Democratic Sentinel, Volume 12, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 April 1888 — INDIANA NEWS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA NEWS.

—Secretary Huron, of the State Board of Agriculture, has filed his annual report with the Governor. In regard to the State’s prosperity, the Secretary says: “We can well repeat the assertion made in former published reports, that Indiana, in all the requisites for prosperity, stands pre-eminently in the lead, and has more of the elements necessary for great industrial development than any other State. There is the finest soil, timber, water, stone, clays, coal, ores—everything that is necessary for a great civilization. To complete the list of onr advantages, as if to make us the most favored of all the States, we now have natural gas gushing forth in abundance in a large part of the State. This may well be called a ‘new era,’ the future of which can only be conjectured.” The report is full of interesting material in the way of statistics, and represents the development of the State in the last year as having been steady and strong. An especially gratifying feature is the splendid showing in the wny ot increased efficiency among Indiana farmers. New and more scientific methods are rapidly coming into use, and this fact is having an important bearing on Indiana's agricultural standing among other States. The report shows that the State has nineteen coal-producing counties. —Patents havf been granted Indiana inventors as follows: Henry W. Alehouse, Custer, gate; Beverly W. Duncan, assignor of one half to I. Leedy, Dora, hog trap; William N. Gartside, Richmond, door plate and indicator; James L. Henderson, Bloomington, corn planter; Lewis J. Manor, Delphi, tongue support; Antoine Mettler, Terre Haute, oar coupling; Elwood C. Phillips, Richmond, assignor to A. Warren, St. Louis, Mo., and J. W. March, Cincinnati, tension apparatus; Harvey Richwine, Dora, fence; John W. Rutledge, Shannondale, gate; Louis I. Shrader, New Albany, boot or shoe; Simeon Turner, assignor of one-half to H. J. Coles, Warren, barrel lifter; Reuben N. Vanslyke, Hawpatch, tire tightener; Meade Williams, Mount Vernon, harness designs; Francis A. Coffin, Indianapolis, writing desk and cabinet. —The boilers of the Pryne, Johnson <fc Co’s, flouring mill, Franklin, exploded recently. The engineer aud fireman were buried about ten feet beneath the. ruins. The body of the former was not found until more than two hours after the explosion. Both bodies were badly bruised and scalded, and death must have been instantaneous. Mares Snodgrass, the engineer, was 46 years old. He leaves a widow and four children. Thomas Stewart was 38 years pf age, nnd leaves a widow with three children. The whole south end of the mill was completely demolished. /The loss is estimated at $5,500. Only about throe years ago the boilers of the Union flouring-mills of this city burst, killing a Mr. High, the engineer. —A 3-year-old son of Rev. Chenoweth, of Montpelier, is afflicted in a strange man* ner. For the past fortnight he has seen snakes and other foul objects on his body and limbs, which he throws from him with an earnestness that shows how real is the terror of his phantasy. It is pitiful to hear him plead with his parents to take “them awful things” out of the crib, so he can go lo sleep. He is all right in daytime, except that he is nervously on the go. He is a fine little fellow, mentally and physically, and the case is very baffling to med* ical men.

—An old German woman named Mary Borgman was found dead in a small stream or ripple near Larsh’s mills, Wayne County. As she had been so helpless as to be obliged to crawl about for over a year, it is suspected that there was some foul play in the case. She was found quite a distance from the house, and would have had to descend a rugged hill to get to where found, while there are other circumstances to strengthen the suspicion. —Frank Smith, a wealthy farmer residing in the extreme southeastern part of Madison County, is peculiarly afflicted with a disease that, in its symptoms, resembles a genuine case of leprosy. The patient is described as being covered with large black and greenish spots, and the flesh is continually rotting and dropping off in chunks, exposing the bone. —Jennie Harry, an inmate of the County Asylum at Corydon, came to her death in a peculiar manner. She was of unsound mind, and it was necessary to keep her in a cell. In her cell door was a small hole about six feet from the floor, and in some manner she got her head through the hole and died of strangulation. She was about thirty years of age. —A herd of twelve cattle belonging to John Osborn, a farmer living north of Plainfield, has been attacked with black leg, a contagious and malignant disease. One of the number has already died, and others are sick. It is feared the disease will spread to neighboring farms. —Mrs. Jessie Willet, a young married woman who resides near Greenfield, accidentally discharged a revolver, the ball striking her in the head, and causing a possibly' fatal wound. —The State Board of Health reports an epidemic of measles all over the State. In Crawfordsville there are new 700 cases, and the same number is reported from Terre Haute. —ln Torre Haute the measles epidemic is said to have reached alarming proportions. The dise'ase is also very prevalent at Coal Bluff and Fontanet, and at Vermillion. 4 —The abandoned gas well at the New Albany glass-works is now flowing about 5,000 gallons of water daily. It is strongly impregnated with salt, sulphur, and iron. —Arrangements are being madejo start a distillery at Crawfordsville.