Jasper County Democrat, Volume 5, Number 3, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 April 1902 — RECORD OF THE WEEK [ARTICLE]

RECORD OF THE WEEK

INDIANA INCIDENTS TERSELY TOLD. Law Regulating Merchandise Sales Declared Void—Attempt to Wreck a Train—Steer Races in Fast' TimeMerchant Suicides—Pittser Is Guilty. Judge Hiram S. Biggs, in the Kosciusko County Circuit Court, declared unconstitutional an act passed by the Legislature last year entitled “An act to regulate the sale of merchandise in bulk.” This law provided that in insolvency proceedings the word creditors should apply only to those creditors whose claims arose from the sale of some part of the stock of merchandise in question. Judge Biggs declares the act invalid for the reason that it grants to wholesale dealers as creditors of an insolvent retailer privileges not enjoyed by other creditors. The decision was in the case of Philip Jaeger, a wholesale grocer of Chicago, and other creditors against Frank M. Whiting. Jaeger and others brought suit to attach the stock of Whiting, which had been sold to an innocent purchaser. The opinion was given on a demurrer to the complaint, raising the question of the validity of the law. Attempt to Wreck a Train. An attempt was made the other night ,to wreck a passenger train on the Wabash road at a point in Jackson township. Ties were placed on the track, and but for the discovery made by the crew of a freight train half an hour ahead of ,the passenger train, there would likely have been a bad accident. Whether robbery was the motive is not known. '

, Steer Makes Speed Record. Edward Holder, an animal trainer near Richmond, has performed a wonderful feat with one of his steers, “Garvin.” He hitched the steer to a bicycle and [speeded him on a race course with hob■bles on. He paced an eighth of a mile ( in eighteen seconds. This is at the rate of a mile in 2:24. The steer is about 1 ;year old. : Rushville Merchant a Suicide. j Samuel Abercrombie, a leading Rushville merchant, committed suicide by shooting himself through the head. Despondent over business matters and temporary Insanity is the supposed cause. He was superintendent of the Rushville city schools for seven years. Fittser Guilty of Wife Murder. Charles I'ittser was found guilty of murder in the second degree and given life imprisonment. Pittser killed his wife, Dona, in Muncie, Jan. 14. Pittser served in the Philippines in the Thirty-first volunteers.

State News ia Brief. John M. Willits, Wellsboro, killed by a train. Train killed Miss Sarah Julian, Crawfordsville. "• Marion! tes must pay 35 cents a hundred for ice. Elvie Burns, 28, Somerset, was killed in a runaway. Mariou Presbyterians are building a $35,000 church. Sam Nye, Madison, shot Charles Cox, colored. May die. William Phelps, Noblesville, slipped and fell. May die. Charles Edwards, Elwood, was killed by a train at Columbus, Ohio. Town of Elberfield had a $7,000 plaze. Heldt brothers were burned out. Tucker Reed, 28, Nulltown, killed himself with poison. Domestic trouble. Mrs. Maud McGinnis, Richmond, tried to kill herself with carbolic acid. Pumped out. J. S. Lackey, Cambridge City, will build a new barn, where horses will be sold. Syracuse voted “no" ou giving SIO,OOO to the proposed Fort Wayne and Goshen Railroad. Italians at Plymouth routed a gang of boys who had attacked them, Denver Fetters, 18, was shot iu the face. Will recover.

The Grand Coinmandery Knights Templar of Indiana, at South Bend elected Sidney W. Douglas of Evansville grand commander. L. A. McMillan, restaurateur, Danville, is missing. Owes wholesale houses. Sent a letter to Danville Trust Company requesting that it wind up his business. S. R. Beasley, formerly of Linton, who swindled several Hoosiers, then went to lowa, was arrested at Davenport for swindling and given seventeen years in the pen. John C. Hanover of Chicago was doing a trick at Winamac with five SIOO bills. He accidentally ignited the money with a match and it burned up. His hand was severely scorched. W. S. Robertson, a confectioner, was so badly hurt that he died and Wilbur Pell and Ada Green, children, seriously injured by the explosion of a soda fountain at Fuirland.

Officers of the grand commandery of Indiana Knights Templar: Grand c>unmander, Sidney W. Douglass, Evansville; deputy grand commander, Frederick Glass. Madison; grand generalissimo, Charles Goltra, Crawfordsville; grand captain general. Nathan L. Agnew, Valparaiso; grand senior warden, Oliver Gard; grand, junior warden. Vestal W. Woodward, Indianapolis; grand prelate, Cassius M. Carter, Muncie; grand standard bearer, Charles Day, Franklin; grand 'warden, William B. Hosford, South Bend; treasurer, Charles L. Hutchinson, Indianapolis. Superintendent of Schools Edward Ayres, Lafayette, resigned. R. B. Bedgood succeeds him. Robert Howell of South Bend Commercial College and Miss Zun Stetler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Stetler, both of that city, startled South Bend society by eloping to St. Joseph, Mich., and getting married. v A note has been found, written by Rose Bayless, the girl who committed suicide at Fairbanks because Ernest Clark failed to keep his promise to elope with her. The note reads: “Life is niLserablo, and everybody will sneer at me. Bury me in my wedding clothes, Place, me where my lov* can be placed by lay side. Yours in sorrow.”