Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 40, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 January 1908 — Indiana State News [ARTICLE]

Indiana State News

MOBS “BUND PIGS” THAN BARS. Authorities of Clinton Buev Running Down Violators of Liquor Law. Court developments Showed That while Clinton has forty-nine saloons, the town and country nearby supports half a dozen “blind pigs” to every saloon. The authorities are kept busy running down clews and making arrests. The ingenuity of these violators would furnish material for criminologists. A favorite device is the boarding house rilse, in which the proprietor furnishes beer to his boarders. A strip of .paper is tacked to the wall, with the name of each- boarder on it. Each boarder hek?s himself to the beSr, putting down on the paper what he has drunk. This is charged up to him, the boarding house keeper collecting each pay day. In the Italian, quarter nearly every house has a “blind pig.” Even the saloon men have rooms fn which intoxicants are dispensed on Sundays and after hours. In one street secret tunnels, leading from basements beneath saloons, reach basements under private dwellings, thus making it easy ’to get supplies for Sunday drinks. ATTORNEY KILLS HIMSELF. .Worry Over Son’s Disgrace Causes the Deed. Suffering from a broken heart, caused by sorrow over his son’s disgrace, Ira C. Hoops, 60 years old, a wealthy attorney of Kokomo, committed suicide at his home. Unobserved by members of his family, Mr. Hoops entered the parlor, made a pillow of his overcoat, lay down before the grate and fired a shot from a 32-caliber revolver into his right temple. The bullet passed entirely through his head and killed him instantly. Mr. Hoops had been cast down and unconsolable for several months and his grief was pitiable. Last March his son, Richard Hoops, who was a student in the Lake Forest university, was arrested for robbing homes of millionaires in Evanston, 111., and confessed his guilt, but was not prosecuted because it was represented that, when a boy, he had met with an accident which might have led to kleptomania. "N HUNT TIGER IN INDIANA FIELDS. Army of Thousand Search for Animal Escaped from Menagerie. Nearly 500 men and boys, armed with guns, revolvers, pitchforks, clubs, hatchetc and knives, are engaged in an exciting hunt for a tiger that has been destroying bogs and other animals near Petersburg. Women and children have been terrorized by the beast. The tiger seems to he afraid of persons, but does not run from dogs that try to interfere with its depredations. Three dogs that gave battle to the animal were so badly injured that they were, killed and several others have been maimed and torn. The general fear of the animal has caused the people to turn out to bunt it down. It is believed that it escaped from a menagerie. So great is the excitement that parents have withdrawn their children from the schools.

KILLED BY FALLING SLATE. Pit Bose Loses Life While Examining Condition of Mine. Lon Ragsdale was crushed to death by falling slate in tbe Fiimore mine, near Sullivan. He was tbe pit boss and he bad gone through tbe mine to inspect timbers which tbe miners said were rotten and were likely to loosen at any time. While engaged in this work the slate fell. lie was 42 years old, a man of family, with his home at Washington. State Troops Leave Mancie. The five companies of the Indiana National Guard remaining in Mnncie left for their homes Friday. Muncie is now without military protection. The troops were ordered there Jan. 4, when martial law was declared on account of disturbances in the strike of the street railway employes. Liked Blind Bov’s Music. Inspired by the manner in which Clarence Clark, a 19-year-old blind boy, played the organ in the North Hide Mission Sunday school at Crawfordsville. Mrs. Julia Iloefgen of Crawfordsville. left him SSOO as a legacy. Hhe died a few days ago. Clark is a student at tbe Hcbool for tbe Blind. Forbid Carriages ia Polls. In addition to forbidding candidates to treat during the coming campaign, the Wayne County Republican central committee has decided to refuse to permit the use of conveyances to get the voters to the polls. Will Live Without Stomach. Physicians have taken out the stomach of Mrs. Minerva Porter of Evansville, aged 38, and connected tbe esophagus with the little intestine. Hhe will live. Tbe woman suffered from cancer of tbe stomach. Train Pluagsu from Trestle. An engine on the Southern railway plunged from a 90-foot trestle at Corydoo Junction, and Engineer Clarence Dunham, Fireman W. 11. Hcott sod Brakeman Frank Carter were killed. , . BRIEF STATE HAPPENINGS. Fire at Otwell destroyed a barn owned by Joseph liensey, together with hay and grain, causing $1,500 loan. While hunting near Evansville William York, farmer, was instantly killed by the accidental discharge of a gun in tbe hands of a companion. The open winter ia beginning to show it* effects on the winter wheat, which has bean dsamged. Disced* snow and unless that is forthcoming tbe crop will be a failure around St. Post.