Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 April 1902 — ABOUT THE COURT HOUSE. [ARTICLE]

ABOUT THE COURT HOUSE.

Items of interest Gathered In the Offices and Corridors of the County Capitol. The township trustees were in Monday after enumeration blanks, etc. —o— Marriage licenses: April 5, Charles A. Gick to Mary Weller. April 7, Felix R. Erwin to Alice B. Proudley. On Wednesday the supreme court over-ruled the petition of B. J. Gifford et al for a re-hearing in the Gillam gravel road case of Gifford et al vs. Baker et al, Now will Ben be good? The only amounts placed on the "omitted tax duplicate" since our last report are the following, none of which have been paid: Abraham Halleck. Rensselaer $7 03 Abraham Halleck, Wheatfield 49 Abraham Halleck, Remington 25 .Jhlius Raska of Barkley tp., has been appointed administrator of the estate of Charles Vickery, the old gentleman whom it will be remembered came to the former’s home about a year ago and later was taken sick and died there. At the time of his death about 175 in money was found on his person and it has since been rumored that the old man owned real estate in Lake county. C. T. Denham, the new commissioner from the Third district, will have several months to serve before the election, and his public acts during this time wilt be watched with interest. We have known Mr. Denham for about twelve years and we believe he will make a good commissioner if he can withstand the baleful iufluences of the “inner circle.” We hope that Charley will be equal to the occasion. —o— The following jurors have been drawn for the April term of the circuit court, which convenes Monday. No grand jury has been ordered. The pettit jury is called for Monday April 28, nt Ila. m.: Robert C May, -. Carpenter tp Melvill H Garriott, ...Union George Ott Barkley Robert W Ma<, . .. Carpenter ZFCorbun, Jordan C S Chamberlain Renaaelaer Abraham Leopold Rensselaer John T Bigg* .. Kankakee Rolla Moorhouse Wheatfield William H. Berry Marion W 8 Coen, Reumelaer W L Bringle, . ...Newton M Pence, Keener Charles E Gray, Carpenter Charles Odum, ...Gillam Ch'arlM L Hensler. Jordan Commissioner Halleck was given a turn-down by his colleagues Tuesday, it is rumored, on the matter of allowing the claim for improving the streets about the public square. After being kicked out of the circuit court in his efforts to satisfy a personal spite against the contractors, delaying calling the county council t igether to make the necessary appropriation, and defeated in bis efforts to keep said council from making it, and piling up a big sum in interest, then "continuing” the claim after appropriation was made, Abe wanted to continue it again at the April session, but Commie--sionere Waymire and Denham said, "No,” and the claim was allowed and the interest thereon stopped. There has been at no time any chance on earth for the I county to successfully resist the payment of this claim since the improvement was ordered and accepted, and the additional cost in interest of $25f,29 over what it would have taken to have paid it last October is one of the many unpardonable acts of Mr. Halleck which he will have to answer to the tax payers for at the polls next November.

After several months nagging on the part of The Democrat, the Halleck telephone lines have been placed on the omitted tax duplicate for 1900 and 1901 in Rensselaer, and for 1901 in Remington and Wheatfield. For 1900 the assessment in Rensselaer is for 1 mile of line only, Abe claiming that previous to April Ist of that year be had but one phone in Rensselaer. Now, the franchise was granted him on March 27, 1900, and previous to the granting of same be came into the city over private property (across lots) and had at least four phones in operation for some time prior to April 1, 1900, those we recall being the Makeever House, Hanley & Hunt’s, W. C. Babcock’s, and the Auditor’s office. We believe there were a few others, also. The assessment for 1900 should be increased to include more lines and the phones in use at that time. Also, the three phones at Remington and the one or two at Wheatfield should be included in the 1901 assessment. As made it is on 1 mile of line only, or about sls. We thank the tax-ferrets, however, for finally placing this on the duplicate, and it again proves that "when you see it in The Democrat it’s so,” and we had accused Abe of being a tax-dodger.

New suits filed: No. 6311. Mary E. Spitler vs. Seth B. Moffitt; action on note and mortgage. Foltz, Spitler & Kurrie, attys. No. 6312. James H. Chapman vs. Francis M. Goff; action on note and chattel mortgage. W. B. Austin, atty. No. 6313. t Commercial State Bank vs. Hester Grayson et al; foreclosure; G. K. Hollingsworth, atty. No 6314. William E. Moore vs. Rebecca J. Porter. Action to recover SSOO advanced on contract. Chilcote & Parkison. attys. The compluinhwtteges that on or about the 10th of Febrpary, the plaintiff entered into an oral contract for 5 lots and 10 feet of ground in the city of Rensselaer, and that defendant has become wholly unable to carry out the conditions of said verbal contract on her part; that the contract was for 5 lots of 50 feet frontage each and 10 feet, or 260 feet front, and deep, and that the lots in question were in fact only 126 feet deep, therefore not the property bargained for,- and he demands his SSOO back which he i>aid upon said verbal contract. Mr. Moore, we understand, has never taken possessson of said property, and it now remains vacant and has so remained since Mr. Parkison moved out, several weeks ago.