Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 July 1920 — COURT HOUSE NEWS IN BRIEF [ARTICLE]

COURT HOUSE NEWS IN BRIEF

Interesting Paragraphs From the Various Departments OF JASPER COUNTY CAPITOL Legal News Epitomized — Together With Other Notes Gathered by Us From the Various County Offices. Attorney W. W. Lowery of Indianapolis was in Rensselaer on business Tuesday. Miss Marie Zucker of Ft. Wayne, field representative of the American Red Cross, was in the city today on Red Cross business. Simon Fendig, William McNeil, Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Knapp of Wheatfield and Mrs. Knapp’s brother, William Webb, of Coshocton, 0., were in RensselaeV Wednesday.* County Agent Dwight Mawhorter and wife spent the Fourth with their parents at Wawaka, Ind. Mr. Mawhorter returned home Monday evening, but Mrs. Mawhorter remained for a longer visit. New suits filed: No. 9210. Vada Thewlies vs. Harry O. Thewlies, action for divorce. Complaint alleges that the parties were married Jan. 1, 1896, and lived together as husband and wife until June 15, 1913, on which date defendant wholly abandoned plaintiff. The 1919 assessment raise in Jasper county by the state tax board and which has been declared illegal by the supreme court, was as follows: All real estate 10 per cent except Remington which was raised 20 per cent; personal property assessments in Milroy, Gillam, Remington and Rensselaer raised 40 per cent; personal property in all other townships raised 30 per cent The effect on public revenues by this decision is calamitous, and to straighten out this tangle is enough to drive the county auditors all to the bug-house. But only the “best legislature in 50 years” and the fool tax board are to blame for it.

While W. L. Wood was a member of Governor Goodrich’s “best legislature in 50 years,” which enacted the notorious state tax law, Logan ; says that he was not in favor of, the law and now that the supreme court has decided against the ac- j tion of the state board of tax com-' missioners In the horizontal increases of assessments made he will not vote to legalize these assessments after the highest court in, the state has held that the board had no right to make them. Zn fact, as the supreme court is our state coni' of last resort, has the legislature any power or authority to attempt to upset a decision of this court and become an accomplice with the tax board in perpetrating an Illegal act? Special Judge Garr of Monticello has been sitting in an adjourned term of court here since Tuesday in a ’case growing out of the sale of the Ed Oliver lands about Newland to a syndicate of Chicago men incorporated under the name of the Jasper County Farms Co. Quite an array of legal talent is engaged in the case, including two Chicago lawyers, Messrs. Gary and Stebbins, and George A. Williams of Rensselaer, for the Farms company, and W. H. Parkinson of Lafayette and John A. Dunlap of Rensselaer so». Ed Oliver, who filed a cross-com-plaint in the case of Arthur R. Jones vs. Oliver and the Farms company, but which had later been dismissed as to Jones. The case is therefore being tried on Oliver’s cross-complaint, which claims that the company did not live up to its agreement with him at the time he sold -his equity to said company. —i— Following is a report of the board of county commissioners at their June session held Tuesday: Contractor allowed $195 In full on. bridge in Jordan township, and cause 1 dropped. | Contractor allowed SSOO on bridge, in Wheatfield township. W. E. Caln stone road. Cause: continued for supplemental report 1 Contractor allowed $1,288 on the A. S. Barlow stone road. Contract awarded to Winamac Construction Company for a new

bridge in township over the Oliver ditch at >7,998. S. D. Clark stone road. Supplemental report filed and approved and road established. P. R. Blue allowed an attorney fee of $125. C. M. Dewey stone road. Supplemental report filed and approved and cause continued. B. W. Ellsworth stone road. Contractor A. S. Keene allowed $487. W. P. Gaffield stone road continued for supplemental report. A. D. Hershman stone road. Bond of A. D. Hershman, superintendent, filed and approved. James Lane stone road. Contractor F. A. Camblin allowed >1,270. John E. Murphy stone road. Certificate of state board of tax commissioners approving bond issue filed. John O’Connor road petition. Continued for supplemental report. John H. Rusk stone road. Contractor William Stalbaum allowed >1,024. W. O. Rowles stone road. Contractor allowed $2,123.20. Treasurer reports sale of bonds of $2,968.87 to the Fletcher American National Bank of -Indianapolis at par and accrued interest. Edgar S. Thornton stone road. Contractor allowed >4,657.45. Treasurer reports sale of bonds of >14,124.25 to the Myer-Kiser bank of Indianapolis at par and accrued interest Fred Tyler stone road. Contractor B. D. McColly allowed >3,512.80. W. L. Wood stone road. Contractor Jacob Johnson allowed >1,900. R. J. Yeoman stone road. Con, tractor Hugh Yeoman allowed >836.50. George Nanninga stone road. Report of viewers filed showing public utility of proposed improvement. Cause continued for supplemental report. , Same entry in Richard Grevenstuk and »R. Sipkema road petitions. Alfred Duggleby petition for highway improvement. Supplemental report filed and approved and improvement ordered established. Contract to be let August 2. P. R. Blue allowed >125 attorney fee. Time extended to August term for report on the following highway petitions: Simon Groet, Ray Burgman, Joseph W. Brown, Frank Hurley, F. M. Hart, Arthur Waymire, Isaac Kight and Elmore Barce. Petition for a highway improvement by E. E. Rockwell et al. Referred to County Surveyor E. D. Nesbitt. W. L. Wood and W. D. Bringle appointed viewers to meet jmy 10 - . , u. John C. Parker petition for highway improvement. Report filed and cause continued for objections. Expense account, allowed as set out in report. William M.- Morris petition for highway improvement. Referred to County Surveyor Nesbitt. John Hayes and Sylvester Gray appointed viewers to meet July 10. . Orval Putt petition for road improvement referred to County Surveyor Nesbitt. W. L. Wood and B. D. McColly appointed viewers to meet July 10. William Folger ditch. Referred to County Surveyor Nesbitt and Drainage Commissioner B. F. Alter. John Rush appointed third ‘ commissioner, to meet July 12. • Joseph Kosta ditch. Report filed and approved and cause continuea for objections. John Keefe ditch. Auditor presents report of treasurers of Jasper and White counties showing uncollected assessments amounting to $19,053.55. Bonds ordered issued bearing 6 per cent interest. . Frank Zacher ditch. Cause docketed and continued for objections. Interest on county funds for the month of June were reported as follows (Trust & Savings bank of Rensselaer not yet reported): First National bank, Rensselaer, $157.07; State bank, Rensselaer, $196.08; Farmers & Merchants National bank, Rensselaer, $194.96; State bank, Remington, $206.18; Farmers National bank, Remington, $42.95; Bank of Wheatfield, $69.60. Fees collected by the following officers for the quarter ending June 30: Sheriff, $294.27; clerk, $338.88; recorder, $538.80; auditor, >44.55.