Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 27, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 March 1888 — Commissoioners' Court. [ARTICLE]

Commissoioners' Court.

The ?darcih t. rra of the Coinmissinners’ Court is in s.m.iuii this w- ek. Only two r [ plications for saloon licenses \yere presented this term, Claus Graves, of Fair Oaks, and Aijgust Kruii, of Whealfield The Ikrwscs w-e-re granted, in each case. Harvey E ■bluson was appointed to mie of th.- i’v > sclioia.i'sina. u Purdue Uuivi-isity, to which the cornify is eA.tr. lwl.The oiH.'ud bonds of James E . Irwin, us c ei l. i>r the c rcuit cotii’i elect and 1 mv.-i ts Ant. im, recorder ek e';, wm-- app ova I. a dept of gratitude. The Board appropi i.ifi d the sum of $25 ) far Cb/omWitof El hedge [T. Haidii:g. to be. paid, SSO at ! OUCH mid $25 per month, for eight months, in making tnis approipTiatii))! ’mi-dis waking buF in sihall return foiCinvaluable i vices rendei- d. the county, by Mr, ; Harding mm.iy years ago, at the jiiosf of g! e&r.dapger suffering i to himself, and 1 t which he has [ never miceptc-d any reward. The I appropriiitio-i was petitioned for [■by lurge .number .of prominent | ciilzensaiiutheeirc’Hnsta-DCesmpo:! which it was based were fullyes - tabiisbed, by evidence produced' liefure the commissioners. Briefly staled they are as follows: When the coujt Louse was burned, oh Jan. 8, 18G5, Mr. Harding, ■who was teaching schoal here, went into the in winch the I’ocei'ds of the county were kept, and remained, in disregard ot tiie warnings and entreaties of his friends,-until he had thrown out of the window and rescued from destruction', all the valuable rec-i)y(l:?WiS?FFtWWttoeer-AVheD, at last, he yielded id the warning shouts of his friends outside and sought to make his escape, he t-eizedalast huge armful of the ' precious volumes and flung them through the opening, and followed them himself, but theburning cornice fe!' ; j:iC S 3 he Avas.escapiug, and crushed. him to the earth ami burned and bruised him in a dreadful manner. A half dozen men dragged hini from beneath the burning rubbish. His hands were burned, to a crisp, a fine he’w suit of clothing was almost wholly burned from his body, his back and limbs burned and blistered in inanmerable places. The Hon. C. W. Watson, father of the present County

Commissioner J. E. Watson, was then a county commissioner and desired that Dr. Harding should be rewarded for Ins great services, but he would not even accept so much as a recompense for the suit of clothes which were destroyed. The then county officers presented him with an elegant gold-bended cane, however, which he still owns. Dr. Harding is now bed-fast, ; and, through long sickness and | much misfortune, in absolute poverty. Much of the time he is without the use of his mental faculties, and the labor of caiing for him is very great. W Wan not believe but that every resident of the county will heartily endorse this liberality of the commissioners, and wish that it had been twice as great The petition for the appropriation was signed greatnumber - of taxpayers of Ransselaer. and asked that the sum be SSOO.