Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 71, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 December 1909 — Page 1

Sixteen Pagea To-day.

Jasper County Democrat.

81 J50 Per Year.

MAY BUILD NEW DEPOT.

pThere is again quiet talk of the Monon building a new depot at Rensselaer, and a few of the moguls of the road have been here in the past week looking over the proposition, it is said. If built, the location is likely to be changed to two blocks west, near the former C. G. Spitler residence.

OVER $200 TAKEN IN AT BAZAAR

The Presbyterian todies’ bazaar of last Friday and Saturday—with some sales of goods since that time and still more being made—had reached 1207.75 Thursday. The ladies have a few articles left over from the regular Friday and Saturday sale days which are still being sold each day, so that the ultimate receipts will reach a few dollars more than the above figures.

VISITING HERE FROM OKLAHOMA.

Mr. and Mrs. Frank Roy and two sons of Yukon, Okla., came last week for a visit with relatives and old friends in Jasper county. Next week they go to Louisville, Ky., and Lanesville, Ind., to visit relatives of Mrs. Roy’s. Frank formerly resided in Jordan township, leaving there five ears ago next month and locating near Yukon. He likes his new home firstrate and Is happy and prosperous. He now owns a half section of land there which has increased in value considerably since he went to that country.

POSTMASTER IS WANTED FOR PLEASANT RIDGE.

Uncle Sam is looking for some competent person to handle the malls at Pleasant Ridge, a little settlement a few miles east of Rensselaer, where the compensation last year was but SSB with no prospects of any greater salary In the future. To this end, a civil service examination will be held in Rensselaer on Saturday, January 22. Application blanks for examination can be secured from the postmaster at Pleasant Ridge or Rensselaer, or from the Civil Service Commission at Washington. Applications must be executed and filed with the Commission at Washington within seven days before the date of examination.

SIXTEEN PAGES TO-DAY.

The Democrat is issued to-day in 16 pages, to handle the large amount of holiday advertising of Rensselaer merchants and .shop-keepers. This is the largest regular edition of a newspaper ever printed In Jasper county, but The Democrat’s excellent equipment enables it to handle the the work successfully and get out on time.

The advertisements in this issue were secured without special effort, and that the Rensselaer merchants are not afraid of spending a little money for printer’s Ink In letting the public know they are on earth and have goods to sell and want the people to come in and see what they have, is evidenced by the representative business men whose wares are advertised herein.

People can well afford to come from a long distance to do their holiday shopping in Rensselaer, “the best town on the Monon,” and they will do well to scan the advertisements in The Democrat to learn where to go when they reach here.

INSURANCE CASE COMPROMISED

Farmers’ Mutual Settles Bissonette Claim for $750. The case of Alfred Bissonette of near Wolcott, vs. the Farmers’ Mutual Insurance Company of Benton, Jasper and White Counties, was compromised in the White circuit court Tuesday. Bissonette was delinquent on an assessment made by the company, and owing to sornw objections to the way the policy was written which was not just precisely the way he wanted It, /ie refused to pay the assessment. After he had alose he thought better of this and wanted to pay. The company, however, took the ground that having missed the assessment and refusing to pay same, it was not holding for a |oss later sustained. The policy was for SI,OOO. Bissonette sued and the case has been in court for a year or more, having been continued from term to term, and last Tuesday the parties got together in settlement, the company Paying him $750 and one-half the court costs. While not legally or morally owing the amount, as the company thought, it considered this the better way to end the matter. The company has upwards of $2,500,000 Insurance in force, and the addition to the annual assessment to pay this small amount to Bissonette will be but a trifle. You are all thinking of Xmas, so see my line of bath-robes, smoking jackets, collar-boaes, travelers’ sets, pin and tie to match, silk hose, and everything. C. EARL DUVALL.

THE COURT HOUSE

Items Picked Up About the County Capitol.

Auditor Leatherman returned from Indianapolis Thursday, where he had been on a few days business trip.

Several of the township trustees of the county attended the state meeting of trustees in Indianapolis this week.

New suits filed: E. L. Hollingswort vs. Edward J. Steinke and Martha Steinke; suit for the appointment of receiver.

licenses issued: Dec. 16, Clarence D. Parks, of Rqpiington, son of Ella N. Parks, aged 20, occupation farmer, to Mayme Sharkey, daughter of William Sharkey, also of Remington, aged 21, occupation housekeeper. First marriage for each, and the second marriage license issued during the month.

STATE AND DISTRICT CONVENTION.

The democratic state committee will be re-organized January 8. The county delegates will be selected to the district conventions on December 31. The district convention for this district will be held at Hammond. All the old district committeemen will likely be re-elected, with the exception of J. K. Risk of this district, and Charles J. Murphy of Brookston, is being talked of in his stead. The official call will be published in The Democrat next week.

WINTER IS STILL WITH US.

Mercury Yesterday Morning Stood at . Six Above Zero. jWe are still having nice winter weather and most of the snow that fell early last week still remains on the ground. The roads are, becoming nice and smooth, though only sharp-shod horses can travel them successfully. Trade in winter goods has been quite brisk the past two weeks and if this weather continues next week Rensselaer merchants will enjoy the largest holiday trade they ever experienced, w Following is a /eport of the temperature in Rensselaer at 7 a. m., each day for the past week: Saturday, 20 degrees above zeto. Sunday, 30 degrees above zero. Monday, 34 degrees above zero. Tuesday, 26 degrees above zero. Wednesday, 26 degrees above zero. Thursday, 5 degrees above zero. Friday, 6 degrees above zero.

COMMERCIAL CLUB’S OFFICERS.

D. M. Worland Elected President for the Ensuing Year, and Mose t Leopold Secretary. \At the meeting of the Rensselaer ommercial Club Wednesday night at the court house, a new board of directors was elected, and these met In the private office of C. C. Warner Thursday at 9:30 a. m., and elected a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer 9* directors are: D. M. Worland, C. C. Warner, Mose Leopold, Delos Thompson, A. H. Hopkins, C. H. Chamberlain, B. N. Fendig, Geo. Fate and Warren Robinson. Q The financial report of the treasurer showed $537.57 cash on hand, and that there was yet due Warren Robinson for the 75 acres of land purchased of him SSOO, due March 1. This was ordered taken up. There is about 40 acres of land unplatted and unsold, and an offer of $4 per acre rent has been made for this. At the directors’ meeting Thursday morning, D. M. Worland was elected president; C. C. Warner, vice-president; Mose Leopold, secretary, and Delos Thompson, treasurer. It was decided to secure a suitable room to be used as a dlUb room, have it reasonably furnished and open at all times, and to this end the president appointed a committee to investigate what could be gotten in the way of a suitable room. This committee consists of Geo. Fate, C. C. Warner and A. H. Hopkins, and will report at a general special meeting to be held at the court house, in the east court room, next Wednesday evening, to which the public and stockholders as well are urgently requested to attend.

NO DIVORCE CASE FILED.

The Republican publishes the statement that a divorce case was filed in the circuit court Tuesday by Mrs. John Jessen, against her husband, who, the Republican assorts, “was employed for several months last year, as editorial writer on The Jasper County Democrat” and who “disappeared shortly after the election last fall.” The above statements are false in every particular. No such case has

THE TWICE-A-WEEK

RENSSELAER, JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1900.

been filed, and may never be filed, although there has been some such talk, to straighten out some property rights. Mr. Jessen was\not employed as editorial writer on The Democrat last year or at any other time, but was employed as collector, solicitor and local reporter, for perhaps six months. The relations were simply those of employer and employe, and The Democrat is no more responsible for his private doings than is the Republican for the private acts or moral reputations of its employed. The Republican never neglected an opportunity to give Mr. Jessen a dirty swipe while he was an employe on The Democrat, which was both mean and cowardly, as he had no way of publicly replying, although perfectly capable of doing so, as he had more brains than the whole Republican bunch put together.

As for his “disappearing,” it was well known that he was going to Ft. Worth, Texas, last spring, several weeks before he did go, and that he went to said city and that I. A. Glazebrook saw him there last summer and worked with him in the cement business for some time, is also well known. * The Democrat knows nothing personally about him since he left its employ more than a year ago, has never heard from him directly since he left here nor does not know whether he is still in Ft. Worth or not. Neither do we know anything his family relations.

The reference of the Republican to his having worked for The Democrat at one time was intended to be a “slam” on this paper, and for this reason we make the above reply. No employer of labor can always choose his employes, and we presume the Republican would hardly care to shoulder the responsibility of answering for all the private acts of its employes, though it is ready enough to place such responsibility upon another paper.

The affairs of the Jesse J. Fry Roselawn bank, which went busted in October, 1903, have been finally settled by the trustee and a final dividend of 28 per cent declared. This, with the 13 per cent heretofore declared, makes a total of 41 per cent received by the creditors. The bank was a small affair and the liabilities were only about sl6 - 000.

BIG LEGAL BATTLE IN PROSPECT

The manufacturers of the “E-M-F ’ automobile, who had contracted automobile, who had contracted with the Studebaker company of South Bend to handle their entire outpjit, have given notice that this agreement is at an end, and that they will sell cars direct to agents from their Detroit factory. The reasons given are that the Studebakers have failed to live up to the contract by not taking and paying for the cars turned out during October and November, and discrimination by the Studebakers in favor of their own make of cars, low commissions allowed agents on the “E-M-F” and forcing agents to buy a few Studebaker machines, before they would give them the agency for the more popular “E-M-F.” The Studebakers, on the other hand, state that they have complied with the terms of their contract with the “E-M-F” people and propose tp- hold the latter to the strict letter of the contract, even to enforcing its provisions in the courts, and that they alone will handle the output of the latter factory. The prospects for sorfe good fat picking for the lawyers is very flattering, but it is scarcely likely the general auto-buying public will be benefited to any extent by the legal battle, which is likely to ensue.

CHURCH OF GOD.

Preaching Sunday morning at 10:45. Subject, “That Great City, the Holy Jerusalem,” what, when and Where? A hearty welcome extended to aU who may care to hear.

NOTICE OF STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING. Notice is hereby given to the stockholders of the Jasper Savings and Trust Company of Rensselaer, Indiana, that the regular annual meeting of such stockholders will be held at the office of the company on Wednesday, January 5, 1910, at seven o’clock p’ m., for the election of nine directors and consideration of the affairs of the company. Given December 15, 1909. CHARLES G. SPITLER, Pres. Attestujudson J. Hunt, Secy.-Treas. We have the largest and most varied line of nickel-plated ware in our city. E. D. RHOADES & SON. Our O. V. B. line of silverware for the trade can’t be beat and we sell it at a better price than the same grade can be obtained, elsewhere tn the city. Come to our store and be convinced. EGER BROS., Hardware.

COUNTY OPTION LAW IS VALID

Indiana Supreme Bench Upholds Lower Court Decision.

SALOON KEEPER LOSES CASE

Fined for Selling Liquor After a “Dry” Victory In an Option Election, He Carried the Case Up Supreme Court Holds That None of His Contentions Against the Constitutionality of the Law Is Valid—Decision AffectaJ Sixty-Five Counties.

Indianapolis, Ind., Dec. 17. —The supreme court of Indiana held constitutional the county-option election law, enacted in 1908, under which sixty-five of the ninety-two counties of Indiana have closed their saloons. The supreme court affirms a judgment of a county court that fined a saloon keeper who had sold liquor after a “dry” victdry in an option election had been registered. The court says that none of the contentions against the constitutionality of the law is valid. The defendant argued thaf the state legislature had passed a law in 1875 providing for the issuing of liquor licenses and that the county-option law conferred upon the people the power to suspend the older law and was in fact prohibitlonary legislation.

This the qourt denies. The law Is not prohibitory legislation and it confers upon the people only the power to direct whether or not liquor licenses shall be issued in the different counties under the older law.

SURETY COMPANY MUST PAY

Widow Wins Suit Against Corporation That Furnished Saloon Bond. Indianapolis, Dec. 17. —The appellate court has held in a case appealed from Kentland that the American Surety company is liable for $1,237 on the bond of a saloonkeeper sued by the widow of Charles G. Holtam. The saloonkeeper, now dead, sold Holtam liquor on a winter Sabbath. Holtam fell by the roadside and died from the exposure. The court declared that the company is liable on the bond to Holtom’s family for the “loss of support.”

TRIGAMIST IS SENTENCED

Three Wives of an Indiana Man Face Him In Court. Lafayette, Ind.. Dec. 17.—Judwin M. Hopkins, charged with bigamy, has been sentenced to serve two to fourteen years in the Jeffersonville reformatory. His first wife was deserted by him a few years ago. He then married Myrtle Simmons of Scottsburg and deserted her last spring. He was married here last month to Ruth Williams, a country girl. All three women faced the man in court.

LUMBAGO DOWNS JEFFRIES

Fighter Takes to His Bed—Result of Working In a Draught. Evansville, Ind., Dec. 17. —James J. Jeffries is in bed here with an aggravated case of lumbago. He could hardly walk from his train to a taxicab. Dr. B. F. Roller, one of his touring party, said that the case war an obstinate one. Jeffries’ illness is due to a three hours workout in a draught in a Cleveland theater. Frank Gotch is verging on pneumonia from the same cause.

HEMENWAY AS RISK CHIEF

Former Senator Says He Will No* Be Candidate for Congress. Washington, Dec. 17.—Former Senator Hemenway said that he has been offered the presidency of the Intermediate Life Assurance company of Evansville, Ind., but has not yet accepted. . He authorizes an emphatic state ment that he will not be a candidate for congress in the First district.

LEAVES ESTATE TO INDIANA

Wealthy Farmer Bequeathes Property to Charities. Marion, Ind., Dec. 17.—Almost the whole of the estate of the late Anderson Hogston, a wealthy Grant county fanner, is left to the Indiana board of state charities to apply to charitable Institutions which that organization was created to supervise. * The estate is valued at from $75,000 to SIOO,OOO.

CORPSE BECOMES CHATTY

Telle Undertaker That Ten Hours’ •loop Was Beneficial. Terre Haute, Ind., Dee. 17.—When a ■octal settlement nurse pronounced Edward Murphy dead after a long life bees an undertaker was summoned. While he was preparing the body Murphy raised up and remarked that he

felt better after his sleep. He had been in a st ite of coma ten hours.

$5,000 for Husband's Death.

Bedford, Ind., Dec. 17.—1 n the Lawrence county circuit court Mrs. Belle Walton of Mitchell, was given a verdict of 15,000 against the Lehigh Portland Cement company in a suit brought over tbe death of Mrs. Walton’s husband.

ABOUT THE TELEPHONE FRANCHISE

Owners ot the Republican Have $5,000 Stock In the Old Company, Hence Its Hysteria.

The Republican is rending its linen in a hysterical effort to prevent the granting of a franchise by tbe city to the Home Telephone Co., and the fact that two of the principal owners of that sheet are also the owners of $5,000 stock in the old telephone company, shows that there may be “method in its madness.”

When the old company wanted to boost the rates about 50 per cent last winter, regardless of the number of phones in the city, the Republican was very quiescent until public clamor had become so great against the measure that it had to say something opposing the scheme —after it had been killed and burled by The Democrat.

Now, just a few words concerning the proposed telephone franchise which is causing the editors of the syndicate organ to perform all sorts of amusing contortions: The Home Telephone Co., through its duly elected officers, asked a few weeks ago for a franchhise to operate a telephone exchange in Rensselaer, and the prayer of the petition was granted and the city attorney directed to prepare the necessary ordinance. There was no secret about the matter at all and no attempt made to rush the franchise through without letting the public know anything about it, as was done by the old company.

The ordinance was prepared and presented to the council by the city attorney. It provided for a full metallic system, which is an improvement over the present system. The officers of the company investigated the merits qf the metallic system and reached the conclusion that the company could make no reasonable objections to this requirement, and did not make any. When the council took up the franchise, however, it changed this provision and made it read "common battery” or central energy system, and declined to listen to the protests of the representatives of the company that it only require the metallic system. The common battery system costs from one-third to one-half more to Install than the magneto system, which we now have and which is also used in the metallic system—in the metallic system there are two wires leading to each phone instead of one as in the common return system of the old company—and the only advantage of the common battery system is that the subscriber does not have to turn the crank and ring “central,” the taking down of the receiver from the hook throwing the drop on the switchboard and a small electric light behind the "drop” is lighted, apprising the operator of your “call.” The system is easier put out of order than the magneto system, hence its greater expense to operate, as, for instance, a small twig lying on a wire will cause the “drop” to fall on the switchboard the same as though a receiver had been taken down, and after “central” calls “number” several times and gets no response, she concludes that there is something wrong with the line and pays no further attention to it until the trouble is rectified, consequently, when the subscriber really wants “central” and removes the receiver from the hook—where such a condition exists—he gets no response, and fumes and swears himself hoarse. Such a little thing as this would not affect the magneto system at all.

Therefore, in our opinion, a common battery system is too expensive to operate in a small and scattered city like ours. In a closely congested city, free from a forest of shade trees, it is all right. But the talking service is no better than with the magneto system, and is apt to be not as good. Last winter, when the old company was asking for a franchise to boost the rates to |1.50 and |2.50 per month, The Democrat opposed the granting of the same, because it did not think there was any necessity of putting in the common battery system and thereby making people pay 50 per cent more for their phones. It still thinks so, but the council says the Home company must put in the common battery system or none at all, and in order to be on the safe side the latter has asked that it may if found necessary, make the following rates: Up to 500 phones in the corporate

ConUaaed oa Fifth Page.

ZELAYA RESIGNS; PALACE GUARDED

Blames America For the Chaotic State ot Nicaragua.

DECURES WE ARE MEDDLERS

Says He Hopes That His Retirement Will Take Away From This Country Any Ground For Intervention and Expresses the Belief That His Surrender of Executive Power Will Cause the Revolutionists to **ut Aside Their Rifles.

Managua, Nicaragua, Dec. 17. —President Zelaya has resigned. His action was probably inspired by the conviction that his power was rapidly waning and that many of his former adherents were awaiting a favorable chance to turn against him. The presence of American warships, the news of the coming of others and the publication of Secretary Knox’s letter breaking off diplomatic relations with Nicaragua also helped to make the man realize his rule was at an end. Action on the resignation was immediately taken, the assembly appointing a committee to prepare a bill providing for the acceptance of it. The capital is in a state of the wildest excitement. The citizens are jubilant over the fall of the dictator. Zelaya knows full well the disposition of the people toward him-and he has taken extraordinary precautions to guard himself against attack. He Is still at the palace, which is guarded by some of his loyal troops and by a number of his thick and thin partisans who are bound to sink with him. In his letter of resignation Zelaya holds the United States responsible for the chaotic condition of affairs in Nicaragua. He says: ‘‘The painful circumstances in which the country is plunged call for patriotism on the part of all good citizens who have witnessed the oppression of the republic by the hand of fate. The country staggers under a shameless revolution which threatens the sovereignty of the nation, and a foreign nation has unjustly Intervened in our affairs, providing the rebels with arms, which, however, has only resulted in their being defeated by the heroism of the loyal troops. “To avoid further bloodshed and as the rebels have declared that they would lay down their arms In the event of my abandonment of executive power, I hereby place In the hands of the national assembly my resignation. I hope my retirement will result in good to the country, the re-establlsh-ment of peace and the suspension of the hostility of the United States to which I do not desire to give any pretext for intervention.”

THE FARMERS’ INSTITUTE AND CORN SHOW.

The annual session of the Jasper County Farmers' Institute was held here Wednesday and Thursday. The attendance from the country was very poor, the weather, no doubt, contributing somewhat to the nonattendance. There were many good talks made and it is to be regretted that the attendance was not better. Officers elected for the next year are: President, Sam Sparling; Secretary, Marion I. Adams; Treasurer, John Lesh. Mr. Sparling is the best read farmer in Jasper county, if not in the state, and has given agriculture much book study. He is now putting his ideas into practical use on the Sparling Bros, farm near Rensselaer and he ought to make an ideal president of the institute association. Under his leadership greater interest ought to be aroused in these annual institutes, and we trust will be. The Ladies Auxilliary re-elected its old officers, Mrs. A. P. Burton, President, and Mrs. B. D. Comer, Secretary. In the exhibits of the Girls’ and Boys’ Clubs, quite a little skill was shown both in the selection of the corn, and the baking of bread and the making of the aprons exhibited by the girls. There were about 60 entrys of corn from different parts of the county. This fell short some of last year probably on account of the diminishing of the prizes. Many of the boys had corn who did not enter it. The quality was pronounced by the judge, Mr. Wilson, to be above the average of such shows. In the bread contest there was, a pronounced improvement in the general appearance. About 50 entries were made. In the sewing contest 76 girls were competitors and some of the work was remarkably well done, considering the ages. Many a mother should be proud of the work her little girl did. Corn Prize Winners. • 1. John Sigo or Carpenter, 84.6~$5 cash.

_ CMOMsed on U.t Pace.

VoL XH. No. 71.