Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 June 1909 — THE COURT HOUSE [ARTICLE]

THE COURT HOUSE

(terns Picked Up About the County Capitol. Sheriff L. P. Shirer, accompanied by Miss Hazel Warner, took Mrs. Jennie Guss to the asylum at Longcliff Wednesday. The case of tne Pannandle railroad company vs. Town of Remington has been set for oral agreement in the appellate court for Oct. 26.

While at Longcliff Monday with Mrs. Mary Wuerthner, Sheriff Shirer saw her brother, Chris Wuerthner, who was recently sent there, and talked with him in the presence of one of the doctors. Chris will not work there at all any more. He says if they will send him home he will work on his farm for himself but he will not work there. The doctor said: “You are all right, Chris, If it was not for your peculiar religious views.” “Well,” said Chris, “I have as good a right to my views on religion as any other man.” “Yes,” replied the doctor, “that is true, but you should not try to force your peculiar beliefs on others.” Many people think that if Chris’ aged mother had been removed to some other place where he could not have forced his ideas of health and religion upon her that there would have been no need of sending him to the asylum. In reversing the case of Charles C. Lyle, trustee, vs. State ex rel. John C. Smith, Marion circuit court, the appellate court held Tuesday: (1) A petition and alternative writ of mandamus seeking to compel a township trustee to bring a vehicle to petitioner’s dooryard gate in which to transport his six-year-old daughter to school, under Burns 1908, Sales. 6422, 6423, which alleged that the school in relator’s district had been abandoned and that his child had been transferred to a district in which the schoolhouse was three and a half miles away, was sufficiently answered by a return.stating that the trustee had planned a route for the “school hack” over which it could go from the extreme edge of the district to the schoolhouse in one hour and fifteen minutes, and carry all the children living south of the school, by passing wdthin five-eights of a mile or less from all homes of school patrons; that it stopped for relator’s child at a cross-road, half a mile from his house; and that, in order to go to the house of each patron, such vehicle must occupy three hours with the trip morning and evening, or the trustee must put the township to the expense of hiring an additional vehicle and driver. The power exercised by the trustee In such cases is administrative and discretionary, subject to control by the county su j perintendent on appeal, under Section 666, Burns 1908. -

Sheriff Shirer thinks that if Mrs. Guss. who was taken to the asylum Tuesday, and John Tigler, who is awaiting removal there, are insane, then two-thirds of the people in Jasper county are crazy. Both were in jail a week or more where the sheriff has an opportunity to see them every day, and a Rensselaer doctor who saw the former said she was no more insane than he was. When taken to the asylum Tuesday she took the matter quite hard, but said she was thankful her father was not living to see what had been done. The lady who accompanied the sheriff with the woman to the asylum, says the latter acted as sane as any person she ever saw. Mrs. Guss hopes to be able to convince the asylum authorities of her sanity very soon, but it Is difficult to tell when they will get around to her case. We are told by; one of the doctors who examined Mrs; Guss that It was the opinion of the board that the woman was not really insane, but was more a fit subject for a feeble-minded institution; that she qeeded treatment and oughtj to have a guardian—she has some SI,OOO due her from an estate—and the board did not feel that she should be turned loose altogether, as she was scarcely competent to look after herself.. These facts were given to the asylum authorities, he states, and they wrote to send her down there and they would do what they could for her, and it is likely she will be released soon.