Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1898 — RECORD OF THE WEEK [ARTICLE]

RECORD OF THE WEEK

INDIANA INCIDENTS TERSELY' TOLD. Westfield’* Principal Business Block* Burned Marl Deposits in Lake Maxinknckee —Electric Railway on Paper—Killed for Theft. A disastrous fire swept over the business portion of Westfield the other night, beginning about 11:30, and burning steadily until after*€ o’clock in the morning, when it was finally overcome. The conllngration started in the Union block, in which is located the Westfield Bank, G. L. Myers’ grocery and F. M. Smith’s dry goods store, on the first floor, and various offices and business establishments on the second floor. As soon as possible the fire department went to work, and after three hours’ hard work finally got the fire under control, hut not until the entire block and the adjoining drug store of W. H. Conklin was a mass of ruins. The origin of the fire is unknown, and the loss is estimated at between $20,000 and $25,000. Marl Deposit Is Valuable. Prof. Seovell, who has taken more than 3,000 soundings in Lake Maxinkuckee during the past few weeks, made an investigation of the marl bods at the request of State Geologist Blatchley. He found the deposit at least eighteen feet thick where the water is from eight to fourteen feet deep, but how much thicker he could not tell with the instruments he had at hand. The deposit, so far ns could be judged without making a thorough analysis, was of a superior quality, having a large proportion of carbonate of lime, which makes it valuable in'the manufacture of cement and ns a fertilizer. At greater depths there also was marl, but it contained less carbonate of lime. Proposed Electric Railway. Private advices give meager details of a project for the building of an electric railway from Chicago to Goshen via Valparaiso. La Porte, South Bend and Elkhart. Negotiations have been opened by Chicago capitalists for the purchase of the Burns line in Goshen and the franchise for the building of a line between Goshen and Elkhart, which would be a part of the Lake Shore if built. Killed for Stealing a Watch. A mail supposed to be Thos. Hawthorne of Chicago, who has been following the fairs, was shot and killed near the fair grounds at Shelbyville by Thomas Cuskaden, a young farmer, whose watch, it is said, Hawthorne nnd his “pals” had jerked from his pocket. Cuskaden is under nrrest, while the officers are looking for Hawthorne’s companions. Ends Life by Hanging. Thomas Hardy, a member of a prominent family in Lexington township, was found dead, hnnging in a corn crib, when relatives returned from church. He had for years prospected for and found gold in small quantities in Saluda creek. He was considered weak-minded. No cause is known for the rash act. Within Our Borders. Prairie wolves are reported in the souths ern part of Laporte County. Despondent over ill health, Henry Kissling, aged 20 years, shot and killed himself at Columbus. Findlay McGuire of Anderson, private secretary to Consul Gowdy at Paris, France, has resigned. William Stephenson, a wealthy farmer living one mile east of Elizabethtown, was robbed of S3OO while asleep. Contracts have been let for the building of an independent distillery at Terre Haute. Its capacity will be 5,000 bushels daily. At South Bond, the Boston store, Chillas, Adler & Coble, proprietors, is closed. Liabilities, $16,000; assets, $25,000 to $30,000. Andrew Stark of Chicago, president of the Chicago Indurated Fiber Pail Company, located at South Bend, has brought suit for a receiver. At Terre Haute, Mrs. 11. M. Winslow nnd daughter, Jessie, aged 12, were poisoned by eating watermelon and tha daughter will probably die. Two men boldly robbed the Big Four depot at Carthage in broud daylight, taking all the money and several bunches of tickets. One of the robbers was captured. At Evansville, John R. Carney, who sued for divorce, lias consented to take his wife to his bosom again now that he has been convinced that she had not been knowingly guilty of bigamy. Isaac - Snow, who shot nnd killed William McOnrt near Bedford, Aug. 15, was indicted by the special grand jury. The churgo is murder in the first degree. Snow is now in jail at New Albany. One hundred men in the car and machine department of the Baltimore ami t ffiio Southwestern Railway shops at Washington have been laid off indefinitely. The officials assigned no reason. William Reid, n prominent young school teacher of Shelby County, was arrested nnd thrown in jail, charged with the murder of Samuel Barker, near the fair grounds at Shelbyville during a fight. At Indianapolis, thes-yenr-old daughter of Mrs. Cornelius Driscoll, while trying to amuse tier 4-months-old brother, accidentally tired a Flobert rifle, the bullet striking the baby in the forehead, causing instant death. Judge Piety sustained tho motion of tha defense to quash (lie indictment for embezzlement against former City Treasurer llnuek of Terre Haute on the ground that it was barred by the stntutc of limitations. The State held that ho had concealed the crime, but the defense insisted tlint, on the-eontrary, he had openly violated the law and published by the records tlint lie had done so. The amount taken was $14,000. The dead body of Riley McFndden was found in the woods one mile northeast of Austin. He had been hunting, and it is supposed in getting on his horse it became frightened and in some way ona barrel of his gun was discharged, taking effect just under the ri/lit arm. Albert Clifton, colored, of Cincinnati, Harry Wright of Indianapolis nnd Garfield Intiis, colored, of Rnshville, three desperate burginrs, und David Bright, held for grand larceny, escaped from the Rush County jail during the absence of Sheriff l*uce. A skeleton key was use<| on the cell door.