Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 22, Number 35, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 January 1901 — INDIANA INCIDENTS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA INCIDENTS.

RECORD OF EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK. Crime Found in Canal Bed —New Mail Routes to Be Passed Upon—Park at Nancy Hanks' Grave — Father Declared Innocent of Murder. With the passing of the last vestige of the old Wabash and Erie canal there has been brought to light evidences of one of the many tragedies that have occurred along its banks. Workmen employed' in excavating along the only remaining stretch of towpath in Pike County unearthed the bones of a man and woman. It is believed that the find explains the mystery that surrounded the sudden disappearance of Lillian O’Ryan and her sweetheart, Patrick Toole, almost fifty years ago. The story is that fifty years ago they took a walk together, that she refused to marry him and that he killed her and himself. They both mysteriously disappeared. A plain gold ring with the initials “L. R.” engraved on it served to identify what remained of Lillian O’Ryan and a rusty dagger near by shows how she met her death.

New Indiana Mail Routes. In this State alone there are more than 500 petitions on file for the establishment of free rural mail routes, and word has. come from Washington that action will be taken on these petitions within the next sixty days. Indiana has been well looked after in the rural postal service, scores of- routes being established in various parts of the State during the last six months. Some time ago it was stated that the department at Washington would decline to grant more routes for Indiana until the system had been introduced in numerous other States that had not been so well looked after. It appears, however, that it has been decided to extend the system all over the country and Indiana is not to be neglected. Is Now Indiana’s Property. After many years of effort the grave of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, mother of Abraham Lincoln, is now the property of the State. Gov. Mount has received the deed for>the ground in the immediate vicinity of the grave in Spencer County in behalf of the Nancy Hanks Memorial Association. The ground is to be turned into a park and a custodian will be put in charge and much beautifying done.

Father Acquitted of Murder. The jury in the trial of W. H. Fuller on the charge of murdering James Tower at Vernon brought in a verdict of acquittal after having been out twenty-six hours. The ease was tried twice before, the jury each, time disagreeing. Tower was a school teacher at Brewersville, and March 10 last punished Fuller’s daughter. A quarrel followed in which Tower was shot and killed. Fatal Wreck on the Bisr Four. A passenger train on the Big Four road traveling at the rate of fifty miles an hour ran into an open switch at Anderson. The engine fell on its side and the cars left the track. John Crite, the engineer, was killed, and John Bates, the fireman, of Wabash, seriously hurt. None of the sixty passengers was injured. Cracksmen Blow a Safe. The postofflee at Wellsboro station, on the Pere Marquette and Baltimore and Ohio railroads, was entered about noon and the safe blown open nnd robbed of a large quantity of stamps. There Uus no money in the safe. The robbers escaped. ’ The job is credited to Chicago safe blowers.