Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 October 1889 — INDIANA HAPPENINGS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA HAPPENINGS.

event* and incidents that have LATKLI OCCURRED. An Interesting Summary of the More Important Doing* of Our Neighbors—Wedding* and Drath*—Crime, Casualties and General News Notes. Enoch Arden Over Again Eight years ago, Henry Brubaker, a well-to-do farmer, of Perry Township, Allen County, suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. He left behind a wife and six children, and all efforts to ' trace the missing man were futile until, at last, it was the accepted theory that Brubaker was dead. The case created a good deal of talk at the time of its occurrence and was regarded as one of the mysteries of the northern part of Allen County. Mrs. Brubaker struggled along and reared her children snugly on their eighty-acre farm near Huntertown, and after waiting for four years for her missing husband, she married Conrad Snyder, an honest farmer, who faithfully helped her bring up her large family. Last week the truant husband, ghostlike, walked into the farm-house, when the family were seated at the dinner table. There was a sad scene when wife and husband, amid tears of joy and sorrow, fell into each other’s arms. Explanation followed and the wanderer told his story. Actuated by some inexplicable but irresistible power, he had left home and family and drifted to the Pacific coast. After years of hard toil fortune smiled upon him, until now he can draw his check for a cool SIOO,OOO. He then thought of home once more, and concluded to atone for his past conduct by dividing with his family the fortune he had acquired. But when his wife told her story- four years of waiting and sorrow, and, finally, a happy, contented life by the side of her second husband. Brubaker found, too late, that gold cannot disturb her home which he had left so frivolously. He went to Fort Wayne the same night, and, after visiting a few old. acquaintances, returned to California.

His Throat Cut by the Fall of a Tree. John McKuin lived on a farm eighteen miles southwest of Greensburg, near Sardinia. The other day he was assisting his son and neighbor in felling a large tree in the woods. The top striking another tree, the trunk slipped backward from the stump and struck a large limb lying on the ground. This limb struck Mr. McKain under the chin cutting his throat, and causing death in less than an hour afterward. Mr. McKain was 73 years old, an excellent citizen and a prominent Mason, by which order he was buried. He leaves a widow and three daughters, all married, and a young son. Minor State Item*. —Marion Reeves was killed by the cars at Montpelier. —Mrs. Charles Snyder dronned dead from heart disease at Richmond. —A Farmers’ Institute will be held at Crawfordsville, on November 5. —Noah Gaither was probably fatally injured in a runaway accident at Jeffersonville. —Night schools will be established in Peru, in accordance with recent acts of the Legislature. —The cooper shop of James Nichols, at Terre Haute, largest in the State, was destroyed by fire. —William Shaw, an old and highly respected citizen, was struck and seriously injured by a train, at New Albany. —James Lang, a highly-respected resident of Winamac, fell from a load of hay and was hurt fatally, it is thought. —H. Umlauf, of Coburg, Porter County, had an ear torn off in a runaway. The ear is growing back into its place. —While Jefferson Boyce was crossing the race-ttack at the Portland fair, he was struck by one of the horses and seriously injured. —New Market, in Montgomery County, will lose the hub and spoke-factory, the cause being that the farmers demand too high a price for timber. —Mrs. Lcebig, aged 75 years, was found dead in her chair at her home, on the North Side, at New Albany, having died of a sudden heart seizure. —At Michigan City, Miss Lizzie Hunziker is lying in a comatose state from the effects of laughing-gas taken three days ago. No hopes of her recovery are entertained.

—Near Nashville. Brown county, John Duhamnel, aged G 5 years, and a prominent citizen, was found dead in his corn-field. Heart disease is the supposed cause. —Much elation is felt by the Fisher families and descendants, m Miami County, over the probable heirship to a large portion of estate in Germany, valued at $51,000,000. —Philip F. Gemberling, a well-known young man of Elkhart, was run over and almost instantly killed by a Cincinnati. Wabash and Michigan train. He leaves a wife and one child. —Three school teachers in the city schools at Crawfordsville have purchased the state right to make corsets, and are manufacturing such goods during their leisure moments. —Mary R. Moberly, a school-teacher •of Spencer, has sued James B. Henry for libel, asking $20,000 damages. She claims that through his active influence she was discharged and her license revoked.

—Postmaster Yargcr, of Wanatah, Porter County, was thrown from r> wagon in a runaway and struck a barbedwire fence. His condition is critical as blood poisoning has begun. —The slander suit for SIO,OOO, of Samuel Wallace against Frank Perkins,tried at Crawfordsville on a change of venue from Lafayette, resulted in the jury giving Wallace 1 cent damages. —William Karne’s baby, 2 years old, M»as horribly burned at Richmond. While its mother was doing up her work it got hold of some matches and set fire to its clothing. It will probably die. —The grand jury of Shelby county has reported that it had decided not to indict Mrs. Mary Corwin for shooting and nearly killing Gid Parmer and son Witt, last June, while trying to break into her house. Mrs. Corwin is the woman who has had eight husbands. —Philip Shadle, |a prominent farmer living west of Montpelier, drove his team in a pit to load his wagon with gravel when the bank caved in on him, burying him to his arms. He could not extricate himself, but the other teamsters coming in dug him out. —ln burning some brush in her yard, Mrs. Staples, mother of Joshua Staples, of Putnamville, five miles south of Greencastle, was so severely burned that she died soon after the accident. Her clothing caught from the flames and her body was burned to a crisp. She was 70 yeas old. —Some vandals made a raid on the Greene school-house, near Waynetown, Montgomery County. The shutters were torn off, the window-panes broken, and also several sashes. Then they broke the stove into fragments. The damage done will amount to $75. The per-, petrators are unknown. —Two sections of a west-bound Lake Shore freight train collided near Holmesville. Fifteen cars were derailed and icompletely wrecked, entailing a heavy loss to the company. Traffic was interrupted for over twelve hours. The through passenger train went over the Monon and L. E. & W. track.

—An election was held in Noble, Lagro, and Waltz townships, Wabash county, to determine whether the Vernon, Mill Creek, and New Holland turnpike should be purchased by the townships, and the proposition carried by a handsome majority. The aggregate length of the road is eighteen miles. .

—As farmer James Hull, living ten miles west of Fprt Wayne, was driving home he was struck on a crossing by a west-bound passenger train, on the Nickel-Plate road. The locomotive struck the horses and front end of the wagon. Hull was thrown out and instantly killed. Both horses were als killed. He leaves a large family. —On the premises of J. H. Pefliey, at Dora, Wabash County, is a remarkable well. At times it exerts a remarkable suction force, drawing in the air with great force, and at other times it expels the air with even greater velocity, creating a roar like a gas well. There is no gas about it, and it “breaths” nothing but air. The water from it is excellent. The peculiar phenomenon attracts many visitors.

—At Muncie, a tramp machinist, who gave his name as John Cannady, went to the machine shops belonging to Heath Bros., and turned on the gas in a large stove, He allowed the vapor to escape several minutes before striking a match, but when the match was lighted an explosion followed that blew the tramp fully thirty feet. When found he was unconscious, and was badly burne about the face and hands. The burn are serious but not fatal.

—Jacob Weber, who resides in Clarksville, Clark County, borrowed a gun from a neighbor and started out fora day’s hunting. On reaching the farm of Gay Goodwin, in the Flatwoods neighborhood, he attempted to shoot a small bird, when the weapon exploded. A fragment of the barrel struck Weber in the eye, tearing the ball from the socket. The breech-pin entered his skull just above the injured eye, making a hole an inch square through which the brain could be plainly felt. —N. J. Clodfelter, of Crawfordsville the author of “Snatched from the Poorhouse,” has received $3,600 as his per cent, from the sale of said work. T. B. Peterson <t Bro., of Philadelphia, are the publishers, and Mr. Clodfelter received $213 for the sales in July and $203 from the August sales this year. He has just received sls for an eight-line poem, entitled “Two Hearts.” Mr. Clodfelter is at work on another novel, which was to be ready for the publishers next fall. Mr. Clodfelter is expecting to go to California this fall. , —Probably few persons are aware of the extent of the dairy interest of Indiana. It exceeds in value that of the hog product, and is about twice that of the beef product, in 1888, the value of our beef product was $10,823,850; that of the hog product, $20,572,100; that of the dairy product, $21,335,707. The latter figures do not show the amount of butter and cream consumed at the home, but simply the amount marketed. In 1888 the milk product of the State aggregated 143,238,050 gallons; butter, 31,231,415 pounds, and cheese, 482,745 pounds. Within the last few years several large creameries have been established for the manufacture of butterand cheese, and these havejgiven a considerable impetus to the dairy business.