594                 HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

the grand jury found an indictment against Mrs. Hardin for murder
in the second degree, and against a son, Amos Hardin, also, as accessory
to the crime. The mother was put under bond of $6,000 and the son,
$4,000. The case was tried at the March term of court and mother and
son acquitted.

            Success of a Supposed Unprofitable Venture.
    At the time of the building of the Brazil-Harmony electric railroad
line, in 1893, about the propriety and success of which as a business
venture every one felt at liberty to talk, a prominent citizen and operator
remarked to a party of friends standing around him on a public corner,
looking at the laying of track on Main street: “I have all along given
John Sourwine credit for at least average good business sense, but this
venture proves that I have overrated him. To do any business when
his railroad is completed, he’ll have to hire somebody to ride on it.”
As the sequel, however, a profitable business was done from the start,
hundreds of passengers having been carried over the line every day, the
equipments of the road being insufficient to handle the traffic on many
occasions. The Rapid Transit Company floated no bonds nor contracted
any indebtedness in the building and equipment of this road. During
the time it was operated by its projectors and promoters it paid an annual
dividend of nine per cent, and at the expiration of seven years was sold
to the Terre Haute Electric Company at a profit of $13,000.

                Youngest Recorder and Clerk of Court.
    In the year 1864, when but twenty-two years of age, Charles H.
Knight, of Brazil, was nominated for recorder by the Democratic county
convention, held at Center Point in the month of June, and was chosen to
the position at the succeeding October election, taking charge of the
office in the month of November, the youngest recorder in the state.
At the Democratic county nominating convention in 1868, held at
Center Point in the month of June, he was nominated for clerk of
the Clay Circuit court, to which place, also, he was chosen at the
succeeding general election, when but twenty-six years of age. At the
age of thirty he retired from eight consecutive years of official service,
an experience and distinction not known to have come to any of his
fellow-citizens in the ninety-two counties of the state of Indiana.

                A Season of Disasters From Lightning.
    The summer of 1906 was the most disastrous in losses of property,
including stock, from fire by lightning, in the history of Clay county,
most of which was for the month of August.
    On the evening of the 4th day of the month of August, Charles
Raab’s large frame barn, in Jackson township, was struck and consumed,
with all its contents, including eight head of good horses, one of which
was valued at $500.
    On the 31st day of May, the big bank barn on the John N. Freed
farm, near Clay City, with all its contents, was wholly destroyed.
    On the 17th day of August, a barn at Bowling Green, belonging to
the Royer Brothers, was struck and burned, with all its contents, includ-
ing a good horse.
    Nicholas Schrepferman’s barn, at Brazil, was struck and burned at
some time in the month of July, including what it contained.
    P.G. Vanhorn’s new frame barn, in Harrison township, with a