Jasper County Democrat, Volume 2, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 March 1900 — Untitled [ARTICLE]

No snow to speak of fell last week south of Frankfort, and at Indianapolis and on south not a flake of snow was seen last Monday. Considerable rain has fallen in the southern part of the state and the unmacadamized roads were quite bad. Wheat is looking very brown on top, but it is too early yet to determine how well it has wintered. The writer was in Jennings county a couple of days the first of the week and while there met T. Z. McMurray, who moved down last week, and other parties from this section of the state who had resided there for two years. These parties expressed themselves as well pleased with their location. Probably twenty or thirty families from this section have located in Jennings county during the past three years, and, without an exception so far as we have learned, all are much pleased with the change. Fred McConnell, the absconding cashier of the Ambia Bank, has been arrested in Minneapolis and taken to Fowler where he gave bond in the sum of SI,OOO to appear at the April term of court. Sheriff Warner of White county, made the capture. McConnell’s peculations took place some three or four years ago, and amounted to about $9,000 which it is claimed was lost in speculation on the board of trade. He fled to Honduras, but remained there only a short time returning to Minneapolis where he got work in a car plant. A reward of SSOO had been offered for his capture which will go to sheriff Warner, who located and arrested him.

Delphi dispatch to the Saturday’s Indianapolis Press: Fifty years ago to-morrow thirty-five men from Carroll and White counties and sixty from Tippecanoe county started for the gold fields of California. The organization was known as the “Forty-niners.” They had their wagons made in this city and shipped them from here to Lafayette and thence by steamer down the Wabash, Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to St. Joseph, Mo. At St. Louis the party bought a great deal of provisions and at St. Joseph bought a number of cattle. They started from the Missouri River April 25, 1850, crossed the Great Desert, and reached their destination at Hangtown, Cal., in July. On their arrival at that camp the party seperated and went to mining gold. Soon after reaching California a number of the party died. Some of them returned as soon as possible, and some remained a number of years. Several of them got a considerable amount of gold, but only a few secured enough to compensate them for the great trials they had undergone. There are quite a number of those who made the trip are still living in this vicinity. Among them are Charles Gros. Samual Milroy and John Wilson of this city, and Jacob Troxell of Rensselaer. There are several also residing in-Tippecanoe and White counties. Every two years they hold a reunion on April 25, the date they left the Missouri River. This year this reunion will be held at the home of Jacob Troxell at Rensselaer.