Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 102, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1911 — THE COURT HOUSE [ARTICLE]

THE COURT HOUSE

Items Picked Up About the County Capitol B. D. McColly of Chicago Heights, 111., was here on bridge business Monday. —o— Attorney Roy Blue left Monday on a business trip to several points in Michigan. * —o— Fourteen marriage licenses were issued last month, against five for the month previous and eighit for the month of March, 1910. —o <— Geo. A. Williams, Gaylord McFarland and Judge Hanley went to Kentland Monday to attend the last week oi ie Newton circuit court. —o— Don’t forget to file your mortgage exemption. A good many people neglect this until too late and then they pay a few extra dollars in taxes for their neglect. The month of April remains for doing it. —o —■ Marriage licenses issued: April 3, Lawson Lefler Bruce, son of Ed L. Bruce of Rensselaer, aged 22, occupation farmer, to Carrie Marie Jasperson of Tefft, aged 22, occupation school teacher. First marriage for each. : —o —- W. H. Wortley, trustee of Jordan tp., has bought. 57 acres of the former Charlie Baker farm, including the improvements, lying just north of his home place at S6O per acre. A. C. Scott bought 37 acres of the farm, and Mrs. Susana Wortley bought 40 acres.

T. D. Williams, assessor of Colfax township, was in Kentland yesterday and filed with County Assessor, J. Z. Johnston, his completed work of assessments made (both as to real estate and personal property) in his township, and also his resignation of his office—because of his removal from this county to Putnam county, which he is doing today. Mr. Williamson, who is a staunch and uncompromising Democrat, was serving his second term as assessor for Colfax township, and was a competent and “get-there-Eli” official. His report is the first filed by any of the assesors in this county this year.—Kentland Democrat. — o — English, Moore and Washburn and Squire Irwin held an insanity inquest Monday on Grover Ritchey, the 24-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. O. K. Ritchey of south of town, and declared him of unusual mind and a fit subject for confinement in the asylum at Longcliff. Young Ritchey was married about one year ago and they have one child. For several days he has been acting'queerly, and the returns of the inquest states that he would go out in the cold only partly dressed; wanted to work all the time; appeared dazed; loss of memory; did not appear to recognize anyone, etc. He has required constant watching. About ten years ago his shoulder was injured by a pole striking him, resulting in a curvature of the spine, and this trouble, no doubt, has brought on his present condition. He is at present in Barkley tp., where he has been working for one of the Randle’s.

—o —• The county commissioners met in regular session Monday, and were still in session yesterday. A remonstrance against the sale of intoxicating liquors in Carpenter tp., containing 288 names; one from Second Ward of City of Rensselaer with 90 names, and one from the Third Ward of Rensselaer with 114 names were filed and held sufficient. Ben McColly awarded contract for repair of bridge in Gillam tp., at $335. Walter Tresemer of Tefft was before the board with a wolf pelt and was allowed the $lO bounty on same. He had presented it once before to the auditor and filed his claim last month, but took the pelt back home with him as he wanted to make a rug of

it. A dog that bore some resemblance to a wolf was missing up in that locality and some one started the story that Tresemer’s wolf was this dog. The commissioners wanted to be satisfied, and ordered the pelt brought back for examination, with the above result. Petition of John Pinter,<jand 91 others for local option election in W heatfield field sufficient and election ordered held Saturday, April 29. The Proctor liquor regulation measure says: “That the number of retail licenses may be granted In any city or township under this act shall not be more than one for each five hundred inhabitants thereof, which number maybe further limited by the board of county commissioners of any county to any number not less than one to each one thousand inhabitants ofXucn city or township.”

It would seem from this that no unit could secure a saloon unless it had 1,000 population, and while the question has not come up that we have noticed in any other place in the state, ' the county attorney and some of the other local attorneys take the position that a unit is entitled to one saloon, if it votes wet, regardless of its population, and the board set the date for the election as above noted. Wheatfield town and township has but 890 population, and instead of putting the township to the expense of an election now it would seem that. it would 'have been better to have continued the petition until the May term and submitted the question to the at-torney-general for an opinion.