Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 January 1907 — THE COURT HOUSE [ARTICLE]

THE COURT HOUSE

Items Picked Up About the County Capitol. A bill has been introduced in the legislature by Representative Meeker to legalize the acts of the Jasper county commissioners in the Jordan stone road matter. — o — Smutzer, republican, of Laporte county, was here Monday to see Sheriff O’Connor. He is trying to line up the sheriffs of this district to lobby for increased salaries, etc. New Suits filed: No. 7116. Johns & Thompson Co., vs. George Worden; suit on account. Demand $106.71. No. 7117. Frances L. Jolly vs. Mary M. Fisher et al; suit to quiet title. —o — In the clerk’s statistical statement for Jasper county to the State Bureau of Statistics for the calendar year 1906, we copy the following. Marriage licenses issued no Divorces granted (6 to wife, 2 to. husband) 8 Decrees of foreclosure 8 Sheriff sales 10 Convictions for misdemeanor 4 Criminal cases instituted 15 Civil cases filed 127 Civil cases disposed of 153 Civil cases pending at end of year... 43 —o — County Assessor Lewis attended the county assessor’s meeting at Indianapolis last week and reports a very interesting session. All the 92 county assessors were present, and politically they are exactly evenly divided —46 democrats and 46 republicans. A meeting for this section of the state will be held at Hammond in February, and it is desired to have all the township assessors there. —o — An insanity inquest was held by Squire Irwin and doctors English, Miller and Merrill Thursday to enquire into the mental condition of Mrs. John Groom, of South Weston street. She was found to be insane and application bas been made for sending her to Longcliff. She has been considered “off” for several years and of late has been sick most of the time and her condition has been such that it was a great trial to care for her. —o — The papers in that old, mosscovered case against Delos Thompson et al—the Rensselaer Stock Farm case, to collect overdraft of some $28,000 from said Thompson, who was a partner in the Stock Farm business—were sent to Crown Point Monday where the case goes on change of venue prayed for by defendant Thompson. The case grows out of the McCoy bank failure, and has been lying in a sort of comatose condition in the Jasper circuit court since April 1, 1905. —o — Marriage licenses issued: Jan. 14, Lauttis Franskoviak-of Carpenter tp., aged 27, occupation farmer, to Mary Anna Stephani, also of Carpenter, aged 19, occupation housekeeper. First marriage for each. Jan. 16, Charles Tubbs of Hanging Grove tp., aged 52, occupation farmer, to Nancy M. Jenkins of Jasper county (widow of Sylvester B. Jenkins) aged 43, occupation housekeeper. First marriage for male, second for female, first husband having died Jan. 10, 1906. —o —

It is practically assured that the Moore saloon remonstrance law will be strengthened by the present legislature. Already some five bills have been introduced and some of them reported on favorably by the committees. One provides that the burden of proof as to the genuineness of signatures to a remonstrance shall rest on the applicant. This will do away with the summoning in court all the signers to a remonstrance to testify to their signatures, as has been done in some places. One provides a SI,OOO license; one limits the number of saloons to so many inhabitants of a town; one provides for getting rid of “speakeasies” or wholesale joints, and one provides f?r searching places

where it is thought liquors are illegally sold. There is also a bill up for a county remonstrance law. The matter of additional temperance laws does not appear to be a party measure, but both democratic and republican legislators, hacked up by public sentiment, are clamoring for the passage of such laws.