Democratic Press, Volume 1, Number 17, Decatur, Adams County, 7 February 1895 — Page 1

THE DEMOCRATIC PRESS.

VOLUME I.

George Ford of Wabash town ship, was attendin court this week. David Obeiman was in town over Sunday, the first time in some two months. This is the third week of the February term of our circuit court, only two more remaining. Dell Locke and daughter Lucile were at Waterloo over last Sunday, guests of the former's parents. aiiss lantha Gregory an inmate of the Adams County Bank, was on the sick list several days this week. A mighty interesting letter is in in this issue from R. B. Allison who is now enjoying the lieauties of Florida. Samuel Smith and Mary E. Hoffman, Jacob Gross and Mary E. Helm have secured the necessary documents to marry and live forever. Herman Center went over to Huntington Sunday, returning that night accompanied by his wife who had been visiting there with Mrs. J. Fred France. W. H. Shepherd, one of Hartford township’s most prominent business farmers, was a witness in court Mo' day. He took time to t ran sact some business of i in portance while here, Godfrey Christen is the new secretary of the Trenton Rock Mining company, the change taking effect the first of the month at which time John S. Bowers also assumed managing control. The telephone exchange seems to be catching with quite a numerous number of cities surrounding. Decatur was one of the first to grab onto the fashion which is a sure enough indicator of our progressive merits. Vogelwede, the shoe dealer, moved this week into the room just vacated by Rosenthal, the clothier. The change was made to get mote room which Henry wanted in order to swell out and increase his stock in trade. Mrs. Martin McLaughlin of NewCorydon, returned yesterday from New York where she had been spending the two months last past among relatives. She was accompanied here by her father who will remain some time. The Clover Leaf route w ill is ue low rate round trip tickets to nearly all points beyond St. Louis, Mo., Feb. 12, Texas, Arkansas, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, etc. Call on nearest agent or address C. C. Jenkins, general passenger agent, at Toledo, Ohio. Also low rates will be made to New Orleans and Mobile on account of Mardi Gras. J. W. Fawcett, the editor of the Winchester Democrat, is the defendant in a libel suit brought by Wallace Neal of Portland. The article which brought out all this retaliation was contained in a fewlined local which applied a fewchoice ringers at Neal. Bond was given in the sum of S4OO. He was after wards d isch arged. Law-suits have been the order of things in the circuit court for a fewdays past, the injured parties living iu and near Geneva where the eases come from. This reminds us that law suits are grounds for all kinds of hard swearing or testifying and we guess these eases were not unlike their predecessors. The case of Samuel F. Biteman vs. Morton Christman and others was verdicted in favor of the former. An old railroad man was c inverted, so the story goes, and when asked to lead in prayer he prayed as follows: “Oh, Lord, now that I have Magged Thee, lift my feet off the rough road of life and plant them safely on the deck of the train . ot salvation. Let me use the safety lamp known as prudence, make all couplings ou the train with the link of thy love, and let my hand lamp be the bible. And Heavenly Father, keep all the switches closed that lead off onto blind sidings, especially those with a blind end. Oh, Lord, if it be thy pleasure, have every semaphore block along the line show the white light of hope, that I may make the run of life without stopping. And, Lord, give us the ten command ments as a schedule and when I have finished the run, and have, on schedule time, pulled into the great, dark station of death, may’ thou, the superintendent of the universe, say with a smile, ‘Well done, thou and faithful servant, come up and sign the pay roll: and receive your check for eternal 1 happiness.’”—Ex.

Martin McLaughlin of New Corydon, was in town last Friday on business. Tom Drew, a hundred and ten pounder and a pretty good hustler for his size, was in the city Tuesday talking business. Jacob Miller, our neighbor across the way, is the prond and distinguished papa of one boy, born Tuesday at high noon. Lew Lachot, one of Berne’s popular young men, died Monday morning after a short illness with lung fever. He was thirty years old and well known. Indianapolis is figuring on a public post office building, and a bill is liefore the lower house touching the subject. Senator Turpie is doing some genuine legging for the new house. A fire at Plymouth yesterday burned out seventeen business rooms and caused a loss that would lie hard to figure up. The origination of the fire is supposed to be from an exploded lamp. A Linn Grove man has just announced his intention of endeavoring to exist for thirty days with lone quail and four apples each day as nourishment. The foolkiller must have missed Adams county in his rounds. —Peoples Press. Welcome Rice of Indiai apolis, spent lust Saturday and Sunday’ with his son Herliert at the Burt. He is a veteran railroad man and has a career in this line which would be as highly’ entertaining as any high grade novel you ever read. Jacob Longenberger of near Monroe, came home Saturday from Newton Falls, Ohio, where he had l been attending the funeral of his I brother Frank, who died two days previous of typhoid fever. The I deceased was known to some extent here. List of letters remaining unclaimed in the postoffice at Decatur, for the week ending Feb. 2, 1895: j Mattie McClure, Levy’ Summers, Robert Galentiue, Julius Ehrman, Adams Balmer- Persons calling for the above will please say “advertised.” John Welfley, P. M. A probably fatal accident happened at the saw mill of Smith & Bell Tuesday. Elmer Smith was helping to roll a log off a wagon when the chain broke the log striking his hip, mashing it in a manner that will make him a cripple a life time. He is about twenty-two years old and lives on North Ninth Street. The fatality is one to be deplored. Mrs. Josephine R. Nichols of Indianapolis, ex-state president of the Indiana W. C. T. IT., and a noted speaker on the social questions of the times, will give one of her popular lectures in Decatur on next Thursday evening, Feb. 14. The place will be announced from the pulpits on next Sunday You I will miss a rare treat if you fail to hear her. Admission free. The Grand Rapids depot was the ' scene of excitement knee deep the ' other day, caused by the sudden : discharge of a target gun which the holder thereof “didn't know was ' loaded.” The mystic discharge alj most eliminated the smeller of Operator Simmons and at the same I time curved over the tack of Baggagemaster Waggoner’s neck- No I blood was drawn but it was a close shave. They will tackle an infer- ‘ nal machine next. A fee and salary law is now pending in the legislature, the pro , visions of which places the state I officers cn a straight out salary, ranging from $7,500 for the attorney general to $1,500 for state librarian. The salaries for countyofficials are also fixed and as arranged gives the clerk of Adams county $2,000, auditor $2,100, recorder $1,300, treasurer $1,700 and sheriff $1,900. The prosecuting attorney is allowed SSOO and fees that go with the office. The county treasurer in addition to his salary is given four per cent, for the collection of all delinquent taxes, and he is also required to regularly report the amount of delinquent taxes collected, as well as the amount not collected, with satisfactory- reasons why the remainder was not collected. The bill contains an emergency clause, which makes it a law immediately after its final passage. The highest amount paid a county officer is in Marion county, where the clerk will receive $19,500, auditor $17,500, recorder $12,500, treasurer SIO,OOO, sheriff $13,000.

DECATUR, INDIANA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1895.

Trustee-elect Bowers of Kirkland township, was in town Monday on business. Mr. Howard of Fort Wayne is visiting relatives and friends in the city, among whom are ComityClerk Lenhart. Sheriff Ashbaucher was at Geneva Monday, ai d from there braced the storms to the vicinity of Buena Vista, where official business called him. In Randolph county Monday a boiler explosion killed five people and injured several more. It seems that the boiler was empty and when filled with cold water the' explosion occurred. Several sports were out trying the gun the other day. We could almost spit upon one dead game sport who shot eighteen times at a tame rabbit and then the creature of innocence got away. Last Saturday was what is known the world over as ground hog day. We guess the old man was out for | some of the coldest weather of the year has since smiled upon us, but just think of six weeks more. It I is terrible to relate. Ehinger & Meyers are putting on I more style than anybody, by having their store room repapered and fixed up. The change is noticeable ' ami shows off their big stock of : goods to quite an advantage. They I don’t believe in being behind the i times. * Otlis Juday of Geneva, appeared ’| before a committee of the Adams Itounty bar association and after I passing a creditable examination ’i was admitted to practice the rudi ' ments of law iu our circuit court. ‘ Quite soon the bulk of Geneva in--1 habitants will lie lawyers. . | Will Christen for two years cou- . nected with the postoffice in this city, resigned same the first of the month. During the time he was connected with the business of ' Uncle Sam he was kind, corteous and accommodating He is an architect, and a good one too, so we ’ presume he will continue that por ' session. Every printing office, says an exchange, has a devil, a hell box, a chase form, em braces without number, daggers, lock-ups and galleys its forms are made up, it occasiona 1 lly changes its dress, its furniture is made out of lead, it has eoinsbut no money, makes many impressions. 1 has sticks and imposing stones, rol--1 lers and molds, and no end to funny 1 things. But they’re all essential to the business. Keep your eyes on the newspaper, [• says an exchange, and see which of ! the merchants wants your custom and are sufficiently courteous to in- • vite you to call. There is more in ! i advertising than you think. It is not to tell of his goods that a man ’ advertises; it is to invite the people t that read—the thinking, the intel- ( ligent—to pay him a visit and to judge for themselves as to quality and price of goods he offers for sale. “ People read advertisements. Don’t ' make any mistake about that. They 1 are just as much interested to know ' where to buy’ to an advantage 1 as the advertiser is in selling his goods. P. W. Smith & Co. the lumber Kings, sel’em up to his employes here yesterday, and a better time 1 never was tapped at anyl place. Some fifty’ teams do hauling for their mill here, and j i they had a parade at noon and such a one never was seen before. It , was somewhat unique to see the ■ long line of heavy logging apparatus, large horses and hard work- ; ing men filing down Main street all looking happy as the governor of any state. A free dinner was also on the bill of fare, the same being; served in the parlors at Colehiu’s, ' and in which t.e newspapers were also permitted to figure with compliments of Smith & Co. All told the company operate mills here, Berne, Williams, Van Buren, Warren, and Ridgeville and in all have about 225 teams hauling timber regularly. M. F. Rice is manager of the plant here, and also has supervision over the business entire. To him we are indebted' : for a square meal. All checks are pay able from here and one can but little imagine the magnitude of such a business. It embraces a pay roll that would make a hungry editor sick to look at. It is also a business that is valuable to the merchants and business men of Decatur, a fact that most everybody realizes and whoare willing to take their hats off toP. W. Smith & Co.

Joe A. Hendricks was in from Berne Monday, and reports more work at his saw mill than he can attend to, Ossian had a blaze yesterday which totally demoralized the millinery establishment of Mrs. Vinecore’s. The loss is about $1,200 with SBOO insurance. The wife of Dr. Thomas was so years old yesterday, a fact that she was agreeably apprised of by a number of her friends who dropped in and spent the day socially- with her. The circuit court suit in which is figured the city of Decatur and the Grand Rapids railroad is set : for the last Friday of this term. Judge Dailey of Bluffton will pre side on the judicial bench. Deputy Revenue Collector Harkins is now busy notifying those in his district who own sufficient wealth to be affected by the income tax arrangement, that he has blanks for that purpose in his office at Fort Wayne. We are creditably informed that Mrs. J. D. Hale will spend the coming summer in California, with | her daughter Ethel. The absence is one that is surely happy to con- | template, as that country is reputed Ito be the gar leu sp it of ail crea tion. Trustee Schugg of Monroe to.vnI ship, died and was buried in the Backtaw cemetery Monday. He had lieen afflicted with consump- | tion and was sick for seme length ,of time, and bore his sufferings with great fortitude. He was about forty years of age and leaves a fam- | ily of six children, as well as many i friends. Just mention something about an I open winter now if you want to get yourself mixed up «ith various astonishers. The ‘ jewhollcker” has ranged from ten degrees above to eleven below zero for a week past, I and besides this the famous grizzly ; ground hog saw all kinds of shadows. Oh, spring, gentle Annie, where art thou? Last evening at ihehomeof Rev. Father Wilken occurred the quiet marriage of Fred Falk and Miss Rose Holthouse, the accomplished daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A. Holthouse. They immediately repaired to their home already’ furnished, over Hunsicker’s grocery where they will be cozily located, and ready to greet their many’ friends. They are estimable young people and here’s wishingthem a long,happy and prosperous life. Who is Frank Sparks? The Ft. Wayne Journal this morning contained the following, purporting to be from Leipsic, Ohio: “Frank Spark, a pretended detective from Decatur, Ind., was taken from the home of a relative at Shawtown last night, about 12 o’clock, by a band of regulators, given a red hot dose of tar and feathers and ordered to leave. The man ran away with a saloon keeper’s wife two weeks since. She left him at Decatur and retur ed home. He followed and got the warm reception prepared by the regulators.” We think the Journal has another ease ' of “j fins.” It is now time to distinguish our i selves upon the far-famed subject, ' the ground hog. The origination of Mr. Groundy occurred back iu the days of Adam and was once ' celebrated the same as Washing ton’s birthday or the Fourth of I July now is. A rural tradition I first came from Germany’ that a \ ground hog could tell-—on the 2d I of February—-just how long winter j would continue, and furthermore j there were thousands of people who did and would yet bank their last I stack of blues upon the certain tra- , ditions of this adage. If he comes i forth from his winter’s cold subterranean home looking almost tio lean and lank to make a creditable shadow, even when the weather is favorable, and if Hicks failsto permit him to see himself, then he talks in a language only known to himself, winter is on its last pegs, and everything begins to bloom with a noticeable tinge of spring. If, however, ashadowappears when he first pokes his nose on top of earth, he takes on a sad couute nance and returneth to his winter den, and people the world over buy ane v supply’ of gas ami prepare to make the best of life until about tie middle of March. This notable day occurred last Saturday, and sorry to relate the old man saw his shadow so it’s time for us to remind you that winter has only begun. Prepare yourself.

SUNNY FLORIDA As Viewed by Oar FellowTownsman, R. B. Allison. Braidentown, Fla., Jan. 27. Editor Press: —You know the old adage, “Better late than never” ami as I promised to let you know something about the country ami people in what is known as the land of perpetual sunshine and Howers, I will now enter upon that duty,' hoping it may serve my friends and your readers iu passing an idle moment pleasantly. As you are aware John Trentman of Fort Wayne, and myself left De | catur on Tuesday morning, Jan. 15, over the G. R. & I. for Fiori a. We reached Cincinnati at noon ex pectiug to remain there till the I next morning, but on account of the sloppy condition of the stree's we left for Chattanooga the same evening, arriving there the next ; morning. After breakfasting we spent a short time in looking around but the air was cool ami raw, with some evidences of snow so we boarded the first train out for Atlanta, Georgia, which city we reached about 2 p. m. Wednesday but left same day for Jackson vide arriving there at <i a. m. Thursday, but as we had not yet sten any sunshine concluded to continue on south and pulled out for Port Tampa where we arrived ■ in the evening and put up at the : famous Inn and remained till morning, taking the steamer Margaret I for Braidentown where we arrived i about noon Friday. The weather from that time was very pleasant for several days. From inquiries made along the route business is if I anything wor-e in the south than jin the north. Merchants say there is litera ly nothing doing and that the prospect for the near future is i very discouraging. , Although the orange crop in tee south was nearly all marketed be.l fore the cold wave of Dec. 31 struck the state, it completely Destroyed their growing crop of vegetables, which was a much more serious I loss to the south part of the state . i than theorange crop possibly could . as there are so many poor people '; who have a few acres that they’ culi tivate and who depend almost enI j tirely on what they raise thereon 1 for their support, and they will riot ' begin to realize on their next crop until sometime about the first of April. I noticed particularly that the damage to orange trees was greater between Jacksonville and Tampa than on the Manatee river, and from injuiries made I learn that through that section many’ of the trees were entirely- killed. The ' foliage is as brown as on our forest trees in December. As to improvements in the cities ' through which we passed I can say but little, but understand that with the exception of Atlanta, Jacksonville and Tampa there is little beI ing done. One thing that makes Atlanta seem livelier than any other I city just now is that they are con | Structing the buildings for the cotton exposition that is to open up ion September 18. From tin. informatiou I can obtain it will be the i largest and most complete one ever held iu the south, and for their ■ sake, T hope, a success. Tampa is | growing very rapidly, a d iu my I i opinion will some day- be the most J I important city in the state. Il isaj i port of entry and does a large trade 1 with the West Indies; it has lines I of steamers running to Mobile, New I Orleans and Galveston. It is also i one of the principal cities for mani nfactuiing cigars in the United ! States. There are now three large ! factories and the St idenbergs of I New York, are constructing large i brick buildings for the purpose of I making a certain class of goods that I they- do not make in their large factories in that city. The expectaJ tion is that when all Hie factories for making cigars are in full opera tion they will tmploy at least three thousand men, mo-ely Cubans. They use imported tobacco and their best brands of cigars aie fully up to the standard of imported goods. The Tampa Bay hotel is the finest in the state, not excepting the famous Bonce de Leon of St. Augustine, and is getting to be very popular with tourists, especially those enroute to Cuba. Ou account of shallow water at Tampa the Plant system of railroads built an extension south nine miles and then put piling out the bay one mile so as to give sufficient depth of water for any of their fine line of steamers to land, and which is known as Port Tampa, or the Venice of America. On the struc-

NUMBER 17

ture they have built a freight depot of immense siz>-, a splendid ho’el known as the Inn and besides have various other buildings, the whole expense of which must have cost ! over one million dollars. Braidentown is situated on the Manatee river forty miles south of Tampa and is reached by steamer direct from Tampa or by another one from Port Tampa- The former ; boat maker tri weekly and the other daily trips and have been doing a ; profitable business up to this time. Braidentown is a small place of perhaps four or five hundred inhabitants, and has three hotels, a good high school, a creditable court I house and quite a number of business houses. There is a number of ! other small towns in the vicinity, and if they could have been consolidated would have made quite an import town. The Manatee river is on an average over a mile wide, and really part and parcel of Tampa bay. Fishing is good and oysters and clams can be had near by, and it is one of the safest and best harbors in this part of the state- Along the Manatea and Braiden rivers are many fine orange and lemon orchards, and vegetables are raised in large quantities for shipment to different parts of the country. The weather here was very warm till Tues ay last, the mercury ranging ■ from 80 to 85°, but since that time j we had a norther which cooled off the temperature ami the mercury ■ dropped to 40° but today warmed ' up again. Mr. Trentman is not fond < ftishI ing or boating so I have d -no very little in that line on account of i keeping him company. I expect : some friends in a few days from II Des Moines, lowa, and wi 1 then • take my revenge on the finny tribe. ■ John says this country is a yard ;' wide and all wool, and that the alligators are so tame you can feed • 1 them out of your hand. I have no ! big snake stories to tell yet but will : try and stock up before I write you i again, and will then make each particu ar hair of your head stand on J eml like the quills of the fretful porcupine. Oh! I forgot. There | was five rattlers killed a short time ■! ago, across the bay east of here, but . i the crop is decreasing yearly and it will not be long till their lovely i music will be heard no more for- : ever. > Captain Fogarty says I ought to f go fishing as they are so ravenous : since the freeze that they don’t i wait for the iiait to be put on the [ hook, but walk right up on the , dock or climb into the boats and i help themselves, but being a junior ’ G. Washington I cannot vouch for > the last story. Hoping yourself and readers are enjoy ing yourselves in true Hoosier style, I am yours i very truly. “M.ajor.” The neighborhood near Al Buhler in the northern part of town, thought there was a young earth ■ quake come to town Tuesday evening. It seems that Al just moved Into the house in question. The former occupant burned gas and when he left he removed the gas pipe or part of it but failed to have i same jiropi rly capped, so w hen the ' the family of Mr. Buhler fired up with wood and got things comf rtabley warm thereabout the leaking j gas caused an explosion that nearly : capsized the kitchen. No one was - hurt, but nevertheless it will take I a few dollars to make the repairs necessary to a good warm house. When John 1). Hale was at Geneva two or three weeks ago, he officered the John P. Porter Post there by making Joe A. Hemhicks commander, G. R. Dickerson senior vice commander, J. P. Scheer junior vice commander, J. C. Hale quartermaster, Will H. Fought adjuItant, William Harper officer of the day, and John Juday chaplain. ; The Post meel s the second and i fourth Wednesdays in each month, j and is in a flourishing condition. Mrs. G. H. Brown. 175 Fairfield avenue Ft, Wayne, sister of Mrs. > A. K. Grubb, of this city died suddenly at her home at 1 30 Monday. The remains were interred at Melmore, Ohio, Wednesday. Mrs. Brown leaves a babe five mounths old that will be taken by Airs.Grubb. Mr. and Mrs. Grubb weie in attendance at the funeral obsequies. A company of amateur barnstormers from Decatur occupied the G. A. R. hall Tuesday and Wednesday nights. They were fairly well patronized, and with enough practice some of them may yet blossom into actors, but they should not start out in such frosty weather. —Geneva Herald.