Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 November 1906 — THE COURT HOUSE [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE COURT HOUSE

Items Picked Up About the County Capitol. Mrs. Mary. Howe has qualified as executor of the estate of her father, the late William C. Pierce. —o — Marriage licenses issued: Nov. 17, Charles A. Pattee of Gifford, aged 25, occupation blacksmith, to May Belle Mellender, also ot Gifford, aged 23, occupation housekeeper, First marriage for each.

Under the late opinion of the attorney-general the fee for commissions for county officers and justices of the peace will be 60 cents, and on receipt of such fee the commissions will be forwarded. That constitutional amendment of the lawyers was lost in the late election in Indiana, it receiving but 51,000 votes “for” to 9,000 “against.” A majority of all the votes cast is necessary in such cases. P . Honan goes to Muncie today to take depositions in a case where the Catholic Order of Foresters is defendant, it being claimed that the beneficiary secured his insurance by false representations. The case will be heard at the December term of the superior court at Indianapolis. —o — It is reported that the application of Lawrence Kellner for a saloon license at Remington will not be filed with the commissioners, as it will do no good to buck against the big new remonstrance or the anti-saloon people of that town and township. It was the intention to use Cooney Kellner’s saloon fixtures here if the effort to break in had been successful.

' The trustee has appealed from the U. S. court of appeals to the U. S. supreme court, in the A. T. Bowen claim of SIO,OOO against the McCoys, which was held by the latter to be a preferred claim, or, rather, that the personal estate of both the McCoys as wellas that of the bank were holdingior the payment thereof, by reason of their having signed the note as a firm and as individuals. -o New suits filed: No. 7094, George J. Kune vs, Hiram Blanchet and Peter Blanchet; suit on note. No. 7095. Gertrude Niementsveerdriet vs. Samuel M. Laßue; suit oh note. Demand S2OO. No. 7096. V. E. Foxworthy vs. Franklin J. Parr; Charlotte A. Parr, E. M. Foster, C. F. Morgan and J. H. Huntzinger; suit in foreclosure. Demand SBOO. —o — Arrangements were made''last week by friends of Alva Brohard, the Fair Oaks young man in jail here for alleged criminally assaulting the 13-year-old daughter of Geo. W. Parish of near Mt. Ayr, to furnish the SSOO bail and let him out. Bail was furnished, but before notice was received

here the parents of the girl got word of what was up and they came here with her and an additional charge of bastarday was filed against him and bond fixed at SSOO more. He has been unable to give the latter bond as yet and is still in jail. - • The release of ex-Auditor of State E. Sherrick from the penitentiary by the supreme court, which grants him a new trial, is a great “slam” on Governor Hanly. Sherrick had served seven months imprisonment when released, the higher court holding that the funds be was accused of embezzling were not the property of the state but belonged to the insur-

« « ance companies, they being fees which should have been paid direct to the treasurenof state instead of to the auditor. The decision is on a technicality, and will not add any to the “confidence” people are fast beginning to have in our higher courts, and it would appear that the decision was possibly held back a few days until the election was over. —o — The White circuit court will convene at Monticello next Monday with Judge Wasson on the bench. Judge Palmer, who retires after twelve years service to turn the office over to a democrat, was considered one of the fairest judges in this section of the state, and some of his staunchest friends were democrats. Politics ought to have no influence with our courts, and probably Judge Palmer was more free from this bane than any court in the country. The Carroll County Citizen-Times says of his successor: “That lie will honor the bench there can be no doubt. He is a thorough student of the law, a graduate of the Ann Arbor law school; clear headed *nnd fair minded, and his ten years’practice has familiarized him with the duties of his position. We predict for him a career that will reflect honor and dignity to the profession.”

Indianapolis News:—Our local courts are sending people to jail because they have not paid their dog tax. In the middle ages the jails were full of people for nonpayment of debts. Is it much better in the twentieth century that we fill up our jails because of unpaid indebtedness to the State ? Of course, there is a lot of fol-de-rol about the police power, etc,, etc., but, after all, reduced to its last analysis, the law sterns to be that you must pay your dog tax or be fined and go to jail for not paying the fine. You may owe taxes on your houses, farms, horses and diamonds; you may owe your grocer, and he may need the money; in fact, you may owe everybody else, but you can not be put into jail if you do not pay; but neglect to pay your dog tax, and the consequent fine and jail sentence will follow whether you have the money or not, and even if you have killed your dog. Perhaps, the fact that numerous constabulary fees are involved has something to do with this lovely law.

“Burk’s Bridge,” four miles north of Rensselaer, crossing the Iroquois River, 940 feet in length. The longest wooden wagon bridge in Indiana. (From J. A. Sharp's “Souvenir of Rensselaer.")