Rensselaer Union, Volume 8, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1875 — INDIANA STATE NEWS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA STATE NEWS.

A Rolling Prairib boy weighs 450 i pounds. The gross receipts of the Tippecanoe i County fair were $11,500. • Distilleries are getting a good share , of the Spencer County apples. They are plowing for wheat in the Wabash bottoms, where the wheat crops were destroyed by the late floods. Two colored applicants for admission to the Terre Haute' High School, were recently rejected by the School Board. A $25,000 fire recently occurred at Thorntown, destroying the Postoflice and several prominent business houses. TiiE paper-mill at Milton was burned a few nights ago. The fire was supposed to have had incendiary origin. Loss, $25,000. Over 20,000 people witnessed the laying of the corner-stone of the Rese Polytechnic Institute at Terre Haute on the 11 tli. Considerable interest is being manifested throughout the State in the proposed Soldiers’Reunion at the capital in October. Wm. H. Bufmngtok, a well-known hardware merchant of Greencastle, was fatally injured by his horse falling on him on the afternoon of the 13th. The Valparaiso Vidette thinks it high time for Porter County to realize the fact that Valparaiso has discarded the habiliments'of a village and come to be a thrivingcity. Thomas Harrell, of Richmond, put his foot upon the hammer of his gun and blew into the muzzle to see if it was loaded. His foot slipped and the contents of the gun blew away the entire top of his head and killed hin?'instantaneously. As Thomas Morrow, night watchman at the Central depot in Indianapolis, was sitting in a chair outside the building, the other evening, he was caught bj- a passing train and both legs were efft off below the knees. He died subsequently. There was a collision between two freight trains on the Ohio & Mississippi Railroad, twelve miles west of Lawrenceburg, a few days ago, and three boys named Moran, Romenstein and Beltner, of Aurora, who were stealing a ride, were killed.

John Killian, a boy seventeen years old, attempted to ride freqjrom Richmond to Indianapolis, on a Pan Handle freight train, the other night. He fell asleep on a bumper plaftorm, and a sudden movement of the train threw him under the wheels, which severed both his legs. He died next evening. A terrible boiler explosion occurred on the farm of County Commissioner Rollbins, in Otter Creek township, on the afternoon of the 16th, which set the stack of wheat and straw on fire. The flames completely surrounded and burned -up Samuel Carr and James Candine, and a boy whose name was unknown at the time. The bodies were burned to cinders. A few evenings ago a man named John Reed was shot, and instantly killed, by David Hennick, near Salina. It appears that some two years ago the men had a difficulty. Henhick called at the house where Reed lived and called him out, when they made'hip and shook hands and drank together. No sooner was this done than Hennick tired on Reed, shooting Trim through the heart. The postal changes in the State for the weekending Sept 11 were as follows: Discontinued—Arthur, Pike County: Eden Mills, Lagrange County; Hawkins, Jay County. Postmasters appointed— Ewing, Jackson County, Robert H. Clouston ; Lake Cicott, Cass County, Isadora Weste; Peoria, Franklin County, Wm. R. Jenkins; Queensville, Jennings County, Charles B. Curtis; Tanglewood, Repley County, Jonathan W. Green.

The Supreme Court has overruled the decision of the lower Court in the case ot the State tw. Anton Mai, indicted at the July term for violating the law regulating .the sale of intoxicating liquors. It was held by the Court below that the indictment was bad, having been found by a Grand Jury of twelve, when as tjje present law provides for a Grand Jury of six. The decision disposes of an interesting point relating to the construction of a recent statute, and as it disposes of the Grand Jury question, is here given substantially as delivered: e This was an indictment of the appellee, found at the July term, 1875, by a Grand Jury consisting of twelve men, impaneled In accordance with the law as it existed before the act of March 13, 1875. The question

presented is whether the Grand Jury for that term should have consisted of twelve men or of six men, as provided by the aet above mentioned. The court below held the indictment bad as having been found by a Grand Jury consisting of too manv members and not properly constituted, and rendered judgment accordingly. This act had not bnen passed on the first Monday of March, 1875, the day fixed by law for the first regular session of the Board of Commissioner's in each year. By the act in question it is made the duty of the board to make the selection of Grand Jurors “ at their first regular session in eaeh year.” As the act was ; not in force at the time, of course the board could not comply with it. We find' nothing in the act intended t-o authorize the selection to be made at any other session of the boaftl than that mentioned. It follows that ao selection of Grand Jurors can be made ander the act until the March session of the Boards for the year 1876. The aet of March 4, 1852, provides that “ if the Board of Commissioners sliall fail to select ' Grand Jurors at their first annual session they shall select at their next or any other ’ session." But a selection of Grand Jurors before the aet of 1575 was passed or took effect in accordance with the law in force at the time of the selection cannot be said to be a failure to select, because the was not made in accordance with a law not then in existence. We are of opinion that Grand Jurors duly selected before the act of 4875 tookeffect are legal Grand Jurors and Will be continued to be sueh until selections shall be made under the act of 1875, or until their functions shall be otherwise legally terminated. The act nominally took effect from it« publication, but it can have no practical effect until the time shall come wheg Grand Juries can he selected in accordance with the terms of the act. The Court is of the opinion that the object of the Legislature was to preserve all indictments which had been or might be found by Graaff Juries selected ini accordance with former laws before the time at which they could be selected under the act in question. Judgment belo* reversed and cause remanded." ' „