Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 June 1918 — Page 1

Jasper County Democrat.

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BAND CONCERTS CALLED OFF

May Be Resumed Again Later in the Season. At the regular meeting of the city council Monday night all members were present but very little business was transacted other than the allowance of claims. The Rensselaer band was allowed |SO for room rent, money expended fer players hired, etc., and it was deemed best to have the concerts abandoned for the present because of shortage of players and othei causes, and so far as the council is concerned no further financial aid will be granted the present season. _ The clerk was directed to order three “keep to the right” signs at HO :50 each from a supply firm. The treasurer was directed to deliver 100 yards of cinders to the cemetery trustees and charge same to the corporation fund.

FROST DOES MUCH DAMAGE

Muck Ground Is Hit by Cold Wave ■ Saturday Night. Hundreds of thousands of dollars damage was done to corn and garden truck Saturday night when the mercury dropped to the frost point, and had it not been for the fact that the ground 'tfas very dry the damage would probably have been many times greater. In Jasper county practically all of the muck ground was hit, and while some of the corn may possibly recover, it is likely that considerable of it is completely ruined, and it is possible that some damage was also done to oats that are on the muck ground, as they are just headed out. According to dispatches the frost was quite general throughout northern Indiana and the aggregate damage may be $1,000,000. This frost came just seven days later than the June frost last year, but the damage wrought is probably much greater because of the fact 4hat all crops were much further advanced, some of the corn being nearly waist high now. None ot the crops on the higher lands -were damaged, apparently, but in some of the fields close to Rensselaer, in which there were patches ot low ground, the latter Wire hit quit's hard. The government thermometer at Purdue registered 43 degrees, and quite a bit of damage is reported in Tippecanoe county, where tomatoes were even in several places. Later —The frost damage seems to have been much greater than at first thought, and corn on low ground and along ditches, even though not on muck, was hit. Chamberlain & Marlatt lost fifty acres that was waist high on their Walker township ranch and it was laid flat on the ground; fifty acres is reported to have been killed on one of the J. J. Lawler farms Pleasant Ridge, and on all the low ground it suffered more or less. Down in Boone county it is estimated that the damage will affect at least twenty-five per cent of the corn, while in the canning factory districts great damage was doite to corn, peas, beans and tomatoes. All through the north half of the state the damage was great. Corn that was not far enough along for the stalks to be jointed will," it is thought, providing we have a late fall, practically recover from the set-back, but that most advanced is probably killed beyond redemption.

SERGEANT CHARLES E. BASSETT

Of Canadian Army to Speak in the County Next Friday. Sergeant Charles E. Bassett, of thel9th Canadian Battalion, a veteran of the war in Flanders, will Epeak in Jasper county next Friday, June 28, in the interests of the War Savings stamp drive. He will speak at Wheatfield in the forenoon; at Remington in- the afternoon, and in Rensselaer at night. Sergeant Bassett spent five months in the famous Ypres salient and was invalided home with trench fever. For the past three he has been making War Sayings addresses in different parts of the state with - complete satisfaction. He is said to be a good speaker and the people are urged to come out and hear him.

LATE BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS June 24, to Mr. and Mrs. John Maher of Virgie, a daughter. June 24, to Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Cook of McCoysburg, a son.

COURT HOUSE NEWS IN BRIEF

OF JASPER COUNTY CAPITOL The Legal News Epitomized—Together With Other Notes Gathered From the Several County Offices. Miss LaVerne Geyer, county food demonstrator, went to Lafayette Monday for a week’s visit. Judge and Mrs. C. W. Hanley drove to 'Chicago Sunday for a few days’ visit and were expected to return home last evening. By the 1917 Acts of the legislature of Indiana, chapter 53, page 140, the time for killing squirrels was changed so as to begin August 1 and December 1 of each year. It is now unlawgul to kill squirrels in July of any year. Orders are being sent out.to prosecute all violations of this late *act. At the last meeting of the Jasper county council of defence, maximum threshing prices were fixed as follows: I Oats, per bushel, 3c; ■wheat, per bushel, 6c; rye, per bushel, 7c. - This is the maximum price that can be charged in Jasper county,-’understand, bpt the threshers can charge less if they choose, and some have already contracted, it is understood, to thresh oats at 2% cents. - This is said to be about the average price schedule fixed in the different counties, although some are from to 1 cent per bushel higher and some are from % to 1 cent lower than this. New suits filed: No. 8939. Arthur A. Laughlin vs. Ed. Oliver et ux; suit on ipromissory note. Demand $2,500. No. 8938. Elis Jones, administrator of John A. Millman estate, vs. Anna Millman, et al; petition sell real estate. No. 8940. Esther Renfrew vs. Walter Hershman; suit for damages. Demand $5,000. This action in similar to No. 8937, and grows out of the same accident at San Pierre on April 22, when an automobile driven by defendant is alleged to have struck and severely injured two school teachers. Miss Vera Karp and Esther Renfrew, ,Miss Karp having sued for a like aimount in No. 8937. No. 8941. Kathryn B. Casey vs. David R. Todd et al; action to quiet title. ’

WILL GIVE AWAY FORD AUTO

Liberty Guard Companies Adopt Plan to Purchase Uniforms. Arrangements have been perfect-’ ed by the two Liberty Guard companies of this city to dispose of a Ford automobile to .raise funds to purchase uniforms, and tickets on the machine are meeting with a ready sale. The exact date when the auto will be given away has not been determined, depending to a large extent on the length of time required to sell the tickets, but judging from the present indications the tickets will all be disposed of in a week or ten days. The' Liberty Guard is recognized as a fundamental part of the military of the country, and the equipment with uniforms will prove a material assistance in .many ways. The people are aware of these facts and are responding liberally to the request for aid.

CELEBRATE GOLDEN WEDDING

Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Vanatta Married Fifty Tears Next Sunday. Mr. and ‘Mrs. John R. Vanatta expect to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary next Sunday, June 30, 1918. All their friends and neighbors are invited to call and pay their respects at any time. between 2 and 9 p. m. on that date. John R. says: “It’s a long time to be bossed about by one woman.” Mrs. Vanatta says: “It’s a long time to cook for one man, and Ire’s not filled up yet.’’

See Charles Pefley for all kinds of nursery stock for fall (planting. Every tree guaranteed to grow or replaced free of charge. Phone 475. - ' -ts

THE TWICE-A-WEEK

RENSSELAER, JASPER COUNTY, INDIANA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1918

CAN GET THE AIRSHIPS HERE

Says Rensselaer Gentleman Who Interviewed Flyers at Morocco. A large number of Rensselaer people went to Morocco Monday to see the airplanes, and they were not disappointed, either, as there were seven planes there from, the Rantoul field. There was a very large crowd of people in Morocco Monday as a result of the airplane attraction, and one of our citizens talked with the officer in charge, who said that we could get a squad of planes .to come to Rensselaer almost any time other than the Fourth of Juiy; that each flyer has to make a cross-country flight every fifth week and that they would come over hero some time if desired. If such is the case arrangements should be made to get" a squad of the machines here some time after harvest, say on the occasion of the opening of the Fourth Liberty loan.

JOHN N. PRICE DIED SATURDAY MORNING

John Newton Price died at his home in Barkley township Saturday morning aged seventy-three years, three months and fifteen days. Short services were held at the house at 11 o’clock Monday forenoon and burial "was made In the Smith cemetery. Mr. Price leaves a wife and several children.

SLACKER TAKEN IN CUSTODY

Officers Take Harrison Lytle to Indianapolis Yesterday, There was a large crowd of people in yesterday to see the large contingent of Jasper county boys leave for Camp -Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio. - Harrison Lytle Of southeast of town, who was registered in Green county, Illinois, where he had been working and who should have gone with a former contingent from that state, was to have left with the boys from here. -But his folks- —especl-, ally his mother, it is said—objected to his going anti it was necessary for the officers to go out and bring the lad in, braving the threats of the mother, who is alleged to have said she would shoot the officers if they , attempted to take the boy. He was brought in, however, and taken to Fort Benjamin Harrison yesterday afternoon by J. J. Montgomery, spe'eial department of justice agent. The boy was not objecting to go, it is said, and would have been all right had his folks not urged resistance. The names of the boys leaving were as follows: Frank Garvin, Jack Roorda, Henry Frey, Wilfred Stevenson, Lawrence Iliff, Oscar Johnson, William H. Armstrong, John F. Phares, Tony Apostal, Gerrit Wondema, Tipton C. Wiseman, Albert Johnson, Platte Spade, Guy Swim, William H. McKinney, John Jungles, James Mize, Louis DeFilipi, Oscar Lunblad, Homer Fisher, Don Sutton, John Karch, Gaylord Hilton, Charles H. Britton, Max J. Schultz, Alonzo D. Norris, Roy E. Flores, Livingston Ross, Daniel Leichty. Walker Snodgrass of near Rensselaer, one of the boys whose name appeared in the original list as made up, got the three first fingers of his right hand blown off Monday while blowing out stumps on J. J. Lawler’s lands west of town. He was adjusting a cap on a stick of the explosive when it went off, it is said, it being purely accidental.

LETTERS FROM OUR SOLDIERS

Dorris Crooks Writes Home Folks From France. William D. (Dorris) Crooks of Rensselaer, who is now in the navy service, writes home from France uirtler date of May 31 and The Democrat is permitted to publish his letter, omitting *ome personal 'matters that are not of g.'neral interest : U. S. S. Canovicus, European Waters, U. S. Naval Base-No. 18. We went from Chicago to Philadelphia. We were treated fine all through the East; stayed in Philadelphia five days and were sent from there to Newport to be shipped, and now we are over here. This sure is a beautiful country. We were on shore liberty last night. The base is right by & lively little town of about 40,000, but oh, w<hat a difference in everything; anyway they sure know how to relieve the Jackies of their money. Money is supposed to go .farther here than at (home, but I spent the equivalent' of $2 for eats last night and didn’t founder either. You can’t buy any sweets here. Their candy hasn’t hardly any sugar —it’s gum; sour pies, cocoa and coffee without sugar. The navy

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GENERAL AND STATE NEWS

Telegraphic Reports From Many Parts of the Country. SHORT RITS OF THE UHUSUAL A Happenings in the Nearby Cities and Towns—Matters of Minor Mention From Many Places. NOT THE IDEA OF UNCLE SAM U. S. Authorities Deprecate the Attitude of Coercion. Washington, June 24.—Any attempt to coerce persons into buying Liberty’ bonds, War Savings stamps or Thrift stams is without the approval of the government. Naturally the government expects every person who is financially able to do so to bear his or her share of the financial burden of the war, but the government never has and, it was asserted today by officials competent to speak, never will, resort to coercive methods. The treasury deparment, which represents the government in the financial transactions connected with the war, regards any attempt to compel the individual to contribute financially to the support of the war by threatening him as smacking of Prussianism. ,

MUST SHATTER GERMAN MYTH

Rabbi Declares Teuton Belief in Invincibility Must End. Ft. Wayne, June T 2 L—“ The only way to end the war and end war forever by destroying war is to shatter forever the German myth of military invincibility,” declared Rabbi Shephan Wise in an address here last night. / “When the German people, once and honored land, and a revered people, learn that they have become a thing of shame, of loathing, of infamy and perfidy, they may continne,” he said, “ but when their armies are crumbling, and defeat stares them in the face, they will be able to realize that the dream of world dominion is owr and that they can not force their rule upon any people. America was slow in getting into this war,” said the speaker, “but she will be slower in getting out. Some things we can not do in saving Europe. We can not recreate the glory of yesterday or bring back the faded beauties that have vanished, but I believe that moral grandeur and spiritlual sublimity will be God’s recompense for all that a weary world has suffered in the saving ot civilization for mankind.” Rabbi Wise was brought to Ft. Wayne under the auspices of the Ft. Wayne Council of Jewish Women. The proceeds from the meeting will go to the Red Cross.

PLAN FOR SOLDIERS TO VOTE

Meeting'of Democratic and Republican Chairmen Held. Indianapolis, June 22.—Joint plans of the Democratic and Republican state organizations for cooperative action in registering and arranging for the voting of Indiana soldiers in cantonments in various parts of the United States were agreed to today by Edmund M. Wasmuth, chairman of the Republican state committee, and Frederick Van Nuys, chairman of the Democratic state committee. Mr. Wasmuth went to the Den/q----cratic headquarters at the Denison hotel for the conference. Each of the party committees will create a department for listing the names of soldiers in cantonments. As a result of the conference the following request was directed to Governor James P. Goodrich by the two chairmen:

As chairmen of the two leading political parties we would respectfully call your attention to the absent voters’ law, passed by the 1£)17 Indiana general assembly. Under the provisions of this act it will be possible for some of the sons of Indiana, who have responded to the nation’s call, to exercise their right of suffrage this year. Before an absent voter can properly Quality he msut be registered under the provisions of this Indiana law. In order that every opportunity inlay be given those sons of Indiana who have enlisted to exercise their right of suffrage at the November election, we would respectfully suggest that you appoint a commission of four and clothe it with authority to register such as care to vote at the coming election.

STERNS F. ILIFF IS DEAD

Old Resident of Jordan* Township Passed Away Sunday Morning. Sterns Fisher Iliff, ohe of the oldest persons in Jordan t township both in point of yeans and time of residence therein, passed away at his home at an early hour Sunday morning, aged almost eighty-four years. The funeral was held at the residence at 2:30 o'clock Monday afternoon, conducted by Rev. J. Budman Fleming of the Presbytei ian church of this city, and burial was made in Egypt cemetery. Sterns Fisher Iliff, the last member to pass away of a family of twelve children born to Williaiq and Hannah Iliff, was born in 1836 in Wabash county, Indiana. He moved to Jasper county with his parents in 1838, where he had resided continuously until his death June- 23, 1918, aged eighty-one years, nine months and twenty-three days. He was married ManCh 21, 1861, to Eleanor King Hutton. To this union-was born seven children, William C., John W., Harriet A., George K., Mary A., Charles E. and | Grace, two of whom preceded him . in death. There are sixteen living grandchildren. Mr. Iliff was a man of sterling in- 1 tegrity, Joyal to his country, his community and bis friends. He was a kind and loving husband and father. xx We wish to thank the' neighbors and friends who assisted us during the sickness and death of our beloved husband and father, also for the beautiful floral offerings.— MRS. S. F. ILIFF AND CHILDREN.

ENGINEER ASLEEP OR DUTY

Causes Worst Railroad Disaster in History of Indiana. Pqrhaps the third greatest railroad - disaster in the ynited States and the worst that was ever known iff Indiana, so far as the number of lives lost is concerned, occurred at Ivanhoe, a little station on the Michigan Central railroad three, miles east of Hammond, at about 4 o'clock Saturday morning, when a westbound troop train carrying twenty-four empty Pullman cars and running about sixty miles per hour, tore into the rear end of the second section of the HagenbeckWallace show train and plowed through four tourist Pullman sleepers filled with actors and employees of the show.

The show had exhibited at Michigan City Friday and was on its' way to Hammond where it was to show Saturday. A broken axle on one of the forward cars of the show train —the train was made up ot some twenty flat cars with the four old Pullmans in the rearcaused the train to stop while the damage was being remedied. Men had been sent back /with fusee flares to warn any approaching train, but the engineer of the troop train at this writing is thought to have been asleep at the throttle, and no attention was paid to the block, which was set against him, the tower flagman nor the flares.

The big engine plowed through three of the Pultoan coaches of the circus train and stopped about midway through the fourth, leaving an indescribable horror in its path. Red hot coals from the engine set fire to the wreckage and many of killed and wounded and several of those pinioned down by the Wreckage were burned to an unrecognizable mass. The alarm was quickly sent to Hammond and Gary and ambulances and fire fighting apparatus were soon on the scene, hut owing to the inability to secure water almost nothing could be done to check the flames, and up .to Mondag evening

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NOTES FROM COUNTY HOSPITAL

John Hablgger, who has been helping care for the government horses on pasture on the J. J- Lawler lands near Fair Oaks, was brought to the hospital Saturday suffering from a broken leg. Mrs. Sarah Timm of near Medaryville was brought to the Hospital Sunday suffering from severe burns received by a stove exploding. She was quite badly burned about the chest, arms and limbs, aaid is in quite a serious condition.

Mrs. John Brown,-who underwent an operation recently, was able to go to her home at Brook yesterday. Warren Gratner of Barkley township will go to his home today. Charles Fleming of near Mt. Ayr, who underwent an operation for appendicitis one day last week, is improving nicely.

VoL XXI, No. 25

DEFEAT OF ENEMY ON PIAVE IS COMPLETE

Austrian War Office Concedes Evaluation el Montello , Hatoau. ITALIAN CAVALRY WORK HAVOC -]■ » Losses of Invaders Reported Enormous, Official Statement from Rome Claiming 43,000 I*risoner9 Alone. Vienna, June 24. —(Via London.) -—The war office announces today the evacuation of Montello and the right bank of the Piave river by the Austrian troops. Capture Great Amount of War Booty Washington, June 24. —Austrian lossee in the retreat across the Piave included an “appalling number’’ of troops killed, more than 40,000 made prisoner and an enormous amount of war booty, said the report from General Diaz, the Italian commander, which wai cabled from Rouse tonight to the Italian embassy. “Yesterday we obtained a great victory,” said General Diaz’s message. "Owing to the extreme pressure of our troops and the continuous fire of the artillery and airplanes, the enemy, after having desperately clung for eight days at the cost of appalling losses to the Vight bank of the Piave on the night of the 23rd began to retreat to the left bank under our terrific fire.”

Hopes Shattered. The defeat of the Austrian armies on the western bank of the Piave river is complete. Admission is made by the Austrian war office that the troops of Emporer Charles have been forced to evacuate the Montello patleau over which they had hot>ed to press their way and gain the Venetian plains and “some sectors” of the positions they attained last week on the bank of the river between the plateau and the point where the stream empties into the Adriatic. Bad weather and the rising of the Piave under the heavy rainfalls are assigned as the reasons for the withdrawal of the Austrians. But the Rome war office asserts that it wan the impetuous attacks of the Julians that brought about the failure of an operation which was

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ALLIES AWAIT EXPECTED BLOW

Issue of < anqmign May Hinge on Action of Central Powers. London. June 24.—Premier Lloyd George announced today that the next couple of months would be anxious ones. There might be a great blow coming in the next few hours, he said, and certainly in the next few days, and on this blow the issue of the campaign might depend. The entente allies, he added, never felt better prepared to meet it. Premier Lloyd George said the Austro-Hungarians were yi full retreat. The question now was, he added, whether they would be able to effect a retreat. The premier, who made his announcement in the house of commons, referred to the amazing organization' .which was bringing AJnerican troops to France. “Enough Americans/' he added, “have arrived to satisfy the allies and to disappoint and ultimately defeat our foes.’’ It was possible that within a short time, the premier said, the allies would be stronger than Germany. The enemy, he declared, had no further reserves to call upon after another offensive except by a drastic combing out of the essential industries which I®*- already had started. Turning to recent battles, the

premier declared that_.the enemy had intended to reach Compiegne, but failed and were beaten back by the French army.

.The losses inflicted on the Germans undoubtedly were very serious and on the whole the premier declared the last German attack on the allies was undoubtedly a defeat, for the enemy failed to reach his objectives. . ;