Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 81, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 January 1911 — Page 1

Jasper County Democrat

$1.50 Per Year.

PURTELLE’S BOND MAY BE VALID

The Best Evidence Would Be the Payment Thereof CO. IS REGISTERED IN INDIANA With the Auditor of State, But Not In State Secretary’s Office—Bond Itself Doesn’t State Where Company Is Located Nor In What State Incorporated, and Bears No Date Line As to Where It Was Executed. Inquiry among the local bankers, the county auditor and from the Secretary of State failing to disclose any knowledge whatever of the Bankers Surety Co., the bonding company which went on the bond of Eugene Purtelle, the “busted” railroad promotor, guaranteeing to begin active construction of the proposed electric line in Marion tp., within 30 days from the date of the subsidy election here, providing said election carried, the making of no effort whatever to save the bond by throwing up a few shovelsful of earth, prompted The Democrat to say in its Saturday issue that the bond was not good, judging from the information had. The Secretary of State in reply to our inquiry said no such company was registered in his office and that he knew nothing of any such company and had never heard of it.

Sunday afternoon some person called the writer up from the Makeever hotel and without giving his name stated that he was the man who signed the bond; that the company was authorized to do business in Indiana and made threats of what he proposed to do with us and the Secretary of State. (We stopped his tirade before he had completed it all by informing him that we had gotten our information from the Secretary of State and was willing to rest on the latter’s statement until it was shown to be erroneous. He in a tone that had more of a demand than a request to it, asked us to meet him at the Makeever hotel, if we would like to see him. As we had other matters arranged for by appointment we declined to go; if he wanted to see us he would find us in the office Monday morning. But we did take the matter up again with the Secretary of State and he went over to the State Auditor’s office and did find a company of’ that name registered there, and so informed us. He made a mistake in replying to bur former communication by not also looking the matter up in the State Auditor’s office, he said, where it was registered in the insurance department. So it appears that the bonding company is authorized, to do business in this state, and it can convince the people of Rensselaer and Jasper county of its good intentions in no better way than by paying the $5,000 without fuss or quibble. The Democrat, in its previous statements regarding thia bond relied on its report from the Secretary of State and the failure of the bond itself to give any information about the company. We had no desire to misstate the facts in this or any other matter, and will always gladly correct any erroneous statements that we may

have made. The Republican says that this bond was only guaranteeing to pay the expenses of the election, and that this was only about slls and the surety company stands ready to pay this amount, although it will ask the commissioners, for an extension of time to begin work before doing SO; Let’s see. Here is the bond complete as it appears of record in the county auditor’s office. (Com. Record 13, page 477): Nd. 868. In the matter of the Indiana Northwestern Traction Co. Petition for Election. ■The petitioners appear and present .the bond of the Indiana Northwestern Tractiott Company Railway conditioned as to commencing work as therein set forth, said bond being in the words and figures as follows: “Know all men by these presents, that we the Ihdiana Northwestern Traction Company, an Indiana Corporation, and The Bankers. Surety Company are held and firmly bound unto the Board of Commissioners of Jasper County, Indiana, in the penal

sutn of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) lawful money of the United States, for the payment of which sum well and truly to be made we bind ourselves, our successors and assigns, jointly and severally, firmly by these presents. Signed, sealed and delivered this 18th day of October, A. D. 1910, Hereas, petition is about to be made to the said board of Commissioners of Jasper county, at its regular October term, 1910, for the calling of an election in Marion Township and City Rensselaer for the purpose of voting a subsidy of certain money to the said Indiana Traction Company to aid in the construction of its roadway through said township. Now therefore, the condition of this obligation is such that if the said Indiana Northwestern Traction Company shall commence active construction of Jts roadway withinsaid township within thirty (30) days after said subsidy shall have been voted, provided at such election the vote shall be legally in favor of such subsidy, then the obligation shall be void, otherwise be and remain in full force and effect. Indiana Northwestern Traction Company, By Eugene Purtelle, President. The Bankers Surety Co. «. W. M. Zom, Attorney in fact Attest: W. H. Brucker, Secretary. [Seal] Filed Oct. 29, 1910. •James N. Leatherman Auditor Jasper County. Please note that there is no in-

dication in this bond of where the surety company is located and neither does it bear a date line. If we are to believe anything the bond says we must believe that it was intended to cover failure of Purtelle’s company “to begin active construction of the road within thirty days from the date of the election,” which it plainly says, and not for the purpose of simply paying the expense of the election, should the election carry or not carry. The bond has been forfeited, that is clear, and we do not believe the county commissioners have any authority or legal or moral right r.o do otherwise than proceed to collect it, the full $5,000, wh ch the company is holding for if it is liable for one penny.

The Purtelle scheme was suspicious from the first. The chief promotor was at the time proprietor of a string of “board of ttide” ?shops down in this section of the^etate —- and this business is usually the resort of the broken down stock gambler—which were taking thousands of dollars out of each community every week and leaving a tew pennies behind. That a broken down and discredited stock gambler would be able to do anything more than relieve teh people who invested their money was incapable of belief.

The methods of the -Purtelle crowd used to railroad a franchise through the city council here is familiar to all. That action was suspicious, as one of the members of the council' plainly told Purtelle.

The route of the “road” was impractical. It was to run anywhere and any place—in fact every place. And now it is even to run down to Mt. Ayr from Fair aOks and thence across to Rensselaer. This last proposal is because Union tp., people declined to invest in Purtelle stock at 25 cents on the dollar- —only four shares having been sold .there so far as we have been able to learn —and were not enthusiastic Over signing a petitiofi to vote him a subsidy. The whole scheme has not looked good at anytime, and The Democrat is pleased to note that its opposition has resulted in so. little stock being unloaded here. The opinions of The Democrat are not for sale, and it will continue in the future as it has in the past to “knock” —as the Republican is pleased to term it —in the real interests of Rensselaer and the people of Jasper county as a whole. It will not be found boosting questionable promoters who have gold bricks to unload on its constituency. The Democrat invariably is found on the fight side of all public ques- t tions, just as surely as the Republican can always be found on the wrong side. The Republican’s record in this respect,, we believe, is unequalled by any so-called newspaper in the entire country.

A CARD PARTY TO-NIGHT.

The young ladies of the Catholic church will give a card party tonight (Wednesday) at the Parochial school hall. Refreshments will be served. Everybody invited. Admission 25 cents.

The growth of the flour business at the Home Grocery is phenomenal. They now sell more flour than anybody. .... ■

THE TWICE-A-WEEK

RENSSELAER, JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 1911.

THE COURT HOUSE

Items Picked Up About the County Capitol Attorney Jasper Guy was over from Remington yesterday taking record for abstract work. Miss Nellie Reish, for several years night operator and bookkeeper in the local telephone exchange, has succeeded Miss Alice Bates as deputy in the auditor’s office. '

pMarriage licenses issued: Jan. 2D, Carl Remm of Gillam tp., aged 28, occupation farmer, to Eva Finch, also of Gillam, aged 31, occupation housekeeper. Second marriage for male, first wife having died Jan. 14, 1910. First marriage for female. Ceremony performed by Squire Irwin. ■ ; -k,Jan. 21, Rufus B. Knox of Chlpcago, son of Thomas Knox of Rensselaer, aged 28, occupation pharmacist, to Alice M. Bates, daughter of N. S. Bates of Rensselaer, aged 27, occupation housekeeper. First marriage for each. Jan. 23, Ransom F. Castor of Shelby county, Ind., aged 35, occupation farmer, to Laura Alice Jenkins, daughter of Geo. M. of Barkley tp., aged 29, occupation housekeeper. Second marriage for each, first marriage of male having been dissolved by divorce in May, 1899, and' that of female by death Feb. 1, 1908. Married by Squire Irwin. —o —• The Democrat’s property rights in Rensselaer are about as great as those of the Republican, and it is always anxious to boost anything that will be of real benefit to this city or its people. It will not, however, back any scheme of tinhorn sports to relieve the people of their money without some value given in return. The Democrat did what it could to encourage the proposed Enfield road, which had local men of prominence, integrity, an some means behind it —except to urge Ghat subsidies be voted, and this it never will do for any roasl. The Enfield road was over a logical route and would have meant a good deal for Rensselaer had it been built. But evep with the excellent route proposed—-from Lafayette to Chicago through a section of country, much of which is without railroad facilities at present, and nqrth and south through Jasper county—and’ the business standing of the men behind the project, it was impossible to interest capital in the project.

RUFUS KNOX - ALICE BATES*. Mr. Rufus Knox, now of Chicago, and Miss Alice Bates, for several years deputy in the auditor’s office, were united in marriage at 2 p. m., Monday at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. N. S. Bates, in Rensselaer, Rev. G. H. Clarke officiating. Only a few immediate friends and relatives of the contracting parties were present at the ceremony, and the young couple left on the afternoon train for Chicago, where the groom is engaged in the drug business, and where they will make their horn.

Mr. and Mrs. Knox are a popular young couple and they were given a good “send off” when they started to Chicago, a large number of their friends gathering ajt the station and showering them with rice and causing several handbills to be passed through the train, bearing' such legends as: “We’ve Just Been Married!” “The ‘Newlyweds’ Are On This Train!”- “Congratulate, the Bride and Groom!” and it is presumed that there was plenty of spice in their journey to Chicago. The best wishes of a host of friends go with Mr. and Mrs. Knox to their Chicago home.

A MIDNIGHT FIRE ALARM.

The shrill screeching of the siren fire whistle at the light plant disturbed the slumbers of the city at 12:45 Saturday morning. Fire in some unaccountable manner had broken out in the old Nowels brick store room north of the railroad, where a general stock of merchandise owned by E. V? Ransford and valued at spine $3,000 was stored. *. The flames were discovered by the night force at the Babcock & Hopkins elevator, who fought the fire as best they could until the arrival of the fire company. The stock was badly damaged by fire, smoke

and water before the flames were extinguished. How the fire origi-nated-Is a mystery, as no one had been in the room so far as Mr. Ransford’s son-in-law. Geo Thornton, knows since the Thursday previous. Mr. Ransford himself had not rettfrned from his Washington trip. It is said that the rear door or the room showed signs of having been tampered with, and the fire may have been caused from parties who may have broken in the store room and stolen a part of the stock and set fire to the rest to cover up their work. There was insurance on the stock, enough to fully cover the loss. Had the fire got a good start it would probably have made quite a cleaning out of the numerous old frame buildings and sheds in that locality, and probably have taken the elevators and the Donnelly lumber yard.

“OIL INSPECTOR HONAN.”

Rensselaer Man Receives Well Deserved Recognition From His Party. l\Unong the appointments of the new democratic State Oil Inspector, James H Fry of Ft. Wayne, is that of E. P. Honan of Rensselaer as deputy for the district composed of the counties of Benton, Jasper, Newton, Pulaski, Starke and White. The salary depends on the amount of oil and gasoline handled by the various oil stations in the district, and is usually between S9OO and SI,OOO per

annum. Whenever a carload of oil is received at a distributing station it must be inspected before it is unloaded. For this service the state charges ten cents per barrel, onehalf of which fee goes to the state and one-half to the .inspector.

The inspector must furnish his o appartus and bear his own expenses. In this district only a part of the inspector’s time is taken up with, the duties of the office, and the appointment will not interfere with Mr. Honan’s law practice. But while there is not a very big thing in the appointment, there were many applicants, it is said, and Mr. Honan’s many friends will be glad to learn that he has been, appointed to the place. , S. E. Swaim, editor and proprietor of the Lake County News, has been appointed deputy for Lake county, where the place pays a better salary than in this district, and we congratulate Bro. Swaim on his appointment. Other appointees are: P. J. Kelleher, Nelson J. Hyde, Joseph Keller, A. W. Bowen and Charles Roth, Indianapolis; Benjamin Wolf, Mt. Vernon; J. F. Petersheim, Evansville; Mason J. Niblack, Vincennes; W. L. Slinkard, Bloomfield; Daniel Walsh, New Albany; E. W. Pickhardt, Huntingburg; John V. Lawler, Madison; Ira L. Miller, Lawrenceburg, Dennis Shea, Terre Haute; David Higgins, Danville; Frank Wilhite, Martinsville; Henry Farwig, Richmond; W. Petro, Cambridge City; John S. Hall; Westport; Chas. Mlles, Raleigh; J. E. Adair, Portland; John Hartman, Alexandria; W. P. Mariotte, Winchester; Willian Donlln, Delhi; D. E. Murphy, Kokomo; W. L. Perryman, Tipton; IJ. G. Scjilosser, Attica; W. W. Hans, Laporte; W. B. Flynn, Michigan City; S. J. Hannigan, Lafayette; Frank Downing, Logansport; W. E. Trippeer, Peru; 11. H. Hendricks, Huntington; Walter Bonge, Montpelier; J. E. McDonald, Ligonier; Charles, A. Sheets, Angola; Mrs. Mary Bresnahan, Ft. Wayne; W. A. Johnson, Churubusco; F. A. Palmer, Elkhart; Alexander Ruh, Rochester; Edward Twonlqy, South Bend, and J. J. McAvoy, Fairmont.

HOGS HAVE A HUMAN THIRST

Eat Decaying Osage Oranges for Alcohol and Get Drunk. Westbro, Mo., Jan. 23.—That hogs have an appetite for intoxicants has been clearly demonstrated on the farm of Ben B. Hurts, near here. Around a portion of the Hurts farm there is a hedge of osage oranges, and last year the trees bore an abundance of fruit. Knowing that it was ornamental instead of useful, Mr. Hurts left it lying on the ground, where it fell. Early snow covered the oranges. After it melted the fruit commenced to decay. The hogs were turned into the lot, and they would leaye their corn to eat the oranges. After 'each feed on oranges the hogs seemed to be hilarious. ' Mr. Hurts concluded to investigate Gathering up a wagonload of the osage oranges, he took them to the yards and fed themTo the hogs. An hour later every hog was hopelessly drunk, running about the pens, squealing and cutting antics. Later all the hogs fell into a drunken sleep that lasted for hours.

State and General News

MRS. KARNEY OUT OF JAIL. Woman, Accused of Killing Husband, Released on SIO,OOO Bond. Portland, Ind., Jan. 21.—-Mrs. Sallie Karney, charged with the murder of her husband, David Karney, at Corkwell, October 31, was admitted to SIO,OOO ball today by Judge Moran, following the hearing of an application for a writ ot habeas corpus. The bond was signed by fifty representative men of Jay county, and was at once filed.

FARM GIRL AS A WIFE.

Speaker Recommends Her, But is Against City-Reared Kind. Greenfield, Ind., Jan. 23.— A spirited discussion was caused Saturday afternoon at the Hancock County Farmers’ Institute, when Oliver H. Cline, one of the lecturers, advised the farmer boy to beware of the city-reared school teacher in choosing a wife and to go after the farmer’s daughter, who knows what farm life is. It developed that farmers are having trouble obtaining farm help and It was suggested that if better wages were paid the trouble might be overcome, as the pay for labor on the farm had not increased with the advance in land prices and products. .

NOT DEAD; ONLY MARRIED.

Young Man, Missing Several Days, Finally Notifies Parents. .Muncie, Ind., Jan. 23. —Instead of l>eing dead or seriously injured, as his parents had feared, Charles Clapper, of Hartford City, had merely gone away to marry Miss Nellie Hughes, of Muncie, at Covington, Ky. About ten days ago Clapper told his father and mother that he was going to Muncie to buy a suit of clothes. When he arrived here he met Miss Hughes and the two went to Covington, where they were married. They have been on a wedding trip, and it was not until they were about ready to return home that (hey sent word to their distracted parents.

SHORT CUT TO MARRIAGE.

Lovers Meet in Street and Girl’s Suggestion is Quickly Followed. u.Peru, Ind., Jan. 23.—Miss Spata Mary Brower, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. J. W. Brower, of Gilead, this county, and Floyd Conner, son of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Conner*, of Peru, who were engaged to be married, met in Peru Saturday and Miss Brower banteringly said: “Let’s get maried to-day,” Conner was willing, but when the license was shown to Mrs. Brower she attempted to persuade them to wait a few days. Her efforts proved of no avail, and Conners and his fiancee drove to Mexico, where they were married. They went direct to Conner’s farm home near there. Both are members of wealthy families.

FALL BREAKS THICK ICE.

Injures Fireman Who is Found Slowly Slipping Into Water.

Logansport, Ind., Jan. 23.-—-Slip-ping on the icy gangway of a yard switch engine, J. D. Carr, age twen-ty-two, fell as the engine was crossing the new Panhandle bridge over the Wabash river, early yesterday morning, and landed on the ice forty feet 1 below. Switchmen and other employes, with lanterns, went out on the ice in search of the missing man. He was found unconscious, with his feet and legs in the water and his feet. and shoulders on the ice. The force of the fall had broken the thick ice and his body was slowly slipping into the water. He is at St. Joseph’s hospital suffering from internal injuries.

DR. JOHN H. RERICK DEAD.

Gallant War Veteran Well Known in Political and Newspaper Life. , Lagrange, Ind., Jan. 23. —Dr. John H. Rerick, age eighty-one, is dead here. He was born in Tippeqanoe county, and came to Lagrange in 1859. At the beginning of the civil war he enlisted as a surgeon in the Forty-fourth regiment and served more than four years. For gallantry on several battlefields he was made a commissioned officer, and was the last of the original staff of officers. Dr. Rerick joined the Republican party when It was organized, and

was a Republican leader in northern Indiana fifty years. He served eight years as county clerk, and was postmaster during the Harrison administration. t He had published the Lagrange Standard since 1867, and was one of the'founders and for many years was president of Island Park assembly, at- Rome City, the first Chautauqua in the west. Hi was a Methodist and an Odd Fellow more than fifty years, and these organizations will conduct the funeral Tuesday.

SENT BOTH HUSBANDS AWAY

Then Got Divorce From First and Re-Married the Second. Muncie, Ind., Jan. 23.—The Enoch Arden "stunt” did not appeal to Mrs. Mada W, Finn when her husband, William, appeared at the home sixteen years after he had deserted her and their two children and three years after she had been married to Harry Phillips on the supposition that Finn was dead. Instead of greeting the wanderer with open arms, Mrs. Finn told him that he might as well depart, because she was through with him, whereupon he left the place, going to Chicago where he is employed. Then she Instructed her second husband also to leave until she could obtain a divorce from her first husband, and Phjlllps did so. Saturday evening Judge Frank Ellis, of circuit court, heard the story and a divorce was promptly granted. Mrs. Finn will now remarry Phillips. The custody of her two children was given her. Mrs. Finn said her husband’s mother had told her of Finn’s death and she had no doubt of it after that until he ap-» peared at her home.

DEMOCRATIC CLUB WORK.

More Than $5,000 Subscribed Is Reported to Committees. Indianapolis, Ind., January 22. At the first meeting Saturday afternoon, (at the Commercial Club, of the committees appointed to sell stock in the Indiana Democratic Realty Company, it was reported more than $5,000 in subscriptions had been signed. This company is the one formed to take over the option on the Wettel property in Vermont street for a clubhouse, for the , Indiana Democratic Club. "We were as much surprised as gratified over the showing made Saturday,” said Jacob F. Hoke, Jr., chairman of the committee in charge. “This report showed what the committee has contended all the time —-that the only thing necessary to make this proposition go was to get Indianapolis Democrats really to do some work on the proposition.” These committees will meet again at the rooms of the Democratic Club Wednesday night, to get a new assignment of names, and again Saturday noon for reports. Senator-elect John W. Kern assured the committee that he would give the club proposal .his personal attention this week.

SUES FUGITIVE FOR DIVORCE.

Mrs. Bettie Green Brings Action Against Former Convict. Crawfordsville, Ind., Jan. 21. Robert H. Green, former Montgomery county farmer and banker, who turned horse thief, became a prisoner at the Michigan City penitentiiary and who is now a fugitive from justice, is made defendant in a suit for divorce brought against him in the Montgomery county circuit court by his wife, Mrs. Bettie Green, who has been living in this city since her husband’s- conviction. Mrs. Green asks the custory of their three children and SB,OOO alimony. This sum is now held in trust for the the children,, by William H. Breaks, of this city.

In June, 1908, Green was convicted of horse stealing and sentenced to one to fourteen years at Michigan City. In May, 1909, one month before his first year would have been up, he escaped. Several months later he was captured in Ohio only to break jail, almost kill the jailer in making his escape and then leading the detectives and police officers a merry chase through several Ohio counties before he-fin-ally eluded them. His whereabouts is now unkonwn. -i ■ ‘

The new ones, at the Home Grocery, potted cheese 10c, Pimento cheese 15c. Try them. . ■

Vol. XIII. No. «1.