Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 21, Number 93, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 August 1900 — RECORD OP THE WEEK [ARTICLE]

RECORD OP THE WEEK

INDIANA INCIDENTS TERSELY TOLD. Decrease of Activity in Oil Fields— Blow with Fist Kills an Old Man —Train Taken by Tramps— Fatal Powder Explosion in Brazil. The Indiana oil field report fQr July shows a marked deerease in. the number of new wells being drilled. One reason given is that producers are beginning preparations for winter and another is s the price of junk and other material used about a well is at least 50 per cent higherthanthe priceof oil justifies. There is a falling off of 44 per cent iu drilling wells and 59 per cent iu new derricks building, or, therefore, 103 less new wells in progress for the beginning of August than there was for July 1. This means that about 200 laborers are out of work. The decrease in new work is divided equally among all districts. . Old Man Killed by a Blow. Rariden Meek, aged 77, a well known and highly respected citizen of Wayne County, met a violent, death and George Jenkins and William Gates, residents of Richmond, and both married men, are now locked up in the local jail as a result. It seerps that Gates and Jenkins were out in search of blackberries and while thus engaged went on to the land owned by Meek. The old man saw them and went out to order them off. A dispute followed and one of the men struck Meek, his death following almost lyTramps Flag a Train, —-A gang of tramps flagged a Chicago and Southeastern freight train at Lapel and when it stopped boarded the train and took possession. Iu a fight which ensued Conductor Lambert was badly beaten. A brakeman jumped from the train and went to Lapel, where he telegraphed the Anderson police. The tramps, to avoid arrest, however, compelled the engineer to let them off near the city limits and escaped to the woods. Boys Play with Powder. In Brazil four boys, ranging in age from 15 to 19 years, were fearfully burned by an explosion of a keg of powder with which they were playing. The injured, were John Mattri, John Scabber, Roily Forrester and James Ambrose. Mattri died of his injuries and Scabber and Ambrose are not expected to liye, as they are burned so badly that flesh falls from portions of their bodies. State News In Brief. Epidemic of dysentery at Muneie. Pink eye prevalent about Milford. Anderson has a “Jack, the hugger.” Smallpox iu, thirteen Indiana counties. Mrs. D. A. Julian, Muneie, died of measles. Fine crop of oats around Hagerstown ruined by rain. Hereafter Muneie merchants will have to close on Sunday. A Kokomo canning factory has canned 1,000,000 quarts of peas. Mrs. A. E. Grove, Laporte, met an old lover and became insane. Two Marion women, infatuated with the same man, fought in a store. Residence of Ollie Frazier, Elwood, vfrecked by natural gas explosion. Itev. Daniel Shively, Peru, a Dunkard minister of national reputation, is dead. . Richard Boggs, 23, Patriot, caught in belt in a planing mill and instantly killed.. D.* M. Snyder, Peru, found his parents in Laporte, after twenty-five years’ separation. Mrs. Mary B. Wilson, 81, Shelbyville, is dead. She was the mother of thirteen children. Andrew Carnegie has given a $3,000 pipe organ to St. Paul’s M. E. Church, Lafayette. Emmett Brown, aged 19, a prominent young man of Waterloo, was instantly killed by a Lake Shore fast train. After robbing the postoffiee at Young America, the thief hid $127 worth of stamps under a porch, while he entered a store, where he was frightened away. The stamps were found. In Evansville Louis Awenius; 27 years old, went home the other night and before retiring said to lus sister: “I hnve had three fights to-night and don’t feel well.” At noon the next day his sister went to call him and found him dead. Doctors say death resulted from blows on the body. John Franks, a Noble township farmer, was swindled out of $2,500, Two men, who registered ns W. H. Harris of Indiana and W. C. Brown of Hamilton, Ohio, visited Franks for the ostensible purpose of buying his farm, telling him he must produce $2,500 to prove his responsibility. Franks put his money into a satchel. The men were to put $5,000 in another. They switched satchels and Franks got a bundle of paper. The last few nights a stranger has been going to the home of the widow Lemasters, south of Sbelbyville, and after knocking on the weather boarding with a club disappearing. Indignant residents hnve gathered each night at the Lemns; ters home and watched with shotguns for the intruder, who defiantly continues his visits without harm. One night the neighbors encircled the house with wire on which was a bell that would ling on the mysterious visitor running against it. This proved futile, as the man removed the bell, bombarded the house and disappeared." A few nights later Mrs. Lemnsters heard a noise in the rear yard and opening a door suddenly was confronted by a man. who ran behind a tree. The woman called to the men on watch on the inside, and as she did so the intruder hurled a stone at her, knocking her senseless. A mass meeting at Logansport demanded that the Council grant no franchise to the Central Union Telephone Company that does not protect the people’s rights. Miss Laura Munsell, 00 years old, was struck by a Pennsylvania suburban train directly In front of her residence in New Albany, nnd received injuries which caused her death an hour later. The hotly of Carrie Holdseraper, German, 20 years old. was found in a shallow pond near Somerville. The body had the appearance of having been In the water about twenty-four hours. She left her home to pick blackberries.