Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1909 — THE LANE FAMILY MIX-UP. [ARTICLE]

THE LANE FAMILY MIX-UP.

Mr. Lane Returns Peaceably and Is Arrested On Surety of the Peace Proceedings. L. J. Lane, of south oLtown, who has been over at Farmington, 111., for the past few w’eeks, or since the ineffectual attempt to have him declared insane, returned Saturday by way of Remington to look after some business matters here. The circumstances of his being banished from Jasper county on failure to find him insane are no doubt familiar to all readers of The Democrat. His family’s mind had been poisoned against him, he states, and the daughter was induced to file the affidavit which resulted in his arrest on insanity charges. He demanded a jury trial on the charges and the justice of the peace being assured that he was not insane, discharged him without trial, on condition, as stated, that he leave the country and not go near his family, which he did, but he now states he then thought it was his wife’s wish that he do so.

On returning Saturday to settle up a few’ bills in Rensselaer which he had left when hurried out of town, he stopped at tne home of his wife and children—and his home, too—to see the little ones and his wife. He tstates that certain ones had so poisoned . his family’s mind against him, making them believe that he was liable to kill them all if he came back, that the girl, aged about 19 years, flew out of the back door when she saw him and rushed to one of the neighbors and a hurryup call for Sheriff Shirer was sent in, saying that he had come back and was about to murder everyone in the whole south side of Marion township, and a part of Jordan. The sheriff replied that he would not come without a warrant, so this was attended to later by the girl coming in and filing an affidavit on surety of peace proceedings. Mr. Lane was arrested Sunday and brought to town, but was turned loose on his own recognizance pending an attempt of the attorneys of both the girl and himself going out to the place yesterday morning and trying to find out the true state of affairs, and try to patch matters up. Mr. Lane states that he never has thought of hurting anyone, but as he had written several letters to his wife and got no reply, he thought he would stop and see how they were getting along. Mrs. Lane been sick for about two years and is in a very weakened condition and is susceptible to the influence of others, he states. He has paid out hundreds of dollars in doctor bills during her sickness and he is now willing and anxious to take care of the family, as a man should. They have no crops this year to speak of and will be at the end of their resources soon. For this reason also, he states, he is anxious to take care of the younger children, the youngest, less than two years old, he says he had the entire care of, being both father and mother to it from almost its birth. Mr. Lane certainly talks very fair about this matter and seems to want to do nothing but what is right. If it is really his wife’s desire to have him go away and stay he will do so, although she is in such condition that she is hardly responsible for her utterances and it is not likely will live but a few months at most. They never had any trouble whatever, he says, heretofore, and he thinks it is a crime for anyone to try to poison the mind of a woman in the condition that his wife is in, and the girl is so worn out with

caring for her mother and the" children that she Is almost a nervous wreck. Mr. Lane says he would not harm a hair of her head nor any of the other members of the family. Neighbors who have been at the house time and again say that they never saw anything out of the way with his treatment of his family, In fact they thought he treated them exceptionally well. Later: The difficulty has been compromised, we understand, by Mr. Lane taking the two younger children with him to Farmington, 111., and the three elder ones are to remain at the farm and care for their mother.