Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 February 1905 — INDIANA INCIDENTS. [ARTICLE]

INDIANA INCIDENTS.

RECORD OF EVENTB OF THE PABT WEEK. Manslaughter Is Verdict in Douglas Case—Head and Arms of Woman Found in Quarry—Charges of Fraud in Kokomo Council. After a unique defense in court in La Porte, Joseph Douglas of Gettysburg, Pa., was found guilty of manslaughter and was sentenced to twenty-one years in the State prison. Douglas entered Owen Wilson’s saloon at South Bend, aftd while seeming to be casually examining a revolver discharged the weapon, fatally wounding Wilson. William Johnson, the bartender, testified to seeing Douglas aim at Wilson and shoot a second time. Douglas’ defense was that the shooting was accidental and that the seeond shot was due to excitement #Ver the first. The State maintained that Douglas shot Wilson deliberately because of trouble over a girl whom Wilson had married three days before. It was also contended that Dougins intended to rob Wilson, who at the time of the shooting was counting the day’s receipts.

Frand Charges Stir Town. The attacks of Councilmen W. S. Armstrong and H. 11. Stewart upon the metropolitan police law and the Kokomo board In the Kokomo Common Council, aas occasioned an uproar Which will be carried to the Indiana Legislature and to Gov. Hnnly. Councilman Stewart openly and boldly charged the majority members of the board, V. D. Ellis and G. P. Wood, with having received hush money for the protection of saloons and gaffiblers and various forms of disobedience to the law. The sequel was the adoption of a resolution by the Kokomo Council demanding of the Indiana Legislature the repeal of the metropolitan police law, so far as Kokomo was concerned.

Grewsome Discovery at Anderson. The finding of the head and arms of ft woman in a gravel pit at the end of Morton street has cruised a sensation in Anderson, and the coroner and detective force of the city are investigating. It was at first thought the parts of the body may have come from a physician's office, but there is no evidence that they were ever in “pickle,” and the first theory lias been"abandoned. Two of the'fingers' show that rings were recently worn and one finger is missing, presumably being cut off to get the ring which it wore. The parts were but slightly decomposed, but it is thought that they had been in the gravel pit several months.

Accused Matron Is Dismissed. After an investigation into the cruel treatment alleged to have been practiced upon Margaret Forbes, an escaped inmate, by Mrs. Minnie Jenner, one of the field agents for the Indiana Industrial School for Girls in Indianapolis, the board of control at its monthly meeting asked for Mrs. .Tenner's resignation, which was at once presented and accepted. Mrs. Jenner was sent to Port Huron, Midi., last week for Margaret Forbes, who had escaped. Mrs. Jenner, it is changed, manacled the girl’s hands behind her back. Gov. llanly asked for u thorough investigation.

Cruel Husband in Raw's Grip. Acknowledging in a divorce suit his wife’s charge that he-once had attacked her with a rar t or, Frank I’efHey of Goshen was surprised whi n Judge Dodge turned on him, and, after scoring him severely, ordered a warrant sworn <|t charging him with attempted murder. He will he prosecuted. Within Our Borders. Frank Odell, aged 23. was killed by falling on an icy sidewalk in Terre Haute. The 2-year-old son of Tona Fluhrer of Booneville was fatally burned by falling into an open grate. John Pettit, an ex-C'onfederate soldier, froze to death on the CTinton-Paris gravel road. He was 05 years old. The grain elevator of Marion Million at I.ake Cicott was destroyed by fire with all its contents, together with a car load of corn on the siding. The loss is SIO,OOO, insurance $5,000. The fire started from friction of the elevator pulley. Howard St rone, aged 18 years, in jail in Kokomo for uttering forged checks, and who when arrested had six other forged documents in his pocket, claims Chicago as his home. Strone’s good looks and fine clothes enabled him to succeed iu fooling experienced merchants. John Waltz, a prominent Hammond business man, was probably fatally injured in a runaway accident. Waltz lost control of his horse, and his wagon was dashed into a telegraph pole. The driver was thrown over the liorse to the sidewalk nail his back was broken. After working for fourteen years in a vain effort to perfect a lioii-refniable bottle John Joyce, a glassworkor, formerly a broker in Chicago, has become violently insane and lias been removed to a private sanitarium in Indianapolis. Seven men were required to handle Joyce, when he was taken to prison. Joyce obtained a pitchfork and, imagining tlint all persons wore trying to kill him. created a reign of terror in Whitely until locked in a stable.

A jury in tin 1 Circuit Court in La Forte acquitted Edward Schaefer of South Chicago of arson. Schaefer, however, was rema’.ided to jail to await trial on six other counts charging the same crime. The State declares that it will try Schaefer on each of the six counts. Seven tires in two townships of La Porte county caused the death of horses and cattle and a property loss of $20,000. Residents of those townships declare that if Schaefer returns they will rise and drive him away. James F. Davis and .1. W. Conn, horse dealers in Lafayette, were instantly killed by a Wabash passenger train at West Point.

Byron Sullivan, 0 years old, fell down the basement stairs at a public school building in Washington -and dislocated his neck. Miss Carrie Gray, teacher in the public school at Flat ltock, was called fry in her boarding house by Mrs. D. J. Hawkins and lashed with a rnwhifle until sha fell in a faint. The teacher had punished Ray, the 12-year-old son of Un, li aw id us.