Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 March 1900 — INDIANA INCIDENTS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA INCIDENTS.

RECORD OF EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK. Smallpox Quarantine Enforced with a Whip Novel Punishment of a Young Incendiary Unhappy Marriage Rei stilts Fatally New Church Burns; Two women living at Lyons caught smallpox and were promptly placed in quarantine. They imagined they had the cliickenpox ami were angry because they were not allowed to go and come as they pleased. One of them said she would get even with the'town authorities by spreading the disease all over the place. They started out in male attire. The health •authorities had a man on guard and he attempted to stop them. They attacked him and he was forced td beat a hasty retreat. The next night lie armed himself with a blacksnake whip and when they attempted to leave the house he gave them each a whipping and drove them back. Gets a Spanking in Court. AYillie Goldver, aged 9 years, who confessed that he had set several buildings on fire just to see the department make a run and the firemen fight the flames, was given a whipping in police court at Evansville upon order of Judge J. G. Winffey. Thomas Goldver, the father, was present and told the court he was willing to Whip the lad. The boy was led into the detention room and given" a dozen or more lashes. The Whipping was done with an old bicycle tire which had been cut into long strips and which has the same effect «g a xat-o’-nine tails. Biggest Indiana Woman Dead. Mrs. Lida Groycraft, the largest woman in Indiana, died suddenly at her home in Russiaville, aged 32 years. She was sitting at a table with her husband, Joseph Greycraft, playing dominoes, when she fell from her chair dead. Her weight was about 550 pounds. A coffin had to be constructed especially for her, the largest casket obtainable being too small ror the body. She was a daughter of George Unger of Middle Fork, a family noted for large physical proportions. 1 Kills His Wife and Himself. Alfred Gregory, aged 36, a farmer living near Winslow, fatally shot his wife and ended his life by shooting himself through the heart. The husband and wife have not lived happily for the last year. Gregory left a note in which he said his life was one of torment find he wanted to die. Six children survive the parents. Gregory owned one of the largest farms in Pike Comity and belonged to several sccret societies. Church at Lafayette Burned. The newly erected St. Paul’s Church at Lafayette was completely gutted by fire. The fire started from an explosion in the furnace room, due to escaping gas. The janitor had just left the building when the explosion occurred. The building was mortgaged for SI6,(XX). The loss will be about $35,000, with $20,000 insurance. Nothing was saved. Farmers Heirs to $4,000,000. Zachariah and Frederick Sheneman, farmers of Liberty township, have been informed by their attorney that they are heirs to a $4,000,000 estate at Berlin, Germany. Within Our Border*. Muncie labor union members are preparing to erect a temple of labor, to cost about $50,000. Marvin H.. Cook, aged 31 years, died at New Albany of lockjaw, caused by a slight bruise on a finger. The Hon. C. E. Shively of Richmond will deliver the commencement day address at Hanover College, of which he is a graduate. Lee Miller and Charles Hill of Sullivan went hunting and Miller was accidentally shot by his companion, who carried a Flobert rifle. Robert Mansfield, formerly of the Marion Morning News and' now consul at Zanzibar, has secured a leave of absence and is on his way home. John Hare and Alvah Warner, Wabash County farmers, were badly hurt by the bursting of a circular saw which they were operating on Hare’s farm. The Sheedy Oil Company has been organized at Montpelier, with SIO,OOO capital. J. F. Brotherton is president; U. H. Alexander, vice-president; Frank Sheedy, secretary, and A. H. ■ Bonham, treasurer. The new Methodist Church at Chester has been completed ready for dedication, which will take place soon. The building is modern and .cost about $3,000. What will be known as the Eighteenth Separate Company, I. N. G., was organized at Greencastle with fifty-nine members. Maj. Muller of Indianapolis was mustering officer. The Howard County Agricultural and Driving Association, after lying dormant for two seasons, has been reorganized and will hold a fair the coming summer. There will be a race meeting July 23, 24and 25. The fourth section of a Panhandle freight train bumped into the third section ut Marion water tank. John Suherty, fireman of the third section, was thrown from the tender by the shock and painfully injured. Several' cars were wrecked. Miss Myrtle Daugherty of Chicago brought suit in the Kosciusko County Circuit Court against Neal Pinkerton, a farmer, charging breach of promise, and demanding SIO,(XX) damages. A judgment was given against Pinkerton for $1,475. Pinkerton now seeks to escape paying tlie judgment by tiling proceedings in bankruptcy. The judgment for breach of promise is the only debt set forth, and Pinkerton declares his assets to be only S2O, which is exempt. Kay Vaughn, brother of the treasure: of (lie Chicago and Southeastern Rail way, while makiug a trip over the road fell under the wheels and was futull} injured. At Ncwburg John Hungate and Felix Jackson came to blows iu a religious dispute. Jackson was struck over the bead with a gas pipe and killed. Hungate was arrested. The Greencastle,, League of Literary Clubs, with a membership of more than 250, has taken up the work of inculcating greater enterprise, to the end of the soI dial aud political hutlermcut of the city.

Privilege Extended to Unmarried Own* era of Property. Kentucky, which In 1845 made voter# of widows and spinsters who were holders of real estate, only followed! the footsteps of Maryland, which had done the same thing thirty years before. I have not the authorities at hand whieh would enable me to give exact dates, but about the year 1820 unmarried women who were holders of real estate to a given amount were entitled to vote, and did very generally exercise the right of franchise. In colonial days the States of the South generally made tfie ownership of property a requisite to the exercise of the right of franchise, while! the New England colonies generally made church membership a necessary qualification of the voter. Following the idea that only property holders should vote, It was a natural step to conclude that all property holders should vote. Maryland, therefore, decided that where the ownership of property was vested in a woman who bad not a busband to represent her she should be a voter. I have many times heard my grandmother tell of voting during the days of her widowhood and describe the manner of exercising the franchise in those dhys. There was but one voting place In tlie* county, and all electors were required to go to the county town % to cast their votes. She lived in the ® county of Talbot, and the voting place for the entire county was Easton, the county seat. There was no casting of a ballot, nor was the system like the viva voce vote which prevailed In Kentucky until a few years ngo. But the candidates for office sat in the election room, and each voter was expected to look them over and select one for whom he or she desired to vote, and the clerks made a record of the decision. Candidates for State offices were expected to have representatives In each county. These were leading people of the party to which the candidate belonged, and each one was expected to be well qualified to discuss the merits of the candidate he represented. In those days the elections lasted four days In order to give ample time for every one to get to the voting place. Some time late In the ’4os the spirit of progress required a sweeping away of the barriers which the property qualification had set up, and a constitutional convention decided In favor of giving the ballot to every white male voter who had reached the age of 21 years. As the right of a woman to vote was based on the Idea of property qualification, when that was swept away she lost the ballot I merely recall this fact to show that Maryland, which was the first colony to guarantee religious liberty to all her people, and which took the first steps toward securing the present Constitution of the United States, was also the first to give the ballot to woman.—Boston Transpript.