Democratic Sentinel, Volume 10, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 September 1886 — INDIANA STATE NEWS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA STATE NEWS.

—A man at Fort Wayne, a few nights ago, captured a singular-looking bird that had flown into the open window of a ] aint shop. Its toe* looks like that of an owl, but this is the only resemblance. The head and face resemble those of an ope, and its bulging eyes are suirounded by a fringe of gray beard tipped with black, while its ears are exactly like those of a human being except that they are almost entirely concealed by the growth of tine gray hair that covers the cheeks and forehead. It is an uncanny looking creature, and attracts the attention of crowds of people every day. —A man is now in Clay County placing on record the phenomenal size of various farm products. He has already found squashes weighing 188 J pounds, grapes 3| inches around, tomatoes 19J inches in circumference and 8 inches long, and radishes 25 inches in girth, 21 in length, and 10 pounds in weight. He lias only seen a small section of the country as yet, and there is no telling what lie may discover in the way of vegetable Jumbos by the time he reaches the river bottoms. —A man at Leesburg, aged 80 years, while riding home in a buggy, was taken with an apoplectic fit, and fell forward out of the buggy, and became fastened between the shaft and wheel, and before the horse could be stopped he was dragged over 200 yards. When extricated his head was badly injured, one ear torn off, and he sustained injuries which render his recovery doubtful.

—A farmer at Wea, Tippecanoe County, built a fine new barn, and then signed a contract with a lightning-rod man for one point to be placed on the structure at a cost of $6.50. A few days later he was confronted with a note for $260, and, rather than get into a legal fight with the swindlers, he compromised the matter by paying $l6O. —The nude body of a white num was found in the Ohio River, near Evansville. It was horribly mutilated, both legs being cut off below the knees, the right arm off just above the elbow, and a largo piece of the skull missing. It is thought the man had been murdered, the body stripped, mutilated, and then thrown into the river. —A press used in the manufacture of counterfeit coin in 1832 will bo one of the curious exhibits at the Huntington County fair. It was plowed up by Farmer Wernerder, two years ago, in a locality which used to be a rendezvous for the Helvey brothers, long ago noted as venders of spurious money. —Valuable beds of kaolin have been discovered near Etna Green, Kosciusko County. Vessels manufactured from it, when struck, give forth a clear, ringing sound, like porcelain. It is the intention of the owner to fully develop his find with expensive machinery. —A barn four miles north of Washington, and all its contents, consisting of GOO bushels of wheat, fifteen tons of bay, and a lot of farming implements and machinery, were destroyed by fire It was the work of an incendiary. Loss $1,500; no insurance.

—The 4-year old daughter of a man at Logansport fell out of a third-story window to the pavement below. The distance was over thirty feet, but the child, after remaining unconscious for a short time, resumed her play as if nothing bad happened. —A St. Joseph County farmer, aged about 70, drove to South Bend and drank so much liquor that his wife would not return home with him. The next morning he was found lying in the roadway with a broken neck, having fallen from his wagon. —While excavating for a new bridge under the old canal aqueduct at Fort Wayne, workmen found a Mexican silver coin of the date of 1782 and a horse-shoe of primitive construction. They lay ten ’ feet below the bottom of the river. —The South Bend agent of the Michigan Central Railroad has an old appletree, which, to all appearances, has long been dead. Recently it suddenly showed signs of life, and is now covered with a profuse crop of blossoms. —Clam bakes are the rage at Huntington just now. If the clams in the Tippecanoe are anything like those found it White River, the people in that section must have cast-iron stomachs to be able to survive more than one bake. —A Baptist minister who has resided at Crawfordsville ever since the first cabin was erected in Montgomery County, has performed 577 marriage ceremonies, and is still hale and hearty, although stooped with age and hard labor. —A very uncommon occurrence happened near Decatur recently. A hardware merchant was driving a short distance in the country, when a small whirlwind formed under the vehicle, lifting it from the road and carrying it several rods. —A potato and carrot firmly grown together, so that it is impossible to tell where the potato begins and the carrot ends, is one of the vegetable freaks exhibited by a St. Joseph County farmer. —A man employed on the Kentucky and Indiana bridge, at New Albany, lost his footing and fell a distance of nearly forty feet. He received injuries iu the spine which may prove fatal. —The apple crop is so large In the neighborhood of New Albany that the best command but 75 cents per barrel, while common stock sells at 40 and 50 cents. —A white pelican four feet seven inches high, and five feet, four inches from tip to tip of wings, was killed near Corydon. —A child with six well-developed toes on each foot and six fingers on the right hand was born at Albion recently.