Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 October 1881 — INDIANA NEWS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA NEWS.

Hanover College, at Madison, is having an era of prosperity. La Porte is to have a first-class opera house capable of seating 1,500 people. Washington Duncan, one of the oldest pioneers and stock dealers of Floyd county, is dead. The disappearance of N. B. Smith, a student in the medical college at Fort Wayne, is unexplained. The Lafayette soldiers’ reunion was a big affair. It is estimated that 15,000 strangers were in the city. Robert Drew, an aged and wealthy speculator now living at Newville, De Kalb county, is in trouble for having too many wives. Sixty years ago the first lot in Indianapolis was sold, being“lhe first sale of ground of any description in what was then called the “ New Purchase. ” Hon. P. L. D. Mitchell, of Bloomington, a member of the Prison Board, was partially paralyzed a few months ago, his face and tongue being affected. He lias recovered, and now talks with his usual distinctness. Three masked burglars raided the houses of several prominent citizens of Greencastle the other night. At the residence of ex-Congressman John Hanna two held pistols at his head while a third searched the premises. It is reported that the winter wheat in Northern Indiana is looking magnificently. Some of it is already so high that the live stock have been turned in to eat it down. The acreage in Northern Indiana is larger than ever. Of the twenty-five divorce applications on the docket of the Floyd county Circuit Court at the late term, over onehalf were of parties only temporarily residing in the county lor the purpose of prosecuting actions for divorce. In the report of the State-House Commissioners for the quarter ending Sept. 30, they say the walls of the first story will be completed this season. Amount expended duringlast quarter, $56, 847.21; total amount to date, $523,589.90. The wife of John Roszell, of Greensburg, Decatur county, while holding her year-old child in her arms, a toy pistol with which the child was playing was discharged, the load passing nearly through the child’s left arm and the* mother’s fingers, making two ugly but not severe wounds.

The disappearance of Mr. Armstead Lewis, who left his home near Shelbyville, a week ago, still remains a mystery. The gentleman took with him more than $6,000, beside leaving a good business, his wife, and home. Mrs. Lewis has now broken up housekeeping, and will reside with her son till things assume another shape. The affair is dark. For the inhuman ti eatment of a stepson, about 12 years of age, George Laforce was tried in the Circuit Court, at Bedford, and fined $lO. The indictment shows that Laforco had tied the little fellow to a stall or post in the stable, where he remained all day without any water or food, until he was released by some one whose attention was attracted by his cries for help. A- bitter personal controversy has been conducted for some time between the editors of the Sun and the Republican, at Mount Vernon, which culminated in the revival of an old scandal regarding Mrs. Barter wife of the Sun man. The other morning she met C. F. Wertz, editor of the Republican, on the street, and shot at him, but his timely flight and her bad aim saved a tragedy. A young man applying for admission to Purdue College, Lafayette, Ind., was refused admission on the ground that ho objected to subscribe to the regulations of the officers, who will not tolerate secret societies. He applied for a mandamus for the President and faculty, requiring them to show cause, etc. This will be a precedent in cases of literary institutions legislating against secret societies.

New Indiana patents, J. A. Walt, of Anderson, for a watch regulator; also, for a safety-pinion for watches. William J. Bradshaw and L. C. Richardson, of Indianapolis, for a broom; Elijah Bunch, of Richmond, for a spring-bed bottom ; Moses Crawford, of Indianapolis, for a hog-scraping machine ; D. A. Foster, of Green’s Fork, for a vehicle-wheel; George W. French, assignor of one-half’ to J. R. Brown, of Frankfort, for a buckle; William W. Hopkins, assignor to Hopkins Improved Scale Company, of Thorntown, for a supporting device for scale-beams ; H. Oghorn, of Richmond, for a fence; August Sehray and A. Bracntigm. n, of New Albany, for a machine for graining and dyeing leather. The celebrated Muncie school case, entitled Gsirrett D. Leech vs. the State ex rel. Harry R. Wysor, was recently decided by the Supreme Court, Judge Worden writing the opinion, which reverses the verdict of the lower courts. The opinion is very lengthy, and discusses thoroughly all the points in the case. The record shows that one McClintock was trustee of the schools of the city of Muncie. On the Ist day of March he sent his resignation to the City Council, to take effect March 5. The day the Council leceived the resignation it accepted it, and elected Garrett D. Leech to fill the vacancy. Leech immediately entered upon the discharge of his duties, and has served until the present. Fifteen months after Leech’s election the Council held a second election to fill a vacancy which they supposed existed from McClintock’s resignation, and elected Wysor to the fame office they had formerly given to Leech. This suit is a quo warranto bn relation of Wysor against Leech for possession of the office. The Supreme Court holds that the election of Leech is valid, and that he is entitled to the office.

In the suit of Thomas Hopper against the town of Covington, Judge Gresham, of the Federal Court, decided that municipal corporations cannot issue bonds without special legislation. This ruling was made on a demurrer to a complaint in the suit of Thomas Hopper vs. The Town of Covington, the plaintiff seeking to recover the value of interest coupons detached from certain bonds issued by said town. These coupons are in the ordinary form, and contain no recital of the circumstances under which the bonds were issued. In holding as above, the court explained that municipal corporations are created for local, governmental and administrative, but not for business, purposes; and they cannot issue bonds or otlier commercial securities without legislative authority, either expressed or clearly implied, and then only-for the purposes as provided by law. Municipal bonds not issued in pursuance of expressed legislative authority, and for the purposes prescribed, possess none of the qualities of com-, mercial paper. Bonds which contain

no recitals are not commercial paper, and holders are bound to know, if they do not contain recitals, that they are issued under express legislative authority. This decision will affect a number of towns throughout the State.