Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 15 August 1914 — INDIANA BREVITIES [ARTICLE]

INDIANA BREVITIES

Logansport.-—Ash Crook, a melon grower, presented a petition bearing 100 names to the county commissioners, asking that a bounty of 10 cents be paid on the head of each groundhog presented at the county auditor’s office. The commissioners continued the petition. Warsaw.—Frederick Cook, fifteen years old, met death in a gravel pit cave-in. With a team of horses and wagon he was completely covered. Warsaw doctors rushed to the scene with a pulmotor, but found that in addition to being suffocated the boy suffered many broken bones. The horses also were killed. Greenfield.—James Whitcomb Riley, Mrs. Juliet Strauss and Mrs. Frank Ripple of Rockville were guests of Mrs. Julia Riley, widow of John A. Riley, the poet’s brother. The occasion was the reunion of three girl friends —Mrs. Strauss, Mrs. Ripple and Mrs. Riley. Th<A had not been together since they were young girls. Bloomington.—More than one hundred colored persons from over the state were present at the state convention of negro Baptists. Dr. J. G. Ward of Indianapolis is the moderator. Among those who have places on the program were Rev. J. C. Patton of Indianapolis, Rev. W. P. Wines, Terre Haute; Rev. N. D. Lucas, Hammond. Rev. G. C. Goens, Jeffersonville, and Rev. J. P. Roberts, Indianapolis. Marion—Mayor James O. Batchelor has obtained an opinion from the state board of accounts which entitles him to a salary of $2,000 a year instead of the $1,500 which has been drawn. The amended cities and towns act of 1913 provide that the mayor’s salary shall be $2,000 in a fourth-class city which operates a water works and electric light plant. Marion has a waterworks and owns poles and wires for the lighting system, but buys current from a private company. The state board’s opinion is’that the city owns both plants. Goshen.—Through a technical error that is said to affect the validity of a bond issue of more than SIOO,OOO for improved highways out of Nappanee, through Union and Locke townships in Elkhart county, arrangements are being made to readvertise and sell the issue. At the regular sale the bonds were bQught by the Fletcher American National bank of Indianapolis. Work on two of the three roads for which the bond issue was made has been started by the Northern Indiana Construction company of East Chicago and Crown Point. The bank has notified Elkhart county officials that it will not accept the bonds on account of the defect. Mooresville. A sixteen-year-old boy forged a check for five dollars on A. L. Wheeler, proprietor of the Banner mills. He signed the name Orville Pallender, and succeeded In cashing the check at a restaurant Ray Hill, employed at the restaurant as cashier, became suspicious and started an investigation that resulted in the boy’s arrest by Marshal Beeler. All but 85 cents of the money was returned. but the boy had beaten a week’s bill at his boarding house, and bought some clothing at a local establishment under false pretenses. He was taken to jail at Martinsville. He says his home is Vincennes, but that he was driven from there by his stepfather. He says this is his first offense. Lafayette. O. E. Shantz, alias J. Hr Wagner, was arrested at a hotel here and is now in jail on the charge of passing fraudulent checks. The police say that Shantz is wanted in many cities for passing bad checks on hotels. Adene Goddard, stenographer at the Hotel Lahr, was responsible for the arrest of Shantz. She noticed his description In a paper sent out by a Chicago detective association and informed the proprietor of the hotel when Shantz came to her and requested her to fill out some checks. The police assert Shantz had the checks made out and Intended to work in Crawfordsville. Shantz says his home is in Cincinnati, and that he represents the Smith Furniture company of Aurora. Fort Wayne.—Word has been received here that the party of 15 Fort Wayne persons touring Europe under the guidance of Homer Davison is safe in Berne, Switzerland. The word came in a cablegram to local relatives. Henry Franke of this city returned from Germany. He was a passenger on the last boat to leave Germany before the declaration of war. He asserts that it Is not surprising that the Germans have gone •to war, as every one in Berlin and other big German cities was demanding war for weeks before the declaration was made. He says that Austria’s declaration of war on Servia was merely the excuse and that without It there would have been war anyway. Rochester. Mrs. Bliss Day is dead here as the result of swallowing poison two weeks ago with suicidal intentions. She was a graduate of the local high school. Greenfield. —The Merchants’ association has subscribed $750 for prizes in the horse show to be held here the last of the month. No entry fee will be charged. Rushville. —James E. Naden, publisher of a newspaper here, was fined $1 by Mayor Bebout on a charge of assault and battery filed by Naden’s daughter, who alleged that her father threw a butcher lyilfe at her.