St. Joseph County Independent, Volume 22, Number 37, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 3 April 1897 — Page 3

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Ml (A -~~7■/ The central Mississippi region, embracing some of the richest farm lands of Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Tennessee, has been transformed into a great inland sea. Six thousand square miles of territory are under water, forming a monster and dreary panorama <f ruin and misery. Farms, villages and <?veu small cities are completely submerg<sL Several hundred human beings have probably perished in the flood. Thousands have been carried to Memphis and other

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places of safety by Mississippi steamboats . which pick their way among the tree tops. ■ while other thousands still cling to their homes and refuse to leave. Beds, stoves and other furniture have been carried to the roofs and there these stoical people eat and sleep ami sigh as they wait for the waters to fall. In many cases, chick- ; ens. pigs and cows are with them on the housetops. Should the waters rise to where they are encamped these stoics will build rafts, encamp on them ami drift whither the winds and currents carry them. Then, indeed, will the death list be swelled to appalling figures. But the , prospect is not so dismal, for the waters ! are falling. Though worse may come, existing con- : ditions are bad enough. From Cairo, 111.. : to Memphis, a distance of nearly 250 . miles, the river is over its banks and the average width of submerged land is twen-ty-five miles. It is a long line of blackness and despair, with the surface of the muddy waters covered with floating timbers, wrecked houses, eddies of bloated dead animals, with an occasional lifeless human being mixed with the debris. Here ami there is a mound or housetop. On some of the latter are found suffering, half-starved human beings and on the former small groups of shivering animals, wild and tame. It is not an uncommon thing to see cattle, hogs, sheep, coons, rabbits, deer and bears thus herded together. The Mississippi is a cruel stream and never a spring passes that does not see it 1 leave its banks and overflow the lowlands. These lands are mostly devoted to the cultivation of wheat ami corn in the central section ami < otton and sugar in Louisiana 4tnd Mississippi. Above Memphis there are no levees to speak of. There are a few, but they are as chaff when the big floods come. Tennessee is but little affected even at the highest stages of the river. Tile banks on the left are high and are supported by rocky hills that creep up almost to the river's edge. The volume of 1 water is therefore thrown with all its ter- i rible force to the unprotected sides of Arkansas’ territory, backing up the smaller rivers and streams, causing them to overflow the lakes, thus creating an inland sea that adds new territory to its cruel waste hour by hour until the entire surplus waters of the north have gone to 1 Join the salty waves of the southern seas. A few weeks ago the snows began to melt in the Alleghany and Rocky mountains, and this, with the spring rains, caused the little mountain streams to pour great volumes of water into the Missouri, Ohio and Cumberland rivers. These, in turn, swelled the Mississippi into a turbulent torrent, and the waters broke through the levees between Cairo and Memphis and caused a tlwd greater than has been known in five years. Ab soon as the reports roadbed Memphis and other joints, relief boats were sent out to bring the half-drowned people to *>laces of safety. Government boats were

ordered out by the War Department. 'Thus thousands were saved who might have perished from hunger and cold. Nearly 10,000 persons were carried to Memphis alone. Not all the villages, however, are ; deserted. From some of them, which stand on high ground, and where the water runs through the streets at a depth of , only a few feet, none of the residents have departed, but make the best of the situation by plying about in small boats. Some of the scenes are graphically described by a writer who covered the entire section when the water was at its highest, on a steamer, which made its way slowly over the vast body of water, and stopped wherever human beings were in sight to pick them up. Me says: "In this body of water are occasional spots formed by what under normal con i ditions are lofty bluffs and high ridges of ; land. On these are gathered the popula- I lion for miles alxmt, sleeping and living I in the open air or beneath the meager pro ! I tection of a hit of canvas hoisted above ■ 1 them on strips of lumber or rough drift- I wood snatched from the encircling waters. < Hunger, sickness, privation, loss of life I and property abound. Hundreds of these ' i Southern settlers remain in the inundated j districts and battle stubbornly with the i resistless waters, clinging tenaciously to । ; their few belongings, and loth to leave the j ~ 7—

old spots which have become endeared to them. "Hundreds of other-i view with indiflt cnce the rising waters, and remuve from first floors to second floors, and at last to floating rafts mid slowlt withdraw to higher points, only to be again pushed back. The apparent indifference of sum,of these people is astounding. They have always lived in the same spot, ami whm offers are mnde to remove them to pln< ■ s of safety, they shake their heads and re fuse to be aided. With sacks of corn carefully preserved, and w ith an occasion al rabbit or bird, they eke out a scant ex istence. To them n place of safety is a strange land in which they have no km dred, and where existence can only be so cured by exertion. They have passed through other periods of flood and manau ed to ‘live through it somehow,' and tin* 'most graphic description of the b.irrors to come fails to move them. '’Die water will drap bimeby,’ they say. "The situation is worst about fifty miles above Memphis. There tin water stretches ns far ns the eye can see. It is nearly forty miles across at this point. Little •

V ' L ~ **^l. ~ _ "" — ' 1 r ' """ ss- v - '■ -a -^'^4 vIBt j; » !_, Xr ’ [K-i-A . I -— Si . , r SCENES ALONG THE RIVER NEAR MEMPHIS.

settlements are indicated by the tops of rough board roofs, which protrude from the water, and which the boat passes slowly. On some higher points, men, women and children, cows, pigs, chickens, and even horses are to be seen huddled together and clustered about stoves, which have been carried out on roofs. A dugout canoe or two is usually pulled up beside these roofs, and the former occu-

pants lie basking in the sun, some blessing God for its warmth, while others grumble ami curse nature for the abundance of water. Some of the queerest sights to be seen arc where the settlers take to what they call the ‘scaffolding plan.’ Groups of lour or live houses stand among the trees, in which the stoves, rough beds ami a kitchen table are raised on scaffolds so close to the roofs of the houses that the occupants are obliged to stoop over as they stand on floating plat forms leaning over the stove or table. ,The women and chilliam tire forced to lie on tin, ] >e( ] while the head ol the house cruises about the vicinity and gathers driftwood to be dried and used for fuel.” I he flood ol 1892 destroyed growing crops and property to the value of $20,000,000. The present cannot be even approximately estimated, but it will far exceed that of five years ago. From St. Louis to (’airo, al! of that immense basin that was created by the earthquake fifty years ago, is deep enough to swim a steamboat. This section mnbraees a remarkably big part of the wheat fields of southern Illinois and Missouri. The submerged —. I - -ns, ' IN Tin: OUTSKIKTS OF I’ADrCAH, farms may be entirely useless for grain purposes for the remainder of the year. It takes growing wheat a long time to recover from a flood, however short the period may be that it has suffered. So if the Missouri and Illinois valleys are not inatantly drained the fall wheat crop there is gone. But it is south of ('airo ami cleat down to New Orleans where the real damage is now being done. That is

th j irt of th unit that lio nnpmfe, 'rd. where million- .J seres of fertile fields and liumio ds oi homes iHiouging to the laboring pt pb an absob.trh at ths mercy of th*' rcin*ir»eb »s y» .iters. KiMirko from the XX irce. I destroyed fl.- B low. ii, building nt llnm r, I’n. I • ss, ^siijm*i Au English st mb. ate is trying tn buy s< ven brvv' erirs in Dny ion <) nnd is said to have se< tired an opitou on sty of them for s3,(M*i,ti(«i tii'n Julio Snnguilly. tin Xmere iui citizt n recently released from Moro i ftsfl*, <'nba. whs given n public ret option in Philadelphia in the A-ademy of Music. The supreme council of the Order of Equity, with offices in Imlinnnpolis and operating in fifteen States, has faihsl. ha assets are 835.1 *h 1, and liabilities, $72,(M)0. A bill to compel respectful treatment for the United States ting was introduced in ollie House by Hepresentativo Howe of New York. It provide* flint any person , in the employ of the Government who ' shall utter words that reflect or cast re-

proach on the American flag, thereby showing disloyalty to the flag and the Government, from which they derive their livelihood, shall be immediately dismissed from the service. W illiam Dulles, who for eight years has been treasurer of the Presbyterian Church Board of Foreign Missions, has resigned on account of the excessive strain his work entailed.

: THE SUNDAY SCHOOL. — INTERESTING and INSTRUCTIVE LESSON. Reflections of un Elevating Character Wholesome Food for ThoughtStudying the Scriptural Lesson In> telligently and Profitably. L es ,on for April 4. theo°«? n | T® X a~“ Jeßns Christ maketh thee whole. —Acts 9; 31 work? leß “° n fOV i,S Peter »u r ach>B, and is found in Acts 9: noim ) ° r “ tUr " tO th ° "'"^•ive at the if nftcr tho converfit.lv ’ 2'” 1 ’ *be teacher should prob2 br,eHy thc ’ in umstam-es con- \ ^‘l that f ‘ VPllt - an<l should take ui> the incidents in Acts 9; 21 31; Saul’s preaching in Damascus, the plot against Uis lite his eS( . n p ( , j n a ], as | ;et | Pt ( ] n wn over the wall, his experience in Jerusalem, introduction to the apostles, preaching in •Jerusalem, and departure to Tarsus. The impertunt events of Saul’s life during the yearrfcovered by these few verses in Acts !/e niort* fully reviewed when we beagain to study about him; they arc led from scattered references in his les, especially Galatians. It is sutli t now to say that his journey to Jelem nttwmned in Acts 9: 20 was three 8 after his conversion, that is, in 39 iring those three years he had spent nsiderable time in retirement in AraThe persecution which began with attack on Stephen continued during the most of these throe years, as appears from 9: 31; but at the close of the period, “the church throughout all .Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace, being edified; and, walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, was multiplied." During all this period Peter had been one of the leading men at .Jerusalem; he and .James seem to have had great authority there, and it was to see I’eter and become acquainted with him that Saul had gone to .Jerusalem. It is not for some live years more that we hear much about Saul, and during those years Peter is still most prominent in the Acts, as he presumably was in fact. Ex plnnntory. "As Peter passed throughout all quarters": apparently on a journey of apostolic visitation of the ehurcht s, ns well as evangelization. "Lyddn”: This town was in the coast plain, a short distance southeast i of Joppa. Near the ancient site is to-day ; one of the stations on the Jaffa and Jem- ' salem railway. "The saints which dwelt i at Lydda” of course includes all Chris ' tian* there; for the New Testament use of the word “saint" is not restricted to . men of conspicuous piety, hut is applied to all disciples. "Jesus Christ mnkith thee whole"; it may be fanciful to find in this an advance ' in Peter’s character. When he was alsmt to hen) the lame man nt the B> nutiful Gate (Acts 3: ti he said. "Look on us." Here he sinks him.elf out of sight and cnHs attention to the |s,wer >f t’hrist in th" inir.i l> I and complete. Was this nan n believer i before his cure? If w ar. t • infer that ■Kc must Mnrinlwr thot »>•«• benefits of ' Rrirfed t ( , b. Lwr« But «■ . m hardly | s C CV..I e.^r i :ot ■ I fore bis m. Joppa wn« and til , . prm. •ds. a I port ~f Palestine I’ has 1 • nI. trie.r. l’ p.>MtM «n l .mail la ob.- Tiie 11.-b rn flame is afn tJnft - ’ l aloa 1 th < is th. Ara i» r. a« the <ir- .k. for "garoHe.” Wh.th.r th. na. - » . einted with mark. I U autv mid g; o "Lydda «a* 11 gh t ■ I miles Peter’s ! .me «as . . h n'.» e!ld throughout th. r. g Tearliitig I lit« There was nollm „ ■ al a' "it the htnliug of Eneas n t >d it is p rimps well |o tench It ns It ti P ii mr a. Ie an m f Hint Übistr.T. s tii.- te at ; prftbcNcw TesiHmrilt mna '• » their oh je. t beim: to display th. । . ;t p.. (. r of God for the mlvantng.- of suffering or nerdy turn, ami th. i. lo o. nth st the tm-ssngc «>f those pert rm. d them. The evidential value of mirn< )es is < ertainlj important, but it is mu their only ; value. The character of Tabitha, or Dorcas. ; though s<. slightly sk.-f.lied m this brief | narrative, i< one that has hud its inilu- ; encc on I’hristitin W'-manho I < ven in our day. Free from the .ans of a h us. hold, apparently, she gave her-, if to a ■ aelf-sacrifi. ing ministry tn the |s.or, a i ministry of the most prn. t'n al sort, pmvid , ing for the Itodily wants of widows and | children. If she had live ! to day, she | might have spent part of her time in ' “friendly visiting” for a charitable so- ie- j ty or in raising money for philanthropic purpos.s. As it was. sl.>- did what she j could, and received the reward of grateful affection. The word is I-tn r for such lives, and not many such fail of some human recognition, though it may be of a humble sort. Peter’* ministry was bro.ad, ning grad ^ualiy ns he traveled through Judeii, preaching to Jews but coming more or less ‘ in contact with Gentiles and witnessing i their need of the gospel. He was being prepared for the recepti n of the great truth, wbicjj he mwey ispcd quite so strongly as Paul, that Christ stands ready to save all men mi the same terms, "for there is no difference." The following lessons give further steps in that training. Next Lesson "Conversion of Cornelius." Acts I<>: 3(». 11. Eternal Love. The eternal love tireth not, the eternal wisdom knoweth the hearts of men. : and still t<> ns all cryeth very longing- j ly the Vole, of the Man of Sorrows, who is faithful to perform all he promiseth, “Come unto Mo. all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and 1 will give yon rest.” Some time ago Joshua I.evcring, of Baltimore, gave $10,9(i0 for a gymnasium for the Southern Baptist Theological Si minary In Louisville, Ky. At the formal opening of the building the other day Mr. Levering said: “I hold that a minister of the gospel, by reason of his calling and purpose to accomplish the most good, cannot afford to be less a man an all-round man—than his neighbor, and. therefore, he needs and should have the very best equipment.”

MYSTERY IN A SEWER. Partly Decomposed Remains of a ManDiscovered in a Basin. Murder, shrouded in as much mystery as that which enveloped the ease of Dr. Cronin, is tiie sensation now agitating the minds of the officials of the Cook County (Ill.) asylum nt Dunning, the police, and others who are or may be interested in the crime. 1- rom the catch-basin in the main sewer draining the grounds of the county institution. fifty feet from the main driveway and about 1,4) feet from the poorhouse, the headless body of a man was taken. In addition to the head the right forearm was also missing. M hen taken 1 rom the basin the corpse was in a state of advanced decomposition. The trunk above the waist was but a mere skeleton, and the internal organs of the body had entirely disappeared. Below the waist mortification was almost completed, and there was nothing left to disclose whether or not identifying marks had ever been placed upon the body. The appearance of the cadaver indicated that the head and forearm had either been torn or washed away, there being no signs of decapitation or severance by means of a knife or other instrument. M hen taken from its resting place the body was floating in ten feet of water, and the physicians who viewed it almost immediately after its release, are of opinion that it had been imprisoned for considernbly more than six months. No theory as to the cause of the death has been advanced by officials nt the Dunning asylum. and the jury of the coroner, under the direction of Deputy Reynolds, returned a verdict to the effect that the unknown person probably came to his death by drowning. 'I ln> motive for the crime is a mooted question, but that it is murder none of the officials doubt, although Superintendent Lange and his assistants have no theories to advance. A survey of the grounds, an examination ot the conditions and general characteristics of the surrounding territory lead those familiar with the situation in and about Dunning to advance three theories of murder. First, that the victim was an inmate of the poorhouse and*was disposed of by other inmates, either of the almshouse or insane ward. Second, that he was nn inmate of the poorhouse ami was killed by some keeper or keepers, and. third, that the body was brought to the pin -e from n distance and dropped into the catch basin. WARDEN OF JOLIET PRISON. Major R. W. McClatlghry at the Head of the Big Illinois I’cnitentinry. Major Robert W. Mcdaughry has resiimcd his old post ns superintendent of the Joliet penitentiary. Few penitentiary wardens in this country know as much of ]'em-'.<v as the major. 110 is the son of 11 fanner and spout his early life on the farm in Illinois, upon which he was born. \s a m- i-e lad he entered Monmouth (lollegs, ami was graduated from the institut- a; at 21 Then he t-mk his seat as a !• o her of l.ntin grammar, and resigned the p.-s:i;..;i to join the I nioti army. He r i-sod a • >mpaiiy ,>f his own and entered the war ns n , ip'Mn ~f volunteers. Soon afterward he beenme >< major and his < ar> .■ ,n fl:,, war was honorable -iml gallant. X-t.rdo wor t • 11.. .1 11.. Sion.. .l-.UMIi F,' SWenfew- \ \ // majoi; n. w. Mhi.ArGintr. Ing bn-o . ami made a success of it, but ..I-., it up ’ • s'udy law. He aban-d-m<d that study when he was made v .irdei of th., penitentiary in 1871. His v >ik in this line Ims gained him considerable prominence among those who are ,-erest, | in the prison question, and his aiio- s are l acerly songlit for by men in this calling. Major Met'lnughry, after !• aving Joliet, was employed in a I’ennsiiiania reform institution. I’nder Mayor XVa.shburnr of Chicago he was for two years chief of police, and became noted for the vigor with which he attacked gambling, more especially the notorious W.-st Side racing track, which he closed tip forever. He was later appointed superintendent of the Pontiac reform school, which position be still held when Gov. Tanner returned him to his old post at Joliet. Major M < laughrv is 62 vears dd. Notes of Current Events. M. Salis, founder of Le Chart Noir, is I dead at Paris. In anticipation of an increase in the American tariff Canadian distillers are shipping large quantities of whisky to the United States. Funeral services over Rabbi Ignatz Grossman of Detroit were held at the Temple Rodolph Sholom, New York. The edifice was filled with members of the congregation and friends from New York attd Brooklyn. The man recently arrested at Valley Mills, Tex., as Joseph Blanther, the San Francisco murderer, for whom a reward i of SIJXM) is offered, committed suicide by taking morphine in tiie county jail. He was teaching school at the time of his arrest and stood well in the community. He was formerly an officer in the Austrian army. Prince Eni Wha. who is expected to succeed to the throne of Gorea upon the death of his father, the reigning king, is at present restrained of his liberty by a band of Corean exiles in Yokohama with the fall knowledge and consent of the Japanese authorities. It is reported a German syndicate with a capital of 190,000,000 marks has undertaken to employ Krupp, the gunmaker, to build the warships which the Reichstag refuses, and that, they will place these at the disposal of the Government when the Reichstag from time to time votes rhe money for them in coming year*.

RECORD OF THE WEEK INDIANA INCIDENTS TERSELY TOLD. Old Man Who Has Never Been on a Train of Cars—Awkward Predicament of a News Agent—lnquiry Into Conduct of the Reform SchoolHas Led a Quiet Life. W illiain Ham of Alamo, who has just passed his eighty-seventh birthday, has never been more than seventeen miles from his home, has never been on the railroad ears and for sixty-five years has not. been absent from home a single night, occupying the same bed in the same room ail these years. H(* has never been in a barber’s chair and has not missed church in a half century. He has been a user of tobacco since he was 11) years old, but has never been in a saloon and says he has never used an oath. lie has not been in ( rawtordsville. the county seat of his county, for many years, because of his tear ot the railroad crossings. Thirteen .tears ago the Alamo hack was struck at. a crossing and its occupants killed, and since then the old man has refused to walk or ride over a railroad track. The ol I man is strong and does a full day’s work on his farm every week day. Investigating Charges of Cruelty. 1 he State Board of Charities held an investigation of the charges made by Otto IL ini of Terre Haute of cruel flogging of boys in the State reform school at Plainfield. Heinl was florist at the school sever:i 1 years ago. and told a story to the iioard of seeing a "house father” named Mayhew cruelly whip boys until lie scarred them. Superintendent Charlton said there had been a “house father” by that name, but that he had been dismissed long ago for vulgarity. The superinte.’jdent also admitted he had removed other employi s for cause. Many boys were brought before the board and said there is m> cruelty now. and that they had no complaint to make. Faints from Fright. Henry Kunert, an Indianapolis newspaper agent, was caught in an unfortunate predicai lent at Virginia avenue ami Maryland street, at the foot of the viaduct. He was driving his cart across the car tracks w h m he was caught between two cars going in opposite directions. He fainted from fr ght. jumping, however, before he became totally unconscious. He suffered a sprained back, but his injury is not serious. His wagon was demolished and the horse slightly injured. He was taken to the hospital, where his injuries were atten led to. All Over the State. 'I hirteen young women took the white veil at St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne. Rev. tffiphnnt M. Todd, a retired Presbxt rian minister, died at Richmond, aged 75. At Huntington. Hezekiah Johnson was killed by a • hicago and Erie train while walking along the track. Dnriiig a tight at La Faz between Jacob Leeds nnd Blni>«-hard Thomas. Leeds was fat illy stubbed and Thomas was shot and Snstamlj killed. Nelson Marr the ('hicago park pucker. will Income interested with an Indiana • ndi' :«• in the development of the sugar t" . t in | ;<ry ;i the Kankakee region. J !vi’ I’ ifield of tin- DeKalli ('ircuit Court, in an important decision just renT r <l. holds that township officials have a • leaal authority to issue ordei s which ate an overissue. This decision, if sustained by the higher courts, to which an ap; il will be taken, will Invalidate orders issued by township trustees where th.-re are not diiflieb nt funds to meet the obligat ion. Frank Sweigle. a workman at the Pennsylvania glass works. Anderson, broke his jaw while blow ing a gallon bottle. The aeeaiei t is one without a parallel in the history of glass m iking. Tim jaw bone, it ent', gaie way under the great pressure ot wind be was working up. The work r- very heavy and often men have bee 1 disabled at it, but no time has the jaw bone given way. The case is attracting much attention. 'I lie parents of Elva Hall, aged 10 years, placed her on the cars at X'andalia, Ark., for Linton, a mining town south of Terre Haute. She was tagged and a note pinned on her coat to her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Washingb 1 Morris. Since her departure from Arkansas the child has not been heard from. Circulars are being sent broadcast, and the railroad officials are trying to get trace of the girl. Ray Woods, the Anderson boy who left there last July for a trip around the world in two years, has abandoned the project. He has secured a good position in Dallas, Texas, and will hold it. He was meeting with splendid success and at the rate he was going would have made the trip all right and saved at least SI,OOO. He found it very hard work and disease added to the discomforts. “Woods is but 18 years old. He left Anderson w ithout a cent. The first tests of the now sheep shearing machines, which the Northwestern Railroad has introduced at its sheep yards at La Fox, 111., were made Wednesday afternoon. The tests were satisfactory, and those who have the process under their control consider that a complete revolution in the methods of sheep shearing in the United States will be brought about thereby within a very few years. The plant which the Northwestern company* has ready for operation consists of only ten machines, but a very large number will be put in so as to be ready as soon as the shearing season actively opens. The machine used is the ‘‘Wolseley,” invented in part by a nephew of Lord Wolseley and brought before the public by that nobleman himself. It has become the standard means of shearing in Australia, Tasmania, South America, and in all other large sheep raising countries. It is expected that 1.000,000 sheep will bo sheared by the machines this season in the Northwestern States. At Brazil, Thomas Bennett and William King were fatally injured by being thrown from a buggy. Mrs. Ella Payne, formerly of Valparaiso, was murdered by her husband at Monroe, La. Payne is under arrest. Members of John Goyer's family at Kokomo w *re poisoned in a peculiar manner Saturday. Nine persons were taken deathly sick while at the breakfast table, and three children nearly died. The poison was from a brass spoon in the gravydish. The spoon was one that had been lost, and accumulated verdigris while lying on the ground.