Daily Democrat, Volume 1, Number 299, Decatur, Adams County, 28 December 1903 — Page 1

VOLUME 1

STORY OF THE WRECK C. J. Lutz and Family Are Home.

ARRIVED LAST NIGHT. -Mrs. Lutz Still Suffering Some. Miss Jean Also Badly Bruised. - Their Escape Was Miratulons.

Mr. and Mrs. Clark J. Lutz and daughter Jean, arrived home Sunday evening over the Clover Leaf and were greeted warmly by their friends. Mrs. Lutz is in a rather serious condition and it required the assstance of Mr. Lutz and the brakeman to assist her to a carriage. She is bruised considerably and it is feared her right limb is fractured, at least is seriously bruised and there is danger of an abcess forming. Mr. Lutz is practically unhurt but Jean is bruised terribly, though not so severely’ as Mrs. Lutz. The attorney was in Ins office thi« morning and told the story of the wreck as follows: 'We were enroute to Lafayette to spend the day with friends and left h -re early’ in the morning feeling in high spirits. At Greentown we gut out of the coach we were in and boarded the dining car where we

BIG TRIAL BEGINS Chicago Street Car Bandits in Court. Mtn Who Murdered Eight People In Few Weeks on Trial for Their Life. Special to the Daily Democrat. Chicago. 111., Dec 2*—The ease of Marx, Niedenneir, Vundine and Roeski. cur burn bandits indicted tor murder was recalled this morning in Judge Kerstens court . A large crowd was in the court room and an number of extra hailfls were required to preserve order and prevent over crowding. The day has been devoted to the work of examining a special venire of men to secure a jury. This is the most, sensational murder trial hold here in years. Has Withdrawn. Valentine Linker who has Is-en in the list ns u candidate for representative has withdrawn from the race. This withdraw! was made necossnrj r owing to u press of other hiuiness, which made it necessary for him to drop his etfndiducy, which h<‘ does reluctantly. Mr. Linker is one of tin* loyal democrats of Kirkland township.

The Daily Democrat.

ate breakfast. We had just finished and I had stepped into the smoking apartment for an after breakfast cigar, leaving Mrs. Lutz, and Jean in the dinning ear. A minute after a brakeman who was also in the smoker cried “Brace yourself boys, we’re in for it.” He had seen the Pan Handle engine coming and knew it couldn’t stop. Instantly the jar came and every one was thrown over ugainst the wall. The car was knocked off the rear axle, went a few feet and toppled over. Screams came from the dining car and I was paralyzed with fear for my wife and daughter. The brakeman remained cool however, climbed to the top of the car, unfastened the window and crawled out,helped us, three other men out. We went to the middle of the oar, unfastened a window and I looked in. I was relieved to see Mrs. Lutz and Jean standing up, looking rather disordered, with their hair hanging down. We proceeded to help the people out, working fast for fear of tire, and within a few moments had taken out thirty five men, women and chiildren. No one was badly hurt, a miraculous thing as there were many babies and children aboard. We finally got down and proceeded to the depot, on the way Mrs. Lutz became very sick, and when we arrived at the station sank into unconsciousness. She recovered after medical aid arrived and we proceeded to Lafayette. She has not been well since however through we anticipate no serious results. No one 1 knows how terrible such an experience is unless ho has gone I through it." The wreck was no j doubt the fault of the engineer of I the Pan Handle switch engine.

GOOD ENTERTAINMENT “Alice in Wonderland" Was Highly Enjoyable. I The operetta. "Alice in Wonderland" that was presented at Bosse's I opera house Saturday evening and I given under the auspices of the La- ■ dies Aid Society of the Christian church was greeted by a large and enthusiastic audience and was well ' worth the price of admission, i The chorus was composed of alxiut ■ seventy five young ladies and the music rendered was fine. the cos- | tumes were in some of the parts gor- ' geous and in others a most hideous I ones worn and certainly was up I predated by all. The parts taken I showed good judgment and under [the skillful directions of Hope I . Leonard the production was i wrought up to a high standard. From reports ot the same the entertainment was a decided financial ' success. and these ladies undertake I anything else of this kind in the fu- ■ ture they will lie greeted by a full house. I HAD GOOD TIME. — Big Dinner and Big Time at Rupright Home. Trustee G. W. Rupright and wife I were nt home to about thiry-flve ofl their relatives Christmas day, in eluding all their children and grand children and u few other j friends. A big dinner was servid, presents were exchanegd and it is a sale statement th.it no homo in Adams counts was happier than the Rupright mansion in Preble township.

DECATUR, INDIANA, MONDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 28, 1903.

HAS LAGRIPPE. Judge Erwin Housed Up Today. New Case in Court.—Attorneys Preparing Motion for New Trial in Osborne Case. Judge Erwin is reposing in bed today, nursing a genuine attack of lagrippe. He was feeling slightly better this afternoon but it is doubt ful if he will be able to attend to business for a few days. As a consequence no session of court was held this morning. One new case was filed by attorney Lutz, the same being a partition suit over the estate of Charles Puhrmun and entitled Sophia E. Hndnet and Clara Bailey vs Margaret Rcppert, Mary Lock, Sarah Jackson and Lydia L. Foreman. The writ was made returnable January S for all defendants excepting Margaret Reppert who lives in Oklahoma and for two the return will be made February 23. No action has yet been taken in the Osborne murder case but a motion for <iew trial will be made some time this week and at torneys are busy preparing same. There are rumors that this motion may lx' rather sensational us one of the jurors who served had previously expressed an opinion. Joe Osborne sleeps and eats well and seems in better health than before his triul.

HAD A RUNAWAY. Miss Mattie Youngs Exciting Experience. List s iturday while Miss Mattie Young of near Steele was driving a fractious team with a load of hogs from the hog lot to barn lot, and |on entering the gate the team beIctiino unmanageable and started | to run at full speed and Miss i Young not caring to make the race i endeavored to get off the sled without serious injury and succeeded. ' The horses raced around the barn 1 five times at full speed, scattering I hogs at every turn. Finally hanging the sled up on two logs that lay close to the fence. Result, sled tonguless, and soulless, anil you my say sledless, two porkers that finish ed the course, awoke twenty min utes later andjwalked off apparent ly satisfied with the ride. Miss Young is now thinking of purchasing an automobile, that want run at a pig squeal.

WAS EXPENSIVE. I I A Train That Costs Wells County $56,000. The highest priced train that ever traveled i -1 Wells county wus the first regular train on the Cincinnati, Bluffton <fe Chicago which ran I from Bluffton to Pennville yester[day forenoon. For the one trip I of tin engine and box oar tax payers of Bluffton and Pennville and the I township in which they uro situated 'will pay <5(1,000. Os this Penn township pays <19,500 and this township <30.500. In the petitions I lor subsidies filed by the road it was stated that in order to collect the subsidies then asked the road should build the line from Bluffton to Pennville and a train should be run over the line by January first 1904. The last condition for the payment of the subsidies has been fulfilled and the tax will now be placed on the duplicate.—Bluffton News.

NEARLY HERE. Have You Thought of New Years Day? Another circle is complete. ( >nly a few days more an J the cycle of 1903 will he gone out forever. What have we accomplished during this year?, Are we -on higher ground or are our steps leading us into fogs and bogs? Are we trying to climb up, or are wo placing our feet on one of many toboggan slides that will carry us down to everlasting d espair? What are our habits? Are they good or bad? Are we in bondage to any bad habit? Are we so firmly bound that wc cannot burst the bands? Are we in the same bonds of iniquity that we were in one year ago? INTERESTING CASE * Boys Are on Trial at Bluffton. Initiated Youns Men Into a Secret Society and One of Them Died. Judge Watkins ol Huntington is the presiding judge in an interesting case at Bluffton. It is the case of State of Indiana vs ten boys.sons of well to do Bluffton parents, the charge living assault and battery. Tiie boys belong to a high school fraternity and last April initiated four other boys. Part of the initiation required that candidates be beaten thoroughly with clubs, and the candidate- allege that the mom hers overdid the work. Besides beating the boys with paddles they were taken to a cemetery, and after listening to a blood curdling oath, were hoisted to a limb of g tree and made to jump, Lat( 1 their feet were tied together and they were also Compelled to sing solos in front of Miss Stella Vaughn's window, one of their teachers, and us a crowning indignity they were made to pay for a lunch they were not permitted to eat. One of the boys initiated. Ralph Mcßride, died last September as result of his injuries. He was bruised on the leg and blood poisoning set in.

WHAT HE GOT. A Mixer and His Greeting by Good Si. Peter. C. A. King tSs Co., of Toledo* in their List special market report print u sermonvtte hv their "boy Solomon" appropriate to Christmas. This is the text: "It is more blessed to give than to re Ceive.” The sermon urges every one to try it. Don't live like the millionaire miser. Airtight Sage died and tried to give St. Peter the glad hand and break into Heaven He found his face was not a legal tender, and he. was asked if he ever made anybody happy on Christmas. Sage said he had once deposited two cents in a Salvation Army box fortheir Christmas din nor fund for the poor. St. Peter was surprised. Sage also added that he gave a blind num a penny lor an apple. St. Peter then asked if the visitor considered three cents for charity as entitling him to a harp and a seat in Heaven, and also asked his secretary what he should do in such a case "Give him buck his thn onts and let him go to In'll."

IS DYING WITH LEPROSY

Awful Fate of an Adams County Boy.

ELMER BURKETT THE VICTIM. Has Been Banished to Island in Pacific Ocean. Was a Soldier in the Phillipines and Became Afflicted a Year A£o. A dispatch from Portland says: Friends of Elmer J. Burkett, formerly- of this city, have received word from San Francisco army officials to the effect that Burkett is now confined on a lonely leper's island in the middle ot the Pacific ocean. Burkett enlisted in the regular army from this city about three years ago. Friends here received letters from him regularly until about one year ago. Thinking that perhaps Burkett had been kill-

CHANGE OF TIME Chicago & Erie’s New Schedule. i Two Trains Taken Off and New Card Went Into Effect Yesterday. w- II I . , I • As mentioned in the Democrat a decided change of time took place on the Chicago and Erie yesferd iy Two passenger trains one ouch j way have been taken off and the time of nearly every train has been , changed. No. II which heretofore was an express train now carries I passengers. Nos. ton east, due I here tit 0:55 and nine west due here lat 2:55 a. m. are off. Under the i new schedule the time will be as ■ follows; WEST BOUND. No. 3 12:44 noon. No. 13 ... 5:43 P. M. No. 1 3:00 A. M No. 21 10:10 A. M. EAST BOUND. No. 4 3:2f P. M. j No. 14 . .... 8:20 P M . No 8 ?:13.\ M No. 22 . .(5:58 A.M. On next Saturday. January 2 and ion this date only train No. 13 will run l>etween Marion and Chicago and No. 14 will run on the Lima] divison. A Large Collection. The Christmas collection taken up at the St. Marys church yester day was for the orphans of (he die (■esc, and amounted to <241 Last I year's collection was $ - .’o|

NUMBER 299

ed in the Phillippines, to which place he had been sent, friends here started an investigation. A few days ago word was received from San Franciso telling of his at tack of leprosy and subsequent banishment to the lepers’ island. Burkett was a member of a prominent family living in southern Adams county, but owing to his early sowing of wild oats had been driven from home by his father. He came to this part of the country’ and en gaged as an oil worker. When not drinking lie was a very pleasant companion. In the Philippines he became ill from fever, and it was feared he could not recover. But. he gained u portion of his former health and was hopeful of returning to the states to visit once more his aged mother. The quarrel with his father hud been smoothed over by his mother's pleadings and Burkett eagerly anticipated the time when he would see his old mother again. When called the medical headquarters to be examined for the necessary passports, the horror of himself and friends at finding that he was a victim of leprosy. It came near deranging his mind. With but tew preliminary ceremonies young Burkett was hurried off' to the leper colony, where he has been confined for nearly a year.

THE BOY WONDER. He Will be Here With the College New Year's Eve. Decatur people who were so fortunate as to see the original ‘ Si Plunkard’’ troupe of two years ago. will doubtless remember Kere Williams the "boy wonder,’’ and his hayseed band. Mr. Williams gained a reputation us a cornet ist several years ago when ho traveled with the famous LaPearl bund. He next joined the Gentry Shows and was taken from them by Si Plunk ’ard Company. He left the company to finish his education at Indiana University, where he is a law stu jdent. He is now one of th<* Iwidine. ' musicians at the State institutions", {and with the assistance of Prof, Hiatt has organized one of the best bands that university has ever had. They are not, only all musicians of a high grade bill actors as well, which fact is gaining for the Indiana University hayseed band a great reputation throughout the west. This famous bund with its soloists will appear here with the 'Glee Club at the M E. Church, I Thursday. Dec. 31. HAVE QUIT BUSINESS.

Rachel Lewis Company Bankrupt at Belkfountaine. The Rachel Lewis repertoire com pany who played a three nights engagement nt Bosse ojierti house a few weeks ago has tmsjiendod bust ness and their rich and original cos tumes and scenery are now m the . possession of the county sheriff nt | Hellefountine, Ohio. It will be re i memliered that they had pan- sueI Cess here and their goods were at taehrd by I). Murray. They linally put up watches and rings enough Jo satisfy their bill for Isiurd and loft Richmond. The hard luck followisl them however and they were finally forced to I brow up the sp,mge