People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 August 1895 — WHAT OTHERS SAY. [ARTICLE]

WHAT OTHERS SAY.

Our town board are making preparations to macadamise our streets. County Surveyor Alter of Rensselaer is establishing a street grade this week.—Wheatfield Sheaf. Many of our farmers are agreeably surprised over the yields of their early potato crops. Where the tubers have had any chance at all they are numerous and in good condition.—Winamac Republican. The heaviest rains of thQ season fell here last Thursday and Friday. It actually softened up the ground, revived vegetation and widened the aperture in the farmers faces several degrees.— Monticello Herald. Several new schemes for swindling have lately been introduced, and as usual they are for farmers because it is generally supposed by sharks thatfarmers as a rule do not read their home papers to keep posted on what is transpiring in their midst.— Wolcott Enterprise.

Corn is growing so rapidly since the rains that its growth can almost be seen during one day. If the rains continue, however, considerable oats in shock will be injured, but the loss will undoubtedly be made up on the benefit the corn and pastures receive.—Wolcott Enterprise. Since the rain one week ago Tuesday night corn has made a wonderful growth. At that time the ayerage fields were but waist high but today nearly every field is over the average persons head. If frost will only come at the proper time, Newton county will have one of the greatest corn crops in its history.—Kentland Enterprise. The Warren Republican gives the details of a ghastly find in that county last week. A lady went into a ravine and was horrified to discover fne decomposed remains es a man. Investigation disclosed the fact that the corpse had been there since last winter, and was identified as one of the inmates of the county asylum who was of un sound mind.

Judging from the reports of farmers there will be a number of prairie chickens this fall. In case this is true, steps should be taken to protect the game from city hunters that flock in here and wilfully shoot down everything in sight. Farmers should certainly protect their own.— Kentland Enterprise.

The directors of the KentlandFair association have decided to have two match games of base ball during the fair. The purse will be for #SO each game, the clubs to add any amount they may desire. It is probable that Goodland and Remington will lead off the first day and the winner will play the Brook team on the next day. Much interest has been manifested in the games, and it will promise a popular feature of the fair meeting. —Kentland Enterprise. One of the largest real estate transfers in the history of Porter county was made lately. A Chicago syndicate, composed of D. P. Phelps, S. P. Shope and S. S. Krimball purchased 1,710 lots in Porter and several hundred acres of land adjoining. This land was formerly owned by the Porter Land and Manufacturing company and was recently sold by Receiver Bowser. It is said that the new company will start a manufacturing town. —Hammond Tribune.

At the meeting on Tuesday evening of the town trustees, the bills caused by the recent special election were allowed, and ail bids thus far made on street graveling were declared unsatisfactory and were dismissed, while the board will have the street, improvements continue. Gravel hauling, for a few days past, has been slow, on account of there being too much water in the pit and the pumping machine engine being broke and not able to keep the water pumped out. Reparations are now made, however, and the good work will be pushed along. —Kentland Democrat.

The Logansport Journal is responsible for the following item: Chalmers is excited because of the presence of oil on the surface of the ponds and waterways, and because of the presence of speculators and others in that neighborhood, who are rapidly leasing land and proposing to sink wells for the precious fluid.

A rank old swindle is being worked by a sharper, who in the disguise of a tramp, goes to a house and asks for something to eat. Whether accommodated or not just as he leaves he pretends to pick up a ring from the ground. He makes inquiry for its ownership and says it is marked 18 karat, and is handsomely engraved. No one about the house knows anything about it, and then he offers to sell it. In many instances he has succeeded in getting as high as three dollars, -but has disposed of some for a dollar each. These rings cost about ninety cents a gross.—Redkey Times. David Fisher, a farmer in Wabash township, Whitely county, was swindled by lightning rod agents. They agreed to put fourteen points on his residence for sls each. When he read the contract and liad Fisher sign it he held his thumb over the word “each.” The men came to put up the rods, and Fisher learned the contract called for *ls a point, or 1210. He ordered them away but they would not go, and he settled by giving his note for *125, An exchange in commenting on it, says Fisher was probably too poor to take a county paper. One of the new laws just gone into effect provides that any man who marries a girl to escape prosecution and then deserts her within two years’ time without sufficient cause, can be prosecuted just the same as if marriage had not taken place. This is a good, wholesome law and should have been in force long ago, for there have been a number of such cases in the state in past years.—Redkey Times. A Main editor delivered himself thus in an obituary notice: “While it is almost a crime to speak ill of the dead, we feel it our duty to tell the truth about Miss Mary Jones who died last night. She was a human hornet. She never spoke a decent word to any being and slander sprang from her mouth like toads from the girl in the fairy tale. If she goes to heaven we don’t want to be there, and we voice the sentiment of every man, woman and young lady in this burg. We gladly contribute a quarter for ice for Mary, who will need it.”

Governor Mathews would do well to turn his attention to West Baden, now that he has taken upon himself the labor of reforming Indiana. It is reported that West Baden, this state, is a place where people's feet literally “take hold on hell.” Gambling is the chief occupation of the guests of that resort, every possible device bffing operated in the most conspicuous part of the large hotel. The gambling privileges have been farmed out to certain Chicago card men. Women, gambling and everything else that would indicate fastness and looseness is reported in evidence at West Baden. Claudie, get your gun. —Delphi Journal.

The Supreme court has handed down a decision in which it is held to be prima facie evidence of negligence for a city to permit lumber or other building material to be piled on a street. Under this ruling if any one is injured through contractors obstructing the streets or sidewalks the city would be liable for damages.—Delphi Journal. . Some people think that an editor should be all nose and put his proboscis into every man’s affairs. Because a man edits a paper is no reason why he should inquire into the family history of every man in the community, and thereby run all chances of getting the whey knocked out of him, or perchance a black eye. It is not our province as a .newspaper man to go to% stranger when he comes here and ask him if he has ever been in an asylum, or if he is crazy. It is not our business

to take up every rumor and give it dignity by publishing it. It is not in keeping with our profession to feed the public on sensational rot of a debasing and degrading character. A newspaper man is supposed to be a gentleman; he cannot poke his nose into any man’s private affairs until those affairs become public.—Lowell Tribune. The editor's wife is the proud possessor of a new gasolene stove. If our subscribers will now send in the provisions we'll not starve. —Bridgeton Bulletin. The Mt. Ayr race colt, “Madeline Pollard,” owned by'Jasper Wright, beat everything at the Rensselaar races last week, and now Jasper swears by the chin whiskers of the prophet that if he ever disposes of the critter, the separation will have to be brought about through the medium of something very closely resembling a *4,000 bill.—Morocco Currier.

The enterprising citizens of Francesville, Medaryyille, Star City and other county towns who pass along the lower end of Market Street cannot but admire the beauty of that part of town, which is greatly enhanced by the removal of all fencing from the fronts of so many residences. And those who have not yet removed their unsightly fences are not old fogies; no indeed. Most of them are simply waiting to get a good ready, when down will come their old traps, wood, wire and all. It. was Uncle Jacob Shoup who said that out in Aurora, Illinois, where the people are up-to-date in everything, there are only a few houses surroqnded by fences, which, he was informed, were owned by old fogies fiom Indiana! Pull down your fence.— Winamac Journal.

The quality of the soil on some of the drained lands of Monon township has been attracting much attention, now it is reported that these deposits have proved to be asphaltum, in which case the owners are in posession of a mine of wealth. Mr. George Rund, who owns a farm on which there are large quantities of this soil, took samples of it to Lafayette last week, and the Courier describes the material and its surroundings: “About ten feet below the surface of the earth there is a layer of stone, thick and firm. The soil above this is of a peculiar character." It is sandy and oily and has a disagreeable odor. Through the rock bed oil seeps in large quantities, proving the existence of the coveted fluid. The surface of the ground, in large patches, is covered with a black, solid substance which has been unhesitatingly called asphaltum by experts. It is brittle and with working beomes pliable, burns readily and leaves no residue. Asphalt, or asphaltum, is of a high luster on a surface of a fracture and resembles pitch. It is found on the shores of the Dead Sea and iu various parts of this country. —Monon News.

A Logansport dispatch says: Farmers’ wives of Cass and Miami counties have voted to abolish the old fashioned threshing dinners, which have been in vogue in rural. districts from time immemorial. As a ruie it has heretofore taken from three to five.women almost a week to prepare the viands necessary to properly entertain the twentyfive or thirty men that usually constitute a threshing crew, and the task of placing things in order after their departure has been almost as great. By the new system all this work and bother will be done away with. Each man will eat his breakfast and supper at home. His dinner will also be taken there if the distance will permit. If not, it will be taken with him in a basket. His horse feed will also be carried along in a bag, and there will thus be nothing to discommode either the farmer or his wife. Another change necessitated by the introduction of this plan is the substitution of shdrter hours for the old-time day, which consists of as many hours as the farmer or thresher chose to crowd into it. The new arrangement appears to give satisfaction and will probably come into general usage.—Remington Press.