Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 July 1895 — TOWN AND COUNTRY. [ARTICLE]

TOWN AND COUNTRY.

Wheat 52 to 57. Corn 36 to 37. Oats 17 to 20. Bye 35 to 57. A son to Mr. and Mrs. A 1 Barney, July 17thvThe town of North Jndson has decided to have electric lights. Mrs. Emma Kline Gray, of Monon, Is visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Thrawls. The bricklayers completed their work on the Odd Fellows’ building last Thursday. M. B. Cox and daughter, Nina, of Goodland, are visiting relatives in Rensselaer.^ Judge John B. Coffroth, of Lafayette, one of the best known lawyers in Indiana, died last Monday. The construction gang of the telephone exchange finished setting the poles, last week, and Monday began putting up the wires. • When the steeple of the old Presbyterian church was pulled down, Tuesday, it was discovered to be the home of a vast colony of bats. Mrs. M. B. Alter and daughter left Monday for Chicago. Miss Gertrude will Join a party of friends there and go to Benton Harbor, Michigan.

D. J. Thompson and his nephew, Bay Thompson, have gone up to the Indian River region, in northern Michigan, for their summer’s outing. The Indiana Farmer says farmers will be disgusted with themselves before the colts of 1895 mature, that they did not grade up and raise more good draft horses. Miss Helen Kelley is among the latest additions to the ranks of lady bicyclers, and of whom there are now at least a full dozen in town, not counting the young girls. Judge Clark Price and wife, of Ashland, Kans., and Mrs. C. H. Price and son Don, of Middlesborough, Ky., were in town Saturday, calling on old friends. A young lady living in Barkley Tp., lost her pocket book, in town, Tuesday afternoon. It contained some bills and some small change. A liberal reward will be paid for its return to this office.

The ladies of the Presbyterian church realized about $lB as their share & of the proceeds of last Wednesday evening with the merry-go-round. The proposed ice-cream festival in connection was abandoned. On Friday last Wm. Kilgas at Reynolds was attacked by his Holstein bull, while leading him from one lot to another, and was and trampled and dragged until injured so badly that he died in 24 hours. The animal had always at times been stubborn and cross.— Brookston Reporter. A Bohemian named John Votliacil was burned to death in a burning barn, 5 miles west of North Judson, on Monday night, of last week. The barn belonged to the man’s son-in-law, John Kubek. The old man was supposed to have been sleeping in the bam as was his custom. ”—~

The Louisville, New Albany A Chicago is now doing the heaviest stone traffic at any time in its history. On Monday there were shipped from the stone quarries at Bedford 120 carloads of stone, largely for eastern cities, and the daily shipments average about 10.0 cars.

The Presbyterian people have found their old church building almost* white elephant on their hands, but they have finally succeeded in selling it to Fletcher Monnett, for S6O. Mr. Monnett began its demolition Monday morning. He will use the lumber for outbuildings on his farm.

The town of Roseville, 111., a place of somewhat less population than Bensselaer, we believe, has a new water-works system, the first trial of which was made July 3rd. Our former townsman, L. K. Yeoman is now a prominent resident of Bossville and would be a reliable source for information as to the cost and magnitude of the works, and of their efficiency. It is well for bicycle riders and all drivers of vehicles to remember that footmen have the right of way on all street crossings and they have not the right to run their bikes or drive their carriages and wagons in such a way as to run over or stop a footman on a streot crossing. Drivers must stop or drive in such a way as not to hinder or delay the person walking. r The Merry-Go Bound still holds the fort, north of the Makeever House. , ItcT proprietors had arranged to go to Frankfort, but it still continued such a popular attraction here, that they concluded to remain another week. Last evening thirty per cent, of the proceeds were for the benefit of Ernest Zea, the blind boy, and Daniel Day, a cripple - J There was a good deal of a sensation in Hammond caused by the mysterious disappearance and supposed suicide of Chrissie Heath, who was wanted as a witness against Franklin Vandusen, her step-father, charged with criminal intimacy with her. She was found near Lowell, Hat week, working at a farm house, and on her evidence Vandusen was sentenced to five years in the penitentiary. The big rat story of the season oomes from Mr. Rouse’s place, Irortheast from the depot He was pulling clown some old out-buildings, some days ago, and noticing that rats were abundant about it, he borrowed his neighbor, Tom McGowan’s double action rat terrier and then u went on with his rat killing.” When they got through there were 111 dead rats in the pile, by the dog.

Mrs. Mary Ligget, the Fair Oaks lady whose insanity was described last week, was taken to the Logansport asylum, last Friday, by Sheriff Hanley and Mr. Ligget. She went very peacably and evidently fully understood the nature of the place where she was going, and the reason why. It is understood that the hospital physicans take a very favorable view of her prospects for recovery. The new fee and salary law, with its system of fees compulsorially collected,,lsjmw in force with all our present county officers except Clerk Coover and Auditor Murray. In their cases the law does not take effect until the beginning of their second terms. This will be next November, in Auditor Murray’s case, and not until next May, in the case of Clerk Coover.

Remington is excited over a gas well, which is marsh gas, and Wheatfield sees visions of wealth in a coal mine, and now Rensselaer, not to be left behind, has got a genuine oil well. It is not a 90 barrel gusher, but several buckets of good heavy petroleum have been bailed out of it, and there is no reason why it is not as good a “boomer” as Remington’s gas or Wheatfield’s coal. It is at Geo. Strickfaden’s new house, on Cullen street; was found about 80 feet in the rock, and is undoubtedly the largest of the many “pockets” of petroleum that have been found in Rensselaer. Several gallons were saved for lubrioating purposes. The oil vien has been cased off and the drilling of the well to lower deptliß proceeded with.

The splendid rain of Tuesday of last week was followed by more rain Thursday evening, making a rain-fall of more than two inches, during the week. The rains will be of untold value to corn, pastures and late potatoes. A new money order for has been adopted by the Post Office department which* will soon be in general use as they are being supplied as fast as the post office throughout the country make requisition for new supplies. They are of the general form and appearance of bank drafts and are printed with ink of a seagreen shade. The present form of money order has always been unpopular on account of its size and the amount of work necessary to issue one.

The following from an exchange hits the nail squarely on the head: “Yes, indeed these are hard times. We throw away our ashes and grease and buy soaps. We let our manure go to waste. We raise dogs and buy hogs. We grow weeds / and buy vegetables and brooms. We catch five cent fish with a $4 rod. We build school houses and send our children off to be educated. And lastly we send our boys out with a S4O gun and a $lO dog to hunt for ten cent birds.”

There were four bicycle races at tbe Stock Farm track, last Thursday. The first was a men’s race, three half mile heats. L. M. Wilcox, Ist money, Albert Overton, 2nd, P. S. McCabe, 3rd. A boys’ race followed, with Reynolds, of Chalmersr, Ist, Willard Warfield, 2nd, Taylor McCoy, 3rd. The ladies’ race was won by “Miss Dunfrey,” o! Monticello. Tbe last race, 2J miles, for men was won by Wilcox, with P. S, McCabe second and Charley Chip man, 3rd.-

B. Forsythe, of the Chicago Bargain store, is having the plans and specifications for this proposed new store building, prepared by Morrison A Torrance, of Chicago, the architects of the Odd Fellows’ building and of the proposed Presbyterian chuffib. The building will be modern in style and appointments, and quite attractive from an architectural point of view. It will be two stories and a basement in height. The basement story will be built this fail, and tLe rest of the building be completed next spring.

Miss Hattie Dowler was run over by a man on horseback, Thursday, while going out to the races. It was at first thought that she was very badly hurt, but although rendered unconscious for quite a long time, and quite extensively bruised and shocked, yet no bones were broken and no- very serious injuries were suffered. The man riding the horse, or rather bronco, was Thomas Flannigan, a hand on one of the Gifford farms. He had borrowed tho pony from a friend to go to Morocco to see his child, who was sick, and being on bis way back had concluded to ride out to the races. The pony was pretty wild, and had been run in alleged races considerable . In going out Flannigan met a hack loaded with boys, and these set up a yelling of “Go!” “Go!” and so frightened or excited the pony that Flannigan could not control it. Miss Dowler, hearing the pony coming behind her, suddenly stepped aside, just as Flannigan was trying to turn out to avoid her and thus it happened that he ran right over her. Flannigan’s pony ran clear to Bedford’s bridge before he could stop it; he then came back, and went at once to Mr. Dowler’s house to learn the extent of Miss Dowler’s injuries. A little later he was arrested on a warrant, issued by Squire Burnham; but the latter, as soon as he learned all the particulars of the case, very properly released Flannigan. No one was more ready to exonerate Flannigan from blame than was Miss Dowler herself. The parties really responsible for the accident were the bowling hoodlums in the hack.

Mr. William W. Collins and Miss Minnie S. Williams were married last Thursday evening, at the home of the bride’s mother, Mrs. S. J. Williams, in the east part of town. Rev. Father Neiberg performed the ceremony. Tuesday, L. H. Hamilton, of Kniman brought down a little paper sack full of alleged coal, in small fragments, found on J. E. Meyers’ farm, south of Wheatfield. It was found only a few feet below the surface. The sample had the appearance about ai much of being a black shale, as coal, although it was pronounced good coal by a Kniman blacksmith. But whether coal or shale, there is probably not enough of it to make the find of any considerable value. _ The Fowler and Remington base ball clubs, two of the best in this portion of the state, played a match game at the Bensselaer Stock Farm, last Thursday. It was, by universal consent, the best played game of ball ever seen in Bensselaer. Twelve innings were required to settle the contest, which then closed with Fowler the victor, but by only one run. The score being 5 for Fowler to 4 for Remington. There was a large crowd present to witness the game. The score by innings was as follows: Remington, 40000000000 o—4. Fowler,. ...10001 10 10001—5. County Clerk Coover completed the statistical report for his office for the year ending June 30, 1895, one day last week. The report being required by the State Bureau of Statistics. The report shows that 167 civil cases were begun in the Jasper circuit court, during the year. That there were 15 trials on indictments and 4on affi lavils. In matrimonial matters it was probably the greatest year Jasper county lr»8 ever known, as there were 117 marriage liscenses issued and 18 divorces granted. Of theso 18 divorces, 12 were granted to wives and 6 to husbands. The grounds for the divorces were: for cruelty, 8; for abandonment, 6; for adultery, 2; for drunkenness, 1; for failu e to provide, 1. The number of foreigners naturalized during the year was 33. Of these 16 were from Holland; 7 from Germany; 4 from Sweden; 3 from Austria; and 1 each from England, France and Russia.

‘‘Old things have passed away!” And those that haven’t are soon likely to. In fact the year 1895, bids fair to be marked aboye all other years, for the great number of old vestiges of “befoh de wah” Rensselaer that were improved off the face'of the earth. The first of these old structures to vanish this year, was the old building south of McCoy’s bank, most recently occupied by Uncle Charley Rhoades’ harness shop. A little later, and on the same street, the very old timer, the building last used as Worden Bros’, blacksmith shop, was reduced to kindling wood. Still another old timer, and also on this same VanRensselaei street, has been partly torn down and partly moved away, from the spot where John Eger’s palatial new residence is now in process of erection. On the next street east, Cullen street, two of the very oldest surviving residence buildings in town, and on adjoining lots, have been torn down or moved away to make room for the two good new residences now being built by Geo. Strickfaden and John Medicus, respectively. On the same street stands the only remaining one of our old time church buildings; the Presbyterian church, and this is being this very week tom down to make room for the new house of worship the congregation is preparing to build yet this season. In the business part of town, the oldest remaining building, excepting a small part of Goff’s restaurant, is the one now occupied by Parcells’ barber shop. And that building, together with its very venerable next door* occupied by Clarke’s jewelry is to be replaced this fall, by a good brick structure.