Rensselaer Republican, Volume 14, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 February 1882 — Page 7

DEATH IN A BEER VAT.

' »*' £■ 5* '"" "1 W-'M - Ronlauce of Two Brother* VVho Loved the Same Girl and Died theSinue Death. [Philadelphia Pres*.] Cooling ia one.enormous tub, as large as au ornamental lake iu a private park, were thousands Ot gallous of pprter. The carboni- gases arising from the poor Were so strong that the reporter almost lost his senses as he carelessly leaned over the side of the tub and gazed at the frothy mass. “It would be death to lean over there for five minutes,” said Mr. Godson. ‘•More than one poor fellow has lost his lile by inhaling the noxious gases which arise Irom me sides of the vat, even after the liquid has all been emptied. Strict injunctions are given to the men not to enter the tubs imtil a certain number of hours after the liquid has been emptied. Another rule is that a man shall be detailed to watch the others cleaning, so that if he notices anything wrong he can immediately render assistance. It is only when these rules are broken that accidents occur. During the years Iha ve been chief brewer only two deaths have occurred among my men. I remember au awful‘occurrence which took place "at a brewery where I was formerly employed; about as romantic a case of misfortune and suicide as could well be imagined. Two biotbers were' employed as vat-cleaners, fine healthy young fellows, with only a year’s difference iu their ages. They were the best of friends, were always seen together, and never known to quarrel; iu lact their loving good lellovvship became a proverb among the rest of the workmen in the brewery. “One Sunday the,brothers were seen accompanied by a third person, a pretty, laughing girl. She was walking between her beaus, taking one arm ot each, and both seemed to be pa.\ iug her equal atteutiou. For the next few montns there never was a Sunday Jor holiday but the brothers, Luke and Harry, and the young lady were seen together. This naturally gave rise to remarks among us, and the boys were frequently asktd: ‘Which one of you is she going to marry? Who’s the happy man?’ and similar questions. One of the pair, however, always replied with a until it became a j >ke among ,us, that ‘Jessie,’ for that was the name of the girl, was going to marry both brothers. One morning a change came over the scene. It was noticed that the brothers avoided each „ other, and did not speak when they met. One of them watched sullenly over the side of the tub, while the ottur wotked, but not a word was exchanged. A quarrel had evidently taken place. On the following Sunday the cause was learned, for neither brother would discuss the matter with any ot us. Jessie was seen alone with Luke, and by their manner it was evident that they were au engaged pair. A summer and a win ter passed and spring was with us, and during all that time, more than a year, Luke and Harry worked side by side without exchanging even a single word or look of iriendly recognition. We had ceased to comment on the matter, exept now and then to wonder when the quarrel would end and when the lovers would be mar lied, au event which was supposed would in all probability, reunite the brothers. One Saturday about a dozen of us received a note in a big sprawling hand, signed, Luke and Jessie,’ inviting us to be pieseut at the wedding on Sunday morning, ‘and bring the old woman along with you for the dinner afterward,’ was Luke’s postscript. What a happy man he was all that Saturday morning, and how miserable aud angry the other brother appeared. Aoout 4 o’clock Luke came to us and said, ‘Bqys the boss says I can take a honeymoon holiday until Wednesday but I gue3B I’ll just scrape the bottom of that large porter vat before I go, so as to have things cleared up.’ I called over to him to be very careful, as the vat had been only recently emptied. ‘All right, sir,’ was the reply, and he passed on with a look at his brother,as much as to say, I suppose you will follow me. I continued my calculations for the next twenty minutes, but with poor success, for my thoughts were dwelling on the unhappy quarrel of the brothers. I happened to look up, aud noticed Harry at work on a cask. ‘I don’t know what he’s at, sir,’ was the reply. ‘Did you not accompany .him to the porter vat’ I exclaimed. No. sir,’was his reply. Ijumpsd off my seat, and rushed into the cooling room, and hurriedly ascended the steps on the side ot th j vat. My worst fears were realized. Luke lay stretched on his back at the bottom of the tub. Iu a minute I had summoned assistance and the lifeless figure was borne into the fresh air, and medical aid was immediately summoned. The agony of the other brother was simply terrible. He threw himself on his kuees beside bis brother,ue chafed his limbs,he kissed his face, aud calltd on God and man in heartbroken accents for help, aud frequently exclaimed that he was 4*is brotbe.’s murderer. The doctor fJrtune and did his best, but to no effect. Luke never 8 gained consciousness. Half an hour after being lifted from the vat, life was extinct; the fatal carbonic gts had killed him. I will not describe to .\ou tte scene which folio ved. I only know that Iwill never forgetit .Poor Jessie drooped aud died of grief in a few weeks. For months after the fuu eral Harry was a raving maniac in the hospital. In time he recovered and returned to his employment, a bowed aid enfeebled man. He went about his work with industry, but hardly evjoined in any conversation, and was never know to smile. One afternoon be came to me asked permission to leave early,;as he felt ill. I readily granted his desire, and fit the same time I shook him by the bend and begged him to be more cheerful, to try and forget. 'No sir,’ he said, *1 am a murderer; J can never forget ’ Those were the last words he ever said to a living soul. In the morning I receiv-

ed a letter from him with these words: . “I can not Jive any longer. .I.jhust .got® him. You will find me in the V«U. God forgive me. Good fey. ■ —. ■ Harry-Masters. “Filled with horror. I called to some of the men, and we‘hastened to the va r . The wretched man had tchi the truth in.his letter. He jay in the same position as his brother Luke, oniv completely dead and cold. After lea iug me the previous afternoon he f ad posted the letter, aud then slipped back, unobserved, or at any rate unnoticed, into the b-every, hastened to the eobl* ing-room, and descended’info ihe unoccupied vat, had laid himself down and calmly awaited suffocation and death. Of course, the poor fellow was crazed with remorse aud grief. We never used that vat again. The idea would have been horrible. It was broken up, aud the pieces burned in the furnaces. And now com*- and look a - our boilers ”

Emblems of Mourning.

“I trust that black will not always remain an emblem of mourning in this couutrv,” said a dealer in mourning goods, who is a scholar as well as a merchant. “It is not a suitable emblem, but it implies and absence of light and a want of life, ‘which we certainly do not wish to convey as our conception of the state of our departed friends. Mourning is supposed to be the outward visible sign of inward grief. The noth n of a change, however, would not readily be received, for when one has to put' on the habiliments of woe, grief is too strong to be overcame by falhion ” “What other colors are used in mourning?” “In Italy women grieve in white garments and men iu brown. In China, white is worn by both sexes. Ia Turkey, Syria, Cappadocia and Armenia, celestial blue is the tint chosen; in Egypt yellowish-brown, the hue of the uead leaf, is deemed proper, and in Ethiopia, where men are black, grey is the emblem of mourning. All of these colors are symbols. White symbolizes purity, au attribute of our dead; the celestial blue that place of rest where happy souls are at peace; the yellow or dead leaf, tells that death is the end of all human ht»pe, and that man falls as the Autumn leaf; and gray whispers of the grave to „ which all return. The Lycians considered mourning for the dead an effeminate practice, and so when they grieved they put on women’s clothes as a symbol of weakness, aud as a shame to them ror a lack of manliness. The Thracians made a fekst when one of their loved ones died, and every method of joy and delight was employtd. This meant that tne dead had passed fr.orn a state of misery into one of never-ending felicity. Black was introduced as mourning by the Queen of Charles VIII. Btfore that the French Queens wore white mourning, and were known as the White Queens.”

Death in Candy.

Philadelphia Record. A case of poisoning recently occurred in this city under strange circumstances About two weeks ago a 9-year-old son of Mr. John Woertz, a shoemaker living on twelfth street, belo-w Gilbert went in company with his brothers to a festival at the Pitman Merhodist Church. He diversified the pleasures of the evening by indulging pretty freely iu colored candies, aud before leaving the festive scene he was also persuaded to make away with a.plate of ice cream. The child retired to rest apparently in the best of health, but at 3 o’clock in the morning the family were awakened by his moans, and on his mother rushing to his bedside, he was barely able to make her to understand that he was suffering severe pains in the stomach. Shortly after this he was seized with a violent fit of vomiting, and then became delirious, from which befell into a comatose condition. Dr. James F. Berlet, wbo was called iu at the outset, immediately saw that the case was a serious one,and a close study of the symptoms enabled him to arrive at the conclusion tbat the child had been poisoned. For a week the little one lay in a comatose state, varied but once by a brief spell of deli;nun, and then death put au end to his sufferings. A portion of the vomit, which had been preserved, is to be submitted to a chemist for analysis Shortly after it had t»een gathered in »» glass a white sediment appeared at the bottom, and persons who have examined this say that it is Georgia day. a material used largely by confectioners to give whiteness aud weight to the sweets. Whether this adulteration contains within itself the e'emeuts of death is a question to be solved by the analysis.

A Woman’s Letter and Its Reward.

Virginia City (Nev.) Enterprise. Elizabeth Daudurand and her busband. H. C. Dandorand, parties who are heirs to the estate of the late William Ley, of Binghamton, N Y., have been found in this city. The estate amounts to about $250 000, as near as we cau learn. When the old man died no one in the place knew that he had a relative in the world. However, carefully stowed away in a box among other things which he seemed to have treasured, was a letter from his niece, now Mrs, Dalidurand. The girl married in this land of sage-brush. Bv chance she learned the address of the old uncle, whom she had not seen since she was a child. The chances are that he never answered the letter, but it would seem that he was so far impressed as to preserve it; and now the gir 1 who thought ot the old uncle and wish ed to tell him of her marriage and her two children, and other’eu on thing as till the hearts of women, will itan a reward she little (Beamed of at 'the time'. A. Takas advertiser calls ApPt'lftn industrious mau as a boss hand over 5,000 head of sheep that can speak Bpatjisb fluently.” *

TABLE TALK.

« - TMr. Blaine ’(years a seven amr threeeighths ha:. ( There are 4,000 blind persons in Pennsylvania Bologna is the link th9t unites man with the brute. There are 1,216 convicts iu the Georgia penitentiary. In the Yosemite valley there are fifty-nine residents this winter. Key West, Florida, has 12,00 > inhabitants, and only two coimuevs. The friction of a belt is said to be double as much on wood as it is on iron. * Mrs. Shelley, of St. Louis, held a pickpocket fifteen minutes aud the police got him. It is fashionable in England to drive horses three abreast to sleighs, as the Russians do. The oldest charcoal furnaces in the United States are at Cornwall. Lebanon county, Pa. Senator David Davis Will improve the grounds around the Lincoln monument, at Oak Ridge, 111. The question whether a Methodist layman may race horses without sin, is before a Troy church. A stone church, built two hundred years ago bv Piiritaus, is used by Unitarians at Hiugham, Mass. The word guito, pronounced geeto in the Spanish language, means treacherous aud vicious, as applied to mules. Land iu Fleming county, Ky., sold last week for sllO per acre, tue highest price that has been paid since the war. | Mr. H. B. Bryant, who founded I forty-eight business colleges in this | country, has now au interest in but i one, According to Prof. Young, the total quantity of light emitted bv the sun is equal to 6,300,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 candles. ] A son of the late Governor Andrew, of Massachusetts, will be speaker of the house of represeutatives/ofthat State next year. English sparrows have become such a nuisance in Chattanooga that the council has authorized their slaughter ! wherever found.

What is called respectability is a great help to many men. Once they have obtained it, they can put in-a lie where it will do the most good. Walton county, Ga., boasts a doubletailed goat. One caudal appendage is normally located; the other hangs from oetween the horns and is perfectly developed. The pneumatic tube in London used for transferring mail bags is four and one-half feet iu diameter aud two miles iu length,..and in few cases passengers have traveled in it. The number of post cards despatched in Germany during the year 1880 was 128,000.u00. Iu the post office museum at Berlin there are exhibited 418 different kinds of post cards Familiziug is a new Massachusetts word. It means placing dependent children of towns o-. Ihe State in families instead of congregating them in reformatories and orphan schools. A dentist in Morgantown, West Virginia, has made from India rubber and gun a percha an entire face for Elias Cartwright, of Marshall county, who had his lips, eyelids aud nose burned off'. Just imagine the feelings of a Vicksburg grocer who failed the other day aud discovered that he could pay I<X> cents on the dollar and have over $2,000 left. He admitted that he wasn’t much on book-keeping. Gen. C. A. Whittier, of Boston, is putting up on Beacon street the finest house ever seen in the Hub—seven stories high, over fifty rooms, the largest wme cellar in the country, and to cost about $200,000. The following prize question has been propounded by the “New York debating club:” Ts a fifty cent piece with a hole in it is worth thirty-five cents, what is the value of the hole without the half dollar. A youth in Raleigh, N. C., who had invited a young lady to attend a public entertainment, employed two colored men to clean a dozen street crossings between her house and the hall, that she might walk dry shod. The board of health of Brocade, N. Y. has served a notice on a farmer living near tnar place to wash himself. He has not done so it is claimed, for forty years, and so filthy had he become that a committee was appointed to abate the nuisance. A Methodist Church at Eagle Bridge, N. Y„ is divided on*the question of accepting as a gift the money raised by a hall. The pastor has declined the donation, but some members argue that, as the church did not promote or counentauce the ball,there would be no impropreity iu taking the proceeds. Two little brothers broke through the ice on which they were skating in Cincinnati. While they were clinging desperately to the edge* of the ice and efforts were being made to reach them tlie older one cried out: “Be sure and take Willie out first.” But both Willie aud his generous brother were drowned.

The Emperor of Comeliness.

Burlington Hawkeye! Baruum is searching the’ wide world over for a slo,ow handsomest man to travel next circus season with the $20,000 hauusomest, women of iast season. The “Lallah Roohk,” it will be rem. embered, is an indinapolis girl, and Barnutn’s agent thinks he has found the “emperor of comeliness” in the •same city of 'beautiful people. The “Emperor” is a sou o' a German butcher; he is twenty-five years old, and wears his complexion dark. It is now thought that will be accepted for

the position, unless Colonel Niobo as should enter the lists. Among other contestants for this positiou-o the handsomest man, General Joe Geiger, of Ohio, was Very prominent, aud ha i very strong baoking. The only obj-euon urged against his style of beamy was a pensive, melancholy cast or countauce, which it was feartd woyld iiave a depressing effect upon the admiring multitude. Secretary Kirkwood has filed a., application* aod forwarded the Cabiuet fashion plate in sup 1 ort of his claims. He was at once accepted, but when the agent came to .measure iitm for the imperial uniform he found the old war hor*e notdre.-sed quite up to the specifications in lithograph, and on bis report, the appointment failed to receiye a confirmation. Henry Clay Dean signified his willingness to serve, but when he stood up in the row of applicants; his trousers were too short and his overcoat too long, and he didn’t make any kind of a show at all, alongside a lahdy dab young fellow from Amsterdam, who is dependupon an only mother and sister for support, and who makes his own living by sucking the head of his cane. Davie Davis said he would take ihe character himself and sent his photograph on iu sections. Mr. Barnum said his style of beauty was a little too ethereal for the character, but ne engaged bin to preform the Itttle ballad “We aie Seven” takiug all the characters himself in the* n * stanza, andal o to stand on the Union chariot, behind the goddess of liberty, to repraseut the national msto, “E Pluribus iTnum.” Carl Schurt acceepted the position with characteristic promptness* but he was ruled out, nis style of beaqty being too iesthetic. He was accepted, however, to play the character of a fireescape for a five-story hotel. Farmer Hayes wrote from Fremont. Ohio, that he would come, if Rogers would be allowed to accompauy him as a lady’s maid. But they couldn't take him for the handsomest man, so long as Geiger was alive. However, they told him he might come along and blow for the side-show, aud he could tie Rogers to the organ with a loug string. The polls are not yet closed, and if there is any man in Burlington who prides himself on being “pretty” and will come down to the Hawkeye office, he will be photographed in this col umn. and his name sent to r the committee on mauly sweetness.

Stones Abont Blind Men.

Chambers’Journal. Three men, two of them blind, were drinking together one night in the room of a public house, aud as is too often the result of such couvival meetings, one of the blind men quarreled and came to blows with the man who could see. Here was likely to be a battle not by any means on equal terms. But the other blind man was equal to thp'-opcasion. That the man who could ete should have no undue advantage over his less fortunate opponent, up jumped the blind friend aud turned off the gas, and so they pommeled each other in a harmless way for«> a time. We have given an illustration of the warlike passion, As an offset we could give many illustrations of that gentler passion, love, for the blind are eminent disciples of Cupid and Hymen. As a rule, a respectable blind man has no difficulty in getting a seeing wife, and very often with good locks to boot. And when we consider the delicacy of touch in the finger tips of the blind, the latter is not to oe wondered at. Blind men do not always marry wives who see. We.know of many instances in which bqth husband and wife are blind, and have managed to rear families without the occurrence of auy serious mishap either to themselves or the children. And the cases are lare in which the latter are defective in sight. Only lately the marriage took place of a blind couple somewhat advanced in years, she being his second wife, aud he her third blind husband. The marriage was not wanting iu the elements of romance,for in their joung days they had courted, and parted, blind in a double sense. We will conclude with a courtship, but iu this case will not vouch for its truth. A blind man on several occasions met a widow wbo was not, however, like himself, blind, and latterly conch ded that she would make him a good wtfe. He resolved that he would’pop the question’ without loss of time. Accordingly, one evening found him in the widow’s house for that purpose, when his suit was entirely successful. But so elated was he with his success that on leaving Ihe door he forgot that he was up a flight of stairs. The staircase window being very low, aud happening to be open, he felt the air on his heated brow, ami at once stepped out without thinking where he was, aud so fell into the court below. The widow, hearing the noise, ran down, greatly alarmed, but was fully reassured that no bones were broken by his remark: “Maggie, ye hae a big step to your door!”

An Unusual Leg Development.

South Bend Tribune. About three miles from Wollvertoo, in this county, lives a well to do farmer whose wife has two sets of breasts. Two of these breasts are on the chest in the usual place, and the ostler two are on the woman’s left leg. Tney are situated on the front of the leg about midway between (he kuee and her groin. The protuberances are about the size of a large hen’s egg, and are surmounted by fullv developed nipples. The lady is the mother of several children, and says her babas have drawn lacteal nourishment from the breasts on her legs in as large -quantiles as Irom those on her chiesi. Although so well prepartd for it the lady has never been the mother--of twins or triplets. Dr. McAllister, of this city, will shortly make an examination of the case, and prepare a report for a medical publication.”

THE STATE.

The Ohio fails car company uses 000 leet of lumber every day. Twelve barns were destroyed by fire at Laporte Monday night. Incendiary. Two townships in Wayne county have uo delinquent tax-payers—Harri-son and Boston. •- Werner & Fraukle, butchers at Shelby ville, have been arrested for selling the meat of a calf throe days old. Two million cigars were made ia New Albany during ISBI, most o* which were also consumed there* _T. R Hardy, a Rockport merchant*, bought aud received 160,0(10 pounds ol tobacco last w<ek from Monday morning up to Thursday evening. Barney Birney, a livery stable keeper of Madison, died of tetanus. He ran a splinter in his hand a few days ago, which was the cause. He was about fifty-two years ot age. RobertgjHouston, au old citizen of Monroe county, hanged himself in fear of an indictment for selling liqpur. without government license. At time he was a Baptist preacher. Captain Ham Shoemaker, of Terre Haute, has produced aquautity of wilit rice seed, which grows iu the water, and which he intends to sow in the Wabash river to furnish food for wilit ducks. Mrs. Alvin Gregory, residing at Springfield, a short distance from. Mount Vernon, was fatally shot in the neck. Her husband has been arresteit on suspicion aud his b aid fixed at sl,500. Tue woman’s father went his bail. Alexander OJel, one of the most enterprising citizens of Harrison county and extensively engaged in the nfHliug, dumber and farmiug business, fell from his buggy while driving down a hill, near the Crawford county line, amt broke his ne<ck. Golden’s Hollow/Crawford county* is all torn up over the bad conduct of Mrs. Smith, the wife of a reputable farmer. She tell desperately in love with a negro a lew mouths ago, audl being warned of coming trouble from the “Knights of the Switch” she fled with him and has not since beeu seen. The body of Thomas Lobeir wan found in the barn on his brother’s place, about four miles east of Princeton, the other duy. By his side wasr found a gun, and around bis neck were marks as if a rope had been there, but no wound was round on his body. Fie has beeu regarded as eccentric to the verge of insanity for some time*. Patents have beeu issued to Indiana inventors as follows: To Michael* Winter, senior, Union City, carpet*-stretcher-Jacob Williams, DubliDjCUltivator; J. W. Westcott, Richmond,, fertilizer distributor; J. T. Obenehain,, Logansport, grinding-mill: FI. D. Meagher, Houtb Bend, plow; W. A. Maus, Indianapolis, apparatus for fermenting malt liquors. Two masked robbers were lying im wait for a lumber merchant at Russiaville, on a day when he was known to be carrying a large sum of money fromhis mill to his residence. A clerk came along first, and they took him for thei* intended victim. When they discovered the blunder, one wished to rifle the young man’s pockets, but tbe> other insisted that it was foolish to waste time on him* The highwaymen, quarrelled over the question, and when, they came to blows the clerk escaped,. with his employer’s wallet safe in his pocket, it having been intrusted to him because the owner was too ill to go out.

Out of'over 16,000 tax-payers iu Wayue county, only thirty-six are deli nquen ts. An old law, recently resurrected,, legalizes a lottery at Vincennes, for thebenefit of a college at that place. A woman died, at Greensburg, the other day, at the age of 72 years, who* had been an invalid for fl'ty years. A KILL, has passed the Henate of Congress increasing the salary of the United States Judge for the district of Indiana from $3,600 to $5,000 p year. A produce dealer In Indianapolis is importing potatoes from Scotland, is able to sell them with profit a leseprice than he gets for the borne productThe prospects of an appiopriation of SIOO,OOO at the present session of Congress, for a Government building.: at Ft. Wayne, seem to be very encouraging. The City Council of Terre Haute has contracted for 84,000 candle powerof the Bus'j Electric light, at SIO,OOO ar. year, including repairs. The light is to* be furnished from five towers. Fort Wayne has a sensation lu the* elopement of the eldest unmarried daughter of Hon. William Fleming, t ex-State Treasurer, with Tony Trent—man, a noted gambler of that city. Mr. Levi Curtis, ofPleasaut HI.W, Montgomery county, died a day or two* since from injuries received by a turkey flying agaiust him in an attempt to escape from its coop. Mr. Curtin was a pfomineut and wealthy man. • The union revival meetings at Elkhart, under the leadership of Dr. L.. W. Muuhall, closed on the 10th instDuring the meetings nearly 500 persons professed conversion. A Y. M. C. A., with 150 members, and a W. C.. U , with 100 members, were organized