Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 76, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 February 1909 — Page 1

Jasper County Democrat

•1.60 Per Year.

ANOTHER SCORE

The Democrat’s Contentions Proven Correct. OFFICERS NOT PRIVILEGED CLASS Their Salaries Are Subject to Taxa* tlon Same As Accounts Due Common People, Says the Tax Board. Readers of The Democrat will remember a question that came up last June when a newspaper attack was made on The Democrat editor and he was charged with being a tax-dodger; how he proved conclusively by the tax records that he was not guilty, but that the other fellows were. In the course of our reply to this unjustified personal attack we referred humorously to the fact that some $3,000 was allowed the various county officers here at the March, 1908, meeting of the county commissioners and $1J8.55 to our traducers; that of the dozen or fifteen county officers who drew their salaries at the said March meeting, salary earned prior to March 1 and due them at the said taxing date of March 1, only two gave in the amount of their salary for taxation under money or accounts due them, or gave it in at all. The newspaper that made this unwarranted personal attack upon us at that time did not give in for taxation the $148.55 that it was allowed at the same March meeting, and came back at The Democrat with the “argument” that it had not been the custom of county officers heretofore —most of them, at least —to give in their salaries for taxation; that a public officer could not be taxed on his salary. The Democrat took the position that county or otner public officers were entitled to no more favors in assessment of property than the farmer or any other individual. At the Annual Conference of the State Tax Board and County Assessors at Indianapolis last month, the proceedings of which have just reached our table, we find at Page 70 this question and the answer or the State Tax Bdard: “Question. —The county commissioners. meet the first Monday of each month. Should a county officer’s salary be listed for taxation for the quarter ending March Ist, or should it be listed if it was not allowed on March Ist, or before?” In the answer following the Board says these salaries are taxable. This proves The Democrat’s contention at the time was correct, and would that these was a little work for the county assessor in going back and assessing all these salaries that have not been listed in years gone by. The taxing officers get after the farmer or ordinary individual who falls to list his property for taxation, and they should be careful in not doing themselves the very thing that they condemn in their constituents. In order that there may be no slips of memory of this kind again, it might be a good idea for the county treasurers to incorporate this ruling in the compendium of rules concerning taxation, which was used in some of the counties last campaign, as a campaign document and which may be used again.

THE ALLIGATOR DIDN’T GET HIM

Levi Renicker and his mother returned Friday from Boynton, Fla., where they have been for the past three months. Mr. Renicker’s wife and children will remain there until it gets warm and pleasant here, probably a couple of months yet. It agrees well with Mrs. Renicker and the children there, the former having gained 18 pounds in weight during the time she has been in Florida. Levi was bothered some with rheumatism, but otherwise he liked it very much as a place tp spend the winter. His mother, who is quite old, wanted to come home and as Levi had intended all along to return early in March, they decided to come, and leave the rest of the family there awhile yet. Levi shows the traces of the southern climate in a good coat of tan.

OPERATION ON EUGENE DILLEY.

Attempt Made to Restore Reason of Former Rensselaer Man. In an effort to restore his reason and to make the happiness of the reunion with his family complete, Eugene Dilley, of Trafalgar, has been brought to’ the city hospital to be operated on. Several years ago Dilley was robbed and struck on the head. He became mentally unbalanced and

wandered away from home and for about eight months was not heard from. Recently he was found at the Nelson shelter house and the Rev. Thomas H. Nelson notified the man’s family. During the time he was employed in the city it was not suspected that he unbalanced until he was asked as to his identity. It was with difficulty he recalled his wife and children, but seemed happy to return to them. A few days ago Mrs. Dilley took up the question of an operation with Mr. Nelson. The family is in poor circumstances and Mr. Nelson consulted specialists, who advised that Dilley be taken to the city hospital and the operation made a clinical case, as it was of much interest. In operation efforts will be made to raise a portion of the skull from the brain, as the skull has been depressed since the injury.— Indianapolis News.

PECULIAR DISAPPEARANCE OF OF A BROOK MAN.

Brook Reporter: The peculiar disappearance of a Brook man at Lafayette on last Thursday, is causing considerable comment. George Palmer, who lately moved from Michigan to this place, started from Frankfort where he had been on a visit, for home, and got, as far as Lafayette, Thursday, where all trace of him was lost. During the last of the week the family became uneasy over his absence and began a search. Mr. Palmer’s sons traced him to Lafayette, and there lost all trace. The aid of the police and newspapers of Lafayette and Indianapolis were secured and his description and photograph has been circulated all over the state, but up-to-date no trace of his whereabuts has been discovered. Mr. Palmer was a man 59 years of age.

BENTON COUNTY TO VOTE.

Petition For Local Option Election Filed Saturday Containing 1,800 Names.

Attorney Elmore Barce of Fowler came over Sunday to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lyman Barce, of north of town, and to look after some court business here Mopday. He informed us that a petition for a local option election in Benton county was filed Saturday night signed by some 1788 voters of that county, when all that were required was about 700.

The matter will come before the county commissioners at their regular meeting next week and a date be set for holding the election. Mr. Barce says it is estimated that the county will go dry by from 400 to 600. Benton has been dry for several years except in one township, where one or two saloons have been allowed to run.

A CORRECTION.

In the article published in The Democrat recently about Miss Nora Casey going insane it was stated that the sight of a subject in the dissecting room of the hospital caused' her to go suddenly insane. The statement was made on Information thst was given The Democrat by a party that supposed the report given them was correct. We have since learned direct from the hospital or training school for nurses that there is no dissecting room in the St. Mary’s school and that Miss Casey’s attack of insanity came on one night after she had retired, and was not caused from any unusual sights or anything of the sort. It just came on her, and that is all that is known about it. Miss Casey shows no improvement at the insane hospital at Kankakee, where she is confined and is said to be violent, that the doctors will not allow any of her friends to see her.

HENRY MARSHALL ACQUITTED.

Former Republican District Chairman Declared Innocent of Street Paving Frauds. ■; Henry W. Marshall of Lafayette, president of the Western Construction Co., and former republican chairman of this congressional district, was acquitted Saturday of the charges of fraud in several indictments returned by the Manon county grand jury in connection with the street paving frauds in Indianapolis, for which Harry Bruhaugh, who was employed by the said company to secure the contract with the city and have one-half the net profits thereof, is now serving sentence in the Michigan City prison for padding the figures of the actual work done, thus defrauding the city of several thousand dollars. The evidence against Marshall was not of a direct nature, it being more on the fa?t that his company profited by the frauds than anything else. The trial lasted some five weeks and Mr. Marshall was defended by several of the best lawyers in the state.

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THE TWICE-A-WEEK

RENSSELAER, JASPER COUNTY. INDIANA. WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1009

TO KNOW SOON.

McCoy Case Taken Under Advisement. THE HEARING HAD LAST SATURDAY Judge Tuthill will Decide Next Saturday Whether the Banker Shall Be Released. 4* Michigan City, Ind., Feb. 22. After an all-day argument Saturday in the case of Thomas J. McCoy, a former banker of Rensselaer, who is serving a one to three year term in the State Prison, against J. D. Reid, the State Prison warden, Judge H. B. Tuthill took the matter under advisement until' next Saturday, when he will decide whether McCoy shall have his freedom or remain in prison until June 19 next. McCoy petitioned the court a week ago for a writ of habeas corpus on the ground that he was illegally held because he was entitled to six months’ good time under the good time act of 1883. If he is entitled to good time, as he claims he should have been discharged on December 19, 1908, and if he is not entitled to it he should not be discharged until June 19 next, the expiration of his maximum time.

The argument which followed a motion by counsel for the State to quash the writ on the ground that the petition did not state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action and that the action was a collateral attack on the judgment of the court of White county, turned the point whether the good time law of 1883 was repealed by the enactment of the indeterminate law of 1897.

The defense argued that the old law was repealed by implication in the passage of the new act, the effect of which was similar to the Old law and that the wording of all Supreme Court decisions affecting the new law implied that the old law was no longer in force. On the other hand McCoy’s attorneys argued that there was no repeal clause in the new Law and that there was nothing to warrant the belief that the old law was repealed, except the implication involved in the passage of a new law the purpose of which was entirely different from the old because the law of 1897 was reformatory in character and the old law was an inducement to a convict to behave himself in prison. ~ McCoy was represented by George Haywood, John F. McHugh and Charles A. Barfiett, of Lafayette, and counsel for the State were J. F. Gallagher, of this city, and Frank Osborn and W. A. McVey, of Laporte.

GOES BACK FOR DISPOSAL.

Court Reorganization Bill Advanced By Mistake. Had it not been for Senator Bowse., » chairman of the Senate committee on organization of courts. Senator Halleck’s bill, which would practically reorganize the court system of Indiana, might have come before the Senate for passage, although the bill was not recommended for passage by any Senate committee. The bill, advanced to third reading by mistake, has been printed and laid on Senators’ desks. The Halleck bill was introduced February 9 and referred to Judiciary B. The records show that on February 11 Judiciary B asked that the bill be transferred tp the committee on organization of courts. Here it was the mistake causing all the trouble was made. Instead of sending it to organisation of courts, the clerk marked the> bill “criminal code,” and the measure then went to that committee, and on February 16 the bill, with a large number of others, was ordered engrossed and advanced to third reading. Wednesday Senator Bowser asked that the bill be referred back to the committee on organization of courts, he having noticed the printed bill upon his desk. This committee will make short work of the measure.—lndianapolis News,

MILIOS-PORTER.

At 2:30 Sunday afternoon Rev. C. E. Miller of the First Baptist church, at the home of the bride’s parents on Weston street, united in marriage Mr. Emory Smith Mills and Miss Ella Doris Porter. Only a few of the imntediate relatives and friends, principally girls of the T. H. D. Club, were present. At the conclusion of the ceremony the bride and groom made their exit quietly through the back door and an awaiting automobile hustled them away from the customary shower of* rice and old shoes. When the guests discovered their

absence there was a hurried scra'tnbling for hats, which were found minus the pins. Bus all undaunted they hastened to the railroad station where fortune smiled on them. ’’The 2:57 train was late and - the happy young couple started on their honeymoon with suit cases and trunks decorated with hearts and flaming red posters, as if you could not tell a bride and groom. Cleve Eger and Miss Juno Kannal accompanied them as far as Chicago. (Do you suppose they were getting a few pointers?) The bride is the talented daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. B. Porter and her work in china painting has attracted the attention of artists and connoissuers all over the state. The groom is a well known Purdue graduae and popular in Purdue fraternity circles. They w’ill spend a short time traveling and then take up their residence at Muncie, where the groom is general manager of the Muncie Wheel and Jobbing Company.

BUYS A FARM IN CARROLL.

John Hopkins, who with his family recently returned from Surrey, North Dakota, has bought an 80-acre farm within one mile of Ockley, Carroll county, paying sll3 per acre. The place has a very large barn upon it but an old house. Mr? Hopkins has made a nice bunch of money in farming out in North DSkota where he has been for the past seven or eight years, and still owns his half-section farm there which he has rented for the present year, and with his family will reside on his Carroll county farm, on which he expects to build a new house. Mrs. Hopkins’ health was not very good In Dakota, is iis reason for buying and locating in Indiana. When John left Barkley township only seven or eight years ago he had nothing but a pair of willing hands to battle with in the new state. His father, S. H. Hopkins, later assisted him in the way of going his security for SBOO to get a Start in farming. Now, at 28 or 30 years of age he is probably worth SIO,OOO to $20,000, which shows what an energetic young man of good habits and good judgment can do if he tries.

THE CIRCUIT COURT.

Jhe jury came in Monday and heard the Martin-Morton case, deciding in favor of the defendant, F. P. Morton, now of Goodland. This action was based on a note given for a patent right, the Star Vice, of which several hundred were sold throughout the country here last year. The plaintiff was an innocent purchaser of the note, some $204, was contended, while the defense set up the plea of misreputation and fraud. ‘ The assault case of Keister vs Mitchell, from Jordan township, was up yesterday.

In the appealed case of F. E. Babcock vs. the Board of Commissioners, the court held that it had not jurisdiction in the questions that plaintiff wanted decided, so the matter resolved itself down to the point of whether or not the publication complained of had been made voluntarilly, and the later O. K. of the claim. As this was not the question that a decision was most desired on, the case was dismissed by plaintiff.

THE CITY COUNCIL.

The city council met in regular session Monday night with all members present except Councilman Myers. On motion the city marshal was instructed to open Romaine street in Kannal addition to the use of the people. Report of Fire Chief was read and members allowed $1.50 each for services at the Shirrey Are. The following claims were allowed: CORPORATION FUND. W. S. Parks, marshal $50.00 C. M. Thomas, nightwatch.. 25.00 Chas. Mprlan, clerk 2a.00 J. L. Griggs, fire for council 3.1T0 ROAD FUND. Chester Zea, labor with team 30.00 Carl Chestnut, work on street 12.25 Jas. Smith, 5ame.......... 22.00 Cecil Clouse, same 8.75 Al Fletcher, clean walks.. . 4.50 Jake Gilmon, same 4.50 J. C. Gwin & Co., sewer, etc. 26.88 ELECTRIC LIGHT FUND, C. S. Chamberlain, salary. . . 50.00 Mell Abbott, same, 30.00 Dave Haste, same. .' 30.00 W. J. Malone, work on line. . 2.00 Glen Rayher, same 2.00 Tom Hoyes, same 25.00 Jas. B. Clow & Sons, supplies .41 Western Electric Co., same.. 11.06 Illinois Electric Co., same.. 14.33 Mrs. Bertha Wildberg, meter 8.50 Wallace Machine Co., repairs 1.80 Wallace Machine Co., repairs 4.80 Hoover-Watson Print Co., 1 r 18.50 J. C. Gwin & Co., lumber.. . 1.36 Moses Leopold, freight..... 31.59 Healey & Clark, .print lit st 4.50 WATER FUND. Ed Hopkins, salary 30.00 Knapp Supply Co., supplies. . 23.61 C. W. Platt, work on main.. 2.00 B. F. Furguson, prem on ins 6.80 Hoover-Watson Prt Co. w rec 12.50 Moses Leopold, express paid .85

THE COURT HOUSE

Items Picked Up About the County Capitol. Newton county voted on the county option proposition l yesterday. The general supposition is that the county will go dry by a safe majority. The result will be published in Saturday’s issue, twelve counties, Grant, Howard, Adams, Davies, Newton, Morgan, Fayette, Fountain, Hendricks, Gibson, Carroll and Rush, vote on the local option proposition this week. —o>— The board of directors of the Commercial Club met at the First National Bank Saturday night and by an unanimous vote decided to sell the remainder of their lots at a S2O discount if cash was paid for the lots, and a proportionate discount in all advance payments. In the motion carried it was conditioned that this option must be taken advantage of not later than March 10. This also applies to lots heretofore sold. yMarriage licenses issued: Feb. 2<y Emory Smith Mills of Muncie, aged 26, occupation manufacturer/ to Ella Doris Porter, of Rensselaer, aged 23, occupation housekeeper. ■First marriage for each. Jxfeb. 20, Harry S. Cook, son of B|imon Cook of Hanging Grove tp., Aged 21, occupation farmer, to Grace Ella Galey, daughter of Joseph Galey of Jordan tp., aged 23, occupation housekeeper. First marriage for each. —o— New suits filed: No. 7413. Minnie E. Heath vs. Orange S. Heath; action for divorce. The plaintiff resides at Remington, and the complaint states that they were married in July, 1895, and separated in .September, 1902, when defendant without cause wholly abandoned plaintiff and has since failed to support her, etc., although fully able to do so. Four children aged 22, 17, 16 and 13 years, respectively, are the fruits of said marriage which plaintiff—Mke--the Defendant is asked to pay $60.60 Into court for her maintenance during the pendency of said suit. No. 7414. Petition of Emery I. Blake to have Jacob A. Hensler appointed his guardian.

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NO RETRACTION WHATEVER.

While no newspaper would be quicker to publish a retraction than The Democrat, if it had, through error made a false or misleading statement, yet this paper has always been so sure of its ground that in all these years it has never felt called upon to make a retraction of any statement that has appeared in its columns concerning an individual or of local or county affairs, and the following item which appeared in The Republican of yesterday, under the heading, “Withdraws Wholly False Statement,” is no retraction whatever. Following is the item referred to: Rensselaer, Ind., Feb. 20, 1909. An article in the Jasper County Democrat of this date, Feb. 20, 1909, relating an alleged incident at Cedar Lake, and which stated that a republican editor was seen carrying three bottles of beer in a hotel at that place and taking them into a drinking booth where a woman had no reference whatever to George H. Healey, the present editor of the Rensselaer Republican, also that an article in the same issue of the same paper that accused some one of chasing after women of oad character and hanging out at questionable places at night had no reference whatever to George H. Healey, the present editor of the Rensselaer Republican. Signed: F. E. BABCOCK. It will be noted that the above applies solely to Mr. Haaley; also, that it does not mention gambling, which was referred to in one of the items concerning editors in The Democrat. He did not want it thought that HE was the editor seen at Cedar Lake or that chasing after women referred to him, but admitted before witnesses to have played poker some while down at Indianapolis in camp with the militia and had also played some in Rensselaer, which amusement we believe is considered a criminal offense by our statutes, providing the playing was for money, and, as he was willing to believe that this might refer to him as well as some other republican editors, it is to be inferred that the playing was not altogether for the health. Now The Democrat regrets exceedingly its inability to get along with The Republican crowd. We

have passed hundreds of their slurs and dirty insinuations by without notice. We have refrained from public mention of the low, mean, spiteful and contemptible methods that have been resorted to to Injure us .in a business way—some of which are known to many of the most prominent business men in Rensselaer. In spite of our passing over muph of the malicious and false statements that paper has printed about us and its editors have told by word of mouth, it has continually “butted in” where It ha<j no business to; has misrepresented and aired our private affairs, time after time and attempted to hold us up to scorn and ridicule, and attack even our employes, and never once has its editors had the manhood to retract or apologize when shown by inconlrovertable evidence that their accusations were wholly false and unfounded.

In The Democrat’s replies to some of the more vicious of these attacks it has simply acted in selfdefense, a fact which readers of both papers are well aware. The public has no concern in the private affairs Of the newspaper editor any more than any one else, and, realizing this, we have gone ahead, trying to treat everyone honestly and fairly and attending to our own business, only occasionally, when goaded beyond human endurance, replied. In these replies we have always had the best end of it, for If there is anyone in Rensselaer open to attack on the very grounds that they have repeatedly and unfoundedly and maliciously attacked us, it Is the owners and editors of The Republican. Now just a few words concerning this Latest misleading statement. Mr. Healey called at The Democrat office Saturday and handed us a statement to sign exonerating HIM from being the republican editor mentioned in connection with this Cedar Lake affair. We declined to sign It, principally because we questioned his motive. He then made some of his stock-in-trade threats, quietly of course, but we still declined. After which he stated that he wante4 it so that his family would not think it was him. When it was put in this way, and as we did not have Healey in mind when we wrote the article, which was in reply to oneof the Republican’s dirty flings at us—and so far as we know he may never have been at Cedar Lake in his life—after making a few changes in same, and on his promise in the presence of witnesses to retract every false accusation he had made concerning us, we put our name to the statement.

As the article never charged that he was the editor referred to, it can only be conjectured that his bump of egotism is accountable for his thinking that everyone would at once jump to the conclusion that it was he who was meant. It said “a republican editor,” and while this may be disappointing to his vanity, we thought there were republican editors other than Mr. Healey. In fact some of them have lived in Rensselaer. As a matter of fact, Mr. Healey intimated that he thought he knew who was meant; said he had talked with this party and that the party said he was at Cedar Lake one day a year or two ago, and that he was watching a couple of Rensselaer boys to see that they didn’t get robbed in a game of cards that they had got into. At stray moments, when not playing the guardian angel, this party had made trips between the bar and the “beer stall” in the capacity of "dumb waiter” and on one of these trips a couple of Rensselaer people DID see him come out of the. stall with some empty beer bottles)' DID see him go to the bar and turn In the empties and get two or three full ones and go back. But there was no woman there.” This was the story he told Mr. Healey, so the latter says, and the latter said he believed him. Concerning this guardian angel story we know nothing, but THE republican editor that the Rensselaer gentlemen told us about, and which they still affirm is true, came out of a beer stall in which there was a woman. We once read of an editor who printed in his paper that if a certain fellow didn’t quit hanging around his hired girl that he would publish him in his paper, and how the next day about a dozen men had called at the office and paid their subscription to the paper and told the editor “not to mind such little things as that.” If The Democrat had accused Mr. Healey of being the editor that was seen at Cedar Lake, or if he is the only republican editor who ever lived in Rensselaer, or the only republican editor elsewhere, past or present, then this might be considered a retraction, end not otherwise. The truth of the statement complained of can easily be proven. Also, The Democrat man assumes full responsibility for the publication of the Cedar Lake story, which was correct in every Important par. ticular.

Vol. XI. No. 76.