Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 March 1891 — CIRCUIT COURT NOTES. [ARTICLE]

CIRCUIT COURT NOTES.

The grand jury was organized with L. P. Shirer as foreman. All the original panel are serving except Abe Hardy, of Remington, who was excused. His place is fillod by H. W. Porter, of Rensselaer. Many witnesses from town have been summoned, and it is likely that the imates of the “house of ill-shape,” somewhere in the northeast part of town, are likely to j hear something drop, pretty soon. ! The reputed manager thereof, one | Richards by name, has already gone j hence, it ft said. Five indictments were returned ‘Wednesday, morning, one being .against AY alter Daywitt, for felonious asj sail It. Probate matters have mainly occupied the attention of the court, so --far-this week.

The Rensselaer Building, Loan & , Savings Association his just comi pleted the third year of its existence. Tins, institution has already done much good to many of its members and to the town generally, and the promises for future usefulness are most excellent. Already there is a certain prospect that three or four good new houses will be erected in the town this year, through its' instrumentality, and other instances

are likely to dovelope later in the season. In respect to its profitableness to non-borrowing investors, the result now hardly seems likely to realize the very, roseate prospects of the first year or two, as, owing to the ! rather disproportionately large num- | her of investors compared with the ; number of would-be borrowers, the premiums are likely to rule rather low, henceforth. There is no good reason, however, to apprehend that the series will not pay out soon Enough to realize to non-borrowers 1 from 12 to 18 per cent, annual profits on their investments, which ought to be fairty satisfactoiy to any reasonable person. - . ■.

The trial of John Ulrey, at Kentland last week, resulted in a compromise verdict of a fine of seven hundred doliars-, and costs,against Mr. Ulrey. The evidence in the ease, although very conflicting on some points, established the general correctness of the account of the affair given in The Rkpdulican at the time of its occurence; at least as far as it went, for a few facts were brought out at the trial which were not previously made known. One of these was that after Ulrey’s revolver was empty and Smoot was driven out doors, Uirov got his shot gun and

pursued Smoot with that, until Ulrey’s son arrived and interfered. Still another new fact was that Ulrey had admitted to certain parties that he had been “indisreet” with Smoot’s wife. Still another fact not previously known was that Ulrey’s first bullet struck Smoot about over the region of the heart and after penetrating his two coats passed about half through and lodged in a thick leather pocketbook. Few men have ever had narrower escapes from death than Smoot did when that bullet struck him. Taking that view of the evidence most favorable to Mr. Ulrey, which was, no doubt, the view the jury took, it would seem that while Mr. Ulrey had no real immediate cause to fear a deadly attack from Smoot, the excited state of MS’mind was such that he thought their was, and -that the saving of his own life depended upon his taking that of Mr. Smoot. - .-—| _ -- —-

f Charley Roberts, the county outlaw” is again an ornamental inmate of the Jasper county jail, having been brought over from Kentlanrl for safe keeping. He is the identical chap that, in company with Buckstein, was arrested for robbery on the Rensselaer fair grounds, way back in 1882. at the time of the big soldiers’ re-uniofi, and whose subsequent escape from the White county jail caused Sheriff Powell so much

trouble in effecting his recapture. He and the other man were tried in 138 S, amPihe result was an acquittal for the other and a disagreement for Roberts, The latter then, by agreement, plead guilty and was lined sos, which he paid. Since that time, as weli as before, Roberts’ life lias been one long series of crimes that have made his name noted as one of the most desperate outlaws in the northern half of- Indiana. lie has been arrested repeatedly, but so far as known, the only serious punishment ever dealt to him was a two years’ term in the Jeffersonville prison, for robbery. He was once tried for murder, hut acquitted. The. offense for which he is now held was the shooting at the town marshal of Kentland, last October. That functionary was trying to run Roberts and another fellow in, for working the “change fake” game. The other man watched his chance and slugged the marshal and both ran. The marshal took after Roberts, who then fired several times at the officer, and made his escape. A few days ago he was arrested in Crawfordsvilte, on some petty charge and was later turned over to the Newton county authorities.

Roberts is a large, fine looking, gentlemanly fellow, and with plenty of sense and education to make a good living by honest methods, were it not for his overmastering disposition towards devilment.

In response to a request to the Agricultural Department, at Washington, Uncle Jerty Rusk has sent to Tin: Repuulican two goodly packages of seeds of the French Sugar Beet. Now the production of beet sugar is to be one of the great national industries of the near future, and those sections of the country which are first to demonstrate their fitness for the successful production of the beets are the ones which will stand the best show for reaping the best benefits from the developement of this great industry. Now we know of a verity, that all kinds of root crops thnve wonderfully in Jasper County dirt, and none more so than some kinds of beets. It is therefore reasonable to believe that “the sugar beet will produce largely here, and the chances are at least favorable that the proportion -of sugar in the beet will be sufficiently large to meet the requirements of a successful sugarbeet country. With a view, therefore, of making some test of this important matter, we would like tu distribute Uncle Jerry’s beet seed among three or four of our most careful and intelligent farmers, with the understanding that they will carefully plant and cultivate the seeds as directed, and accurately note the rate of production per acre, and also when the crop is matured, turn , over as much of it as may be required, for the pqrpose of having its ■ sugar producing qualities tested. What public spirited farmer will be | the first to call at The Republican t office for a portion of these seeds under the conditions above outlined?