Democratic Press, Volume 1, Number 20, Decatur, Adams County, 28 February 1895 — Page 1

THE DEMOCRATIC PRESS.

VOLUME I.

The baby of Charles Niblick has been sick during the week. 11. M. Aspy and A. G. Briggs of Geneva, were attending to business in the city Monday. W. E. Keubler and wife very royally entertained the pedro club at their home Tuesday evening. A good time is reported. Frank France was in town the first of the week awinkin’ at his friends. He goes to Mansfield, 0., where he will grind out the celebrated Place's ice creams. Easter is due this year on April 14, much later than usual, and should it l>e true that settled weather does not come until after Easter, we are in for several weeks yet. Several teachers in our public schools are numbered with the sick, among them lieing Prof. Moffat of the city schools, and Elmer and Lulu Miller of French township Henry A. Breiner and Emma F. Fruchte, Fredeika Bose, Alvin A. Gilson and Clara E. Porter constitute the number who haie been licensed to marry since our last issue. Stenographer Jaqua of Portland, took the evidence in the MillerPopejoy seduction suit just terminated in our circuit court. In this line of work Frank has few’ equals in northern Indiana. Will A. Kunkle of Bluffton, is the dad of a fine looking son, and his many friendsin thiscity will be glad to smoke a good cigar on the prospect of the lad being a sac simile of his dear old dad. Teacher’s examination for license was held by County Superintendent Snow in bis office last Saturday. Thirty-one applicants were present at d took the regular examination, a number somewhat unusual at this time of year. A witness in court the other day when asked what constituted truth and veracity, very pointedlj’ answered it by saving “what is said and what is not said about any one person.’’ That surely covers the ground very cleverly without even a key hole to escape. The public schools in this city will turn out twenty one grad nates, who will have finished the work in the schools ami graduated there-: from with merit and honor. This will make quite a large class, and it will also demonstrate that our public schools are decidedly pro gressive. The Knights of Pythias boys all dressed up in their best bib and tucker and marched out to the Evan gelieal church last Sunday and listened to Rev. Stoop discourse upon a biblical subject in his easy, eloquent manners. This custom the boys observe once every year, in memory of the anniversary of the creation of Pythlanism. Tuesday night the marshal made a scatterment of some hoboes who i had been making their headquar ters down by the Chicago & Erie i bridge. Quite a nest of these, French ornaments have been stay ing there several days. One of the | measly doggeries showed tight, but the marshal promptly sat upon him and the fun is over. An Indianapolis man was arrested this week for assault and battery on his wife. At the trial both he and his wife testified that in a good humored tussle, he jerked her out of bed by the foot, and for this of sense the judge good humoredly, fined him five dollars. This is the i first case on record where a hus-, band was fined for good humoredly ' pulling his wife's leg.—Blooming ton World. Washington's birthday was duly celebrated in our public school last Friday, by the rendition of public exercises which were indeed very creditable for such an occasion. Decorations were numerous and everything passed off amid such splendor and style that Prot. Moffat surely felt a commingleation of pride at the work completed under his directorship. Patrons of the school very generously took advantage of the privilege and were pres ent to see the excellent progress, deportment and decorum that reigned there with such effective generality. That they were more than pleased goes without saying. The public schools in this city are in a flourishing condition, thanks to the displayed ability of those in charge. But few schools in the state show more progress, and that s! saying a good deal.

Mrs. Jeff Bryson entertained friends to “tay” Tuesday evening. Sheriff’ Ashbaucher took Incest Jacobs to the northern prison yesterday. Ex Clerk Oppenheim of Bluffton, was circulating among friends here Tuesday. He is interested in the telephone business and is putting in a number at Portland. George W. Bolds and wife were in the city over Sunday, the guests <>f Treasurer Bolds and family. They also attended the reception at the Meisse House, Saturday even ing. You love your wife? Lighten her labors, add to her enjoyment and comfort, relieve her of all annoyance by presenting her with a Majestic steel range. See advertisement on eighth page. W. S. Hughes is on his way to Florida, leaving this city yesterday morning, going there on a business trip. He is one of the many losers caused by the freeze there a fewweeks, all of which willcost several thousand dollars. The family of F. W. Christianer of near Monmouth, has been seriously ill for a week past, with lagrippe. Fred reportedthem somewhat improved Tuesday, but a long ways from being entirely well. Dr. Boyers is attending them. List of letters remaining in the Decatur poetoffice for the past week: Margaret Arlington, Martha Anderson, Alexander Allen. Mrs. Amanda Scott, James Booth, Martin Brow n, A. Heflin, Schrader & Bros, Martin Nungester, A. J. Sheehan, John Blakeslee. John Welfi.ey, Postmaster, You w ill notice the adv’t for the i celebrated steel ranges for sale by i Shaefer & Lock. They are now being tested by the managers of the range company, who are here, and will take pleasure in showing you ! the many advantageous points in ■ these articles of cooking furniture. They are all very pleasant gentle- ; men. Portland has an ingenious me chauic who claims to have discovi ered an entirely new process for the i manufacture of artificial gas from water. He says that should the natural gas play out he could, with the machinery and plants now in use, in three days, supply the city with more pure and stronger gas.Portland Suu. Attorny Simmons of Hartford City, was here last Friday carrying lin his inside pocket a petition which was presented for signature : to the members of the Wells County j bar who were here at that time. The petition prays the legislature to change the time of the opening of the July term of Blackford circuit - court. Last Sunday afternoon Mr. Alvin jA. Gilson, son of Manasseh Gilson jof this city'and Miss Clara E. Porter daughter of William P. Porter of Pleasant Mills, were married at the home of the bride’s parents. Rev. H. H. Smith officiating. Monday evening Mr. and Mrs. Gilson departed to their new home at Green Spring, Ohio, where he is engaged as telegraph operator. Mi'S. C. I. Terry, the aged but pleasant mother of Mrs. Dr. McMillen, entertained a number of friends last Saturday afternoon, i The hostess has attained the distinct age of eighty years, but is yet j as young as she used to be. She: was exceptionally quite youthful and popular on this occasion, and entertained her guests very charmingly. The Press will commingle its superlative voice with those of her many other friends in wishing her many more happy years. George Zehr, living two miles ; northwest of town, has two boys who have probably got enough of the oil business for a time at least. They are about ten and twelve years of age respectively, and have been drilling an oil well for several days. Saturday they had got down I about five feet and thinking they ! had surely reached sand, concluded to shoot it. In some manner they got hold of several empty dynamite caps and commenced testing them with a hammer before putting in the shot. The test was entirely satisfactory, as the first one exploded, knocking a front tooth out and badly cutting the tongue of one boy and taking a part of a finger J off of the other and came very near destroying an eye. Dr. Aspy dressed their wounds and they will retire from any furter operations in the oil field.—Geneva Herald.

DECATUR, INDIANA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1895.

Judge Zollarsand P.S. O'Rourke of Fort Wayne, were attending court here yesterday. Harry Moltz of tt e Boston Store, returned the first of the week from the east, where he had been buying spring goods. Now you want to watch for new styles. Mark McConnell is the agent for this and Wells counties for the Robison Thermal Bath Cabinet, a very neat concern for a bath with the steaming process. He has sold quite a number of them. R ice &Sh irey have j ust purchused i a span of mares from Wetzel, living west of town, that tipped the beam at 2925 pounds. They- are beauties and can’t lie beaten in j Adams county. They were shipped with a car load to Philadelphia. J. B. Rice was at Frankfort, and Dan Beery at Crawfordsville, several days this week buying horses which they are shipping south. The price on this descriptive kind !of domestication is down near the water's edge, never to rise again, we guess. A recommendation comes from I the postal authorities at Washington that everybody should have their names printed on envelopes they use, which will insure its return if wrongly addressed. We print this kind of stationery ab n ut as cheap as you can buy it blank, so there. Street Commissioner Dibble is sweeping and dusting up our I rick street Bluffton will please take notice—and now it puts forth a very cleanly appearance. Decatur thoroughfares are rapidly coming to the bald-headed row, much to the appearance and credit of our enterprising populace. “My good man,” said a severe lady, “have you ever stopped to think how much money' is wasted each year for rum and tobacco?’’ “No mum, I hain’t,” answered the object: “it's taking all my time (just now to Agger out bow many poor families could be supported off the price of the extra cloth women put in their sleeves.” V. I). B 41, who is known to al most everyone within the borders of Adams, is the proud and distinguished grandpapa of three bright little girls just born to Mrs. Al. Zerkle of Ftench township. All are handsome little affairs, and of course their owners are the proudest beings on top of this celestial sphere. They were born on Thursday night of last week. Judge Dailey of Bluffton, is pre- : siding over a suit now in progress between the city and the Grand Rapids railway. The point under . dissection is theopeningof Madison street over their right of way. I Some time ago the authorities con- I demned the ground and assessed the company’s damages at SSOO, | but they were not satisfied, so come into court demanding more. The | case will be finished today. You will notice the advertisement in this issue for R. J. Holt ! house & Bro., who succeed the old established business name of A. ; Holthouse. The latter named in-| . dividual has been continuously in i ■ business here for twenty-six years, : and knows every man, woman and j child within a radius of many miles .of our city. He has turned the : business over to Romey and Clem j Holthouse, who will step into his shoes, and continue business as lie-, fore, so just peruse the ad. and go ’ see the boys. Mr. Holthouse re-| tires with oceans of friends from every nook and corner, and we’ll bet, he will feel as though he has lost' his best friend, before he gets his hand in at taking things easy, A welcome surpise occurred at I the home of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Zercle of Kirkland township, on Thursday evening, Feb. 21. Just shortly before bedtime visitors were announced, and when the committee on reception announced to the household that it was three little girl babies that had came to make their home with them, you may guess the surprise also the welcomeness with which they were received. They are all perfect and healthy and weigh respectively five pounds and four ounces, five pounds and | twelve ounces, and five poundsand fourteen ounces. It is a surprise of rare occurrence, and Mr. and Mrs. Zercle feci very proud of their new visitors and have made arrangements to keep them during their natural lives. May the little ones add many bright and happy hours to their parents lives

A goodly bunch of Knights of Bythians went to Fort Wayne Tuesday, where the order had one of their genial good times such as frequently comesto the members of this order. P. W. Smith made his regular weekly visit here the first of the week, an I took time to divulge a story' that transpired back in the dark dim past, and we will bet it is true, every word of it. C. E. Linn of Livin ston, Mont., sends another batch of lucre and orders thecontinuanceof the Press, ' which has been going to his address since our first introductory., He holds down a lucrative position iu the chief dispatcher’s office of i the Northern Pacific railroad. Spring is beginning to show her white wings, an indicator that is a sure enough sign for a change of seasons. The merchants are getting in their spring display of mer chandise and that means that you j should begin your advertising. We have plenty- of printer’s ink and i can do you good. Come and invest. > Gus Hessler, a resident of this township living three miles west of the city, died last Tuesday afternoon and was buried from the Bt. Mary’s Catholic church on Friday. The deceased died from paralysis. He was a good citizen and will be ; sorely missed by his brother and sister. Interment took place in the , new cemetery. Don’t miss seeing the Majestic! ■ steel range exhibit at F. Schafer & Lock, whether you wish to buy or not. It will certainly interest you, and while having the many superi or points of excellence embodied in this grand range explained to you they will appease your appetite: with a perfectly baked biscuit and delicious coffee. Majestic kitchen \ open from 10 a. m, to 5:30 p. m. The man who has succeeded to a well established business, which he thinks needs no building up, is occasionally heard to say “There is no deed of advertising.” He sometimes h:is his doubts, however, says Printer's Ink, when he sees anothei man, without his advantages, build up a better business in a single: year in the same street or around the corner, by the aid of advertis j ing. The noted humorist and platform entertainer, Jacob Snare Detwiler, ! will appear in Decatur, under local i auspices, at the opera house, Friday evening, March 5. Mr. Det j wiler was booked for an earlier date, but owing to a miscalculation his advertising failed to materialize I and so had to make a new date. 1 Mr. Detwiler is a man of great verI satility and ranks with such men j as Leland T. Powers, Robt. J. Bur- i ; dette, Eli Perkins and others. His J program is chaste and classical. He ’ says he wants every child of school: ; age out to hear him next Tuesday f 1 I night. The Methodist ladies worked | hard for the success of their public i, reception which came to a focus in ' i their church parlors last Friday | I evening. General George Wash- . ; ington, the never lying George, , with his wife and cabinet officer's i, j and their wives were present. Their ] presence lent a charm to the occa- , sion that had much to do with its ■ - success. Declamations, songs and . speeches were programed out much ’ ■ to the amusement of the spectators ( present. Supper was served, all of ( which formed pleasure sufficient for ( j one evening. Every one present t gave one cent for every year of their , lives as an admission fee. No one ‘ registered, because the ladies re- f fused. t Treasurer Dan Bolds and wife ] gave a tea party at the Hotel ( Meisse last Saturday evening, where t a number of their friends feasted 1 and enjoyed the hospitality of the t genial host and hostess for several < hours. At six-thirty the march I for the dining hall began, where c everything in the category of eat- j ables was displayed. A flash light t picture of the happy group by t Moser, the flash lighter, tended to t display the dignity of the occasion, s as well as the many dignitaries [ j present. After the repast was over f the remainder of the evening was a very pleasantly devoted to music ' and games, all of which was seem- s ingly most thoroughly enjoyed by j Rev. and Mrs. Gregg, Dr. DeVil- ] biss aud wife, J. Q. Neptune and t wife, J. D. Hale and wife, R. K. 1 Allison and wife, Jeff Bryson and i wife, L. G. Ellingham and wife, f and G. W. Bohls and wife of Ge 1 i neva. 1 1

A special invitation is given to every lady in this city and vicinity to see the cooking exhibit now l>e ing conducted at our store, by the representatives of the Majestic Manufacturing Company, on their great steel and malleable iron range I “Majestic.” The prudent wife is interested always in the economies of the household, and in whate r tends to lessen labor. With a Majestic iu the kitchen, fully one-half of the fuel is saved, no food is wasted, no repairs are needed, the abundance of hot water iseupplied, and the kitchen, instead of being an annoyance, is made the pleasure |of the household. F. Schafer & Loch, Decatur. For twenty-six years I have been actively engaged in the boot and shoe business in this city, and during that time have cultivated and made the acquaintance of scores of people which acquaintance has ripened and developed into friendship, the chains of which it is no easy task to break. I have turned the management and control of my entire boot and shoe business over I to my boys, the change taking effect March 1. Before retiring from that business I wish to very sincerely thank the many who have been my patrons, customers aud friends during the twenty-fix years of my business career. Hoping you may find it convenient to drop in and see the boys, who will endeavor i to shoe you as you have never been 1 shoed before, I remain yours truly, A. Holthouse. The fumigation committee has been busy around the court room since yesterday, and now scarcely a trace of the sickening corruption ■ thas was tapped during the Miller- ! Popejoy seduction suit, remains. . The case, as you well know, is one I wherein the plaintiff, Henry Mil- ! ler, sued the defendant Popejoy for ' SIO,OOO, alleging that amount of damages as sufficient to repay him for the grief, mortification and anxiety that was heaped upon him by | a faithless wife, who, Milleralleged, j was brought to her present degrading position by the defendant in suit, Lawson Popejoy. The complaint in this case was filed August ! 21, 1894, at which time Miller was divorced from that wife by an ac- ! tion in the Wells circuit court. A change of venue brought the case to this court, upon which the mill of justice began turning on Wed- | nesday morning of last week. Both sides were represented by able counsel, and many law points were I systematically twisted by them durj ing the progress of the trial. Sixty ! odd witnesses were examined and cross examined which took hard, ■ tedious and persistent work from | the opening of the trial until eleven j o’clock Tuesday following. ImmeI diately afterwards the argument in the ease began, which was opened i by the Hon. Levi Mock followed in order by Chas. E. Sturgis, R. K. Erwin, John T. France, W. Henry Eichhorn, A. L. Sharp, and wind ing up with Judge Dailey. Every : argument was a masterly produc- ; tion of eloquence and logic, display- : ing both the ability of the attorney ■ and the fact that each one was I eagerly anxious for their client to win the suit. Three and a half hours was allotted to each side, which consumed the time until late j Tuesday evening, after which an adjournment was taken until the next morning, when, upon the opening of court, Judge Heller charged the jury in a very fair, clear and concise manner, and then that body of jurors repaired to their silent chamber to figure out the merits and demerits in the case, make a finding and report same to the court. At two o’clock they reported an agreement, which, as pro duced by the foreman of that body, James Hisey, is: “We, the jury, find for the plaintiff’, and assess his damages in the sum of $725.” We can’t say that the verdict rendered by this j ury was a surprise to any one, nor can we say it wasn’t a surprise. There were many people interested, by curiosity, as to what the final outcome would be, but each and every one of those have a separate and distinct idea of what justice is and should be. The defendant is a meek, worn out indi-1 vidual, but if he is guilty he got ; what he deserves, and the jury I seems to think he is guilty. The | judgment in this case is only a patchin’ to what the entire costs of the case will foot up. The witness fees and mileage aggregate $379, then the court costs will be SIOO or so more, and then comes attorney fees —my, what a blessing it is to be pocr.

NUMBER 20

THREE YEARS Shalt Thou Labor,be Confined and Wear the Stripes to Pay the Penalty. Such is the verdict rendered by Judge Heller in the James Jacobs criminal case of incest, wherein the defendant was found guilty of criminal relations with his own flesh and blood. Our readers will remember our account of the case from the first arrest and impiisoninent of Jacobs, the court trial, the evidence brought forth, and now the verdict and penalty as handed in by our able circuit jurist, Judge Heller. In explaining his decision the Judge said that the evidence in the case developed the fact that Jacobs had Ireen having criminal relations with his daughter Janey since she was eight years old. The fact that the defendant, as soon as he received an inkling of the fact : that he would be prosecuted on such a charge,"fled and took refuge in another state, thus requiring requisition papers and some expense in bringing him back to face the law for the crime committed, ail of which was more conclusive evidence of his guilt. He did not think that thedaughter Janey, now fifteen I years of age, could sink so low as to testify wrongly against her own father, and there was no feelings exemplified by neighbors other than should be shown by any good citizens. He also said that the law didn’t look at this as a very severe crime, and that he also realized the condition of the lamily. They were poor and needed the assistance of a father, but the family would be as well off without him as w'ould thee nimunity in which he I might live. He ended by stating that he didn’t desire to place the highest punishment upon the de- ! fendant, but had decided that it : should be sufficient to do him some good, and theiefore would assess his punishment at three years in prison. Before this decision was handed down however, the defendant's attorneys, Bobo & Coffee, introduced a motion to dismiss the I ease from the fact that defendant was arrested upon one charge and when brought into court was tried ion another. The court overruled : the motion, stating that the motion ’ might be well taken if introduced i before defendant had plead to the ' charge. The limitation of the law is but I five years, and right here is a i mighty weak spot in the Indiana statutes, and we suggest that the Wishaid legislature make amends by increasing the number of years to ninety-nine or thereabouts. We can scarcely bring to mind a crime that is so utterly beneath the dignity of decency and common humanity than ihe one mentioned here. To think of one throwing down the bars of virtue right in his own family circle, among those whom he should ever protect from such heathenish animal abuses, is something awful to contemplate. | We hope the three years allotted j to Jacobs will be sufficient to teach him the lesson of common decency, at least. It is true his family are poor and sadly need the aid of a protector in many ways, but such a oneas Jacobs would be is worse than none. It is a good riddance of bad rubbish all around. The sheriff in a few days will take him to Michigan City, which will be his address for the next three years to come. Bishop Rademacher and Father Guendling of the cathedral, FatherYoung of Garrett, Father Faust of Auburn, and Father Duehming of Avilla, held service at the Catholic church iu Rome City, Thursday, February 21. atlfla.m. Thebishon spoke in English and Father Guendling in Italian. Iu the afternoon the bisbop dedicated the new Spring Beach sanitarium, established by Dr. W. J. Geirmann of Detroit. The doctor recently purchased the Bucket farm northeast of Spring Beach. He has converted the large brick residence that stands there into asanitarium where he proposes to pursue the cold water application treatment made famous by Father Kneipp, at Woerishofen, Bavaria. Dr. Geirmann was a student under the venerable priest, practiced his massage or water treatment aud is confident he will make the Spring Beach sanitarium as famous as the Bavarian retreat. He has flowing wells on his beautiful eigty acre farm, trout ponds abound, and this year he will add materially to its ; beauty and comfort. There is also talk of building a hotel at Spring Beach.—Fort Wayne Journal.