Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 37, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 April 1905 — RECORD OF THE WEEK [ARTICLE]

RECORD OF THE WEEK

INDIANA INCIDENTS TERBELY TOLD. Great Reduction in Acreage of Wheat —Cigarette Lav in Effect-Woman's Search for Parents Ends—Jealous Girl Sentenced for Life. The State statistician has figures that ■how alarming conditions in wheat production in Indiana, indicating that it will soon cease to be important. The acreage has fallen to one-third of what it usually wasu In Howard county there are but 1,000 acres sown in wheat, against 8,000 in previous years. Tipton county produced 17,057 acres of wheat in 1903. The yield was 240,811 bushels. The following year 2,837 acres were sown and a yield of 24.094 harvested. This year there are only about 000 acres in the entire county in wheat. Benton county produced 300,030 bushels of wheat in 1900. The grain averaged twelve bushels to the acre, but the two years' following interest in the growing of this grain waned so much that for two years there has been scarcely any wheat grown in tlie entire county. The other counties, with the exception of Benton, have tried the production of wheat to about the same extent as, Howard county. For the last three years Benton county has been raising more than 80,000 acres of oats and about 100,000 acres of corn. Long Quest of Parents. After a quarter of n 'century of uncertainty as to what had become of her parents, and herself being mourned as dead by her relatives, Mrs. Clara Belle McKinnis. wife of William McKinnis of Logansport, through tlie assistance of the local authorities and court records, has finally succeeded in clearing up certain of her life mysteries. Her parents were Joseph and Harriet E. Culp, who. after she had attained tlie age of 3 years, became separated, tlie mother marrying Samuel App, an associate of John Condon, a noted turfman of Chicago, while the father moved to Columbus, 0., where he died a few years later. Shortly afterward tlie mother left App and went to Fort Wayne, where she committed suicide, tlie body being interred at Nappanee, where her father, John Daugherty, lived. Sounds Knell of Cigarettes. Gov. Hanly’s proclamation declaring in force the laws passed at the recent session of tlie Legislature was issued Saturday, and with its publication the anticigarette law became effective. Under its provisions any dealer having cigarettes or cigarette paper in his possession is liable to fine and imprisonment. In many cities of tlie State merchants engaged in tlie wholesale burning and throwing away of left-over stocks of cigarettes and cigarette papers. Cigarette smokers are preparing to get their supplies from other States by mail or express. It is understood the tobacco trust will carry the law to tlie Supreme Court on a question of its constitutionality* Life Sentence for Girl. In Logansport Blanche Mitchell was found guilty of the murder of Ella Swisher and sentenced to life imprisonment. Miss Mitchell shot Miss Swisher in a roadhouse at Kenneth because Miss Swisher, when the bells were ringing in the new year at midnight of Dec. 31, 1904, threw her arms around Miss Mitchell’s sweetheart and gave him a NewYear’s kiss. Lay Stabbing to Preacher. A sensation was created in Lebanon when Rev. John Dodge, pastor of the Holiness church, was arrested charged with having stabbed Oscar Johnson, a member of his congregation, during a quarrel which arose during a meeting held to consider the advisability of allowing a negro to preach to the congregation. All Over the State, The Campbell Street school house at Evansville was set on fire by lightning and destroyed. Loss between $50,000 and $75,000. John McDonald attempted suicide by hanging himself in the barn near his home in Washington, lint as he swung himself into space the rope broke. Saloonkeepers and gamblers have organized to close the drug stores and stop all Sunday business if the police continue to enforce tlie liquor laws at Elkhart. When Lon \yatkins of Terre Haute tried to take his nephew from Samuel Stnkz’s saloon, the boy, under tlie influence of liquor, struck, him wit,b a rock, blinding him for life. Silk thieves are believed to have start ed a lire at Knightstowu, which destroyed tlie dry goods store of George Williams & Co., and the grocery of O. A. Morris, causing a loss of $93,000. Alois Miller, a junk dealer, who lias been buying plunder from small boys, was found guilty of receiving stolen property and sentenced to 180 days in jail and a fine of $-550 and costs at Fort Wayue. The general store of Bryan & Goble and tlie hardware store of Goble & Farr at Paragon were entered by robbers. Several hundred dollars' worth of merchandise was taken, together with the township school funds. Fred Harrison, aged 19, and Earl .MeKinstory, 22, of Fisher's Station, while driving across the Pennsylvania railroad track at tlie crossing of tlie Indianapolis pike, were struck and instantly killed by a north-bound express. Henry Wilson, aged 07 years, living near Richards, fell into an old dry well on his farm and remained there for thir-ty-two hours, lie suffered from hunger and exposure, but will recover. The well is in a field, away from the house. Rosa Hammond, aged 27, a farmer’s daughter, was perhaps fatally injured in n runaway at Elkhart. Her wedding day is set for\ May 1. Tlie call was issued for the State convention of the Buplist Young People’s Union to be held in La Porte Jnly 3-12. Fouc hundred delegates will attend. Because he was arrested in a questionable house in Muneie George Patterson, 18. a well-known young man, killed himself by swallowing strychnine. Patterson came to Mancie some time ago from Greencastle and was connected vyith the American rolling mills.