Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 50, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 December 1895 — INDIANA INCIDENTS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA INCIDENTS.

RECORD OF EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK. Happy Boding to the Romance in the Life of W. L. Babbitt, of Crawfordsville—Terre Haute Man Gets Into Berions Trouble. Mother and Son Reunited. W. L. Babbitt, the well-known traveling salesman of Crawfordsville, has found his mother, from whom he was separated for thirty-two years, and for whom he had been searching for twenty years. Mr. Babbitt's father was a lumber dealei in Chicago, und an infidel. Mrs. Babbitt obtained u divorce, and the father kidnaped the 5-year-old child. His mothe. was unable to obtain the slightest clew as to his whereabouts, und she finally left Chicago and went to live with a sister in Niles, Mich. Meantime, Babbitt had also gone to a lumber town in Michigan, taking with him his son. The lad, when Hi years old, attempted to. run away and find his mother, but was overhauled by his father and given a most terrible beating. When, however. W. T. Babbitt celebrated his 21st birthday he called hi< father to account and demanded to know who his mother wns and where she lived. His father laughed him to scorn and refused to give him satisfaction. Then he went to Chicago, and there interested a wealthy friend, who spent quite a sum of money in endeavoring to learn of Mrs. Babbitt's whereabouts. It seems that, unknown to the searchers, Mrs. Babbitt, after divorce, had renssumed her maiden mime, Hattie Davis. In tho course of time the son learned from his father's brother that his mother had come from New England, and had ostensibly left Chicago for her old home. The search wns then conducted chiefly in the East. Finally, all except Mr. Babbitt gave up tho search. He continued it from the time he was 21 years old until success crowned his efforts at the nge of 37. IB course, not having much means his efforts were hampered. Two weeks ago he was in Niles, Mich., and while talking to n customer named Woods, the story of Babbitt's life came out. An old gentleman named Hunter was in the room, and, having heard the story, declared thnt his wife wns well acquainted with Babbitt's mother, and for the first time Babbitt heard thnt his mother had lived for several ■les. This was a clew which idosed that his mother was ig with her sister, Mrs. J. ft.' Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. Mr. ceeded to the telegraph office lessage to J. S. Boyce, stating i. mid asking for information jl'her. In a short time he received an answer, stating that his mother was then nlive and well, and almost prostrated with joy at hearing of him. Mr. Babbitt left ns soon ns possible for Cuyahoga Falls, ajid his reunion with his mother can be better imagined than described. His mother, now 70 years old, he found a Indy well-preserved mid highly intelligent. He also found that in the smile town lived several uncles, mints and cousins of whom lie had never heard. The German Carp.. 'Die game mid fish wardens of Ohio and Indiana unite in pronouncing tho German carp almost useless as n food fish, mid n source of great damage to other varieties. They say the carp does not prey upon other minnows, lint he wallows about in the mud and makes the water so foul that other fish cannot breed. The flesh of the enrp is soft, mid ns a game fish lie is worthless. On tho other hand, the Illinois commissioner defends tlie carp. A few years ago it was quite tliv fad for farmers to have earp ponds. Freshets caused overflows, nnd then streams became filled with them; wherever the carp has been transplanted—mid the breed is wonderfully prolific—other varietics-of fish have grown vastly fewer. One furtner declared that after he hnd raised two crops from n dried-up pond lied, when a freshet came and filled tho pond, spawn of the carp began to hatch mid has since thrived. The general opinion seems to be that thevarp is a regular bog—the scavenger of inland waters. Remarried His Divorced Wife. Emma Fox lias tiled her petition for a divorce from her husband, George Fox, and in it sets forth some startling allegations. They were once married and then divorced. She charges that she then went to work in a tiu,plate factory at Montpelier, and that during last October her ex-husband drove up In u buggy and forced her to get in. After doing so lie told her that she must go to Hartford City and marry him or he would kill her. She went witli him, was married by a Justice of the peace, and then drove back to Montpelier. Fox then told her he.hnd done it to keep some one else from getting her. He lifts never, been seen since. Claimed the Household Goods. George Loucks, of Hillsboro, 111., shipped a carload of household goods to Terre Haute Monday, mid Friday arrived to take them in charge. To his surprise he found that another man had carted them away. Detectives have arrested George Loux, u mill hand, and the goods have been found in his possession. The bill of lading was sent to him, and he claims to have believed that the effects were a Christmas gift from his parents. He will lie prosecuted on a charge of forgery, having signed Ixiucks’ name to the freight receipt.

AU Ovcr the State. All licensed saloons at Colfax have been knocked out under the Nicholson law. It is asserted that Oliver Torbett, of Terre Haute, who was killed by the explosion of gas in an oil-tank car, was hurled seventy feet in the air. The body was found entirely stripped of clothing, and apparently bleeding from every pore. Harry Gaither, driver of a beer wagon, upon opening the door or the storage house at Anderson and striking a match, was hurled some distance away by an explosion which wrecked the building. Natural gas, in some unexplained way, had accumulated in the building. A maiden lady, who recently died at Laporte, 90 years old, was claimed to be ♦he oldest spinster in the State. Miss Mary Collins, of Franklin, is 92 years old, and in excellent helath. Recently she underwent a surgical operation for cataract of the right eye. The Joy County Commissioners made an appropriation of SSOO to build a cottage at the Lafayette Soldiers' Home, to accommodate the disabled soldiers and fheir wives. This was done in response to a request of the Grand Army of the Republic Relief Corps of the county. Some time ago Mrs. Celia Sparks brought suit against the city of Richmond for SIO,OOO damages for injuries she received in falling over a water pipe in a newly made street. The case went to the jury and a verdict for SSOO was returned. The Rev. J. T. F. Shannon, an old minister, who has lived near Lebanon a number of years, came in on the train from the West the other night, alighting at the usual stopping-place. As he started down town, slightly behind the others who had alighted, he was seized by two men, who held him and rifled his pockets of S4O. Mr. Shannon says he would recognize his assailants.