Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 79, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 May 1904 — INDIANA INCIDENTS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA INCIDENTS.

RECORD OF EVENTS OF THE PAST WEEK. Mystery in Mnncie Man’s Death—New Electric Line Planned Bereavement Unseats Father’s Season—Two Lose Lives on Railroad Tracks. The fact that the mysterious man killed at Jacksonville, 111., is Milton D. Seller 'of Muncie has been established. The dead man was identified by his brother, John D. Seller, as well as his brother-in-law, Samuel Leonard. The theory that he was murdered is accepted by both the brother and father of the dead man. They claim that they received a letter from the dead man a few days ago from Oklahoma, in which he informed them that he would be home within a short time and that he had been very successful in the West. He Intimated that he had plenty of money and informed relatives ill Kansas that he was going to St Louis to see the world’s fair before returning home. It has been learned that he spent several days in the world’s fair city, and that he started for his home in Muncie.

Plans New Electric Line. William L. Sonntag, father of the traction lines in southern Indiana, has organized a company to build an electric line from Evansville to Rockport, a distance of fifty-eight miles. Mr. Sonntag was until recently general manager of the Evansville and Princeton Traction Company. He organized the company and induced eastern capitalists to build the road. The line was the first traction road built in southern Indiana south of Terre Haute. Mr. Sontag says th© Evansville and Rockport traction line will be financed in a short time and work on the road will begin early this summer. Sad Father Runs Amuck. Immediately after returning from the funeral of his favorite son, Michael Riley, a well-known Peru business man, attempted to kill his brother, Edward, and in jso doing seriously wounded Thomas Auger, who was passing. A bullet entered Augur’s foot, necessitating amputation. The death of his son has weighed heavily upon Michael Riley’s mind. He was arrested, but not taken to Jail, as it is feared he might try suicide, two jail prisoners having killed themselves within the week. Deed of an Insane Man. O. E. Vinson, a patient at the Eastern Indiana Hospital for the Insane, killed himself in Richmond by jumping in front of a passenger train. His body was badly mangled. Vinson was 25 years old and was an epileptic. He worked about the hospital grounds as a gardener. He had been despondent because of belief that he could not be cured. h ___________ From Sleep to Fatal Injury. J. W. Strange of Westville, S. C.. walked in front of a Pere Marquette passenger train at Michigan City and received fatal injuries. He had gone to the station to take the train and wandered on to the track in an apparently dazed condition, having been asleep. All Over the Btate. f Mrs. A. F. Alexander at Franklin wag horribly burned Dy a gasoline stove and died. Mrs. Daisy Markin at Terre Haute, who carried the body of her husband in a room to show the mourners “how nice he looked,” was adjudged insane. Joseph Osterllng, 60 years old, a wellknown Milroy farmer, committed suicide by cutting his throat. He lost his sight a few years ago, and there were family dissensions. The Valparaiso City Water Company has sold its plant tn the Valparaiso Home Water Company for $95,000. The new company agrees after a period of twenty years to turn it over to the city for SIOO. Mrs. Allen Stevens of Eagletown became ill after breakfast, and a doctor found that she had been poisoned by coffee which had been left in the pot over night, the vessel having a copper bottom. She will recover. William Knott of Terre Haute fell from a boat while setting a trout line in Wabash, and was drowned. 'After an unavailing search for hours the trout line was pulled in, bringing the body caught on a hook. William Long, a pearl hunter of Cleveland, who has been working along the Mississinewa river, near Marion, for about two weeks, has found a number of valuable pearls in mussel shells. One Is said to be valued at SI,OOO. At West Heights Park a horse drawing a surrey in which were John Waterman, his wife and four children became frightened and ran away. The buggy was overturned and Clara Waterman, 10 years old, was ’ stantly killed. All of the occupants v severely bruised. Mrs. Seth Jo < of Elkhart, club woman and church worker, started a movement which resulted in the passage of an “anti-epitting” ordinance. The other day the ordinance went into effect, and Mr. Jones, her husband, was the first person arrested for violating it. JVilliam V. Cleveland, a patient at the "central insane hospital in Indianapolis, was being bathed by an attendant, assisted by another patient. The attendant 4 left the room for n moment and while gone the insane assistant put Cleveland in the bath tub, turned on the hot water and scalded him to death. The Farmers’ nnd Merchants* Bank has organized in Elkhart with the following officers: President, Col. Thomas Snell; first vice president, T. T. Snell; I second vice president. Dr. 8. M. Cum- ! mins; cashier, M. U. Demarest. It Is a State bank, with a capitalization of SIOO,OOO. The new institution will occupy the defunct Indiana bank building. A tombstone shipped recently from New Albany to Elisabeth, to rest over the grave of Elmer Brown, bore an unusual epitaph. Brown was killed ten months ago by Walter Hall on the Kentucky side of the Ohio river, about ten miles below New Albany, and Hall was acquitted on the grounds of self-defense-The inscription’on the stone is as follows: “Elmer Brown, born December 12, 1873. Was murdered by Walter HalL July 9, 1003. Wengeance is mine, t will repay, salth the Lord.’ *’ Ths stonn - s was ordered by the mother of young Brown.