Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 October 1919 — KESSLER IS FOUND GUILTY [ARTICLE]

KESSLER IS FOUND GUILTY

Former Soldier, Charged With Slaying Miss Minnie Wilkins In Indianapolis, Convicted of SecondDegree Murder. Shelbyville, Oct. 17.—After being out all night, a jury of 12 farmers shortly before ten o’clock In the morning returned a verdict of second-de-gree murder, carrying with it a sentence of life Imprisonment, in the case of George Kessler, former soldier, charged with slaying Miss Minnie May Wilkins In Indianapolis the night of May 28. Dramatic incidents marked the brief course of the trial, Kessler’s wife swooning when the court asked the death penalty and breaking down frequently, while Kessler remained unmoved. The Wilkins woman’s body was found in a cistern at her home many hours after the crime and an entangling web of circumstantial evidence woven about the former soldier resulted in the jury’s verdict. Hines Urges Return of Roads. Indianapolis, Oct. 17* —With sharp division of sentiment In respect to the future of the nation’s railroad apparent In the ranks of utilities experts amending the sessions of the National Association of Railways and Utilities Commissioners, attention of the convention was turned to the electric carrier situation, admitted to be almost as serious as that confronting the steam lines. Means of keeping the electric lines solvent without boosting fares to a prohibitive rate —a question that confronts practically every regulatory body of the country—was one of the problems threshed out at a special conference on electric railroads. Differences of opinion regarding action relative to the return of the steam carriers to private ownership January 1, which marked divisions in the convention Wednesday, cropped out again on the heels of an address by Walker D. Hines, director general of railroads, at a dinner for the commissioners. The railroads of the nation face collapse next year unless congress takes steps by December to relieve the owners of the roads of the uncertainty under which they are laboring and pave the way for their release from federal conrol, declared J the director general. Legislation should be enacted before the opening of the new year.

“One Country and One Flag." Indianapolis, Oct. 17. —“One country, one language, one flag.” Resolutions pledging the American legion to support of every movement that has for its object the realization of this watchword were adopted at the state convention of the legion here. • Vincennes was chosen for the next convention and delegates elected to attend the national convention in Minneapolis, Minn., armistice day Include John S. King and Phillip P. Bass of Marlon, F. W. McHale, Logansport; Wayne Simpson, Simon Young and Harry Jones of Gary* Floyd Murray, Hammond, and Carl Krause of Hobart. _f Auto Overturns; Kills Farmer. Goshen, Oct. 17.—Milo A. Jennings, seventy-five years old, a retired farmer, residing at Eau Claire, Mich., died in Goshen hospital. His chest was crushed when his roadster automobile skidded on the slippery brick pavement of the Lincoln highway, two miles west of Goshen and turned over. Mr. Jennings and his wife were en route from Eau Claire to Warsaw to surprise their son, "Doctor Jennings? of Warsaw. Doctor Jennings reached here an hour after his father died. The mother was slightly hurt. Barnard’s Resignation Accepted. Indianapolis, Oct. 17—The resignations of Harry E. Barnard, state food and drug commissioner, has been accepted by the state baord of health and I. L. Miller, chemist for the board, has been appointed his successor.