Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 19, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 August 1905 — HE CAME AS FREIGHT [ARTICLE]

HE CAME AS FREIGHT

Brought His Whole Family with rlim, Too, from Kansas to Indiana. CASE OF BEAT THAT IS UNIQUE Cities Inhibited from Using Patented Processes Because There Cannot Be Competition. Indianapolis, Aug. 4.—John Clarke, of Muncie, Ind., has solved the problem of “free transportation”; not for men alone, for that is easy, but for large parties that may Include women. A month ago Clarke and bis family —a wife, two daughters and a young son— were in Kansas, near the Colorado line. Today they are back in Muncie among their friends, and the trip of more than 1,000 miles from Holly, Kan., to Indianapolis, cost Clarke just <5.30, or <l.lO for each Individual of the party. For fifteen years Clarke worked in the freight house of one of the railroads entering Muncie. He tired of "trucking freight” and determined to try farming.

Farmin* Was a Failure. He invested all his savings in a farm in the Sunflower state; "went broke,” or nearly so, and with just <4O in his pocket determined to come back to Indiana. He has arrived and has still with him most of the S4O. The farmers near Holly, Kan., were shipping the remainder of their last year’s crop of wheat, corn and oats to the east, and Clarke located a car that was routed through Indiana. The car was suited in its construction and its load for Clarke’s purpose and he determined to use It. After it was loaded It was run back out of sight of the station, and then Clarke put his family, a big jug of water and quantity of cooked food aboard, staying outside himself.

Get* Away All Right. He went to the station and when the agent started on his rounds to seal the cars Clarke went with him and saved him the trouble of getting aboard the cars to find if there were any tramps aboard. In this way Clarke’s “Pullman” was sealed without the agent discovering its human freight. Early tn the night an east-bound train picked up the car and then, while the big engine kicked the long Kansas miles behind them, the Clarkes spread their quilts and blankets upon the grain and slept in peace and security. Brakemaa Was Looking at Him. The last day of the trip was a hot one, and to let in a little fresh air. Clarke opened the little end door. As he did so he looked up and there on top, sitting upon a brake wheel was one of the krabemen looking down at him. It would do no good to close the door, for he had been seen. The best way was to trust to luck—and the brakeman. The “brakie” came down from his perch and looked over the “passengers” he had found and nearly fainted, but he let it go, and when the train arrived at Indianapolis he helped the family to debark. From here Clarke paid liis way to Muncie.

LAW SHUTS OCT PATENT* Cities Cannot Have the Use of Patented Material Because a Patent Mean* ■ Monopoly. Indianapolis, Aug. 4.—By a decision of the state appellate court Indiana cities will be inhibited from using patent materials in street paving or for any other purpose for which competitive bids are asked if the article to be furnished or used is protected by a patent. The court holds tiiat in case material specified for a proposed improvement is patented it prevents any one else from bidding for the improvement, as the person using it has a monopoly of the material. As comjietitive bidding is essential, under the law, and is destroyed when the bids are limited to the use of the patented material, the city cannot let a contract under such limitations.

Wants $5,000 for Those AfTeetions. Jeffersonville, Ind., Aug. 4. For the alleged alienation of the affections of her husband, Mrs. Elizabeth D. Meadows, wife of George W. Meadows, has filed suit against Ellen M. McCluney and David McCluney for $5,000 damages. The complaint alleges that Mr. and Mrs. Meadows were married Aug. 10, 1902, and lived together until Sept. 30, 1902, at which date and on several previous occasions defendants worked upon the mind of plaintiff’s husband, alienated his affections and Induced him to live with them.

S. W. Cantwell Rallies. Hartford City, Ind., Aug. 4. To the great surprise of his physicians. 8. W. Cantwell, speaker of the last Indiana house of representatives, rallied, and shows a slight Improvement. There is no hope for him, however. Oldest Graduate of Indiana. Bloomington, Ind., Aug. 4. Judge Andrew T. Wylie, who died at Atlantic City, N. J., was the oldest living graduate of Indiana university, having received his dipluma in 1832. He lived here many years Biggest Cabbage Head In the State. Rising Sun, Ind., Aug. 4. M. 8. Longwood has a cabbage weighing five pounds five ounces that was grown on a last year's stalk.