Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 September 1885 — SHOVERS of the QUEER. [ARTICLE]

SHOVERS of the QUEER.

Two Men Arrested Charged with that Oflfense. A Rest of Counterfeiters believed to exist In tti* —— County. A few weeks ago a largo, fine looking man came to Rensselaer and put up at the Cotton house. He did not seem to have much of any business on hand, except a heavy job of standing around, and considerable speculation as his purpose in staying here was indulged in. Some held to the opinion that he was a gambler Jand others thought he was a detective. Later it become known - that- he had the,county Recorder employed in looking up the titles of various pieces of land, in different parts of the county, and it was given out that his name was E. G. Thompson, and that his business was dealing in real estate. Alter a, week or two he was seen no more in Rensselaer, and nothing

more was thought about him Until Thursday, of last week, when our people were startled to hear that a well known resident of Keener tomuship, Henry Granger by name, had been arrested by a government detective, ou the charge of passing conterfeitr money, and brought to Rensselaer and lodged in jail. On the day following another man, Richard Campbell, also of Keener or some other of the northern townships, was arrested. He was bronght down on the forenoon train, on board of which Granger was also placed, and both were taken to Indianapolis, for trial before the commissioner of the federal court. The detectives who worked up the ’case and arrested the men were two in number. They were brothers and went by the name of Moss, but their real name is Hobbs, and one of them was the above mentioned Thompson. By representing (themselves as real estate buyers they had gained the confidence of Granger, remained with him several days, and in his company had looked about after land, very extensively. The counterfeits are of the denomination of half dollars, and ’it is said that the merchants of 'the north part of the county have taken in considerable numbers of them. It is generally supposed that they are made some place in the vicinity where circulated, but if so the place was not discovered. The case against Granger is said to bo very strong, while in the case ot Campbell, it is a common opinion that he has been arrested mainly i/atm suspicion. Later:— Since the above was in type we have received the particulars of the examination of Granger and Campbell, which took place at Indianapolis, Tuesday, before U. S. Commissioner, Chas. Martindale. The ease for the* Government was presented by the tJ. S. Asst. District Attorney, and the defense by Hon. John B. Elam, of the firm of Harrison. Miller & Elam, of Indianapolis, and R. W. Marshall, of the Jasper county bar. Just before the examination closed, the government discharged Mr. Campbell, and used him as a witness against Grainger, but that did not ave the case, for the Commissioner decided that the evidence against, Granger was not sufficient to justify binding him over, and he was accordingly discharged. Thore is no question but that some considerable quantities of the counterfeit coins lias been put in circulation by some one. They of poor -\ metal and badly executed, and may be easily . detected by a placo on the edge whore the milling is absent, caused by trimming away a rough spot loft in casting the coins.

The County Commissioners.— The Board of County Commissioners, Hons. Waymire, Nichols and Prevo, met in their regular September session last Monday. According to regular custom the saloon license cases was the first business disposed of. There were three applications for license and in two of them, Jas. F. Ellis, of Remington, and John Minnicus, of Rensselaer, licenses were granted without contest. In the case of M. O. Halloran, ot Rensselaer, a remonstftnce was filed by Emmet Bergman, and a trial which occupied a day and a half, was entered into. W. B. Austin was the attorney for Halloran and J. W. Bouthit for the remonstrant. The grounds sought to be established by tfie remonstrant was general moral unfitness of the applicant. At the conclusion of the trial the Board decided ‘that the remonstrant had not sufficiently established his case, and the license was granted s \