Rensselaer Republican, Volume 28, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 December 1896 — DEATH’S MANY FORMS [ARTICLE]

DEATH’S MANY FORMS

SINGULAR CHAPTER OF ACCIDENTS IN DECATUR COUNTYGunpowder and Boys Are Responsible for Two Fatalities— Changes to Be Made at the Resting Place of William Henry Harrison. Death Reaps a Harvest. Reports from various points in Decatur County show that on Thursday two people were killed, tWo fatally injured and several others seriously hurt. At St. Paul Roy Favors, aged 13 years, was killed while at work in Adams’ stone quarry. Young Favors manipulated machinery about the derrick, several yards from the other Workmen. They had not noticed him for some time and suddenly a piece of the boy’s clothing was seen to ,go around on a chain. They rushed to the spot and found a mangled mass of human flesh on the ground.. The boy’s clothing .had caught and he was thrown about the shafting, every thread of his clothing being tern Off, except his left sock. His skull was crushed and the brains oozed out. His heart was piereed and several bones were broken. A fatal shooting took place at Cliffy. A crowd of boys began shooting‘,at marks, bantering each other as to who could shoot the heaviest charge and stand the resulting “kick.” Carl Right, aged 17, loaded his g}in, an old single-barreled army musket, with an extra-heavy charge and handed it to Charlie Jones, aged 13. Jones fired and the weapon exploded, parts of it stinking the boy, killing him almost instantly. At Versailles several boys were shooting a toy cannon made out of gas pipe. This exploded, crushing Jesse Yarnell’s skull. His eyes were destroyed by the burning and he will die. Several other boys were seriously burned. - The 7-year-old daughter of Phil Hays, of Marion Township, was mortally wounded by a discharge from 'Roscoe Roberts’ shotgun. Roberts shot at a bird and the charge struck the girl in the breast as she sat in the barn window. In Greensburg, at a football game, Frank Bell and Fred Thomas were seriously hurt. Bell received internal injuries about the abdomen and an injured leg. Thomas was injured in the stomach. Bronson, of Shelbyville, was also badly injured. A prize fight was pulled off at Moscow between a tramp and Charles Smith, a local pugilist. Smith was struck in the stomach and may die. The tramp escaped.

Tomb to Be Remodeled. The drawings and plans for theremodeling of the tomb of William Henry Harrison, whose remaihs now rest near North Bend ■within a few rods of the Ohio River, have been completed and are now in the hands of ex-President Harrison for approval. They were sent to him from the Cincinnati architects some two months ago, but his time has been so fully occupied that he has not yet passed upon them. The plans provide for an expenditure of about $5,000, and the structure is to be built of Indiana stone quarried from the Bedford quarries. The interior proper is not to be touched, but the outer part will present a complete change, as at the front will be a concave excavation into, the knoll some fifty feet wide and about the same depth, with a stone wall leading to the entrance. The door is to be made of bronze lattice, that a glance at the interior may be had from the outside. The old tomb, which was built in the latter part of the forties, has for some years been the subject of much comment. It is on the crown of a beautifully sloping knoll, overlooked by the Kentucky hills, from which they are separated by the Ohio river a few hundred feet below. The site of the tomb is an excellent one, and when completed none in the country wiil ; fpresent a more attractive appearance. Minor State News. At an early hour Sunday morning five perate attempt to- gain their liberty, and but for the timely discovery of their scheme by Sheriff Holmes not only themselves but the family of the Sheriff would have burned to death. Kokomo has, a wooden-legged burglar that is a puzzle to the police. Every night for a week the mysterious individual visited from one to half a dozen residences, wrecking larders anil carrying off articles of clothing. His tracks clearly showed that he has one wooden leg and, as bloodhounds refuse to follow his trail, it is supposed that both legg are artificial. He has been sighted several times, but each time disappears so suddenly that those superstitiously inclined declare that he goes either straight up or straight down. Mark McTigue has completed his thirtieth continuous year as sexton of Crown Point Cemetery, Kokomo. Before that Mr. McTigue was sexton of the old cemetery. During this period the Veteran sexton has buried 4,000 dead, digging all the graves with his own hands. He knows every grave in the cemetery, marked and unmarked, including the potter’s field, and can without reference to his books tell whose bones repose therein and" the time of interment? Mr. McTigue, though upward of 80 years old, is remarkably well preserved, and digs the graves with the same vigor he did thirty years ago. The Wabash jail burned at 11 o'clock Monday night, the flames originating in the basement of the structure and proceeding from the furnace up through the chimney shaft. Twelve prisoners set up wild yells, attracting the attention of Sheriff McMahan and outsiders. It was some time before the prisoners could be relascd, and they became almost insane with fright before they were all transferred, without mishap, to the city prison. The cellroom was of stone and the Sheriff’s residence of brick, and both are in ruins, water finishing what the’ fire did not destroy. The edifice was built fifteen years ago at a cost of sl-7,000. Insurance to the amount of $12,000 was carried on building and contents.

The Osgood high school and Mooreshill College football teams played at Osgood, but the game was not finished, being broken np by a number of skunks. Th® first half was ended when some boys just outside of the line, in the edge of the wood,' drove a pack of skunks out of a hollow log. They ran through the field hi all directions, two of them getting mixed up with boys in a scrimmage. The players weakened in their work and finally were forced to give up the game. Several hundred spectators were present, a large number of whom were victims of the skunks. • Masked men entered the house of L. Hartman, near Kendallville, and by threats to kill forced Mr. to give up his mofidy, which was in the safe. Mrs. Hartman may die of the shock re-' ceived by the threatening robbers. Benjamin G. Jones, living near Columbia City, is circulating a petition asking each citizen of the United States to give him the sum of 1 cent per annum for servicek rendered during the war, said sum to continue during the remainder of his life. When told that this would amount to $750,000 annually Jones seemed greatly surprised, but none the less pleased, as hq feels confident tha( he will succeed tn securing it