Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 April 1890 — INDIANA HAPPENINGS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA HAPPENINGS.

' EVENTS AND INCIDENTS THAT HAVE LATELY OCCURRED. 4a Interesting Summary of the More Important Doings of Oar Neighbors—Weddings and Deaths—Crime, Casualties and General News Notes, Shocking Murder in the Jeffersonville Car Works. A tragedy, shocking in its details, was enacted at the Ohio Falls car-works, in Jeffersonville, the principals to the affair being John Aldridge, aged 16, and William Gleason, aged 17 years, both employes at the works. The two Hoys quarreled about some trivial matter, and the Aldridge boy, who is known to be of an ugly disposition, insisted on a settlement of their difference then and there. The other declined to fig 1 t, saving he would waittill they were out of the shops before having any further trouble, and started away from the scene of the quarrel. The Aldridge boy followed his adversary, and picking up piece of iron threw it at him, striking him at the base of. the brain and fracturing the skull. Gleason fell upon a nail-box, and expired thirty minutes after receiving the death blow. Several workmen in the shop where the boys were employed witnessed the tragedy, but were powerless to avert it, so suddenly was it done. -Aldridge, after seeing his victim fall, ran to his home where he was arrested. Was Calkins’ Death Accidental? The Coroner’s investigation into the ■drowning of Henry Calkins, at Elkhart, has led to the suspicion that it was not entirely accidental. It will be remembered that at the time Calkins was fishing in a boat with his wife and Frank E. •Hendrix, an insurance agent in whose employ he was. Calkins was an old man and but recently married. It was -stated that one of the conditions of his ■marriage was that he should take out a policy on his life. Testimony was also to show that his wife had do love for him, and that Hendrix was a frequent visitor at the house. The Coroner’s verdict was as follows: I, W. W. Johnson, Coroner, having examined the body of Edmund Calkins, and beard the testimony of the witness, which said testimony is hereby attached, do hereby find that the said deceased came to his death by accidental •drowning in the St. Joseph Biver. I would re■commend further investigation.

W. W. Johnson, Coroner of Elkhart County, A slight abrasion was noticeable on Calkin’s forehead, as though made by an •oar of the boat. Minor State News. —Joseph Lupton. a Pennsylvania employe, dropped dead at Fort Wayne. —Charles Drake was crushed to death at Argos, by a tree he felled. —Oaklandon has a second gas well, •with an output of 2,000,000 feet a day. —A movement is on foot to have the suburb of Longview added to Crawfordsville. —Henry French was fatally hurt in a runaway accident at Elkhart. He is a prominent citizen* aged 70. —Capt. J. Hoddon, of Carlisle, has lost two imported Percheron stallions and two mares by fire. They were worth $5,000. —Lightning struck John Eberlv, of Pine Village,* Warren County? \>ring out both eyes from their soc*w- He will die. —William Strawn was dangerously injured at Boylestou, by James Merritt, •who used an ax as an argument in a quarrel over a foot-path. Spottsville, Miss Lena Frank, aged 17, cut her throat because her parents objected to hermarriage. She may recover, as no vital points were cut. —-In a collision between freight trains at Glenmore, east of Huntington, William Cox, engineer, was fatally injured. The loss on rolling stock is $5,000. —The wife of Philip Knecht, at Rippus, Huntington County, set a bucket of hot water on the floor. Her little child fell into it and was scalded to death. —Water and gas have been struck at Worthington at a depth of 1,600 feet, giving an artesian stream ten feet high, with gas burning at the top of the column. * —The stores of John Rosenberg, Mrs. Larsen, and Emanuel Hostetter, and the -saloon of William Palmer were destroyed by fire at Middleburg. Loss $3,000. —A catfish weighing seventy-one pounds was Jodged against a picket fence when the back water receded from the farm of Richard Wagner in Knox County. —Rev. Walter Benton died at Seymour, aged 91. He had been a resident of JacksmrTTuMity since 1819, and in the Methodist ministry sixty years, being the oldest minister in the State. —A 2-year-old child of James C. Whittaker, of Monroe ,County, was drowned in an old cellar containing about three feet of water. The child had fallen in while at play and was not discovered for half an hour or more. Mrs. Whittaker is almost distracted with grief. —A fine large barn on the farm of Aaron Blunk.in Clay Township, Morgan County,burned with its contents,consisting of a new clover-huller, farming implements,hay, corn.and oats. Mr. Blunk was seriously burned about the face and neck while saving his horses from the flames, being almost overcome with the heat before getting the last horse out. His loss will reach $2,000, with no ineurance.

—George Williams was arrested at Evansville for burglary in the morning, tried in the afternoon, and sentenced to fonr years in prison before sunset. —The large barn belonging to Bud Seals, a prominent farmer of Barr Township, Daviess County, was set fire and completely destroyed. Six head of valuable horses, thirteen head of cattle and SSOO worth of farming implements and feed were bnrned. The total loss is about $4,000. —David Cottrell, a young section hand on the Big Four, a resident of Fortville, while alighting from a moving train near Pendleton was thrown violently against the corner of a crosstie and his face crashed into a shapeless mass though which the brain could be seen. His injuries will prove fatal, —Three prisoners in the jail at Shelbyville came very near making their escape. They were Charles Ball, under sentence for forgery: Harry Farrers, for larceny, and James Tnmblin, for felonious assanlt. They built a fire on one of the stone slabs in the corridor and split it, and were digging through the concrete to the cellar when discovereds —A society for the prevention of cruelty to animals and children has been organized at Greencastle, with a membership of fifty. The following officers were elected: President, B. A. Ogg; Vice President, L. P. Chapin; Secretary, James W. Stubbs, Treasurer; Thomas C. Hammond; Directors, Elder A. H. Morris, Capt. E. T. Chaffee, Mrs. Mary N. Matson, Mrs. Alice B. Allen, Frank A. Arnold.

—At Elkhart, while Edmund Calkins, a well-known resident of that city, in company with his wife and a young man named Frank Hendryx, was boat-riding on the St. Joseph Biver, a short distance east of here, Calkins lost his balance in changing seats with his wife and both fell overboard, and Calkins was drowned. He was 60 years of age, and was formerly in the newspaper business. —Miss Ida Miller, age d 20 years, daughter of Isaac Miller, who keeps a gocery at Fort Wayne, was struck by lightning and instantly killed. She was on her way to church and standing with her mother in the doorway when she was struck. She fell over against her mother, knocking that lady down, but the latter was uninjured. Several houses were struck by lightning and set on fire, but little damage was done. —A wild man was discovered in the woods near Pendleton recently. He was captured after a hard chase, but could give no rational account of himself. His identity is a complete mystery, From his talk, it was supposed that he had lost his mind through religious excitement, as he answered all interrogations by quotations from the Scriptures. He was taken to Anderson and placed in ]>il, but fought desperately for his freedom.

—The columns that supportedthe gallery of the Methodist church, atMuncie, settled, throwing an audience of 1,000 into a state of frenzy for a few moments. There were 300 people in the gallery, and almost aamanv more below, and had the gallery fallen the loss of life would have been great. The affair occurred through the settling of the bases of the columns in the basement, and can be easily repaired. —At Pike’s saw mill, five miles south of Marion, a horrible accident occurred in which Enoch Jenkins lost his life. Jenkins was caught in the large fly wheel while attempting to fix the belt. His body made two revolutions around with the wheel before the engine could be stopped. He was mangled almost beyond recognition. Deceased was fiftyseven years old and leaves u wife and three children in easy circumstances. —Upon one of the forest trees that was removed to make room for the new library building at Wabash College, Crawfordsviile, were the words “Freshmen, 1840.” It is probable that a section of the tree will be placed in the museum. The freshman class graduated in 1843, and consisted of eight members, six of whom are dead. Those living are Rev. A. F. White, LL. D., of Santa Rosa, Cal., and Jos. Wilson, of Neoga, 111.

—A very Bad accident occurred at the Pennsylvania depot in Columbia City, whereby P. J. Finney, a railroad brakeman residing at Fort Wayne, lost his life. He was running on a through freight, which was passing the station at the rate of fifteen miles an hour, and was in the act of climbing down the side ladder next to the caboose, when he was struck by the water plug, thrown under the wheels and instantly killed. He was about twenty-six years old and unmarried. —James Devine, a laborer working on some improvements on the residence of County Clerk Fisk, at Logansport, fell from the roof and struck on his head. He died almcsc instantly from his injuries. Devine had been unusually happy duringthe morning, singing and whistling to such an extent as to attract the attention of his companions, one of whom said to him just before the accident, “Jim, you are too happy this morning; you’ll die before night.” To which Devine replied: “As well now as any time.” A few moments later he went down after some material, and, in ascending the ladder, slipped as he attempted to turn the cornice. He succeeded in catching hold of the cornice, but it came loose and fell with him to the pavement below