Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 September 1898 — RECORD OF THE WEEK [ARTICLE]

RECORD OF THE WEEK

INDIANA INCIDENTS TERSELF * TOLD. Methodists to Raise $500,000 for Do . Paitw University—Double Tragedy in Columbus-Ilr ikcman Leaps Fifty : Feet to Escape Death. Fixes Debt on Church. - .Ja At a council of presiding officers, of the .a Methodist Church held at Anderson, it J was decided to saddle an endowment of | $500,000 upon the churches of the State | for maintaining De Pauw University. It J is proposed to raise this fund during the years 1899 and 1900 and it is to be known as “the twentieth century gift of Indian* j Methodism to the permanent endowment of De Pauw University.” The demands are to be apportioned to the three Indiana - j conferences, about $150,000 to each one. The university has been running in hard lines for the past year. The failure of the De Pauws crippled the institution to the ■ extent of several hundred thousand dollars. During the past year it has been ; necessary to make a beggerly appeal to every source for revenue to carry on the work. It is proposed to put this $500,000 out on interest and not touch the principal. Elopes with a Merc Child. Milo Wilson and Lula Hancock eloped from Monon and were married at St. Joseph, Mich. Wilson is 50 years old and the girl 13. A warrant was out for Wilson’s arrest on the charge of decoying the girl from home, and they were arrested at Logansport. Wilson is the father of four children, one almost as old as tho Hancock girl, who comes from an excellent family. Wilson had been paying her attention for several months, despite the protestation of her mother. Indignant citizens finally warned Wilson to cease paying the child attention and he promptly induced the girl to elope. Wife and Husband Suicide. Mrs. Ellen Hill of Columbus committed suicide by hanging herself in the barn. The cause of her death was due to the unsteady actions of her husband. Henson C. Hill, her husband, also committed suicide the next morjiing by taking strychnine. He was seized with horrible convulsions and died four hours after. Mr. Hill was a very prominent man in the vivinity, having served as city councilman* for two successive terms, and was connected with a manufacturing company at Indianapolis. The death of his wife completely unmanned him and it was no doubt the immediate cause of his suicide. Brakeman's Perilous Jump. At Clinton. Albert Brown, a Chicago and Eastern Illinois brakeman, escaped a violent death by jumping from the railroad to the ground, a distance of fifty feet. Brown had gone out on the bridge to make a coupling when a car loaded with heavy timber struck him, causing him to lose his balance. It was either jump or be ground to pieces by the cars, and with wonderful presence of mind he leaped. He lit squarely on his feet, where he stood for a moment, and then fell unconscious to the ground. His injury is not regarded as serious. r Within Our Borders. At South Bend. Mrs. August Sehlemmel, aged 19, recently married, took rat poison and died. At Martinsville, Hugh, the 17-ycar-old son of William Williamson, was drowned in White river. The deadly disease anthrax has made its appearance among a herd of cattle belonging to Hamilton Like of Harrison township. The young man who was killed by the train between Farmersburg and Pimento has been identified as Charles Watkins, aged 29, a grocer of Terre Haute. While John Gardner of Clinton township and his young son were crossing the track in a wagon, they were struck by the Big Four express and both were instantly killed. Some miscreant set fire to a number of stacks of wheat belonging to George G. Pell on a farm near Harmony. The fire spread rapidly and soon consumed his entire crop of over 600 bushels. Norman Bovee. an engineer in the employ of the Michigan Central Railroad for the last eighteen years, committed suicide in the city park at Michigan City by shooting himself in the head. He has been in poor health for four months.

Willie Evans, aged 10, near Lake Mixinkuckee, was bitten by a rattlesnake and will probably die. He was cutting grass with the lawn mower and cut the reptile in two. In trying to remove some obstruction from the mower he was bitten on the end of the little finger. Seven thousand people were assembled at the Newbern farmers’ fair near Columbus in Deep Woods, when a violent storm came. The lightning and thunder were terrific and the rain poured down in a deluge. Trees were blown down, horses broke loose and ran away, children screamed, women fainted and general panic prevailed. Charles Hayman was struck by a falling limb and badly hurt; he will probably die. His wife and son were slightly injured. Mrs. Samuel Cooper was also struck by falling timber and badly hurt; will probably die. Fire broke out in Frank Wright’s restaurantaat Pennville, destroying a block of buildings valued at $25,000, and causing injuries to several persons. The Injured are Mrs. Frank Wright, who jumped from the second story, dislocated hipand broken ankle, recovery doubtful; 'Frank Wright, burned while rescuing his children, not serious; infant child of Frank Wright and wife, badly burned, but will recover. The fire spread to the Pennville Gas Company’s office, Dr. Mason’s office, J. D. Smith & Sons’ hardware and furniture store, the Lupton building, Mrs. Jenkins’ block and residence, A. T. Place’s grocery. Will Allman’s barber shop and the Morrow barber shop. The buildings were all frame. The remains of John Rollinson, who lived a hermit’s life in Greenville township, were found in an advanced state of decomposition on the floor of the little house on his farm. 1 During a heavy electric rainstorm the two-story residence occupied by James 4 Wells and family at Edinburg was struck by lightning and set on fire. Mr. Wells had jnst retired in an upstairs room and was severely shocked. His wife, daughter and one son, who were still down stairs, were also stunned and blinded by the stroke, but none was dangerously jured.