Democratic Sentinel, Volume 14, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 June 1890 — INDIANA HAPPENINGS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA HAPPENINGS.

IS VENTS AND INCIDENTS THAT HAVE LATELY OCCURRED. An luteresting Summary of the More Im- . portant Doing* of Onr Neighbors—Weddings and Deaths —Crimes, Casualties and General News Notes. Is it a Swindle or Not? James Christie, a well-known young faimer, living near Fletcher’s Lake, went to Logansport the other day and obtained 5800 from the banks on notes on which are forged the names of prominent farmers living in his neighborhood. Christie then called on an insurance agent and took out a policy of $5,000 on his life. While the policy 1 was being written up Christie purchased I a suit of clothes, shoes, hat, etc. Going ’ home he gave the policy to his wife and j ate his supper. About 8 o’clock a neighbor's boy called and the two went swimming in the lake near by. Christie swam out into deep water before his 1 companion undressed. In a few moments Christie called to his friend on the bank, saying that he had the cramps and to get a boat near by and come to his rescue. The boat was secured, but Christie had disappeared. When his companion returned alarm was given, and the lake was dragged for two days and nights in search of the body. Christie’s clothes on the bank were found where he took them off, and untouched tracks were discovered of a bare-footed man going toward Christie’s house from the lake. A peculiarshaped toe which marked itself in tho foot-prints, and which tallies with Christie’s foot, settles the fact in the minds of the neighbors that Christie made his way home naked while his friend was getting the boat, and, donning the new outfit which he purchased, he left the country. Christie was heavily in debt and he doubtless reasoned that his plans were so well laid that his death would be accepted as a certainty without question, and that his family would receive the insurance money to help them out of the financial difficulties in which ho had left them. He has doubtless gone to the far West, where he has relatives, and where he often Slid he was going some time. • Prominent Merchant Killed. An accident in which one of Rushville’s most prominent business men lost hip life, and another one was seriously hurt, occurred at that place. Mr. W. J. Mauzy, of the Mauzy Company, dry goods merchants, was driving a young horse along the street, when a piece of loose paper was turned over by the wind, at which the horse took fright and immediately started to run. Mr. Charles Hugo, who was riding in the cart with Mr. Mauzy, w'as thrown violently to the ground and received very serious braises. Mr. Mauzy was thrown from the cart as the horse turned the corner, and after being hurled to a heigut often feet in the air alighted upon * his head on the stone curbing and fractured his skull in five places, from which wounds he died. Mr. Mauzy was in the prime of an active business life. He had just received a policy in the amount of $5,000 from the New York Life, and carried $3,000 in the Royal Arcanum. Minor State Item*. —Ferdinand Burgman, of Logansport, was assaulted by foot-pads and badly used up. —Oil was “struck” at Greencastle, and the proprietors of the gas well feel greatly encouraged. —Columbus has granted a street-rail-way franchise to John S. Crump. Four miles of track will be laid. The new stock scales of Marshal Alger, at Wabash, were blown up with dynamite by unknown parties. —Patrick Barry, whose home is at Chicago, sat on the Monon track at Ash Grov>e. His injuries are thought to be fatal. —Milroy Sexton, a young man, was instantly killed while loading saw-logs, a few days ago, in Wheatfield Township, Jasper County. One log slipped and crushed him to death. —Ed. Williams at Lagro, was drowned while swimming. He was seized with cramps and sank in eight feet of water. The body was in the water over half an hour before it was recovered. —The safe at the Road House, at the Soldiers’ Home near Marion, was blown open and robbed of eighteen dollars. The proprietor shot half a dozen times at the robbers, but missed them. —The Brazil City Council, by a tie vote, the Mayor deciding, voted to increase the retail liquor license from SIOO to $250, the full limit. Thirty saloons are affected, every saloon-keeper being opposed. —The game law prohibiting shooting squirrels expired last week, and until Dec. 15. the little animals can be shot without violation of the law. The game is unusually plentiful in the woods of Harrison, Crawford, and other southern counties. —Mary Hansheor, a well-known young lady of Lafayette, has been for two weeks lying in what appears to be a state of intermittent coma. She awakes for an hour pr so a couple of times a day, partaking of nourishment and conversing rationally. Physicians are at seiv _ _

—At Korth Vernon, Douglas L. Snodgrass, aged 85 years, died suddenly from a dose of morphine self-adminis-tered. The cause of taking the medicine is unknown. He leaves a wife. Mrs. Elizabeth White, a well-known lady of Rich Valley, Wabash County, has been declared insane. She labors under the hallucination that she is perpetually engaged inn hand-to-hand encounter with the devil, and though not violent, her friends deem it best to have her confined in the asylum. has just been flooded with counterfeit silver dollars, and a good many business men have been victimized by them. They are of the issue of 1883, and bankers say they are thej best counterfeit silver they ever saw. The ring-is good and the workmanship perfect. They are a little thicker than the genuine silver dollar. —John Lingard, of Mill Creek, LaPorte County, was taken with p, violent fit of vomiting, and during a severe struggle, a small lizard was ejected from his stomach. The animal was dead and partially encysted. It is supposed that be swallowed it about two years ago wnile drinking water, as he has suffered a great deal of pain in the region of the stomach about that length of time. The long retention of the animal had poisoned Mr. Lingard’s entire system and his death ensued in a few hours. He was an old resident, having lived in the county forty-eight years. —William Strothen, four miles southeast of Paoli, was taken from his home by a band of masked men, whipped in an outrageous and brutal manner, and notified that if he did not leave within one week he would be hung. Strothen was whipped in much the same manner spme two months ago, and claimed to recognize his assailants, against whom he commenced a prosecution beforea magistrate, which was dismissed, and it was understood that he would lay the matter before the coming session of the grand jury. He to have recognized his assailants ns the same who first whipped him. There is considerable excitement over the matter and it will be fully investigated. Drs. Bunker, Mowd, Voris, Arwin, McLeod and one or two others, operated on Samuel Waltzs, a farmer of Franklin County, to remove a tumor of immense growth that had been forming on one of his legs for thirty years. It had attained immense proportions, being two feet long, one foot in diameter and nearly as wide. Mr. Waltzs, who had consulted physicians in Indianapolis, Cincinnati and other cities, was informed that amputation was the only hope. The leg was taken off at the thigh, and it with the tumor weighed fifty-five pounds, more than one-third the weight of the entire body. He stood the operation well, but the result cannot be determined for several days. When William Plummer, who lives one mile south of Greenfield, drove in his little 4-year-old daughter, Nelly, ran to meet him. Mr. Plummer had unhitched his team and started to the barn, when a dangling trace-chain caught on an iron bolt in the end of the tongue and, jerking, frightened the horses so that they jumped and ran, 'gging the heavy roller upon the nt part of which the little girl had seated herself. She was thrown beneath the roller and crushed to death, her neck being broken. Death followed almost instantly. Mr. Plummer, when he saw the imminent danger of his child, threw himself before the roller, and it passed partially over him, but did not save her. Mr. and Mrs. Plummer are almost crazed with grief. —Three years ago the steamer La Mascotte, owned by Captains Durland and Perkins of Evansville, was burned at Cape Girdean and a number of lives lost. Among them was Roy Perkins, the first clerk, who attempted to leave the boat w’ith a large quantity of gold and silver in a belt around the waist. His body was never found. The other day Capt. Perkins received a telegram from a young lady friend of the family, who resides in Washington, stating that on a visit to one of the hospitals she | had found Roy lying dangerously ill, | and, though he denied his identity, he '■’'ally confessed. Immediately upon . eipt of this, Capt. Perkins left for I Washington. It is thought that Perkins waff injured in the wreck and has only now recovered his reason. —While the Rev. Charles Morris, of Evansville, dean of the southern convocation, was en route to Indianapolis to attend the diocesan convention, he fell into the hands of confidence men. Shortly after leaving Terre Haute a man sitting in the front end of the coach w'as apparently seized with a terrible fit. The Rev. Dr. Morris’ sympathy was aroused at o.nce, and he went forward to lend his assistance. After rubbing the fellow’s head for some time his struggles ceased, and the minister started to return to his seat. The man was immediately seized with another fit, and Dr. Morris again went to minister to his wants. This time the fit was of short duration, and the Rev. Dr. Morris was soon able to return to his seat, only to find that his grip, containing his vestments and reports, had been stolen by an accomplice of the>man who had had the fits. The victimi" preacher went on to Indianapolis w out even an extra handkerchief in possession. Once before, pn a trip i. Mount Vernon, he met with the s.uue misfortune, having all of his vestry robes ’♦olep. .--jn