Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1888 — INDIANA STATE NEWS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA STATE NEWS.

Tmtv have annual dinners in London, given by a society, to the tliievys of • that great dty. Atthe recent festival they had prayers, speeches. and a good dinner. Some have reformed under these influences, lint a reporter who was present found on reaching the cffire that his handkerchief whs sone. IL!.-. 1 . . _ Tn the two days succeeding the report of the Committee on Rules, there were 1,175 bills-and resolutions intro-' duced in rhe'House. It is not likely that a half a dozen of the whole number really merit a moment’s serious attention. Unfortunately, however, there is no limit to a C mgressman’s - result is a flood of projected schemes of legislation every year upon subjects with which Congress should have nothing to do under any circumstances. Sbnatok Dolph’s proposed amendment to the Constitution, giving Congress power to pass general laws upon the subject of marriage and divorce, is a move in the right direction- As the matter now stands, there are practically as many different systems governing marriages and divorces in this country as there are States in the Union, and the result is endless legal confusion not •nly, but also decided injury to the Muse of public morality and social honor and well-being. Chief Signal Officer Gkkelt, in his annual report, declares that only 74 o it of every 100 general weather indications made last year were verified. The storm pre diction s were even “more faulty, as only about 68 out of every 100 storms announced actually took place. Unless we are mistaken in our recollection this is tbe worst showing made by

the Signal Bureau in recent years. If this is the fact an investigation of the matter should be made at once. This country does not expect infalhbity from the weather service officials, but it has a right to demand that the average standard of accuracy of the past should at least be maintained. If it is really true that the character of its work is deteriorating, the public would begin th be reconciled to the often urged plan to transfer the bureau from military to civil control, or even to abolish it al- . together.

Stock water is again becoming scarce in the southern portion of the State. The postoffice at Rockville was robbed of stamps and $lO in money, Tuesday night The Department Encampment G. A. R. will meet at Indianapolis, February .. 22 and 21 ...... ... Substantial improvements are in progress at North Yemen. including a new railroad station and a theater. Elisha Malden, of Lexington, while going to Saluda drove over a cliff 180 feet high. Neither himself nor team was injured. A Logansport jury could not agree that the base ball club of that city play ed ball on Sunday when an admission

fee was charged. Ora Cook, of Rushville thought he -bid. a sure bead on a rabbit. He pulled the tnge cr BD <l another boy was shot, but not ' Henry Heffner has been attested as the leader of a gang of about thirty Terre Haute boys organized for the purpose of stealing from freight cars. The South B >nd toy factory, the larg*est of the kind in the United States, burned to the ground, Thursday afternoon. Loss $30,000; insurance $14,000. The I. D. A 8. railroad has passed into the hands of the Mackery syndicate and will be run as an adjunct to the P. D. A E. railroad, with headquarters at Evansville.

Kokomo is being scourged with scarlet fever. ' Twenty-nine cases of s scarlet .fever and three of diptheris x have been reported to the board health. f Wednesday evening, to conn.,, G«r„ WnICT shot by his brother JogepKi tabbit hunting, and died three hotire latet. Durins 1887 p'jTtnitk Were issued for 1,152 buildings at Indians .polis, to cost 'over *lhe re al estate transfers amounted to more than |1k,000,000. Mrs. McFadden, of North Vernon, . . left her 3 year-old boy at home while she made a brief visit to a neighbor. The child played With the fire and was fatally burned.

The claim of Clarkesville of being an independent territory was undoubtedlv bona fide, but the U. 8. Supreme Court, in decisions previously rendered, holds ifil rights have slept too long to be revived. The coal situation is serious all along the southern border, and many families are laying in a stock of wood to bridve over the cold snap. Manufactories may be compelled to ran short dr shut down entirely. " ...... - An ingenious theft was committed on the farm of John Zulauf. near Jeffersonville. Thieves carried off the entire field of corn in shock, leaving just stalks enough to make it appear like theorigi- £ alahock was still standing.

‘ John Dankhoff, of Cla-.ke county, heard a strange notoe while coming home, Christmas eve. He was frightened and got out his own dogs and those of John Fisher. Retnhiing, a panther attacked them, mutilating the dogs. The men fled. _ ' George Foglesdng.a "well know n farmer who mysteriously disappeared from his home, six miles east of Shelby vide, six months ago, deserting his wife and family, haa been heard from. He is herding cattle in Montana with the thermometer thirty degrees below zero, ami wants to get home. The alleged tally-sheet forgers of Marion county are soon to have another trial. Senator Voorhees has volunteered his services in behalf of the defense and the same have been accepted, I John K. Briggs, of Sullivan, ami Judge Montgomery, of Washington, D. C., have also tendered their services. Among tttriothdrattorney? sense are Judge. McNutt,'Congressman Bynam and Jason B. Brown. Captain Cyrus Virgus, a pioneer citizen of Logansport, died Monday evening. He was born in Vttginia in 1793, and removed frpm Corydon, Ind., to Logansport in 1828. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, and an eye witness to the death of Tecumseh. For several years he has been the only survivor of the battle of the Thames. He sent sons to the Mexican war and in the war four of the rebellion lost six sons. He has been a Free Mason since 1814. The annual report of the Northern Prison was made to the Governor, Friday. It showed the institution to be in a good condition, with a fine state of discipline, and likewise that the use of the “cat” bad been abolished. There are at present 634 prisoners, 63 less than at this time last year. The total receipts of the prison for the year were 1120,35815, and the expenditures $lO2 245 56, leaving net earnings of $18,107. The average cost of mainte-

nance of each convict per day has been 87 9 10 cents. There have been thirteen deaths during the year. Warden Murdock suggests that the social conditions of the times imperatively demand, for the absolute reformation of the prisoners, a classification and separation of. convicts. Prof. E. C. M. Hobbs, a professor in the American Normal College at Logansport, and an assistant superintendent of a Sunday school, has been suspected for some time of using the funds of the college for his private use. An investigation was made, Tuesday, and it was soon discovered that the suspicions were well founded. How much he thus secured unlawfully is not nor can not be known, H? would also solicit subcriptions for educational journalsand pocket the money. He borrowed from the students without ever repaying, and by other acts showed himself' to be a bad man. He fled the city. About six months ago he married an estimable young lady of Salem, Ind.

The Chairman of the Republican State Central Committee has i- sued the call for the meetings of the county and district conventions, for the puipose of electing the new members of the several committees. The county conventions are called to meet on Saturday, the 21st of January, at which the new county committees are to be selected and delegates from each voting precinct to ths district conventions. neße ji 8 . Mrict conventions are meeton t he 2d lof February select the members of the new SUfe Cent.’ a l Committee. Thig«ommitteeis to meet in Indianapolis on the 21st of February and organize. Districts in the Northern part of the S:ate are called to meet at t’je following places: Sixth District, Richmond; Eighth District, Terre H ante; Nine District, Noblesville, Tr Qth District, Logansport; Eleventh District, Manion; Twelfth District Auburn: Thireenth District, Gosh .en.