Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 May 1884 — INDIANA STATE NEWS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA STATE NEWS.

Ton Bctobd, who murdered Judge Elliott, of Kentucky, and who la now stopping at the National Hotel in Jeffersonville, Is rapidly failing in health, and his death is not considered far off. The glass works at Jeffersonville have 200 men employed, and yet the demand for plate glass manufactured at these works continues to increase. They are now three months behind their orders. The Evansville and Terre i Haute Railroad depot at- Farmersburg was burned, entailing a loss of over $6,090. Thomas Crary Si Son had a general store in one end of the building, including hardware, groceries, and dry goods. The stock, which was almost entirely destroyed, was valued at $3,000; insured for $1,400. The building was valued at $3,000. This is a second time in a year Mr. Crary has been a heavy loser by Are. Some time ago Newell Beeson, a Wabash County farmer, disappeared, owing numerous debts. Recently he returned to his home, accompanied by a good-looking young lady, whom he introduced as Mrs. Beeson. He had, he said, found her at Indianapolis, proposed to her, they had married, and now he would undertake to pay off all his debts. It is understood that the now wife wrought the reformation. Just before 7 o’clock in the morning the dome of tho boiler at the Spoke and Bending Factory of J. H. Bruner & Son blew off, going throught the roof. Scraps of Iron and debris of various kinds were carried high into the air. The engineer had been over the boiler but a moment previous, and his escape was a narrow one. There was a pressure of ninety pounds of steam at the time of the explosion. A thief broke into the Catholic Church New Castle the other night by making an opening in one of the stained windows. He was thus enabled to reach and loosen the window fastening, and, climbing in, helped himself to a bottlo of wine, and departed through the church door. None of the valuables are missing from the altar. The broken window is difficult to replace, bearing as it did the name of the donor, Mrs. George Campbell. At 2 o’clock of a recent morning, burglars entered the store of Hiram Waltman, at Georgetown, Brown County, and blew open the safe, robbing it of its contents, and firing the building, which, with the stock of goods, was entirely consumed. The Postoffice, held in the store, and its contents, together with postage stamps, etc., wero burned. The entire loss is estimated at $5,000, on which there is SI,OOO insurance. The news store of Aaron Gody, in an adjoining building, was also burned; loss, $300; no insuranoe. The burglars got about eighty dollars out of the safe. Tilghman Cochran, of Youngstown, Vigo County, has filed complaints against parties in School District No. 2, Pierson township, for visiting the school and insulting the teacher, Mrs. Louie D. Cochran, who is his wife. Zury Wellman, Weldo Wellman, and Mr. Bowles had boys in the school who were dismissed for improper conduct. The parents became offended at the teacher’s action, and visited the school and insulted the teacher by conduct humiliating to her in the presence of the school. The statutes of this State provide for the punishment of this offense, which is termed “insulting a teacher in the presence of the school,” and fixes the fine at not less than $25 for each offense. Thomas Gaff, the well-known distiller of Aurora, died at Cincinnati one day last week of apoplexy. His distilling interests were probably larger than those of any one man in his part of the country. He was one of the proprietors of the Crescent Brewery in Aurora, of the Thistledew Distillery in Covington, the Gaff, Fleischman & Co. distillery, and the Gaff distillery in Aurora. His interests in Cincinnati were so large that ho was looked upon as a Cincinnati man. He lived in a beautiful residence in Aurora on the brow of the hill, and surrounded by a magnificent park. At this luxurious home he would spend his evenings. Late in the fore, noon he would leave for Cincinnati, and be could always be seen on the noon train. He would spend his time on ’Change and looking after his business interests, and then take the 6 o’clock train for home. He was born near Edinburgh, Scotland, July 8, 1808, and came to the United States when but 3 years old, his parents settling at Springfield N. J. When a boy he learned paper-making, which was his father’s trade, and at the age of 16 he learned the distilling business with his uncle, Charles Wilson, of Brooklyn, N. Y. Later; with his brother, James W. Gaff, he engaged in the business in Philadelphia, where for a time they were very successful. The “City of Brotherly Love” 1 did not seem conducive, however, to permanent prosperity in the distilling business, and, reverses overtaking the brothers, they disposed of their interests and removed to Indiana, then the far West, in 1848. They settled in the city of Aurora, and laid the foundation of what is now the great and prosperous firm of T. & J. W. Gaff & Co., distillers. Thomas Gaff was also one of the original stockholders and Directors in the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. He became distinguished in nearly every line of business, and at the time of his death was merchant, manufacturer and hanker. He was also a joint partner in the extensive flour and hominy mills at Colum- : bus, Ind.; Vice President of the Aurora GasI light and Coke Company, and President of First National Bank. Though his early education was limited, he was a student, read a great deal, and was always posted on eurrent topics. He was noted for the personal attention he gave to every detail of his complicated business affairs, and as a financier was regarded as one of tho very best in the oountry. For the last two or throe years Mr. Gaff had sought to be partially relieved from the cares of business, and confided the management of his affairs to his partner and brother-in-law, Mr. Henry W. Smith. He leaves a widow and two children. Mrs. Gaff has boon an Invalid for years.

Mr. Eb Morgan, of Jeffersonville, has in his possession probably the finest mocking' bird in that city. In addition to its remarkably fine vocal powers, the feathery warbler. has a strange history. It was brought from the Island of St. Helena, m 1880, by a Turkish sailor, and, after weathering two shipwrecks and being captured by savages along with its ownor, finally arrived at New Orleans, where it was purchased by Mr. Morgan’s brother-in-law, a resident of Louisville. ; The paper pulp mill at South Bend now has a capacity of 10,600 pounds a day. 1