Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 September 1881 — INDIANA NEWS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA NEWS.

Hog cholera is prevailing to quite an extent in some parts of Johnson county. Decatur county fair, at Greensburg, was a success, financially aud otherwise. , . J. T. PoiiK, an extensive packer of canned goods, at Greenwood, Johnson couuty, has failed. A recent sale of 1,200 acres for $lB,000 is the largest land sale that has been made in Crawford county for several years. Near Greencastle a spark from a locomotive ignited 500 acres of grass, aud it required the labor of 800 citizens to subdue the flames. D. Boss, a resident of Somerset, Wtvbash county, aud father of Sheriff Ross, was thrown from a buggy while driving and fatally injured. The barrel and wagon factory of Andrew Johnson, at Piercoton, Kosciusko county, was entirely destroyed by fire. Loss, $6,000. Mrs. Carrie A. Wolfe, the wellknown newspaper correspondent, has filed her petition in the Crawford county Circuit Court for a divorce from her husband, Dr. Scott Wolfe. The residence and mill of T. S. Roseberry, at Delaware, Ripley county, were burned in the absence of the family at camp meeting the other day. Loss, from $7,000 to SB,OOO. Coroner Kersey, of Richmond, occupies a house owned by E. G. Potts, a Cincinnati druggist. The latter had the roof torn off while the Coroner was asleep, and got caned for it. A large barn on the farm of the heirs of Col. Pierce, in Shelby county, was accidentally set fire to by two children, and was entirely destroyed. Loss, $3,000, with no insurance. It is now conceded that the “small boy” caused all of the recent incendiary fires in Jeffersonville. The fires generally have occured in day time, and those in the evening have been before bod time. While a young son of a widow named Talkington, residing in Shelby county, was carelessly handling a revolver, the weapon was discharged, killing instantly a little brother, 6 years old, who was standing by. The railroad election held in Shelby county, to decide whether an appropriation of SBI,OOO would bo donated to the Knightstown and Toledo Company, resulted hi a severe defeat to the railroad, every township going heavily against it. The extensive flouring-mill of Charles Rapp, in Terre Haute, has been totally destroyed by fire. In the mill were 325 barrels of flour and 4,000 bushels of wheat, all of which wus consumed. The loss on building aud stock will aggregate SIB,OOO. Insured for $5,000. John Small, a wealthy farmer living near Knightstown, Henry county, was sued for professional services rendered his daughter, Ida, during a spell of sickness, and on account of his daughter being of age he refuses to pay her debts. The case was decided in his favor.

A mTTTjK 5-year-old girl died at Evansville from the effects of having swallowed two nickels. The nickels weie swallowed several weeks ago, and three or four days later she began to lie ill, and since that time has pined, and all the physicians could do for her was of no avail. Two men named Davis, who recently came to Wabash county from Kansas, mysteriously disappeared a few days ago, arid have not since been heard from. The clothing of the mis-ing men was found in a piece of woods whore they had worked. Foul play is feared. John Bkitton, who fatally stabbed James Hester at a picnic, in Brown county, some weeks ago, was lately captured near Union City, Mich., after a long and tedious search by the Sheriff of Brown county. Britton is a notorious and dangerous character, and the murder was most cold-blooded and unprovoked. ( W. W. Metoauf, an agent for Dun s mercantile agency, has absconded from Roekport with considerable money belonging to that concern. The cause of this strange action is attributed to bad associates and indulging too freely in wines. Mr. Metcalf has heretofore been considered one of the leading attorneys in Roekport, and his fall has astonished the citizens of that burg. A dihtiieshing accident happened on the farm of Albert Dobbins, near bhelbyville. About 3 o’clockin the morning Mr. Dobbins was awakened by some noise near the back-door which he supposed was a predatory dog, owned by one of his neighbors. Picking up his shotrgun lie went to the threshold, and, seeing something white, fired a heavy load of shot at the object, which proved to be little Daisy Burns, a 10-ycar-old girl who visiting the family, and who hnd gone out during the night unaware. The child was shot through the left shoulder, producing quite a serious wound. In a recent speech at Indianapolis, says the Journal of that city, Gov. Porter referred to the old law for the confinement of debtors within certain limits. A poor fellow in this fix was said to be “in the bounds,” but lie dared not go beyond them, or if he did he was liable to arrest and imprisonment in jail. Not a few residents of Indiana can recollect the time when this law was in force, and some few are yet alive who were sufferers from it. But it may fairly be presumed that at that time such a law was not so onerous as it would be now. There are fewer inducements and facilities for travel. It was not the habit then to take a summer vacation or to go junketing a thousand miles away. In fact, to horrible were the old corduroy roads that the whole population was “ in the bounds” ex necessitate most of the time. Reference to this old law reminds us of our wonderful progress. Now not infrequently the creditor is “in the bounds,” hard at work to repair his losses from bad debts, while the debtors roam around the country careless, happy and free. Another law which our hard-hearted fathers enforced is also referred to by Gov. Porter. It was that providing for the sale of paupers. It is a question yet whether those shrewd old fellows did not know a thing or two, primitive as were their habits and notions. We do not hear ol atiy tramps in those days. There were no poor housescrov ded with unfort unatesor vagrants. Evidently in those days the people of Indiana had less of the milk of human kindness about tin m, but yet a rugged sense of justice and right which saved them much annoyance. They had prompt measures for criminals, and were not shocked when a horse-thief or murderer was hung. Justice was stern and prompt, and crime was not profitable as now. Juries were not given to sentimentalism. If thev pitied anybody it was the people who suffered, not the outlaws that lived upon them.