Hammond Times, Volume 2, Number 160, Hammond, Lake County, 24 December 1907 — Page 1

EVENING EDITION

Contract Sa&scribsrs 984 7 S!rs2t S&s - - 932 Tofa!, Yesterday 10.779 . i5' ,' VOL. II. NO. 160. FOUR EDITIONS DAILY. HAMMOND, INDIANA, TUESDAY, DECEMBER R 24, 1907. ONE CENT PER COPY.

JiJOLicj

f

ILLINOIS STEEL

TO CLOSE FOR TIE HOLIDAYS

Rumor That Shut Down will Continue Until March, Disclaimed by Officials Who Declare it Will Last Only Two "Weeks. 7.000 MEN WILL BE OUT OF JOBS TEMPORARILY President Buffington States Layoff Is Only the Customary One, Which Takes Place Generally at This Season Work at Gary to Go on As Rapidly as Weather Will Permit. (Speclnl to Lake County Timex.) South Chicago, hoc. 24. The announcement was made today that the South Chicago plant of the Illinois Steel company would ho closed until after the holidays. This will throw 7,000 men out of employment temporarily. President Iiuffington denied this action on the part of the company. "It is customary for us to shut down for several weeks at this time of the yearsaid he, "and we do not expect to lot the plant lie idle more than two weeks." Some of the employes understood that their services would not be needed until the first of March and Mr. IHiftlngton's denial that the shut down will last longer than two weeks Is reassuring. . No SlKnlflcnnce In I. Attorney Knapp of the firm of Knapp. llaynie & Campbell, steel company lawyers, said this morning that ther was no significance in the closing t - South Chicago mills. r; 'te aiso eaiii tiurt th mnrv of -.v TWav w Uill J . J "d Ko on us rapidly as possible m the Weather will nermjf tt rated ne statement that has been frequently by steel Mnpany f late that no niat,:r what to the country the Gary probo carri out without ir. I.-f :1 so of ..cia Is happened Jeet will terference or delt It was learned loday that five of the eleven blast furnaco3 at South Chicaro had been shvit ifulvn. A dispatch from Spokane, Wash., states that the Perry Creek Hydraulic mine, near Cranebrook. British Columbia, has been bought by the Illinois Steel company for $900,000. At the offices of the company all. knowledge of the mine and the alleged purchase was disclaimed, and it was Insisted that me pomoanv hi.i no n.,i ..f t. gold mines In its business. BEATEN BY MASKED HE Charles Anderson Found .Unconscious, Vith Face Pounded to Jelly. South Chicago, Dec. 24. (Special.) Charles Anderson, 32 years old and a laborer living at 9027 Green Hay avenue, was found lying in the rear of a resort at 9021 Harbor avenue, last night, his face beaten to a jelly. Anderson was found by Officer N'ck Sullivan and It was several m'.aites before the policeman could revive him. When he did Anderson was only able to say that two masked men had attempted to rob him and in resisting them he had been knocked down and pummehd with a club. The ambulance took Anderson to the station, and hi, injuries were dressed by Pr. C. I'nr,. i , , ne was removed to his lodging houao. 9027 Green Bar avenue. !,. Core RtiUM ,ast , that Anderson's condition was 'very dangerous, owin to the fact that blood poison or erysipelas was liko!y to set In. l.nder orders from Lieutenant Smith three plain clothes nun were detailed on the case and th- police extect to round up Anderson1., assailants before evening. FALLS FROM SCAFFOLD. Gary. Dec. 24. (Special) John Cm non. a plasterer employed on th. building which is under oon-truot"n rtll headlong from a soafro!(1 morning but is co.uMdered to have a miraculous escape in that he ,1 not more severely hurt than he i Ht suffered, however, an'1 injured hip and bruised eye and was otherwise shaken up In the fall. In falling from the scaffold his loKS were caught In cross pieces, leavinhim suspended In midair for a short time. His position was such that those vho witnessed the accident feared he ould break his neck when he fell. He balanced himself for an instance, however, and Instead of falling on his head ht- fell flat. WEATHER FORECAST. Fair tnuiitht Tilth minimum trnipernlr'' nr the fremiti nc point; AVednc"y Probably unsettled by night and

CHRISTMAS TRADE

S PHENOMENAL If Times Are Hard, They're Not Reflected in the Holiday Trade. LARGE BUSINESS IS REPORTED Many of Best Paying Customers Come From Outlying Districts Stores Canvassed. In spite of all the talk that has been going on about financial flurries and possible hard times the volume of Christmas trade in Hammond this year has been greater than ever. Ask the merchants. "A cast?" and the chorus of "nos" will leave no question as to how they feel about the matter. If there has ever been a question as to the preeminence of Hammond as a mart of trade, that question has been removed and the prosperity of the local merchants Is without a parallel. Last year the Christmas shopper had but two days in which to make their purchases. Pay day came on Saturday and Saturday and Monday were the big shopping days before the Christmas holidays. This year, however, there is Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, in which the belated buyers of Christmas presents have had time to spend their money. At first there was a disinclination on the part of the populace to let go of their money, as readily as they did last year, bqt during the last few days the Christmas spirit has gotten the better of them and the volu me of t h i r purchases has mounted higher than ever. OutMltle Trade a Knotor. All of the larger merchants agree that If they had to rely on the Hammond trade alone they could not operate the' enormous establishment that they have built up, -but there is not a big store in the My that doe.s no have hundreds of steady customers from such cities as Fast Chicago, Whitf. Hegewiseh. Dalton. Riverdnlo i r ........ ; : i i , . . cttZf roads in the country. The Hammond merchants feel that they .are-fortunate in being located lA n city that is in the heart of an in! dustrlal district and yet so near the fertile farming districts to the sout-i that they can count on a large trade from these nlaces. The merchants all agree that a large factor in the securing of this great out of town trade has been the fact that Hammond has a newsnaner which Is the great advertising medium of the county and which enables its business men to reach through its columns every little city and hamlet Sn the whole county. In fact no matter how aggressive a merchant might be, no matter h.w much he might desire to enlarge the scent' of his activities, he would be able to make but little progress if his prospective buyers had not, through their newspaper, come to look upon this city as the mercantile center of the region. Canvass of Stores Made. During the latter part of last week and the first part of this, the streets '' nammond have been crowded with people and all of the stores have received their share of the trade both foreign and local. A canvass of the stores of the city has revealed the fact that the activity there is unprecented. K. C. Minas & Co.. one of the large retail establishments in the city, has been doing a bigger business than ever before. Mr. Minas said this morning: "Our Christmas trade has been unprecedented. If there could be any question about it I would suggest a visit to our store. The people - em to have plenty of money, hard r.'i or no hard times, and they are spending It liberally. . "While we began the Christmas season with some- doubts and fears, we are now completely reassured and the j total amount of our trade has been fetter than ever before in the history of our trade." Mr. C. Kaufman, of the firm of Kaufman & Wolf, proprietors of the Lion store. Is wearing the smile that won't come off. He said this morning: "Our Christmas trade this year is simply unprecedented. Yesterday we brought ninety prospective buyers from Dalton alone, and they all made good sized purchases. This is Just a sample of what our out of town trade has been. "We could not conduct so large an establishment successfully if we did not rely on the surrounding cities, but It Is also a fact that the coming of the Standard Steel Car company with Its several thousand well paid men has meant a great deal to us. Trade Uettei' Thau l auul. "Our trade this year has been better than It was last, and the extra pay Christmas buyers have will swell the volume to enormous figures. The people of Hammond are coming to rely on their home stores more and more and many articles that were once bought in Chicago are now purchased here." Outside of the two big stores in the eity. the other merchants seem to have fared aS well. Interviews with haberdashers, grocers, druggist and jewelers who would be more or less affected by the Christmas trade are substantially the same. They all report a good trade while some say the volume Is greater than others. From numerous sources the fact has been learned that Santa Claus is certainly not going to nejrlect k the people of Hammond.

CHRISTMAS CAROL. Ships that sail with silver sails On a sea of light, Stars that shine like angel's eyes Watching all the night. Holly gleaming, glossy green, Berries ruby dyed, Shout with mirth and laugh with glee, Welcome, Christmastide! Welcome, merry Christmas eve! Welcome, Christmas day! Peace in heaven, good will on earth, Hear the joy bells say. Hate shall die and discord fail; Love alone we sing Since the Lord of angel hosts Comes to be our King.

a fx f-i Si SURPRISE HOI THIEF Tries to Sell Harness to Man Who Owns it and is Nabbed. Kobert Higgins, a negro, was thed.

n u.Bt surprised horse thief in the worlc,ammond have nrenarcd JTL.l

- nt-ii u went into wniiw n's sa loon in Gary and attempted to sell a piece or Harness to A. U Goodwin, the owner of the article. Mr. Goodwin looked over the article and instantly recognized it as his own. Without saying a word he grappled with Higgins and held him until the police came and took charge of the prisoner. Some time ago thieves broke into the stable of the Toleston Coal company, and taking a horse hitched to a buggy, drove away with It. The pair escaped and the town marshal has been looking for them ever pince. The Toleston Coal company is run by two partners, Gordon and Goodwin, and yesterday Mr. Goodwin went to Gary thinking possibly he might run across his outfit. He went into Goldman's saloon and was talking to one of his friends when Higglns came in with his harness and offered to sell it to hi , ------ - - was asked where he got the harness and made some evasive reply when Goodwin jumped to his feet and grappled with the fellow. He soon overpowered him and some one went out and called the police. Sergeant Edward Klopf and Patrolman W. M. Miller responded and the thief was taken to the police station. As soon as Chief Martin returns the negro win be given a sweating and it is hoped his partner who got away with the horse and buggy will be apprehended. SENT T0JIIY JAIL Boys Charged With Burglary Must Spend Thirty Days With Sheriff. There were few choice e-ifts h and i out in the city court this morning as Judge McMahon faced the line of prisoners. Several jail sentences were handed out and the unfortunates will eat their turkey and hang up their stockings at Fred Carter's hostelry. With heads hung and flushed faces. August Tolzman and Charles Basso, the Hammond boys who pleaded guilty to a charge of burglarly. listened to the stern words of Judge McMahon. "I have known you boys for a long time and you both have been industrious, but I can't imagine what made you commit Such a , crime. 1 think you must have been Intoxicated and the man who sold you the liquor should suffer. Owing to your previous reputation I will make the penalty as light as I possibly can," said the judge. He ordered them to pay a fine of $5 and costs and to spend thirty days in the county jail. Theodore Haehnal, who was arrested for stealing an ice box out of the storage warehouse, while employed as an expressman, pleaded guilty and was fined $22 and sentenced to six months in the county jail. KNIGHT TEMPLARS MEET. A special call has been issued to all Kr.'.ght Templars - of the Hammond Commandery. Xo. 41. to attend Christmas services to be held in the asylum tomorrow morning at 11 o'clock in the new Masonic temple. The services this year will be, if anything, more elaborate than on former occasions, they being the first in the new asylum, and promise to bring out all the Knight Templars belonging to the local commandery. Terre Haute, Ind.. Dec. 24. Oliver Key shot himself while his wife was shopping for Christmas. ' She found him unconscious on a sofa, their three year old child playing on the floor. ! thinking its father asleep.

I." v $

1 8 V rv Ik Ik ALL OBSERVE XMAS Services to be Held in All Hammond Houses of Worship. tv,., r.hu , services and programs for the nh. servance of which ing. of Christmas day, will be carried out a number this evenThe most elaborate services will be held in St. Joseph's church tomorrow, the day being recognized by the Catholics as a holiday of obligation and as one of the principal feast days of the year. Solemn high mass will be said tomorrow morning at 5 and 10 o'clock in St. Joseph's church. Father H. M. Plaster will officiate in the first mass, being assisted by Father B. Soengen as deacon, and Charles Tauschek, who is a- theologian in St. Francis seminary in Milwaukee, as subdeacon. Father Plaster will preach the first sermon and Father Soengen will preach the sermon at the 10 o'clock mass. In the latter Father Soengen will be the celebrant. At 6 o'clock Father Plaster will say a low mass at which the boys choir will sing. At S o'clock Father Plaster will say another low mass at which the girls choir will sing. Special music has been prepared by the large choir for the masses tomorrow. After the last solemn high mass the benediction will be eiven. rlosintr the church services for the day. At All Saints' church there will be a high mass at 6,Vclock In the morning, at which Fa thy.- Edward Barrett will officiate and preach a sermon. This mass will be followed by a low mass by Father Barrett. At 9 o'clock a visiting priest will say the children's mass, at which the children's choir will sing. Benediction will follow the high mass at 10 o'clock. Services at St. Paul's Episcopal church tomorrow will be at 7:30 and 10 o'clock and will be conducted by the pastor, Rev. A. S. Smith. Communion will be dealt out to the members at both services and a sermon will be given by the pastor at the last service. Sunday school exercises will be held at the church on Friday evening. Special music has been prepared for the services tomorrow. The services at St. Paul's Lutheran church tomorrow are elaborate. Special Christmas service will be held at 10 o'clock, which will be followed bj a sermon by the Rev. Theo Claus. The Sunday school exercises will be held this evening in the church at 7 o'clock, and next Thursday morning at 10 o'clock a former pastor, Rev. W. Brauer, will hold services. While there will not Christmas service in the be special Methodist church tomorrow, the Sunday school classes will give exercises under a Christmas tree at the church this eventing. Similar services will be held at the Baptist church this evening, while those of the Presbyterian church are already a thing of the past, having been held last night. GEIST SELLS GAS PLAKT. The Geist syndicate which owns or controls gas and electric light plants m Hammond and other cities In this section of the country has disposed his plant at Valparaiso to a group Grand Rapids capitalists headed by B. Kclsey cf that city. The new company wi'l be known of of C. as 1 the Valparaiso Lighting company and j will make it Its policy to develope the plant and make it first class in every respect. Not much will be done this winter, however, on account of the weather, but in the spring many improvements and extensions will be 'put in. Sev eral miles of pipes will be laid and a !;ew engine of greater power will installed. The new management will retain H. be D. Hayden as manager "d the same office force of employe. .vill be retained See what a feir linen ef typ will d tyj'frfctenins: out tie matter.

GARY BUNK OPENS DOOM PUBLIC Handsome Home of New First National .is Ready for Business.

TO COST 560,000 COMPLETE Begins to Circulate First Issue Own Bank Notes Amounting to $30,000. of (peelal to Lake County Times.) Gary. Ind.. Dec. 24. The First National bank opened its doors for busi ness yesterday. The magnificent structure that is to be its home was thrown open to the public and the latter's appreciation was freely expressed. The building is on Broadway and is one of the handsomest structures architecturally that has been built in this part of the state for banking purposes. It will cost $60,000 when completed. The front of the building is of stone. Four large monolithes stand on either side of the entrance and they are said to be as perfect examples of the stone mason's art as can be found anywhere. The interior furnishings are all of solid mahogany. The cages are made of solid brass. The of the lobby is of mosaic and the wainscoting an dtrimmings are of marble. There will be many conveniences. There is a rest room in the rear and the directors' room is richly and handsomely furnished. Clock Serves Double Purpose. There will be a number of safe deposit vaults which have been constructed especially for this bank. One of the features of the bank, which is especially unique, is a clock that has been placed over the door of the vault. This is in plain view of the strept and will be illuminated so that the people will make it a habit to learn the time of the day from this clock. The clock will in this manner serve as sort of a town clock and will make every citizen a watchman at the same time, for should burglars get into the building they would be almost sure to be seen by some passer-by if people make it a habit, to glance at that clock. Yesterday the bank started to circulate $30,000 worth of new Gary First National bank notes and they served as a good advertisement, for every body was proud of the first money to bear the name of their city. The First National bank of Gary irf the first bank to do business in the new steel city. It was organized with a capital of $25,000, which was afterwards increased to $50,000, and it is now certain that the capital will be increased to $100,000 as soon as the government grants its application. The officers or the bank are: President, J. W. Fieldhouse; vice president, W. S. Hazleton; cashier, T. T. Snell; assistant cashier, E. C. Simpson. The directors consist of the officers of the bank with the addition of T. C. Phillips of South Chicago, who is one of the directors and who was the leading spirit in the organization of the new Institution. TTORNEY If TROUBLE Joseph Conroy, Technically Under Arrest for Alleged Contempt of Court. Crown Point, Dec. 24. (Special) Attorney Joseph Conroy of Hammond, was technically a prisoner of Sheriff F. S. Carter last night, although he was not taken into custody. The technical arrest for which Mr. Conroy offered himself leaving a sick bed to do so, was made on a writ of attachment in the Lake circuit court for contempt of court because Attorney Conroy failed to answer certain interrogations in the Scholler estate, in which he is administrator. Attorney Conroy as administrator, was to have made a report on Dec. 16, but was said to be confined to his bed with sickness, thus being unable to attend to his affairs. Attorney Conroy was in Crown Point today, but will leave for Hammond this evening if his health will permit. His trial for contempt has not been set and will not be until Judge McMahan returns from Valparaiso. Considerable courtesy has been shown the prisoner since he has been summoned to appear "forthwith" and accordingly cannot demand that he be permitted to give bail. Although he is technically a prisoner he is neither i-i custody nor under surveillance. NO PAPER TOMORROW, Following its custom. The Lake Covntt Times will not issue its regular editions on Christmas day. It is the purpose of The Lake Cocntt Times to give its employes and carriers a holiday on that day. Extras will be Issued during the day should important news developments require.

LOCOMOTIVE WORKS CLOSES IIS SHOPS

Boiler and Machine Departments of Fitzhugh Luther Plant Lay Off. SHUT DOWN IS INDEFINITE Repair, Plaining, Blacksmith and Paint Shops to Continue May Resume in Spring.The employes of the Fitzhugh Luther Locomotive works were surprised yesterday when notices were posted to the effect that the boiler and machine shops would shut down indefinitely. It has been known for some time that there were no new orders coming in but it was thought there was work enough on hand to keep the men in the plant busy for a while. However, the officials of the plant decided to close down Indefinitely, ami they will await further developments before reopening these departments. There were about 350 men employed and the concern has been considered one of the growing industries of the region. Output This Summer I.nrte. In fact, besides the manufacture and repair of locomotives the concern had begun to build wooden cars and their output this summer was surprisingly large. The closing of this plant will be quite a loss to the community, but it is expected to resume operations in the spring, when a full force of men will be employed. In an interview with one of the officials of the company it was learned that the car repair shop, the planing shop, the blacksmith shop and the paint shop would be kept in operation. This is made necessary by the largo number of cars that have been recently received for repairs. About 100 men will be retained to do this work. SPEARS HAS BAD GBOUGH Tries , to. . Annihilate. Wife, Daughter and Police Officer Is Arrested. South Chicago, Dec. 24. (Special.) Nathan Spears was not imbued with the Christmas spirit last night, and because of the spirits by which he was to say the least swayed, he wanted to kill his wife and daughter and later a policeman. Spears lives at 9556 Commercial avenue, and last night went home with the tide. He did not like the Christmas gifts his wife and daughter had pur chased so he started to make trouble. When they demurred he wanted to shoot them full of holes and carve them up. The women told the police and Officer Gainer was sent to the house. Spears did not like the Intrusion and started to pull a gun on the bluecoat, when the latter used his club with telling effect. He was arrested and this morning his case was continued until Dec. 26, and the. family will have peace for at least one day.

Hoba'rt Man Resents Woman's Silence and Attacks Her With Knife After Slashing Her, Blows Own Brains Out With Shot Gun.

(Special to Lake County Time.) Hobart. Ind., Dec. 24. Coroner Hosklns arrived here this morning for the purpose of holding an inquest over the remains of John Lewin, a farmer living about a mile and a half east of this city, who committed suicide last Saturday by blowing out his brains with a shotgun. Lewin and his wife had been to town to do their Christmas shopping until late In the afternoon. After finishing his chores Mr. Lewin retired, while his wife occupied her time mending stockings and doing other work about the house. Shortly after Mr. Lewin retired he asked her a question which she did not answer, and, becoming angered, he jumped out of bed and, grabbing a butcher knife exclaimed, "This will settle it." and then viciously attacked his wife with it. 'Woman Badly 'WonndeA. He inflicted a deep gash in her arm and her hand was badly cut. but she finally managed to escape her husband and got out of the house. She ran to the home of her brother, Michael Baessler, who lives about a mile from the Lewin home and informed him what had happened.

""" " " 1 "..I. . I. . .in., , ., ,, .

STREET GAR CO. 10 GO! IISSGHE00LE Traffic Greatly Reduced Owing to Recent Financial Flurry. IS NOT A BAD INDICATION People Are Simply Avoiding Unnecessary Trips and Saving Money. From sources that are unimpeachabl it has been learned that the local street railway company is considering the advisability of cutting down its service. Tho old schedule will probably bo maintained through the rush hours, but during the rest of the day and late at night the schedule will be reduced if The old schedule will probably be sidered is carried out. From the same source it has been learned that tho traffic on the cars ovor the whole line has been surprisingly reduced since the beginning of tho recent financial Hurry. Trips that wen taken without a thought a few months ago. are now being abandoned and tha people are saving their nickels. The street car company has estimated the cost of running a car from Hammond to Sixty-third street, ami frequently the fares collected are not sufficient to pay tho runnlg expenses, it is claimed. As the company is not operating cars for the fun of It. retrenchment will be in order after the fust of the year. The Christmas shoppers, which usually crowd the cars are staying at homo and the traffic two days before this winter holiday are not much larger than usual. The announced intention of the Erio railroad to cut down tho number of trains it has been running, to cut tho wages of Its employes 25 per cent, and to make other reductions is evldenco that the railroads are also feeling tho general depression. However, this Is not taken as a bad omen by the business men of the city who realize that the country was goinjT at too rapid a pace and a reaction was u;fi to. come. They fay that If the people are sane about the reductions of their expenditures, business will be put on a firmer foundation than ever, and the growth from now on will be normal and not abnormal, as it has been for the past few years. Of course, the officials of the street car company will not admit that a reduction of their schedule is in contemplation for they desire to give out such information when It is best suited for their purposes. However there is sure to be retrenchment during the winter months and the condition of the country in tho spring will determine whether this policy is to be a temporary one or whether further reductions will bo necessary. KILLED ON HIS WEDDING TOUR. Richmond, Ind., Dec. 24. A dispatch from Wenachee, Wash., to relatives Jn Wayne county, announ.-es the acci dental death of Jacob fwearlngen in a railway accident. Swearingen recently married at Milton, this county. Miss Ida Ferguson, and they were on their honeymoon trip. Baessler and Mrs. Lewin returned to the house, wh-re they fund Lewin lying in bed with the top of his head blown off and the shotgun with which he had committed the act lyjnsr bv hi ,'side. The room looked like a shambles. MiiBt Have Died Innlantly. The charge had entered his h.-ad just above the t-yes and death must have been instantaneous. The two children who were sleeping in a room upstairs knew nothing of th- affair, having slept through all of the confusion. vui vut-r nosKins summoned a cr ror;er's jury and held tne inquest morning. The verdict returned this was "suicide." The funeral was conduct. from the German Lutheran church this morning at 10:20 and the interment took place in the Hobart cemetery. The deceased, who is about ZZ years old, leaves besides a wife and two children, a brother and two sisters, a father and mother. Mrs. Lewin refuses to tt II the coro-. ner what her husband said to her j. just before he began his assault on her. Lewin was not a drinking man nor was he quarrelsome or abusive, and the news of his tragic dath comes as shock and surprise to his friend