People's Pilot, Volume 2, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 December 1892 — SMOTHERED TO DEATH [ARTICLE]

SMOTHERED TO DEATH

By Dealjcn or Accident a. Young Jlube is Smothered to Death. The PawitH Claim it to Hnw Jieeii mi Archlent, JJut the Ni-iichboFM Seem to Think Otherwise. Near the elevator stand*? a small frame shanty with two rooms. .The walls are tered, the floors uncarpeted and the wind comes shrieking through the cracks, chilling the occupants to the bones. In the shanty lives Albert C. Tolles and wife. They are very poor and ignorant people. The man makes his living, at present, by working with a hay press at a dollar a day, working three or four days a week. Four months ago a daughter was born to them. Sunday morning they awoke and found a blizzard raging. The snow blew through the cracks in the house. A fire was built in the old cracked stove, but not enough heat could be secured from it to keep the infant warm. Taking it in his arms the father wrapped it in a quilt and took it to the bed room in which was no fire, and entirely covering the baby’s body with quilts and old rags left it there, as he says, thinking it would keep warm. This was about 10 o’clock in the forenoon and no more attention was paid to the child. About four o’clock in the evening C. B. Steward called at the. house and during the conversation the baby was mentioned. The parents were asked where it was and the father went to the bed room and brought it out. The child was gasping and covered with perspiration. Mr. Steward informed them they ought to send for the doctor and the father promised to do so, but it' was six o’clock before he went for the doctor, but then it was too late, for the child died shortly after the physician’s arrival—smothered to death—either by design or accident. The near neighbors are very indignant and seem to think the death was not caused by accident. Some of them are ready to testify that at one time they found the father with his hand over the infant’s mouth and his fingers in its nostrils. He said he was doing this in order to keep it from crying. The parents look a great deal like gypsies, are very dirty and seem to be very ignorant. The child was buried Monday afternoon, prayer being offered at the house by Rev. Utz. No investigation was made by the authorities, but the neighbors think it should be done. While the child is much better off dead, if the parents are guilty they should be severely punished. The child seemed to be healthy and was very pretty. The ordinance prohibiting the running at large of cows upon the streets of Rensselaer should by all means pass at the next meeting of the town board. A town the size of Rensselaer should not be used as a cow pasture. The amount of damage down by the brutes would many times pay for the pasture required for their keeping, to say nothing of the amount which could be saved in fencing. But for the ordinance which permits them to run at large over SI,OOO could have been saved to the tax payers of the county, the amount which was expended for the iron fence around the public square, and the square, unenclosed, would present a much more handsome appearance. The dog fennel which the cows live upon in the summer could be kept cut down by enforcing the ordinance relating to this matter by the town board. The cow should go.

At the residence of the officiating clergyman, Rev. Utz, at tomo'clock on Christmas afternoon. Mr. Andrew J. Fleming and Miss Mary M. Ritchie were joined together in wedlock. The bride and groom live four miles south £>f town. *The earnings of the Monon are said to average 18,000 a month more for the last year than ever before. The Monon has become one of the most popular passenger routes in the country and will be even more so than at present when the two million dollars worth of improvements now contemplated are completed. A replevin case between Michael Halloran and a Hollander by the name of Groats was tried Monday before James Wiseman, justice of the j>eace of Virgie. The subject matter in dispute was a little red bull of the value of about twelve dollars. Tho justice held the case under advisement until to-day. Douthit and Burns were attorneys for Halloran and Halleck for Groats. A bill will be introduced in thb coming legislature to put police, judges and justices of the peace on salaries. The object is to promote justice by taking away from these-officers the temptation to make cases ‘-stick” just to get their fees. The present system has been notoriously abused, especially in cities, and the change would be a real reform.

Mr. Thos. Fitzgerald and Miss Mary Halloran, daughter of Michael Halloran, were married by Rev. S. Neiberg at the St, Augustine church on Wednesday morning. They were attended by a brother of the groom and Miss Maggie Healy. A breakfast was served at the Makeever Hoyse to the near relatives and friends after which they left for their home in Chicago, Mr. Fitz’gerald is a member of the police force of that city.. The Kentland Enterprise is responsible for the statement that “it is not. generally known but a fact nevertheless, that there is an iron foundry in successful operation at Mt. Ayr at which you can get any kind of casting, stove grate, steam thresher or stationary boiler grate you may want at reasonable price by sending broken pieces or pattern of what you * want.” It is estimated that it costs something to live and a good deal to die; in fact everything costs. Some one estimates that getting born costs the people of the United States 1250,000,000 annual,ly; getting married, ♦BOO,000,000; and getting buried, $75,000,000. It might be added that getting drunk costs the United more than $900,000,000 annually, or over one and onehalf times as much as getting born, married and buried put together, and more than all the bread and meat consumed in the nation. Mrs. Katharine Eiglesbach, wife of Henry Eiglesbach, died at her home last Tuesday morning at 5:30 o’clock. She was , very patient throughout her sickness, led an exemplary, Christian life and died after having received the last sacrament of the Catholic church. She was buried Thursday morning, funeral services being conducted by Rev. Stanislas. That she stood high in the estimation of the people is evident from the fact that a large number of people assembled in the church to pay their last respects to hei- and offer up their prayers in her behalf. She leaves a husband and two children to mourn her loss.