Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 36, Number 101, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 12 August 1904 — RECORD OF THE WEEK [ARTICLE]

RECORD OF THE WEEK

INDIANA INCIDENTS TENSELY TOLD. •£' . • Murder Attempted Through Viper** Bite—Searching Boy Finds Parents by Accident—Woman Convicts Husband of Murder.A viper’s bite was the means relied on by an unknown enemy to assassinate Charles Norris at his home near Jeffersonville. The intended victim of the attempt owes his escape to Mrs. J. Dona hue, an early'rising neighbor, who called him to his telephone just after daylight to tell him that, in passing, she had seen an enormous snake on the front gate at the Norris home, and that the family must use caution in approaching the fence or one of them would surely be bitten. Hurrying out, Norris found that a three-foot spreading viper had been securely fastened -to the gate timber by a nail through the talk The reptile was in such a position that It could not be seen from inside the gate, and any on* approaching must certainly have been bitten ns he put his hand on the latch. Norris killed the snake, and is endeavoring to learn who was responsible for th« attempt on his life. Find* Parents by Chance. After an absence of over thirteen .years, most Of which time he spent in searching for liis parents, John Bunker by the merest accident recognized his brother, Elmer Bunker, on the street in I.ogansport and learned that his parents live in that city. Nearly fourteen years ago Bunker run away from the home of his father, Lewis Bunker, in Chicago, but after an absence of a few years he began to long for homo and parents. When he returned to Chicago he could find no trace of them. The remainder of his wanderings were spent in a diligent search through the larger cities of the Lnited States and throughout the country of the middle West. At last, discouraged and about to abandon tho search, he was passing through Logansport for Chicago, when he saw and recognized his brother, who was a small child when he left home. Wife Convicts Husband. The jury in Samuel Sharp's case found him guilty of manslaughter and his sentence wHI be from two to fourteen years in State's prison for the murder of John Zimmerman. The conviction of Sharp was brought about by the evidence of his wife, who confessed that her husband, together with Hlle and James Eley, brothers, killed Zimmerman, who was caught in Mrs. Sharp’s company a month ago. Hile Eley is a former sweetheart of Mrs. Sharp and she vows that she will convict, both brothers at their trial. It develops that Hile Eley jilted Mrs. Sharp two years ago and she has boasted of getting even with him for marryiuf another woman. Poor Student Wins Honor. George Hamilton, a student of Earlham College, Richmond, has been awarded the Cecil Rhodes scholarship for Indiana. He was notified that he may enter Oxford College, Oxford, England, Oct. 1. Hamilton’s pluck won him Indiana’s honors in the Rhodes scholarship contest. He is a self-made student, being absolutely without financial resources. He worked for his three years’ tuition in Earlham College nnd by doing extra class work prepared himself for the Rhodes examinations, distancing all competitors. Slump in Saloon Business. There is a slump in the saloon business in Terre Haute, which may be due to the prospect of closer enforcement of the law under the incoming city administration, but in any event ten saloonkeepers have quit business rather than renew their city license, leaving a total of 200 in business, State Items of Interest. William Osborne was killed by a falling tree at Amboy. He left a family of nine children. Blaine Marshall, superintendent of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad during the Civil War, is dead at the age of 85. Chief of Police William 11. Funk and City Engineer J. V. Godman of Warsaw were asphyxiated by gas in a sewer they were inspecting. Adain Lehr, an Evansville furniture dealer, aged 55. took a dose of poison on the grave of his 15-year-old daughter in St. Joseph cemetery and died. The exael amount realized by the Elkhart women from the tag day soliciting of funds is $1,771. This will be used for the benefit of the Clark hospital. The largest barn In Shelby County, belonging to George W. Connor, with its contents and horses, mules and cattle, was destroyed by fire. The cause is thought to be spontaneous combustion of new hay. The South Peru packing house, owned by Stephen Tudor & Co. of Kokomo, and the two and a half story house belonging to Mrs. Emma Tudor, also of Kokomo, were destroyed k)V fire, entailing a loss of SII,OOO. The temporary insanity of Mrs. Thomas Wallin of Elkhart, cousin of the Into Secretary pf State Walter Q. Gresham, is attributed to excessive reading. She averaged one book a day. Iler recovery Is doubtful. Wililiam Pitts rtf Evansville, while sleeping was struck on the head with a hammer nnd his throat and face were slashed with a razor, llis wife is believed to have committed the deed, and she was arrested. John I>. Stack was perhaps fatally injured at Hammond by his son Mau/ico. The fnther came home intoxicated and started to choke hi* wife. The lad. in order to protect hie mother, struck his father with an ax, splitting hia skull. Stack is in the hospital and the physicians fear he pi ay die. A collision of .trolley cars on the interurban line, north of Terre Haute, resulted in a broken leg for motorman Brnzer, nnd an assault on the motorman and conductor of the other cpt by Italian laborer*, who held the crew to blame. High temperature, followed by abnormolly cool; precipitation deficient; wheat harvest finished, yield light, quality poor; clover and most timothy hay secured in good condition, crop fair; oat harvest begun, good harvest promised; corn mad* phenomenal growth, most laid by in good condition; apples and pears promts* fair crops; minor crops doing well