Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 April 1895 — A Hoosier Recluse. [ARTICLE]

A Hoosier Recluse.

*’And the Spirit and the bride say come. And let him that heareth eay, come. And letuhim that is athirst, come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” Quern Victoria is said to be especially fond of photos. You might _aend her yours and request a rctur-n of the compliment, but if vou do be sure to pay postage and enclose stamps for the hoped-sot portrait. Queen Vic. is of an economical turn and will hesitate about paying out postage unneccessarily. Some of this paragraph is “sarkasm,” as AT Ward used to sav. 1 The Pennsylvania railroad has paid the average dividends all through the hard times. This company keeps up with the times. In the neighborhood of the large cities on its various divisions 5-cent suburban tratins will be put on to compete with or prevent the building of trolley lines. This is amove that eould be profitably imitated by nearly all rail way com pan ies. New Orleans appears to be leading the Southern procession and is keeping pace with the times in material progress. Statistics at hand show that during the twenty-five years between 1870 and 1895 the number of factories has increased from 554 to 3,595; the capital invested in manufactories has increased from $5,429,140 to $40,057,000; the number of employes from 4,411 to 46,046: and the value of the output from $8,450,439 to $70,089,546.

Fakes and fads fill up the measure of the news from day to day, fashions follies, hidden treasure, ships that linger by the way, war and bloodshed far away, ghosts that charms will never lay, gold reserve that will not stay, toppling trains that tumble over, ducks that fall before great Grover, murder, arson, riot in the Legislature, crime of every other nature, of each and all there surely Will be quite enough without poor Trilby. The shrinkage of immigration to this country has been remarkable, and gratifying to a majority of our people,, because the immigrants who have arrived during the past year have been of the better class. The restrictions of recent legislation, to -. gether with the hard times, has had the effect of sifting out the paupers and criminals who formerly came to our shores in such almost unlimited numbers. Figures for 1894, only recently obtainable, show that 311,- I 404 immigrants arrived in that year. In 1893, 497,933 came over, and in: 1892 we were simply overwhelmed i with.a human tide which numbered 623,084. The United States may yet be able to dictate terms to the “gold bugs” of the world. The demand for gold payments and the depreciation of silver has already resulted in a marked increase in the output of our gold mines, and in the discovery of sew ones. The gold mines of Georgia are being worked with profit, but the leads can hardly be termed bonanzas. Three hundred men are said to be making good living wages In Lumpkin county, Georgia, though the average yield is but $2 a ton from the “dirt” worked over. Indiana ought to produce gold in paying quantities. The “stuff” is in our soil at various points. We have gas, oil, coal, iron and almost every other valuable mineral product. It stands to reason that we have gold—if we van pnly find it.

The editor of an exchange has made the following valuable discovery: “The stationary printed at this shop is giving the best of satisfaction. We printed statements for f>ne of our business men a shcrt time ago and he has already collected a small fort une. Two months ago a young man bought some paper and envelopes of us to write to his sweetheart. Now he is married, Another man forged the nanwfof a friend on a note printed here, and he is now In the penitentiary. By using our stationary one can collect old accounts, teli fortunes, make rain, change the c6tot of the hair, have their teeth extracted without pain, find out the name of your future husband or wife, be successful in business, triumph over their enemies and get elected to office. Call early and avoid the rush." Relations between Germany and Trance do not appear to be at all strained, if recent dispatches may tee taken as an indication of existing additions. The German Ambassador at Paris has unofficially informed

.IheFrench. Minister of Foreign. Affairs that Germany will take part ia the French exhibition in 1300. Everything points to a continued peace between these old-time ene mies. The government of Franct has also accepted-Germany's invitation to send war ships to the opening of the North Sea and Baltic canal “and this action was the occasion foi a heated debate in the Deputies many members takifig the grounc that the act of accenting Germany f hospitality was a bitter humiliatioi for France.

The Cuban revolution in said t] have already “petered out.” It wai was not even suppressed, but simply fell to pieces, as all such ill-advises ventures must do. The Cuban “pat riots” in this country, of whom then, are many both in New York and Nev Orleans, are said to be industrious!] explaining that the recent movemen; was simply a “campaign of education.” They promise important de velopments in the near future, buy the probabilities are that if Cuba ii ever freed from the dominions Spain, that result will have to bi brought about by the interventiot of the United States. The climate and soil of Cuba are prolific in ah sorts of vegetation, but the nativi population appears to be incapable of producing any great mastei minds capable of leading the rac< in their efforts' to shake off the Span ish yoke. • . 1

A correspondent of the Nev .York Herald, who assumes to be at authority, writing from Madison Wis., states that the reduction it duties has resulted in a large reduction in the price of all the smal goods in the music trade—notabh harmonicas, flutes, violins, strings, etc. This has helped the trade while it has in no way interfere! with the manufacture of Americai goods in the same line. A natura barrier exists, he says, 1 to the im portation of foreign made guitars, mandolins and kindred instruments, as climatic differences render it certain that instruments made abroac will “go to pieces” in this country, The same is also true of pianos, Foreign made pianos and organs cannot stand our changeable climate. Our manufacturers of pianos and organs, because of this climatit peculiarity, will always be assured of a market throughout the world regardless of tariff conditions, be Cause their work is made to stand any climate. It might be advisabls for our manufacturers to invegtigats these statements, instead of investing all their spare capital in creameries and canning factories. There will be no war between Germany and France in the neas future, for the simple reason that Germany’s superiority as a military power, so well established in t.h< war of 1870-71, is more than evei apparent in the light of receni statistics. Even the most radica French statesmen are said to fully comprehend this unpleasant truth. In the Chamber of Deputies, recent ly, M. Roche stated that German] could at any time place an army o, 550,000 effective men in the field, while France could count only 406,000. This proportionate strength o! itself gives Germany an immense advantage even if the fighting qualities of the rank and file and the abilities of the commanding officers were the same. The chances seera to be that the Kaiser, or his successor, will be able to realize hie dream of making independent kingdoms of Alsace and Lorraine t< serve as political “buffers” betweer the traditional enemies whos,e antagonistic interests have involved Europe in so many wars.

In a little clearing surrounded by dense woods, on the banks of Clifty Creek, about six miles from Greensburg, says the Hope News-Journal, lives a queer and interesting person. His name is Frank Doggett, and foi more than thirty years he has made this place his home. He is now sixty years of age,and, like most reeluses, has a love story at the bottom of the tale. When a young man,he and his sweetheart; started to a minister’s tc be married. The horse ran away arid the young woman was hurled against a rock. She was killed instantly. He never cared to show himself again to the world, and sought this secluded place in which to spend the remainder of his life. In the thirty years the old man has spent here he ha? never shaved, and his long black hair, which reaches to his waist, has not been cut for twenty years. Doggett is a powerful man, six feet five inch** height, and has a commanding appearance. He cultivates about fifty acres of land and raises all of his otvn food. He has a housekeeper who works for he? board and clothing, but he has nc other'human companions. He lore? rats and has his house full of V He also has a pair of goats over fit <y years old which furnish him mint, and from which he raises his meal supply. He takes no papers nor has he any printed matter in the house. He goes to town only o? election day, and then only when sent for. He keeps no record "of time and works every day, allowing ncithei himself nor oxen a noonday meal.