City Prison. or's annual report to the council of the city of Decatur, Ind., from Hbu..’ . 1, 1912, to January 1, 1913: t. ..i deem it my duty to make an annua report to you of the receipts and *W' litures of the city of Decatur for io year 1912, and make such sug- •■ us as 1 may think best. I, ore, submit the following fina .4 statement to you: .indebtedness of City Jan. 1, 1912. WBie works bonds outstandHk- .......$ 1000.00 Refunding bonds 189? 9000.00 Re! ling bonds 1906 20000.00 No: th Ward school building Re nding bonds 1909 1523.64 Mr t National bank orders.. 849 33 1 for year 1912 $54372.97 Receipts for Year 1912. Cash on hand Jan. 1 $21148.78 Oe’ il tund 28760.11 Bg*' Hght 21831.11 j»Wat« «orks 3877.15 , < fund 7176.11 Old order fund 1587.74 menus fund 8520.93 » U receipts for year.... 592901.93 ■ Disbursements for Year 1912. Ger ‘ml fund $23863.99 Swjric light 23375.80 W|> reworks 2060.50 W» f-works bond and int... 2060.50 Slating fund 6217.93 "und 150.00 Old Borders 1515.23 Mi plan ous. streets and •ekers 9805.90 Css l 'n treas., Jan. 1, ’13... 19943.42 $ disbursements for the yolk 1912 ~592901.93 Total Indebtedness of City, January 11 19 >3, Made Up of the Following Items. Rt Miding bonds, 1897 $ 9000.00 Refunding bonds, 1906 20000.0") Nor- Ward school building X-Boti! .. 3000.00 Ref pding bonds, 1909 14000.00 Total indebtedness of city 1, 1913 $46000.00 city reduced her bonded indebtedn< «s during the year, $8,372.97. further my duty to make such recommendations to you as I may dew for the best interests of the city. as the city has no place to ere for her prisoners before they ste* |rh‘d and committed to jail, I won't recommend that the city procure la small strip of ground at the rear lr>f the city building and erect thiircfon a suitable building for a prison, <p the ground floor, and an office for the I'ty engineer on second floor, all of which could be heated from the Inrrnnuch ns the city is now payin Altai $1,500 to $2,000 per year to hluOicr coal handled on drays from the wilroad tracks to the waterworks plant, and inasmuch as all th- CT’-ense can be avoided by a v< I’small outlay, I would recommend to the council that they build an t -trie car track from tho waterw< plant on Indiana street west to tb‘- Grand Rapids railroad track, and hat the city council purchase a ewglf motor car to haul the coal cars • hr-rki and forth from the railroad i trneijs to the waterworks plant. T afould hereby recommend that the coutAl have the ordinances of the effv tpvised. Ite»p< < tfully submitted, this 21st day of January, 1913. JUDSON W. TEEPLE, Mayor. 91 -e — Snotice to ben hurs. Alli members are requested to be present at their hall next Friday evening. There will be installation of officers and business of Importance. By order of CHIEF.

WHAT WILL BE DONE. There are some things that naturally strike a person of a humorous turn of mind as funny. Across the St. Marys river, east, on the north side of the road, where the lands usually roll away, free, high and dry, with promises of a pleasant stroll along the bank, rises a tree on which is nailed a slga board: ‘55.00 fine for tresspassing." The tree is usually high und dry, but at present its top, as well as the sign just escapes the rise and swell of the waves of the swollen river which has overflowed for rods and rods around. Wonder what they will do with the water for tresspassing’ THE LEGISLATURE “Blue Sky’’ Law to Protect j Investor Will Have Hearing Thursday Night. — SENATE BILL 105 AGAIN Widowed Mothers’ Pension Bill Introduced—Smoking in House. Not in Senate. I I (United Press Service.) Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 22—(Special , to Daily Democrat)—“Blue sky" bills . to protect the investor, are scheduled for a public hearing here tomorrow (Thursday) night. A "blue sky" law is designed to provide for the public an investigation of the property, books, papers, business methods and affairs of any company, domestic or foreign, whose stock is offered for sale within the state, and for the supervision and regulation of such companies. State and national banks, building and loan associations, real estate mortgage companies, trust companies and corp rations nor for profit are not affected by the law. "The permit is not a guarantee that the investment is a sure thing,” said J. M. Dolley, bank commissioner of ■ Kansas. “It is a notice that the company is at least __being handled honestly upon a business basis, and has a reasonable prospect of success.” Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 22 —(Special to Daily Democrat) —“Senate Bill No. 105,” famous in the 1911 legislature for one of the hottest fights of that session, will be introduced again this year, it was stated today. The bill proyides that no foreign corporation may do anything in Indiana which it is not permitted to do I by the laws of the state in which It | is organized, nor do anything which i the laws of Indiana do not permit al corporation organized here to do. A | powerful lobby defeated the measure! in 1911. Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 22—lAidowed mothers' pensions, like the Missouri law, will be proposed In a bill Representative Miederich of Evans- j ville will soon introduce in the state i legislature. Pensions will not be pre-1 vided for mothers whose husbands have deserted them or who have, been divorced, as Miederich fears this ; would encourage desertion and divorce. Pensions would be provided j by his bill only for worthy widows] with children and wives of men con-1 fined in the state penal institutions. • Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 22—(Speciali to Daily Democrat)—A speech for ev- j cry possible occasion has been pre-: pared by Bernard Shively of Marion. ] who already has introduced more bills ; than any other legislator, except, perhaps, Stotsenberg, of New Albany. This is Shively second term in the upper house. Smoking is permitted in the house 'and tabbooed in the senate. Lieuten-ant-governor William O’Neill has discouraged smoking so persistently ! without making any rules Uiat the scions have no desire to encounter his frown and Indulge the weed in i corridors and ante-rooms, when they feel they must. Former Lieutenant- ' governor Hall permitted smoking. — o — CHILDREN’S GUARDIANS. ' I There will be a called meelng of the board of children’s guardians . Thursday afternoon at 2:30 at the library. i

JACK THE PEEPER Has Again Made His Ap-pearance-Annual Report of His Wanderings. IS CORROBORATED I This Time by Tracks in the Snow—Toes Point Towards the Windows. The annual report of the various ' kinds of “Jacks” that wander abroad during the still night air, has again come to notice. This time he appeared in the north part of the city and takes the form of a “Jack the Peeper.” The rumor is corroborated this time by very apparent tracks in the snow. These have appeared beneath the windows of several homes of prominent families and the toes of the tracks point toward the windows. The “peeper” himself has also been seen several times by families in various neighborhoods of the north part of the city, where his actions, as he watches the houses and tries to peer into the windows, attract much atitention. He was first noticed several evenings ago by a man of the house in the north part. Not much was thought" of the fellow, until his stay lengthIjened into two hours. The man of the i house then became suspicious and goII ing to the door called to him and askled why he was watching about the i place. The fellow answered that he I was waiting for his girl, whom he ' ] said lived in a house nearby. Suspic- • lons were allayed somewhat for the .time being, but when the report came . ■ that a peeper was seen near another nearby home, and still another, there I were good reasons to believe that a “chronic peeper” was abroad in the | land. Under the window of one of the houses in the neighborhood, the snow bore unmistakable evidences of footj prints of alien persons, and while ■the peeper was not seen there, there lis good reason to believe that he had ‘visited that spot, for the intention of looking into the window. WED LAST NIGHT Arthur Closs and Miss Goldie Biggs Quietly Married at Parsonage of REFORMED CHURCH I Will Make Home in Fort Wayne Where Groom is Cigar Maker. A very quiet wedding was solemnized Tuesday evening at 8:30 o’clock •at the German Reformed church by I the pastor, the Rev. L. C. Hessert, •who united the lives of Mr. Arthur | Closs and Miss Goldie Biggs, two ' well known young people. The couj pie were attended only by a friend, I Miss Flossie Ford, who witnessed the i ceremony. The groom is a son of Jacob Closs, jjr., of this city, and is a cigar-maker 1 Iby trade, having been employed in | Fort Wayne for some time. The I bride is the eldest daughter of Rural • Mail Carrier and Mrs. William Biggs, ■ iof this city. She is quite prominent I in music circles, having served as piiahist fora city orchestra. For some 1 time she has been employed at the ‘ Waring glove factory. The young couple will make their ' home in Fort Wayne. MORRISES BUY ANOTHER. Morris & Company of Bluffton, ] comprised of John A. and George | Morris, have bought another five and j ten cent store, which now makes t eight in thirr string. The eighth is the store at Hartford Ciy, which they purchased from C. B. Larrimer, a son-in-law of J. A. Morris. Mr. Larrimer has planned to embark in an- ; other business. The Morris company , now owns stores located respective- f ly in Bluffton, Columbia City, New i Casfle, Elwood, Portland, Decatur, i Hartford City, all in Indiana, and ] one at Hillsdale, Mich. t

Decatur, Indiana, Thursday January, 23 1913.

"MY CORA" GIVES IN I And Partakes of‘a Dinner of “Jail Grub.” Mrs. Cora Lee, wife of John Lee, finaHy surrendered Tuesday In her resolution against partaking of jail brub and at noon she accepted the dinner taken to her ceil by a jail attache. She said that she was not very hungry, and ate only lightly of the tray of eatables taken to her. This made the second meal for her since Thursday noon of last week. A cousin took her dinner to the jail Sunday. Mrs. Lee has done no further talking and she and her husband have neither made further disclosures. She has broken down and wept several times. John Lee is reported to show little worry since his wife was placed in jail and eats and sleeps well.—Bluffton News. QUIET IN CAMP Os Erie Double Trackers at Magley But Officers Will Keep Watch. AGAINST THREATS Made by Discharged Boss Two Skip Out After Getting Clothes. From the camp of the Erie doubletrack workers at Magley. where the riot occurred last week, come echoes of still more trouble pending, and the sheriff and his deputy are holding themselves in readiness to be called to the scene at any time. The trouble started last week among the Italian laborers, when the interpreter or boss, Charles Ross, was discharged for failure to get his workmen on the scene ofi time. He incited a riot, it is said, among the others, and nine were brought here for trial. Six were fined and went to jail, as they were not able to pay, but Ross was let go. The company took up the matter and paid the fines of the six imprisoned nere, from their wages due them, so that they could be released from jail and return to Work. Two of the men, however, when their fines were paid, had no balance left them on their wages. They then applied to the commissary camp for an outfit of clothing, consisting of shoes, overalls, etc., amounting to some five or six dollars apiece, and the man in charge of the commissary, thinking that they wanted the clothing to go back to work, and that he could collect the money from their wages, let them have the outfit. That was the last seen of these two men, but the four others who had money due them, are still at work as faithfully as though nothing had ever come up to mar the'serenity of the camp. Officers along the way were notified- of the fleeing men and a sharp watch will be kept for them. Charles Ross, the discharged boss, or interpreter, made a threat that If a man would be gotten to work in his place, he would return and kill him. No one has yet been secured, but the superintendent of the construction gang, Pat Durkins, is attending to Ross’s work, as well as his own. Care will be taken, however, to see that Ross does not attempt to carry out his threat, and should he do so the officers here will be hot on his trail. o INDIANA HEALTH REPORT. 333 More Deaths in December, 191?, Than in Same Month in 1911. There were 338 more deaths in In-| (liana in December, 1912, than in the . same month of the previous year.; The state board of health completed its report Monday. The total deaths were 3,115. Huntington and Rennselaer had no deaths. Pneumonia, with 322, leads in the causes; tuberculosis, 284; smallpox, 1; diphtheria, 77; scarlet fever, 19; and measles, 3. Os births 2,120 were boys, 2,034 girls. Daviess county had the largest birthrate and Franklin the lowest. CONSCIENCE HONEY, C. A. Arnold of Bluffton was pleasantly surprised Tuesday morning when he received a check for SSO from a Portland man who had owed him for twenty-eight years. It was while In the hub block business at Monroe twenty-eight years ago that the debt was contracted.

VETERAN IS DEAD I , A. A. Mason of Ceylon Calli ed After Illness of Five Years’ Duration. t r THE GENEVA NEWS L 1 Chas. Reichelderfer Badly Bruised in Accident—i Mrs. Acker Better. i l Geneva, Ind., Jan. 22—(Special to Daily Democrat) —A. A. Mason, veteran of the civil war, pioneer of this ) I section of the county, and one of the well known citizens, died at his home in Ceylon at 8:30 o’clock Tuesday morning, after an Illness of five years, t He was seventy-four years old and was born In Fairfield county, Ohio, coming to this county in 1856. For a number of years he has lived a retired life. He was married three times and Is survived by a wife, six sons and two daughters. Three sons and • one daughter live in Oregon and arrangements for the funeral have been postponed awaiting news from them. ; The services will be held in the U. B. church here, but probably not for several days. Mr. Mason enlisted in the army In August, 1861 and was discharged In August, 1865, serving four ■ years. — -1 Charles Reicheldiefer, well known citizen here was badly bruised in an s ‘accident which ocurred Tuesday. He f jwas loading a gin pole on a wagon at , i his barn on Line street, when the I (pole flew around and struck him on i the back of the head. He was thrown . I with great force and suffered severe Jbrusies about the face and head. He i • is resting easy today and will be able .i to look after business affairs in a . few days. I ,! Word has been received from Mrs. , I Samuel Acker who is spending the . j winter at Alberquerque, New Mexico, : | that she is improving in health, havP | ing gained nine pounds. The news is . indeed cheering to the family and the I many freinds here. VOUNG BOY IN JAIL — Fifteen Year Old Robert Eley Indicted by Grand Jury on l ■ : A SERIOUS CHARGE ; Assault and Battery With Criminal Intent on Mere Babe. Robert Eley, a fifteen-year-old school boy of the city, son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Eley, residing on Nib-, lick street, was arrested Tuesday night by Deputy Sheriff Jesse Kelly, on a warrant issued from the circuit court on a grand jury charge of assault and battery with criminal intent. The alleged victim of the boy j was Malissa Sunday, six-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Sunday, who reside on Niblick street and ' I are neighbors of the Eleys, the alleged offense occurring, it is said, Oc-; tober 18, 1912. I The boy’s bond was fixed at SSOO, 'and failing to give it, he was taken Ito jail to await proceedings. The 1 lad was only fifteen years of age last December 20, and is small for bis age. His father is a laborer of the city and • is employed at the hoop mill. A YOUNG PEOPLES CHORUS. The young people of the Presbyter- . lan church have organized a chorus , which one Sunday evening each month , will sing at the regular services. The organization was completed last Sunday afternoon and the chorus is composed of the Sunday school classes taught by Mrs. Beavers, Mrs. Lower, Mr. D. B. Erwin and Mrs. Hubbard. They will render special music and are arranging to make the chorus a complete success. The first service In which they take part will be given | in about two weeks. (?

J JUDGE WOULD SPANK ELOPERB. St. Louis, Mo., Jan. 22— " When elopers visit Clayton, St. Charles or Alton to get marriage licenses the • recorder’s clerk should give them spankings instead of licenses," said Judge Hugo Grimes, the other day at the close of a state judicial conference. “There are too many children getting married,” he added. "The I law should be more rigidly enforced land it should be made more difficult for children to rush into matrimony.’’ The conference decided to recommend to the legislature a law which the guilty party in a divorce case shall not be permitted to marry within a year after a decree is granted. ABOUT THE SICK Mrs. J. W. Jeffrey Taken to I the Lutheran Hospital for Operation. TO BE THURSDAY Nurse for the Thieme Boy Leaves—Mrs. Jas. Spade Getting Better. I Mrs. John W. Jeffrey left this • morning for Fort Wayne, where she will enter the Lutheran hospital and tomorrow morning will undergo an operation for what is thought to be appendicitis and gall stones. She has been ailing for two years or more. The operation will be perform- ' ed by a Fort Wayne physician, assisted by her local physician. Mrs. Jeffrey’s daughter. Miss Bessie, is a stu- ■' dent in the nurses' training class of the Lutheran hospital. Mrs. Jeffrey was accompanied by her son, Harry. . Clarence Magner, who was so unfortunate as to have one of his hands mangled a few -weeks ago, is again afflicted, undergoing a siege of pneumonia. He is a brother of Mrs. Til-, den Lister. Mrs. James Spade, a patient at the Ist. Joseph hospital, Fort Wayne, for I a week or so, since an operation, is getting better steadily. It will be some time before she can be removed ! ' to her home. | 1 Miss Helm, of Kendallville, a trained nurse in attendance on Fred Thieme, Jr., fourteen year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Thieme, of Union 'township, it was thought could be disI charged today, the lad’s condition being such that it was thought a nurse I would not be needed longer. The boy | has been ill nine weeks and three days during wich time a nurse was constantly in attendance, three different ones being on tho case as it was necessary for one to relieve the other. He was operated upon for appendicitis and gall stones, and is now able 'to sit up for an hour or so a day. His constitution is said to be a remarkably strong one, else he could not have .withstood the long siege. There are | hopes for his ultimate full recovery. I Miss Emma Lautzenheiser and Mrs. James Gauze of Willshire, Ohio, changed cars here this morning enroute to Fort Wayne to call on Mrs. Grace Acker of Willshire, who is a patient at the St. Joseph hospital. She was operated upon three weeks ago and has been in a very serious condition. She was formerly Miss Grace Morehead of Willshire, the wife of James Acker, of Pleasant Mills. SALE ANNOUNCEMENT. Teeple, Brandyberry & Peterson will hold their big semi-annual clearance sale, beginning Saturday morning, January 25th, and closing Satur- : day evening, February Bth. They guarantee to save you from 20 to 50 per cent on anything you buy at this : sale. Read their announcement and schedule list of prices in tomorrow’s dally. It ' UNCLE HEZEKIAH OBSERVES. - - I My sun, Bud, whut wurks on a nusepapur sez it’d be a relief on the social horizon if some uv the folks at a party uld jist “pick up their duds and go hum," instead o’ “at a late hour they all departed wishin’ the host and hostess many more sich. happy okashuns.”

ACCEPTED BIDS 1 r * Council Accepts Offers of ! Banks for Depositing the City’s Money. ♦; ■ J RESERVOIR PLANS 1 Drawn by Mr. Gillig Pre- ' sented—Referred to Waterworks Committee. The meeting of the city council, 'held Tuesday evening at their quarters, opened with the reading of the i > minutes of the last session, and were ’ approved as read. j The next thing In order and which was one of the most important topics of the meeting, was the reading of the annual report of the mayor for the year 1912. It showed that the ’ city was decreasing its debt very [rapidly. Th*, city's indebtedness was I decreased $8,372.97 during the year 11913. On January sth, this year, the [city paid off $3,000 of the $9,000 worth jof bonds outstanding, leaving the debt now $43,000. The council intends to pay off $3,000 worth of these ; bonds in the near future as the city has plenty of money on hand. ( Petition for macadamizing Oak and Indiana streets were then brought up ! and referred to the street and sewer committee, upon which they will re- ' port at the next meeting. [' The petition for the Sether sewer, which would commence in the center of the alley, six feet west of the northwest corner of inlot number 42, in citizen’s second addition, city of Decatur, then running south in the , center of the alley 162 feet to Mei- . bers street, then east and along Meibers street for 268 feet to the alley running north and south between Dirkes & Walnut streets, then cross- . ing Meibers street on the south and terminating in the man hole of the Christen sewer, the length of the entire sewer to be 475 feet, then came up. At the suggestion of the city attorney, the city surveyor was given notice to draw a map of the entire territory of the property owner, who would likely drain into the sew- . er, so it could be decided whether it ]was a local, general or district sew. er. I The fire chief was then ordered to give notice to the owners of the buildings now occupied by the Morris Company five and ten cent store, and the Ben Knappe saloon, of the defective flue between these two buildings. 1 Plans for the proposed new reservoir to be built where the one now stands at the city water works plant, were shown to the council. If the city obtains a newer and larger reservoir the insurance companies will decrease their rate of insurance in the city. The plans were drawn by Mr. Gillig of this city. It. would hold not less than 200,000 gallons. This was referred back to the waterworks committee, who will look after plans and specifications. The board of finance then made its report, which was as follows: j That the First National bank and Old Adams county bank had received notice of making bids for the depository of the city’s funds. A motion to have this spread of record was then in order and carried. The First National bank’s bid was that It would receive not more than $30,000 of the city’s funds, and to pay them two per cent Interest, daily, as the balance always varies from one day to another. The Old Adams County bank’s bld was the same, except that they would not receive more than $15,000. A motion was then made to make the banks a depository for the city's money, and carried. The amount to bo deposited in each will be divided according to their capital and surplus. The interest received during the past two years from these deposits are as follows: Old Adams County bank, two years, $179.40; from First National, two years, $160.86. The council then allowed the following claims, and a motion to adjourn carried: Consolidation Coal Co $459.59 Westinghouse Elec. Mfg. Co.. 21.69 Wells-Fargo Express Co 7.69 Waterworks pay roll 10.45 Ind. Elec. Appliance Co 2.96 L. Hammond 11.00 W. J. Archbold, ‘Treas 2.00 Kirsch, Sellemeyer & Sons Co. 38.10 (Ocrnrvnnec on 2)

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