Jasper Republican, Volume 2, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 September 1875 — INDIANA STATE NEWS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA STATE NEWS.

A Rolling Prairie boy weighs 450 pounds. Ths grub is working ruinously en corn in Northern Indiana. The gross receipts of the Tippecanoe County fair were <11,500. 7 ; ™ ’ { Distilleries are getting a good share of County apples, be.Tkkt are plowing for wheat in the Wabash bottoms, where the wheat crops wore destroyed by the late floods. Two colored applicants for admission to the Terre Haute High School, were recently rejected by the School Board. A <25,000 fire recently occurred at Thorntown, destroying the Postoffice and several prominent business houses. The paper-mill at Milton was burned a few nights ago. The fire was supposed to have had incendiary origin. Loss, <25,000. » i i Over 20,000 people witnessed the laying of the corner-stone of the Rese Polytechnic Institute at Terre Haute on the 11th. Considerable interest is being manifested throughout the State in the proposed Soldiers’ Reunion at the capital in October. Wm. H. Buffington, a well-known hardware merchant of Greencastle, was fatally injured by hie horse falling on him on the afternoon of the 1301. The Valparaiso Vidette thinks it high time for Porter County to realise the fact that Valparaiso has discarded the habiliments of a village and come to be a thriving city. Dr. Lemuel Moss, late President of the Chicago University, has been unanimously elected to a similar position in the Indiana State University at Bloomington, at a salary of <3,700 per year. The trustees of Asbury University have elected Alex. Martin, ex-President of the Virginia University, to the Presidency, and re-elected the present faculty. Dr. Martin has telegraphed his acceptance. Thomas Harrell, of Richmond, put his foot upon the hammer of his gun and blew into the muzzle to see if it was loaded. His foot slipped and the contents of the gun blew away the entire top of his head and killed him instantaneously. As Thomas Morrow, night watchman at the Central depot in Indianapolis, was sitting in a chair outside the building, the other evening, he was caught by a passing train and both legs were cut off below the knees. He died subsequently.

There was a collision between two freight trains on the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, twelve miles west of Lawrenceburg, a few days ago, and three boys named Moran. Romenstein and Beltner, of Aurora, who were stealing a ride, were killed. John Killian, a boy . seventeen years old, attempted to ride free from Richmond to Indianapolis, on a Pan Handle freight train, the other night. He fell asleep on a bumper plaftorm, and a sudden movement of the train threw him under the wheels, which severed both his legs. He died next evening. A terrible boiler explosion occurred on the farm of County Commissioner Robbins, in Otter Creek township, on the afternoon of the 16th, which set the stack of wheat and straw on fire. The flames completely surrounded and burned up Samuel Carr and James Candine, and a boy whose name was unknown at the time. The bodies were burned to cinders. A few evenings ago a man named John Reed was shot, and instantly killed, by David Hennick, near Salina. It appears that some two years ago the men had a difficulty. Hennick called at the house where Reed lived and called him out, when they made up and shook hands and drank together. No sooner was this done than Hennick fired on Reed, shootinghim through the heart. The postal changes in the State for the week ending Sept. 11 were as follows: Discontinued—Arthur, Pike County: Eden Mills, Lagrange County; Hawkins, Jay County.. Postmasters appointed— Ewing, Jackson County, Robert H. Clouston; Lake Cicott, Cass County, Isadora Weste; Peoria, Franklin County, Wm. R. Jenkins; Queensville, Jennings County, Charles B. Curtis; Tanglewood, Repley County, Jonathan W. Green. The Supreme Court has overruled the decision of the lower Court in the case ot the State vs. Anton Mai, indicted, at the July term for violating the law regulating the sale of intoxicating liquors. It was held by the Court below that the indictment was bad, having been found by a Grand Jury of twelve, when as the present law provides for a Grand Jury of six. The decision disposes of an interesting point relating to the construction of a recent statute, and as it disposes of the Grand Jury question, is here given substantially as delivered:

This was an indictment of the appellee, found at-the July term, 1875, by a Grand Jury consisting of twelve men, impaneled in accordance with tlie law as 4t existed before, the act of March 18,1875. The question presented is whether the Grand Jury for that term should have consisted of twelve men or of six men, as provided by the act above mentioned. ’iW ■court below held the indictment bad as having been found by a Grand Jury consisting of too many members and not properly constituted, and rendered judgment accordingly. This act had not been passed on the first Monday of Mareh, 1875, the day fixed by law for the first regular session of the Board of Commissioners in each year. By the act in question it is made the duty of the board to make the selection of Grand Jurors “ at their first regular session in each year.” As the act was not in force at the time, of course the board could not comply with it We find nothing in the act intended to authorize the selection to be made at any other session of the board than that mentioned; It follows that no selection of Grand Jurors

can be made under the act until the March session of the Boards for the year 1870. The act of March 4,1852, provides that “ if the Board of Commissioners shall fall to select Grand Jurors at their first annual session they shall select at their next or any other session.” But a selection of Grand Jurors before the act of 1875 was passed or took effect in accordance with the law in force at the time of the selection cannot be said to be a failure to select, because the selection was not made in accordance with a law not then in existence. We are of opinion that Grand Jurors duly selected before the act of 1875 took effect are legal Grand Jurors and will be continued to be such until selections shall be made under the act of 1875, or until* their functions shall be otherwise legally terminated. -The act nominally took effect from ite publication, but it can have no practical effect until the time shall come when Juries can be selected Jn accordance with the terms of the act. The Court is of the opinion that the object of the Legislature was to preserve all indictments which had been or might be found Grand Juries selected in accordance with former laws before the time at which they could be selected under the act in question. Judgment below reversed and cause remanded.” '