Hammond Times, Volume 3, Number 39, Hammond, Lake County, 3 August 1908 — Page 1

EVENING EDITION nn' Generfally fair today and probably Tuesday; no change In temperature. ONE CENT IER COPY. VOL. III. NO. 39. HAMMOND, INDIANA, MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 190 8.

COUNTY

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GARY

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Calamitous Event Renders Families Homeless, Devastates Ten Build ings And Imperils Many Lives

TKRILLI SENSATION: Loss Will Reach $60,000 and Gary is Racked With Rumors. The fire fiend grasped Gary yesterday with a terrible grip, completely devastating ten buildings, rendering twenty families homeless, destroying thousands of dollars worth of merchandise, and imperiling the lives of a hundred people. Within the period of eight hours three distinct fires, whose origin is unknown, broke out I and in an increditably short time j they, together with the surrounding! i e iSnn ! structures, were n units ui smuiuruus debris. Hundreds of helping hands together with the police were powerless to check the conflagration which resulted in a loss estimated to be over S55.000. LOSSES ARE AMAZING. The losses sustained are as follows: JOHN JIRSICH, hotel, corner Broadway and Sixteenth; total loss, $7,000; insurance, $3,000. M. . ROSENTHAL Gary Department .- store, adjoining hotel; loss estimated by Rosenthal, $22,000. Insurance, $9,500. It. HOIK, .tore building, between Sixteenth and Seventeenth on I'.roadway. Total loss, $3,000; insurance, S1.S00. E. HAKF.lt. grocery in Honk building, loss. $2.0'0; insurance, $t,a00. ST.VM.KV ZKl'IvOWSKI, owner store building and bakery. Total loss, $7,500; insurance, $7,000. Adjoins Houk building. STEVEN SOI.TKS, owner Broadway hotel building, nortli of Z pkowski. Ivss. $3,500. covered by insurance. LEV V !fc BAER, proiirietors of Broad way hotel. Loss ,(00 ; no insur ance. . . WALENTY ZSn7.lSKI, Twelfth and Washington, saloon. Lss, $4,O00; insurance, $1,700. MIKE DANSCH, occupant of above building. Loss. $1,000; covered by insurance. ASHEIt & ACKER, blacksmith shop. Loss, y 1 .000 ; no insurance. STAM.KV E. WKWF.K, barber shop, Twelfth and Washington street. Iss, $7TiO; no insurance. JOHN MOVM'.VIN, residence. Ixiss $400; no insurance. CHICAGO TELEPHONE CO VI PA Y, .wires, cables, etc., loss, $750. KING IIVMi l.O. Chinese laundry, Sixteenth street. Ijoss, $300; no Insurance. All of the store building's in the above were two stories in height with the exception of the laundry, blacksmith shop and the residence of John Mountain. START IN It A It 11 E R SHOP. The first of the three fires started in the barber shop of Stanley Weaver, in the second story, at 3 o'clock yesterday morning. The flames started in the rear of the building and were first noticed by the boarders in the saloon across the street. Instantly the alarm was sounded by the firing of revolvers, the shouting of the excited crowd, which scantily clad, quickly gathered about the doomed building. Desperate efforts were made to save the little frame structure, but it was only a matter of a few seconds until the fire fighters, headed by the police, found the attempt useless. Their energy was then directed toward the saving of the adjoining building, the saloon of John Dansch, but their efforts again proved futile. The flames quickly lapped up the dry timber and so quickly did it leap from house to house that only one of the four tenants of the structures were able to save their personal effects. SHOTS SIMMON FIGHTERS. The fire fighters had just begun to fettle back in hopeless despair when suddenly the crack of pistol shots were heard to the south; the telephone bell suddenly rang at the police station and in appeal was made from that source to assist the fighting of a blaze which had started in the rear of the Broadway hotel. The force of policemen, who also act as a volunteer fire department, divided their forces and made for the fire in the south end. John Columbus, living in the Walter 5. Ross building, but a few feet away (Continued om pace 5.)

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Gary, Inil Aug. 3 (4 p. m. ( The Are flend was aboard In Gary again this afternoon and as a result of Mm rnvaRci Hotel Finland, valued at $",- 500, was destroyed and the people In the neighborhood were thrown In a panic. The building was owned by nn Indiana Harbor man, whont name could not be learned and the hotel was managed by John Heiklla. The hotel was on the second floor of the building while there was a saloon on the main floor. The saloon was run by C. J. Jackson. Two boarders say two suspicious men coming from the upper floor and upon going up to see what they had j been there for discovered the flames. They have a good description of the j r.ien and a desperate effort will be made 1 n.Ii- to And them aad out an end to the conflagration which threatened the whole south side of the city. GETS MELVIH STAND Mrs. C. G. Miller Hopes to Make Melvin Cafe More Popular Than Ever. Mrs. C. G. Miller, who has been conducting a boarding house in 3S4 South Hohman street and whose tables has been one of the most popular in the city, has branched out and will undertake the management of the Melvin restaurant, which she purchased today. This will enable her to accommodate a much larger number of patrons than she could in her own home and the location In 267 South Hohman street will be a much better location. She will conduct a lunch room and bakery just as Mrs. Melvin did and expects to till her tables as soon as located. She is aware of the fact that Hammond is in need of a good restaurant where noonday lunches can lie served to the business men as well as the other meals, and her friends have all promised her their patronage. WHOLE TON OF COAL FALLS ON MAN'S HEAD John Ryan Chute Tries to Release Clogged and Sutlers From Scalp Wound. John Ryan, who was working around a coal chute near Gibson, was injured on the head this morning when the coal became clogged in the chute and refused to come down. Ryan got under it and tried to loosen the coal when it sudder.tly came down on him and a large lump struck his head. He was taken to the office of 1 r. H. E. Sharrer where a two-inch cut in his scalp was sewn up and he was able to walk home. Ryan was an employe of the C, I. & S. railroad and was working on its chute when the accident happened. 3,000 PEOPLE HEAR BAND PLAY, Lake Front Visitors gram Provided Ry Appreciate 1 IJ. A. Fusrli. The concert which was given by Ptigh's band at the Lake Front park j yesterday was a great success and probably 3,000 people heard the pro- I gram or parts of it. j The band concerts are greatly up- j predated by the people of Hammond and those of the surrounding cities j who make use of the Hammond park, i i. A. Pugh. the bailer of the hand, was complimented frequently yesterday on the tine music which was rend- I ered by his aggregation of musicians. ! LAWYER THE GOES INTO FURNITURE BUSINESS. Oswald Wegner Will Move on Farm In State of Michigan. Oswald Wagner, who heretofore has been In the furniture husinoss at 405 Sibley street, has decided to move on a farm. Accordingly he purchased an eighty acre grain farm from H. A. Bixby. who has the agency for a number of farms in Michigan. Wagner's farm is located near Dowagiac. Mr. Rixby has taken over the Wegner store and has placed G. F. O'Toole in the place as manager.

it LANDED IN GKiGAGO Quacks Who Practiced in Hammond, in the Toils in Chicago Jail. PAIR OF SHARPERS "IN WRONG" Drs. French and Jindra Fleece a West Side Druggist Out of a Sum of Money. Drs. William Jindra, nliosf from Hammond to have fleeced G. French and Flavla midden disappearance where they are alleged ll West Hammond fnrelarncr out of $1", the story of which I tv an printed evcluxiv el y In The Times, ! have become Involved In deeper trouble I In Chicago where they are now under ! arrest charged with attempting to j fleece a west side druggist out of $75 which he was to pay for a fake dl- ! plnma in pharmacy. j Yesterday surgical Instruments valI tied at $1,000 were recovered hv the police of the Lawndale station in their search of the rooms occcupied by Drs. French and Jindra. Jindra told the police that the instruments had been purchased at a down town supply house on credit, but this story will be investigated. As stated in The Times, Jindra told i j the police that he was a greduate of a I medical college in Bohemia, and that : ; lie was licensed to practice in Oklaj hernia before the state was admitted to j I the i'nion. ! .. . W..-I . , .. I Roth Dr. French and Dr. Jindra have! been charged with obtaining monev bv . a condfidenee game and were to have j been arraigned in the Maxwell street court this morning. ; C. G. Hoffman, attorney for the state board of health, declares the case to be the most flagrant that has ever come to lils notice. j The men under arrest are William G. ; French and Flavla Jindra. both of ; whom claim to be physicians. Neither , is more than years old. A few days j ago they called upon Stanislaus M. : Kolar, a drug clerk at Twenty-sixth street and Homan avenue, and represented to him that they could "fix" the 'state board of health so that he could procure a diploma without taking the regular examination. They would have , to hx Dr. James );. Agan, secretary j of the board, they said, but this could I tsffone for a money consideration, j Drug Clerk Tells the Police. ! Kolar told the visitors that he would ; think the matter over, and when they ! would call again he said he would be I able to give them a definite answer, i He reported the proposition to Defectives Houlhan and Rrophy of the j Lawndale station. They t dd him to pretend that he wanted to purchase the diploma and in that way the men would ; be tra pped. After several interviews with Kolar. j the two "professors" informed him that the diploma was ready and would be ; given him for $75. It was arranged j that he was to meet French and Jindra j yesterday afternoon at the Great j Northern hotel. j Delivery of the "Diploma." I The detectives notified Attorney ! Hoffman, and he was at the Great ! Northern when Kolar appeared at 4 o'clock. French and Jindra shook hands with Kolar and led him from the hotel to Wabash avenue and Washington street. Hoffman and the two detectives trailed along behind. When Kolar and the two "doctors" reached Wabash avenue and Washington street French disappeared for a few minutes. When he returned he

DOCTORS

"ALL QUIET ON THE STREETS OF TEHERAN."

ST. JOHN OFFICIAL GETS BUMPED C. H. Stewart of Hammond Accidentally Collides With St. John Man. IE KAMMER STANDS INROAD While Running on Second Speed Hammond Driver Runs Into Village Postmaster. Special to The Times John, Aug. 3. "I am pleased to St. meet shall said you, Mr. Stewart, but I hope never meet you like this again,' Postmaster Andrew Kammer ves terday morning to Charles H. Stewart, ithe Hammond undertaker, when the two men were introduced to each other ! by mutual friend after Mr. Stewart's j automobile had pushed Mr. Kammer ,lnto the ditch. Mr. Kammer was pretjty badly shaken up but not enough to jhave his wits scared out of him. I Aeeident ear Home. ! The accident happened almost In i front of Mr. Kammer's home. He was standing on one side of the road talking to a party of friends in another automobile when several other machines and rigs bunched up waiting i for a train to pass. Mr. Stewart came j down the hill on second speed and in trying to pass one of the other machines accidently struck Mr. Kammer in the back. Fortunately he was un injured although he was very much shaken up. It nn To Help Vletlni. Mr. Stewart stopped his machine and 'ran back to help his victim. Finding i t li at there was nothing serious In the ! accident Mr. Stewart continued on his ! way. Mr. Kammer learning later that Mr. Stewart was in the undertaking busi ness racetlously remarked to his friends v.-ho asked him about the accident that the undertaker may have been out to stir up business for himself, but that lie had bumped up against the wrong man. ' i carried In his hand the bogus diploma, i Kolar was then led by the men to ! ithe entrance of a building where he i j was shown the diploma with his name I nicely written on it. Andrew t.ari negie university" was the name of the j college, and the diploma was signed by French as "president of the board of j trustees." The name "Frederick C. I Hanmore" is signed to the diploma as i dean of the faculty, and the registrar j is " W. AV. Marquardt." ' Attorney Hoffman says that the lat ter named person is toe wife of French. I)eteetle Pounce nn the Pair. After Kolar had handed over the $7Fi to the men and was walking away with the diploma the detectives rushed up and arrest, d French, and Jindra. They are charged with operating a confidence game. Jindra lives at Twenty-fifth street and Trumbill avenue. He at one time was connected with a hospital . in Europe. French, lives in Homan avenue. He claims to be a graduate of the Hahneman Medical college and has practiced in Texas. (all Them n Hold Pair. "They are the boldest pair that I have ever met with." said Attorney Hoffman. "1 b arn that they purchased lot ef surgical insti uments ?nd meifical supplies, and they we re going to Andrew Carnegie institution. which they elaimed to be at the head of. does not exist. I would not be surprised to hear that they have sold a number of fake diplomas."

Williams in Philadelohia Public Ledger.

ILL CALF IS I BONE OF CONTENTION Hosford Park Villagers Flock to Hammond and Have Some Excitement. EXHIBIT "A" PRODUCED ATTR!AL Mrs. Mary -Plaff Charges That Defendant Taught Her Calf to Smoke Tobacco. Honford Park moved to Hammond tills morning and the whole feud ridden I ! village Ih here to attend the trial In nhlcli Jack Arnold and lionise lllnekniare are ehnrged with Mealing a enlf belonging to Mnry IN'nlT. Joxepli Conroy reprenenled the plaintiff and Mllo ltriu-e appeared for the defendant. A jiir wnn atvnrn to try the eae and there were ninny wltueMNeN on both i !. The case is. of itself, unimportant, but is for the time being, the bone of contention In one of the must bitter feuds which the country has ever known and Is but one of a series of dozens of cases which have been tried in all of the cities of the country on changes of venue. Snj He Stole Hull Calf. Mrs. Louise Pfaff. who has been one of the victims of the feud, claims that Jack Arnold and Louis HIaekmare entered her yard in full view of several witnesses and cut the rope with which the bull calf was tethered and then took the animal to their own barn where they kept it. The contention of the defense was that the calf was found roaming around and that Jack Arnold and Louis Blackmare found it and picked it up. They then notified Mrs. Pfaff that they had her calf and that she could have it if she paid them ".0 cents for its keep. There was a lot of bad feeling injected Into the trial when the plaintiff made the assertion that the calf i had been deliberately stolen and that both Arnold and HIaekmare had fed the j animal tobacco, made it smoke a pipe j and had abused it in other ways. Attorney Conroy Shown Kvhihlt A. Attorn. y Joseph. Conroy produced the rope which had been used to tether the calf and said that the frayed end showed just where It had been cut. The trial was one of the most lively that has been held in the city court for some time and there were a score or more Hosford Park people who j came to Hammond today to keep track j of the Hammond end of the proceedings; in the famous fetid. I So far the trouble has been confined j to justice court cases but it is under- j stood that threats of violence have been made and it is thought likely that there I will be bloodshed at almost any time. j LINE. UNIDENTIFIED BODIES FOUND ON M0N0N Mangled Remains of Two Men Are covered Along Track North of Frankfort. IllsFrankfort, Ind., Aug. Crutchtield and son fouml 3. (ieorge fragments of a human body scattered along the j Monon Railway truck fr almost a j half mile a few miles north of this city ; early today. The Meinon south-bound flyer wc.s flaggeel. The conductor and crew made a hasty examination and; i found : killed. that two persons had been Who the men are and how they were ' killed Is unknown. An employing blank : issued by n Chicago employment I agency bearing the name of Charles j ninjile was found. The men are heI lleved to have been here Saturday.

SHOCKING ACCIDENT NEAR 1LP0

Touring Car Turns Turtle and Two Men Are Cut Up While Pierce Arrow is Wrecked and Ruined Sensational Accident. m INJURED REFUSE TOJIVE NAMES Are Taken Away From Valparaiso Hospital By Their Friends and Returned to Chicago By Train Last Night, One Being Badly Injured. Hammond and Lake 'county people returning from Laporte county last evening report a shocking automobile accident five miles east of Valparaiso on the way to Laporte. There is much mystery about the accident, and the names of the two men who were Injured have been unobtainable. All efforts to learn their names by the hospital authorities at Valparaiso have been unsuccessful. The utmost secrecy was thrown around the accidents. Chicago newspaper reporters were unable even to get the names. Accident a ."hocking One. The automobile accident happened on a straight piece of pike due east six. miles from Valparaiso. The car. which was a brand ned Plerce-Arrow and had Just been sold by II. Paulman, was a seven-passenger car. The details of the accident, as far as pro curable from an inspection of the wrecked and abandoned car, showed that the rear wheel of the machine had trlven wav thrnuch some mishaD while the car was going at a high rate of speed. Thrown Into Fenee. When the wheel went down the car turned turtle and all the occupants j were hurled into a ditch. One man was thrown into a barb-wire fence at t the side of the road, head first. His j nose and left ear were nearly cut off. j The wire had to be snipped apart before he could be man was thrown released. Another j against the glass winelbreak and badly cut. man had his collar bone There were nine passengers ami all were badly shaken A third ' fractured. I in the car up. Taken to Valpo llnnpltal. The injured were taken by a farmer to the Loring sanitarium, where their wounds were dressed. All efforts to get their identity were failures. Towards evening the other occupants eif the car came to the hospital and said that they were going to take j the injured to Chicago. The latter . seetSed anxious to get away and a carriage took them to the Pennsylvania j depot. The car was left behind. It was wrecked. The body was cracked in twain and the gear simply destroy- ! ed. Thieve Strip Machine. j The lamps were taken from the ma- j chine and other valuable accoutrements J stolen by some one. On the sid of , the car were the initials "J. K. K " in j monogram. It is reported at the Chi- ' eago offices of the Picrce-Arrow peo- I pie that a new car had been sold to ! "Hinky IMnk" Kenna recently, f?ut the j initials do not correspond. The Val- j paraiso authorities made no effort to I iearn the identity of the tourists. ! ! RETURN TODAY FROM SOUTH AMERICA. Mr. and Mrs. M. F. Church Peru for Protracted In Hammond. Hack Visit from Mr. and Mrs. M. F. this merning via New America where thew Church returned York from South had sent a vear and a half. j Before going to Peru, South America., -'r- Church was consulting engineer at j the Crasselll Chemical plant. While at ; i eru ne was supervising engineer m the eemstruction of a smelter, j The preibabilities are that Mr. and ; Mrs. Church will make their home in Hammond as Mr. Church has considerable work before him at Grasselli. FAST COAST TRAIN WRECKED. Roek Island's Golden State Limited Ditched and Two Passengers Are Hurt. F.l Pasco, Tex., Aug. 3. The Golden State Limited, west-hnnnd over the Rock Island railroad, which left here at :35 Sunday night, wns ditched nt 1 a. m. today, fonr miles west of Wilcox. Arls. Two passengers are reported Injured.

HUMAN

LIFE LOST National Rendering Co's. Big Plant, South of Ham mond, Goes Up in Smoke This Morning and Death of Watchman Results. RERO IS BURNED 10 11 CRISP Gets On Roof to Save Building From Flames and His Body Is Found This Morning Burned to a Crisp and Hardly Recognizable Fire Still Burning Early This Morning. A fire which la said to have originated aa a reanlt of spontaneous combustion completely destroyed the plant of the National Rendering company at Globe Station, III., four miles southwest of Hammond, and resulted In the death of James MeKreag, 42 years old, who heroically tried to extinguish the flames but was the victim of the fire Itself. Ills body was taken out of the ruins today. The. fire started at about 1:30 a. m. when the only person In the neighborhood was the watchman, James McKreng. It Is said to have originated as a result of spontaneous combustion and there nre several people iu the vicinity who claim to have heard an. explosion at about the time the fire started. PLANT COMPLETELY DESTROYED. The plnnt was completely destroyed, the plant which was valued at $250,000. i ani1 t,'' " hullillng which in left was ( anuing ih me leeliouKe. I Ills j threatened and the Chicago tire depnrtj imc lit telephoned to Chief DiMchneider j of Hammond anil asked him to send j one of his departments out to the fire, j Fire department No. 4 responded to iiiih request una aurr mclr arrival ou the scone managed to save the icehouse. Tlu-re were 150 men employed in the plant and they resided in 4:ik lcn, Schercrvllle. Hernicc and South Holland. James Melvreng. who died while doing his duty, discovered the flames as soon as the explosion occurred. lie climbed on top of one of the biuldings itnel was doing his best to put out the fire when the roof gave away anil he was precipitated into the roaring furnace. noiiv FOl" Ml TODAY. His charred body, which had been burned almost to a crisp, was found this itiornlag. .McKreag was 42 years old and has a wife and two children In Ireland. He hoarded over on the other side of the Calumet river with Jim Klliott and in well known by the people in the vicinity of Globe Station. Superintendent II. tloins of the National Rendering company was in Hammond this morning for the purpose of billing sonic hardware. He says that the plant will be rebuilt. At n late hour this morning the fire was still burn lug. I PAVE THIS YEAR Doty Street Property Owners Are in No Hurry Over Street Paving Poty street will not be paved thl.v year. This is the decision that has been reaeheel by the property ewners on that street. Last week the preip-e-rty (hvikts put in a remonstrance against westruniite- vm. nt and ' was then understood that they did not want the street paved this year. The petitiem to lay the pavement nve-r until next was accepted by th- board of public works and placed on file. Hlds Are Opened Toelay. Bids were e.peneel today for the Michigan avenue pavement and for the Towle street westruniite pavement. William Ahlborn was the lowest bidder ' in each eontra- t but the board advisement has untaken the matter und tV next Wednesday. The board today alo advertised frr bids fejr the construction of sewers In Ada street and the- extension of Summer street. When yon advertise, yon must remember that you have to reach a class that has the buying propersMy. That's the clas THE TIMES reaclie. There's some clasa to that class-

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