Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 November 1889 — INDIANA HAPPENINGS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA HAPPENINGS.

events and incidents that have LATELY OCCURRED. An Interestlag Summary of the More Important Doings of Our Neighbors—Weddings and Draths—Crime, Casualties and General News Notes. Peculiar Cave at Spencer. A curious cave was discovered near Spencer by H. H. Strum, of Indianapolis, and Richard Pinker, of that city, ■who has explored it. The entrance is a hole twenty feet deep and about three feet in diameter. At the bottom begins a narrow and steep passage, running northeast about thirty-five feet. At the end of this passage was a step-off of about five feet, and immediately to the left was a chamber about eight feet in diameter, the wall rising gradually in the form of a cone, meeting at a point overhead thirty feet from the floor. The walls were hung with numerous stone pendants, water at the time dripping down. A passage-way eighteen inches wide and ten feet long, led from this opening toward the nortwest to another chamber similar to the first, but about sixty feet high. A passage way then brought the party into still another room, it being a little smaller than the first. From this a narrow aisle, sixty feet long and seven feet high, led northwest to a very small opening, or manhole, through which the reporter crawled with a lamp, and found that the passage was blocked by a large quantity of sand debris, brought by the rains that pour at times down the whole cave. At the end of this last passage there led off two openings, about as large as a stove-pipe. Stamping on the ground brought out the fact that a chamber was at some place under this last passage. This week a hole will be drilled to find if such a cavity exists, and also the entrance will be enlarged, making it easier of access. Cost of Running the State. The following is a summary of the Auditor’s report concerning the State’s financial dealings during the fiscal year ending October 31, 1889. The total receipts to the general fund were $3,485,907.63. The disbursements to the general fund were $2,770,309.74. The total receipts from all sources during the fiscal year ending October 31, 1889, were $9,051,431.57. Adding the balance to the treasury October 31, 1888, makes a grand total of $9,379,157.73. The net cash disbursements from the treasury during year were $8,405,048.38, leaving a cash balance in the treasury on October 31, 1889, of $974,109.35. Of the balance $811,734.56 belongs to the general fund of the State. Remainder belongs to the other different funds. Minor State Items. —On Dec. 30 an election will be held at Linden, Montgomery County, to have the place incorporated. —John Day, employed in the saw-mill of a Waterloo chair factory, was struck by a flying plank and fatally injured. —While William St. Clair, of Henryville, Clark County, was loading his gun his hand was blown off by the explosion of a cartridge in it. —Messrs. O. B. Hough and George Lilly, of the Columbia Encaustic Company of Anderson, received word by telephone that they had struck the larggest gas well in the Anderson region. —The Studebaker wagon-works at South Bend are 150 car-loads behind orders, and the factory is crowded to its utmost. It will be enlarged so as to give a capacity of 59,000 wagons per year. —Thomas Harbinson and wife, living near Winslow, Pike County, were fatally, and their two children dangerously injured by the roof of their house being blown off by the explosion of a can of powder. —A Poultry-Breeders’ Association has been organized at Peru, with the following officers: President, A. M. Fox; Vice President, John Champ; Secretary, J. W. Pierce; Treasurer, Johnßetzner. —John Rodenbarger, check weighman at the Potter mine, near Brazil,i while making a coupling of two cars, was caught by the bumpers and badly crushed. His injuries are thought to be fatal. —At a meeting of the Wabash Board of Trade, the following officers were chosen for the ensuing year: President, John B. Latchem; Vice President, J. T. Hutchins; Secretary, Warren Bigler; Treasurer, James I. Robertson. —While Mrs. Rudolph Schneider, of Wabash, was washing, her 3-year-old son tumbled into a tub filled with boiling water. Before the child could be rescued he had turned’ black, and was fearfully burned. He cannot recover. —Thomas Payton, a young farmer of Martin County, was riding to his work, when his horse became frightened and ran away with him, running against a barbed-Vfrire fence with such force as to throw the rider some distance beyond the fence. The horse, turning a complete somersault, fell upon him, crushing him so terribly that he died of his injuries. —Connersville has a mystery in the person of a ghostly woman who parades the streets accosting women and children at night. The person is apparently a young woman of about twenty, of light stature, and dressed in plain black costume, wearing her hair braded down her back. She appears veiled, sometimes with a white and again with a blacl. veil.

—About four weeks ago charges that had been made against Capt. M. V. Wert, of Company D, at Crawfordsville, were heard. Gen. Buckle has made his report on the same, and finds that Captain Wert, instead of misappropriating funds belonging to the company, has spent $75 of his own money. —Rabbits are reported so plentiful in some parts of Clark County that bo_ s have no trouble in killing the animals with clubs. The peach orchard men are willing to give permission to all hunters who desire to kill rabbits exclusively. They have become so numerous that peach trees by the hundreds are killed annually. Last year Commissioner Packwood lost an entire orchard from this source alone. The First National Bank of Marion has been organized with a capital stock of SIOO,OOO. The Directors are Hon. George W. Steele, Robert B. Allison, David Studebaker, Christian Hetter, Homer D. Reasoner, George Harvey, W. C. Webster, W. B. Dodds, and W. W. McCleery. Major . Steele was elected President, H. D. Reasoner, Vice President, and W. W.Morrison, ofSipley, 0., Cashier. —The Harrison County Agricultural Society has elected the following officers: President, James W. McKinster; Vice President, Wm. R. Shuck; Secretary, T. S. Getzendanner; Treasurer, Amos Lemmon; Directors, Reed Sharp, R. B. Ludlow, I. F. Pittman, J. P. Farnesiey, J. A. Harbison, H. B. Utz, S. T. Wolfe, John Mcßea, H. Smith, Levi Hottell, Philip Bent, and Cornelius Crabill. —James W. Minnick, ticket agent for the Lake Shore and Muncie roads at Fort Wayne was “held up” by four unknown foot-pads, at 6 o’clock in the evening, just after he had left his office, and robbed of SBS belonging to the railroad company. The city is infested with thieves and burglars, and robberies are of nightly occurrence. —A whole family residing.in Jefferson County, near the Clark County line, is afflicted whith hereditary insanity. The youngest child was born in the lunatic asylum, where his mother now is. A few days ago Ollie Montgomery, the one born at the asylum, stepped out of the house with the hallucination that he had to be baptized. He walked out into the river until he was drowned. While Charles McClelland was working at Snell’s mine, about four miles east of Knightsville, a large piece of slate fell out of the roof, crushing him under it. When removed he was found to be in a very bad condition and his recovery is doubtful. Mr. McClelland has a wife and three children and was a prominent member of the United Brethren Church. —The officers of the State Christian Endeavor Union, as re-elected at the close of the late convention, are: President, W. J, Lewis, of Evansville; Vice President, Col. W. D. Ewing, and Secretary and Treasurer, Miss Bettie M. Wishard, of Indianapolis. The directors of unions are Frank Vail, Madison; Mrs. E. B. Warner, Terre Haute; Rev. D. P. Breed, Michigan City; Herbert Thompson, Crawfordsville; Prof. Thos. Newland, Spiceland; Miss Lida O. Murray, South Bend. —The movement inaugurated by the local press of Fort Wayne, to have the coming political State conventions held in that city was discussed at length at a meeting of the Business Men’s Exchange. The opinion was general that Fort Wayne, with her ample hotel accomodations, is entitled to a share of the conventions hitherto universally held at Indianapolis. A committee comprising ten members of each political party and of the Grand Army of the Republic was appointed to take the matter in hand. A combination with the members of the State committees from the southern part of the State will be effected in order to beat Indianapolis. —The other night two tramps camped near Decatur, and built a fire by which to prepare a meal and keep warm. During the night one of the men giving the name of John Price, who is supposed to have been intoxicated, fell into the fire. His companion being also under the influence of liquor, took him from his perilous position with great difficulty, and gave the alarm. When found by the night policeman Price had nearly all his clothing burned off his body, and was writhing in great agony from his injuries. He was removed to the County Asylum, where he now lies in a critical condition. Price is about thirty years of age, and refuses to locate his home. His companion deserted him soon after he was found. •—Patents have been granted to the following residents of Indiana: Henry Bauer, Indianapolis, extension table; William Cline, Clay ton, fence; Calvin F, Darnell, assignor of one-half to W. L. Taylor, Indianapolis, fence; Sanford W. Ermon, Mount Meridian, cleaner for fruit jars, etc.; John Lowrie, Brookston, cultivator; Ronald T. McDonald, and J. Cain, assignors to Fort Wayne Electric Light Company, Fort Wayne, electric arc-light headlight; George W. Lee, Muncie, evaporating apparatus; Aaron D. Miller, Evansville, safe alarm; John Payne,- Connersville, portable voting booth; Clifton D. Pettis, Terre Haute, grain car door;Howard F. Slith, Elkhart, apparatus for moulding articles from pulp; William H. Trammel, Huntington, nut locks; Orson H. Woolworth, Columbia City, combined rake and ground leveler.