Daily Democrat, Volume 1, Number 178, Decatur, Adams County, 6 August 1903 — Page 1

VOLUME 1

WANTED ON MURDER CHARGE "Red Fisher” Now in Jail-Sheriff Reese of Bowling Green, Here After Him.

Charged With Killing an Old Man Named Unsler, July 8. Unable to Identify Him and Went Home for Further Proof.

Rwl” Fisher n prisionor at the Adams county jail will very proh. ably be taken to Bowling Green, < )hio, to answer to a charge of murder. He is the young man arrested in Fred Linn 'a carpenter | shop on Market street a few nights 1 ago. The next morning he said j he was drunk and though the officers knew he wasn't they thought it well to hold him a few days as he was suspicious looking

THEODORE SMITH i Death Occurred at 8:30 j This Morning. Sick for Several Weeks, and Excitemen! Over Explosion Hastened the End. Theodore Smith died after a four weeks sickness at 8:30 this morning. | That his death adds one more to ; the number of victims of the nitro- , glycerine explosion is perhaps unknown to many but such is the case. Mr. Smith has been bedfast for three ! weeks with heart trouble. From | the begining physicians had no hojx* for him, but at times he I seemed to rally. Yesterday mornI ing he was feeling lx-Iter than he ; had felt for several days and all con- j corned felt much enoouraged. At noon came the awful explosion , the,' house shook, and in his excitement Mr. Smith got entirely out of bed. |' The strain was too much, chills, and fever with extreme nervousness I followed and he grew constantly ‘ | worse until 8:30 this morning when death oame. Several times yesterI day he muttered “the explosion,” and seemed much worried. That F he would have lived much longer i I is very doubtful, but the excitement j very probably hastened his death. | Mr Smith was fifty-four years old, was born in this county and has lived hero all his life. In his ( youth he attended the local schools | and learned his trade at the | Bhaekley wheel work. In 1888, he | (T formed partnership in the wagon j building with his brother Joseph and continued in this up to his death. He was married to Dona Bohiettencutter of Minster, Germany, and to them were born seven children all of whom survive. One brother, Joseph, two halt 'brothers and two half sisters still live, all in this county. Though sick but u short time ho was not, taken unawares, and his upright life lias certainly gained for him a just | reward. He was influential as a citizen und a prominent inetnlier of

The Daily Democrat.

character. This morning sheriff! Reese of Wooil countv. Ohio, i arrived and took a look at "Red.” | He answers the description exactly, ; hut to make sure a photograph was sent for of the man who had j i committed the murder. Sheriff!; Reese waited until 3:24 this after- : noon when he left for home. He < will return for the prisoner in a 1 few days. Fisher it is said went i to Wall bridge, a small town in 11

the St. Mary’s Catholic church he has been for some time, treasurer of the St. Joseph schoil society, and was a member of the C. B. L. His funeral will be held from the I Catholic church Saturday morning i at nine o’clock. MONTHLY REPORT Rural Route Business for July. Route Five Did the Largest Business and Route Four the Least. The report of postmaster Brittson for the month of July shows the following record for the rural route carriers: Route one— total number pieces delivered, 5025, pieces collected 500, stamps cancelled 19.56. Route two—total number of pieces delivered 463, collected 134, stumps cancelled ss.ow. Route three—total number of pieces delivered 5110. collected 481, stamps cancelled $8.53. Route four, total number pieces delivered 3852, pieces colleoed 410, stamps canj celled $7.26. Route five— total number of pieces delivered 5470, pieces collected 543, stumps cancelled $10.90. Route six,—total number pieoes delivered 3945, pieces collected 390, stamps cancelled $71.92. Total for six routes out of I Decatur, pieces delivered 27,965; 1 collected 2758; stamps cancelled and used $52.62. From this report it will lie observed that Route flvo did the best business in every respect and route four the smallest. Word has been received from Bueyrus which tells that Dick Si lick who was injured when driving a race some days ago, is bettor and will l>e able to drive again next week. The Decatur horses, True Worth, Virgil 0., Edna Medium and Hazel Pierce will race next at Arbauu Ohio.

DECATUR, INDIANA, THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 6, 1903.

Wood county and giving his name as Scoffield secured a job with an old man named George Unsler a farmer, who was quite’ wealthy. A tew weeks after on the morning of July 8, the entire family excepting Seoftield took very sick immediately after breakfast and Unsler died. An examination showed that some one hud placed arsenic in the coffee. Scoftield left the country and Sheriff Rees tracked him here. Fisher was brought down street this morning and photographed. Sheriff Reese is positive he has the right man and he will be held here until his identity is known. He is serving a nine days sentence whic will not bo out until a week from tomorrow. That he is a crook there is little doubt and it is pretty certain he is the man wanted at Bowling Green.

DEATH CALLS Matthias Langenbacher is Dead. End Came This Morning, After an illness of But Four Days. Matthias Langenhacher a well known resident cf this city died at his home on north Third street this morning at 5:30 o’clock after several days illness with infirmities attending old age. On last Saturday he was apparently in as good health as ever and visited the show grounds several times. Sunday morning he first began to feel ! had and his illness became so severe that he was unable to attend church services. He rapidly I grew worse and it soon became evident that he could not survive. The funeral services will be held Sunday afternoon at 13:0 oclock at the German Reformed church and interment will be made at the Decatur eeinelei y. The deceased was born in November 1823, being almost eighty years old, and for almost fifty years lived on a farm in Preble township. At tout eleven years ago he moved to this city and resided near the water works A wife and two children Mrs. Matt Kirsch and Mrs. A.<\ Sellemeyer survive him. | SCHOOL BOARD MET. Miss Grace Coffee Chosen to Fill Vacancy. At a meeting of the city school i board last evening Miss Grace : Coffee was chosen as a teacher in ■ the public schools to fill the • vacancy caused by the rosignu t tion of Miss Maude Forster. No ) other business of importance was i transacted. A meeting will lie t held soon to assign the various teachers to their grades.

ANNUAL REPORT. German Building Loan Fund & Savings Association to Issue Statement. Secretary Schirmeyer of the G rman Building Loan, Fund & Savings Association, will soon issue his annual statement of said association. The report in question is one that will prove gratifying to the owners of stock, and shows the receipts during the past year to have been 766,1577.55, with cash on hands June 30 of this year of $24,948.51. It is the custom to issue a folder giving in a condensed form the business of the company and this likely will be done in a few days. The German Building has for many years been of large business resources and of exceptional benefit to the city of Decatur. It has loaned its money safely and as a result is now sound, safe and reliable. BADLY HURT Ciover Leaf Brakeman the Victim. Struck by a Train at Wlllshire and Receives Injuries That May Prove Fatal. B. F. Prescott, a brakeman on the Clover Leaf was seriously injured at Willshire last evening. Prescott had been out flagging and was riding back to his train on No 5. While the passsonger was going fast he attempted to u light and was forcibly thrown against the mail pouch retainers near the track. The unfortunate man was severely bruised, but bis most serious injuries are internal. The jolt was a hard one and it is very doubtful if he will recover. He was taken to his home at Frankfort today. He was brought to this city last evening and taken to the home of Rolla Caldrewood where Dr. P. B. Thomas attended him. A large piece of flesh was torn out of his right side and he received an ugly looking cut on the forehead. He is quite well known here, being a relative of A. P. Beatty, and it is to be hoped his injuries will not be so serious as they now appear. WANTS DIVORCE. Mrs. Fronfield Files Papers This Morning. Mrs. Malinda Fronfield has filed suit for divorce from her husband William Fronfield. The suit was filed by Attorneys Erwin & Erwin this morning and cruel and inhuman treatment are alleged. Mrs. Fronfield uks the court to restore her former name of Mrs. Zimmerman and for SI,OOO alimony, also for all other and proper relief. A similar suit was (filed by Mrs. Fronfiled last December but was dismissed within a month. A HAPPY PICNIC. Little Girls Have a Good Time at the Park. Misses Marie Gast and Emma Kinney gave a picnic to about fifteen of their girl friends at Stt'elo’s park today and of course they had a good lime. The crowd was chaperom*d by Misses Agnes Berling , Bertha Kinney Genevieve Coffee and Agnes Deiningcr. They indulged in base ball, waded in the lagoon, climbed t)io highest tree ate their dinner and had a general happy day.

AIMS SHOTGUN AT EMMA LOSER Mrs. Reynolds Attempts Murder —Thought Girl Was Julia. REYNOLDS-LOSER FEUD To be Arrested Tomorrow and will be Tried Before Mayor Coffee.

Mrs. Oliver Reynolds of Monroe township will be arrested this afternoon or tomorrow by Marshal Cordua and tired before Mayor Coffee on a charge of aiming a shot gun at Emma Loser with intent to commit murder. The affidavit was filed last evening upon information by Jacob Loser and is but another chapter of the LoserReynolds feud, resulting from the kidnapping episode of Julia and Oliver. Since that event, still fresh in the minds of our readers there have been no friendly relations between the two families. Mrs. Reynolds rented her farm to a neighbor who employed Jacob Loser to cut his oats crop. He was at work at it yesterday and Mrs. Reynolds saw a girl going across the field THE EXPLOSION. Was Ed Radabaugh Really Killed? Some Mysteries Connected With the Nitro-Glvcerine Catastrophe. — A representative of the Democrat drove over to the scene of! the terrible nitro-glycerine explosion last evening . The sight, was one to maw any one turn j pale, as he viewed the awful destruction wrought in a second of time. The big mill was scattered i over a field of twenty acres and . pieces of the building were found j a half mile away. It is known that three men, a mule and a horse* were killed and the men are supi>osed j to be Wililam Howard, sujterin- j tendent of the plant, William j Stcffy, assistant, Edward Radabaugh a teamster. There was considerable excitement in Bluffton last evening when a telephone message came from Geneva from a reliable party saying that Ed Radabaugh had been s«*en with a load of glycerine near Geneva and that In* hail enquired about the exploion and said, ‘‘G<xl help the men who were there.” Then came the question who hud the team of mules at the factory and if Riuluhuugh wasn't killed, who was? For two hours the streets of Bluffton were thronged with people and windows of newspajier offices where bulletins were displayed were surrounded by hundreds of jieople. It is believed however, that it was Radebaugh who was killed and the man who thought In* saw him near Geneva must have been mistaken. Many people at Bluffton believe that four jieople were

NUMBER 178

1 and thought it was Julia. She immediately secured the shot gun and started out apparently with a determination to end the feud. , She crept upon her enemy quietly, finally arriving at the ■ right position, she threw the gun to her shoulder and took careful aim. Just then the girl turned about saw her position and ■ screamed and Mrs. Reynolds for the first time realized that it was Emma, a sister of the girl who played so prominent part in the Reynolds scandal. The affidavit is entitled State of Indiana vs. Bessie O. Reynolds. It is probable that 1 she will be fined for offense though the punishment might he very severe, on the [charge of at- ! tempt to commit murder. killed. A short time before the explosion a stranger applied at a farm house near by and asked whether strangers were permitted to visit the factory and on being told that they were went in that direction. He has not been seen since and there is not a piece of human being to be found which will identify any of the men. One of the remarkable things connected with the catstrophy is the escape of “Old Glycerine Charley”a horse that has been used by the men in going to and from the plant for years. He was in a stable fifty feet from the factory and the stable was torn to pieoes yet the horse escaped without a scratch and when the first people arrived he was eating ! grass along the road. He seemed to he a little dazed and walked up ito horses he met in a sympathetic | kind of way as if to inquire what ! had happened. ANOTHER OILER. Jefferson Township Making a Record for Good Producers. Wliut gives evidence of Ix-ing an j excellent oil well was drilled on the Dan Ucaston farm in Jefferson j township this week. After drilling in the sand a few feet the oil raised 200 feet and before the well was completed, every indication pointed to a good healthy producer. By the way Jefferson township is fast, deeloping in oil and bids fair to mm to lead the procession in the . production of the crude. Ttiere is not a section in the township but what can boast of at lesat one fairly grxxl well, and this indicates that 1 the entire township will some day . develop into good producing territory. As usual the pools are scattered and more uncertain and the fact, so many wellsjhave been found over so much territory makes it look good for future development CHRISTIAN CHURCH. [ All mem tiers of the Christian Sunday school arc rcpucstcd to meet at , the church this evening to attend . to some arrangements Jfor Satur- > day’s picnic 7:30 sharp.