1
G
^H
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 01707 3690
GC 977.2 G62i
Good rich, DeW i tt C .
An illustrated history of
t h e state o f I n d i ana
^H'
AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY
OF THE
STATE OF INDIANA^
BEING A FULL AND AUTIIENTIG
Civil and Political History of the State from its
First Exploration down to 1S79.
IKCLCDIIsG A2f ACCOITNT OP THE
coiiPtti, mmmi m lEmmi
Giao^wTH OIF xisr:DXj^i<rA..
WITH HISTORICAL ASD DESCRIPTIVE SREICliES OF TAB
. Cities, Towns and Villages,
EiTBKACING
Interesting Narratives of Pioneer Life,
TOGETHER WITH
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES Al PORTRAITS
Of the Prominent Men of the Past and Present,
ANT) A HISTOUY OF
EACH COUNTY SEPARATELY.
EDITED AND EEVISED BY ^'7 '7. 2^
HON. W. S- HAYMOND.^^^ /
S. L, MARROW & CO., Publishers.
INDIANAPOLIS:
1879.
Allen County Public Libranf
glio VJebster Street
PO Box 2270 ^-Q
fix \Niyne. IN 46801-227O
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by
Richard S. Peale & Co.,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
1264413
PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION.
Owing to the well deserved favor accorded to the Illustrated
History of Indiana at its first appearance, and the continued
demand for a reliable history of the State, the publishers have
been induced to offer to the public a new revised and enlarged
edition of this valuable work. The third edition has been
prepared with great care and brings the history of the State
down to the beginning of the present year. Numerous cor-
rections and alterations have been made in the body of the
work and nearly a hundred pages of new matter added. This
embraces much valuable statistical information, the concluding
events of the administration of Governor Hendricks and the
leading events of Governor Williams' administration to the
first of January, 1879. The latter includes the special legis-
lation relating to the building of a new State House, an enter-
prise the people of Indiana will be directly interested in, per-
haps, for the next half decade of years, also proceedings of the
Board of State House Commissioners, and progress in the con-
struction of the new building, and the history of the great
railroad strike of July, 1877, together with other events of
historical interest.
The Biographical IT^artment has also been enriched by the
addition of numerous sketches of distinguished public men,
who are now, or have been identified with the political history
and progress of the State. These numerous alterations and
additions, coupled with the fact that this is the only history of
Indiana now being published, we trust will make the work
generally acceptable and meet with even greater favor than it
has hitherto.
Indianapolis, January, 1879.
TO
THE PIONEERS OF INDIANA,
MEN AND WOMEN,
WHO
BY GREAT INDUSTRY AND A CONSTANT
mTBQHITY IN THE LABORS OF THEIR SEVERAL CALLINGli
HAVE LAID WELL THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES
OF A GREAT AND PROSPEROUS
STATE,
THIS VOLUME
IS BESPECTFULLT D^DICATKIX
INTRODUCTORY.
npHE positive need of a reliable history of Indiana has been
-^ recognized for more than ten years, by nearly all the
people of the State. It is equally true that the harvest of ma-
terials for such a work was fully ripe. The early explorations
of the French in the country of the Miamis; the labors of tlie
zealous missionaries among the natives; the adventures of the
fur-traders; the early wars with the Indians; the scenes and
events around the old French forts and settlements; the strug-
gles between the French and the English; the subjugation of
the latter by Americans; the heroic proceedings of General
George Eogers Clarke and his brave Virginians; the thrilling
incidents and interesting reminiscences of pioneer life; the
growth and prosperity of the settlements; the glorious part
acted in the War for the Union; and, lastly, the unparalleled
advancement in all the great industries and professions of civ-
ilization ; — all these combine to render the narrative replete
with interest and instruction.
How far we have succeeded in our attempt to collect and
arrange these materials in the form of a history of the State,
may now be seen; and, we shall regret, indeed, i^, after so
much labor, our work has been in vain. Our aims and objects
have been shaped, as near as possible, by the demands or wants
of the people. Hence it has not been an important part of
our plan, as it has, of course, been beyond our ability, to present
(9)
10 HISl'ORY OF INDIANA.
a work of any great literary merit. But sncli a work at tins
time is uncalled for, and it would seem that the present volume
is needed to ]ire]>arc the way for its demand in the future
Althou.i;h dcliciciit in many things, it will scarcely fail of this
desired end.
The early history of the TVabash Yalley would, of itself, if
pro})erly written, make a volume much larger than the present
one, and, jierhaps, if viewed in the light of narrative excel-
lence, more interesting. At the beginning of the eighteenth
century communication was opened up between Louisiana and
Canada, by the way of the Maumee, Wabash, Ohio, and Mis-
6issi})pi, Indeed this route had been traveled by a few, among
whom was Eobert de La Salle, some twenty years before, or as
early as 1680. But with the beginning of the eighteenth cen-
tury a general communication was established. With this
came the necessity of forts or fortifications, to protect the route
against hostile Indians, and, also, to further possess the country
adjacent to it against the encroachments of the English colo-
nies, which, until this period, and for several years after, were
content with a narrow strip of land on the Atlantic sea-board.
Such became the policy of the French Colonial Government
sometime between 1G90 and 1700, a decade during which the
possibilities of establishing a permanent branch of the French
Empire in the New World were bright and promising.
In 1700, the French decided to establish this chain of forti-
fications without delay, and in one year after, Fort Pontchar-
train (Detroit) was established on the Detroit river. During
the four years following, rude forts, or stockades, were erected
at the head of the Maumee, where the city of Fort Wayne
now stands, on Wea Prairie, near the Wabash, in what is now
Tippecanoe county, and at a point further down the Wabash,
where Fort Knox was afterwards established, and where the
tNTKODUCTOKT. 11
flourishing city of Yinccnnes now stands. The first was called
Post Miami, in respect to the Indian Confederacy of that name,
which had its ancient capital near the site; the second was
called Ouantenon ; the third, Post Yincennes, in honor of its
founder. I am well aware that certain phases of these state-
ments will be contradicted by persons who have made conside-
rable research, particularly those points touching the exact
date of the establishment of these pqsts; but it is necessary
that such contradictions be accompanied by satisfactory proof.
A prominent gentleman of this State, who has justly earned a
wide reputation for historical information, stated, in a conver-
sation with the writer, only a few weeks ago, that the fii*st
military occupation of Yincennes took place in 1716. Grant-
ing this, we give Post Miami ( Fort Wayne ) an antiquity
exceeding Yincennes by eleven years, for it is certain that a
military post was established at the former point in 1705.
But in the absence of the records themselves, the date of the
first French military settlements in Indiana, can best be deter-
mined by observing the colonial policy under which they were
made, as also, the year in which that policy was executed. In
many portions of the Northwest, the first French settlements
were merely the off-shoots of personal ambition, or missionary
zeal, as was that at Green Bay, "Wisconsin, or that near the
mouth of the St. Joseph of Lake Michigan ; the former affords
ns an illustration of personal aggrandizement — presented in
the daring and privations of M. Longlade; the latter a grand
demonstration of the burning zeal of Fathers Dablon, Allouez
and others, early Jesuit missionaries of New France. With
regard to these and like settlements, there is ground for dispute
as to the date of their origin. But the first settlements in
Indiana were not made by chance explorers, or roving fur-tra-
ders, or pious Jesuits ; they were made under a fixed policy of
12 mSTORT OF INDIANA.
the French Government — a policy framed by the sagacious
La Motte Cadillac, the founder of Detroit. Near the close of
the seventeenth century, this bold pioneer and statesman of
New France returned to his native country, on a mission of
nreater importance to French interests than was, at that time,
realized by his countrymen. Filled with patriotic zeal, he laid
before the Colonial Minister, Count Pontchartrain, the first
map of the Wabash Yalley ever made, executed by his own
hands. He pointed out the new route that had been discov-
ered by La Salle and his associates, through the fertile vales of
Indiana, and urged upon the establishment of a chain of
fortifications upon it, for the protection of travel. And we
fancy Cadillac reasoned in this wise: He pointed out upon his
rude map the vast extent and richness of the country adjacent
to the route on either side, and indicated the Indian strong-
holds, suorsrestinor their value as allies in case of future conflicts
with rival colonies. Wliatever his arguments were, they were
convincing, as the Colonial Minister at once entered upon Ca-
dillac's plans. " Pontchartrain," says a French writer, "was
delighted with his plan, and at once commissioned him to
execute it."
Cadillac returned to Canada and established Detroit, as we
have said already, in 1701. It was under this general policy
that the first military settlements were made in Indiana. The
missionaries undoubtedly visited Yincennes, as did they also
the site of Post Miami, long before military posts were erected
in those places, but no permanent missions were stationed
until after their occupancy by military power. This took place
according to the French Colonial records, in 1705, and as near
as can be ascertained there is not more than six months' difier-
ence in the date of the first establishment of Posts Miami,
Ouantenou, and Vincennes. Certain it is, that they were al]
INTKODUCTOET. 13
existing in the spring of 1706. That these posts were often
deserted, and left without military garrisons, is undoubtedly
true, but we wiU. venture the assertion that the French Colo-
nial archives will show that small garrisons were located at the
three points indicated previous to 1706.
The history of these posts from their first establishment
until they were discontinued, furnishes a narrative replete
with thrilling incident. It carries the reader through all the
interesting scenes of French and Indian intercourse, which
presents many romantic, unique phases. In some of these
phases, we see Frenchmen degraded instead of savages ele-
vated; we see thousands of reckless men, throwing ofi" all civil-
ized restraint, and plunging deliberately into barbarism; with
the rifle and the scalping knife, they go forth to wreak ven-
geance upon the whites, side by side with red men, as if their
destinies have become indissolubly united with those of their
new allies; we see a type of amalgamation for which the
history of the world furnishes no parallel — Frenchmen
descending to the level of Indians in social economy, and in
many instances, dragging the natives down to a pitch of degra-
dation from which a half savage sense of propriety often
recoiled with just pride.
And again, the history of these posts carries the reader through
curious accounts of the fur-trade, of the manners and customs
of the cour^'iers des bois, or wood rangers — a set of half breeds,
with a language and characteristics peculiar to themselves. In
the light canoe they would float carelessly down the streams,
basking idly in the summer's sun, or gaily singing some French
or Indian song. At night they slept upon the river's bank,
thoughtless of bed or protection. Returning with loads of furs
after a long journey, or from the chase, they were greeted by
their tawny wives and hybrid offspring with social enthusiasm,
14 HISTORY OF INDIA2IA.
and, in their low, uncultivated sphere, seemed to enjoy life
without many of its cares and burdens. The fur-trade had
many distinguishing features. Whiskey was one of the chief
articles of merchandise, and in the use of this the savage per-
petrated his greatest abuse. Oft have the forests around Fort
Wayne or Yincennes echoed with the hideoas yells of the
fow wow, when barrel after barrel of poisonous liquors was
permitted to be distributed among deluded savages. Yerily,
tlie fur-trader will have an account to give at the day of reck
oning, in which Indian wi'ongs will be vindicated.
And, again, the history of these posts carries us through the
pious devoutment of Catholic missionaries, through accounts
of Christian zeal, persecution, privations for the Gospel's sake.
We see missionary priests mingling with the savages, teaching
them, supping with them, pointing them to the cross. In
wigwams or rude log-huts, these priests gathered anxious, curi-
ous pupils and labored to instruct them in a civiKzation and
Christianity that they could never, never comprehend or appre-
ciate. But the Indians assented and applauded in their silent
devotioh, and the missionaries labored on, in a hopeless cause,
until a war of extermination ended their labors.
And, again, the history of these posts is filled with thrilling
narratives of war, narratives that carry the reader through
Sandoskit's (Nicholas) conspiracy, Pontiac's conspiracy, Te-
cumseh's war, and the long desultory war that, for years, kept
alive a feeli ng of alarm in the pioneer homes on the borders.
We see the mighty war-clouds gathering, as the voice of the
mighty Pontiac resounds through the forests of the lake regions,
and, as they burst in thunderous volleys of musketry, we
behold the massacre* that characterized the fall of the " fated
nine." Who shall paint the darkness and gloom that settled
over the western outposts in 1763-4, when the giant of the
rNTKODUCTORY. 15
Ottawas swayed, at his imperial command, all the Indian forces
of the Northwest? Who shall tell us of the foul conspiracies
plotted in forest councils where this proud Ottawa presided?
What pen shall ever describe the horrors in the execution of
these conspiracies? The mind turns away from the scene at
Michilimackinac, awed with its extremes of barbarity ; tlie heart
sickens with a contemplation of Yanango; while tlie fall of
Ilolmes, on a supjiosed errand of mercy, at Post Miami, and
the capture of Jenkins at Ouantcnt>n, ]ircsent sliamcful inci-
dents of French cowardice and Indian treachery. But no
sooner did the storm of Pontiac's vengeance subside, than
another great Indian statesman rose to defend his race. Tecum-
seh gathered the scattered forces, and led the last great struggle
of the red men, until swallowed up in death and defeat.
As we have said, these things — the important events in the
history of the Wabash Yallcy — would make a volume, one
quite easy of construction, but full of deep interest. But with
the aim of presenting modern Indiana, its early liistory has
been exceedingly abridged, so that, to a great extent, this field
may still be regarded as open to the investment of labor and
research.
In the second place, our account of the civil administration
of the State and territorial government is necessarily very
concise. This would, also, if properly digested, malce a vqjume
much larger than the present one; but, we j^resume it would
not be as interesting to the general reader, as valuable to those
in search of specific information concerning the civil sendee
of the State. This digest of documents introduces us to the
organization of the Territorial Government at Yincennes in
1800, under our own General Harrison ; follows the dry routine
in the administration of the territory — a narrative interspersed
here and there with pleasing incidents; presents the interesting
16 mSTOET OF INDIANA.
Constitutional Convention of 1816, which sat at Corjdon, and
framed the Constitution that so ably preserved the liberties of
the people for thirty-five years; it presents also the Constitu-
tional Convention of 1850, from which we received the present
inestimable Constitution — ^'the foundation of the grand free
public school system of the State. It presents the burdens
and blessings, the triumphs and defeats of the Old Internal
Improvement system — a system so deeply rooted in the legis-
lation of the State that it still presents itself at every change
in the political composition of the legislature; it carries us
through a system of land grants, and commissions thereunto
belonging, which the State Government is still trying in vain
to fathom ; it presents a network of private legislation and an
ocean of local laws, the enumeration of which, though not
easy, would be a pleasant task, in comparison with the attempt
to discover their origin and real designs. But, as already
hinted, our occupancy of this field is so limited as to present
the widest scope for zeal and energy. Indeed, the materials
are ripe, and the demand large, for a Documentary History of |
Indiana.
In the third place, our county histories present the " might
have been," more than they sustain the plan under which they
are presented; and, if persons into whose hands this volume
may^c placed, jealous of the interests of their own counties, \
condemn the work because of the inequality apparent in the
county sketches, we shall scarcely be surprised. Yet, after all,
we may honestly rest our case, as to that point, with this
explanation. It was not the original purpose to write a history
of each county. This must be plain to even a careless thinker,
as such a plan would require a scope of at least ten volumes.
"We regret, however, the want of space for more of these local
records. Truly, the history of the pioneers of Indiana is full
INTRODUCTORT. 17
of interest and instniction. It presents a narrative full of
dramatic situations and romantic scenes, in which more than a
thousand actors render the same part.
The pioneer history of Indiana presents much that is wortliy
of admiration. In the liardy, honest pioneer we have a grand
illustration of true manhood. He left the scenes of civiliza-
tion as if moved by an over-ruling divinity, and with axe and
gun, wended his lonely way along the bending rivers, deep into
forests, inhabited only by M^ld beasts and straggling natives.
Prospecting on vale and hill, he moves forward, guided only
by the familiar hlaze of the surveyor's axe, through openings,
across fertile bottoms, and through rolling woodlands, until
the eye falls on the spot of his choice. Here the cabin home
is to be erected. Hard by runs a rippling stream, through a
fertile ra-sdne, ever telling ISTature's mystic story in the voice
of tireless waters. Upon this the mill is to be established.
Ever and anon, on either side stretches a vast forest of oak,
walnut, and other valuable timber, and beneath is a rich, pro-
ductive soil, awaiting only the touch of the husbandman to
break forth into a golden harvest.
The history of the pioneers of Indiana carries us from this
scene through many incidents. We have the building of the
cabin; the moving of the family from civilization to that iso-
lated cabin home; the toils and hardships of the mother,
rearing a family, where there is naught but her own hands to
administer in circumstances where the most delicate and tender
sympathy is required; the long, weary years of toil and danger
through which the father passes, unmoved in his persistent
energy. At his bidding, the forests gradually fade away, and
fertile fields spread out in harvest luxury; and, in short, the
various scenes in that grand transformation from the wilderness
to the metropolis, from barbarism to civilization, from chaos
2
18 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
to achievement. Although we have presented much of this
narrative, more than enough to constitute a rare and useful
volume remains yet unwritten.
From these hints concerning the manner in which the three
great phases of the State's history are treated in the following
chapters, it will be seen that, while we do not claim to have
elaborated on either, as much of all is presented as will con-
form to our original plan — that of producing a work touching
upon all these subjects, and at the same time condensing ah
within the compass of a single volume.
CHAELES R. TUTTLE.
Im)iANAFOLis, Ind., March, 1875.
INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS.
Brown, Prof. "R. T 2:!9
Brown, Austin II 195
Buckles. Joseph S o72
Biddle, Judge Horace P 183
Brownfleld. John .287
Bates, Harvey 323
Bass, J. H 140
Bass, S. S 143
Br ackenridge, Robert 71
Bird, Hon. 84
Carpenter, Willard ^^7
Comstock, James 333
Cason, T. J 357
Comingor, Prof. J. A .239
Cumback, Hon. Will 253
Cox, Prof. E. T 187
Colfax, Hon. Schuj'ler 90
Campbell, John L 175
Clarke, Gen. George Rogers
Frontispi ece
Danaldson, David S 162
Evans, S. Cary 127
Evans, A. S 541
Edson, Judge Wm. P 179
English, Maj. Elisha G 309
English, Hon. Wm. H 303
Edgerton, Joseph K 106
Edgerton, A. P 130
Fletcher, Prof. W. B 239
Field, Dr. Nathaniel 365
Fitch, Hon. G. N 533
Fowler, Moses 152
Gooding, Hon. David S 613
Hunter, Hon. M. C 599
Houghton, Walter R 295
Hoagland, Pliney 200
Hackleman, Hon. Elijah 146
Hoss, Prof. Geo. W 341
Hobbs, Prof B. C 281
Hanna, Samuel 12C
Hanna, Mrs. Eliza 121
Hough, John. 75
Hendricks, Hon. Thomas A 113
Harrison, Gen. William H •
Frontispiece
Kirkwood, Daniel 295
Kerr, Hon. M. C 357
LaSalle, Charles B 669
Long, Thomas B 204
Lane, Hon. Henry S 5^9
Lingle, W. S 657
Louder, Charles 385
Lockwood, John M. 223
Lewis, Andrew 231
Martindale, E. B 651
Moody, M. M 333
McDonald, Hon. Joseph E 599
Mears, G. W 239
Mitchell, Hon. William 191
Morton, Hon. O. P 102
Nutt, Rev. Dr. Cyrus 211
Nuttman, J. D 78
Orth, Hon. G. S 599
Owen, Richard 295
Olds, N. G 235
Pratt, Hon. D. D 357
Purdue, Hon. John 137
Peed, H. A 257
(19)
so
INDEX TO ILLUSTRATIONS.
Patterson, Judge C. T 215
Pierce, Martin L... 134
Posey, Gov. Thomas. Frontispiece
Ryan, T 457
Roche, John 117
Robbins, G. W 317
Ross, W. T 156
Rose, Chauncy 169
Randall, Hon. F. P 96
Shanks, Hon. J. P. C 357
Studebaker, Clem 493
Studebaker, John M 503
Studebaker, Peter E 513
Studebaker, Jacob F 523
Scott, John T 245
Suttenfield, Mrs. Laura 93
Stockton, Lawrence B 149
Sutherland, John 333
St.Clair, Gen. Arthur.Frontispiece
Tyucr, Hon. James N. .599
Thompson, Col. James S 295
Tuttle, Dr. Joseph F V2
Trcnlman, B HO
Vandgundy, Adam .3 ^3
Wolfe, Hon. S. K 357
Wright, C. E .239
Wylie, Dr. T. A 295
Wilson, Col. W. C 207
Wood, George W 249
Williams, Jesse L 87
Wayne, Gen. Anthony.Frontispiece
Yeoman, D. H 333
Zollinger, Charles 81
MISCELLANEOUS.
Residence of Samuel Hanna 124
Residence of F. P. Randall 99
Residence of Judge H. P. Biddle 219
Birth place of Judge H. P. Biddle 218
Studebaker Brothers' Wagon Works, South Bend 641
Studebaker Brothers' Carriage Works, South Bend ..453
Bass Foundry and Machine Works, Fort Wayne 647
Scene of the Battle of Tippecanoe 165
Council S' '..Tie between General Harrison and Tecumseh 159
Public Scl 'Ol Building, Sullivan 471
Ford School Building, La Fayette 403
Opera House, La Fayette 401
Purdue UniTersity Buildings 405, 407, 409. 410
New State House 277
Clarion County Court House 277
Harrison, Gen Ben 590
AVilliams, Hon. J. D _ 608
Colonial Map 8
Grand Hotel 795
Vance Block 796
Stock Yards 797
Journal Building 798
Sentinel Building 798
INDEX TO BIOGRAPHIES.
Ajidrus, LL.D., Reuben 693
Biddle, Judge H. P 660
Baker, Hon. Conrad 650
Beard, John 671
Brackenridge, Robert 672
Brownfield, John 692
Bates, Harvey 693
Buckles, Joseph S 697
Bird, Hon. 796
Brown, Austin H 719
Brown, Prof. R. T 720
Bass, J. H 717
Bass, Col. S. S 717
Campbell, LL.D., John L 665
Cumback, Hon. Will 668
Carpenter, Willard 703
Cox, Prof. E. T. 717
Comingor, Prof. A. J 720
Cason, Hon. T. J 795
Colfax, Hon. Schuyler 714
Dunn, Williamson 672
Dowling, Thomas 674
Danaldson, David S 676
Elston, Isaac C 672
English, Hon. Wm. fl 676
English, Major Elisha G 682
Eddy, Col. Norman 685
Edgerton, J. K 718
Edgerton, A. P 796
Earp, A.M., Jno. E 691
Evans, Amos S 699
Evans, S. Gary 709
Edson, Wm. P. 702
Fitch, Hon. G. N 6.M)
Fowler, Moses 6tJ7
Field, Dr. Nathaniel 694
Fletcher, Prof. W. B 721
Gooding, Hon. David S 706
Hobbs, LL.D., Barnabas C 654
Hackleman, Hon. Elijah 686
floss, LL.D., George W 686
Hendricks, Hon. Thomas A 716
Houghton, Walter R 690
Holloway, Col. W. R 700
Hoagland, Pliney 706
Hanna, Samuel 721
Hanna, Mrs. Eliza 721
Hough, John 717
Hunter, Hon. M. C 721
Knoblock, John C 694
Kirkwood, LL.D., Daniel 656
Kerr, Hon. M. C 689
Lane, Hon. Henry S 671
Lingle,W. S 681
Long, Judge Thomas B 698
Lowder, Charles 698
Lewis, Dr. Andrew _ 702
Lockwood, John M 703
Lasselle, Charles B 704
Morton, Hon. O. P 687
Martindale, E. B 690
Mitchell, Hon. Wm 702
Moody, M. M 709
McDonald, Hon. J. E 713
Mears, Prof. G. W 721
Nutt, Dr. Cyrus 651
Nuttman, J. D 678
Nicholson, Wm. W 672
Niblack, Hon. W. E 680
Orth, Hon.G. S 718
(81)
ss
HIBTOKY OF INDIANA.
Olds, N. G 709
Owen, Prof. Richard 720
Purdue, Hon. John 703
Peed, Henry A 692
Pratt, Hon. D. D 712
Patterson, Judge C. Y 719
Pierce, Martin L 709
Ross, TV. T 685
Randall, Hon. F. P 685
Rogers, A.M., Lewis T 691
Robbins, G. W 691
Ryan, Townsend 696
Rose, Chauncy 796
Roche, John 721
Shanks, Hon. J. P. C 658
Smith, Zenas 675
Stockton, L.B 690
Studebaker, Clem 707
Studebaker, John M 707
Siddebaker, Peter E 708
8» ^ebaker, Jacob F 709
Dillon, John B 720
Harrison. Benj. Gen'l 710
Smart, James H 719
Suttenfield, Mrs. Laura 709
Scott, John T 717
Southerland, John 717
Tuttle, Dr. Joseph F 666
Thompson, Rev. James b71
Thompson, Richard W 674
Trentman, B 719
Tyuer, Hon. James N 718
Thompson, Col. James S 721
Vigo, Col. Francis 673
Van Gundy, Adam 684
Whitlock, Major A 670
Wallace, Gen. Lewis 678
Wood, George W 684
Wilson, Col. W. C. 684
Wylie, Dr. T. A 683
Williams, Jesse L 796
Wolfe, Hon. S. K 721
Wright, Prof. C. E 719
Yeoman, D.H 709
ZoLinger, Charles A 689
Owen. Robert Dale 714
Williams, Hon. J. D „ 713
CONTENTS.
PART FIRST.
CIVIL AND POLITICAL HISTORY,
CHAPTER I.
MIAMI VILLAGES AND FRENCH SETTLEMENTS.
Native Tenants of Indiana. .The Discovery of the Territory . .The
Route from Louisiana to New France by the Ohio, "Wabash and
Maumee..A Chain of Fortifications through Indiana.. Tlie Mission-
aries.. Customs of the Indians, Missionaries, and Fur Traders..
Central Points of the Fur Trade.. The English and the French..
Defeat of the latter. .The British in Indiana.. Inhabitants of Post
Vinoennes 91
CHAPTER II.
GENERAL CLARKE'S CELEBRATED EXPEDITION.
Clarke's Preparations for the "Western Campaign. -Description of his
Forces.. His March to the Illinois.. Capture of Kaskaskia.. Pecu-
liarities of Clarke 69
CHAPTER III.
CLARKE'S EXPEDITION — CONTINUED.
Operations at Kaskaskia.. His Celebrated Liberty Speech.. Clarke
Prepares for the Conquest of "Vincennes.. Services of Father Giboult
-.Change of Allegiance at Vincennes.. Cap tain Helm appointed to
the Command at "Vincennes.. His Speech to the "Grand Door "..The
British Cause on the wane in Indiana.. The British Lieutenant Gov-
ernor re-takes "Vincennes.. Bravery of Captain Helm 74
(23)
24 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
CHAPTER lY.
CLARKE'S CELEBRATED MARCH AGAINST VINCENNES.
l^cparations for tlie March.. Perilous Situation of Clarke.. A Bold
Enterprise Boldly Executed.. The March.. Possibilities of Human
Endurance.. Indescribable Hardships.. Marching in Water.. Ap-
preaching Viucennes. .Approaching Starvation.. Fortunate Relief
from the latter.. Clarke's Letter to the Inhabitants of Vincenncs..
Cunning Manoeuvre of Colonel Clarke.. The Contest.. Indians Vol-
unteering to Aid Clarke.. Clarke Declines their Assistance.. Clarke
Orders Hamilton to Surrender. .Refusal. .The Firing Continued..
The Final Capitulation 80
CHAPTER V.
CLARKE'S MOVEMENTS AT VINCENNES.
Organization of a Military Government.. Clarke Punishes the Hostile
Delawares-.They plead for and find Mercy through the endorsement
of the Piankeshaws-.The Expedition against Detroit abandoned..
Organization of a Civil Government at Vincenncs in 1779. .Early-
Land Grants.. Virginia Cedes her Northwestern Territory to Con-
gress 103
CHAPTER YI.
EARLY SETTLEMENT AND LAND GRANTS.
The Ordinance of 1787.. The Northwestern Territory ..General Harmar
..Vincenncs in 1790.. Adoption of Laws by the General Court at
Vincenncs. -Testimonials to Mr. Sargent 109
CHAPTER YII.
HARMAR, SCOTT AND WILKINSON'S EXPEDITIONS.
The Expedition against the Wabash Indians. .General Harmar's
Forces.. Hardin's Defeat. .The Alarm in the Frontiers.. Scott's Ex-
pedition.. The Wea Indians Punished.. Wilkinson's Expedition on
the Wabash 115
CHAPTER YIII.
ST. CLAIR'S AND WAYNE'S EXPEDITIONS.
Bt. Clair Marches from Fort Washington.. St. Clair's Memorable
Defeat.. Indian Cruelty.. St. Clair's Resignation.. He is succeeded
by General Anthony Wayne. .Major Hamtramck at Vincenncs..
Indians Insisting on the Ohio as the Boundary.. General Scott joins
Wayne's Forces with Kentucky Volunteers.. The March.. The Battle
and the Victory.. The Losses.. Destruction of Indian Dwellings,
Cornfields, etc... Erection of Fort Wayne-.The Army Dispersed. .
Civil Matters 122
I
coNTEin-s. 25
CHAPTER IX.
ORGANIZATION OF THE INDIANA TEREITORY.
Vincennes-.Fort Knox.. Condition of Indiana Settlements in 1800..
Civil Matters 129
CHAPTER X.
GOVERNOR HARRISON AND THE INDIANS.
rhe Second Grade of Government.. Revision of the Territorial Statutes
..Land Offices.. Indian Complaints.. The Prophet. .His Speeches..
Settlement of the Prophet's town.. Tecumseh.. Harrison's Speech to
the Indians. .The Prophet Visits Vincennes. -Extinguishing Indian
Titles.. Movements of Aaron Burr 133
CHAPTER XI.
STATISTICS— LAND TITLES— INDIAN AFFAIRS.
Population.. The Early Land Title Controversy. -Report of the Com-
missioners.. Organization of the Territory of Illinois 142
CHAPTER XII.
HARRISON'S CAMPAIGN.
Movements of Tecumseh and the Prophet. .General Harrison Labor-
ing for Peace.. Tecumseh and Harrison in Council.. Tecumseh
Denounces Harrison to his Face.. Happy Termination of the Diffi-
culty.. Tecumseh Repents of his Deed.. But is Persistent in his
Purpose 144
CHAPTER XIII.
HARRISON'S CAMPAIGN— CONTINn:D.
The Territorial Legislature of 1810.. Extinguishment of Native Titles
Recommended by Governor Harrison.. The Question of a Permanent
Capital.. The Influences of Tecumseh and the Prophet.. Harrison's
Speech of Warning.. Tecumseh Goes South 14d
CHAPTER XIY.
HARRISON'S CAMPAIGN — CONTINUED.
War Inevitable. -Military Measures.. The Indians Ordered to Disperse
-.Erection of Fort Harrison.. Harrison's Army on the March. -The
Battle of Tippecanoe. -Bravery in War. .The Forces.. Compliments
to the Heroes.. Taylor's Heroic Defense of Fort Harrison 155
CHAPTER XV.
CIVIL MATTERS.
The Affairs of the Indiana Territory.. The General Assembly at Yhu
26 HISTOKT OF INDIANA.
cennes in 1813.. Acting Governor Gibson. .The Capital Removed to
Corj'don. .Thomas Posey Appointed Governor of the Territory.. The
Legislature at Corydon in 1813.. The Session Laws 168
CHAPTER XYI.
REVIEW OF CIVIL AND POLITICAL EVENTS.
The Ordinance of 1787.. Early Forms of Government. .Judicial Cir-
cults.. Banks and Banking Laws 174
CHAPTER XYII.
ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE.
Close of the Territorial Existence.. The First Constitutional Conven-
tion.. Delegates. -The First State Election.. The First State Legisla-
ture.. Governor Jennings 178
CHAPTER XVIII.
GOVERNOR JENNING'S ADMINISTRATION.
Taxation.. Internal Improvements.. Extra Session of the Legislature
..Financial DiflBcul ties.. Embarrassment of the General Ci'edit of
the Statc.The Panic of 1821 185
CHAPTER XIX.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR HENDRICKS.
His Message to the Legislature.. Internal Improvements. -Education
..The Seminary at Bloomington _ 190
CHAPTER XX.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR RAY.
Condition of State Affairs in 1826. .Population. .Trade and Commerce
-.Asylums- -General Prosperity.. The Southern States in an Unpleas-
ant Attitude 193
CHAPTER XXI.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR RAY— CONTINUED.
Continued Increase of Immigration.. Success in Agriculture.. Internal
Improvements- -Infirm Colored People from the South pouring into
Indiana-. Remaining Indian Tribes- -Election of a President of the
United States-.The Civil Code 199
CHAPTER XXII.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR NOBLE.
Shortness of Crops in 1832.. The Black Hawk War. -Internal Improve-
inents..The Indianapolis Donation.. Indian Titles.. Commencement
CONTENTS. 27
of the Wabash and Erie Canal. .The Governor Recommends a sys-
tern of Public Improvements.. The Michigan Boundary Question..
The State Bank Organized. .The "New Capital " of 1835.. Progress
of the Internal Improvements 203
CHAPTER XXIII.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WALLACE.
The Public Improvement Trouble. .The Governor Speaks Discour
agingly in his Message.. A Crisis Inevitable.. Removal of the Polta-
watomics beyond the Mississippi 218
CHAPTER XXIY.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR BIGGER.
Prostration of the Internal Improvements.. Review of the Public
Works in 1840.. Individual Indebtedness.. Dark Days. -Inability to
Pay Interest of the Public Debt.. List of the Works Undertaken,
and their Condition in 1841.. The State Debt 214
CHAPTER XXY.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WHITC03IB.
Light Breaking over Indiana. .The War with Mexico.. Redemption of
the Public Credit.. Administration of Governor Wright.. Death of
President Taylor.. f*rogress of the Public Improvements. -Governor
Wright Endorses the Missouri Compromise.. The Constitutional
Convention of 1850. -Administration of Governor Willard. .History
of the State Bank- -Death of Governor Willard.. Death of David
Dale Owen.. Acting Governor Hammond.. Administration of Lieu-
tenant Governor Morton. .His Patriotic Message to the Extra
Session of the Legislature 9S1
CHAPTER XXYI.
RECORD IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
Intelligence of the Fall of Sumter.. Proclamation of the President.,
Proclamation of Governor Morton. .Contributions of Men and
Means.. Providing Munitions of War. -Patriotism and Promptness
of Indiana in the War.. The Laurels Won 229
CHAPTER XXYII.
MORTON AND BAKER'S ADMINISTRATION.
The (Jeneral Assembly of Indiana in 1867. .A Stormy Session.. Con-
gressional Districts.. The Soldiers' Home.. The State Normal School
..The Agricultural College.. Statistics 238
28 HISTORY OF INDIANA
CHAPTEE XXVIII.
GOVERNOR BAKER'S ADMINISTRATION.
The Political Contest. .Election. .State Debt. .War Claims. .The House
of Refuge.. Lynch Law.. Seymour Vigilance Commiltee 243
CEAPTER XXIX.
GOVERNOR BAKER'S ADMINISTRATION.
The Fifteenth Amendment Lock in 1869. -The Storm of Partisanism..
Election of D. D. Pratt to the United States Senate.. Wholesale
Resignations.. Breaking Up of the Session. .New Elections Ordered
..Extra Session of the Legislature.. The Purdue University Estab-
lished.. Another Lock in the Legislature.. Development of Mineral
Resources. -Agricultural Products - — 247
CHAPTER XXX.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR BAKER— CONTINUED
Another Lock over the Fifteenth Amendment.. Wholesale Resignation
of Republicans to Prevent its Repeal.. A Member of the Legislature
Convicted of Bribery in obtaining his Election.. The Wabash and
Krie Canal Controversy. .Woman Suffrage Movement.. Decision of
the Supreme Court in favor of Taxing the People to Support Rail-
roads.. The Election of October, 1872.. The Special Session of the
Legislature in November, 1872. -Re-election of Senator Morton 251
CHAPTER XXXI.
ADMINISTRATION OP GOVERNOR HENDRICKS.
Governor's Message.. Common Pleas Courts Abolished.. Amendment
of tne Divorce Laws.. The Liquor Law.. The Temperance Conven-
tion of 1873.. Congress of Agriculture 256
CHAPTER XXXII.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WILLIAMS.
Governor's Message— Act of the Legislature Authorizing the Build-
ing of a New State House — The Railroad Strike 261
CHAPTER XXXIII.
EDUCATIONAL.
The School Law of 1852.. The Township System.. Opposition to the
Law.. Deficiency in the Number and Qualification of Teachers..
The School Fund.. Township Libraries.. School Statistics of I860.- £77
Present Condition.. Origin of Free Schools. -Present Common School
Fund. .School Fund compared with that of other States ..School
Houses.. Count}' Superintendents.. Educational Statistics.. Slatistica
of Libraries.. Religious.. Statistics of Churches 267
CONTENTS. 29
CHAPTEK XXXIY.
BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS.
Insane Hospital. .Deaf and Dumb Asylum.. Blind Asylum. .Other
Charities. -Statistics of the Objects of Charity.. Statistics of Popu-
lation, Pauperism and Crime 299
CHAPTEK XXXY.
'WEALTH AND PROGRESS.
Population- -Population by Towns.. Wealth, Taxation and Public
Indebtedness of Indiana. -Statistics 305
CHAPTER XXXVI.
AGRICULTURAL.
Agriculture.. General Remarks, Statistics of Productions, Soil, Farms,
etc., etc 315
K
CHAPTER XXXYII.
MANUFACTURING AND COMMERCE.
Manufacturing Statistics- -Trade and Commerce 319
CHAPTER XXXYIIL
THE MINERAL WEALTH OF INDIANA.
Mineral Wealth. .Coal, Iron, Stone, etc... Statistics. -Analysis of
Coals 32.=
CHAPTER XXXIX.
LAWS AND COURTS OF INDIANA.
Actions. .Arrests. -Attachments. .Claims. .Deeds, Mortgages, etc ..
Women's Rights. .Depositions.. Executions 33S
CHAPTER XL.
OFFICIAL REGISTER OF INDIANA.
Governors.. Lieutenant Governors.. Secretaries of State.. Auditors of
State.. Treasurers of State.. Attorneys General.. Supreme Court
Judges.-U. S. Senators 345
PART SECOND.
COUNTY HISTORIES.
CHAPTER XLI.
lUTRODIJCTOnT 351
CHAPTER XLIL
ALLEN COUNTY — EARLY HISTORY.
Kekionga..The Ancient Miami Capital. .Post Miami. .Nicholas' Con-
8piracy..Dubuisson's Fort.. Fate of Post Miami. .Fate of Holmes
..Erection of the Fort in 1794..Tccumseli's Siege of Fort Wayne..
Bravery of Oliver. .Intemperance of Captain Rliea.. General Ilarri-
Bon Marches to the Relief of the Besieged Garrison. .incidents of
the Siege. .The Relief.. Destruction of Indian Villages.. Improve-
ment of the Grounds around the Fort 353
CHAPTER XLIII.
FORT WAYNE— EARLY SETTLEIMENT.
Indians and Whites.. The "Old Fort nouse"..Tlie Company's
Garden.. The Garrison Burial Ground.. ]\Iodes of Travel.. The First
Mills.. The Fur Trade.. Major Whistler's Fort..Richardville-.
Rebuilding the Fort. .The "Big Elm" Post Office.. Pay Season at
Fort Wayne.. The Land Office ..The Old Town Plat.. The Land
Sale 367
CHAPTER XLiy.
ALLEN COUNTY — EARLY SETTLEMENT.
Organization of the County.. Location of the County Seat.. County
Officers.. Pioneer Days of Fort Wayne.. Taxation.. First Circuit
Court.-Sccnes in the Court.-Trial of Big Leg.. Courting 376
(30)
CX)NTENTS. 31
CHAPTER XLY.
ALLEX COUNTY — FORT WAYNE — MODERN HISTORY.
Area. -Population.. Wealth.. Population of the Towns.. Rural Dia-
tricts-. Public Schools of Allen County and of Fort Wayne. .Cath-
olic Schools.. Religious.. Railroads.. Public Improvements 382
CHAPTER XLYI.
HUNTINGTON COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Surface of the County.. First Settlement.. The Helveys. .Flint Springs
Hotel.. Organization of the County. .First School Teacher.. Hunt-
ington.. The Lime Interest.. Agricultural Wealth.. Public Improve-
ments 388
CHAPTER XL VII.
CASS COUNTY— HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Organization of the County.. "The Mouth of Eel "..Early Settlers..
Increase of the Settlement.. Organization of the County.. First
County Officers.. The Board of Commissioners.. The Circuit Court
..Growth of the Town and County.. Logansport 392
CHAPTER XLYIII.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY— HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIT
Ouantenon..The Fate of the Post on theWea P*rairie.. Jenkins' Letter
to Major Gladwyn.. First Settlers.. Crawfordsville the Centre of
Civilization on the Wabash-. William Digby.. Rival Towns on the
Wabash.. Educational -.Sketch of the Early Schools.. Purdue Uni-
versity 399
CHAPTER XLIX.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY— EARLY HISTORY.
Organization of the County.. Scenes and Incidents at Crawfordsville
-.John Beard.-Surface and Soil.. Crawfordsville.. The Streets and
Public Improvements.. Wabash College 411
CHAPTER L.
VIGO COUNTY— HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTI^^E.
Port Harrison.. Canadian Land Grants. .Early Settlers. .The Town of
Terre Haute Laid Out.. Sale of Lots.. Organization of the County
.-First County Officers. .The First Circuit Court.-Early Court
Houses-.The Present City of Terre Haute- -Educational 416
CHAPTER LI.
KNOX COUNTY— HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Vmcennes-.Its Establishment.. Early Fur Traders.. Knox the Mother
32 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
of Indiana Counties.. New Vinccnnes..Its Buildings and Public
Improvements.. Churches.. The New Court House.. Country Tribu-
tary to Vincennes 423
CIIAPTEE LII.
VANDERBURGH COUNTY — EVANSVILLE.
Early Settlement of Evansville..The Town Plat.. Early Sale of Lots
..Early Settlers.. Growth of the City.. EflFects of the Internal Im-
provemcnt System.. "Wabash and Erie Canal.. Advantages of the
Civil War to Evansville.. Population.. Public Schools 430
CHAPTER LIII.
PARKE COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Organization of the County. .Early Settlers.. Soil and Productions..
Coal Mines. -Rockville.. Educational 433
CHAPTER Liy.
JOHNSON COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Surface. .Soil and Productions.. Schools. -Franklin College.. Progress
of the County 441
CHAPTER LY.
WABASH COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Surface, Soil and Productions. .Early Settlers. .Indian Mill. .The
Town of Wabash.. Past and Present. .The First Courts 445
CHAPTER LYI.
ELKHART COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Organization of the County. .Early Settlement- .Goshen, its History
and Present Importance.. Elkhart, Past and Present. .Soil and Pro-
ductions 449
CHAPTER LYII.
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE
Surface, Soil and Productions.. The Kankakee Marshes. .Organization
of the County. .The County Seat.. Its First and Second Location..
The City of South Bend.. Its Greatness.. Notre Dame University..
St. Mary's Academy.. Public Schools.. Manufacturing 452
CHAPTER LYIII.
MADISON COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Early Settlement.. Surface, Soil and Productions.. Organization of
the County. .Indian Massacre.. Trial of Hudson.. Trial of Sawyer
Trial of Bridge.. The Execution.. Anderson 459
CONTENTS. 33
CHAPTEE LIX.
COUNTY HISTORIES.
Sullivan, Claj', Owen, Greene, Lawrence and Jackson Counties ..11 is-
torical and Descriptive 469
CHAPTER LX.
WELLS COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Joseph Knox, the First Settler. -Early Settlers. .Their Trials, Priva-
tions, etc... Organization of the County.. BlufFton 481
CHAPTER LXI.
MONROE COUNTY — INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY.
Soil and Productions. .Bloomington.. Indiana State University.. His-
tory of the Institution.. The School of Mental, Moral and Political
Philosophy.. The School of Natural Philosophy. The School of
Natural Science.. The School of Mathematics.. The School of Greek
Language and Literature.. The School of Civil Engineering.. The
School of Latin Language and Literature.. English Literature and
Elocution.. School of Modern Languages. -The Preparatory School
..Geological -.Law School 485.
CHAPTER LXII.
HENRY COUNTY— HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Earlj' Settlements.. Asahel "Woodward. .Organization of the County..
Soil and Productions.. New Castle.. Knightstown 499'
CHAPTER LXIII.
CARROLL COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Early Settlers.. Organization of the County. .List of Early Settlers. .
Present Condition 50^2
CHAPTER LXiy.
SWITZERLAND COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE:
First Settlements.. Colony of Swiss.. Hardships of the Early Settlers
..Organization of the County.. Vevay SXXj
CHAPTER LXV.
OHIO COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Surface, Soil and Productions.. Incidents in Pioneer Life.. Rising Sun 508
CHAPTER LX7I.
BARTHOLOMEW COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Organization of the County.. Surface, Soil and Productions.. Colum-
bus.. Courts and Court Houses.. Early Railroads.. Present Condition 511
3
34 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
CIIArXER LXVII.
FLOYD COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Surface, Soil ami Productions.. New Albany, its Early History, Pro-
gress, ami Present Coiulitiou.. Scenery. .River Navigation.. Manu-
facturing Interests.. Depauw College.. St. Mary's Female Academy
..Schools. -Jlorsc Academy - 517
CHAPTER LXYIII.
CLARKE COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Tlie Illinois Land Grant.. Clarke and his Brave Virginian Rewarded
..Surfiice, Soil, etC-Jedcrsonville, its Importance.. Manufacturing
Interests.. Quartermaster's Depot.. Its Interests.. Schools, etc 525
CIIAPTER LXIX.
SHELBY COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE
Soil and Productions.. Organization of the County 531
Clinton County 532
Boone County 534
CHAPTER LXX.
HENDRICKS COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE
Soil and Productions.. Early Settlements.. Progress 536
Morgan County 537
Scott County 539
CHAPTER LXXI.
WAYNE COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Early Settlements.. The Friends.. Names of the Early Settlers.. Etc.. 543
CHAPTER LXXIL
WAYNE COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Organization of the County.. Fight over the County Seat.. Present
Condition. .Growth.. Schools. .Earlham College 548
CHAPTER LXXIIL
JAY COUNTY— HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
Early Settlers.. Privations and Hardships.. Organization of the Countj
.-First Courts -.Progress of the County 552
CHAPTER LXXIY.
PUTNAIM COUNTY — ASBURY UNIVERSITY.
Soil and Productions. .Grecncastle.. Railroad Facilities.. The Asbury
University.. Its Aims and Objects.. Its History..The Law Depart-
coKTBarrs.
1264413 35
ment.-The Course of Study.. The Endowment. -Various Adminis-
trations 556
CHAPTER LXXY.
COUNTY HISTORIES.
Adams County 567
Blackford County 568
Benton County 569
Brown County 570
Crawford County 570
Daviess County 571
Dearborn County 572
Decatur County . _. . 572
DeKalb County 573
Delaware County . 573
Dubois County . 574
Fayette Countj' . 575
Fountain County 575
Franklin County 576
Fulton County 576
Gibson County j. 577
Grant County 578
Hamilton County 578
Hancock County 579
Harrison County 579
Jasper County 580
Jeflferson County ... 580
Jennings County 581
Kosciusko County 581.
La Grange County 582
Lake County 583
La Porte County 583
Marion Countj' 584
Marshall County 586
Martin County . 586
Noble County ...• 586
Orange County 587
Perry County 587
Porter County 588
Posey County 588
Pulaski County 591
Randolph County . ......... 591
Ripley County . .. 592
Rush County 592
Spencer County 593
Steuben County .. ..... 593
Tipton County ... ^^^
36 mSTOKY OF INDIANA.
Union County - 594
Vermillion County - 594
Warren County — 594
■\Varrick County - 595
"Washington County 595
White County 596
Whitley County 597
flowanl County 597
Stark County 597
Miami County 598
Newton County 601
Pike County G02
CHAPTER LXXYI.
PRESENT AND FUTURE GREATNESS OF INDIANAPOLIS.
Indianapolis, the Future Great City of the West.. Its Present Import-
ance and Future Growth 609
CHAPTER LXXYII.
PROGRESS OF THE GRANGE IN INDIANA.
Extent of the Organization in the State. .Its History.. State Grange
Officers. -Aims and Objects of the Order. .Good Results 631
CHAPTER LXXYIII.
THE GREAT WAGON AND CARRIAGE WORKS OF THE STU.
DEBAKER BROTHERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, AT
SOUTH BEND, ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, INDIANA.
Early Beginning.. History of the Firm.. Description of Buildings..
Fire of 1872.. Rebuilt. .Fire of 1874.. Description of New Building
..Statistics of Products __ 539
THE BASS FOUNDRY AND MACHINE WORKS OF PORT 'WATNE, IND.
Description of Works.. Personnel of the Firm.. "Works in Chicago
and St. Louis.. Products g44
CHAPTER LXXIX.
THE NEWSPAPER PRESS OF INDIANA.
Press of Indiana 792
Newspaper Directory of Indiana ———.-—.............. 723
Organization of Counties > 603
INDEX
TO
HISTORIES OF COUNTIES.
Adams ^^^
Allen 353
Bartholomew 511
BentoQ 569
Blackford 508
Boone 534
Brown 570
Carroll 502
Cass 392
Clarke 525
Clay 472
Clinton 532
Crawford 570
Daviess 571
Dearborn 572
Decatur 572
De Kalb 573
Delaware 573
Dubois 574
Elkhart 449
Fayette 575
Floyd 527
Fountain 575
Franklin 57g
Fulton.
Gibson ._ 577
Grant
Greene
Hamilton
Hancock
Harrison
Hendricks
Henry
Howard . ^07
Huntington ^zl
Jackson ^°°
Jasper j'^
Jay 580
Jefferson 552
Jennings ... 580
Johnson 581
Knox 441
Kosciusko 423
La Grange 581
Lake 582
La Forte 583
683
578
475
578
579
579
538
499
(37)
Lawrence 4/6
Madison "^59
Marion 584
Marshall 585
Martin 586
Miami 598
Monroe 485
Montgomery 411
Morgan 537
Newton 601
Noble 586
Orange 587
Ohio 508
Owen 474
Parke 438
Perry 587
Pike 602
Porter 588
Posey 588
Pulaski 591
Putnam 556
Randolph 591
Ripley 592
Rush 592
Scott 539
Shelby 530
Spencer 593
Starke 597
St. Joseph 452
Steuben 59^!}
Sullivan ^g'^^
Switzerland ^qJ;
Tippecanoe - 'oq()
Tipton '^[^'^
Union
Vanderburgh .-.
Vermillion
Vigo
Wabash
Warren „.
Warrick ^Zt
Washington ^*:'?
Wayne 59o
Wells 543
White 481
Whitley 596
697
594
430
594
41fi
445
INDEX TO APPENDIX.
The Eighteen Presidents of the United States and their Original Cabi
nets 55
Signers of the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 60
Army Statistics 58
Organization of the Army 58
Pay of the Army per year _.. 58
Cost of the four U. S. Wars 58
War Statistics of the U. S 59
Sixteen American Wars 59
Troops Fmuished by the States for the War of the Rebellion 59
Number of Killed, Wounded and Died during the War of the Rebellion 59
Salaries of the Principal Government Officials 57
Post Office Directory of Indiana 736
Gcograpliical Position of County Seats of Indiana, from Indianapolis,
Chicago and Cincinnati 744
Popuhition by Counties for 18G0 and 1870, and Per Cent. Gain 74G
Per Cent. Increase in Population of the States, from 1860 to 1870, and
tlieir Area in Square Miles Compared 747
Population of Principal Cities in the U. S., and Per Cent. Gain 748
Statistics of Population 748
Growth of Railroads in U. S 749
Rail roads of Indiana 749
Admission, Area, and Increase in Population of States, from 1790 to
1870 751
Statistics of Manufactures of U. S 752
State Governments 75 i
Salaries of SUitc Governors 754
Time of Holding State Elections 754
Assembling of State Legislatures 754
Apportionment of Congressmen 754
r<)nstituliun of the State of Indiana 755
Acts of tlie Legislature of Virginia 776, 778
Acts of C<>n«reB8 779, 785, 786, 787, 788, 790, 794
Ordinance Territorial Convention 794
(88)
PIONEEE LIFE IN INDIANA.
The settlement of a new country is one of the most interest-
ing phases of national history; and this fact applies with pecu-
liar force to this country and to this State. At the beginning
of the eighteenth century, Indiana was a wilderness, broken
only by the lakes and rivers, and small prairies, and curious
tumuli, that now form the distinguishing pliysical and anti-
quarian features of a great and prosperous civilized agricul-
tural State. Here and there, along the banks of the rivers,
and by the side of the placid lakes, were clustered the rude
huts and wierwams of the uncultured natives. These scenes
of savage life were now and then interspersed with the rude
huts of the French fur-traders, and perhaps now and then a
small block -house, intended for the storage and defence of pelt-
ries; but even these better features presented few traces of
civilization, and afforded only a rude hospitality to the wan-
derinjr Eno'lish or American trader who ventured into the
Territory.
The Indian tribes still cherished unpleasant recollections of
the Old French War; and, having just emerged from a bitter
participation in the Revojutionary struggle, they were greatly
confused with the conflicting currents of civilized policy.
Why the " Eed-coats," after reducing Canada, and conquering
the French, should, in bo short a period, precipitate a bloody
(39)
40
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
war among themselves, was a question tliat the savage mind
coukl solve only by attributing base treachery to the English
character. The red men of the North-west had been urged to
join the British against the French in 1750; but, for the most
part, tliey refused, preferring to stand by the arms of their old
"French father," of whose treatment they had little or no
cause for complaint. However, when Major Rogers marched
the British forces into the lake-region, when all Canada was
ceded to the enemy, the Indian half regretted his choice in the
THE PIONEER PROSPECTING.
conflict, and murmured because he was not on the side of the
victorious party. At this juncture, had the English policy
been properly guarded, the lasting friendship of the natives
would have been easily attained. But insolence was the dis-
tinguishing feature of the treatment which the English
extended to the Indians in the North-west; and Indian hatred
and savage revenge were its legitimate products. When the
Eovolutionary war burst upon the infant colonies, the natives
were unable to discover the difference between one Endishman
PIONEER LIFE.
41
and anotber, or to determine clearly the causes that led to their
separation; and regarding them all as a treacherous, insolent
people, they became a ready tool in tlie hands of designing
Frenchmen, wlio sought to revenge themselves upon the Eng-
lish for the losses of 1760, for which the bitter struggle between
the British colonies and the mother-country afforded them an
opportunity. At the close of this war, as at the close of the
struggle of 1760, they found themselves, for the most part, on
the side of the lost cause. There was a difference, however;
THE JOURNEY FROM CIVILIZATION TO THE FOREST HOME.
and that difference was in their favor. Canada still remained
true to the British flag; and beneath that flag the ]^orth.
western Indians not only found protection, but sympathy,—
material sympathy. As a reward for their services on the
battle-field, they w^ere given rum, tobacco, blankets and powder,
but not as a reward for their deeds only. These gifts were
intended to keep alive a revenge against the Americans. The
few remaining Frenchmen, for whom the natives of 1776 held
a profound respect, aided largely in perpetuating this feeling
42 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
of revenge. Hence in 1812, when the final contest came, many
of the tribes of the lake-region stood ready to lift the hatchet
in behalf of the enemy of our Independence. At the close ot
this war, the red men were in a similar position to that occu-
pied l)y them at the termination of all civilized wars in which
tliey engaged, — on the side of the defeated party, supporting a
lost ciiusc. The feeling of disappointment consequent upon
this unfortunate situation was aroused to enmity and liatred at
the prospect of losing their best hunting grounds; for, ever
fiince the American colonist crossed the Ohio, his rude cabin
was marching north and west, toward the rich agricultural
regions of the Great Lakes. Such were the feelings of the
natives of Indiana in 1800, when the American colonist was
attracted hither by the rich soil, giant forests of good timber,
excellent climate, and beautiful scenery of the Territory; and
such the causes that led to this enmity and suspicion.
Thus it was when the American pioneer, with his wife and
family, entered the unbroken forests of Indiana. The Indian
beheld his approach with feelings of mingled fear and revenge.
The sound of his axe fell ominously upon the savage ear; and
all his actions were signals of the rapidly-approaching ruin of
the Indian race. In the midst of these forebodings, the elo-
quent speeches of the great Pontiac, the true champion of
Indian rights, and the chief of native warriors, came up in his
memory from the clashing struggle of 1763 in all their gran-
deur: <<The red men will be driven into ruin and death, and
the Englishman's corn will wave in triumph over his decaying
bones."
But the memory of these speeches now serve a futile warn-
ing. The red man's hands are tied. His cause is lost; his
inheritance has become the possession of a relentless enemy;
he has fallen blighted by civilization; and he remains only to
bid adieu to the home of his fathers, and, perchance, to work
PIONEEK LIFE.
43
a secret vengeance upon a few of his conquerors. His career
is almost, jet not wholly, ended. The unprotected pioneer
must feel the sharp, keen death-pain of the scalping-knife.
The anxious mother and innocent children must fall, in their
rude cabin-home, beneath the merciless tomahawk. A few
trembling souls must be canned into a barbarous captivity.
In short, the red man must characterize his departure from a
miserable existence by a wretched revenge.
But in the face of all the dangers, and sometimes in si^Jjit
BUILDING THE CABIN-HOilE.
of these horrible deaths, or thrice horrible tortures, the pioneer
of Indiana pressed forward. With his faithful gun as a pro-
tector, and his axe as an implement of industry, he went forth
to do battle with the forest.
And now let us glance at the pioneers of Indiana in the
dilferent phases of their experience, and in the beauty and
simplicity of their character. The journey from civilization to
the forest-home was not among the least of their difficulties.
The route lay, for the most part, through a rough country.
44
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Swamps and marshes were crossed with great exertion and
fatigue; rivers were forded with difficulty and danger; forests
were penetrated with risk of captivity by hostile Indians;
nights were passed in open prairies, with the sod for a couch
and the heavens for a shelter; long, weary days and weeks of
tiresome travel w^ere endured. Perchance the mother and child
were seated in a rough farm -wagon, while the father walked
by the side of his faithful team, urging them over the uneven
gi-ound. But they were not always blessed with this means of
THE nONEER AND HIS HOME.
transportation. And, in the best cases, the journey westward
was a tedious, tiresome, dangerous one. Often the children
sickened by the way, and anxious parents worried over them
in a rude camp, until relieved either by returning health or by
death. If the latter, a father would be compelled to dig the
grave for the body of his own child in a lonely forest. Who
shall describe the burial-scene when parents are the only
mourners? This is a subject only for contemplation. After a
PIONEER LIFE. 4:5
few sad days, the bereaved ones tate up the journey, leaving
only a little fresh monnd to mark the sacred spot.
But these incidents were not frequent. Generally the pio-
neers were blessed with good health, and enabled to overcome
the privations of forest-travel. At night they slept in their
wagon, or upon the grass; while the mules, hobbled to pre-
vent escape, grazed the prairie around them. But the toils
and dangers of the pioneer were not ended with the termina-
tion of his journey. Perchance the cabin is yet existing only
in the surrounding trees. But he never falters. The forest
bows beneath his axe; and, as log after log is placed one upon the
other, his situation becomes more cheerful. Already the anx-
ious mother has pointed out the corner for the rude chimney,
and designated her choice in the location of the door and win-
dow. The cabin grows day by day; and at length it is fin-
ished, and the family enter their home. It is not a model
home; but it is the beginning of a great prosperity, and as
such is worthy of preservation in history, on account of its
obscurity and its severe economy. But it was a home, not-
withstanding; and I venture the observation, that with all its
lack of comforts, with all its pinching poverty, with all its isola-
tion and danger, it was often a happy home; and perhaps its
growth, in this respect, is not among the greatest of its accom-
plishments; yet, after all, it has become happier, as well as
wealthier.
]^ext to building the cabin-home came the work of prepar-
ing the soil for agricultural purposes. This was a work of no
ordinary magnitude. For miles in every direction, the eye of
the pioneer met only a dense forest, broken here and there by
rivers and creeks and small lakes. Dams must be constructed,
and mills erected on these streams; and the forest must be
cleared away to make room for the cornfield. For the accom-
plishment of these ends, the pioneer prepares his axe, and day
46
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
after day he toils on. Tree after tree bows its lofty top. Log
after log is rolled into the stream. Through many a long,
dreary winter has the early settler pursued these elementary
branches of industry. Oft has he eaten a cold dinner in a
stormy winter's day, Avitli only a log to serve the double pur-
pose of a chair and table; but, endowed with a spirit of enter-
prise that knows no faltering, he toiled steadily on.
Spring comes, and he goes forth to prepare the patch of
ground for the planter. The team is ready. The father takes
riONEEK PLOUGHING.
his post at the plow; and the daughter takes possession of the
reins. This is a grand scene,— one full of grace and beauty.
This pioneer girl thinks but little of fine dress; knows less of
the fashions; has possibly heard of the opera, but does not
understand its meaning; has been told of the piano, but ha-,
never seen one; wears a dress "buttoned up behind; " has on
leather boots, and " drives plow " for her father. But her sit-
uation has changed. To-day she sits in the parlor of her
grandson, whose wife keeps house through the proxy of one or
PIOXEER LIFE.
47
two servants, and whose daughters are Hinging their nimble,
delicate fingers over the white keys of a charming Chickering
piano, filling the home with a melody that has but few charms
for the plain old grandmother. Her mind runs back to the
cornfield, to the cabin-home, to the wash-tub by the running
brook, to the spinning-wheel, to toil and danger; and well
may she exclaim, " Oh, wondrous progress ! my lite is but a
dream." Truly our pioneer mothers were hard-working,
honest-thinking women. Our highest praise is but a poor
tribute to their worth.
PIONEEK HARVESTING.
The character of the pioneers of Indiana is properly within
our range. They lived in a region of exuberant fertility,
where nature had scattered her blessings with a liberal hand.
Their liberties, the vastness of their inheritance, — its giant
forests, its broad prairies, its numerous rivers, — the many
improvements constantly going forward, and the bright pros-
pect for a glorious future in everything that renders life pleas-
ant, combined to deeply impress their character, to give them
iS
HISTOKT OF INDIANA.
ft spirit of enterprise, an independence of feeling, and a joyous-
nesB of hope. They were a thorongli combination and mix-
ture of all nations,, characters, languages, conditions, and opin-
ions. There was scarcely a nation in Europe, or a State in the
Union, that was not represented among the early settlers.
The much greater proportion of the emigrants from Europe
were of the humbler classes, who came here from hunger,
poverty and oppression. They found themselves here the "joy
ot ship- wrecked mariners, cast on the untenanted woods, and
WASHING DAY.
instantly became cheered with the hope of being able to build
up a family and a fortune from new elements." The Puritan
and the Planter, the German, the Briton, the Frenchman, the
Irishman, the Swede, the Dane, and the Hollander,— each
with his peculiar prejudices and local attachments, and all the
complicated and interwoven tissue of sentiments, feelings, and
thoughts that country, kindred, and home have, — settled down
beside and with each other. All now form one society. " Men
must cleave to their kind, and must be dependent upon each
PIONEER UFE.
49
other. Pride and jealousy give way to the natural yearnin/ys
of the human heart for society. They begin to rub oflf mutual
prejudices; one takes a step, and then the other; they meet
half-way, and embrace: and the society thus newly organized
and constituted is more liberal, enlarged, unprejudiced, and, cf
course, more affectionate, than a society of people of like birth
and character, who bring all their early prejudices as a com-
mon stock, to be transmitted ao an inheritance to posterity.^-
The rough, sturdy, and simple hc,bit8 of the early pioneer cf
PLANTING CORN.
Indiana, living in that plenty which depends only upoi^ Go'?
and nature, have laid broad the foundation of independent
thought and feeling.
The wedding was an attractive feature of pioneer life. For
a long time after the first settlement of the Territory, the
people married young. There was no distinction of rank, and
very little of fortune. On these accounts, the first impression
of love generally resulted in marriage. The family establish-
ment cost but little labor — nothing more. A description of
60
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
a wedding in the olden time will serve to show the progress
made in society, as well as ]>i-eserve an important phase of
history. The marriage was always celebrated at the house of
the bride; and she was generally left to choose the officiating
clergyman. A wedding, however, engaged the attention of
the whole neighborhood. It was anticipated by both old and
young with eager expectation. In the morning of the wed-
ding day the groom and his intimate friends assembled at the
house of his father, and, after due preparation, departed, en
GOING TO MILL.
masse, for the " mansion " of his bride. The journey was
sometimes made on horseback, sometimes on foot, and some-
times in farm wagons or carts. It was always a merry jour-
ney; and, to insure merriment, the bottle was taken along.
On reaching the house of the bride, the marriage ceremony
took place; and then dinner or supper was served. After the
meal, the dancing commenced, and generally lasted till the
following morning. The figures of the dances were three and
four ha-nded reels, or square sets and jigs. The commence-
PIONEER LIFE.
51
ment was always a square four, which was followed by what
the pioneers called "jigging; " that is, two of the four would
single out for a jig, and were followed by the remaining couple.
The jigs were often accompanied with what was called " cut-
ting out; " that is, when either of the parties became tired of
the dance, on intimation, the place was supplied by some one
of the company, without any interruption of the dance. In
this way the reel was often continued until the musician was
exhausted.
THE INDUSTRIOUS PIONEER MOTllEli. •
About nine or ten o'clock in the evening, a deputation of
young ladies stole off the bride, and put her to bed. In
doing this, they had to ascend a ladder from the kitchen to the
upper floor, which was composed of loose boards. Here, in
this pioneer bridal chamber, the young, simple-hearted girl
was put to bed by her enthusiastic friends. This done, a
deputation of young men escorted the groom to the same
apartment, and placed him. snugly by the side of his bride.
The dance still continued ; and if seats were scarce, which waa
53
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
generally tbe case, "every young man, when not engaged in
the dance, was obliged to ofter his lap as a seat for one of the
girls; and the offer was sure to be accepted." During the
night's festivities, spirits were freely used, but seldom to great
excess. The infair was held on the following evening, when
the same order of exercises was observed.
Tlie "bee" was another distinguishing and interesting fea-
ture of pioneer life. The first settlers were alone, and had to
build their cabins as best they could ; but, when the people
THE PIONEEK SCHOOL HOUSE.
were sufficiently numerous, the cabin was nearly always raised
by a " bee," or " frolic." The latter is a very old but signifi-
cant term. We will now suppose tha*; ?. youno' couple has
been married. They are about to settle down on their own
account. A spot is selected on a piece of land for their habi-
tation. A day is appointed for the commencement of the
building of their cabin. The fatigue party, consisting of the
choppers, fells the trees, and cuts them in proDer lengths.
This done, a man with a team haub Ciiem to tiie place, and
PIONEER LIFE.
53
arranges them properly assorted. Another party selects the
proper materials for the roof; and still another prepares the
puncheons for the floor. The materials all on the ground, the
raising takes place. The first thing to be done is the election
of four corner men, whose business it is to notch and place
the logs. The rest of the company do the lifting. The cabin
being finished, it was generally " warmed " by a good " break-
down," or dance. With the use of liquor, these " warmings "
were always full of spirit and hilarity.
PIONEER WOODSMEN AT DINNER.
Going to mill was quite an iindertalving with the pioneer.
It was, perhaps, two or three days' journey to the mill, more
or less, in proportion to the situation and growth of the neigli-
borhood. Sometimes a pair of oxen, attached to a two-wheeled
cart, carried the farmer and his grain on this journey; but
frequently he went on horseback, with the bag of grain across
the horse's back, before him. This was a tedious way of
transporting grain to the mill; but his return was anxiously
waited for by mother and children, all suffering, it may be,
54 raSTOKT OF INDIAITA.
from the scarcity of flour. There are some recollections of
"going to mill" that bring with them vivid pictures of weary,
watchful nights, when the father did not return as promised
and expected, being delayed either by the number of " grists "
before him, or the impassable condition of the roads, or
" traces." Those were the dismal, desolate phases of pioneer
life, when the darkness closed in upon the anxious mother and
crying children ; when the winds beat upon the rude cabin,
bringing to their ears unwelcome sounds, laden with the dying
howls of starving wolves; when hunger pressed heavily upon
helpless women and children.
Tlie years passed on, and the pioneers continued their toils,
submitted patiently to their hardships, until the light of civil-
ization and prosperity dawned upon them in open cornfields,
waving in harvest luxury, or in neat, comfortable dwellings,
that were raised by the side of the cabin homes. But this
dawn is rapidly approaching the high noon of prosperity. In
place of the ever- winding " trace," the iron rail may now be
seen, and for the old-fashioned two-wheeled cart we have the
powerful locomotive. The scene has been completely changed.
The forests have disappeared, or are rapidly disappearing, and
being supplanted by cultivated fields. On every hand we may
behold evidences of this great transformation. Let us thank
God and praise the pioneers of Indiana for what has been
accomplished, and, having the promises already fulfilled in our
eyes, continue in the industry and perseverance for which we
have had so glorious an example.
GENERAL tJTATICTICS. 55
THE NINETEEN PEESIDENTS OF THE UNITED
STATES AND THEIli ORIGINAL CABINETS.
George Washington, Va., born February 23, 1732, inaugurated 17S9,
aged 57, served 8 years, died December 14, 1799, aged G7; Thomas Jeffer-
son, Va., Secretary of State; Alexander Hamilton, N. Y., Secretary of the
Treasury; Henry Knox, Mass., Secretary of War; Samuel Osgood,' Mass.,
Postmaster General.
John Adams, Mass., born October 30, 1735, inaugurated 1797, aged G3,
served 4yeai"s, died July 4, 182G, aged 91; Timothy Pickering, Mass., Sec-
retary of State; Oliver Woolcot, Ct., Secretary of Treasury ; Jas. McHenryi
Md., Secretary of War; George Cabat, Mass., Secretary of Navy; Joseph
Habersham, Ga., Postmtister General.
Thomas Jefferson, Va., born April 2, 1743, inaugurated 1801, aged 58,
served 8 years, died July 4, 1820, aged 83; Jas. Madison, Va., Secretary of
State; Samuel Dexter, Mass., Secretary of Treasury; Henry Dearborn,
Mass., Secretary of War ; Benjamin Stoddard, Mass., Secretary of Navy;
Joseph Habersham, Ga., Postmaster General.
James Madison, Va., born March 16, 1751, inaugurated 1809, aged 53,
served 8 years, died June 28, 1836, aged 85 ; Robert Smith, Md., Secretary
of State; Albert Gallatin, Pa., Secretary of Treasury; Wm. Eustis, Mass.,
Secretary of War; Paul Hamilton, S. C, Secretary of Navy; Gideon Gran-
ger, Ct., Postmaster General.
James INIonroe, Va., born April 2, 1759, inaugurated 1817, aged 59, served
8 years, died July 4, 1831, aged 73; John Q. Adams, IMass., Secretary of
State; Wm. H. Crawford, Ga., Secretary of Treasury; John C. Calhoun, S.
C, Secretary of War, Henj. W. Crowninshield, Mass., Secretary of Navy;
Return J. Meigs, Ohio, Postmaster General.
John Q. Adams, Mass., born July 11, 1767, inaugurated 1825, aged 58,
served 4 years, died February 23, 1848, aged 81 years; Henry Clay, Ky.,
Secretary of State ; Richard Rush, Pa., Secretary of Treasury ; Jas. Bar-
bour, Va., Secretary of War; Samuel L. Southard, N. J., Secretary of Navy;
John McClean, Ohio, Postmaster General.
Andrew Jackson, S. C, born March 15, 1767, inaugurated 1829, aged 63,
served 8 j'ears, died June 8, 1845, aged 78 years; Martin VanBuren, N. Y.,
Secretary of State ; Samuel D. Ingham, Pa., Secretary of Treasury ; John
H. Eaton, Tenn., Secretary of War; John Branch, N. C, Secretary of
Navy ; Wm. T. Barny, Ky., Postmaster General.
Martin VanBuren, N. Y., born December 5, 1782, inaugurated 1837, aged
55, served 4 years, died December 27, 1862, aged 80 years; John Forsyth,
Ga., Secretary of State; Levi Woodbury, N. H., Secretary of Treasury;
Joel R. Poinsett, S. C, Secretary of War; Mahlon Dickerson, N. J., Secre-
tary of Navy ; Amos Kendall, Ky., Postmaster General.
William Henry Harrison, Va., born February 9, 1773. inaugurated 1841,
aged 68, served 1 month, died April 4, 1841, aged 68 years; Daniel Webster,
Mass., Secretary of State; Thomas Ewing, Ohio, Secretary of Treasury;
56 HISTORY OF IKDIAliTA.
John Bell, Tcnn., Secretary of War; Geo. E. Badger, N. C, Secretary of
Navy ; Francis Granger, N. Y., Postmaster General.
John Tyler, Va., born March 20, 1790, inaugurated 1841, aged 51, served
4 years, died January 17, 18G2, aged 72 years; Daniel "Webster, Mass., Sec-
retary of Stale; Waller Foward, Pa., Secretary of Treasury; John C. Spen-
cer, N. Y., Secretary of War; Abel P. Upser, Va., Secretary of Navy;
Chas. A. Wickliffe, Ky., Postmaster General.
James K. Polk, N. C, born November 2, 1795, inaugurated 1845, aged 50,
ser^-cd 4 years, died June 15, 1849, aged 54; James Buchanan, Pa., Secre-
tary of State; Robert J. Walker, Miss., Secretary of Treasury; Wm. J.
ilarcy, N. Y., Secretary of War; George Bancroft, Mass., Secretary of
Navy ; Cave Johnson, Tenn., Pf)stmaster General.
Zachary Taylor, Va., born November 24, 1790, inaugurated 1849, aged
65, served 1 year, died July 9, 1850, aged 6G years: John M. Clayton, Del.,
Secretary of State; Wm. M. Meredith, Pa., Secretary of Treasury; George
W. Crawford, Ga., Secretary of War ; Wm. B. Preston, Va., Secretary of
Navy; Jacob Collamer, Vt., Postmaster General.
Millard Filmore, N. Y., born May 7, 1800, inaugurated 1850, aged 50,
served 3 years, died March 8, 1874, aged 74 years ; Daniel Webster, Mass.,
Secretary of State; Thos. Corwin, Ohio, Secretary of Treasury: Chas. M.
Conrad, La., Secretary of War ; Wm. A. Graham, N. C, Secretary of Navy ;
Nathan K. Hall, N. Y., Postmaster General.
Franklin Pierce, N. H., born November 23, 1804, inaugurated 1S53, aged
49, served 4 years, died October 8, 18G8, aged 65 years; Wm. L. Marcy,
N. Y., Secretary of State; Jas. Guthrie, Ky., Secretary of Treasury; Jef-
ferson Davis, Miss., Secretary of War; Jas. C. Dobbin, N. C, Secretary of
Na^7; Jas. Campbell, Pa., Postmaster General.
James Buchanan, Pa., born April 23, 1791, inaugurated 1857, aged 66,
served 4 years, died June 1, 18G8, aged 77 years; Lewis Cass, Mich., Secre-
tary of Stale; Howell Cobb, Ga., Secretary of Treasury; John B. Floyd,
Va., Secretary of War ; Isaac Toucey, Ct., Secretary of Navy ; Aaron V.
Brown, Tcnn., Postmaster General.
Abraham Lincoln Ky., born February 12, 1809, inaugurated 18G1, aged
52, served 4 years, died April 15, 18G5, aged 56 years ; Wm. H. Seward, N. Y.,
Secretiry of State; Salmon P. Chase, Ohio, Secretary of Treasury; Simon
Cameron, Pa., Secretary of War; Gideon Wells, Ct., Secretary of Navy;
Montgomery Blair, Mo., Postmaster General.
Andrew Johnson, N. C, born December 29, 1808, inaugurated 18G5, aged
57, served 4 years; Wm. H. Seward, N. Y., Secretary of State; Hugh Mc-
CuUough, Secretary of Treasury ; Edwin JVI. Stanton, Pa., Secretary of War ;
Gideon Wells, Ct., Secretary of Navy; Wm. Dennisou, Ohio, Postmaster
General.
Ulyssus S. Grant, Ohio, born April 27, 1822, inaugurated 18G9, aged 47;
Hamilton Fish, N. Y., Secretary of State; George S. Boutwell, Mass., Sec-
retary of Treasury; John A. Rawlins, HI., Secretary of War; Adolph E.
Boric, Pa., Secretary of Navy; John A. J. Creswell, Md., Postmaster
GteneraL
GENERAL STATISTICS. 67
Rutherford B. Hayes, born October, 1822, inaugurated 1877; Wm. M.
Evarts, N. Y., Secretary of State; John Sherman, Ohio, Secretary
of Treasury; Geo. W. McCrary, Iowa, Secretary of War; Richard W.
Thompson, Indiana, Sacretary of Navy; David M. Key, Tenn., Post
Master General; Carl Schurz, Secretary of Interior.
SALAKIES OF THE PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS.
The following indicates tlie increase in the salaries of government offl
cials made by vote of congress March third, 1873, and popularly dcuomi
Dated the " Salary Grab Bill."
Former. Increase.
President $25,000 $50,000
Vice-President, Speaker of House, and eight Justices, each 8,000 10,000
Chief Justice 8,500 10,500
Seven Members of the Cabinet each 8,000 10,000
292 Congressujtn, 'i ti Senators ana 8 I'errit >j ial Dels., each 5,000 7,500
First and Second Ass't Sec'y of State and of Treasury, each 3,500 6,000
Supervising Architect 4,000 5,000
Commissioners of Customs, Indian affairs, Pensions, Land
office and Agriculture 3,000 4,000
Solicitor of the Treasury 3,000 4,000
First and Second Postmaster Generals and Superintendent
Foreign Mails each 3,000 4,000
First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Auditors, each 3,000 4,000
The increase in the salaries of the representatives and senators, except
the speaker of the house and the congressional emph)yes, was dated back
two years, and made to begin March fourth, 1871. The whole amount of
the increase is about $1,500,000 a year.
Congress passed an act, approved January twentieth, 1874, repealing the
" Salary Grab Bill," except as relates to the president and the justices of
the supreme court: Provided tliat mileage shall not be allowed for tlie first
session of the forty-third congress, tliat all moneys appropriated as com-
pensation to the members of the forty-second congress in excess of the
mileage and allowances fixed by law at the commencement of said con-
gress, and which shall not have been drawn by the members respectively
or which having been drawn have been returned in any form to the United
States, are hereby covered into the treasury of the United States, and are
declared to be the moneys of the United States absolutely, the same as if
they had never been appropriated as aforesaid.
Note.— For the want of room in the Appendix, and having extra room immediately
before Chapter I, we have placed a few pages of the Appendix in the fore port of thia
work.
58 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
JobnPcnn Virginia 1741 Lawyer,
Thomas Lynch St. Georges, S. C 1749 Lawyer.
Tliomas Ileyward St. Lukes, S. C 1749 Lawyer.
Richard IL Lee Stratford, Va 1732 .Soldier,
CiEsar Ilodney Dover, Del 1730 Lawyer.
William Pasca Maryland 1740 Lawyer.
George Read .Maryland 1734 Lawyer,
Samuel Cliase ...Maryland 1741 Lawyer.
Oliver AVolcott Windsor, Conn 1730 Physician.
William EUery .Newport, R. 1 1737 Lawyer.
William Williams Lebanon, Conn 1731 Politician.
Francis Lewis Llandatf, Wales 1713 Merchant.
William Floyd Long Island, N. Y.... 1734 Farmer.
ARMY STATISTICS.
General Officers of the Army. — General, William T. Sherman, in
command; Lieutenant-Gcneral, Philip H.Sheridan; Major-Generals, Win-
field S. Hancock, J M. Schoficld and Irwin McDowell; Brigadicr-Gener-
als, Philip S. G. Cook, John Pope, Oliver O. Howard, Alfred H. Teny.E.
O. C. Ord, Christopher C. Auger.
Organization of the Army. — Generals, 1; Lieutenant-Generals, 1;
JIajor-Gencrals, 3; Rrigadier-Generals, 6 ; Adjutant, Quartermaster, Com-
missary and Surgeon Generals, with their subordinates' Engineers, 300;
Cavalry, 10,000; Artillery, 3,035; Infantry, 15,000; Indian scouts, 1,000;
Quartermaster's department, 2,500. Total number of enlisted men and
attaches for which rations can be used, under act of Congress, July 15,
1870, 35,284.
Pay of the Army, per Year. — General, $10,602; Lieutenant-General,
18,072; Major-Generals, |5,G72; Brigadier-Generals, $3,918; Colonels of
Engineers, Ordinance and Cavalry, $2,724; Lieutenant-Colonels, $2,436;
Majors, $2,148; Captains, $1,G50; Lieutenants, $1,449.96; Colonels of
Infantry, $2,544; Lieutenant-Colonels, $2,156; Majors, $2,028; Captains,
$1,530; First^Lieutenants, $1,410; Second-Lieutenants, $1,350; Chief Signal
officer, $2,724; Chaplains, $1,416.
There are fifteen military geographical divisions and departments, and
twenty-five armories and arsenals in the United States.
COST OF THE FOUR UNITED STATES WARS.
Revolutionary war, seven years $ 135,163,703
War of 1813, two and a half years 107,159,003
Mexican war, two years 66.000,000
War of the Rebellion, four years over 3,000,000,000
Aggregate $3,308,352,706
GENERAL STATISTICS. 59
WAR STATISTICS OF THE UNITED STATES.
Siucc the organization of the Federal Government eleven attempts have
been made against its authority. 1st, Conspiracy of a few federal army
officers, in 1782, to combine the original thirteen states into one, and place
Washington in supreme command. 2d, Shay's insurrection in Massachu-
setts, in 1787. 3d, Whisky insurrection of Pennsylvania, in lldi. 4th, By the
Hartford convention, in 1814. 5th, In 1820, on the question of the admis-
sion of Missouri into the Union. Glh, Collision between the Legislature
of Georgia and the Government in regard to tiie lands given to the Creek
Indians. 7th, In 1830, with the Chcrokees in Georgia. 8th, Was the
infamous nullifying ordinance of South Carolina in 1832. 9th, In 1843,
between the suflVage association of Rhode Island and the State authori-
ties. 10th, On the part of the Mormons in Utah, in 1856, who resisted the
authorities of the Government; and the 11th was the late war of the
llebellion.
In the Revolutionary war the original thirteen States furnished troops
for tlie army as follows: Deleware, 2,386; Georgia, 2,679; Rhode Island,
5,908; South Carolina, 6,417: North Carolina, 7,263; New Jersey, 10,726;
New Hamshire, 12,497; Maryland, 13,912; New York, 17,781; Pcnnsylva-
nia, 25,678; Virginia, 26,728 ; Connecticut, 31,939; Massachusetts, 67,907.
Total, 231,791.
SIXTEEN AMERICAN WARS.
Dutch 1673 Tccumseh 1811
King Philip's 1675 War of 1812
King William's 1689 Algerine Pirates 1815
Queen Anna's 1744 First Seminole 1817
French and Indian 1753 Second Seminole 1845
American Revolution 1775 Black Hawk 1833
Indian 1790 Mexican 1846
Barbary 1803 Southern Rebellion 1861
TROOPS FURNISHED BY THE STATES FOR THE UNITED
STATES DURING THE WAR OF THE REBELLION.
There was enlisted for the three months service 191,985 men ; six months,
19,076 men ; nine months, 87,558 men ; one year service, 394,959 men ; two
years, 43,113; three years, 1,950,792 men, and for the four years service
1,040 men. Total, 2,688,523 men. But as many of these re-enlisted, it is
safe to say that there were 1,500,000 men enlisted and served in the war for
the Union from 1861 to 1865. Of this number 56,000 were killed in battle,
35,000 died of wounds, and 184,000 died in hospitals of diseases.
60
HISnORY OF INDIANA.
SIGNERS OF THE DECLAEATION OF INDEPEND-
ENCE, JULY 4, 1776.
PLACE AND DATE OF BIRTH AND PROFESSION.
John Hancock Braintrce, Mass. 1737.. .Merchant
Samuel Adams ..Boston, Mara 1722 Merchant.
John Adams Quincy, Mass 1735 Lawyer.
Thomas Jefferson Sliadwell, Va 1743 Lawyer.
Benjamin Franklin Boston, Mass 1755 Printer.
Robert Morris England' 1734 Merchant
Lewis Morris Harlem, N.Y 172G Farmer.
Stephen Hopkins Sciluatc, Mass .1707 Farmer.
Roger Sherman Newton, Mass ..1721 Shoemaker
Charles Carroll Annapolis, Md 1737 Lawyer.
Josiah Bartlett Amcsbury, Mass 1729 Physician.
William Whipple Kittery, Maine 1730 Sailor.
Robert T. Paine Boston, Mass 1731 Lawyer.
Philip Livingston Albany, N. Y 1716 Merchant
Francis Uopkinson Philadelphia, Pa 1737 Lawyer.
Richard Stockton Princeton, N. J .1730 Lawyer.
John Witherspoon Jester, Scotland 1722 Minister.
Thomas Stone Pointon, Md 1744 Lawyer.
Thomas Nelson, Jr .York, Va 1738 Soldier.
William Hooper Boston, Mass. 1742 Lawyer.
Abraham Clark Elizabethtown, N. J..-172G Lawyer.
Benjamin Rush Bybcrry, Pa 1735 Phj'sician.
John Hart Hopewell, N. J 1708 Farmer.
Mathew Thornton Ireland 1741 Physician.
George Clymer Philadelphia, Pa 1739 Merchant
Elbridge Gerry Marblehead, Mass 1744 ^Merchant
James Smith Ireland .1715 Lawyer.
John Morton Ridley, Pa 1724 Surveyor.
George Ross New Castle, Del 1730 Lawyer.
Samuel Huntington Connecticut 1733 Lawyer.
Button Gwinnett England 1732 Merchant
Lyman Hall Connecticut 1730 Physician.
George Walton Virginia 1740 Lawyer.
George Wytlie Elizabeth City, Va....l72G Lawyer.
Benjamin Harrison Berkley, Va 1740 Farmer.
Edward Uutledge Charleston, S. C 1749 Lawyer.
Francis L. Lee Stratford, Va 1734 Farmer.
Arthur Middleton Banksof Ashley, S. C. 1743 Lawj-er.
Joseph Hewcs Kingston, N.J 1730 Lawyer.
George Taylor Ireland 1716 Physician.
Thomas McKean Chester Co., Pa .1734 Lavryer.
James Wilson Scotland 1742 Lawyer
Car»«r Baxter Newington, Va. 1736 Farmer.
PART FIRST.
GENERAL HISTORY.
CHAPTEE I.
MIAMI VILLAGES AND FRENCH SETTLEMENTS.
IN 1670, and for many years previous, the fertile region
of coiintrv now included within the boundaries of the
State of Indiana, was inhabited by the Miami Confederacy of
Indians. This league consisted of several Algonquin tribes,
notably the Twightwees, Wcas, Piankcshaws, and Shockeys,
and was formed at an early period — probably in the early
part of the Seventeenth century — for the purpose of repelling
the invasions of the Iroquois, or Five Nations, at whose hands
they had suflcrcd many severe defeats. By the frequent and
unsuccessful wars in which they were compelled to engage, in
self defense, their numbers had become greatly reduced, until,
at the date mentioned, they could not muster more than fifteen
hundred or two thousand warriors. They dwelt in small vil-
lages on the banks of the various rivers in Indiana, and
extended their dominion as far east as the Scioto, north to the
great lakes, and west to the country of the Illinois. Their
principal settlements were scattered along the headwaters of
the Great Miami, the banks of the Maumee, the St. Josepli,
of Lake Michigan, the Wabash and its tributaries. Although
once important among the nations of the Lake region, they
had become greatly demoralized by repeated defeats in war,
and when first visited by the French, their villages presented
a very untidy appearance. They were living in constant terror
of the Five Nations, practicing only sufficient industry to
prevent starvation, and indulging all their viscious passions
to a vulgar extreme.
Almost immediately following the discovery and explora-
tion of the Mississippi, by La Salle, in 1682, and a few years
(01)
62 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
later by James Marquette, the government of France bci^an
to encourage tlie policy of connecting its possessions in Nortl)
America by a chain of fortitications, and trading ]>osts, and
missionary stations, extending from New Orleans on the
Boutlnvest, to Quebec on the nortlieast. Tliis undertaking was
inaugurated by Lamotte Cadillac, who established Fort Pont-
chartrain, on the Detroit river, in 1701. At this period the
zealous Jesuit missionaries, the adventurous French fur
traders, with their coarse blue and red cloths, fine scarlet,
guns, powder, balls, knives, ribbons, beads, vermillion, tobacco
and rum ; and the careless rangers, or coureurs des hois, whose
chief vocation was conductini; the canoes of the traders alono
the lakes and rivers, made their appearance among the Indians
of Indiana. The pious Jesuits held up the cross of Christ
and unfolded the mysteries of the Catholic religion in broken
Indian, to these astonished savages, while the s])cculating
traders offered them fa'e water and other articles of merchan-
dise in exchange for their peltries, and the rangers, shaking
loose every tie of blood and kindred, idcntitied themselves
with the savages, and sank into utter barbarism.
The Jesuit missionaries were alwa3-s cordially received by
the Miami tribes. These Indians Avould listen patiently to
the strange theory of the Savior and salvation, manifest a
willing belief in all they heard, aiul then, as if to entertain
their visitors in return, they would tell them the story of their
own simple faith in the ]\Ianatous, and stalk off Avitli a groan
of dissatisfaction because the missionaries would not accept
their theory with equal courtesy. Missionary stations were
established at an early day in all of the princi])al villages, and
the work of instructing and converting the sava<res was benrun
in earnest. The order of religious exercises established at the
missions established among the Miamis was nearly the same
as that among other Indians. Early in the morning the mis-
sionaries would assemble the Indians at the church, or the hut
used for that purpose, and, after prayers, the savages were
taught concerning the Catholic religion. These exercises were
always followed by singing, at the conclusion of which the
congregation was dismissed, the Christians only remaining to
MIAMI VILLAGES AND FRENCn SETrLEMENTS. 65
take part at mass. This service was generally followed by
prayers. During the forenoon the priests were generally
engaffed in visitins: tlie sick, and consolino^ those who were
laboring under an}^ affliction. After noon anotlier service was
held in the churcli, at which all the Indians were permitted to
appear in their linery, and where each, without regard to rank
or age, answered the questions put by the missionary. This
exercise was concluded by singing hymns, the words of which
had been set to airs familiar to the savao:e ear. In the even-
ing all assembled again at the church for instruction, to hear
prayers, and to sing their favorite hymns. The ]\liamis were
always highly pleased with the latter exercise.
Aside from the character of the religious services which
constituted a chief attraction in the Miami villages of Indiana
while the early French missionaries were among them, the
traveler's attention would first be engaged with the peculiari-
ties of the fnr trade, which, during the first quarter of the
Seventeenth century, was monopolized by the French. This
trade was carried on by means of the carriers, or rangers, who
were engaged to conduct canoes on the lakes and rivers, and
to carry burdens of merchandise from Detroit to the principal
Miami villaijes, where the traders exchan<?ed their wares for
valuable furs, which they transported to the nearest trading
post affording them the most available market. This traffic
was not, however, confined to those whose wealth enabled them
to engage vessels, canoes, and carriers, for there were hundreds
scattered through the various Indian villages of Indiana, at
almost any time during the first half of the Eighteenth cen-
tury, who carried their packs of merchandise and furs by
means of leather straps suspended from their shoulders, or
\nth the straps resting against their foreheads.
Hum and brandy were freely introduced by these traders,
and always found a ready sale among the Miami Indians. A
Frenchman, writing of the evils which resulted from the intro-
duction of spirituous liquors among these savages, remarked:
"The distribution of it is made in the usual way; that is to
Bay, a certain number of persons have delivered to each of
them a quantity sufficient to get drunk with, so that the whole
64 niSTORT OF INDIANA.
have been drunk over eight days. They begin to drink in the
villages as soon as tlie sun is down, and every night the fields
echo with the most hideous howling."
lu those early days the Miami villages of the Maumee,
those of the Wcas about Ouiatenon, on the Wabash, and those
of the Painkesliaws around Vincennes, were the central points
of the fur trade in Indiana. Trading posts 'were established
at these places and at Fort Wayne, in 1719, although for
twenty years previous the French traders and missionaries had
frequently visited them. A permanent mission, or church
was established at the Painkeshaw village, near Yincennes, in
1749, by Father Meurin, and in the following year a small fort
was erected there by order of the French government. It was
in that year that a small fort was erected near the mouth of
the Wabash river. These posts soon drew a large number of
French traders around them, and in 175G they had become
quite important settlements, with a mixed population of
French and Indian.
At this date the English became powerful competitors for
the trade with the Indians in Indiana, and the surrounding
country, and at the close of the Old French War, in 1759-60,
when Canada and its dependencies fell into the hands of the
British, this monopoly passed over to the English. Notwith-
standing this change in the government of the country, the
French who had settled around the principal trading posts in
Indiana, with a few exceptions, swore allcgience to the British
government, and were permitted to occupy their lands in peace
and enjoy the slight improvements which they had Avrought.
In the course of the year 17G2, while the Indians in the
Northwest seemed to be quite reconciled to the change of gov-
ernment, and the English traders were beginning to carry on
a successful traffic with the tribes that dwelt between the lakes'
and the Ohio, Pontiac, the chief of the Ottawas, and the head
of a loose confederacy of the AVyandotts, Pottawattomies,
Chippewas, and Ottawas — tribes of tlie Algonquin Indians
residing in Michigan and Western Canada — was secretly pre-
paring Jiis forces for a desperate war on the English. This
great scheme was ably projected, and, to a great degree, sue-
MIAMI VILLAGES AND FRENCn SEITLEMENTS. 65
cessfully carried out. "With a view to increasing the strength
and numbers of his confederacy, Pontiac circulated araono: the
diflerent tribes the false report that the English had formed
the design of driving the Indians from the country. Jjj this
crafty policy he brought to his assistance, in the spring of
1763, nearly the Avhole strength of the Ottawas, Chippewas,
Pottawattomies, Sacs, Foxes, Menominees, Miamis, and other
Indiana tribes, the Shawanos, TVyandotts, and factions of
many other tribes, and was indeed ready to strike tho
contemplated blow.
The attack was made on all the British forts or trading
posts of the ^Northwest in the month of May, 1763, and the
infuriated Indians, without much opposition, took possession
of the posts of Michilimackinac, Green Bay, St. Joseph, Ouiate-
non, Miami, Sandusky, Presque Isle, Leeboeuf, and Yenango.
Tliese places, with the exception of Michilimackinac, were but
slightly fortified, being merely trading posts with only a light
garrison. A number of English traders, who were residing
at the posts, were butchered, while not a Frenchman was
injured. Some of the English escaped, others were taken
prisoners, and were either burned, butchered, or afterwards
released. Some of the incidents connected with this furious
onset are full of horror. The massacre at Fort Michilimacki-
nac was without a parallel, seventy Englishmen being merci-
lessly slaughtered in less than half an hour.
This war or outbreak was the result of French misrepre-
sentation. The French were jealous of the English, and-,
smarting under their o^vn defeats, goaded the Indians to des-
peration by designing falsehoods and promises which they
never intended to fulfill.
The siege of Detroit was conducted by Pontiac himself ; but
this post, as also Fort Pitt, withstood the storm of Indian
vengeance until the forces of Colonel Bradstreet on the one
hand, and Colonel Bouquette on the other, brought relief to
the tired garrisons. The British army penetrated the Indian
country, and forced the savages to a treaty of peace, and on
the fifth of December, 1764, a cessation of hostilities was
proclaimed.
5
66 IITSTOKY OF INDIANA.
From this date until 1774, tlic Indians avLo occnpied tlie
country nortlnvcst of tlic Oliio river remained at pe-.ice \vith
tlie Kni^Iish, altlioui,di in tlic meantime many English colonists,
contrary to the proclamation of the king, the provisions of tho
treaty, and the earnest remonstrances of the Indians, continued
to make settlements on Indian lands.
Near the close of the year 1704, General Gage, Commander-
in-Chief of the Britisli forces in Korth America, being con-
vinced of the peaceful intent of the Indian tribes of Indiana
and Illinois, issued. a proclamation to the French inhabitants
then residing in the territory, extending to them the same
rights and privileges enjoyed by the French under the treaty
of Paris, in Canada, and on the ninth of July, 1765, M. de St.
Ansre, who was at that time the French commandant at Fort
Charters, in Illinois, evacuated that post and retired with his
little garrison to St. Louis. A det;ichment of English troops
then took possession of the evacuated post, and Captain Ster-
ling, the British commandant, established his headquarters
there. Nearly all of the French inhabitants of the villages
of Illinois took the oath of allegiance to the government of
Great Britain, and continued in the peaceful enjoyment of
their ancient possessions, a few only removing to the western
bank of the Mississippi, where the authority of France was
still in force, although the country had passed into the hands
of the Spaniards.
"When the British extended dominion over the territory of
Indiana by placing garrisons at the various trading posts in
17G-i-5, the total number of French families within its limits
did not probably exceed eighty or ninety at Yincennes, about
fourteen at Fort Ouiatcnon, on the Wabash, and nine or ten
at the confluence of the St, Joseph and St. Mary's rivers, near
the Twightwce village. At Detroit and in the vicinity of
that post, there were about one thousand French residents,
men, women and children. The remainder of the French
population in the Northwest resided principally at Kaskaskia,
Cahokia, Prairie du Rocher, and in the vicinity of these
villages ; and the whole French population, northwest of the
Ohio, at that time did not exceed three thousand souls.
MIAMI VILLAGES AND FRENCn SETTLEMENTS 67
The colonial policy of Great Britain, wbicli was adopted
immediately after the treaty of Paris, was not calculated to
facilitate the settlement of the fertile country west of the
Alleghany mountains. The king's proclamation, issued almost
immediately after the signing of the treaty, prohibited his
subjects from " making any purchases or settlements what-
ever, or taking possession of any of the lands beyond the
source of any of the rivers which lall into the Atlantic ocean
from the west or northwest," In pursuance of this policy
the government rejected the urgent offers of various wealthy
and enterprising individuals to establish English colonies in
the West. However we hear of nothino: that disturbed the
peaceful pursuits of the French settlements in Indiana, until
a proclamation of General Gage, in 1772, declared that —
"Whereas, many persons, contrary to the positive orders of
the king upon the subject, have undertaken to make settle-
ments beyond the boundaries fixed by the treaties made with
the Indian nations, which boundaries ought to serve as a bar-
rier between the whites and said nations, and a great number
of persons have established themselves, particularly on the
river Ouabache, where they lead a wandering life, without
government, and witliout laAvs, interrupting the free course
of trade, destroying the game, and causing infinite disturbance
in the country, which occasions considerable injury to the
affairs of the king as well as to those of the Indians, His
Majesty has been pleased to order, and by these presents,
orders are given in the name of the king, to all those who
have established themselves on lands upon the Ouabache,
whether at St. Vincent [Vincenncs] or elsewhere, to quit those
countries instantly and without delay, and to retire at their
' choice into some one of the colonies of His l^rajcsty, where
they will be received and treated as the other subjects of His
Majesty."
Tlie principal inhabitants of Post Yincennes replied to this
official document on the fourteenth of September of the same
year, stating that their possessions were held by '' sacred
titles," that the French settlement of that place was of
"seventy years standing," and that their "land had been
68
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
granted by order and under the protection of his most Chris-
tian Majesty." To this General Gage made answer, demand-
ing the proof of their assertions, which he descried "to be
transported to the feet of His Majesty," and leaving them
meanwhile in the quiet possession of their dwellings and
lands.
CHAPTEK II.
Clark's celebeated expedition.
FEOM 1673 to 1778 there is but little to record in the
history of Indiana. The Western settlements were for
the most part neglected by the English colonists, owing to the
difficulties between them and the British Government, and
the few French settlers, aside from their efforts to instigate
another Indian war against the English colonies, then strug-
gling for independence, did but little worthy of notice. In
tliis endeavor they succeeded so far as to give the settlers on
the borders of Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York con-
siderable ti'oublc and uneasiness. Indian depredations were
common occurrcnces, and at intervals a merciless slaughter
pervaded the frontier settlements. Dunmore's expedition did
much to discourage the Indians from a continuance of these
outrages, but not until the celebrated expedition of Colonel
George Rogers Clark penetrated the Western country was the
French and Indian power in Indiana completely broken.
It was in 1775 tliat Colonel Clark's attention was first
directed to the French settlements in Indiana and Illinois,
and in the following spring he visited them with a view to
having them annexed to Virginia. In pursuance of this end
he assembled the people at Ilarrodstown, Ky., and requested
them to elect delegates, with power to treat with the Assembly
of Virginia respecting the political affairs of the country. It
was, at that time, the intention of Colonel Clark, if suitable
conditions could be procured, to have the inhabitants of these
Western settlements declare themselves citizens of that State,
otherwise to establish an independent government. The meet-
ing was held at Ilarrodstown on the sixth of June, 1776, and
(69;
70 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Gcorfre Roircrs Clark and Gubricl Jones elected deleo-ates to
the Assembly of Vii'ginia, with instructions to present n peti-
tion to that body, praying the Assembly to accept them as
such. The ])a})ers were ]>reparcd and in a few days .they set
out for AVilliamsburg in the hope of arriving before the As-
sembly, then sittijig, sliould rise. They proceeded on their
journey as far as Eottetourt county and thci'C learned that
they were too late, fur the Assembly had ali'cady adjourned.
At this point they resolved to wait for the fall session. "When
it was convened Messrs, Clark and Jones presented their cre-
dentials. The Assembly resolved that the Western delegates
could not take their seats as members, but that their business
ehould be attended to. "It was late in the session," says
Clark, " before we got a complete establishment of a county
by the name of Kentucky." lie continues: "The command-
ants of the different towns of the Illinois and Wabash I knew
were busily engaged in exciting the Indians. Their reduction
became my first object — cxj-jccting, probably, that it might
open a field for farther action. I sent two young hunters to
those places (in the summer of 1777) as spies, with proper
instructions for their conduct, to prevent sus])icion. Neither
did they, nor any one in Kentucky, ever know my design until
it w\as ripe for execution. They returned to Ilarrodstown
with all the information I could reasonably have expected. I
found from them that they had but little expectation of a
visit from us, but that things were kept in good order, the
militia trained, etc., that they might, in case of a visit, be pre-
pared — that the greatest pains were taken to inflame the
minds of the French inhabitants against the Americans, not-
withstanding they could discover traces of aft'ection in some
of the inhabitants. Wlien I left Kentucky, October first, 1777,
I plainly saw that every eye was turned toward me, as if
expecting some stroke in their fiivor. Some doubted my
return, expecting that I would join the army in Virginia. I
left them with reluctance, promising them that I would cer-
tainly return to their assistance, which I had predetermined.
On my arrival at Williamsburg, I remained a considerable
time settling the accounts of the Kentucky militia and making
CLAKK S CELEBKATED EXPEDITION.
71
remarks of everything I saw or heard, that could lead me to
the knowledge of the disposition of those in power. Bur-
govne's army having been captured, and things seeming to
wear a pleasing aspect, on the tenth of December I communi-
cated my design to Governor Henry. At first he seemed to
be fond of it; but to detach a party at so great a distance,
ROBERT BRACKENRIDGE, ESQ.
See page 21.
(although the service performed might be of great utility,)
appeared daring and hazardous, as nothing but secrecy could
give success to the enterprise. To lay the matter before the
Assembly, then sitting, would be dangerous, as it would soon
be known throughout the frontiers; and probably the first
prisoner taken by the Indians would give the alarm, which
would end in the certain destruction of the party. He had
72 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
several private councils, composed of select gentlemen. After
making every inquiry into my proposed plan of operations,
(and particularly that of a rctroat in case of misfortune, across
the Mississippi into the Spanisli territory,) the expedition was
resolved upon; and as an encouragement to those who would
ei-.o-ao-c in said service, an instrument of writing was signed,
■wherein those gentlemen promised to use their influence to
procure from the Assembly three hundred acres of land for
each in case of success. The Governor and Council so warmly
engaged in the success of this enterprise, that I had very little
trouble in getting matters adjusted; and on the second day of
February, 1778, received my instructions, and £1,200 for the
use of tlie expedition, with an order on Pittsburg for boats,
ammunition, etc. Finding, from the Governor's conversation
in general to me, on the subject, that he did not wish an
implicit attention to his instructions should prevent my exe-
cuting any thing that would manifestly tend to the good of
the public, on the fourth I set forward, clothed Avith all the
authority that I wished. I advanced to Major William Smith
£150 to recruit men on Ilolston, and to meet me in Kentucky.
Captain Leonard Ilelm, of Fauquier, and Captain Joseph
Bowman, of Frederick, were to raise each a company, and on
the [lirst?] February arrive at Red Stone Old Fort.
" Being now in the country where all arrangements were to
be made, I appointed Captain William Ilarrod, and many
other olHcers, to the recruiting service; and contracted for
flour and other stores that I wanted. * * * * j
received information from Captain Helm that several gentle-
men took pains to counteract his interest in recruiting, as no
such service was known of by the Assembly. Consequently ho
had to send to the Governor to get his conduct ratiticd. I
found also opposition to our interest in the Pittsburg country.
As the whole was divided into violent parties between the
Virginians and Pennsylvanians, respecting the territory, the
idea of men being raised for the State of Virginia aflccted the
vulgar of the one party; and as my real instructions were
kept concealed, and only an instrument from the Governor,
written designedly for deception, was made public, wherein I
CLAKK's celebrated EXl^EDITION. 73
was authorized to raise men for the defense of Kentucky,
many gentlemen of both parties conceived it to be injurious
to the public interest to draw off men at so critical a moment
for the defense of a few detached inhabitants, who had better
be removed, etc. These circumstances caused some confusion
in the recruiting service. On the twenty-ninth of March, I
received a letter from Major Smith, by express, informing me
that he had raised four companies on Ilolston, to be marched
immediately to Kentucky, agreeably to his orders; another
express from Kentucky informed me that they had gained con-
siderable strength since I left that quarter."
AVith such forces as he could raise, Colonel Clark moved
forward to the tails of the Ohio, where he disclosed his plane
to his troops, at which many of them deserted him. At this
point, Clark, owing to the weakness of liis force, resolved to
commence operations in Illinois, where the settlements were
smaller, and where the Indians were less an object of terror.
At this time the conquest of VInccnnes was among the possi-
bilities of the future, lie moved toward Kaskaskia; and,
"on the fourth of July," says Clark's memoir, "in the eve-
ning, we got within a few miles of the town, where we lay
until near dark, keeping spies ahead, jifter which we com-
menced our march, and took possession of a house wherein a
large family lived, on the bank of the Kaskaskia river, about
three-quarters of a mile above the town. We were informed
that the people, a few days before, were under arms, but had
concluded that the cause of the alarm was without founda-
tion; and that at that time there was a great number of men
in town, but that the Indians had generally left it, and at pres-
ent all was quiet. We soon procured a sufficiency of vessels,
the more in ease to convey us across the river. * * * 4»
With one of the divisions, I marched to the fort, and ordered
the other two into different quarters of the town. If I met
with no resistence, at a certain signal a shout was to be given,
and certain parts were to be immediately possessed; and the
men of each detachment who could speak the French language,
were to run through every street and proclaim what had hap-
pened, and inform the inhabitants that every person who
74 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
appeared in tlic streets would be shot down. This disposition
had its desired eficct. In a very little time wc had conij)lcte
possession; and every avenue was guarded, to prevent any
escape, to give the alarm to the other villages in case of oppo-
sition. Various orders had been issued, not worth mentioning.
I don't suppose greater silence ever reigned among the inhab-
itants of a place than did at this at present; not a person to
be seen, not a word to be heard from them for some time; but,
designedly, the greatest noise kept up by our troops through
every quarter of the town, and patrols continually the whole
night around it; as intercepting any information was a capital
object; and in about two hours the whole of the inhabitants
were disarmed, and informed that if one was taken attempting
to make his escape, he should be immediately put to death."
CHAPTER III.
CLAEK's EXrEDITION, CONTINUED
A'
FTER Colonel Clark, through bloodless means, had
excited the terror of the French inhabitants of Kaskas-
kia, he surprised them and won their firm confidence and
lasting friendship by performing many acts of generosity
unexjjectcd by them. On the fifth of July, he caused a few of
the principal men of the village to be arrested and put in
irons. This occurrence caused the priest of the village,
Father Gibault, and several of the principal settlers, to call
upon Clark and plead for liberty to assemble peaceably in their
little church, and take leave of each other. Colonel Clark
calmly replied that he had nothing against their religion; that
they might do as they had requested, but that they must not
venture out of the town.
Accordingly the trembling Frenchmen assembled at the
church, where they laid the burden of their troubles at the
Clark's campaign, conttniied.
76
fo</C of the cross. After a long and devout service, tliey
returned to their dwellings. A deputation of the principal
citizens again waited on the conqueror, and represented that
the inhabitants could submit to the loss of their property,
knowing that their situation was the fate of M-ar, but that they
desired not to be separated from their wives and children, and
JOHN HOUGH, ESQ.
See page 21.
that some clothes and provisions might be allowed for their
support. In reply. Colonel Clark asked the Frenchmen if
they regarded the Virginians as savages. " Do you think,"
said he, " that Americans intend to strip women and children,
or take the bread out of their mouths? My countrymen dis-
dain to make war upon helpless innocence. It was to prevent
76 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
the lion-or? of Indian butclieiy upon our own wives and
children, Uiat we have taken arms and penetrated into this
remote stronghoM of British and Indian barbarity, and not
the despicable prospect of plunder." He told them that the
King of France had united his powerful arms with those of
America; and that the war for independence would not prob-
ably long continue; that they were at liberty to take which
side they pleased, without the least danger to either their
property or their families. Kor would their religion be a
source of disagreement, as all religions were regarded with
equal respect in the eye of the American law, and that any
insult offered it would be immediately punished. He concluded
by telling them to go and inform their fellow-citizens that they
were at liberty to conduct themselves as usual, without the
least apprehension ; and that their friends who were in con-
finement should be released immediately.
This speech dispelled the gloom that was resting on the
minds of the inhabitants, and, together with the intelligence
that an alliance between France and the United States had
been effected, induced them to take the oath of allegiance to
the State of Virginia. So effective was the impression which
Clark produced upon them, that a volunteer company of
French militia joined his forces.
Having brought the settlements of Illinois under the juris-
diction of Virginia, Colonel Clark next turned his attention
to Vincennes. Believing that Father Gibault was inclined to
the American interest, he consulted him on the subject of
excluding the British power from that post. The priest at
once suggested a plan of operations. The Governor of Vin-
cennes, he said, had gone to Detroit on business; and the
inhabitants could eabily be induced to declare themselves on
the side of the Americans. He offered to eniraffe in the work
of accomplishing this result. Clark was pleased with the
plans; and the priest, with some attendants, immediately set
out for Vincennes. Having arrived, they spent a day or two
in explaining the nature of the war to the people.
The French inhabitants unanimously acceded to the pro-
posal, and went in a body to the church, where the oath of
Clark's campaign, continued. 77
allegiance was administered to tliem in the most solemn man-
ner. An officer was elected, and the fort was immediately
garrisoned in defense of the American flag which was unfurled
over them. Thus, for the first time, through the good offices
of Colonel George Rogers Clark, the territory included within
the present limits of the State of Indiana was placed under
the American flag.
These events worked a great change in the little settlement
of Yincennes. The Indians were alike astonished and de-
lighted; and the white people put on a new face, and " began
to act like freemen." With a garrison of their own, and the
United States to assist and protect them, their actions toward
the Indians were immediately changed. They talked as citi-
zens of the United States, telling the Indians that their father,
the King of France, had awakened from his long sleep, and
was angry at them for fighting for the English; that they
would advise them to make peace with the Americans as soon
as they could; otherwise they might expect the land to be
very bloody. The Indians began to think seriously, and the
cause of the Americans began to prosper in the west.
As soon as the news of the peaceful conquest of Yincennes
reached Colonel Clark at Kaskaskia, he appointed Captain Ilelm
to the command of the post, and also appointed him agent for
Indian affairs in the department of the Wabash. About the
middle of August, 1778, Captain Helm set out from Kaslcas-
kia to assume charge of affairs at Yincennes. lie took with
him a speech and a belt of wampum from Colonel Clark, for
" The Grand Door to the Wabash," or the Tobacco's Son, as
the leading Piankeshaw chief was called by the Indians. He
arrived safe at Yincennes, and was received with acclamations
by the people. After the usual ceremony was over, he sent
for the " Grand Door," and delivered to him the speech from
the " Big Ejiife." The great chief informed the captain that
he was happy to see him — one of the J3ig Knife's chiefs —
in his town. It was here, he said, that he had joined the
English against him; he confessed that they had always
looked gloomy, and seemed inclined to join the Americans;
but, according to the Indian custom, demanded time to con-
78
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Bider Clark's message, and consult liis counsellors on the sub-
ject. After several days, Captain Helm was invited to the
council, Avhere he was informed, by the " Grand Door," that
the chiefs had mutually considered his case, and had come to
a proper understanding of the war between the English and
See page 21.
the Americans; they were satisfied that the Big Knife was
right, and that they would tell all the Indians on'the Wabash
to bloody the land no more for the English. The Grand
Door jumped up, struck his breast, called himself a man
Clark's cAMrAioN, contixued. 79
and a "warrior; said that lie was now a Big Knife; and took
Captain Helm by the hand. His example was followed by all
present, and the council was concluded with merriment. In
a short time, all the tribes of the Miami Confcdcr-icy came to
Vincennes, and entered into an alliance witit tlie Americans.
The British interest lost ground di.ily in Indiana, and in a
short time the influence of the Americans reached the villages of
the St. Joseph, of Lake Michigan, and otiier places, with good
results. Governor Henry, of Virginia, was co^.'stantly informed
of the progress of the American po"\ver in the west, and in
October, 1778, the General Assembly of that Estate passed an
act providing that all the citizens of the Commonwealth of
Virginia, "who are already settled, or shall hereafter set-
tle, on the western side of the Ohio, shall be included in a
distinct county, which shall be called Illinois County; and
the Governor of this Commonwealth, with the advice of the
Council, may appoint a county lieutenant, or commandant-in-
chief, in that county, during pleasure, Mdio shall appoint and
commission so many deputy commandants, militia officers,
and commissaries, as he shall think proper, in the diflerent
districts, during pleasure; .all of whom, before they enter into
office, shall take the oath of fidelity to this Commonwealth,
and the oath of office, according to the form of their own reli-
jrion. All civil officers to which the inhabitants have been
accustomed, necessary for the preservation of peace and the
administration of justice, shall be chosen by a majority of the
citizens in their respective districts, to be convened for th.at
purpose, by the county lieutenant or commandant, or his
deputy, and shall be commissioned by the said county lieu-
tenant or commandant-in-chicf."
But before the provisions of this law could be carried into
effect over the territory of Indiana, Henry Hamilton, the
British Lieutenant-Governor of Detroit, collected an army
consisting of about thirty regulars, fifty French volunteers
and four hundred Indians. Marchinir at the head of this
force, he passed down the "Wabash and took possession of Yin-
cennes in December, 1778.
When Governor Hamilton entered Yincennes there were but
80 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
two Americans in tlie place * They were the Commandant,
Capt. Ilclm, and a man named Ucnrj. The latter had a
cannon well charged and placed in the open fort gate, while
Helm stood by it with a lighted match in his hand. AV])cn
Hamilton and his troops approached within hailing distance,
the American officer, in a loud voice, cried out, "Halt!"
This stopped Hamilton's approach, and in reply he demanded
the garrison to surrender. He^o exVi-^iincd, " No man shall
enter here until I know the tern.s." Hamilton answered,
"You shall have the honors of war,'' and then the fort was
surrendered, with its garrison of one oi^cer and one private.
No attempt was made by the population to de''cnd ihc town.
Capt. Helm was made a prisoner, and a nuinlx^ n* ^\^ Fvcnch
inhabitants were disarmed.
CHAPTEE ly.
Clark's celebrated march against vincennes.
WITH the reduction of Yincennes by the British, Colonel
Clark's situation in the "West became perilous. Indian
war parties began to assemble in the neighborhood of his
forces in Illinois. To strengthen his position, he ordered
Major Bowman to evacuate the fort at Cahokia and join him
at Kaskaskia. " I could see," says Clark, " but little proba-
bility of keeping possession of the county, as my number of
men was too small to stand a seigc, and my situation too
remote to call for assistance, I made all the pi-eparation I pos-
sibly could for the attack, and was necessitated to set fire to
some of the houses in town to clear them out of the way,"
In January, 1779, Clark received intelligence that Governor
Hamilton had weakened himself at Vincennes by sending his
Indians against the frontiers and to block up the Ohio; that
he had not more than eighty men in garrison, three pieces of
♦ Butler's History of Kentucky, p. 80.
claek's celebrated march against vixcenxes. 81
cannon, and some swivels mounted; that the hostile Indians
were to meet at Post Yincennes in the spring, drive the
Americans out of the West, and attack the Kentucky settle-
ments in a body, joined by their Southern friends; that all the
ffoods were taken from the merchants of Vincennes for the
king's use; that the ti'oops under Hamilton were repairing the
CHAS. A. ZOLLING-FR, ESQ.
See page 21.
fort and expected a reinforcement from Detroit m the spi'ing;
that they expected to have plenty of all kinds of stores; that
they were strict in their disci plins, but they w^re not under
much apprehension of a visit.* From this report Colonel
* Clark's Memoir.
6
83 HlSTOfiT OF IxTDIANA.
Clark concluded that if lie could reach the place imdiscovcred
he could succeed in taking it.
Colonel Clark's was indeed a critical situation. lie was, in
a manner, cut ofi* from any intercourse between himself and
the United States. lie knew that Govornor Hamilton, in the
spring, by a junction of his northern and southern Indians,
would be at the head of such a force that his little army Avould
not be able to maintain possession of the country. Further
than this the threatened war on the borders in the following
spring could not fail to ruin Kentucky, should the enemy be
permitted to make the necessary preparations in peace. In
this critical situation. Colonel Clark could see but one course,
which was to attack the enemy in their quarters.
lie immediately gave orders to prepare for the enterprise.
Althouirh it was a bold venture, the inhabitants of Kaskaskia
gathered about him with great enthusiasm, volunteering,
donating provisions, etc. Plenty of provisions were soon
provided, and every man was completely provided with all he
could desire to enable him to withstand the coldest weather.
It was resolved to send a vessel round by water to carry the
artillery and stores. This vessel was to be armed so that she
might force her way if necessary. For this purpose a large
Mississippi boat was purchased and completely fitted out.
Two four-pounders and four large swivels were placed in posi-
tion, and forty-six men were assigned to man her under the
command of Captain John Rogers. He embarked on the
fourth of February, with orders to force his way up the
Wabash as high as the mouth of White river, and there to
remain in secret until further orders; but if he found himself
discovered, to do the enemy all the damage he could, without
running too much risk of losing his vessel, and not to leave
the river until he had lost all hope of the arrival of the land
forces.
Colonel Clark placed much reliance upon the aid he was to
receive from this vessel. She was far superior to anything
the enemy could fit out without building a vessel; and at the
worst, should they be discovered, they could build a number
of large pirogues to attend her, and with such a little fleet
Clark's celebrated march against vincennes. 83
annoy tlie enemy considerably. Every thing being ready on
tlie fifth of February, after his men had received a lecture
and absolution from the priest, Colonel Clark crossed the
Kaskaskia river with one hundred and seventy men. The
weather was very wet, and a great part of the plains covered
with \Nater several inches deep. The march was exceedingly
disafrreeable and difficult. In the face of these obstacles, it
became the object of Colonel Clark to keep his men in spirits.
" I sufiered them," says Clark, " to shoot game on all occasions
and feast on it like Indian war-dancers — each company by
turns invitinir the others to their feasts, which was the case
every night." Perhaps Colonel Clark stimulated his men
most by setting a brave example, wading as much through the
mud and water as any of them. Thus, insensibly, without a
murmur, were those men led on to the banks of the Little
"Wabash, which they reached on the thirteenth of February,
ha\'ing passed through great difficulties and suffi^red indescrib-
able hardships.
A camp was formed on a small elevation on the bank of the
river, and without waiting to discuss plans for crossing the
river, Clark ordered the men to construct a vessel, and pre-
tended that crossing this stream would be only a piece of
amusement, although inwardly he held another opinion. The
vessel was finished on the evening of the fourteenth, when,
freighted with a select company, she was sent to explore the
" drowned lands " on the opposite side of the river. The men
who embarked in this enterprise were privately instructed
what report to make, and, if possible, to find a piece of dry
land. They fortunately found about half an acre, and marked
the trees from thence back to the camp, and made a very
encouraging report.
On the fifteenth the work of crossing the river commenced.
Fortunately the day was unusually warm for the season. At
this point the channel of the river was about thirty yards
wide. A scafibld was built on the opposite shore, whicb was
about three feet under water. The baggage was then ferried
across and placed on it. The horses next swam across the
river and received their loads at this scaffold. The troops
84
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
were all ferried across in safety, and without any important
accident tlie little army was again on the march in water
about knee deep. " By evening," says Clark, "• we found our-
selves encamped on a pretty height in higli spirits; each party
laughing at the other in consequence of something that had
happened in the course of this ferrying business, as they called
HON. O. BIRD.
See page 21.
it. A little antic drummer offered tliem great diversion by
floating on his drum. All this was greatly encouraged, and
they really began to think themselves superior to otJier men,
Hud that neither the rivers nor tlie seasons could stop their
progress. Their whole conversation was now concerning what
they would do when they got al)out the enemy. They now
Clark's celebkated makch agaikst vincennes. 85
began to view tlie main "Wabasli as a creek, and made no
doubt but such men as they were could find a way to cross it.
They wound thcmsclv^es up to suchajDitch that they soon took
Post Vincennes, divided the spoil, and before bed time were
far advanced on their route to Detroit. All this was no doubt
pleasing to those of us who had more serious thoughts."
At this point Clark discovered that the whole Wabash valley
was overflowed, and that tlie enemy could easily approach hira
if thev discovered him, and wished to risk an action. On the
sixteenth of February tliey marched all day through rain and
water, crossed the Fur river, and spent a disagreeable night in
the wet with a scarcity of provisions. On the seventeenth
they continued their march, crossing several very deep runs,
lleaching the Embarrass, they found the country all over-
flowed, and wandered about fur sonic time in a vain search for
the Wabasli. They traveled till eight o'clock in the evening
in mud and water, but found no place to encanij), being com-
pelled to remain in the water all night. At day-break on tlie
eighteenth, the distressed soldiers heard the morniuir jrun of
Vincennes, and at once commenced their mai'ch. lieachinir
the Wabash about two o'clock, they constructed rafts for the
purpose of crossing the river on a boat-stealing expedition,
but labored all day and night to no purpose. On the nine-
teenth they commenced to construct a canoe, in Avhich, when
linished, a second attempt was made to steal boats. This
expedition soon returned, however, having discovered two
large tires within a mile of the little army. On receiving this
intelligence Clark immediately dispatched the canoe down the
river to meet the vessel that was supposed to l)e on her way
up with the supplies, with orders to hasten forward day and
night. This was the last hope, as their provisions were
entirely gone, and starvation seemed to be hovering about
them. In this condition many of the men were much cast
down. On the twentieth they set to work making more
canoes, when, about noon, the sentinel on the river brought
too a boat with five Frenchmen from the fort. From these
persons they received the welcome assurance that they were not
as yet discovered. The hardships of this day were consider-
86 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
ably ameliorated by a feast of deer wliicli had been killed by
one of the men. On the morning of the twcnty-iirst the work
of ferrying the men across the Wabash in two canoes was
commenced. Having succeeded in getting tlie ^yholc army
across, Clark determined to reach the town that night, and
therefore ordered his men to move forward. They " plunged
into the water, sometimes to the neck, for more than a league."
From this point it is desirable that Colonel Clark should
tell, in his own peculiar and amusing language, the story of the
last day's march, and of the siege of Vincennes. It consti-
tntes a prominent chapter in the early history of Indiana, and
merits ample space in this work, lie writes:
" This last day's marcli through the water was far superior
to anything the Frenchmen had any idea of. They were
backward in speaking; said that the nearest land to us was a
small league, called the sugar-camp, on the bank of the river.
A canoe was sent off and returned without finding that we
could pass. I went in her myself and sounded the water;
found it deep as to my neck. I returned with a design to
have the men transported on board the canoes to the sugar
camp, which I knew would expend the whole day and ensuing
night, as the vessels would pass slowly through the bushes.
The loss of so much time to men half starved was a matter
of consequence, I would have given now a great deal for a
day's provision, or for one of our horses. I returned but
slowly to the troops, giving myself time to think. On our
arrival, all ran to hear what was the report. Every eye was
fixed on me. I unfortunately spoke in a serious manner to one
of the officers; the whole were alarmed without knowing what
I said. I viewed their confusion for about one mmuie —
whispered to those near me to do as I did; immediately put
some water in my hand, poured on powder, blackened my face,
gave the warwhoop, and marched into the water, without
saying a word. Tlie party gazed, and fell in, one after another,
without saying a word, like a flock of sheep. I ordered those
near me to begin a favorite song of theirs; it soon passed
through the line, and the whole went on cheerfully. I now
.ntended to have them transported aci'oss the deepest part
CLAEK S CELEBRATED MARCH AGAINST VINCENNES.
87
of tlie water; but when about waist deep, one of the men
infoi-Tned me that he thought he felt a path. We examined
and found it so ; and condudcd that it kept on the highest
ground, which it did; and by taking pains to follow it, we got
6^ (^ ' L/M''C^-Qt.,(A^*'-dy
See page 21.
to the sugar camp without tlie least difficulty, where there
was about half an acre of dry ground, at least not under water,
where we took up our lodging. The Frenchmen that we had
88 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
taken on the river appeared to be uneasj at onr situation
Thej begged tliat they might be permitted to go in the two
canoes to town in the night. They said that they would bring
from their own houses provisions without a possibility of any
persons knowing it; that some of our men should go with
them as a surety of their good conduct; that it was impossible
we could march from that place till the water fell, for the plain
was too deep to march. Some of the [ofHcers?] believed that
it miirht be done. I would not sufier it. I never could well
account for this piece of obstinacy, aiid give satisfactory
reasons to myself or any body else, why I denied a pro])Osition
apparently so easy to execute, and of so much advantage; but
gomething seemed to tell me that it should not be done, and it
was not done.
"The most of the weather that we had on this march, was
moist and warm, for the season. This was the coldest night
we had. The ice, in the morning, was from one-half to three-
quarters of an inch thick, near the shores and in still water.
The morning was the finest we had on our march. A little
after sunrise I lectured the whole. What I said to them I
forget; but it may be easily imagined by a person that could
possess my affections for them at that time. I concluded by
informing them that passing the plain that was then in full
view, and reaching the opposite v/oods, would put an end to
their fatigue — that in a few hours they would have a si^j^ht of
their long wished-for object — and immediately stepped into
the water without waiting for any reply, A huzza took place.
As we generally marched through the M-ater in a line, before
the third entered, I halted and called to Major Bowman, order-
ing him to fall in the rear with twenty-live men, and put to
death any man who refused to march, as we wished to have no
such person among us. The whole gave a cry of approbation,
and on we went. This was the most trying of all the diffi-
culties we had experienced. I generally kept fifteen or twenty
of the strongest men next myself, and judged from my own i
feelings what must be that of others. Getting about the I
middle of the plain, the water about middeep, I found myself
6eusibly failing; and as there were no trees nor bushes for the
CLAKk's celebrated MAKCn AGAINST VIXCEXNES. 89
men to support tliemsclves by, I fcai'ed that many of the most
weak would be drowjied. I ordered the canoes to make the
land, discharge their loading, and play backward and forward
■with all diligence, and pick np the men; and, to encourage the
party, sent some of the strongest men forward, with orders,
when they got to a certain distance, to pass the word back that
the water was cettinir shallow: and when ffettin2' near the
woods to cry out 'Land!' Tliis stratagem had its desired
effect. The men, encouraged by it, exerted themselves almost
beyond their abilities, the weak holding by the stronger.
* * * The water never got shallower, but continued deep-
ening. Getting to the woods, where the men expected land,
the water was up to my shoulders; but gaining the woods was
of great consequence: all the low men, and the weakly, hung
to the trees, and floated on the old logs until they were taken
off by the canoes. The strong and tall got ashore and built
fires. Many would reach the shore, and fall with their bodies
half in the water, not being able to support themselves
without it.
"This was a delightful dry spot of ground, of about ten
acres. A7e soon found that the fires answered no purpose;
but that two strong men taking a weaker one by the arms
was the only way to recover him — and, being a delightful
day, it soon did. But fortunately, as if designed by Pro^d-
dence, a canoe of Indian squaws and children was coming up
to town, and took through part of this plain as a nigh way.
It was discovered by our canoes as they were out after the
men. They gave chase and took the Indian canoe, on board
of which was near half a quarter of a buflalo, some corn,
tallow, kettles, etc. This was a grand prize, and was invalu-
able. Broth was immediately made and served out to the
most weakly, with great care: most of the whole got a little;
but a great many gave their part to the weakly, jocosely saying
something cheering to their comrades. This little refresh-
ment, and fine weather, by the afternoon, gave new life to the
whole. Crossing a narrow, deep lake, in the canoes, and
marching some distance, we came to a copse of timber called
the Warrior's Island. We were now in full view of the fort
90
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
and town, not a shrub between us, at about two miles dis-
tance. Every man now feasted his eyes, and forgot that lie
had suffered anything — saying that all that had passed was
owing to good policy, and nothing but what a man could bear,
See page 21.
and that a soldier had no right to think, etc. — passing from
one extreme to another, which is common'in such cases. It
was now we had to display our abilities. The plain between
us and the town was not a perfect level. The sunken grounds
CLAUk's celebrated MARCU against VINCEXIfES. 91
were covered vr'iili "water full of ducks. "We observed several
men out on horseback, shooting them, within a half mile of ns,
and sent out as many of our active young Frenchmen to, decoy
and take one of these men prisoner, in such a manner as not
to alarm the others, which they did. The information we got
from this person was similar to that which we got from those
we took on the river; except that of the British having that
evening completed the wall of the fort, and that there was a
good many Indians in town.
"Our situation was now truly critical — no possibility of
retreating in case of defeat — and in full view of a to^vn that
had, at this time, upward of six hundred men in it, troops,
inhabitants, and Indians. The crew of the galley, though not
fifty men, would have been now a reinforcement of immense
magnitude to our little army, (if I may so call it,) but we
would not think of them. AVe were now in the situation that
I had labored to get ourselves in. The idea of being made
prisoner was foreign to almost every man, as they expected
nothing but torture from the savages if they fell into their
hands. Our fate was now to be determined, probably in a few
hours. We knew that nothing but the most daring conduct
would insure success. I knew that a number of the inhab-
itants wished us well — that many were lukewarm to the
interest of either — and I also learned that the grand chief,
the Tobacco's son, had, but a few days before, openly declared,
in council with the British, that he was a brother and friend
to the Big Knives. These were favorable circumstances; and
as there was but little probability of our remaining until dark
nndiscovered, I determined to begin the career immediately,
and wrote the following placard to the inhabitants:
" * To the InJiahitants of Post Vincennes:
* Gentlemen: Being now within two miles of your village
with my army, determined to take your fort this night, and
not being willing to surprise you, I take this method to request
such of you as are true citizens, and willing to enjoy the liberty
I bring you, to remain still in your houses. And those, if any
there be, that are friends to the king, will instantly repair to
92 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
the fort and join the haii--bnjer general, and figlit like mcB-
And if any snch as do not go to the fort shall be discovered
aftcrv^-ard, tlicy may depend on severe pnnishment. On the
contrary, those who are true friends to liberty may depend on
being well treated; and I once more request them to keep out
of the streets. For every one I find in arms on my arrival, I
shall treat him as an enemy.
[Signed] G. R Claek.'
" I had various ideas on the supposed results of this letter.
I knew that it could do us no damage, but tliat it would cause
the lukewarm to be decided, encourage our friends, and aston-
ish our enemies. * * * "We anxiously viewed this messenger
until he entered the town, and in alow minutes could discover
by our glasses some stir in every street that we could penetrate
into, and great numbers running or riding out into tlie com-
mons, we supposed to view us, which was the case. But what
surprised us was, that nothing had yet happened that had the
appearance of the garrison being alarmed — no drum nor gun.
"We began to suppose that the information we got from our
prisoners was false, and that the enemy already knew of us and
were prepared. * * A little before sunset we moved and
displayed ourselves in full view of the town — croM'ds gazing
at us. We were plunging ourselves into certain destruction
or success. . There was no midway thought of. We had but
little to say to our men excc])t inculcating an idea of the neces-
sity of obedience, etc. "We knew they did not want encourag-
ing, and that any thing might be attempted with them that
was possible for such a number — perfectly cool, under proper
subordination, pleased with the prospect before them, and
much attached to their officers. They all declared that they
were convinced that an implicit obedience to orders was the
only thing that would insure success, and hoped that no mercy
would be shown the person that should violate them. Such
language as this from soldiers to persons in our station must
have been exceedingly agreeable. "We moved on slowly in full
view of the town; but, as it was a point -of some consequence
to us to make ourselves appear as formidable, we, in leaving
\
Clark's celebrated march agaixst vixcen^tes.
93
the covert that we were in, marclied and countermarched in
such a manner that we appeared numerous. In raising vohm-
teers in tlie Illinois, every person that set about the business
had a set of colors given him, M'hich tliey brought with them
to the amount of ten or twelve pairs. These were displayed
to the best advantage; and as the low plain we marched
MRS. LAURA SUTTEXFIELD.
See page 21
through was not a perfect level, but had frequent raisings in
it seven or eight feet higher tlian the common level, (which
was covered with water,) and as these raisings generally run
in an oblique direction to the town, we took the advantage of
one of them, marching through the water under it, which
94 mSTOKY OF INDIANA.
completely prevented our hemp; numbered. But onr colors
showed considerably above the heir^hts, as they were fixed on
long poles procured for the purpose, and at a distance made
no despicable appearance; and as our young Frenchmen liad,
while we lay on the Warrior's Island, decoyed and taken several
fowlers, with their horses, officers were mounted on these
horses, and rode about more completely to deceive the enemy.
In this manner we moved and directed our march in such a
way as to sufier it to be dark before we had advanced more
than halfway to the town. We then suddenly altered our
direction, and crossed ponds where they could not have sus-
pected us, and about eight o'clock gained the heights back of
the town. As there was yet no hostile appearance, we were
impatient to have the cause unriddled. Lieutenant Bayley
was ordered, with fourteen men, to march and fire on the fort.
The main body moved in a diiferent direction, and took pos-
Bession of the strongest part of the town.
" The firing now commenced on the fort, but they did not
believe it was an enemy until one of their men was shot down
through a port, as drunken Indians frequently saluted the fort
after night. The drums noAV sounded, and the business fairly
commenced on both sides. Keinforcements were sent to the
attack of the garrison while other arranijements were making
in town. * * We now found that the garrison had known
nothing of us; that, having finished the fort that evening, they
had amused themselves at diflerent games, and had just retired
before my letter arrived, as it was near roll-calL The placard
being made public, many of the inhabitants were afraid to
show tliemselves out of the houses for fear of jrivinff oftcnse,
and not one dare give information. Onr friends flew to the
commons and other convenient places to view the pleasing
sight. This was observed from the garrison, and the reason
asked, but a satisfactory excuse was given; and as a part of
the town lay between our line of march and the garrison, we
could not be seen by the sentinels on the walls. Captain W.
Shannon and another being some time before taken prisoners
by one of their [scouting parties,] and that evening brought in,
the party had discovered at the sugar camp some signs of U8.
Clark's celebrated march against vtncennes. 95
They fenpposed it to be a p.artj of observation that intended
to land on the height some distance below the town. Captain
Lamotte was sent to intercept tiiem. It was at liim the people
said they were looking when they were asked the reason ot
their nnusual stir. Several suspected persons had been taken
to the garrison; among thcni M'as Mr. Moses Henry. Mrs.
Henry went, under the pretense of carrying him provisions,
and whispered him the news and what she had seen. Mr.
Hemy convej'cd it to the rest of his fellow-prisoners, which
gave tlitm much pleasure, particularly Captain Helm, who
amused himself very much during the siege, and I believe did
oinch damage.
" Ammunition was scarce with us, as the most of our stores
had been put on board of the galley. Though her crew was
but few, such a reinforceme:?t to us, at this time, would have
been invaluable in many instances. But, fortunately, at the
time of its being reported that the whole of the goods in the
town were to be taken for the king's use, (for which the owners
were to receive bills,) Colonel Legras, Major Bosseron, and
others, had buried the greatest part of their powder and bail.
This was immediately produced, and we found ourselves well
supplied by those gentlemen.
" The Tobacco's son being in town with a number of war-
riors, immediately mustered them, and let us know that he
wished to join \is, saying that by the morning he would have
a hundred men. He received for answer that we thanked hira
for his friendly disposition, and as we were sufficiently strong
ourselves, we wished him to desist, and that we would counsel
on the subject on the morning; and as we knew that there
were a number of Indians in and near the town that were our
enemies, some confusion might happen if our men should mix
in the dark; but hoped that we might be favored with hia
counsel and company during the night — which was agreeable
to him.
"The garrison was soon completely surrounded, and the
firing continued without intermission, (except about fifteen
minutes a little before day,) until about nine o'clock the fol-
iowing morning. It was kept up by the whole of the troops —
9©
HI9TOKT OF INDIANA.
joined hj a few of the young men of the town, who got per-
mission — except fifty men kept as a reserve. * -^ * I had
made myself fully acquainted with the situation of the fort and
town, and the parts relative to each. The cannon of the gar-
rison was on the upper floors of strong blockhouses at each
angle of the fort, eleven feet above the surface; and the ports
HON. F. P. RAXDALL.
See page 21.
SO badly cut that many of our troops lay under the lire of
them within twenty or thirty yards of the walls. Tliey did no
damage except to the buildings of the town, eome of which
they much sluittered; and their musketry in the dark, em-
ployed against M'oodsmen covered hy houses, palings, ditches,
Clark's celebrated march against ^^xcENNES. 97
tlic brinks of the river, etc., was but of little avail, and did no
injury to ns except wonuding a man or two. As we could not
atibrd to lose men, great care was taken to preserve them suffi-
ciently covered, and to keep up a hot fire in order to intimi-
date the enemy as well as to destroy them. The embrasures
of their cannon were frequently shut, for our riflemen, finding
the true direction of them, would pour in such volleys when
they were opened that the men could not stand to the guns —
seven or eiglit of them in a short time got cut down. Our
troops would frequently abuse the enemy in order to aggravate
them to open their ports and fire their cannon, that they
might have the pleasure of cutting them down with their
rifles — fifty of which, perhaps, would be leveled the moment
the port flew open; and I believe that if they had stood at
their artillery, the greater part of them would have been
destroyed in the course of the night, as the greater part of our
men lay within thirty yards of the walls; and in a few hours
were covered equally to those within the walls, and much more
experienced in that mode of fighting. * * * Sometimes
an irregular fire, as hot as possible, was kept up from difierent
directions for a few minutes, and then only a continual scatter-
ing fire at the ports as usual; and a great noise and laughter
immediately commenced in diflferent parts of the town by the
reserved parties, as if they had only fired on the fort a few
minutes for amusement, and as if those continually firing at
the fort were only regularly relieved. Conduct similar to this
kept the garrison constantly alarmed. They did not kno-w
what moment they might be stormed or [blown up?] as they
could plainly discover that we had flung up some entrench-
ments across the streets, and appeared to be frequently very
busy under the bank of the river, which was within thirty feet
of the walls. The situation of the magazine we knew well.
Captain Bo^vman began some works in order to blow it up, in
case our artillery should arrive ; but as we knew that we were
daily liable to be overpowered by the numerous bands of Indi-
ans on the river, in case they had again joined the enemy, (the
certainty of which we were unacquainted with,) we resolved
to lose no time, but to get the fort in our possession as soon as
98 " mSTORY OF INDIANA
possiMc. Tf tlie vessel did not arrive before the ensuing night
■we resolved to nnderminc the fort, and fixed on the spot and
plan of executing this work, which we intended to commence
the next day.
"The Indians of different tribes that were inimical, had left
the town and neighborhood. Captain Lamotte continued to
hover Jibout it, in order, if possible, to maho his way good into
the fort. Parties attempted in vain to surprise him. A few
of his party were taken, one of which was Maisonville, a
famous Indian ])artisan. Two lads that captured him, tied
him to a post in the street, and fought from behind him as a
breastwork — supposing that the enemy would not fire at them
for fear of killing him, as ho would alarm them by his voice.
The lads were ordered, by an otliccf who discovered them at
their amusement, to untie their pilsoner and take him off to
the guard, which they did; but were so inhuman as to take
part of his scalp on the way. There happened to him no
<)ther damage. As almost the whole of the persons Avho were
most active in the department of Detroit were eitlicr in the
fort or with Captain Lamotte, I got extremely uneasy for fear
that he M'ould not fall into our -power — knowing that he would
go off if he could not get inl<j the fort in the course of the
night. Finding that, without some unforeseen accident, the
fort must inevitably be ours, au'l that a reinforcement of twenty
men, although considerable to them, would not be of great
moment to us in the present situation of affairs, and knowing
that we had weakened them by killing or wounding many of
their gunners, after some delibei-ation, we concluded to risk
the reinforcement in preference of his going again among the
Indians; the garrison had at least a month's provisions, and
if tbey could hold out, in the course of that time he mio-ht do
US much damage. A little before day the troops wei-C M'ith-
drawn from their position about the foi-t, except a few parties
of observation, and the firing totally ceased. Orders were
given, in case of Lamotte's approach, not to alarm or fire on
him without a certainty of killing or taking the whole. In
less than a quarter of an hour he passed within ten feet of an
officer and a party that lay concealed. Ladders were flung
T-'
CLARK S CELEBRATED MARCH AGAINST VINCENNES.
99
over to thetn, and as tliey mounted tliem our partv seJiouted.
Many of them fell from the top of the walls — some M'ithin.
and others back; but as they were not fired on, they all got
over, much to the joy of their friends. But, on considering
the matter, they must have been convinced that it was a
scheme of ours to let them in, and that we were so strong as
to care but little about them or the manner of their getting
into the garrison. * '" The tiring immediately commenced
on both sides with double vigor, and I believe that more noise
could not have been made by the same number of men — their
RESIDENCE OF HON. F, P. RANDALL, FORT WAYNE.
See page 31.
shouts could not be heard for the firearms; but a comjinaai
blaze was kept around the garrison without much being done
until about daybreak, when our troops were drawn off to posts
prepared for them about sixtj- or seventy yards from the ibrt.
A loophole then could scarcely be darkened but a rifle- ball
would pass through it. To have stood to their cannon would
have destroyed their men without a probability of doing much
service. Our situation was nearly similar. It would have
been imprudent in either party to have wasted their men
without some decisive stroke required it.
100 mSTOKT OF INDIANA.
"Tims tlic attack continned until about nine o'clock on the
morning of the twenty-fourth. Learning that tlic two j.rison-
crs they Lad brouglit in tlic day before had a considerable
number of letters with them, I supposed it an express that we
expected about this time, which I knew to be of the ^er.tcst
moment to us, as we had not received one since oi»r arrival m
the country; and not being fully acquainted with the charact^,r
of onr enemy, we were doubtful that those papers might be
destroyed — to prevent which I sent a flag [with a .etter]
demanding the garrison,"
We include here a copy of. the letter which Colonel Clark
addressed to the British Governor:
" Sir: In order to save yourself from the impending storm
that now threatens you, I order you immediately to surrender
yourself, with all your garrison, stores, etc. For if I am
obliged to storm, you may depend on such treatment as is
justly due to a murderer. Beware of destroying stores of any
kind, or any papers or letters that are in your possession, or
hurting one house in town — for, by heavens! if you do, there
shall bo no mercy shown you."
In answer to this bold letter. Governor Ilarailton sent this
reply:
" Lieutenant-Governor Ilamilton begs leave to acquaint
Colonel Clark that he and his garrison arc not disposed to be
f wed into any action unworthy British subjects."
On receiving this refusal the firing was resuna-d, and con-
tinued in a spirited manner until evening, when a flag appeared
with the following proposals: " Lieutenant-Governor Ilamil-
ton proposes to Colonel Clark a truce for three days; during
which time he promises there shall be no defensive works car-
ried on in the garrison, on condition that Colonel Clark shall
observe on his part a like cessation of any defensive work;
that is, he wishes to confer with Colonel Clark as soon as can
be, and promises that whatever may pass between them and
another person mutually agreed upon to be present, shall
clakk's celedeated march agaixst vinceknes. 101
remain secret till matters be finished, as he wishes that what-
ever the result of the conference may be it may tend to the
honor and credit of each party. If Colonel Clark makes a
difhculty of coming into the fort, Lieutenant-Governor Ilam-
ilton will speak to him by the gate."
Clark was at a loss to understand what reason Ilamilton
could have fur wishing a truce. Some of his officers believed
it to be a scheme to i<:et him within the fort. Althouirh he
had the grciitest reason to expect a reinforcement in less than
three days that would at once put an end to the siege, yet he
did not think it prudent to agree to the proposals, and sent
the following answer: "Colonel Clark's compliments to Gov-
ernor Hamilton, and begs leave to inform him that he will not
agree to any terms other than Mr. Ilamilton's surrendei-ing
himself and garrison prisoners at discretion. If Mr. Ilamilton
is desirous of a conference with Colonel Clark, he will meet
him at the church with Captain Ilelm."
They met at the church, about eighty yards from the fort —
Colonel Clark, Governor Ilamilton, Major Ilay, Captain Ilelm,
and Major Buwman. Ilamilton produced terms of capitula-
tion contiiiniiig various articles. After deli berating on every
article, Clark rejected the whole. Ilamilton then asked him
to make a ])roposition. Clark told him that he had no other
to make than that he had already made — that of his surrcn-
dering as prisoners at discretion. He told him that his troojjs
iiad behaved with spirit, that they could not suppose that they
would be worse trciitcd in consequence of it; that if he chose
to comply with the demand, though hard, it would be exjiedi-
cnt to do so immediately; that it was in vain for him to make
any further propositions; that he must be aware that the gar-
rison would. fall; that all blood spilt from that hour by the
garrison would be regarded as murder; that the American
troops were already imp-atient, and called aloud for permission
to tear do\\Ti and storm the fort; that if such a step were
taken, many of course would be cut down, and that it would
be out of the power of an American officer to save a single
man.
Considerable discussion followed; Captain Ilelm attempted
102
HISTOEY OF INDIANA.
to moderate tlieir fixed conclusions, but Clark told him that
he was a British prisoner, and that it was doubtful whether or
not lie could with propriety speak on the subject, Hamilton
then said that Captain Helm was from that moment liberated,
^^^/V^^><L^
See page 31.
and might use his pleasure, but Clark informed the Captain
that he would not receive him on such terms; that he must
return to the garrison and await his fate. Clark then informed
Clark's movements at vincennes. 103
Ilamilton tliat hostilities sliould not commence until five min-
utes after the drams 2;ave the alarm. At this they parted, but
the British officer, after a moment's hesitation, turned about
and ])olitely inquired Colonel Clark's reasons for refusing the
"■arrison on any other terms than an unconditional surrender.
The latter explained at some length, but before completing
his reply secretly resolved to change the conditions of his
den)ands. lie told Hamilton he would consider the nuitter
and let him know the result at an early hour. In the course
of the afternoon of the twenty-fourth, articles of capitulation
were signed, and on the following day, at ten o'clock, the gar-
rison was surrendered, and the bold, courageous Clark took
possession of the fort. On the twenty-seventh the vessel with
the stores and pi-ovisions arrived in good condition, and the
Americans in Yinccnncs were rejoicing over their conquest.
CHAPTEE V.
Clark's movements at ^^^•CENXES.
OlS' the day succeeding the occupation of Yincennes bj
Clark's forces, the irrepressible Colonel sent a detach-
ment of sixty men up the river "Wabash to intercept some
boats laden with stores and provisions from Detroit. The
detachment proceeded up the river in three armed boats about
one hundred and twenty miles, when the British boats, seven
in number, were surprised and captured without firing a gun.
The English boats had on board about ten thousand pounds
worth of goods and provisions, and were manned by about
forty men. These were taken prisoners and the goods divided
among the soldiers.
Having organized a military government in Yincennes, and
appointed Captain Helm as commandant of the town, Colonel
Clark returned in the vessel to Kaskaskia, where he was joined
104 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
py reinforcements from Kentucky, under Captain George,
ii can -while, a party of traders who were going to the ftills,
■vvere killed and plundered by the Delawares of White river.
The news of this disaster having reached Clark, he sent a dis-
patch to Captain Ilclm ordering him to make war on the Del-
awares, to use every means in his power to destroy thera; to
show no mercy to the men, but to save the women and children.
This order was executed without delay. Tlieir camps were
attacked in every quarter where they could be foimd. Many
fell and others were carried to Post Yincennes and put to
death. The surviving Delawares at once pleaded for mercy,
and appeared anxious to make some atonement for their bad
conduct. To these overtures Captain Ilclm replied that Colonel
Clark, the Big Knife, had ordered the war, and that he had
no power to lay down the hatchet, but that he would suspend
liostilities until a messenger could be sent to Kaskaskia. This
was done, and the crafty Colonel, well understanding the
Indian character, sent a message to the Delaware, telling
them that he would not accept their friendship or treat with
them for peace, but that if they could get some of the neigh-
boring tribes to become responsible for their future conduct,
he would discontinue the war and spare their lives; otherwise
they must all perish.
A council was called of all the Indians in the neighborhood,
and Clark's answer was read to the assembly. After due
deliberation the Piankeshaws took on themselves to answer
for the future good conduct of the Delawares, and the Grand
Door, in a long speech, denounced their base conduct. This
ended the war with the Delawares and secured the respect of
the neighboring tribes. Clark's attention was next turned to
the British post at Detroit, but being unable to obtain suffi-
cient troops he abandoned the "enterprise.
Colonel John Todd, the county lieutenant for the county of
Illinois, in the spring of 1779, visited the old settlements at
Vincennes and Kaskaskia, and organized temporary civil gov
ernments in nearly all the settlements west of the Ohio.
Previous to this movement Clark had established a military
government at Kaskaskia and Vincennes, appointed com-
Clark's movements at vincex^jes. 105
marciants in botli pLiccs, and taken np liis headquarters at tlie
fall? of the Ohio, where he could watch the operations of the
innmy and save the frontier settlements from the depredations
of Indian warfare.
On reaching the settlements Colonel Todd issued a procla-
mation* regulating the settlement of unoccupied lands, and
requiring the presentation of all claims to the lands settled.
lie also organized a court of civil and criminal jurisdiction at
Vincennes in the month of June, 1779, This court was com-
posed of several magistrates and presided over by Colonel J".
M. P, Lcgras, who had been appointed commandant at Vin-
cennes. Acting from the precedents established by the early
French commandants in the west, this court began to grant
tracts of land to the French and American inhabitants, and
down to the year 1783, it had granted to diflerent parties about
twentv-six thousand acres of land. From this date down to
1787, when the practice of granting lands was prohibited by
General llarmer, the quantity of land granted exceeded
twenty-two thousand acres. The tracts granted were gen-
erally small, ranging from a small " house lot " to four and
five hundred acres. But aside from the granting of these
email tracts, the court entered into a stupendous speculation —
one not altogether creditable to its honor and dignity. The
• Illixois [Countt] to wrr — conveniently may be, to lay before the
Whereas, from the fertility and bcaulifnl peri»on, in each district, appointed for
sitaation of the lands bordering upon that purpose, a memorandum of his or
the MiBsisHippi, Ohio, Illinois, and Wa- her land, with copies of all their vonchers;
bash rivers, the taking up of the usual and where vouchers have never been <;iven,
quantity of land heretofore allowed for a or are lost, such depositions or certitica €8
Bt'ttlement by the government of Virginia, as will tend to support tlicir claims:- the
would injure both the strength and com- memorandum to mention tne <;";art.ty
merce of this country; I do, therefore, of land, to whom originally eian'cil. and
issue this proclamation, strictly enjoining when, — deducing the title Iti'-'tJgh '.he
all persons whatsoever from making any various occupants to the present possca-
new settlements upon the Hat lauds of the Bor. The number of advenliirers who wil.
eaid rivers, or within one league of said shortly overrun this country, renders the
lands, unless in manner and form of set- above method necessary, us well to ascer-
tlements as heretofore made by the French tain the vacant lands as to guard against
inhabitants, until further orders herein trespasses which will probably be com-
givcn. And, in order that all the claims mitted on lands not on record. GiveQ
to lands in said county may be fully under my hand and seal, at Kaskaskia,
known, and some method provided for the fifteenth of June, in the third yeal
perpetuating, by record, the just claims, of the commonwealth, 1779.
every inhabitaiit is required, as soon as Joan Tons, Jr.
106
HISTOET OF IlSroiANA.
commandant and magistrates over wliom he presided, sud-
denly adopted the opinion that thej Avere invested with the
authority to dispose of the whole of that large region which,
See page 21.
in 1742, had been granted bj tlie tribe of Piankeshaw Indians
to tlie French inhabitants of Vincennes. Accordingly a very
convenient arrangement was entered into by which the whole
CLARK S MCTEilENTS AT VINCENNES. 107
tract ot country mentionscl wac to bo divided between the
members of the hoTjorabic Cv:>urt A rcccixl was made to that
effect, and pcihp.ps ^]ie meet interesting part of this job —
modern po.:t:c:f4a3 w i 1 ca. it a steai — was that each mem-
ber found conveoVa' ic bo al)sent from court on the day
that the ordc wi-s Trn:lc in liis favor.*
Durini^ the progress ul the conflict between civilization and
barbarism in the nortliwest, from 1770 to 17S7, the date at
wliich the territory of the United States northwest of the Ohio
was organized, there were but few events of importance in
which the settlements in Indiana were not concerned, or by
which they were not affected. In the fall of 1780, LaBalme,
a Frenchman, made an attempt to capture the British garrison
of Detroit by leading an expedition against it from Kaskaskia.
At the head of thirty men he marched to Vincenne?, where
his force was slightly increased. From this town he proceeded
to the British trading post at the head of the Maumee, where
Fort Wayne now stands, where he plundered the British traders
and Indians and then jetired. "While encamped on the bank
of a small strea-n on his retreat, he was attacked by a band of
jMiamIs, a number of his men were Idlled, and the ex]>cdition
against Detroit ended in ruin. Thus ran the cuiTcnt of border
war, sometimes resulting in a victory for the Americans and
sometimes for the enemv, dnrinii' the Liug struoffyle fur inde-
pendcnce, until in 1783, the treaty of Paris M'as concluded,
and the Cono-ress of the United States declared a cessation of
hostilities between the United States and Great Britain.
Up to this date the territory now included within the limits
of the State of Indiana belonged, by conquest, to the State of
Virginia, but in January, 1783, the General Assembly of that
State resolved to cede to the Congress of the United States all
right, title and claim which it held to the territory northwest
of the Ohio. The conditions offered by Virginia were accepted
by Congress on the twentieth of December of the same year,
and the transfer was effected early in 1784. In the year pre-
ceding, however, the Assembly of Virginia passed an act for
• Uarrison'g Letters.
108
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
platting the town of Clarksville, at the falls of the Ohio. The
act stipulated that the lots, consisting of half an acre each,
should be sold at public auction to the highest bidder, and
that purchasers were to hold their lots subject to the condi-
tions of building on them within three years from the day of
sale.
In the spring of 1784, after the deed of cession* had been
accepted by Congress, the subject of the future government
of the territory was referred to a committee consisting of
Messrs. Jefferson of Virginia, Chase of Mai-yland, and Ilowell
of Rhode Island. The committee reported an ordinance for
the government of the territory northwest of the Ohio, which,
among other things, declared, that neither slavery nor involun-
• That the territory bo ceded shall he
laid out and formed into States, contain-
ing a suitable extent of territory, not lees
than one hundred, nor more than one
hundred and fifty miles square ; or as near
thereto as circumstances will admit; and
that the States so formed shall be distinct
republican States, and admitted members
of the Federal Union; having the same
rights of sovereignty, freedom, and inde-
pendence as the other States. That the
necessary and reasonable expenses incur-
red by Virginia in subduing any British
posts, or in maintaining forts and garri-
sons within, and for the defense, or in
acquiring any part of, the territory so
ceded or relinquished, shall be fully reim-
bursed by the United States. That the
French and Canadian inhabitants, and
other settlers of the Kaskaskia, Post Vin-
cennes, and the neighboring villages, who
have professed themselves citizens of Vir-
ginia, shall have their possessions and
titles confirmed to them, and be protected
in the enjoyment of their rights and liber-
ties. That a quantity not exceeding one
hundred and fifty thousand acres of laud,
promised by Virginia, shall be allowed
and granted to the then Colonel, now
General George Rogers Clark, and to the
cfticers and soldiers of his regiment, who
marched with him when the posts of Kas-
kaskia and Vinccnnes were reduced, anc"
to the officers and soldiers that have been
since incorporated into the said regiment,
to be laid off in one tract, the length of
which not to exceed double the breadth,
in such place on the northwest side of the
Ohio as a majority of the oilicers shall
choose, and to be afterward divided amoug
the ofllccrs andsolilicrs in due ]>roportion,
according to the laws of Virginia. That
in case the quantity of good lauds on the
southeas^t side of the Ohio, upon the
waters of Cumberland river, and betweea
the Green river and Tennessee river,
which have been reserved by law for the
Virginia troops upon continental estab-
lislimcut, should, from the North Carolina
line, bearing in further upon the Cum-
berland lands than was exi)ected, prove
insullicient for their legal bounties, the
deficiency shall be made up to the said
troops, in good lands, to be laid ofl" be-
tween the rivers Scioto and Little Miami,
on the northwest side of the river Ohio, in
sucli proportions as have been engaged to
them by the laws of Virginia. That all
the lauds wiiliiu the territory so ceciao to
United States, and not reserved lot, or
appropriated to any of the belore raeti-
tiouud i)urpose8, or disposed of in bona
ties to the officers and soldiers it la,
American army, shall be connideied .=u? a
common fund for the use and benefit of
such of the United Stales as have become,
or shall become, memlwers of the confed-
eraliou or federal alliance of the said
Statjs. Virginia inclusive, according to
their usual respective proportions in the
general charge and exi)cnditure, and shall
be faithfully and bouajide diHi)osed of for
that purpose, and for no other ufic or pur-
pose whatsoever.
EARLY SETTLEaiEXTS AND LAND GRANTS. 109
tary servitude, otherwise than in the punishment of cnminals,
bIiouM exist in the territory after the year ISOO. This article
of the ordinance was rejected, but an ordinance for the tem-
porary government of the county was adopted, and, in the
following year, laws were passed b}' Congress for disposing of
lands in the western territory, and for prohibiting the settle-
ment of unappropriated lands by reckless speculators.
CnAPTEPw YI.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS AND LAND GRANTS.
FEOM this date, 17S4 to 17S7, when the northwestern ter-
ritory was organized, we have but little to record in the
history of Indiana. Land speculation in Ohio, ^nd on the
borders of the Ohio and AYabash rivers, was exciting consider-
able attention, and large associations, representing consider-
able means, were formed for the purpose of monopolizing the
trade in land. Tracts of millions of acres were sold at one
time by Congress to associations on the installment plan, and
80 far as the Indian titles could be extinguished, the work of
settling and improving the lands was pushed rapidly forward.
The passage of the "ordinance of 1TS7," created the territory
of the United States northwest of the Ohio, which of course
included the whole of the territory now embraced in the State
of Indiana. On the fifth of October, of the same year, Major
General Arthur St. Clair was elected by Congress Governor
of the territory. lie was instructed, on entering upon the
duties of the office, to ascertain the real temper of the Indians
and do all in his power to remove the causes for controversy
between them and the United States, and to cficct the extin-
guishment of Indian titles to all the land possible. Tlie
Governor took up quarters in the new settlement of Marietta,
Ohio, where he immediately began the organization of the
110
IIISTORV OF INDIANA.
government of the territory. The first session of the general
court of the new territory was held at that place in 1788. The
judges were Samuel II. Parsons, James Mitchell Varnum, and
John Cleves Symmes. Under the ordinance, Governor St.
Glair was president of the court.
^^N V\\\\\\>X nNV ■
B. TRENTMAN, ESQ.
See page 21.
After the session of the creneral court at Marietta was con-
eluded, and the necessary laws for the crovernment of the ter-
ritory passed. Governor St. Clair, accom])anied by the Judges,
visited Kaskaskia for the purpose of organizing a civil govern-
ment there. Meanwhile full instructions had been sent to
Major Ilamtramck, commandant at Yincennes, requiring him
EAKLT SFTTLOrENTS AND LAND GRANTS. Ill
to ascertain the exact feeling and temper of tlie Ind An tribes
of the Wabash, TJiese instructions Avcre accomp.inicd by
speeches to each of the tribes. On the lifth of April, 1790, a
Frenchman named Antoine Gamelin, was dispatcliod from
Yincennes Avith tliese speeches. lie visited nearly all the
tribes on the "Wabash, St, Josepli and St. Marys rivers, but was
coldly received, most of the chiefs being dissatisfied witli the
policy of the Americans toward them, and prejudiced through
English misrepresentation. Full accounts of his adventures
among the tribes reached Governor St, Clair at Ivaskaskia in
June, 1790. Being satisfied that there was no prospect of
eficcting a general peace with the Indians of Indiana, lio
resolved to visit General Ilarmer at his headquarters at Fort
Washington, and there to consult with that ofhcer upon the
means of carrying an expedition against the hostile Indians.
I3efore leaving Kashaskia, hoMTver, St. Clair intrusted the
Secretary of the territory, Winthrop Sargent, with tlie execu-
tion of the resolutions of Congress regarding tlie lands and
settlers on the "Wabash. lie directed that officer to proceed to
Yincennes, lay out a county there, establish the militia, aiul
appoint the necessary civil and military officers. JNIr, Sargent
at once proceeded to Yincennes, where he organized the camp
of Knox, appointed the necessary civil and military ollieers,
and notified the inhabitants to present their claims to lands.
In establishing these claims the settlers found great difliculty,
and regarding it, the secretary in his report to the Frcsldent
remarked :
"Although the lands and lots which were awarded to the
inhabitants, appeared, from very good oral testimouy, to
belong to those persons to whom they were awarded, cither
by original grants, purchase, or inheritance, yet there was
scarcely one case in twenty wlicrc the title was complete,
owing to the desultory manner in which ])ublic business had
been transacted, and some other unfortunate causes. The
original concessions by the French and Eritish commandants
were generally made upon a small scrap of paper, which it has
been customary to lodge in the notary's office, who has seldom
kept any book of record, but committed the most importaut
113 mSTORT OF INDIANA.
land concerns to loose sheets, whicli, in process of time, have
come into possession of persons that have fraudulently
destroyed them, or, unacquainted with their consequence,
innocently lost or trifled them away; for hy the French usage
they are considered as family inheritances, and often descend
to women and children. In one instance, and during the gov-
ernment of Mr. St. Ange here, a royal notary ran oti" with all
the public papers in his possession, as by accrtiiicate ]iroduced
to me. And I am very sorry further to observe that in the
office of Mr. Le Grand, which continued from the year 1777 to
17S7, and where should have been the vouchers for important
land transactions, tlie records have been eo falsilied, and there
is such gross fraud in forgery as to invalidate all evidence and
information which I might otherwise have acquired from his
papers."
Winthrop Sargent informs us that there were about one
hundred and fifty French families at Vincennes in 1790. The
heads of these families had all been at some time vested with
certain titles to a portion of the soil, and while tlie Secretary
was busily engaged endeavoring to straighten out these claims,
he received a petition signed by eighty Americans, praying
for the confirmation of the grants of lands ceded by the court
which had been organized by Colonel John Todd, under the
authority of Virginia, to which reference has already been
made.
This case was met in the action of Conscress on the third
of March, 1791, empowering the Governor of the territory, in
cases where land had been actually improved and cultivated
under a supposed grant for the same, to conlirm to the persons
who made such improvements, the lands supposed to have
been granted, not, however, exceeding the quantity of four
hundred acres to any one person.
In tlie summer of 1790, a session of the general court was
held at Vincennes, acting Governor Sargent* presiding, when
the following laws were adopted:
I. An act to prohibit the giving or selling intoxicating
* :Mr. Sargent acted in the capacity of Governor at the request of St.
Clair, who, during the time, was busily engaged with military affairs.
EAKLY SETTLEMENTS AND LAND GKANTS.
11
liquors to Indians residing in, or coining into, the territory of
tlie United States northwest of the river Ohio, and for prevent-
ing foreigners from trading with Indians therein.
See page 21.
II. An act prohibiting the sale of spirituous or other
intoxicating liquors to soldiers in the service of the United
States, being within ten miles of any military post within the
territory of the United States northwest of the river Ohio; and
8
114 H75TCXY OF INPTANa.
to prevent tlic selling or j.v.v?T.incr of arms, nm munition, cloth-
ing, and accoutrements.
ITT. An act for supprosr.'ng and prohibiting every ppecics
of gaming for money or other property, and fur making void
contracts and paymerits n^-i'le in consequcju-e thereof, and for
restraining the disoi-derly practice of discharging ai-ms at
certain lionrs and places.
We give here the sentiments of the principal inhabitants
of VincenTies, ■which were addressed to ^[r. Sargent while at
that ])lacc, in 1790, in the fullou-iiig language: "The citizens
of the town of Vinccmics ajiproach you, sir, to ex])ress as well
their personal respect for your honor as the full approbation
of the measures you have been ])leased to ]uirsue in regard to
their government and the adjustment of their claims, as
inhabitants of the territory over whicli you at pi-esent preside.
"While we deem it a singidar blessing to behold the principles
of free government unfolding among us, we cherish the pleas-
ing reflection that our posterity will also have cause to rejoice
at the political change now originating. A free and eflicient
government, wisely administered, and fostered under tlie pro-
tecting wings of an august union of States, cannot fail to
render the citizens of this wide extended territory securely
happy in the possession of every public blessing.
" AVe cannot take leave, sir, without offering to your notice
a tribute of gratitude and esteem, which every citizen of Vin-
cennes conceives he owes to the meiuts of an officer [Major
Ilamtramek] who has long commajidcd at this post. The
unsettled situation of things, for a scries of ^'cars previous to
this gentleman's arrival, tended in numy instances to derange,
and in others to suspend, the ojierations of those municipal
customs by which the citizens of this town were used to be
governed. They were in the habit of submitting the superin-
tendence of their civil regulations to the officer who happened
to command the troops posted among them. Ilence, in the
course of the late war, and from the frequent change of masters,
they labored under heavy and various grievances. But tho
judicious and humane attention paid by Major Ilamtramek,
during his whole command, to the rights and feelings of every
HAKMKR, SCOTT AXD WII.KINSOX's KXPEDITrOXS. 115
individual craving liis interposition, demands, and will always
receive our wannest acknowledgments.
"We beg you, sir, to assure the supi-cmc authority of the
United States of our lidelity and attachment; and tliat our
greatest ambition is to deserve its fostering care, by acting the
part of good citizens.
"By order, and on belmlf, of tlic citizens of Vincenncs.
Antoine Gamkmn, Magistrate.
PlKRKK GaMELTN, do.
Paul Gamklin, do.
James Johnson, do.
LoDis Edeline, do.
Luke Di:cicki{, do.
Francis Bosseron, do.
Francis Vigo, ^fajor Commandant of Militia,
Henry Yanderhurgii, Major of Militia.
To this complimentary testimonial Winthrop Sargent made
a brief but appropriate reply.
CHAPTER YII.
HARMER, SCOTT AND WILKINSON's EXPEDITIONS.
WHEN Governor St. Clair arrived at Fort "Wasliington
from Kaskaskia, he determined, after a long conversa-
tion with General Harmer, to send a powerful force to chastise
the savages about the head waters of the Wabash. He liad
been empowered by the President to call on Virginia for one
thousand troops, and on Pennsylvania for five hundred. This
power he at once exercised. Three hundred of the Virginia
militia were ordered to muster at Fort Steuben, and, with the
garrison of that fort, to march to Vincennes, and join Major
Hamtramck, who had orders to call for aid from the militia of
116 mSTOKT OF INDIANA.
Yincenncs, march np the "Wabash and attack any of the
Indian villaj^cs to wliich, in his jiido^mcnt, his force might be
cqnal. The remaining twelve hundred of tlic militia were
ordered to rendezvous at Fort Washington, and to join the
regular troops at that post under the command of General
Ilarmer.*
At this time the United States regular troops in the "West
K-ere estimated by Gen. Ilarmer at four hundi-ed eflectivc men.
These, with the militia, gave him a force of one thousand four
iiundred and fifty men. "With this army Gen. Ilarmer inarched
from Fort "Washington on the thirtieth of September. Tlie
troops continued the march until the seventeenth of October,
when they reached the Maumce. The Avork of punishing the
Indians was then begun, but, in one sense, ended disastrously.
The savafrcs received a severe scourcjinir, but the militia behaved
80 badly as to be of little or no service. A detachment of
three hundred and forty militia and sixty regulars, under the
command of Colonel Hardin, were sorclv defeated on the Man-
mee, on the twenty-second of October. On the twenty-third,
the army took up the line of march for Fort "Washington, and
reached that place on the fourth of November, liaving lost in
the expedition one hundred and eighty-three killed, and thirty-
one wounded. The Indians lost about equally with the Amer-
icans. During the progress of this expedition Major Ilam-
tramck marched up the "Wabash from Vincenncs as far as the
mouth of the Ycrmillion river, destroyed several deserted
villages, and returned, without finding an enemy to oppose
him.
Although the savages were severely punished by these expe-
ditions, yet they refused to sue for peace, and continued their
hostilities. The inhabitants of the frontier settlements of
Virginia took alarm, and the delegates of Ohio, Monongahela,
Harrison, Randolph, Greenbrier, Kanawha and Montgomery
counties, sent a joint memorial to the Governor of Yirginia,
saying that " the defenseless condition of these counties, form-
ing a line of nearly four hundred miles along the Ohio river^
* Dillon's History of Indiana Territory, p. 241.
HARMEK, SCOTT A^TD WILKINSON'S EXPEDITIONS.
IIT
exposed to the hostile invasion of their Indian enemies, desti-
tute of every kind of 6up}3ort, is truly alarming; for notwith-
etandiua' all the regulations of the General Government in
that country, we have reason to lament that they have been
liitherto ineffectual for our protection, nor indeed could it
Lapj^en otherwise, for the garrisons kept by the Contip-*i>''-«^l
JOHN ROCHE, ESQ.
See page 21.
troops on the Ohio river, if they are of any use, it must be '-»
Kentucky settlements, as they immediately cover that country.
To US they can be of no service, being from two to four hun-
dred miles below our frontier settlements. We further beg
leave to observe that we have reason to fear that the conse-
quences of the defeat of our army by the Indians on the late
118 niSTOKT OF INDIANA.
expedition, will be severely felt on om* fi-onticrs, as there is no
doubt but that the Indians will, in their turn, (being flushed
with victory,) invade our settlements, and exercise all their
horrid murder u])0!i the inhabitants tl)ereof, wheiievcr tho
Aveather will penult them to travel. Then is it not better to
support us wliei'e we are, be the expense what it may, than to
oblige such a number of your brave citizens, who have so long
6U])])ortcd, and still continues to su]>port, a dangerous frontier,
(although thousands of their relatives in the flesh, have, iu the
pi'osecution thereof, fallen a sacrifice to savage inventions,) to
quit the country, after ;ill they have done and suffered, when
you know that a frontier nnist be suj^ported somewhere."
This memorial caused the Lctjislature of Viririnia to author-
izc the Governor of that State to make any defensive opera-
tions necessary for the temporary defense of the frontiers,
until the General Government could adopt and carry out
measures to suppress the hostile Indians. The Governor at
once called "U])on the military commanding ofHcers in the
western counties of Yirginia, to raise, by the first of March,
1791, several small companies of rangers for this purpose. At
the same time Charles Scott M-as appointed Erigadier-General
oi' the militia of the district of Kentucky, with authority to
raise two hundred and twenty-six volunteers, to protect the
most exposed ])Oi'tions of that district.
A full i-eport of the i)roccedings of the Legislature of Vir-
ginia in relation to the exposed condition and defense of the
frontiers of that State, was transmitted to Congress, and upon
consideration of the same, the General Government consti-
tuted a local Board of War for the district of Kentucky,
com])osed of Brigadier-General Scott, Henry Innis, John
Brown, ]>enjamin Logan and Isaac Shelby. On the ninth of
^larch, 1701, General Henry Knox, Secretary of War, sent a
letter of instructions to Brigadier-General Scott, recommend-
ing an expedition of mounted men, not exceeding seven hun-
dred aiul fifty, against the Wea towns on the river Wabash.
He recommended that this foi'ce be raised and conducted to
the Indian vilniges of tho Wabash, where, by rapid incursions
the towns could be destroyed and many prisoners taken.
HARMER, SCOTT AND AVTLKINSOn's EXPEDITIONS. 119
Pursuant to these instnictions, Brigadier-General Scott, on
the twentj-tliird of May, 1791, crossad the Oliio, with about
ciirht hundred mounted men, and - cmmcncc-vi his marcli lor
tlie Wabash, which he reached on the first of June. Many of
the Indians, having discovered his j )i:f.«Tcach, fled, but lie suc-
ceeded in destroying all the villages around Ouiatenou,
together with several Kickapoo town;3, killing thirl^y-two war-
riors and taking fifty-eight prisoners. lie released a icw of
the most infirm prisoners, giving them a " talk," which they
carried to the towns farther up the AVabash, and wliicli the
wretched condition of his horses prevented him from reaching.
On the tliird of March, 1791, Congress provided for raising
and equipping a regiment for the protection of the frontiers,
and Governor St. Chiir was invested with the chief command
of about three thousand troops, to be raised and employed
against the hostile Indians in the territory over which his
administration extended. lie was instructed by the Secretary
of War to march to the Miami village, and to establish a
strong and permanent military post at that place. He was
also directed to establish, during his advance, such posts ot
communication with Fort Washington, along the Ohio, as, in
his judgment might be required.
The post at the Miami village was intended to keep the sav-
ages in that vicinity in check, so as to prevent future hostili-
ties, and it was the wish of the Secretary of War that it
should be garrisoned not only strong enough for the defense
of the place, but so as to afibrd, at all times, a detachment of
five or six hundred men, either to chastise any of the Wabash
or other hostile Indians, or to capture convoys of the enemy's
provisions. In his letter to Governor St. Clair, he urged tliat
" the establishment of said post is considered as an important
object of the campaign, and is to take place in all events. In
case of a previous treaty, the Indians are to be conciliated
upon this point if possible; and it is presumed good argu-
ments may be oflfercd to induce their acquiescence. * * *
Having commenced your march upon the main expedition,
and the Indians continuing hostile, you will use every possible
<jxertion to make them feel the efiects of your superiority;
120
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
and, after hr.^ng arrived at the Miami village, and put your
works in a delensible state, you will seek the enemy with tlie
whole of your remaining force, and endeavor, by all possible
:neans, to strike them with great severity. * * '^ In order to
avoid future wars, it might be proper to make the Wabash and
See page 21.
thence over to the Maumee, and down the same to its mouth,
at lake Erie, the boundary between the people of tlie United
States and the Indians, (excepting so far as the same should
relate to the Wyandots and Delawares,) on the supposition of
their continuing faitliful to the treaties. But if they should
HARMER, SCOTT AND WILKINSON 's EXPEDITIONS.
121
join in the war against the United States, and your army be
victorions, the said tribes onght to be removed without the
boundary mentioned."
On the twenty -hfth of June, 1791, Governor St. Clair, previ-
ous to marcliing a strong force to the Miami town, as directed
by the War Department, authorized Brigadier-General Wil-
MRS. ELIZA HANNA.
See page 21.
kinson to conduct a second expedition, not exceeding five
hundred mounted men, against the Indian villages on the
Wabash, Pursuant to these instructions, Wilkinson mustered
his forces, and was ready to march on the twentieth of July,
with five hundred and twentv-five mounted volunteers, well
armed, and provided with thirty days' provisions. With this
122 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
force lie reached the Ke-na-pa-coni-a-qua village, on the north.
era bank of the Eel river, about six miles from a point where
that river joins the Wabash, on the seventh of August, and
succeeded in killing six warriors and taking thirty-four ])ris-
oners, before they could escape. This town, which was scat-
tered along Eel river for a distance of three miles, was totally
destroyed.
Wilkinson encamped on the ruins of the town that night,
and on the following day he commenced his march for the
Kickapoo town on the prairie, which he was unable to reacli
owing to the impassable condition of the route which he
adopted, and the failing condition of his horses. lie estimated
the results of the expedition, in his official report, as follows:
" I have destroyed the chief town of the Ouiatcnon nation,
and have made prisoners of the sons and sisters of the king.
1 have burned a respectable Kickapoo village, and cut down at
least four hundred and thirty acres of corn, chiefly in the
milk."
CHAPTER YIII.
ST. CLAIR AND WATNe's EXPEDITIONS.
THE three expeditions under Harmer, Scott and Wilkinson
resulted in great damage to the Indians, but by no means
subdued them. They regarded the policy of the United States
as calculated to exterminate them from the land, and, goaded
on by the English of Detroit, the enemies of the Americans,
they were excited to desperation. At this time the govern-
ment of Great Britain still supported garrisons at Niagara,
Detroit and Michilimackinac, notwithstanding it was declared I
by the second article of the definite treaty of peace of 1783, |
that the king of Great Britain would, "with all convenient
speed, and without causing any destruction or carrying away
ST. CLAIK AND WATNE's EXPEDITIONS. 123
any negroes or property of the American inhabitants, with-
draw all his forces, garrisons and fleets from the United States,
and from every post, place and harbor within the same." It
was also made a part of the treaty that the creditors on either
side should meet with no iawful impediments to the recovery
of the full value, in sterling money, of all hona fide debts
previously contracted. The British government claimed that
the United States had broken faith in this particular under-
standing of the treaty, and, in consequence, refused to with-
draw its forces *from the territory. The British garrisons
already mentioned were a great source of annoyance to the
Americans, as they afforded succor to the hostile Indian tribes,
and encoura<xed them in their incursions asainst the frontier
American settlements, frequently aiding them with stores and
provisions. This state of affairs in the territory of the United
States northwest of the Ohio, continued from a period previous
to its organization until the British power was withdra^vn from
the country in 179G, under the second treaty.
In September, 1791, Governor St. Clair moved from Fort
"Washington with a force of about two thousand men. On the
the third of November the main army, consisting of about
fourteen hundred effective troops, moved forward to the head-
waters of the "\y abash, where Fort Recovery was afterwards
erected. Here the army encamped. At this time the Little
Turtle, Blue Jacket and Buck-ong-a-helas, and other Indian
chiefs were secreted a few miles distant with a force of twelve
hundred Indians, awaiting a favorable opportunity to begin an
attack, which they improved on the morning of the fourth of
November, about half an hour before sunrise. Tlie attack was
first made upon the militia, which immediately gave way.
But we shall not, in this place, tax our readers with an account
of St. Clair's defeat, with which they are undoubtedly familiar.
It will suflice to say that he returned to Fort Washington wi th
a broken and dispirited army, having lost in the unsuccessful
action of the fourth of November, thirty-nine officers killed,
and five hundred and thirty-nine men killed and missing.
Twenty-two ofiicers and two hundred and thirty-two men were
wounded. Several pieces of artillery, and all the baggage.
ST. CLAIR AND WATNe's EXPEDITIONS. 125
ammunition and provisions, were left on the field of battle, and
fell into the hands of the victorious Indians. The stores and
other public property lost in the action were valued at thirty-
two thousand ei^ht hundred dollars. Mr. John B. Dillon, in
his early history of Indiana, speaks of St. Clair's defeat ir
these words: " With the army of St. Clair, following the for-
tunes of their husbands, there wore more than one hundred
women. Yery few escaped the carnage of the fourth of No-
vember, and after the iliglit of the remnant of the army, the
Indians began to avenge their own real and imaginary wrongs,
by perpetrating the most horrible acts of cruelty and brutality
upon the bodies of the living and the dead Americans who
fell into their hands. Beh'eving that the whites, for many
years, made war merely to acquire land, tlie Indians crammed
clay and sand into the eyes and down the throats of the dying
and the dead."*
Although no particular blame was attached to Governor St,
Clair for the loss in this expedition, yet he resigned the ofiice
of Major General, and was succeeded by Anthony Wayne, a
distinguished officer of the Revolutionary War. Early in
1792, provisions were made by the General Government foT
re-organizing the army, so that it should consist of a respect
able force. Wayne arrived at Pittsburg in June of the same
year, where the army was to rendezvous. Here he continued
actively engaged organizing and training his forces, until
October, 1793, when, with an army of about three thousand
six hundred effective men, he moved westward to Fort Wash
ington.
Wliile Wayne was preparing for the offensive campaign
every possible means was employed to induce the hostile tribes
of the northwest to enter into a general treaty of peace with
the American government. Speeches were sent among them;
agents to make treaties were also sent, but little was accom-
plished. Major Hamtramck, who still remained at Vincennes,
succeeded in concluding a general peace with the Wabash and
Illinois Indians, but the tribes more immediately under the
* In Atwater's History of Ohio, we are informed that there 'were two
hundred and fifty women with the army.
12G HISTORY OF IKDIANA.
inilnencc of the British, refused to hear tlie sentiments of
friendship that were sent among them, and tomahawked seve-
ral of the messengers. Their conrage liad been aronscd by
St. Clair's defeat, as well as the unsuccessful expeditions that
preceded it, and they were now quite prepared to meet a
suj)erior force under General AVayne. The Indians insisted on
the Ohio river as the boundary line between their lands and
the lands of the United States, and chose rather to trust to the
fortunes of a war than to make any further concessions.
On the twenty-sixth of July, 1794, Major-Gcneral Scott,
with about sixteen hundred mounted volunteers from Ken-
tucky, joined the regular troops under General Wayne, and on
the twenty-eighth of the same "month the united forces com-
menced their march for the Indian towns on the Mauinee
river. Arriving at the confluence of the Auglaize and Mau-
mee rivers. General Wayne erected Fort Dcliance, and on the
fifteenth of Angust he moved the army from this place toward
the British fort at the foot of the rapids of the Maumee, when,
on the twentieth, almost within the reach of the guns of the
fort, the American army gained a decisive victory over the
combined forces of the hostile Indians and a considerable
number of the Detroit militia. The number of the enemy
was estimated at two thousand, against about nine hundred
American troops actually engaged. This horde of savages, as
Boon as the action began, abandoned themselves to flight, and
dispersed with terror and dismay, leaving Wayne's victorious
army in full and quiet possession of the field.
During the action the Americans lost thirty-three killed and
one hundred wounded. The loss of the enemy was more than
double that of the Federal army. The woods, lor a distance
of nearly two miles, was strewn with the dead bodies of the
Indians and British volunteers, who were shot down in their
mad retreat.
The army remained three days and nights on the banks of
the Maumee, in front of the field of battle, during which time
all the houses and cornfields were consumed and destroyed for
a considerable distance both above and below Fort Miami, as
well as within pistol shot of the British garrison, who were
ST. CLAIR AND WAYNE S EXPEDITIONS.
127
compelled to remain idle spectators to this general devastation
and conflagration, among wliicli Avere the houses, stores and
and property of Colonel McKee, the British Indian agent, and
" principal stimulator of the war then existing between the
United States and savages."
^7^
^/'^ (SL-^ &<:>^^^<-<y^
See page 21.
During the return march to Fort Defiance, the vihages and
<.'orntields for about fifty miles on each side of the Maumee
were destroyed, as well as those for a considerable distance
around that post.
128 mSTORT OF INDIANA.
On the foiirteentli of September, 1794, tlic army imder tlie
command of General AVayne commenced its marcli toward
the deserted Miami villages which stood at the coiiiliicncc of
the rivers St, Joseph's and St. Mary's. This place was reached
on the seventeenth of October, and on the following day the
site of Fort Wayne was selected. The fort was completed on
the twenty-second of November of the same year, and gar-
risoned by a strong detachment of infantry and artillery, nnder
the command of Colonel John F. Ilaratramck, who gave to the
new fort the name of Fort Wayne.*
The Kentucky volunteers returned to Fort Washington, and
were mustered out of the service. General Wayne, with the
Federal troops, marched to Greenville, where he took up his
headquarters during the winter, and where, in the month of
August, 1795, after several months of active negotiation, thig
gallant officer succeeded in concluding a general treaty of peace
with all the hostile tribes who inhabited the territory of the
United States northwest of the Ohio.
The treaty of Greenville, which was effected through the
good offices of General Wayne, opened the way for the flood
of emigration which from that day, flowed from the Eastern
States into the Northwestern territory.
Aside from military affairs in the northwestern territory,
there was but little of civil progress worthy of mention in a
liistory of Indiana. In July, 1796, after the treaty between
the United States and Spain had been concluded, the British
garrisons, with their arms, artillery and stores, were with-
drawn from the posts within the boundaries '^f the Uni:«<^
States northwest of the Ohio river, and a detachment of Amer
ican troops, consisting of sixty-tive men, urder the command
of Captain Moses Porter, took possession of the ewcuated
post of Detroit in the same month. In the latter part of the
year 1796, Winthrop Sargent proceeded to Detroit and
erected the county of Wayne, and established a civil govern-^
mcnt in that quarter. This county of Wayne, now the most
wealthy county in M'ouj.^an, formed a pai-t of the Indiana
territory until its division, in 1805, when the territory of
Michigan was oigair ae«i.
♦ A new fort was bz.1} on the site of this fort in 1814.
CHATTEE IX.
ORGANIZATION OF THE INDIANA TEKEITOHr.
IN tlic previous chapters we have briefly traced the history
of the military, political and civil events, in the territory
of the United States northwest of the Ohio, from its organiza-
tion to 1800, when the territory of Indiana was erected. Let
us now enter upon wliat we may call the history of Indiana
proper. Ileretofore we have been compelled, owing to the
very large tract of territory over which the government
extended its control, to include the events that transpired in
neighboring States. This may now be avoided. We have
already said that by the treaty of Greenville the lands of
Indiana were made available to settlers. Notwithstandins:
this event, bit vsv/ settlements were lEste until after tl^e terri-
tory was orgrjused.. Yet most oi ihctX: ex.e'-dii: "A^ ihe time
the trea^-v w&fi x.^^jr? v/^ve imm£>i.i:fi*,e y emUL^^ed and improved
VmcenrcE >rx:.ca vi this time was ibe largest settlement in
the territory, was, in 1796, quite a town. Defended by Fort
Knox, its citizens were enabled to prosecute a paying trade
with the Indians, and to improve the agricn^tnraj. issources
around them. At this date the town contained about fifty
dwelling houses, all presenting a thrifty and tidy appearance.
Each house was surrounded by a garden fenced with poles,
and peach and apple trees grew in most of the inclosures.
Garden vegetables of all kinds were cultivated with success,
and corn, tobacco, wheat, barley, and cotton grew in the fields
around the village in abundance.
Adjoining the village was Fort Knox, inclosed by a ditch
eight feet ^vide, and by sharp stakes from six to eight feet
high. This palisade, protected by the guns of the fort, was a
9 (129)
130
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Kiifficient fortification against hostile Indians. A Frencliman
who visited Vincennes in 1796, writes of its inhabitants at
that date: "The day after my arrival a conrt was held, to
which I repaired. On entering:;, I was surprised to find the
See page 21.
audience divided into races of men in person and feature
widelv difierino' from each other. The fair or li^ht brown
liair, ruddy complexion, round face, and plump body, indi-
ORGANIZATION OF THE INDIANA TEUKITORY. 131
catirc of health and ease, of one set, were forcihly contrasted
with the emaciated frame and mcai^er, tawny visai^c of the
other. The dress, likewise, of the latter denoted their indi-
gence. I soon discovered that the former were new settlers
from the neighboring States, whose lands had been reclaimed
five or six years before, while the latter were French of sixty
years standing in the district. The latter, three or four
excepted, knew nothing of English, while the former were
almost as ignorant of French. I had acquired, in the course
of the year, a sufficient knowledge of English to converse with
them, and was thus enabled to hear the tales of both parties.
The French, in a querulous tone, recounted the losses and
hardships they had suffered, especially since the last Indian
war, in 178S. * * * * Tlicy complained that they were
cheated and robbed, and especially that their i-ights were con-
tinually violated by the courts, in which two judges only four
of five were Frenchmen, who knew little of the laws or lan-
guage of the English. Their ignorance, indeed, was profound.
Nobody ever opened a school among them till it was done by
the able M. Kivet, a polite, well educated, and liberal minded
missionary, banished hither by the French revolution. Out
of nine of the French, scarcely six could read or write; whereas,
nine-tenths of the Americans, or emigrants from the east,
could do both. •«• * -Jfr * I could not fix, with accuracy, the
date of the first settlement of Yincennes; and notwithstanding
the homage paid by some learned men to tradition, I could
trace out but few events of the war of 1757, though some of the
old men lived before that period. I was only able to form a
conjecture that it was planted about 1735. These statement*
were confirmed, for the most part, by the new settlers. They
only placed the same facts in a different point of view. They
told me that the Canadians (for by that name the French of
the western colonies are known to them) had only themselves
to blame for all the hardships they complained of. We must
allow, say they, that they are a kind, hospitable, sociable sect;
but then, for idleness and ignorance, they beat the Indians
themselves. They know nothing at all of our civil or domestic
affairs. Their women neither sew, nor spin, nor make butter.
132 HISTOKT OF INDIANA.
# * * * Tlie men take to notliing but Imnting, Selling,
roaming through the woods, and loitering in the sun. Thej
do not lay np, as we do for winter, or provide for a rainj day.
They can not cure pork or venison, make sourkrout or spruce
beer, or distil spirits from apples or rye — all needful arts to
the farmer."
In 1800, at the organization of the territory, the social con
dition of Vincennes had advanced considerably from the state
which this French writer represented it in 179G. The French
settlers had become more industrious from the example set
them by the settlers from the eastern States, and like them,
had improved their small lots of land, and were living in a
greater degree of civilization.
Aside from Yincennes, in 1796, there was a small settlement
near where the town of Lawrenceburg now stands, in Dearborn
county, and in the course of that year a snuill settlement was
formed at "Armstrong's Station," on the Ohio, within the
present limits of Clark county.
In 1800, wlien the territorial government of Indiana was
organized, although many parts of the State had been settled
for more than fifty years by whites, yet the territory was but
a wilderness. Its numerous rivers were not disturbed except
by an occasional canoe loaded with furs, which the Indians and
half-breed propelled Avith oars. Its scattered settlements were
filled with scenes and incidents of border life, many of which
were full of romantic situations. In the meanwhile, however,
a considerable trafiic was carried on with the Indians by fur
traders at Yincennes, Fort Wayne, and at dificrcnt small
trading posts which were established on the borders of the
"Wabash river and its tributaries. "Tlie iiirs and peltries
which were obtained from the Indians," says Dillon, " were
generally transported to Detroit. The skins were dried, com-
pressed, and secured in packs. Each pack weighed about one
hundred pounds. A pirogue, or boat, that was sufliciently
large to carry forty packs, required the labor of four men to
manage it on its voyage. In favorable stages of the "Wabash
river, such a vessel, under the management of skillful boat-
men, was propelled fifteen or twenty miles a day, against the
GOVERKOR UARRISON AND THE INDIANS. 133
current. Al'tcr asccndini^ tlie river "Wabash and tlie Little
River to the portage near Fort Wayne, the traders carried
tlicir ]>acks over tlic portage to the head of the river Maumee,
i\-heix3 they were again phiccd in pirogues, or in keel-boats, to
be transported to Detroit. At tliis place the furs and skins
were exchanged for blankets, guns, knives, powder, bullets,
intoxicating liquors, etc., wltli which the ti-aders returned to
their several posts."
CIIAPTEE X.
COVKRNOK HARRISON AND THE INDIANS.
IMMEDIATELY following the organization of the territo-
rial government of Indiana, Governor Ilarrison's attention
was directed b\' necessity as well as by tlie instructions which
he had received from Congress, to settling matters witli the
various Indian tribes still holdinir claims to the lands witliin
the limits of the territory. lie entered into several treaties
with these tribes, by which, at the close of the year 180.5, the
government of the United States had obtained about forty-six
thousand square miles of territory, including all the lands
lying on the borders of the Ohio river, between the mouth of
the AVabash river and the Avestern boundary of the State of
Ohio.
Following the organization of the second grade of govern-
ment by creating a General Assembly, the levying of tax
caused considerable dissatisfaction among many of the inhabi-
tants of the territory. The poll-tax was especially objection-
able. So far did they cany their opposition to taxation that
at a public meeting on Sunday, August the sixteenth, 1S07, a
number of French inhabitants resolved that they " would
withdraw their confidence and support forever from those men
who advocated, or in any manner promoted the second grado
of government."
134
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
In 1807 the territorial statutes were revised, and under the
new code, treason, murder, arson, and liorse-stealing, were
each punisliable by deatli. The crime of manslaughter was
punishable by the common law. Burglary and robbery were
each punishable by whipping, fine, and in some cases by
imprisonment "not exceeding forty years." Riotous Persons
HON. MARTIN L. PIERCE.
See page 21.
were punishable by fine and imprisonment. The crime of
larceny by fine or whipping, and in some cases by being
bound to labor for a term not exceeding seven years. Forgery
was punishable by fine, disfranchisement, and standing in the
pillory. Assault and battery, as a crime was punishable by
GOVERNOR HARRISON AND THE INDIANS. 135
fine, not exceeding one luindrcd dollars. Hog stealing waa
punishable by fine and whipping. Gambling, profane swear-
ing, and Sabbatli-brcalcing, were each punishable by line.
Bigamy was punishable by fine, whip])ing, and disfranchise-
ment. The code prov'ided for the punishment of disobedient
children and servants by the following section: "If any
children or servants shall, contrary to the obedience due to
their parents or masters, resist or refuse to obey their lawful
commands, upon complaint thereof to a justice of the peace,
it shall be lawful for such justice to send him or them so
offending to the jail or house of correction, there to remain
until he or they shall humble themselves to the said parent's*
or master's satisfaction. And, if any child or servant shall,
contrary to his bounden duty, presume to assault or strike his
parent or master, upon complaint and con\action thereof,
before two or more justices of the peace, the offender shall be
whipped not exceeding ten stripes."
By the act of Congress of 1S04, three land offices were
opened for the sale of lands in Indiana territory. One of these
was located at Detroit, another at Yincennes, and another at
Kaskaskia. By an act of Congress approved 1807, a fourth
land office for the sale of Indiana lands was opened in Jeffer-
Bonville, Clark county. This town was iirst laid out in 1802,
agreeably to the plans suggested by Mr. Jefferson, who was
then President of the United States.
In his annual message to the territorial legislature, in 1806,
Governor Harrison congratulated the ])eople upon the peaceful
disposition of the Indians. Ilcwas inclined to the opinion
that they would never again have recourse to arms, unless
driven to it by a series of injustice and opjn-ession. Tliey did,
as we shall see, again resort to arms, and it is not improper,
even at this late day, to make the inquiry as to whether or not
they Avere not driven to do so by the very policy which Gov-
ernor Harrison pointed out as dangerous in 1800. In the
same message the Governor remarked that they were already
making complaints — complaints far from being groundless.
The laws of the territory provided the same punishment for
offenses committed against Indians as against white men, but
136 mSTOKY OF INDIAITA.
tinliappily there was always a wide difference in the execution
of those hiws. The Indian was, in all cases, the sufferer. This
partiality did not escape their observation. On the contrary,
it afforded them an op])ortunity of making strong comparisons
between their own observance of treaties and that of their
boasted superiors.
All along,from 1805 to 1810, the Indians complained bitterly
against the encroachments of the white people upon the lands
that belonged to them. The invasion of their favorite hunting
grounds, and the imjustifiablc killing of many of their people
were the sources of their discontent. An old chief, in laying
the trouble of his people before Governor Harrison, remarked:
" You call us your children; why do you not make us as happy
as onr fathers, the French, did? They never took I'rom us
our lands; indeed, they were in common between us. They
planted where they pleased; and they cut wood where they
pleased; and so did we. But now, if a poor Indian attempts
to take a little bark from a tree to cover him from the rain, up
comes a white man and threatens to shoot him, claiming the
tree as his own."
These complaints were not groundless, nor will any fair
minded person blame the savages for lifting np the hatchet in
their defense. Indeed, at this time, it was the only thing in
their characters worthy of admiration. Surely here was an
opportunity for an Indian patriot to leave a name worthy of
remembrance and example among the nations of civilization.
Nor was the opportunity neglected. Law-le-was-i-kaw, no
doubt at the suggestion of his brother, the sagacious warrior,
Tecumsch, took upon himself the character of a prophet, and
assumed the name of Pems-quat-a-wali, or the Open Door.
Tlius was the crafty Shawanee warrior enabled to work effect-
ually, both upon the superstitious and the rational sides of the
dissatisfied tribes arouj^d him.
The Prophet was a good orator, somewhat peculiar in his
appearance, and withal, well calculated to win the attention
and respect of the savages. Ho began by denouncing witch-
craft, the use of intoxicating liquors, the custom of Indian
women intermarrying with white men, the dress and habits
GOVEKNOR HARRISON AND THE INDIANS.
137
of the wliite people, and tlie practice of selling Indian lands
to the United States. " He told the Indians that the commands
of the Great Spirit required them to punish, with death, those
who practiced the arts of witchcraft and magic. He told them,
See page 31.
also, that the Great Spirit had given him power to find out and
expose such persons; to cure all kinds of diseases; to confound
his enemies, and to stay the arm of death in sickness, and on
the battlefield. His harangues aroused, among some bands
188 HICTOKT OF INDIANA.
of Indians, a liigli degree of superstitious excitement. An old
Delaware chief, whose name was Tate-e-bock-o-she, tlirough
whose influence a treaty had been made with the Delawares in
1804, was accused of witchcraft, tried, condemned, and toma-
hawked. His body was then cunsumed by lire. The wife of the
old chief, his nephew, who was known by the name of Billy
Patterson, and an aged Indian whose name was Joshua, were
then accused of witchcraft, and condemned to death. The
two men were burnt at the stake; but the life of the wife of
Tate-e-bock-o-she was saved by her brother, who suddenly
approached her, took her by the hand, and, witliout meeting
with any opposition from the Indians wlio were present, led
her out of the council-house. lie then immediately returned
and checked the growing influence of the prophet by exclaim-
ing, in a strong, earnest voice: 'The evil spirit has come
among us, and we are killing each other.' "*
As soon as Governor Harrison was made acquainted with
these events he sent a special messenger to the Indians,
strongly entreating them to renounce the Prophet and his
works, which, to a small extent, destroyed tlie Prophet's
influence. In the spring of 1808, having aroused nearly all
the tribes of the lake region, the Proj^het, with a considerable
Dumber of followers, settled near the mouth of the Tippecanoe
river, at a place which afterwards bore the name of the
Propliet's Town.
Taking advantage of the influence which the Proplict was
exerting over the tribes, as well as of his own popularity as a
warrior, Tecumseh actively engaged himself in forming tho
various tribes into a confederacy. In his speeches before the
many Indian councils that he assembled, he proclaimed that
the treaties by which the United States had acquired lands
northwest of the river Ohio, were not made with fairness, and
should be considered void. He said that no sino-]e tribe of
Indians was invested with the power to sell lands without the
consent of all the other tribes, and that he and his brother,
the Prophet, would oppose and resist all future attempts
♦ Dillon's Early History of Indiana.
GOVERNOK HARKISON AKD THE INDIANS. 139
"wliieli the white people might make to extend their settle
ments in the lands that belonged to the Indian.
Early in the year 180S, Governor Harrison sent a speech to
the Shawanee tribe of Indians, which was delivered to them
in tlie jirescnce of the Propliet. It contained this passage:
"My children, this business must be stopped; I will no longer
sutler it. You have called a number of men from the most
distant tribes to listen to a fool, who speaks not the words of
the Great Spirit, but those of the devil and the British agents.
My children, your conduct has much alarmed the white set-
tlers near you. They desire that you will send away those
people, and if they wish to have the impostor with them, they
can carry him along with them. Let him go to the lakes;
he can hear the British more distinctly." This message
wounded the pride of the Prophet, and he prevailed on the
messenixer to inform Governor Ilarrison that he was not in
league with the British, but that he was truly speaking the
words of the Great Spirit.
In August the Prophet visited Yincennes, and remained at
that place several weeks, for the purpose of liolding interviews
with Governor Ilarrison. At one of these interviews the
Pro])hct said: "Father, it is three years since I first began
with that system of religion which I now practice. The white
people and some of the Indians were against me; but I had
no other intention but to introduce, among the Indians, those
good princi])les of religion which the white people profess.
The Great Spirit told mo to tell the Indians that he had made
them, and made the world; that he had placed them on it to
do good, and not evil. I told all the red skins that the way
they were in was not good, and that they ought to abandon it;
that we oufrht to consider ourselves as one man; but we ought
to live agreeable t" our several customs — the red people after
their mode, and the white people after theirs — particularly
that they should not drink whisky; that it was not made for
them, but the white people, who alone knew how to use it;
and that it is the cause of all the mischiefs which the Indians
suffer; that we must always follow the directions of the Great
Spirit, and wc must listen to ilim, as it was He that made us.
140
HTSTOKT OF INDIANA.
Determine to listen to nothing that is bad. Do not take up
the tomahawk, should it be offered by tlie British or Long
Knives."
At these interviews Harrison was led to believe that the
See page 21.
Prophet's motives were honest, but it was not long before he
discovered that he was designing, cunning, crafty, and unreli-
able; that both he and Tecumseh were enemies to the United
GOVERNOR HARRISON AND THE INDIANS. 141
States and friends of the Englisli, in sympatliy with them, and
that in case of a "vvar between the United States and Great
Britain tliev wonld induce the tribes to loin the latter.
In 1S09, tlie Prophet again visited Vincennes, with assur-
ances tliat he was not in sympathy with the English, but the
Governor was not disposed to believe liira, and in a letter to
the Secretary of War, in July, ISOO, he stated that he regarded
the bands of Indians at the Prophet's Town as a combination
which had been produced by British intrigue and influence, in
anticipation of a war between them and the United States.
In the face of all these difficulties. Governor Harrison con-
tinued to prosecute the work of extinguishing Indian titles to
the lands in the Indiana territory with very good success. In
the latter part of the year 1S09, the total quantity of land
ceded to the Uiuted States, under treaties Avhich had been
efiected by Governor Harrison, exceeded thirty million acres.
He prosecuted this work in direct opposition to the influence
of TecurDLcli and the Prophet.
As a part of the history of Indiana, wc should state in this
connection, that between the summer of 1805 and the spring
of 1807, the unpatriotic movements of Aaron Burr in the Ohio
valley, caused considerable excitement in Indiana. The full
scope of Burr's intentions are not given to us in history, but
enough is known to warrant the belief that he intended to
invade Mexico, and meeting with success in this enterprise, to
found an independent republic composed of States lying west
of the Alleghany mountains. Walter Taylor, in a letter to
Governor Harrison, dated Louisville, January, 1807, says: " I
arrived at Jefiersonville on Saturday morning last. * * ^
The public mind at this place appears to be much agitated on
account of Colonel Burr's mysterious movements. Conjectures
are various about his intentions; but nothing certain has
transpired to throw any light on his views. There is stationed
at this place about two hundred militia, who examine all boats
that descend the river. No discoveries have yet been made by
them, and only two boats have yet been detained, which were
built by Burr's direction at Jefiersonville, or this place, I am
' not certain which. A large drove of horses, said to be pur-
142 HISTORT OF INDIANA.
chased for tlic expedition, will be seized to-day by tlie civil
authority of the State. It seems to me that the precantion
now taken arc perfectly useless, because Burr, I believe, nas
got all the force he could raise from this State, and is, probably
before this time, at Natchez."* Burr was arrested in tlie yeai
1807, in the Mississippi territory, by authority of the procla
mation of the President of the United States, but, previous to
his arrest, he had abandoned his expedition and his followers
had dispersed.
F
CHAPTEK XI.
STATISTICS LAND TITLES INDIAN AFFAIRS.
^POM the sources of information at our command, we are
enabled to give the following statistics of the condition
of the Indiana territory in 1810:
Total population 24,520
Number of grist mills 33
Number of saw mills 14
Number of horse mills 3
Number of tanneries 18
Number of distilleries 28
Number of powder mills 3
Number of looms 1,256
Number of spinning wheels 1,350
Value of manufactures — woolen, cotton, hempen
and flaxen cloths $150,052
Cotton and wool spun in mills 150,000
Nails, (30,000 lbs.) 4,000
Leather tanned 9,300
Products of distilleries, (35,950 galls.) 1G,230
Gunpowder, (3,600 lbs.) 1,800
Wine, from grapes, (96 bbls.) 6,000
Maple sugar, (50,000 lbs.)
♦ Dillon's Early History of Indiana.
STATISTICAL LAND TITLES INDIAN AITAIRS.
143
This table sliows tlie "extent and magnitude " of the great
industries of Indiana in ISIO.
During the year 1810, a board of commissioners was estab-
lished in Indiana to straighten out the confused condition
into which the "land title controversy" had been carried by
^A.e^t^^
See page 21.
the various conflicting administrations that had previously
exercised jurisdiction in this regard. This work was attended
with much labor on the part of the commissioners and great
dissatisfaction on the part of a few designing speculators, who
thought no extreme of perjury too hazardous in their mad
144 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
attempts to obtain lands frandulcntly. In closing their report
the commissioners nscd the Ibllowinp; expressive language:
"We close this melancholy picture of human dc]>ravity by
rendering our devout acknowledgment that, in the aAvful
alternative in which we have been placed, of either admitting
perjured testimony in support of the claims before us, or hav-
in<r it turned airainst our characters and lives, it has, as yet,
pleased that Divine Providence, which rules over the aflairs
of men, to preserve us both from legal murder and private
assassination."
The question of a division of the territory of Indiana was
discussed in ISOG, 1807, and 1808, and, in 1809, Congress
passed an act declaring that "all that part of Indiana territory
lying west of the Wabash river and a direct line drawn from
the said Wabash river and Post Yincennes, due north to the
territorial line between the United States and Canada," should
constitute a separate territory, and be called Illinois. This
occasioned some confusion in the government of the territory
of Indiana, but in due time the new elections were confirmed
and the new territory started off on a journey of prosperity
which its people are still pursuing with great advantage.
CHAPTER XII,
Harrison's cAirrAiGN.
DURING the year 1810, the movements of Tecumseh and
his brother the Prophet, excited considerable alarm
among the people, and retarded the progress of the settlement
of Indiana. Their confessed object was to unite the tribes
with a view to prevent the sale of their lands, but the train
of circumstances which followed proved that English revenge
was at the bottom of the whole scheme of Tccumseh's con-
nARRISON's CAMTAIGN. 145
fcdcracy, and tliat his true motive was to oppose tlic power of
the American c^overnment.
In order to counteract the Lad influence of tlie English
whicli was being exerted over tlic Indians, and to promote
good will between the Prophet's followers and the Americans,
Governor Harrison exhausted all the means at his command
to no purpose. There was a power behind this crafty Shaw-
anee that constantly kept his restless spirit alive to an inten-
tion of revenge upon the Americans. In the spring of 1810,
the followers of the Prophet refused to receive their '' annuity
of salt," and the officials who offered it were denounced as
"American dogs," and otherwise treated in a disrespectful
manner. Immediately after this Governor Ilari-ison sent a
succession of messengers to the Prophet's town, in order to
obtain information concerning the intentions of the hostile
Indians there, and to warn them of the danger of engaging in a
war with the Americans. To all of these the crafty Shawanec
disclaimed any intention of beginning a war, and gave as an
excuse for assembling the tribes, " that the Indians had been
cheated out of their lands; that no sale was good unless made
hy all the tribes; that he had settled near the mouth of the
Tippecanoe by order of the Great Spirit, and that he was like-
wise ordered to assemble as many Indians as he could collect
at that ])lace."
Governor Harrison, in July, 1810, made an attem])t to gain
the friendship of the Prophet by sending him a letter, offering
to treat with him personally in the matter of his grievances,.
or to furnish means to send him, with three of his principal
chiefs, to the President at Washington. The bearer of this
letter was coldly received both by Tecumseh and the Prophet,,
and the only answer he received was that Tecumseh, in the
course of a few days, would visit Yincennes for the purpose,
of holding an interview with the Governor. Accordingly on.
the twelfth of August, 1810, the celebrated Shawanee chie^
with seventy of his principal warriors, marched up to the
Governor's door at Yincennes, in Indian file. They were
directed to a small grove near the Governor's house, where,
from that time until the twenty-second of August, Governor
10
146
mSTOKY OF I>'DIANA.
llan-ison was almost dailv eno-airecl in lioldins: conneils and
interviews with them. In all of his si^eeclies Tecnmseh was
hangljtv, and sometimes arrogant. On the twentieth of
Augnst he delivered liis celebrated speech, in which he gave
tlie Governor the alternative of returning their lands or
meeting them in battle.
ELIJAH HACKLEMAN, ESQ.
See page 21.
It was while the Governor was replying to this speech that
lie was interrupted by Tecnmseh, who manifested great anger,
declaring that the United States, through Governor Harrison,
liad " cheated and imposed on the Indians." When Tecum'seh
iirst rose, a number of his party also sprung to their feet,
armed with clubs, tomahawks and spears, and made some
uarkison's campaign. 147
threateniu": demonstrations. The Governor's jrnnrds, wliicli
Stood a little way oft", were m arched up in liaste, and the Indi-
ans, awed by the presence of this small armed force, abandoned
what seemed to be an intention to make an open attack on tho
Governor and his attendants. As soon as Tccumsch's remarks
had been interpreted, the Governor reproached him for his
conduct, and commanded him to depart instantly to his camp.
On the following day Tccumsch repented of his rash act, and
requested the Governor to grant him another interview, and
protested against any intention of offense. Governor Harrison
consented, and tho council was re-opened on the twenty-first,
when the Shawanco chief addressed him in a respectful and
dignified manner, but remained unmovable in his policy. The
Governor then requested Tccumseh to state, plainly, whether
or not the surveyors who might be sent to survey the lands
purchased at the treaty of Fort Wayne, in ISO 9, Avould be
molested by Indians; and whether or not the Kickapoos would
receive their annuities. Tecumseh replied: " Brother, when
yon speak of annuities to me, I look at tlie land, and pity the
women and children. I am authorized to say that they will
not receive them. Brother, we want to save that piece of land.
We do not wish joii to take it. It is small enough for our
pui-pose. If you do take it you must blame yourself as the
cause of the trouble between us and the tribes wdio sold it to
you. I want the present boundary line to continue. Should
you cross it, I assure you it will be productive of bad conse-
quences." This talk terminated the council.
On the following day the Governor, attended only by hit
interpreter, visited the camp of the great Shawanee, and in
the course of a long interview, told him that the Presideni
of the United States would not acknowledge his claims.
" Well," replied the brave warrior, " as the great chief is to
determine the matter, 1 hope the Great Spirit will put sense
enough into his head to induce him to direct you to give up
this land. It is true, he is so far off he will not be injured by
the war. He may sit still in his town, and drink his wine
while you and I wiU have to fight it out."
CHAPTER XIII.
Harrison's campaign, continued.
AT the commencement of the session of the new territorial
legislature, in 1810, Governor Harrison, in his message,
called attention to the danofcrons views which were held and
expressed by the Shawanee Prophet and his brother, Tecum-
seh,* "to the pernicious influence of alien enemies among the
Indians; to the unsettled condition of the Indian trade; to the
defects in the revenue laws, the judiciary system, and the
militia laws; to the policy of extinguishing Indian titles to
lands, and to the subject of popular education." The Gover-
nor further remarked that although much had been done
toward the extinguishment of Indian titles in the territory,
much still remained to be done. There was not yet a sufficient
space to form a tolerable State. The eastern settlements were
separated from the western by a considerable extent of Indian
lands; and the most fertile tracts that were within the terri-
torial bounds were still their property. Almost entirely
divested of the game from wliicli they had draMTi their sub-
sistence, it had become of little use to tliem ; and it was the
intention of the government to substitute, for the pernicious
and scanty supplies which the chase affords, the more certain
support which is derived from agriculture, and the rearing of
domestic animals. By the considerate and sensible among
them, this plan was considered as the only one which would
save them from utter extirpation. But a most formidable
opposition was raised to it by the warriors, who would never
agree to abandon their old habits, until driven to it by abso-
lute necessity. As long as a deer was to be found in their
• Dillon's Early History of Indiana.
(148)
haekison's campaign, continued. 149
forests, they would continue to hunt. It was, therefore, sup-
posed that the confining them to narrow limits was the only
means of producing this highly desirable change, and averting
the destiny which seemed to await them."^^ Are, then," con-
tinued the Governor " those extinguishments of native title
LAWRENCE B. STOCKTON, ESQ.
See page 21.
which are at once so beneficial to the Indian, the territory and
the United States, to be suspended upon the account of the
intrigues of a few individuals? Is one of the fairest portions
of the globe to remain in a state of nature, the haunt of a few
wretched savages, when it seems destined, by the Creator, to
"* Governor Harrison's Message.
150 niSTOKT OF INDIANA.
give support to a large population, and to 1)C the seat of civili-
zation, of science, and true religion?"
In the same message the Governor referred to the necessity
of establishing a popular system of education, in these words:
" Let me earnestly recommend to you, that, in the system of
education which you may establish in those schools, the mili
tary branch may not be forgotten. Let the masters of the
inferior schools be obliged to qualify themselves, and instruct
their pupils in the military evolutions; while the univcirsity,
in addition to those exercises, may have attached to it a pro-
fessorship of tactics, iu Avhich all the sciences connected with
the art of war may be taught, I can see no reasonable objec-
tion to this plan; it will aiford healthy exercise and amusement
to the youth, inspire them Avith patriotic sentiments, furnish
our militia with a succession of recruits, all of them liabitu-
ated to the performance of military evolutions, and some of
them with considerable attainments in the higher branches of
tactics. The sole additional expense to the ordinary mode of
education, independent of the additional professorships in the
university, will be the procuring for each subordinate school a
number of moclv firelocks of M'ood, a few martial instruments,
and, for the higher scliools, a few hundred real guns, of the
cheapest manufacture,"
Among the acts ])assed by this legislature, there was one
which authorized the president and directors of the Yincennes
library to raise the sum of one thousand dollars, by lottery.
A petition was sent to Congress for a permanent seat of gov-
ernment for the territory, and commissioners appointed to
select the site.
With the beginning of the year ISll, the British agent for
Indian affairs adopted measures calculated to secure the support
of tlie savages in the war which, at this time, seemed almost
inevitable. ]\Ieanwhile Governor Harrison did all in his power
to destroy the influence of Tecum seh and the Prophet, and
thus break up the Indian confederacy which M'as being organ-
ized in the interests of Great Bi'itain. It soon became a diffi-
cult matter to preserve peace between the pioneer settlers of
Indiana and the followers of the Prophet. Straggling parties
Harrison's CAiiPAioN, continued. 151
of Indians occasionally committed depradations on the {.rop-
crty of the settlers; now and then an Indian was killed, and
then a white man was scalped in return. Tlius matters cc»n-
tinued until Governor Harrison sent the following speech to
Tecumseh and the Prophet:
"Bkotukrs: Listen to me. I speak to you about matters
of importance, both to the white people and to yourselves.
Open your ears, therefore, and attend to what I shall say.
Urothers: This is the third year that all the white people in
this country have been alarmed at your proceedings. You
threaten us with war; you invite all the tribes to the north
and M'est of you to join against us. Brothers: Your warriors
who have lately been here, deny this; but I have received the
information from every direction. The tribes on the Missis-
sippi hav^e sent me word that you intended to murder me, and
then to commence a war upon our })eople. I have also received
the speech you sent to the Pottawatomies, and others, to join
you for that purpose; but if I had no other evidence of your
hostility to us, your seizing the salt I lately sent up the AYabash
is sufficient. Brothers: Our citizens are alarmed, and my
warriors are preparing themselves, not to strike you, but to
defend themselves and their women and children. You shall
not surprise us, as you expect to do. You are about to under-
take a very rash act. As a friend, I advise you to consider
well of it; a little reflection may save us a great deal of
trouble, and prevent much mischief; it is not yet too late.
Brothers: What can be the inducement for you to undertake
an enterprise when there is so little probability of success!
Do you really think that the liandful uf men you have about
you are able to contend with the Seventeen tires? or even that
the whole of the tribes united could contend ajrainst the Ken-
tucky fire alone? Brothers: I am myself of the Ix)ng Knife
fire. As soon as they hear my voice you will see them pouring
forth their swarms of hunting-shirt men, as numerous as the
rausquitoes on the shores of the Wabash. Brothers, take care
of their stings. Brothers, it is not our wish to hurt you. If
we did, we certainly have power to do it. Look at he num-
ber of our warriors to the east of you, above and below tho
152
HISTOKT OF INDIANA.
Great Miami; to the south, on both sides of the Ohio, and
below you also. You are brave men, but what could you do
against such a multitude? But we wish jou to live in peace
and happiness. Brothers, the citizens of this country are
alarmed. They must be satisfied that you have no design to
do them mischief, or they will not lay aside their arms. You
MOSES FOWLER, ESQ.
See page 21.
have also insulted the government of the United States, by
seizing the salt that was intended for other tribes. Satisfac-
tion must be given for that also. Brothers, you talk of coming
to see me, attended by all of your vouns: men. This, liow-
ever, must not be so. If your intentions are good, you have
Harrison's campaign, continupid. 153
no need to bring Lut a few of yonr yonng men witli yon, 1
must be plain with you. I will not suft'er you to conic into
our settlements with such a force. Erothers, if you wish to
satisfy us that your intentions are good, follow the advice that
I have given you before — that is, that one or both of you
should visit the President of the United States, and lay your
grievances before him. lie will treat 3'ou well, will listen to
what you say, and, if you can show him that you have been
injured, you will receive justice. If you will follow my advice
in this respect it will convince the citizens of this countr3% and
mvsclf. that 'vou have no desiirn to attack them. Brothers,
with respect to the lands that were purchased last fall, I can
enter into no negotiations with you on that subject. The affair
is in the hands of the President. If you wish to go and see
him, I will supply you with the means. Brothers, the person
who delivers this is one of my war officers. He is a man in
whom 1 have entire confidence. Whatever he says to you,
although it may not be contained in this paper, you may
believe comes from me. My friend Tecumseh! the bearer is a
good man, and a brave warrior. I hope you will treat him
well. You are, yourself, a warrior, and all such should have
esteem for each other."
The messenger who bore this speech was politely received
by Tecumseh, who sent by him to Governor Harrison a brief
reply, stating that he would visit Vincennes in a few days.
He arrived, accordingly, on the twenty-seventh of July, ISll.
He brought with him a considerable force of Indians, which
created much alarm among the inhabitants. On the day of
the arrival of Tecumseh, Governor Harrison, in adopting vari-
ous precautionary measures, reviewed the militia of the county
— about seven hundred and fifty well armed men — and sta-
tioned two companies of militia and a detachment of dragoons
on the borders of the toMTi. In the course of the interview
which took place, at this time, between Governor Harrison
and Tecumseh, the latter declared that it was not his intention
to make war against the United States — that he would send
messengers among the Indians to prevent murders and depre-
dations on the white settlements — that the Indians, as well as
154 mSTORT OF INDIANA;
tlie wliites, wlio had committed murders, oii^i^lit to bo forgiven •,
that be bad set the wbitc people an e.\ain])lc of furgiveuess,
wbicb tbej ougbt to follow; tluit it was his wish to establish
a union among all the Indian tribes; that tlio northei-n tribes
were united; that bo was going to visit the Southern Indians,
and that be would return to the Tropbet's Town. lie said
that be would, on bis return from the south, in the next spring,
visit the President of tlie United States, and settle all causes
of difficulty between the Indians and biui. Jle said, further,
tbat be hoped no attempts would be made to make settlements
on the lands which bad been sold to the United States, at the
treaty of Fort Wayne, because the Indians wanted to keep
tbose lands for bunting grounds.
Immediately after bis interview witb Governor Harrison.
Tecumseb, witb about twcTity of bis followers, departed for
the south, for the purpose of inducing the tribes in tbat quar-
ter to join his confederacy.
"In the year ISll," says Dillon,* " a law-suit, in which
Governor Harrison was plaintiff', and a certain William Mc-
intosh was defendant, was determined in the supreme court of
the territory, at Yincennes. The jury, in the case, found a
verdict in favor of the plaintiff*, and assessed bis damages at
the sum of four thousand dollars." The defendant, Mr. Mcln-
tosb, was a wealthy resident of Vincennes, a native of Scot-
land, well educated, and a man of considerable inffuence among
tbose who were opposed to the treaty-making policy which bad
distinguisbed tbe administration of Governor Harrison. The
suit at law was instituted aijainst Mcintosh, for asserting:
"tbat Governor Harrison bad cheated the Indians out of their
lands; and tbat, by bis conduct in so doing, he bad made them
enemies to the United States." To satisfy the verdict of the
jury in this case, a large quantity of land, owned by tbe
defendant, was sold, in tbe absence of Governor Ilarrisoii.
Tbe Governor, some time afterward, caused about two-thirds
of tbe property to be restored to Mr. Mcintosh, and the
remainder was given to some orphan children.
♦Dillon's Early History of Indians — Davisou's Life of Harrison.
CHAPTER XIV.
UAiaUSON's CAMPAIGN, CONTINUED.
AFTER exhaustiiii^ every possible endeavor to maintaio
peace with thePro])Let and liis followers, Governor Ilar-
rison determined to resort to niilitarj measures. Such were
his instructions from the President. His Urst movement was
to erect a new fort on the Wabash river, and to break up the
assembhiije of hostile Indians at the Prophet's Town. Eor
this purpose he ordered Colonel Pojd's rci^iment of infantry
to move from the falls of the Ohio to Vincennes. On the
twenty -lifth of September, 1811, when the military expedition
that had been organized by Governor Harrison, was nearly
ready to march to the Prophet's Town, several Indian chiefs
arrived at Vincennes from that place, and declared that the
Indians would comply with the demands of the Governor and
disperse. This, however, did not check the military proceed-
ings. The army, under the command of Harrison, moved
from Vincennes on the twenty-sixth of September, 1811, and
on the third of October, having encountered no opposition
from the eneUiy, encamped at the place where Ft. Harrison
was afterwards built, and near where the city of Terre Haute
now stands. On the night of the eleventh of October, a few
hostile Indians approached the encampment and wounded one
of the sentinels. This caused considerable excitement. The
army was immediately drawn up in line of battle, and small
detachments were sent in all directions, but the enemy could
not be found.
At this i-Kjint the Governor sent a message to the Prophet's
Town, requiring the Shawanees, Winuebagocs, Pottawatomies
and Kickapoos, who were at that place, to return to their
(155)
156
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
respective tribes. It also required the Prophet to restore all
the stolen horses in his possession, and to deliver up the mur-
derers of white people, or to give satisfactory proof that such
persons were not there, " nur had lately been " under his
control. To this message the Governor received no answer,
unless that answer was delivered in the battle of Tipuecanoe.
HON. WM. T. ROSS.
See page 31.
The new fort on the Wabash was jfinished on the twenty-eighth
of October, and on that day, at the request of all the subordi-
nate officers, it was called Fort Harrison. This fort was gar-
risoned with a small number of men, under Lieutenant Colonel
Miller, and on the twenty-ninth the remainder of the army
moved toward the Prophet's Town. This force amounted to
haerison's campaign, continued. 157
about nine hundred and ten men, and it was composed of two
hundred and fifty regular troops, under the command of
Colonel Boyd, about sixty volunteers from Kentucky, and
about six hundred citizens of the Indiana territory. About
two hundred and seventy of the troops were mounted.
With this army the Governor marched to within half a mile
of the Prophet's Town, when a conference was opened with a
distinguished chief who was in the esteem of the Prophet.
lie informed Harrison that the Indians were much surprised
&t the approach of the army, and had already dispatched a
message to him by another route. Harrison replied that he
would not attack them until he had satisfied himself that they
would not comply with his demands; that he would go on and
encamp on the Wabash, and on the following morning would
have an interview with the Prophet. Harrison then resumed
his march, and after some difficulty selected a place to encamp.
The spot where the troops encamped was not altogether
what could have been wished, as it afforded great facilities to
the approach of savages. It was a piece of dry oak land,
rising about ten feet above the marshy prairie in front (toward
the Indian town), and nearly twice that height above a sim-
ilar prairie in the rear, through which, and near to this bank,
ran a small stream, clothed M'itli willows and brushwood.
Toward the left flank this high land widened considerably, but
became gradually narrower in the opposite direction, and at a
distance of one hundred and fifty yards from the right flank,
terminated in an abrupt point. The two columns of infantry
occupied the front and rear of this ground, at the distance of
about one hundred and fifty yards from each other on the left,
and a little more than jialf that distance on the right flank.
These flanks were filled up, the first by two companies of
mounted riflemen, amounting to about one hundred and
twenty men, under the command of Major-General Wells, of
the Kentucky Militia; the other by Spencer's company of
mounted riflemen, consisting of eighty men. The front line
was composed of one battalion of United States infantry,
under the command of Major Floyd, flanked on the right by
two companies of militia, and on the left by one company. The
158 mSTOKY OF INDIANA.
rear line was composed of a battalion of United Statcv troops,
under the command of Captain Bean, acting as ]\[ajor, and
four companies of militia infantry, under Lieutenant-Colonel
Decker. The regular troops of this line joined the mounted
riflemen under General Wells, on the left flank, and Colonel
Decker's battalion formed an angle with S])encer's company
on the left. Two troops of drago^^ns, amounting, in the
aggregate, to about sixty men, were CTicampcd in rear of the
left flank, and Captain Parke's troop, .vhich was larger than
the other two, in rcaV of the right line.
For a night attack the order of encampment was the order
of battle, and each man slept immediately opposite to his post
in the lino. In the formation of the troops, single file was
adopted, in order to get as great an extension of the lines as
possible.
At this place they remained until the seventh ol Xovcmber^
when, about four o'clock in the morning, just after the Gover-
nor had risen, the left flank was attacked by the enemy. But
a single gun was fired by the sentinels or by the guard in thai
direction, which made no resistance, abandoning their posts
and fleeing into camp; and the first notice which the troops
of that flank had of the danger, was from the yells of the sav-
ajxes within a short distance of the line. But even under
these circninstanccs the men were not wantinij in coiira<2:e and
discipline. Such of them as were awake, or were easily
awakened, seized their arms and took their stations; otliers,
who were more tardy, had to contend with the enemy in the
doors of their tents. The storm first fell upon Captain Bar
ton's company •>[' the Fourth United States regiment, and
Captain Geiger's company of mounted riflemen, which formed
the left angle of the rear line. The fire from the Indians was
exceedingly severe, and men in these companies snflercd con-
siderably before relief could be brought to them. Some few
Indians passed into the encampment near the angle, and one
or two penetrated to some distance before they were killed.
All the companies formed for action before they were fired on
The morning was dark and cloudy, and the fires of the
Americans, afibrdcd only a partial light, which gave greater
w
160 HISTORY OF rsrraANA.
advantage to tlie cncmj tlian to tlic troops, and tlicj \rore
therefore extinguished. As soon as the Governor could mount
his horse he rode to the angle that was attacked, where he
found that Barton's company had suffered severely, and the
left of Geiger's entirely broken. lie immediately ordered
Cook's and AVentworth's companies to march up to the centre
of the rear line, and forin across the angle in support. His
attention was then attracted by a heavy lire upon the left of
the front line, where were stationed the small company of
United States riflemen and the companies of Bean, Snelling,
and Prescott. As the General rode up he found Major
Daviess forming the dragoons in the rear of these companies,
and having ascertained that the heaviest fire proceeded from
some trees about filtcen or twenty paces in front of these com-
panies, he directed the Major to dislodge them with a part of
the dragoons. Unfortunately, the Major's gallantry caused
him to undertake the execution of the order with a smaller
force than was required, which enabled the enemy to avoid
him in front, and attack his flanks. The Major was mortally
wounded, and his dragoons driven back.
The Indians were, however, immediately and gallantly dis-
lodged from their ])Osition by Captain Snelling, at the head
of his company. In the course of a few minutes after the
commencement of the attack, the fire extended alonor the left
flank, the whole of the front, the light fl^.'^k, and part of the
rear line. Upon Spencer's mounted rifleme^ ::nd the right of
the rear line, it was exceedingly severe. Captain Spencer and
his First and Second Lieutenants M-ere killed, and Captain
Warwick was mortally wounded. The companies, however,
still bravely maintained their ^osts, but Spencer's had suffered
80 severely, anu naving originally too much ground, Harrison
reinforced them with a company of riflemen, which had been
driven from their position on the left flank.
The General's great object was to keep the lines entire, to
prevent the enemy from breaking into the camp until daylight,
which would enable him to make a irencral and effectual
charge. With this view he had reinforced every part of the
line that had suffered much, and with the approach of morn-
HARKISOn's CAilPAIGN, CONTTNTJED. 161
ing be withdrew several companies from the front and rear
lines and reinforced tlic riglit and left flanks, foreseeing tliat
at these points the enemy would make their last effort.
Major Wells, who commanded the left flank, charged upon
the enemy, driving them at the point of the bayonet into the
marsh, where they could not be followed. Meanwhile Captain
Cook and Lieutenant I>arabes marched their companies to the
right flank and formed under the Arc of the enemy, and being
there joined by the riflemen of that flank, charged upon the
enemy, killing a number of the Indians and putting the rest
to a precipitate flight.
In this battle General Harrison commanded only about
seven hundred efiicient men, while the Indians numbered
about one thousand. The loss of the Americans was thirty-
seven killed on the field, and twenty-five mortally Avounded,
and one hundred and twenty-six wounded; that of the Indi-
ans, about forty killed on the spot, the number of wounded
being unknown. The battle of Tippecanoe was fought on the
seventh of November, ISll. It was a decisive victory for
Indiana, as for some time after her settlements enjoyed peace.
Standing on a small piece of elevated ground near by, the
Prophet encouraged his warriors to battle by singing a favorite
war song. He told them that they would gain an easy victory,
and that the bullets of their enemies would be made harmless
by the Great Spirit. Immediately after their defeat the sur-
viving Indians, having lost their faith in the power of their
leader, returned to their respective tribes, and thus the con-
federacy was destroyed; and the Prophet, thus left without
followers, took up his residence among a small band of Wyan-
dotts, who were encamped on "Wildcat creek. His famous
town, with all that it possessed, was destroyed on the eighth of
November.
Harrison's army returned to Vincennes on the eighteenth
of November, 1811, where most of the troops were discharged,
and when, on the same day, the Territorial Legislature adopted
the following preamble and resolution complimentary to Gov-
emor Harrison, and the officers and men who served under him:
11
162
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
" Whereas, The services of his Excellency, Governor Har-
rison, in conducting the army — the gallant defense made by
the band of heroes under his immediate command, and the
fortunate result of the battle fought with the confederacy of
the Sliawanee prophet, near Tippecanoe, on the morning of the
seventh instant, highly deserves the congratulations of every
DAVID DANALDSON, ESQ.
See page 21.
true friend to the interests of this Territory and the cause of
humanity;
" Resolved, therefore, That the members of the Legislature,
Council, and House of Representatives M'ill wait upon his
Excellency, Governor Harrison, as he returns to Yincennes,
iiaeeison's campaign, continxtbd. 163
and in their own names, and in tliose of their constituents,
welcome him home; and that General "W. Johnston be, and he
is hereby appointed a committee to make the same known to
the governor, at the head of the army, should unforeseen
circumstances not permit."
Perhaps we ought to record, in this connection, that the
sentiments of the legislature and citizens of the territory were
somewhat divided on this resolution. There were those who
had all along opposed Governor Harrison's administration, and,
through some reason, were inclined to award to Colonel Boyd,
and his small regiment of regular troops, the honor of saving
the army from defeat. This, however, had no foundation
outside of partisan spirit, if, indeed, it was not entirely con-
fined to those who, from good reasons, were suspected of being
friends of the British government. This feeling of prejudice
was considerably augmented by the following joint address
of the two houses of the territorial legislature, which was
delivered to Governor Harrison on the fifth of December,
1811. The address was prepared by the legislative council,
and was adopted in the Ilouse by a vote of four to three:
" To Ills Excellency^ William Ilenry Harrison, Governor
and C ommander -in-Chief in and over the Indiana Ter-
ritory:
" When, in the course of human events, it becomes neces-
sary for a nation to unsheatli the sword in defense of any
portion of its citizens, and any individual of society becomes
intrusted with the important charge of leading the army of his
country into the licld to scourge the assailants of its rights;
and it is proved by the success of their arms, that the indi-
vidual possesses superior capacity, accompanied by integrity
and other qualities of mind which adorn the human character
in a superlative degree, it has a tendency to draw out the
affections of the people in a way that must be grateful to the
soldier and the man. Such is the light, sir, in which you have
the honor to be viewed by your country, and one which the
legislative council and Ilouse of Representatives of this terri-
tory think you justly entitled to. And, sir, in duly appreci-
164: mSTORY OF INDIANA.
ating your services, we are perfectly sensible of the great
benefits and important se^^'ices rendered by the officers and
soldiers of the United States infantry under your command;
and it is with pleasure we learn that the officers and militia
men of our country acted with a heroism more than could be
reasonably calculated upon from men, (such as they generally
were) undisciplined and unaccustomed to war."
To this General Harrison made an appropriate reply on the
ninth of December.
This triumph over the Indiaiis broke up the power of the
Prophet for the time being, and temporarily relieved the
frontier settlements fi-om Indian depredations. This tempo-
rary relief, however, was fully ended when, in June, 1812, the
United States declared war against Great Britain. This event
was not unexpected by the citizens of the Indiana territory;
and from the hour that it occurred, or was made known in the
northwest, scattering bands of hostile Indians began to commit
depredations on the frontier settlements. Tecumseh had for-
saken the soil of the United States, and settled in Maiden,
Ontario, where, counciled by the English, he continued to
excite the tribes against the Americans.
In the early part of the month of September parties of hos
tile Indians began to assemble in considerable numbers in the
vicinity of Fort Wayne,* and about the same time a large
force attacked Fort Ilarrison, while other bands of Indians
passed through the territory of Indiana to the counties of
Clark and Jefferson, where they massacred twenty -four persons
at a place which was called " the Pigeon-roost Settlement. "f
The attack on Fort Harrison, which at that time was com-
manded by Captain Zachary Taylor, is described by that hero
in his report as follows:
" About eleven o'clock I was awakened by the firiug of one
of the sentinels. I sprung up, ran out, and ordered the men
to their posts — when my orderly serffcaut, who had charge of
the upper blockhouse, called out that the Indians had fired the
* See more complete account in History of Allen County.
t See compkte account of this massacre in History of Scott County.
166 HISTOKY OF INDIANA.
lower blocklionse. * * * The gnns had Legnn to fire pretty
smartly from both sides. I directed the buckets to be got
ready, and water brought from the well, and the fire extin-
guislied immediately, as it was perceivable at that time; but,
from debility, or some other cause, the men were very slow in
executing my orders. The word ' Fire!' appeared to throw the
whole of them into confusion, and by the time they had got
the water and broken open the door, the fire had, unfortu-
nately, communicated to a quantity of whisky, * * * and,
in spite of every exertion we could make use of, in less than a
moment it ascended to the roof, and baffled every effort we
could make to extinguish it. As that blockhouse adjoined the
barracks that make part of the fortifications, most of the men
immediately gave themselves up for lost, and I had the
greatest difficulty in getting my orders executed. And, sir,
what from the raging of the fire — the yelling and howling
of several hundred Indians — the cries of nine women and
children, (a part soldiers' and part citizens' wives, who had
taken shelter in the fort,) and the desponding of so many of
the men, which was worse than all — I can assure you that my
feelings were unpleasant. And, indeed, there were not more
than ten or fifteen men able to do a good deal; the others
being sick, or convalescent; and, to add to our other misfor-
tunes, two of the strongest men in the fort, and that I had
every confidence in, jumped the pickets and left us. But my
presence of mind did not for a moment forsake me. I saw,
by throwing off a part of the roof that joined the blockhouse
that was on fire, and keeping the end perfectly wet, the whole
row of buildings might be saved, and leave only an entrance
of eighteen or twenty feet for the entrance of the Indians, after
Hie house was consumed; and that a temporary breastwork
might be erected to prevent their even entering there. I
convinced the men that this might be accomplished, and it
appeared to inspire them with new life; and never did men
act with more firmness and desperation. Those that were
able (while the others kept up a constant fire from the other
blockhouse and the two bastions) mounted the roofs of the
houses, with Dr. Clark at their head, (who acted with the
HABRISOX'S CAMPAIGN, OONTINTED. 167
greatest firmness and presence of mind the whole time the
attack lasted, which was about seven hours,) under a shower
of bullets, and in less than a moment threw off as much of the
roof as was necessary. * * * Although the barracks were
several times in a blaze, and an immense quantity of fire
against them, the men used such exertions that they kept it
under, and before day raised a temporary breastwork as high
as a man's head, although the Indians continued to pour in a
heavy fire of ball and an immense quantity of arrows during
the whole time the attack lasted. * * * After keeping up
a constant fire until about six o'clock the next morning, which
wo began to return with some effect after daylight, they
removed out of the reach of our guns. A party of them
drove up the horses that belonged to the citizens here, and, as
they could not catch them very readily, shot the whole of them
in our sight, as well as a number of their hogs. They drove
off the whole of the cattle, which amounted to sixty-five head,
as well as the public oxen."
Mr. Dillon infonns us in his history of the Indiana terri-
tory that " when information of the attack on Fort Harrison
was received at Vinccnnes, about twelve hundred men, under
the command of Colonel "William Eussell, of the seventh Eegi-
ment United States Infantry, marched from that place for the
purpose of punishing the Indians, and carrying relief to the
besieged fort. The force under the command of Colonel Rus-
sell was composed of Colonel Wilcox's Regiment of Kentucky
volunteers, three companies of rangers, and two regiments of
Indiana militia, commanded respectively by Colonel Jordan
and Colonel Evans. When these troops, without meeting with
any opposition on their march, reached Fort Harrison on the
sixteenth of September, the Indians had retired from the
neighborhood of that place. On the fifteenth of September,
iiowever, a small detachment composed of eleven men, under the
command of Lieutenant Richardson, and acting as an escort of
provisions sent from Vincennes to be delivered at Fort Harri-
son, was attacked by a party of Indians at a place which was
then called " the Narrows," and which lies within the present
limits of Sullivan county. It was reported that seven of the
168 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
men composing the escort were killed and one 'wonndcd, Tlie
provisions fell into the hands of the Indians. The regiment
of Iventucky volunteers, under the command of Colonel Wilcox,
remained at Fort Harrison. The two regiments of Indiana
militia, and the three companies of rangers, which had marched
to the relief of the fort, returned to Vincenncs."
In this connection we do not enter into any account of Gen-
eral Harrison's second campaign against the British and Indi-
ans in tlie war of 1812, partly because that part of the war
which directly concerns Indiana is noticed in the history of
the county where it took place, and partly because we desire
to include in this volume only the history of Indiana, and
not the history of the States around it.
CHAPTER XY.
CIVIL MATTERS.
THE hijBtory of the Indiana'territory closes with an account
of the administration of Acting Governor Gibson, and
Governor Posey. "William Henry Harrison was appointed
Governor of the territory at its organization, in 1800, bat in
1812, owing to General Harrison's absence on military duty,
the functions of the executive devolved on John Gibson, the
secretary of the territory.
On the first of February, 1813, the legislature of the terri-
tory was convened at Vincenncs. In his messa2:e on the
occasion. General Gibson used the following language: "The
Governor of the territory having been for some time absent
from us, the gubernatorial functions consequently devolving
upon, have been exercised by me. In my discharge of this
important trust, I have been actuated by none other than a
wish to preserve public rights and protect private property.
If I have, at any time, failed in my official duties, or erred in
CIVIL AFFAIRS. 169
mj plans, yon mnst attribute in to the liead and not tlie heart.
My address to yon, gentlemen, shall be laconic, for I am not
an orator, nor accustomed to set speeches; and did I possess
the abilities of Cicero or Demosthenes, I could not portray in
See page 21.
more glowing colors, our foreign and domestic political situa-
tion, than it is already experienced within our own breasts.
Tlie United States have been latterly compelled, by frequent
suits of injustice, to declare war against England. I say com-
170 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
pcllcd; fori am convinced, from the pacific and agricnitnra
(lis]iosition of her citizens, that it must be a case of tlie last
necessity that \vould induce such a measure. For the detailed
causes of tlie war, I beg leave to refer you, gentlemen, to the
message of his excellency, the President, to Congress, at the
commencement of the present session. It is highly worthy
the serious perusal of the sage and the patriot. It does honor
to the head and heart of Mr. Madison. Although I am not
an admirer of wars in the general, yet, as we are now engaged
in a necessary and justifiable one, I can exultingly say that I
am happy to see, in my advanced days, our little but inimit-
able navy riding triumphant on the seas; but chagrined to
find that our armies by land are so little successful. The spirit
of '76 appears to have fled from our continent; or, if not fled,
is at least asleep, for it appears not to pervade our armies gen-
erally. On the contrary, lassitude — and, too often, schisms —
have crept in and usurped the place of patriotic ardor.
"At your last assemblage, gentlemen, our ])olitical liorizon
seemed clear; our infant territory bid fair for rapid and rising
grandeur; our population was highly flattering; our citizens
were becoming prosperous and happy; and security dwelt
everywhere, even on our frontiers. But, alas! the scene has
changed; and whether this change, as it respects our territory,
has been owing to an over anxiety in us to extend our domin-
ions, or to a wish for retaliation by our foes, or to a foreign
influence, I shall not pretend to decide. But that there is a
change, and that, too, a distressing one, is evident. For the
aboriginees, our former neighbors and friends, have become
our most inveterate foes. They have drawn the scalping knife
and raised the tomahawk; and shouts of savage fury are heard
at our threshholds. Our former frontiers are now our wilds,
and our inner settlements have become frontiers. Some of our
best citizens, and old men worn down with age, and helpless
women, and innocent babes, have fallen victims to savage cru-
elty. Our citizens, even in our towns, liave frequent alarms
and constant apprehensions as to their preservation. I have
not been inattentive to my duty, gentlemen; but have hith-
erto, and shall continue to exert every nerve to afford to our
CHTL AFFAIRS. 171
citizens all possible protection; and it is to be hoped that the
all-wise and powerful Creator and Governor of the Universe
will not forget his people, but cover us from our savage and
eanguinarj foe by His benign interposition,"
During the session the seat of government of the territory
was declared to be at Corydon. This session was prorogued
by Governor Gibson to meet at Corj-don, the new capital, on
on the first Monday of December, 1S13. During this year the
territory was almost defenseless. Indian outrages were of
common occurrence, but no general outbreak was experienced.
The militiamen that were called into service during this year
were each armed with a rifle and a long knife, and many of
the rangers carried tomahawks.
In 1S13, Mr. Thomas Posey, who was at that time a senator
in Congress from the State of Tennessee, and who liad been
an officer of the army of the Revolution, was appointed Gov-
ernor of the territory of Indiana, to succeed General Uarrison.
The new Governor arrived at Yinccnnes, and entered upon the
discharge of his official duties, on the twenty-fifth of May,
1813. During this year there were several expeditions set on
foot in the Indiana territory, against the Indian settlements,
but these will be considered so fully in the Second Part of
this work as to make a reference to them here inexpedient.
The general assembly of the Indiana territory met at Cory-
don, in December, 1S13, where the new Governor delivered
his first message, in which he remarked : " The present crisis
is awful, and big with great events. Our land and nation is .
involved in the common calamity of war. But we are under
the protecting care of the benificent Being, who has, on a
former occasion, brought us safely through an arduous struggle
and placed us on a foundation of independence, freedom, and
happiness. He will not suffer to be taken from us what he, in
his great wisdom, has thought proper to confer and bless us
with, if we make a wise and virtuous use of his good gifts. * *
Although our affairs, at the commencement of the war, wore
gloomy aspect, they have brightened, and promised a certainty
of success, if properly directed and conducted, of which I have
no doubt; as the president and heads of departments of the
172
HISTOET OF INDIANA.
General Government are men of undoubted patriotism, talents
and experience, and who have grown old in the service of tlieir
country. * * '' It mnst be obvious to every thinking man,
n77 c%*::^^:^^^
►See page 21.
that we were forced into the war. Every measure consistent
with honor, both before and since the declaration of war, has
tried to be on amicable tenns with our enemy. * * * You
CmL AFFAIRS. 173
wlio reside in various parts of the territory have it in your
power to understand wliat will tend to its local and general
advantage. The judiciar}' system would require a rcvisal and
anien<Iinent. The militia law is veiy defective, and requires
vour ininiediatc attention. It is necessary to have good roads
and highwaj-s in as many directions through the territory as
the circumstances and situation of the inhabitants will admit
of — it would contribute very much to promote the settlement
and improvement of the territory. Attention to education is
highly necessary. There is an appro] )riation made by Con-
gress, in lands, for the purpose of establishing public schools.
It comes now within your province to ciirry into operation the
design of the appropriation."
During this session of the territorial legislature several laws
were passed, and the general Avelfare of th,e settlements pro-
vided for. In the following year owing, principally, to the
great success of the army under General Harrison, in the
northwest, the settlements in Indiana began to improve. The
fear of danger from the incursions of the hostile Indians had,
in a great measure, subsided, and the tide of eastern emigra-
tion again began to flow into the territory. In January, 1814,
about one thousand Miamis, in a state of great destitution,
assembled at Fort Wayne for the purpose of obtaining food to
prevent starvation. They met vdth ample hospitality,
and their example was speedily followed by others. These,
with other acts of kindness, won the lasting friendship of the
Indians, many of whom had fought in the interests of Great
Britain. General treaties between the United States and the
northwestern tribes were subsequently concluded, and the way
was fully opened for the improvement and settlement of the
lands.
CHAPTEE XYI.
EErV'IEW OF CIVIL AND rOLITlCAL FS'ENTS.
LET ns review, in tliis sliort chapter, some of the afiairs of
the Indiana territovv — whicli, owinc: to tlic press of mili-
tarj operations, we have neglected in the previous chapter —
and then pass on to the events in the liistory of the State of
Indiana. Tlie well known ordinance of 1TS7 was designed for
the government of the territory of the United States northwest
of the Ohio, and when, in lSOO,this large tei-ritorj was divided
for the purpose of forming the Indiana territory. Congress
declared that there should be established in Indiana a govern-
ment similar in all respects to that provided by the ordinance
of 17ST, and that the inhabitants of the territory should be
"entitled to and enjoy all the rights and ])rivileges, and
advantages granted and secured to the pco])le by the said
ordinance." And yet, M'ith all these privileges and rights,
the people of Indiana, at that time, did not enjoy the full
blessings of a republican form of government. "I find, how-
ever," says Mr. Dillon, " that these general terras did not
confer upon the people of the territory a right to exercise any
great degree of political power. The authority to appoint
territorial governors, territorial secretaries, and judges of the
superior court of tlie territory, was vested in the President of
the United States and the national Senate. The organization
of a territorial legislature or general assembly, depended upon
the vote of a majority of the freeholdci's of the territory
Before the organization of such a legislature, the governor and
the judges of the territory, or a majority of them, were invested
with power to adopt and publish such laws, civil and criminal,
of the original States as miijht be best suited to the circum
(174)
KEVIEW OF aviL AND POLITICAL EVENTS.
175
stances of the people; but laws thus adopted and published
were subject to the disapproval of Congress. A freehold estate
in five liiindred acres of land, was one of the necessary qualifi-
cations of each member of the legislative council of the terri-
tory; every member of the territorial house of representatives
J</LJ//^
) v^ ^
See page 21.
was required to hold, in his own right, tw^o hundred acres of
land; and the privilege of voting for members of the house
of representatives was restricted to those inhabitants who. in
addition to other qualifications, owned, severally, at least fifty
176 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
acres of land." The governor of the territory -u-as vested
with the power of appointing officers of the territorial militia,
judges of the inferior courts, clerks of the courts, justices of
the peace, sheriffs, coroners, county treasurers, and county
surveyors. He "was also authorized to divide the tci-ritory
into districts; to apportion among the several counties the
members of the house of representatives; to prevent the
passage of any territorial law; and to convene, prorogue, and
dissolve the general asseinbly of the territory, whenever, in
his opinion, it might be deemed expedient to exercise such
authority. It may now be stated, to the honor of the territo-
rial governors of Indiana, that neither of them ever exercised
these extraordinary powers arbitrarily. Nevertheless the peo-
ple were constantly agitating the question of the extension of
the right of suffrage. Five years after the organization of tbe
territory, the legislative council, in reply to the governor's
message, said: "Although we are not as completely independ
ent in our legislative capacity as ^\^G would wish to be, yet we
are sensible that we must wait Avith patience for that period
of time when our population will burst the trammels of a
territorial government, and we shall assume the character
more consonant to republicanism. * * * The conlidenco
which our fellow citizens have uniformly had in your adminis-
tiation has been such that they have hitherto had no reason to
be jealous of the unlimited power which you possess over our
legislative proceedings. "We, however, can not help regretting
that such powers have been lodged in the hands of any one,
especially when it is recollected to what dangerous lengths the
exercise of those powers may be extended."
After repeated petitions the people of Indiana were empow-
ered by Congress to elect the members of the legislative council
by popular vote. This act was passed in 1S09, and dcliued
what was Icnown as the property qualification of voters.
These qualifications were abolished by an act of Congress in
1811, which extended the right of voting for members of the
general assembly and for a territorial delegate to Congress to
every free white male jxirsou who had attained the age of
twenty-one years, and who, having paid a county or territorial
EETIEW OF CITIL AXD POLITICAL EVENTS. 177
tax, was a resident of the territory, and had resided in it for
the period of one year. In IS 14, the voting qualification in
Indiana was defined by an act of Congress, "to every free
white male person having a freehold in the territory, and being
a resident of the same." The house of representatives of the
Indiana territory was authorized, by an act of Congress of the
fourth of March, 1S14, to lay ofi:' the territory into five districts,
in each of which the qualified voters were empowered to elect
a member of the leijislative council. The members of the
house convened at Corydon, in the month of June, 1814, and
divided the territorv into districts. Accordins: to this division
the counties of AVashington and Knox constituted one district;
the counties of Gibson and Warrick one district; the counties
of Harrison and Clark one district; the counties of Jefferson
and Dearborn one district; and the counties of Franklin and
"Wayne one district.*
At the session of the general assembly held at Corydon, in
August, 1814, an act was passed dividing the territory into
three judicial circuits, and making provisions for the holding
of courts in these circuits, and defining the jurisdiction of
such courts, and investing the governor with power to appoint
a presiding judge in each circuit, and two associate judges of
the circuit court in each county. The compensation of these
judges was fixed at seven hundred dollars per annum.
In the same year the general assembly of Indiana granted
charters to two banking institutions, viz., the Farmers' and
Mechanics' Bank of Madison, and the Bank of Yincennes.
Tlie former was authorized to raise a capital of seven hundred
and fifty thousand dollars; the latter the sum of five hundred
thousand dollars. As we shall see, these banks, upon the
organization of the State, were merged into the State Bank
and its branches.
Our history of the Indiana Territokt, which closes with
this chapter, is not so full as it could have been with the
• Dillon's History of Indiana Territory.
12
178 UISTORY OF INDIANA.
materials at hand, but, as Mr. Jolm B. Dillon lias already
edited a large volume concerning this period, Avhich was pub-
lished in 1S59, "\vc have thought proper to devote most of the
s]iaec in this work to a history and description of the State
OK Indiana, Avhicli covers a period from 1816 to 1875. Tlius
we take up the work where Mr. Dillon laid it down, and to
the best of our ability-, carry out a literary enterprise which
he so ably commenced. It M'ill be proper, at this point, to
state that in some of the preceding cliapters we have quoted
freely from Mr. Dillon's Avork, and that the completeness of
this part of our history is due, in a considerable measure, to
his compilations.
CHAPTER XYII.
ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE.
THE last regular session of the territorial legislature o1
Indiana was held at Corydon, convcninir in December
1815. Owing to the sickness of Governor Posey, who lived
at Jeffersonville, he Avas unable to be present, but his regular
message was delivered to both houses in joint session by his
private secretary. Colonel Allen D. Thorn, In this message
he congratulated the people of the territory upon the general
success of the settlements, upon the great increase of immi-
gration to the territory; recommended light taxes, and a
careful attention to the promotion of education and the
improvement of the State roads and highways. He also
recommended a reA^ision of the territorial laws, and an amend-
ment of the militia svstcm. Durino; this session, which lasted
only a month, several laws were passed, and measures adopted,
most of which were calculated to promote the desired change
froin a territorial to a State government. On the fourteenth
EGANIZATION OF THE STATE. 179
of December a memorial was adopted praying for tlie authority
to adopt a constitution and State government. Tliis was laid
before Congress by the territorial delegate, Mr. Jennings, on
the twenty-eighth of the same month, and on the nineteentli
of April, 1816, the President approved the bill, enabling \\e
JUDGE WM. P. EDSOK
See page 21.
people of Indiana territory to form a constitution and State
government, and providing for the admission of snch State
into the Union on an eqnal footing with the original States.
Agreeably to the provisions of this law an election for mem-
180 raSTORT OF INDIANA.
bcrs of a convention to form a State constitution, was held in
the several counties of the territory on Monday, tlie thirteenth
day of May, 1816, with the following result:
Wayne county: Jeremiah Cox, Patrick Baird, Joseph IIol-
man, and Hugh Cull,
Franklin county: William II. Eads, James Erownlec, Enoch
McCarty, Robert Hanna, Jr., and James IS^oble.
Dearborn county: James Dill, Solomon Man waring, and
Ezra Ferris.
Switzerland county : William Cotton.
Jeiferson county: David H. Maxwell, Samuel Smock, and
Nathaniel Hunt.
Clark county: Jonathan Jennings, James Scott, Tliomaa
Carr, Jno. K. Graham, and James Lemon.
Harrison county: Dennis Pennington, Davis Floyd, Daniel
C. Lane, John Boone, and Patrick Shields.
Washington county: John DePauw, Samuel Milroy, Robert
Mclntire, William Lowe, and William Graham.
Knox coimty; John Johnson, John Badollet, William Polke,
Benjamin Polke, and John Benefiel.
Gibson county: David Robb, James Smith, Alexander Devin,
and Frederick Rappe.
Warrick county: Daniel Grass
Perry county : Charles Polke.
Posey county: Dann. Lynn.
The population of the territory of Indiana, as given in the
oflGlcial returns, certified by the clerks of the various counties
and transmitted to the territorial legislature of 1815, was a*
follows :
Counties. White males of 21 and over. Total.
Wayne 1,225 6,407
Franklin 1,430 7,370
Dearborn 902 4,424
Switzerland 377 1,832
Jefferson '. 874 4,270
Clark 1,387 7,150
Washington 1,420 7,317
Harrison 1,056 6,975
ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE. 181
Counties, White males of 21 and over. Total.
Knox 1,391 8,068
Gibson 1,100 5,330
Posey 320 16,19
Warrick 280 1,415
Terry 350 1,720
Total 63,897
The first constitutional convention convened at Corydon on
the tenth of June, 1816, and continued its session until the
twenty-ninth, when, havin^^ ably completed the important
work assigned to it, it adjourned. Jonathan Jennings pre-
sided over the deliberations of the convention, and William
Ilcndricks acted as secretary.
In reference to the first State constitution, and the lionorablc
gentlemen who constituted the convention that framed it, Mr.
Dillon, in his history of the Lidiana territory, says: "The
convention that formed the first constitution of the State of
Indiana was com]X)sed, mainly, of clear-minded, unpretending
men of common sense, whose patriotism was unquestionable,
and whose morals were fair. Their familiarity with the theo-
ries of the Declaration of American Independence, their ter-
ritorial experience under the provisions of the ordinance of
1787, and their knowledge of the principles of the constitu-
tion of the United States, were sufticieiit, when combined, to
lighten, materially, their labors in the great work of forming
a constitution for a new State. With such landmarks in view,
the labors of similar conventions in other States and territories
have been rendered comparatively light. In the clearness and
conciseness of its style, in the comprehensive and just provis-
ions which it made for the maintenance of civil and religious
liberty, in its mandates, which were designed to protect the
rights of the people, collectively and individually, and to pro-
vide for the public welfare, the constitution that was formed
for Indiana in 1816, was not inferior to any of the Stat<j con-
stitutions which were in existence at that time."
The first State election took place on the first Monday of
August, 1816, and Jonathan Jennings was elected Governor,
182 iiiSTonr of Indiana.
Cliristoplicr Ilarrisoii, Liciitciiant-Govcnior, and "William
Hendricks was elected to represent the new State in tlie House
of Representatives of the United States.
The first general asseniLly elected under the authority of
the State constitution, commenced its session at Corjdon on
the fourth of November, ISIG. John Paul was called to the
chair of the Senate ji>?'0 tern., and Isaac JJlackford was elected
Speaker of the House of Ivepresentatives. On the seventh of
November the oath of oiiice was administered to Governor
Jennings and Lieutenant-Governor Harrison, in the ])resence
of both houses On this occasion Governor Jennings delivered
his first message to the general assembly, in which, among
other things, he remai'kcd : "The result of your deliberation
will be considered as indicative of its future character, as well
as of the future happiness and prosperity of its citizens. The
reputation of the State, as well as its highest interest, will
require that a just and generous policy toward the general
government, and a due regard to the rights of its members
rcspectiv^ely, should invariably have their proper influence. In
the commencement of the State government the shackles of the
colonial should he forgotten in our united exertions to prove,
by happy experience, that a uniform adherence to the first
principles of our government, and a virtuous exercise of its
powers, will best secure efticiency to its measures and stability
to its character. AVithout a frequent recurrence to those
principles, the administration of the gov^ernment will imper-
ceptibly become more and more arduous, until the simplicity
of our republican institutions may eventually be lost in dan-
gerous expedients and political design. Under every free gov-
ernment the happiness of tlie citizens must be identified with
their morals; and while a constitutional exercise of their rights
shall continue to have its due weight in the discharge of tlie
duties required of the constituted authorities of the State, too
much attention can not be bestowed to the encouragement and
pi'omotion of every moral virtue, and to the enactment of laws
calculated to restrain the vicious, and prescribe punishment
for every crime commensurate to its enormity.* In measuring,
however, to each crime its adequate punishment, it will be
ORGANIZATION OF THE STATE.
183
well to recollect that the certainty of punishment has generally
the surest effect to prevent crime ; while punishments unneces-
sarily severe, too often produce the acquittal of the guilty, and
See page 31.
disappoint one ot the greatest objects of legislation and good
government. * * -^ The dissemination of useful knowledge
will be indispensably necessary as a support to morals, and as
184 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
a restraint to vice; and, on this subject, it will only be neces-
sary to direct your attention to the plan of education as pre-
scribed by the constitution. ^ '^ * I recommend to your
consideration the propriety of providing by law, to prevent
more eficctually any unlawful attempts to seize and can-y into
bondage persons of color legally entitled to their freedom;
and, at the same time, as far as practicable, to prevent those
who rightfully own service to the citizens of any other State
or territory from seeking within the limits of this State, a
refuge from the possession of their lawful owners. Such a
measure will tend to secui-e those who are free from any
unlawful attempts (to enslave them) and secures the rights of
the citizens of the other States and territories as far as ought
resonably to be expected."
Tlius was the territorial government of Indiana exchanged
for a State government on the seventh of November, 1816.
During the session of the legislature, James Noble and Walter
Taylor were elected to represent the State of Indiana in the
Senate of the United States. Robert A. New was elected Sec-
retary of State; W. II. Lilley, Auditor of State; and Daniel
C. Lane, Treasurer of State. Tlie session was adjourned si7ie
die on the third of January, 1817.
If, in their progress from one event to another, along the
current of the civil and political history of the State, readers
should wish to learn more of the incidents of pioneer life, the
progress of the settlements, the social condition of the people,
and the like, it will only be necessary to remind them that
these thino^s are treated in detail in the skcond pakt of this
volume, under the head of "County Ilistories," to relieve
them of their impatience.
CHAPTEE XVIII.
GOVERNOK JENNINGS' ADMINISTRATION.
WE now come to a consideration of the history of the
State of Indiana, which extends over a period from 1816
to 1875. The contemplation of events within this period is a
source of pleasure to every Indianian. There are only the
fresh memories of the civil war to mar this pleasure. All
else is calculated to awaken the highest enthusiasm and the
loftiest patriotism. Amazing yrogress! are the only words
that seem to convey the idea which this contemplation brings
most vividly to the mind. To what quarter of the globe can
we point, where, in the short space of fifty years, material
progress has been greater? Certainly there is no place on the
broad earth to which the Indianian can emigrate with a hope
of bettering his present condition and prospects.
Within the short space of fifty years the population of
Indiana has increased from sixty thousand to over two mil-
lions/ Within the same period the valuation of personal
and real property within the State has increased beyond all
possibility of computation; great and prosperous commercial
industries have been established, and the educational and
benevolent institutions have become useful in shaping the des-
tiny of other countries. It now becomes our pleasant duty to
note this wonderful progress step by step.
Tlie inhabitants of the new State first turned their attention
to farming — to agricultural pursuits, which are still the lead-
ing industry of Indiana. Kcw farms were opened, new
settlenaents were founded, orchards were planted, log and
frame school houses were erected, churches were built, towns
and cities began to flourish, and battle for the leading position,
(185)
186
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Thus -was inaugn rated that great era of prosperity which can
only tenniiiate in future greatness. AV^itlial, a sense of secur-
ity pervaded the minds of the people. The hostile Indians,
as we have seen, had been humbled. Their power and pride
had been broken, and the tomahawk no longer excited the
fears of the pioneer settler of Indiana. The settlers dwelt in
safety in their little, plain log cabins, and, actuated by a faith
in that future prosperity which tliey have lived to eu joy, they
cultivated their small fields without the aid of armed senti-
nels. The numerous forts and block houses which had once
been uuide desolate by merciless slaughters, were now con-
verted into storehouses, dwellings, or in some way made to
serve the purpose of trade.
But it must not be supposed that this great prosperity has
been attained without diiiiculty. Indiana has had her internal
improvement troubles; her financial embarrassment; a cur-
rency panic; a commercial depression; her dark days; but
these have all passed. They were unequal to the persistent
energies of a free people.
In 181G-17, when the State was in its infancy, and the citi-
zens were not wealthy, and when the number and value of the
objects of taxation were miserably small, and the inexhaust-
able resources undeveloped, it was ditiicult to raise the revenue
necessary for the support of the government. The burden
upon landholders was indeed heavy;* the funds for county
purposes were derived mostly from a poll-tax, taxes on lands,
town lots, horses, carriages, clocks, watches, and license venders
of merchandise.
For State revenue purposes the taxable lands were divided
into three classes, and taxed per hundred acres, as follows, for
Beveral years:
Years.
First Rate.
Second Rate.
Third Rate.
1817
$1.00
1.00
1.50
1.50
0.80
$0.8 7^
0.87i
1.25
1.00
0.00
$0.50
0.C2I
75
1818
1821
1824
75
1831
1.40
GOVERNOR JENNINGS ADMINISTRATION.
187
In Iiis first annual message, Governor Jennings called
attention to the need of greater educational facilities, the
revision of the statutes, the organization of the judiciary, and
the need of a law to prevent the carrying into bondage per-
sons of color residing in the State and legally entitled to their
See page 21.
freedom. He also urged the necessity of raising a revenue
sufficient to meet the expenses of that year, and to liquidate
the debt consequent upon the constitutional convention of
the pre\dous year. In this undertaking the government -met
with many difficulties. The objects of taxation were not
188 HISTOKY OF INDIANA.
numerous, and the great scarcity of money within the State,
made it difficult for the collector to realize on the demands of
the State upon the propert}^ assessed. This difficulty was
urged upon the attention of the legislature, in 1818, when
Governor Jennings remarked that in order to " enforce the
payments of the revenue of the State, on the part of those
charged with collections, it is recommended that all suits con-
nected therewith be instituted in the Harrison Circuit Court,
and that the appointment of an Attorney General be author-
ized by law, whose duty it shall be to prosecute thereon, and
in the Supreme Court when the State may be a party."
During Governor Jennings' administration the subject of
internal improvements was agitated. As early as 1818, in his
message to the legislature, he used these words: " The internal
improvement of the State forms a subject of the greatest
importance and deserves the most serious attention. Koads
and canals are calculated to afford facilities to the commercial
transactions connected with the exports and impoi'ts of the
country, by lessening the expenses and time attendant, as well
on the transportation of the bulky articles which compose our
exports as on the impoilatiou of articles the growth and man-
ufacture of foreign countries, Avhicli luxury and habit have
rendered too common and almost indispensable to our con-
sumption. They enhance the value of the soil, by affording
the agriculturalist the means of deriving greater gain from its
cultivation, with an equal proportion of labor, thereby pre-
senting stronger inducements to industry and enterprise, and
at the same time, by various excitements, invite to a more
general intercourse between the citizens. * * * The success
which has attended the exertions of the JefFersonville and
Ohio Canal Company affords the flattering prospect of a
speedy commencement upon the great object for which the
corporation was created, and presents still stronger claims
upon the general assembly to aid its ultimate execution."
In November, 1821, Governor Jennings convened tlie legis-
lature in extra session, to provide for the ])aymcnt of the
interest on the State debt, and a part of the principal, amount-
ing to twenty thousand dollars. It was then believed that an
GOVERNOK JENNTNOS' ADMINISTRATION. 189
dmonnt sufficient for these purposes would be realized by the
State treasurer, in the notes of the State bank and its branches,
and it was urged upon the legislature, by the Governor, that
the public debt could be conscientiously discharged with these
depreciated notes. In support of this view he said: " It will
be oppressive if the State, after the paper of this institution
was authorized to be circulated in revenue, should be prevented
by any assignment of the evidences of the existing debt, from
discharging at least so much of that debt with the paper of
the bank, as will absorb the collections of the present year;
especially, when their notes, after being made receivable by
the agents of the State, because greatly depreciated by great
mismanagement on the part of the bank itself. It ought not
to be expected that a public loss to the State should be avoided
by resorting to any measures which would not comport wit^j
correct views of public justice ; nor should it be anticipated
that the treasury of the United States would ultimately adopt
measures to secure an uncertain debt, which would interfere
with arrangements calculated to adjust tlie demand against
the State, without producing any additional embarrassment."
The condition of public affairs that called for these senti-
ments from the Executive was not flatteriuor. An assio^nment
of the bonds executed in behalf of the State had been effected
and the general credit of the State greatly embarrassed. The
State bank — a history of which will be found further on —
owing to bad management had depreciated the bank paper of
the State, and injured the public credit. Tlie means employed
to produce this result are said to have been designed by
unprincipled speculators. The Governor, in reference to this
painful phase of the question, held that " whatever disposition
the principal bank may have made of the funds deposited by
the United States, it must be admitted that the connection of
interest between the steam mill company and the bank, and
the extraordinary accommodations, on account of the manner
in which they were obtained, as well as their amount, effected
by arrangements of the steam mill agency and some of the
officers of the bank have been among the principal causes
which have prostrated the paper circulating medium of this
190 nisroRY of intiiana.
State, so far as it was dependent on the State bank and its
brandies. And from the direction which for a time past has
been eriven to the funds as well as to the credit of the State
bank, it wonld seem as if it liad been an object to jirodiicc
depreciation of her own credit, as well as that of her branches,
producing thereby, among other mischievous consequences, the
means of direct gain to a certain portion of the communit}-,
equal to the loss which the innocent and disinterested holder
of the paper inevitably sustains."
It is undoubtedly true that the panic of 1821, which cast a
gloom over the infant industries of the State of Indiana, was
in a great measure the result of dishonest speculation, as well
as of an unwise financial policy. At all events the public
affixirs were in a very unsettled condition when Governor Jen-
nings, at the summons of the popular voice, handed the gov-
ernment of the young State over to his successor, lion
William Hendricks.''*
CHAPTER XIX.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR W^LLIAM HENDRICKS.
IN 1822, in his first message to the legislature. Governor
Hendricks, notwithstandino: the discrourac^ins: state of tlie
public affairs, was disposed to regard every prospect full of
promise for the new State. He regretted the unsettk'd condi-
tion of the pecuniary affairs of the State and citizens, but in
a happy mood, congratulated the people upon " the agricultural
and social happiness of the State." At no period in the
previous history of the State had the productions of the soil
been more abundant in the necessaries and comforts of life
* Governor Jennings having been elected to Congress, in 1822, Lieuten-
ant-Governor Boone wiis acting Governor of the State of Indiana for
several months previous to the election of Governor Hendricks.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WILLIAM HENDRICKS.
191
than during the year 1822. At this time emigration was
affording the State considerable accessions to her population,
and despite the financial troubles which engaged the attention
of the legislature, the people who for the most part depended
wliollj upon agricultural products, were enjoying moderate
lll'l'|.il|V
iiiiillliilllliifc
HON". WM. MITCHELL.
See page 21.
prosperity. ^Nevertheless, the payment for the lands, tl-e
extensive consumption of European goods in Indiana, and the
want of a market for the surplus produce, had placed the
balance of trade largely against the people, and produced
general and individual distress; but the subsequent develop-
192 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
ment of tlie resources of the State, the steady ]mrsiiit of agricul
ture, the resort to domestic fabrics to the exclusion of foreign
merchandise, combined to produce the most favorable results.
On the question of internal improvements, Governor Hen-
dricks, in his first message to the legislature, said: " We ought
to leave free and unshackled, as far as we can, our resources
for improvement and purposes which the interests of the State
may hereafter require, if not at our hands, at the hands of
those who succeed us. * * * Let us not lose sight of those
great objects to which the means of the State should, at some
future day, be devoted — the navigation of tlie falls of the Ohio,
the improvement of the Wabash, the White river, and other
streams, and the construction of the National and other roads
through the State."
Governor Ilendrick's administration extended over a period
from December 1822, to February 1825, during which the
several industries of the State enjoyed considerable prosperity.
Although a complete history of the educational institutions
of the State is given in other parts of this volume, it will not
be improper to note, in this connection, the condition and
prospects of the educational facilities of the State as they
existed at the close of the administration of Governor Hen-
dricks in 1825. I3y a grant of Congress, a section of land in
each township in the State was invested in the inhabitants of
such townships for the support of common schools ; two entire
townships were invested in the legislature for the use of a
" State Seminary," and by a provision of the State constitu-
tion, all fines assessed for a breach of the penal laws, and all
commutations for militia service, were appropriated to the use
of the " County Seminaries." The common school lands were
estimated, at this date, at six hundred and eighty thousand
two hundred and seven acres, which, at two dollars an acre,
(their value in 1825,) would produce a fund of one million
two hundred and sixteen thousand four hundred and forty-four
dollars. Such were the facilities for establishing common
schools, viewed from the standpoint of 1825.
At this time the seminary at Bloomington, supported in
part by one of these township grants, was in a flourishing con-
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR RAT. 193
ditio... Tuition Avas cheap, and "no pains were spared to
make the institution respectable." But the common schools
then existing in the youthful settlements of the State "were in
a poor condition.
h
CHAPTER XX.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR RAT.
IN the year 1826, the State of Indiana had already a history
of State progress. The foundation for the magnificent
public school system which the State now enjoys was being
carefully laid. The State government had reached a better
policy, and confidence in business circles was in a great meas-
ure restored. In short the State seems here to have reached a
point when its inhabitants could look back over the events in
its history, observe their results, and shape a policy consistent
with the probable future demands of prosperity. The increase
of population was made noticeable. At this date, 1825-6, the
population exceeded 250,000 souls; in 1820, it was 147,178;
in 1815, it was 68,780; in 1810, it was 24,000; in 1805, it was
11,000; and in 1800, the date of the organization of the terri-
tory, it was only 5,000. Thus the people could perceive the
increase, during the twenty-five years of their history. Begin-
ning in 1800, with but five thousand, and reaching, in the
short space of twenty-five years, the respectable number of
two hundred and fifty thousand, there was every reason to
take courage.
Aside from the growth in population, this year afibrded a
view from another standpoint. The influence of national
policy from without, and the prospective effects upon the future
of the State, its commerce and agricultural pursuits, were to
be seen and measured. For a long period previous to the war
13
194 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
of 1S12, the continned struggle for power in Europe called
immense numbers of their people from the plow to lill their
armies. In consequence agriculture was neglected. Wliole
countries were overrun, and the people, as well as the
armies, were in a measure compelled to look to the United
States for a considerable portion of their subsistence. Ameri-
can produce found a ready market in evcrj port in Europe,
and the high prices which it commanded enabled the fiirmers
in every part of the country to incur the expense of a tedious
and difficult transportation, and yet to realize handsome profits.
Nor was this prosperous state of aftairs changed by the war
of 1812, for in consequence of this war, large disbursements
of public money were made by the general government in
every part of the Union; consequent upon this came a general
rage for speculation; numerous banks with fictitious capital
were established; immense issues of paper M-erc made, and
the circulating medium of the country was increased four fold
in the course of two or three years. It will not be difficult
for the intelligent reader of the day to predict the consequences
of all this. The great increase of what M-as then deemed
equivalent to money was the cause of a corresponding increase
equally as fictitious in the value of labor and every species of
property; the established value of every thing was a deception,
a species of fraud upon the world; money — the money of those
days — was easily acquired, and the people too generally and
too easily indulged in visionary dreams of wealth and splendor.
But this state of things could not always last. The general
pacification of the old world, and the consequent disbandment
of their numerous armies again tenanted their long unculti-
vated fields; agriculture was so fiir encouraged that every
nation on the continent produced an ample supply of the
necessaries of life for their own consumption, and American
produce could no longer find an extended market in that hem-
isphere. About the same time that peace was cr*icluded in
Europe, war was brought to a close in this country, and of
course the extraordinary flow of money from the treasury of
the United States was discontinued; the American army was
reduced, and the newly created banks, no longer supported by
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR RAY.
195
reckless speculation, began to fail. Specie disappeared, and
the fictitious paper trash becauie worthless in the hands of the
people. As a consequence wages and all kinds of property
Guifered an unprecedented depression in value, and the industry
of the whole countrj was shocked. The evils and enibarrass-
11'"' 'V"l'Vn|l)iin|||in»I||.||i||;|'iin|||||l|li'
See page 21.
ments of this sudden change were felt severely among the
farmers of Indiana. Then followed the " dark days " of Indi-
ana. Who that lived in the State at the time will ever forget
the winter of 1821?
To find a remedy for this depression in trade began to engage
196 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
the attention of tlie people of Indiana, as well as those of the
other States, in 1822-3, and many measures were adopted, all
of which worked successfully in the long run, although many,
for a time, were " eye-sores '' to the people. In the first ]-)lace
the capital which was no longer needed in commercial enter-
prise was emplo^'cd in manufacturing establishments. This
not only gave employment to thousands whose services were
iiitherto valueless, but created a market for a great portion of
the surplus produce of the farmers. This measure was com-
pletely successful in Indiana.
In addition to the establishment of factories, large portions
of the dormant capital of the State and country which had
been withdrawn from mercantile pursuits, now no longer
profitable, was invested and circulated ainong the people in
works of internal improvement. Some of these works were,
as we shall see, for a time unsuccessful, yet it is now apjDarent
that all worked out, in a measure, the ultimate prosperity of the
State.
Such were the views which the people of Indiana were
•nabled to take of the past in 1825. In this year Governor
Ray, in his message to the legislature, urged upon them the
necessity of adopting that system of internal improvements
which was not fully entered upon as a policy until 183G. He
said: "On the construction of roads and canals, then, we must
rely as the safest and most certain State policy to relieve our
situation, place us among the first States in the Union, and
change the cry of ' hard times ' into an open acknowledgment
of contentedness. * * * "W"e must strike at the internal
improvement of the State, or form our minds to remain poor
and unacquainted with each other.*' In the following year he
urged the same policy, and in 1829 he added: "This subject,
(State internal improvement,) though more than once ]M-essed
upon the attention of the legislature, can never grow irksome,
since it must be the source of the blessings of civilized life;
to secure its benefits is a duty enjoined upon the legislature
by the obligations of the social compact."
It was in the year 1825, and during the administration of
Governor Eay, that the State of Indiana had the honor of
ADMIOTSTRATION OF GOVERNOR RAT. 197
welcoming the illusti-ious General Lafayette within its borders.
The reception of this ^reat friend of American and national
liberty was extended by the Executive of Indiana in true and
genuine republican simplicity; and that so many of the
pioneers of the State had the honor to greet the presence of
this illustrious veteran in the cause of our liberty and country,
and to express to him as far as possible, their unutterable
sentiments of gratitude and admiration, will ever be a source
of the most o-reatful recollection.
On the important question of asylums, it was urged by the
Executive in 1S25, that radical changes should be made in the
law for tlie support of the poor, and measures adopted " to
provide bylaw for a general system of education, ascending m
a regular gi-adation from township schools to a State univer-
sity, wherein tuition shall be gratis, and equally open to all."
In 1S2G, Governor Ray expressed the sentiments of the
people of Indiana when, in his message to the legislature ho
used this excitinii^ lanmia2:c: "All that the most ardent could
rationally wish for has fallen withiii the lap of the State. The
history of other nations furnishes us with no parallel for our
£riirantic 2:rowth. 'A^'onder amonfr wonders,' our amazinjr
S'ouui; State, witli each annual revolution of the earth, seeui3
destined, by the force of circumstances and the energies of her
people, to outstrip the geographer witli all his sagacity; to
develop some dormant treasure, and exhibit to public view
some facinating projects eminently calculated to attach our
citizens to their homes and country, and to enable us to look
prospectively to the period when we shall be among the first
III power, wealth, and respectability in the grand confederation
of North American States." And in the year 1827, in tho
same official capacity, he added: "When we bring in review
before us the successive currents of emigration which annually
penetrate the deep recesses of the western forests; when 'we
behold the generous efforts of the enlightened statesman and
philanthropist for the establishment of primary and higliei
schools that education may be equal and universal; when we
witness the enterprise and industi*y of the people, their moral
ity and order, the conclusion follows that all the essentiaj
198 HISTORY OF INDfAHA.
elements are concentmting to proBCCutc and consummate the
great design of the social compact." And again in 1828,
Governor Eay reflects the steady flow of prosperity in his
usual style: "Peace, plenty, and an increase of moral feeling
have blessed our growing community; -^^ * * and if a dense
population is in any respect essential to the happiness of the
people, or the prosperity of the State, the continuous influx
of emigration which we are now experiencing without a
parallel, augur the most aus])icious to both."
It was in this year, 1828, that the disafiection of the Southern
States first became a subject for executive or legislative atten-
tion in Indiana. In this year Governor Eay, little suspecting
the terrible results that would grow out of the subject of his
remarks, observed to the legislature: "Since our last separa-
tion, while we have witnessed with anxious solicitude the
belligerent operations of another hcmisphci'e, the cross con-
tending against the ctesent, and the prospect of a general
rupture among the legitimates of other quarters of the
globe, * * * our attention has been arrested by proceedings
in our own country truly dangerous to liberty, if seriously
premeditated, and disgraceful to its authors if agitated only
to tamper with the American people. If such experiments as
we see attempted in certain deluded quarters, do not fall with
a burst of thunder upon the heads of their seditious projectors,
then, indeal, the re])ublic has begun to experience the days
of its degeneracy. * * * The Union of these States is the
people's only sure charter for their liberties and independ-
ence. Dissolve it and each State will soon be in a condition
as deplorable as Alexandria's conquered countries after they
were divided amongst his victorious military captains."
It should be borne in mind by the reader that this part of
the history, extending from the organization of the State in
1816, to 1875, treating of the administrations of the various
governors, is not supposed to include, as it advances, a history
of tlie educational institutions, benevolent institutions, and
settlements. These chapters are designed to cover merelv a
ADMINISTKATION OF GOVERNOR RAY. 199
political and exceedingly condensed documentary history of
tlie State, and the reader is directed to look elsewhere for a
complete history and description of those special features and
institutions of the State, as well as of the cities, towns and
villages, all of which date their commencement in some one
of these administi*ations, and receive only a passing notice iu
this connection. It is also desirable to state, in this place,
that our political history is necessarily condensed in order that
these special features of the State may receive the space which
their importance demands.
L
CnAPTER XXI.
AD^niSiISTRATION OF GOVERNOR RAY, CONTINUED.
IN 1830 the current of emigration was still flowing into the
State and spreading itself throughout the limits of the
territory, afibrding the surest indications of a continued
growth and prosperity. These assurances were considerably
supported by the great increase of agricultural productions,
facilities for transportation, and increasing wealth, enterprise,
intelligence, temperance and morality; and of the general and
rapidly accumulating masses of the people. During these
months, the people were daily cheered by witnessing from
twenty to lifty wagons, containing families, moving through
Indianapolis and other large towns, on their way to the val-
leys of the White and "Wabash rivers. It was estimated that
every day, during the year 1826, over thirty families settled in
the State of Indiana. It is only from a contemplation of
these facts that the reader can form any correct idea of the
rapid growth of the State.
At no former period within the history of the State had the
people enjoyed a more ample reward for the various agricul-
tural products than in 1830. This market was created from
200 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
many causes — principally from tlio wars existing at that
time.
In the same year the farmer, the mechanic and the merchant
of Indiana were excited by the " gigantic purpose of wedding
the extremes of our vast country by one of the most approved
HON. PLINEY HOAGLAND.
See page 21.
methods of conveyance"— a railroad, notably the "National,
New York and Mississippi Raih'oad."
The " National Road," and the "Michigan and Oliio Turn-
pike " were enterprises in which the people and legislature of
adshnistration of governor kay. 201
Indiana were deeply interested, in 1830. Tlic latter had
already been tlie cause of mucli bitter controversy, and its
location was then the subject of contention.
In his message to the legislaturc, in 1830, Governor Kay, on
the delicate question of excluding a certain class of colored
people from the State, remarked: " A non-productive and, in
many instances, a superanuated colored population, is pouring
in upon us, possessing all the affirmative bad qualities of the
uneducated, immoralized bondsman, without affording any of
his advantages, living without visible means, or labor, most of
whom are paupers on society. * * * AVhile our laws and
institutions proclaim the State an asylum for the good, virtu-
ous and useful of all nations and colors, it is due to ourselves
and to the rights of posterity that we should not tamely sub-
mit to any imposition which is the direct effect of foreign
legislation. Though it might savor somewhat of injustice to
interfere with any that are already here, it will still become
your province, as it is your right, to regulate for the future,
by prompt correctives, the emigration into the State, and the
continuance of known paupers thrown upon us from any
quarter."
In 1830 there were still two tribes of Indians livinof within
the borders of Indiana, but their growing indolence, their
intemperate habits, their primitive ignorance, their increasing
dependence upon their neighbors for the bread of life, their
diminished prospects of living by the chase, their perpetration
of murders and other outrages of dangerous precedent, their
unrestrained exhibitions of their own savage customs before
the children of the settlers, combined to make them subjects
for a more rigid government.
One of the features of interest in the history of Governor
Ray's last term of office was the part taken by Indiana in the
election of a President of the United States, which effected a
considerable change in the national policy.
In the same period the task of preparing a civil code of
laws for the State was commenced. In 1830 a question of
jurisdiction was presented for the consideration of the legisla-
ture. The trial and acquittal of William Rothwell, in Perry
202 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
county, on a charge of murder, gave rise to great dissatisfac-
tion. The alleged crime was committed on the Ohio river,
and it was successfully claimed by the counsel for the defend-
ant that the State of Indiana liad no jurisdiction over acts
committed on that river. This defect in the laws was promptly
adjusted.
It would appear that the legislature of Indiana was pain-
fully backward in establishing an asylum for the poor. Gov-
ernor liay, in his last message to the legislature used these
remarks: "Let the philanthropical but look at home for
opportunities to display his pious benevolence, and his eye
will recognize many a friendless, moneyless orphan child,
whose soul only waits to be kindled into flame upon educa-
tion's heavenly altar, that he may leave his rags and wretch-
edness behind him, and, wielding the sword of the hero, or
the pen of the statesman, by the force of moral precept in the
pulpit, or of eloquence at the bar, or in the senate, rise to the
noblest summit of fame and become a pillar of support to his
country — but without some aid is doomed to die unseen. * *
Wliilst our own unfortunate poor are sold in the public streets
to the lowest bidder, many of whom have seen days that pos-
sessed them with the means and rank far above their pur-
chasers, now compelled to feed upon the crumbs of a scanty
meal, and to experience, after a life well spent, just as their
sun is setting, their worst days, and even the degradation of
mastery, and the separation of kindred ties — and while
thousands of families are without the word of truth — and
tens of thousands of youths, who must soon take the reins of
this miglity Republic into their hands, are fast rising to
maturity, without suflicient intelhgence for the stupenduous
business of self-government, we are admonished by everything
sacred and dear to look first to the deranged concerns at
home."
Governor James B. Hay served the people of the State of
Indiana in the high and responsible position of Chief Magis-
trate of the State, from 1725 to 1831 — a period of special
prosperity — and in December of the latter year was succeeded
by Hon. Noah Noble.
CHAPTEK XXII.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR NOBLE.
HON. NOAH NOBLE assumed the duties of tlie high
office of Governor of Indiana, in December, 1831, in
which capacity he served until the close of 1837.
In the year 1832 the farmers of Indiana were not crowned
with usual success, nor was the partial failure in agriculture
the only affliction with which the Indianians were visited
during that year. Cholera came in a terrible march among
the settlements along the Ohio, sweeping hundreds from time
into eternity.
This term is also memorable on account of the Black Hawk
"War, which, raging in Illinois, sent its terrifying effects into
the western borders of the State. Several war parties invaded
the western settlements, causing a vast amount of alarm, and
a considerable degree of suffering.
During the first year of Governor Noble's administration
the work of internal improvement was begun. In his mes-
sage to the legislature, in 1832, the Governor remarked : " The
agents of the State entrusted with the administration of the
affairs of the canal, have, it is believed, faithfully discharged
every duty enjoined by law. The Fund Commissioners during
the last summer made a sale of canal stock, in the city of
New York, to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars,
at a premium of thirteen and one-quarter per cent., terms
honorable to the character of the State and advantageous to
the work. Having embarked in the undertaking, it is our
imperious duty to maintain our credit, by the adoption of
certain and efficient measures promptly to meet all our
engagements.
(203)
204
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
In 1S32 we find the Michigan Road in a state of progress.
In that year fifty-four thousand dollars were spent for its
See page 21.
improvement, and fifty-two thousand dollars realized from the
sale of lands appropriated for its construction.
ADMINISTRATION OF GGVEKNOK NOBLE. 205
In May, 1S32, the remainder of the Indianapolis donation
belonging to the State, was valued by the commissionera
selected for that purpose, and, in compliance with the direction
of the legislature, it was offered at public sale, by the agent
of the State. The sale amounted to upwards of thirteen
thousand dollars, leaving unsold lots, at valuation, to the
amount of about four thousand dollars. "We learn from Gov-
ernor Xoble's message of 1832, that "at the suggestion of the
architect who is to build the Stale house, with the concurrence
of the commissioners, the block north of the State house
square was reserved from sale, to await the determination of
the legislature as to the propriety of adding it to the public
ground, making it an oblong square, corresponding to the form
of the edifice to be erected. Tlie commissioners appointed
to contract for the building of the State house and superintend
its erection, have made an agreement with Mr. Town, the
artist, whose plan was adopted by the legislature, by which he
is to complete the building for fifty-eight thousand dollars.
The work in all its parts is to be strictly conformable to the
plans and specifications presented to the legislature, and In its
construction, as regards ornament, neatness, strength and
durability nothing is to be omitted. The whole is to be com-
pleted by November, 1837.
In 1831, a joint resolution of the legislature of Indiana,
requesting an appropriation by Congress for the extinguish-
ment of the Indian title to lands within the State, was for-
warded to that body, and, in compliance with the request, the
necessary provision was made. Three citizens were designated
by the Secretary of War, to constitute a commission to carry
into effect the object of the appropriation. It was considered
an object of great importance to extinguish the title of the
Miamis to their lands, at that time surrounded on all sides by
American settlers, situated almost in the heart of the State,
and immediately on the line of the canal, then under con-
struction. The prompt and cheerful manner in which the
chiefs of the tribe obeyed the summons to the treaty, induced
the belief that the negotiation would prove successful; but in
their response to the propositions cif the commissioners, they
206 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
positively refused to go westward, or sell the remains of their
lands.
Tlic nccotiation with the Pottawatomics was more sncccss-
ful. This tribe sold about six millions of acres in Indiana,
Illinois and Michigan, including their entire claims in thia
State.
Durin<T Governor Noble's government the Wabash and Erie
canal was commenced, and a portion completed. In 1832,
thirty-two miles of this canal were placed under contract.
Durinir this year a communication was addressed to the Gov-
w ■J
crnor of Ohio, requesting him to call the attention of the
leo'islature of that State to the subject of the extension of the
canal, from the Indiana line through the territory of Ohio to
the lake. In compliance with this request, Governor Lucas
promptly laid the subject before the legislature of his State,
and, in a spirit of courtesy, resolutions were adopted by that
body, stipulating that if Ohio should ultimately decline to
undertake the completion of that portion of the work within
her limits, before the time hxed by the act of Congress for the
completion of the canal, she would, on just and equitable
terms, enable Indiana to avail herself of the benefit of the
lands granted, by authorizing her to sell them and invest the
proceeds in the stock of a company to be incorporated by
Ohio; and that she would give Indiana notice of her final
determination, on or before the first day of January, 1838.
The legislature of Ohio also authorized and invited the agent
of the State of Indiana to select, survey and set apart the
lands lying within that State.
In 1831, Governor Noble, grasping at the system of public
works that was adopted in 183G, of which he should be
regarded, in a great dcgr«c, the author, remarked: "With a
view of engaging in works of internal improvement, the pro-
priety of adopting a general plan or system, having reference
to the several portions of the State, and the connection of one
with the other, naturally suggests itself. No work should be
commenced but such as would be of acknowledged public
utility, and when completed would form a branch of some
general system. * * * In ^aew of this object, the policy
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR NOBLE.
20T
of organizing a board of public works is again respectfully-
suggested." The attention of the legislature, in 1834, was
also directed to the "praiseworthy and public spirited enter-
See page 21.
prise of that portion of our citizens interested in the line of
^ railway designated by the Lawrenceburg and Indianapolis
charter.'
I
208 niSTORT OF INDIANA.
In 183-i the Micliigan boiindarj question, in ^vluell that
State acted a very lieadstrong and reckless part, was tirst
brought to light. Michigan, notwithstanding the approval by
Congress of the constitutions of Indiana, Ohio and Illinois,
in each of which their respective boundaries were clearly
pointed out, claimed, as her southern boundary, an east and
west line drawn through the southern extreme of Lake Mich-
iofan. In a rccoirnition of this claim Indiana would have lost
a district ten miles wide, extending entirely across the north-
ern part of the State, including one of the fairest and most
desirable portions of her territory, and have been entirely
excluded from any access to the lake, except through a foreign
jurisdiction. In addition to these considerations, there were
other reasons why Indiana should have opposed the Micliigan
boundary claim. In the first place, the mouth of the Maumee
river, and the termination of the Wabash and Erie canal, laid
within the limits claimed by Michigan, and it was more than
probable that Ohio would abandon co-operation in the work
if the territory was transferred. Beyond this, Indiana would
to a great extent lose the benefit of one of her greatest public
improvements. This controversy continued until 1836, when
Congress refused to acceed to the demands of Michigan, but,
settled the question by extending her territory in the Lake
Superior region.
In 1834, the State bank again commenced operations
" under very favorable circumstances." The stock in all the
branches authorized was subscribed by individuals, and the
installment paid as required by the charter. The loan author-
ized for the payment on the stock allotted to the State, amount-
ing to five hundred thousand dollars, was obtained at a pre-
mium of one and five-hundredths per cent, on five per cent,
stock, making the sum of over five thousand dollars on the
amount borrowed.
In December, 1835, the legislature of Indiana convened in
the '• New State Capitol," at Indianapolis, and on the occasion
Governor Noble, in his message, remarked: "This is your
first session in your new capitol, and from the conviction that
th'j occasion will not fail to inspire feelings of exultation
ADMIMSTRATION OF GOVERNOK NOBT.E. 209
within you, I will not withliold, on my part, the ofFerini^ of a
hearty welcome and congratulation. It is an ediiice worthy
of the State, and, being dedicated to the public interests,
within these "walls the representatives of the people will
annually assemble to perform some of the most important
duties ever delegated to man. The people, through their rep-
resentatives, will here speak their wishes, utter their com-
plaints, and obtain redress for their wrongs." Forty years
liave passed since these sentiments were uttered by Governor
Koblc, and still " jS^ew (now old) State Capitol " is universally
the scene of legislative activity.
During the year 1835 the work of public improvements was
pushed forward. " The operations on the line of the Wabash
and Erie canal," says the Governor's message, "have been
conducted the past season with energy and great success. The
middle division, extending from the St. Joseph dam to the
folks of the Wabash, about thirty-two miles, has been com-
pleted, for about tw*o hundred and thirty-two thousand dollars,
including all repairs to this time. * * * Upon this portion
of the line navigation w'as opened on the fourth of July, on
which day our citizens assembled to witness the mingling of
the waters of the St. Joseph with those of the Wabash, uniting
the waters of the northern chain of lakes with those of the
Gulf of Mexico in the south. On this division boats have
been running, without the interruption of a day, since the
letting in of the water." On other parts of the line the work
progressed with speed, and the sale of canal lands was unus-
ually active.
In 1836 we find that the State bank was " subserving all the
valuable purposes for which it was established," agricultural
products were abundant, and the market was good; conse-
quently the people were in the full enjoyment of all the bles&.
ings of a free government and of an enlightened civilization.
In this year the first meeting of the State Board of Internal
Improvement was convened, and entered upon the discharge
of its numerous and responsible duties. Having assigned to
each member the direction and superintendence of a portion
of the work, the next duty to be performed preparatory to an
14
L
210 nisTOKY or ixdiana.
cnl.irf^cd splierc of active service, was tliat of procuring tlie
requisite number of engineers. A delegation was sent to tlic
eastern cities, but returned without engaging an engincer-in-
cliief for the roads and railways, and without the desired
number for the subordinate stations; but after considerable
delay the Board was fully organized and put in o]'>eration.
During the year 1S3G the public M'orks, under the new
management, were successful. The AV.abasli and Erie canal
progressed steadily. The navigation of the middle division,
from Fort Wayne to Huntington, was uninterrupted. Sixteen
miles of the line between Huntington and Lafontaine's creek
CD
were filled with water and made ready for naviiration, and the
remaining twenty miles were completed, with the exception
of a portion of the locks. From Lafontaine's creek to George-
town reasonable progress was made, several sections having
been completed and received by the Board. The line from
Georgetown to Lafayette was placed under contract. During
the same year about thirty miles of the White Water canal
extending from Lawrenceburg through the beautiful valley of
the White Water, to Brookvillc, were also placed under con-
tract, twenty-three miles of the Central canal, in the vicinity
of and passing through Indianapolis, were placed under con-
tract and work commenced upon it; about twenty miles of
the southern division of this work, extending from Evansville
into the interior, were also contracted for. On the line of the
Cross-Cut canal, from Terre Haute to the intersection of tho
Central canal, near the mouth of Eel river, a commencement
was also made on all the heavy sections.
Early in this year a party of engineers was organized, and
directed to examine into the practicability of the then con-
templated Michigan and Erie canal line. The result of its
operations gave evidence of the expediency of the work.
Soon after the organization of the Board of Internal Improve-
ment, a party of engineers was fitted out and entered upon
the field service of the Madison and Lafayette railroad, and in
the same year contracts were made for the building of this
road from Madison to Yernon, on which work was actively
commenced. Contracts for grading and bridging the New
AmriNlSTRATTON OF GOVERNOR NOBLE.
211
Albany and Yincennes road, from the former point to Pnoli,
about forty miles, were also let. Other i-oads were also under-
taken and surveyed, and, iu all respects, a stupenduous worl<
See page 21.
' of internal improvement was undertaken. Truly did Governor
Noble remark: "Upon the issue of the enterprise in whieii
we are now engaged, our State has staked her fortunes. She
212 BISTORT OF INDIANA
has assumed a gi-eat responsibility, but one that is full of hope
and of promise. * * * Our great system may be said to
be fairly begun, and the State has embarked in a course of
policy from which there is no retreat."
CHATTEE XXIIl.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR "WALLACE.
WITH the opening of Governor David "Wallace's admin
istration murmurs of discontent were beginning to be
audible among tax payers. In the estimation of a very respect-
able portion of the people, the State had undertaken entirely too
much; that the very attempt to prosecute so great an enterprise
as was contemplated by the Board of Internal Improvements
with the means in possession or expectancy, must inevitably
involve the State in debt from which it would be difEcult, if
not impossible, to extricate itself, and thereby entail upon the
people the worst of all evils — oppressive and ruinous taxation.
These predictions, coming from intelligent lips, were well
calculated to chill the ardor and extinguish the spirit of enter-
prise in which these public improvements were conceived. In
reference to this sad phase of public afiliirs, Governor Wallace,
in his first annual message to the legislature in 1S37, said:
"But the astonishina^ success which has thus far attended our
progress; the realization of all, and more than friends, the
most sanguine, dreamed of; nay, tlie flattering auspices of the
future, should, it appears to me, dispel every doubt, and quiet
every fear which such boding prognostics may have created."
These sentiments from the governor were well calculated to
disguise the painful opinion which he himself possessed at
this time, that the State would not be able to carry the load
of public improvements with which she had burdened herself,
Hnless the general depression of public and private enterprise
ADMIKISTKATION OF GOVERNOR "WALLACE. 213
throughout the whole country should be speedily dispelled.
But he was an ardent advocate of the measure; indeed it was
the arreat theme of his administration, and he never lost his
faith in its ultimate success.
But if the condition of the public works of Indiana were on
the decline at the close of the year 1S37, it was so in a moro
discourairiuir deofrce at the close of 1S38. On the meetino
of the legislature, on this occasion, Governor Wallace said:
"Never before — I speak it advisedly — never before have you
witnessed a period iu our local history that more urgently
called for the exercise of all the soundest and best attributes
of grave and patriotic legislators than the present. * * *
The truth is — and it would be folly to conceal it — we have oar
hands full — full to overflowing! and therefore, to sustain our-
selves, to preserve the credit and character of the State unim-
paired, and to continue her hitherto unexampled march to
wealth and distinction, we have not an hour of time, nor a
dollar of money, nor a hand employed in labor, to squander
and dissipate upon mere objects of idleness, or taste, or
amusement."
The condition of the State at this time was truly critical.
Tliere had been borrowed by the State, for internal improve-
ment purposes, three millions eiglit hundred and twenty-seven
thousand dollars — one million three hundred and twenty-seven
thousand for the Wabash and Erie canal, and the remaining
two and a half millions for the benefit of other works. Upon
the whole of this sum, with a very inconsiderable exception,
the State paid an annual interest of five per cent., which of
itself was an unbearable burden. To meet this demand the
State had but two small sources, independent of taxation.
These were, first, the interest arising tVoni the balances due
upon the sales of canal lands, and secondly, the proceeds of the
third installment of the surplus revenue, both amounting, in
1838, to about forty-tive thousand dollars. This was all the
visible means with which the State had to pay the enormous
sum of two hundred thousand dollars without resortinof to
direct taxation.
In 1838, the tribe of Pottawatomie Indians, according to a
214 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
treaty in which, they had previously entered, were removed
from Indiana to the western reservation. Some difficulty was
experienced in their removal. Becoming hostile and refusing
to emigrate, the militia was called out, and, under General
Tipton, a force was marched to their villages. This induced
them to leave without further opposition.
In the same year a treaty was concluded with the Miami
Indians through tlic good offices of Colonel A. C. Pepper, the
Indian agent, by which a considerable, and the most desirable
])ortion of their reserve, was ceded to the United States.
CHAPTER XXIY.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR SAMUEL BIGGER.
GOVERNOPt WALLACE was succeeded by Hon. Samuel
BiiTircr, in December, IS-iO. On this occasion the state
of public afl'airs was in a very unpleasant condition. The
system of internal improvements adopted four years previous
had not prospered as expected by its friends, and was at tliat
time prostrated, and the government and people found them-
selves laboring under the complicated embarrassments of this
disastrous result. Tliey felt and expressed the most intense
anxiety respecting the measures which should be adopted to
effect their relief. The great question was now, " What shall
be done with our public improvements?" The "system"
embraced ten different works, of which the most important
was the Wabash and Erie canal. Their aggregate length was
one thousand one hundred and sixty miles. Of this length
only one hundred and forty miles had been fully completed.
The amount which had been expended on these various lines
was something over $5,600,000, and it required at least
$14,000,000 to complete them. In August, 1839, all work
ADMINISTKATION OF GOVERNOR BIGGER.
215
cefised on these iinprovements with one or two exceptions,
and most of the contracts were surrendered to the State. This
course had been adopted nnder an act ot the legishiture pro-
vidiDg for the compensation of contractors by the issue of
JUDGE C. Y. PATTERSON.
See page 21.
treasury notes. In addition to this state of affairs, the legis-
lature of 1839 had made no provision for the payment of
interest on the State debt incurred for internal improvements.
In reference to this unpleasant situation of the public works
in 181:0, Governor Bigger said: "Their prosecution, as origi-
216 HISTOET OF INDIANA.
nally contemplated, will not be seriously urged at this time
by any one at all conversant with our condition and the extent
of our liabilities. Such a course would be the extreme of
folly. And on the other hand, their entire abandonment, with
the utter loss of the large sums of money already expended,
would scarcely be less ruinous in its consequences to our credit
and ultimate prosperity."
Much individual indebtedness was created during the pro-
gress of the works of internal improvement. When opera-
tions ceased in 1839, and prices fell at the same time, the
people were left, in a great measure, without the means of
commanding money with which to i)ay their debts. This con-
dition of private enterprise, which had been incurred by an
unwise State policy, rendered direct taxation more than ever
inexpedient. Hence it became the policy of Governor Bigger's
administration to provide the means of paying the interest on
the State debt without increasing the rate of taxation, and
of continuing that portion of the public works that could be
immediately completed, and from which the earliest returns
could be expected.
The years of 1840-41, were two dark years in Indiana; nor
was the prospect brightened with the commencement of 1842.
In 1841 the iarmer was abundantly rewarded in the pursuits
of agriculture, Avhich, to a considerable extent, lightened the
burden of the whole people.
AVith the assembling of the legislature in 1841, the State
had reached a crisis in its affairs M'hich had been expected by
many, but which many had expected to avoid. Indiana, until
that year, had succeeded in paying the interest on her public
debt, and at the pre^'ious session of the legislature ample pro-
vision was supposed to have been made for its payment, but
circumstances bevond the control of the ajxents of the State
rendered it im|)Ossible to obtain the necessary funds, and at
this period the peo])le were compelled to acknowledge the
nnwelcome truth that the credit of the State had not been
sustained.
In this connection we shall briefly glance over those meas-
nres, the unfortunate issue of which involved the State in the
diliicultics to which we now refer.
I
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOK BIGGEK. 217
In the year 1827, the State of Indiana obtained from the
general government a grant of land to aid in the construction
of the Wabash and Erie canal, with a view to connect the
"Wabash river with Lake Erie. A jDortion of this grant was
Burrendered to the State of Ohio, on the condition that she
would construct the canal from the boundary of Indiana to
the lake. This canal had been completed, ready for naviga-
tion from Lafayette, on the Wabash, to the eastern line of the
State. This work was not generally regarded as a part of the
system of internal improvements adopted in 1S3G.
In the month of Jannary, 1S3G, the legislature of Indiana
passed an act to provide for a general system of internal
improvements, embi'acing a number ot expensive works. The
extent and condition of these works, including the AV abash
and Erie canal, at the close of the year 1841, with the total
disbursement thereon, may be summed up as follows:
1. The Wabash and Erie canal, from the State line to Tippe-
canoe, one hundred and twenty-nine miles in length, completed
and navigable for the whole length, at a total expenditure of
$2,0il,012. This sum includes the cost of the steam boat lock
afterwards completed at Delphi.
2. The extension of the AVabash and Erie canal from the
mouth of the TijDpecanoe toTerre Haute, over one hundred and
four miles. The estimated cost of this work was $1,500,000,
and the amount expended for the same, up to 1811, was
$108,855. The navigation was at this period opened as far
down as Lafayette, and a portion of the work performed in the
vicinity of Covington.
3. The cross-cut canal from Terre Haute to central canal,
forty-nine miles in length, estimated cost $718,672 — amount
expended to 1841, $120,079, and at this period no part of the
work was navigable.
4. The White Water canal, from Lawrenceburgh to the
mouth of Nettle creek, seventy-six and a half miles — estimated
cost $ 1, 075,738, amount expended to that date, $1,099,867, and
thirty-one miles of the work was navigable, extending from
the Ohio river to Brookville.
5. The Central canal, from the Wabash and Erie canal, to
218
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Indianapolis, including the feeder dam at Muncietown, one
hundred and twentj-four miles in length — total estimated cost
$2,299,853, amount expended, $568,046; eight miles com-
pleted at that date, and other portions nearly done.
6. Central canal, from Indianapolis to Evansville, on the
Ohio river, one hundred and ninety-four miles in length, total
estimated cost, $3,532,394, amount expended $831,302; nine-
BIRTH-PLACE OF JUDGE HOR:VCE P. BIDDLE.
See page 21.
teen miles of which was completed at that date, at the southern
end, and sixteen miles extending south from Indianapolis
were nearly completed.
7. Erie and Michigan canal, one hundred and eighty-two
miles in length, estimated cost, $2,624,823, amount expended,
$156,324. No part of this work was finished in 1841.
8. The Madison and Indianapolis railroad, over eighty -five
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVEENOE BIGGEK.
219
miles in length, total estimated cost, 82,<>46,600, amount
expended, $1,493,013. Road finished and in operation for
about twenty-eight miles; grading nearly finished, and twenty-
seven miles in addition, extending to Edenburg,
9. Indianapolis and Lafayette turnpike road, seventy-three
miles in length, total estimated cost, $593,737, amount
expended, $72,182. The bridging and most of the grading
RESIDENCE OF JUDGE H. P. BIDDLE, LOGAKSPORT.
See page 21.
was done on twenty-seven miles from Crawfordsville to
Lafayette.
10. Xew Albany and Yincennes turnpike road, one hundred
and five miles in length, estimated cost, $1,127,295, amount
exjDended, $65-1,411. In 1841, forty-one miles were graded
and macadamized, extending from Xew Albany to Paoli, and
twenty-seven miles in addition, partly graded.
220 mSTOEY OF INDIANA.
11. Jeffersonville and Crawfordsville road, over one hundred
and sixty-four miles long, total estimated cost, $1,051,800,
amount expended, $372,737. Forty-live miles were partly
graded and bridged, extending from Jeli'ersouville to fcjalem,
and from Greencastle north.
12. Improvement of the Wabash rapids, undertaken jointly
by Indiana and Illinois; estimated cost to Indiana, $102,500,
amount expended by Indiana, $0,539.
There had also been paid to the Board of Internal Improve-
ments, for instruments, etc., to date, $3G,5G1.
By summing up the foregoing, it will be seen that the whole
lenirth of these roads and canals was one thousand two hundred
and eighty -nine miles, only two hundred and eighty-one of
which had been finished in 1841. The estimated ao:ijrc£:atc
cost of all the works was $19,914,424. The amount expended
for all purposes, to that date, was $8,164,528.
The State debt, at this time, amounted to $1S,4G9,14G. In
reference to this condition of the public debt, as well as tlie
means to be employed for reducing it. Governor Bigger, in
1841, remarked: "It is due to ourselves, in this state of our
affairs, to examine into some of the prominent causes which
have produced the present embarrassments. The first of these
is doubtless to be found in the number of large and expensive
works embraced in the system of^ internal improvements and
their simultaneous prosecution. Also- the unexpected increase
in the prices of provisions, labor, and materials, was such that
a sum much greater than the original estimate was required
for the construction of the public works. Two great errors
were committed in the progress of the system. The first Avas,
paying the most of the interest out of the money borrowed.
This subjected the State to the payment of compound interest,
and the people, not feeling the pressure of taxes to dischai-ge
the interest, naturally became inattentive to the policy M'hich
was pursued. Had the legislature commenced by levying
tuxes to defray the interest as it accrued, its amount would
have been a certain index to the sums expended on the works.
This of itself would have done much to check extravagant
ADMESriSTRATION OF GOYERNOK WmTCOMB. 221
expenditures. The second error was selling bonds on credit,"
wliicli led to the most disastrous consequences.
The administration of Governor Bigger closes in the most
dissatisfactory manner, though probably from no fault of
the governor, unless it may have been through a too sanguine
co-operation in the internal improvement system. Both at
home and abroad the State was held up in an unpleasant man-
ner before the gaze of the world. " Indiana cannot pay the
interest on her public debt! " was sounded in every State. But
Indiana was not wanting in courage in this trying hour, as
we shall sec, nor was the energy of her people inadequate to
the difficulties before them.
r
CHAPTER XXV.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WniTCOMB.
GOYEBiNOR SAMUEL BIGGER was succeeded by Hon.
James "Wliitcomb, in December, 1843. The latter
assumed the duties of executive of the State under the embar-
rassing circumstances which we have been considering in the
previous chapter, but he found himself ably qualified for the
responsible duties of his office. " Our State," said he, to the
legislature, in 1843, ^ ^ * "is experiencing the distress and
embarrassment consequent upon a system of over-banking,
and its natural progeny, over-trading and deceptive specula-
tion. ■» * * The tendency of this state of things is to relax
the hand of industry by creating false notions of wealth, and
to tempt to sudden acquisitions by means as delusive in their
results as they are contrary to a primary law of the Author of
our being. * ■* * Our position, soil and climate, as well
as the habits of our people, all point to that branch of labor
which is devoted to agriculture as our chief reliance for lasting
wealth and returning prosperity. This calling should rank
222 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
with US tliG first in respectability, as it is unquestionably tlie
first in importance."
During the administration of Governor Wliitcomb, the war
with Mexico was thrust upon the United States and prosecuted
to a glorious triumph in the acquisition of immense tracts of
lands in the south and west. Indiana contributed her full
ratio to the troops that were sent into the field, and in a spirit
of singular promptness and patriotism, adopted all necessary-
measures to sustain the general government. These new
acquisitions of territory opened for discussion the question of
slavery, in which Governor Whitcomb expressed himself
opposed to any further extension of the "National sin."
It is due to the memory of Governor Wliitcomb to state
that through the judicious operations of his government, the
public credit of the State was redeemed. Measures of compro-
mise between the State and its creditors were adopted by
which, ultimately, the public works, although incomplete,
were given in payment for the claims against the government.
In this and other ways, the State was again placed upon
respectable footing in the nation.
Governor Wliitcomb was succeeded by lion. Joseph A.
Wright, in December, 1S49, having faithfully discharged tlie
important duties devolving upon the oflice, until called, in
December, 1848, to represent the State of Indiana in the
Senate of the United States. Lieutenant-Governor Paris C.
Dunning was acting Governor from December, 1S4S, to the
same month in 1849.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WRIGHT.
Governor Joseph A. Wright's administration was an event-
ful one. During its first year the State was called to mourn
the decease of the President, Zachary Taylor, but at home
Indiana had much upon which to congratulate herself. Tlie
public improvements were going forward with a giant pro-
gress, mainly through the united eflforts of private capital and
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WRIGHT.
223
energy. The products of the soil were abundant, and the
market was ample. At the close of 1850, the Governor, in
his inaugural address, spoke of the public works in these
words: "We are progressing rapidly with M-orks of public
improvement. In the past season we have completed four
hundred miles of plank road, which have cost irom twelve to
fifteen hundred dollars per mile. There are souie twelve
JOHN M. LOCK WOOD, ESQ.
See page 21.
hundred miles additional surveyed and in progress. We have
two hundred and twelve miles of railroad in successful opera-
tion, of which one hundred and twenty-four were completed
the past year. There are more than one thousand miles of
railway surveyed and in a state of progress."
In pursuance of a joint resolution of the legislature in 1850,
a block of native marble was procured and forwarded to AYash-
ington, to be placed in the monument then in course of erec-
224 HISTOKY OF INDIANA.
tion at the National capital, in memory of tlic immortal
George "Washington. Althougli the assembly of Indiana did
not authoi'ize any sentiment to be placed on the block, Gov-
ernor Wright had the following words inscribed npon it:
Indiana knows no North, no South, NOTniNO but the Union!
This motto was placed upon tlie Washington monnraent in
1S50, and a little more tlian ten years after, the people of
Indiana showed to tlie world liow completely they entered into
this sentiment by the sacrifice of blood and treasure in the
cause of the Union.
Governor Wright endorsed the compromise measures en-
acted by Congress on the slavery question in 1S50; and in
closing his message of this year he remarked : " Indiana takes
her stand in the ranks not of Southern destiny^ nor yet of
Northern destiny. She plants herself on the basis of the
"ionstitution, and takes her stand in the ranks of American
destiny."
It was also during Governor Wrio^ht's fruitful administra-
tion that the State of Indiana started out fully upon the great
mission of education. It was in 1S52 that the township system
was adopted, which has become a truly wonderful success —
the boast of the State. The reader is referred to another part
of this volume for a complete history of the superior educa-
tional advantages of Indiana.
It was also during Governor Wrio^ht's administration that
the second constitutional convention was held, and a new con-
stitution adopted. A general banking law was adopted in
1851. This gave a new impetus to tlie commerce of the State,
and opened the way for a broader volume of general trade.
This banking law, however, gave rise to many abuses. The
currency was expanded, a delusive idea of wealth prevailed,
and, as a consequence, much injurious speculation was
indulged. In 1857 the charter of the State bank expired, and
the large gains of tlie State in that institution were directed
to the promotion of common school education.
Governor Joseph A. AVright was *iccceded by Hon. Ashbel
P. Willard, in January, 1857.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR AVILLARD. 225
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WILLARD.
An extra session of the Ici^islatnre was convened bj Gov-
ernor Willard in November, 1S5S. Tlie constitution of 1852
provided only for biennial sessions of the legislature, and -as
the legislature of 1857 made no provision for raising a revenue
for 1S5S-9, the necessity for the special session is obvious.
Governor Willard condenses a very complete history of the
State bank in the following paragrapli, which is taken from
his message of 1859: "On the twenty-eighth of January,
1834, an act was approved establishing a State bank. Said
act, by its terms, ceased to be a law on the first of January,
1857. Under this law the bank commenced and continued its
operations as a corporation authorized to issue and circulate
notes, discount paper, and transact all other ordinary banking
business until the first of January, 1857. At that time its
outstanding circulation was $4,208,725, with a debt due to the
institution principally from citizens of this State of $6,095,368.
Between the first of January, 1857, and 1859, the bank
redeemed nearly its entire circulation, and provided amply
for the redemption of that which has not been returned. She
has collected from most of her debtors the money which they
owed. -5^ * * The State was interested in the bank. She
invested in its stock $1,390,000. The money to make the
investment was procured by the issuing of five per cent, bonds,
the last of which will be payable July first, 1866. * * *
Tlie report of the commissioners shows that its nominal profits
are $2,780,604.36. By the law creating the Sinking Fund,
that fund was appropriated, first, to pay the principal and
interest upon the bonds; second, the expenses of the commis-
sioners; and lastly, the cause of common school education.*^
On the third day of October, 1860, before his term of office
had expired. Governor Willard died at St. Paul, Minn. His
remains were brought back to the State by his widow, accom-
panied by the Governor of Minnesota, Hon. Henry M. Eice,
one of the United States Senators, and several distinguished
citizens of that State. From this date the duties of the exec-
15
226 - EISTOKY OF INDIANA.
ntivc devolved upon the Lieutenant-Governor, Hon. A. A.
llammond.
In the same year the State sufTcred a severe loss to science
in the death of David Dale Owen, the State gcoloi^ist.
Acting Governor Hammond, in closing his message to the
legislature in January, 18G1, referred to the approaching civil
war in a spirit of patriotism, manifesting a strong belief
that it would not be averted.
GOVERNOR Morton's administration.
Governor O. P. Morton's administration, Avhich commences
with his election as Lieutenant-Governor, owing to the resig-
nation of Governor Lane, brings us at once to a consideration
of the war for the Union, in which he acted an honorable part.
Almost immediately after his election to the important office,
he issued his proclamation calling the legistaturc into extra-
ordinary session. On this occasion he placed the position of
the Southern States in a true light before the assembled repre-
sentatives of the State, closinc' his remarks in the followins
language: "We have passed from the field of argument to the
solemn fact of war which exists by the act of the seceding
States. The issue is forced upon us, and must be accepted.
Every man must take his position upon the one side or upon
the other. In time of war there is no ground upon which a
third party can stand. It is the imperative duty of all men
to rally to the support of the government, and to expend in
its behalf, if need be, their fortunes and their blood. U'pon
the preservation of this government depends our prosperity
and greatness as a nation; our liberty and happiness as indi-
viduals. AVe should approach the contest not as politicians,
nor as ambitious partizans, but as patriots, who cast aside
every selfish consideration when danger threatens their
country. The voice of party should be hushed, and the bitter-
ness that may have sprung out of political contests be at once
forgiven and forgotten. Let us rise above these paltry con-
eiderations and inaugurate the era when there shall be but
GOVERNOR Morton's administration,
227
one party, and that for onr coimtiy. Tlie struggle is one in
wliich we enter with the deepest rehictance. We are bound
to the people of the seceding States by the dearest ties ot
blood and institutions. They are onr brothers and our fellow
countrymen. But if they regard not their tender relations,
how can we? If they wage war upon us, and put themselves
in the attitudf^ of public enemies, they must assume all the
HON. WILLARD CARPENTER.
See page 21.
responsibilities incident to that position. But while I deplore
deeply the character of the contect in which we are engaged,
nevertheless we should meet it as men. ***** In
view of all the facts, it becomes the imperative duty of Indiana
to make suitable preparations for the contest by providing
ample supplies of men and money to insure the protection of
the State and general government in the prosecution of the
war to a speedy and successful termination. I therefore
228 HISTORY OF rtTDIANA.
recommend that one million of dollars be appropriated for the
piircliase of arms and the munitions of war, and for the
organization of sneh portion of the militia as may be deemed
necessary for the emergency; that a militia system be devised
and enacted looking chielly to volnnteers ■which shall insure
the greatest protection to the State and nnity and efficiency
of the force to be employed; that a law be enacted defining
and punishing treason against the State; that a law be enacted
suspending the collection of debts against those who may be
actually employed in the military service of the State or the
United States; that suitable provision be made by the issue
of bonds of the State or otherwise, for raising the money
herein recommended to be appropriated."
CHAPTER XXYl.
EECOED IN THE WAR FOR THF UNION.
WITH the beginning of the year 1861, the political his-
tory of Indiana departs from the som.ewhat dull routine
of the previous years, and partakes of the military cast. It
would be difficult now for one who was not living in the State
at that time to fully realize the excitement that prevailed
throughout the length and breadth of the State, when, in
April, 1861, the intelligence that Fort Sumter was bombarded,
was received. It has been truthfully said that no man living
within the limits of America will ever forget that dispatch.
The graphic compiler of the " Indiana Soldier " thus describes
the profound impression which it produced in this State:
"The whole earth itself seemed to reel under the blow, and
no longer to aiford a sure foothold. Through the long Satur-
day that followed, business was at a stand; business houses
were closed, and men with clenched fists and high beating
hearts stood on the street corners and at the doors of the tele-
KECOED IN THE WAK FOR THE UNION. 229
graph office. That night, from the knobs of Ohio to the sand
hills of Lake Michigan, from the Quaker towns in the eastern
border to the prairie farms on the western line, the streets
of Indiana were black with breathless multitudes still awaitins:
the tidings of the seventy loyal men in an unfurnished fort,
bombarded by ten thousand raging rebels! When the banner
appeared — the banner which within the memory of the pres-
ent generation had only idly fluttered in holiday breezes — a
new meanini!' seemed to stream from its folds: hats were taken
off, as in the presence of something sacred; and shouts begin-
ning, it might be, brokenly and in tears, rose and swelled, and
made walls and skies resound. At ten o'clock a dispatch was
announced: 'Sumter has fallen.' Young men, and men in
middle life, looked at white faces and wet eyes of old and
vcnci-atcd citizens, who stood in the street waitinir for tidinffs,
and a great stillness fell upon all. They turned to separate
and creep silently to their homes. Another dispatch: 'Mr.
Lincoln will issue a proclamation to-morrow, calling for
seventy-five thousand volunteers.' Cheer npon cheer, roar
upon roar, responded. The white-faced old men grew red;
they stamped, pounded, wept, roared with the loudest, wildest
and maddest. Good, cold-blooded people, who had gone to
oed, 6]>rang np, threw open their windows, screamed to
passers-by for information, and joined, too, in the national
shout."
The following Sabbath was a memorable one in the history
of Indiana, The country's cause was the theme at the
churches; it was in the prayer, in the sermons, and in the
songs. Ever}' where, in every citj', town and village of the
State, the blessing of the God of nations was invoked upon
the President of the United States, and upon the Union.
The President's proclamation was immediately folloAved by
Governor Morton's. Indiana was called upon for six thousand
volunteers, as her portion of the seventy-five thousand. The
response to the Governor's call can never be described.
Before the proclamation had been fully read more than ftftecn
thousand brave men stood ready for war. The clerk left his
desk, the woodman dropped his ax, the farmer left his fields,
230 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
and the meclianic liis bench. In every quarter there -n-as a
grand response, a patriotic answer to the Governor's call, and
from that hour the complete lojaltj, may we not say, the
intense loyalty, of the State was manifested.
But there were contributions of means as well as of men.
"Winslow and Lanier, of New York, the latter formerly a citi-
zen of Indiana, offered Governor Morton twenty-five thousand
dollars, William Morrison of Indianapolis, one thousand. But
there is no room for cnumci-ation. The cities, towns, and
other corporations of the State, as well as individuals, gave
freely, and unsolicited. The legislature, wdiich met in extra-
ordinary session on the twenty-fourth of April, was exceed-
ingly ])ronipt and unpartisan in transacting the business which
the bi-eaking out of the war had thrust upon them. They
voted, and placed at tly3 Governor's control, five hundred
thousand dollars for arras and ammunition, together with one
hundred thousand dollars for military contingencies. They
also voted one million dollars for enlisting, maintaining and
subsisting troops, and providing munitions of war.
Having the necessary means placed at his disposal, Gov-
ernor Morton commissioned Kobert Dale Owen, formerly
member of Congress from the First District, agent to purchase
arms and munitions of war for the State. In this responsible
position Mr. Owen, by his great foresight and wide experience
not only saved the State large amounts of money in his pur-
chases, but procured for the regiments that represented the
State in the army, a much better quality of rifles than many
of the other States were enabled to obtain.
Being thus provided with arms, ammunition was next
wanted. But there was no delay in procuring this. Just two
weeks after the news of the fall of Sumter, Captain H. Strum
was detailed for the purpose of establishing, at Indianapolis,
a State ai-senal. He at once commenced the erection of a suit-
able building, and the purchase, with State funds, of sufdcient
materials to manufacture, in large quantities, ammunition for
field pieces and small arms. This arsenal afterwards became
useful in not only supplying our own troops in the field, but
many brigades from other States. At one time the liands
RECORD IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION.
231
employed in the arsenal reached six hundred. It has become
a permanent establishment.
The funds for the preparation of this ammunition were all
advanced by the State, and the ammunition was paid for, after
delivery, by the General Government. The auditing com-
mittee connected with the finances of the arsenal, in closing
their report, speak in this wise in reference to the efficiency
f
DR. ANDEEW LEWIS.
See page 21.
of Captain Strum: " We cannot close this report without
bearing testimony to the ability, integrity and economy with
which Captain Strum has managed the affairs of the arsenal."
The want of clothing and camp equipage for the troops as
they were mustered into service, was almost as pressing and
important as that of arms and ammunition. At first the State
was obliged to carry the burden of this singly, as it was not
until August, 1861, that the Quartermaster-General, at the
232 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
request of Governor Morton, appointed an Assistant United
States Quartermaster for this State. In this capacity the
State advanced for clothing, etc., in 18G1, the sum of five
hundred and forty-one thousand seven hundred and twenty
dolhirs. For camp equipage the «5iim of sixty -live thousand
eight liundrcd dolhirs was also expended in the same period.
During most of the year 1861 the S<"ate was obliged to pro-
vide supplies for her troops in the field, and for this purpose
ninety-four thousand one hundred and f fty-nine dollars were
expended. There were many other avenues of expense in
which the State disbursed large sums of money, to aid the
General Government,,until the latter was thoroughly organ-
ized for war.
JS^ine days after the President's proclamation was issued
calling for seventy-five thousand men, in this Stato companies
enough to form nine regiments were raised. Indiana's first
quota was only four thousand four hundi-ed and fifty-eight,
rank and file; but on the twenty-fifth of April, six regiments,
containing more than five thousand men, were mustered into
the service; "companies enough for three regiments wore
reluctantly returning home."
On the sixteenth of May, 18G1, Indiana was ashed for four
regiments more, making ten in all. It is a matter of pride to
the people of Indiana that the Secretary of War, in ordering
these troops, urged upon the State to send only fo\ir regiinenU.
It appears that the patriotism of the State needed restraint
rather than stimulant.
In advance of this call three regiments liad been oro-anized
by the State. They were at once turned over to the United
States, and a fourth added a few days after. " The urgency ^f
the people," says Mr. Stevenson, " to join the army was such
that, at the instance of the Governor, in advance of the July
call for five hundred thousand troops, tlic Secretary of "War
allowed Indiana to send into the field, by order of June
eleventh, 18G1, six regiments; by order of June nineteentli,
four regiments. Each of these contained one thousand and
forty-six men. One regiment of cavalry (the twenty-eighth
regiment, first Indiana cavalry) was included. Thus the excess
beyond the call was ten thousand four hundred and sixty mei
KECORD m THE WAK FOR THE UNION. 233
From the same source we learn that the calls upon Indiana
by the General Government for troops, in ISGl, amounted tr
thirty-eight thousand eight hundred and thirty-two. Mr
Stevenson continues: " In reply, she sent, up to the sixth of
January, 18G2, forty-eight regiments of inlimtry, three regi-
ments of cavalry, and seventeen batteries, in all fifty-three
thousand and thirty -five men; being in excess of the call
fourteen thousand two hundred and three men. In the months
of July and August, 18G2, the President called for six hun-
dred thousand additional men; and Indiana's quota was fixed
at forty-two thousand and five hundred. By September twen-
tieth Indiana's quota, under all these calls, had been filled by
volunteers, with the exception of six thousand and sixty. A
draft was ordered ; but before it took effect, on October sixth,
the number deficient had been reduced to three thousand and
three, for which number draft was made. The di-aftcd men
were to serve nine months. Of these, however, all but four
companies volunteered to serve three years. * * * There
is one epoch connected with the response to this last call,
which merits especial notice. It is the promptitude, unexam-
pled, we believe, even among the wonders of the rebellion,
with which regiments were poured into Kentucky on the
occasion of the sudden and unexpected invasion of that State
by Generals Morgan and Kirby Smith, when both Cincinnati
and Louisville were seriously threatened. On the eighth of
August General Buell telegraphed to Governor Morton that
' a formidable raid threatened Kentucky,' and urged that
troops be at once sent to General Boyle. On the next day the
Executive received an urgent appeal from the War Depart-
ment, to which he replied that the quota of twenty-one thou
sand two hundred men, called for in July, would be raised
in twenty days. Incredible of performance as the promise
seemed, he kept his word."
Although Indiana was compelled, in 1862, as we have seen,
to make a draft of three thousand men, it should be borne in
mind that this was made necessary, not on account of the
backwardness of volunteering, but on account of a mistake of
the War Department. At the time the draft was made the
234 mSTOKY OF INDIANA.
State had more than her quota in the field, and was subse-
quently credited with this surplus.
In 1SG3, under the call in August, Indiana's quota amounted
to twenty-six thousand eight hundred and thirty-two men,
which the State promptly furnished with volunteers, having,
when the quota was full, sixteen himdred and sixty-nine men
remaining. Under the second call of this year, in September,
Indiana was called upon for eighteen thousand nine hundred
and ninety -seven men, which were also promptly furnished by
volunteering.
But we have no room in this volume to enumerate the evi-
dence of the patriotism of Indianians in the war of the rebel-
lion. Ilere is a touching incident which we cannot fail to
add, although it has been told a thousand times: In July,
1863, news reached Indianapolis that a rebel force, estimated
to be six thousand strong, had crossed the Ohio, and was
marching on Corydon. The Governor immediately issued a
call for the people to rise en masse and defend the State.
What w^ere the results? Within forty-eight hours from the
time this call was issued, sixty-five thousand men had ten-
dered their services, and were on their way to the place of
rendezvous, while ten thousand more were preparing and had
to be notified to remain at home. It will hardly be necessary
to repeat the story of the fate of the invading expedition.
To prevent a continuance of these expeditions the militia was
promptly organized.
At the session of the legislature in 1SG3, we learn from
Governor Morton's message, that up to that date the State had
furnished, in all, ninety -eight regiments of infantry and cav-
alry, and twenty-seven batteries of artillery; comprising
ninety-five thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven officers
and men. To this number should be added six thousand eight
hundred and thirty-one recruits, who joined old regiments and
batteries in the field, making a total of one hundred and two
thousand six hundred and ninety-eight men. This number
does not embrace all who were enrolled in the regiments of
other States from Indiana.
By an act of the legislature, approved May thirteenth, 1861,
EECORD m THE WAR FOE THE UNION. 235
the Governor was authorized to issue bonds to the amount of
two million dollars, bearing interest at the rate of six per
cent., and Jesse J. Brown, James M. .Ray and John H. O.
Boyle were appointed a Board of Loan Commissioners to
negotiate their sale.
N. G. OLDS, ESQ.
See page 21.
This board effected the sale of the bonds on favorable terms
to the State. By the sixth section of an act of Congress,
approved August sixth, 186.1, a direct annual tax of twenty
millions of dollars was levied upon the United States, and
236 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
apportioned among the several States. The apportionment
devolved the payment of nine hundred and four thousand eight
hundred and seventy-live doHars on the State of Indiana.
This large amount was paid, through the foresight of Governor
Morton, by an offset, consisting of the advances made by the
State, in arming and equiping the men sent to the field by the
State of Indiana.
In his annual message, in 1SG3, Governor Morton said:
" "While we rejoice in the bravery displayed by all the armies
of the United States, it is a subject of profound congratulation
that the Indiana troops have behaved with uniform and dis-
tinguished gallantry in every action in which they have been
engaged. The}' form a part of every army in the field, and
have been among the foremost in deeds of daring, while their
blood has hallowed every soil."
Owing to the large number of men sent to the field from
Indiana, it became evident that the families of soldiers, during
the winter of 18G2-3, would suffer greatly for want of the
necessaries of life, and Governor Morton issued an appeal to
the people of the State, calling upon tlie wealthy to contribute
of their means for the support of soldiers' families, A very
generous response came from all parts of the State. This,
together with legislative aid, warded off hunger and starva-
tion, and enabled all to pass the winter in comparative peace
and plenty.
In 1865, after the conclusion of the war. Governor Morton,
in his message to the legislature, summed up the history of
Indiana in the war, as follows: "The part which Indiana has
taken in the war for the suppression of the rebellion, is a
matter upon which the citizens of the State may justly pride
themselves. In the number of troops furnished and in the
amount of voluntary contributions rendered, Indiana, in pro-
portion to her population and wealth, stands equal to any of
her sister States. It is also a subject of gratitude and thank-
fulness that, while the number of troops furnished by Indiana
alone in this great contest would have done credit to a first-
class nation, measured by the standard of previous wars, not
a single regiment, battery or battalion from this State has
RECORD IN THE WAR FOR THE UNION. 237
bronglit reproach upon the national flag, and no disaster of
the war can be traced to any want of fidelity, courage or
efficiency on the part of any Indiana officer. Tlie endurance,
heroism, intelligence and skill of tlie officers and soldiers sent
forth by Indiana to do battle for the Union, have shed a lustro
on our beloved State of which any people might justly be
proud. "Without claitning superiority over our loyal sister
States, it is but justice to tlie brave men who have represented
us on almost every battle-field of the war, to say that tbeir
deeds have placed Indiana in the front rank of those heroic
States which rushed to the rescue of the imperiled government
of the nation. The total number of troops furnished by the
State for all terms of service in the armies of the Union,
exceeds two hnndred tliousand men, much the greater portion
of them beinn^ for three vears; and in addition thereto not less
than fifty thousand State militia have from time to time been
called into active service to repel rebel raids and defend our
southern border from invasion. * * * The war has estab-
lished upon imperishable foundations the great fundamental
truth of the unity and indivisibility of the nation. "We are
many States, but one people, having one individual sovereignty,
one flag, and one common destiny. It has also established, to be
confessed by all the world, the exalted character of the Amer-
ican soldier, his matchless valor, his self-sacrificing patriotism,
his capacit}^ to endure fatigues and hardships, and his human-
ity, which, in the midst of carnage, has wreathed his victorious
achievements with a brighter glory. He has taught the world
a lesson, before which it stands in amazement, how, when the
storm of battle had passed, he could lay aside his arms, put
off the habiliments of war, and return with cheerfulness to
to the gentle pursuits of peace, and show how the bravest of
soldiers could become the best of citizens."
CnATTEE XXYII.
GOTEENOE irORTON's AKD BAKEr's AD^IINISTRATIONS — EVENTS
OF 18GT.
THE coEstitntion of tlic two houses of tlicgCEcral assembly
of Indiana, in 1867, stood thus: Ivcpublicans; senate 30,
lioEse 01 ; Democrats; senate 20, lionse 39. Soon after tlie com-
mencement of tlie session, Governor O. P. Morton sent in his
resii^nation, in consequence of liaving been elected to the
United States Senate. In reply to his resignation, a joint res-
olution passed both l)ranches of the legislature, highly compli-
mentary to the character and abilities of Mr. Moi-ton, and in
January of that year, the chair of the Executive Avas tilled by
Lieutenant-Governor Conrad Baker, who was acting Governor
duriuir the remainder of jNIorton's term.
One of the lirst important measures of this session was a
joint resolution ratifying the amendment to the Federal Con-
stitution, proposed by Congress to the legislatures of the sev-
eral States, "which was intended to constitute all persons
born in the country, or subject to its jurisdictions, citizens of
the United States, and of the State wherein they reside, with-
out regard to race or color; to reduce the congi-essional rc]')re-
soitation in any State in which there should be a restriction
of the exercise of the elective franchise, on account of race or
color; to disfranchise persons thei-ein named who shall have
engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the United States;
and to declare that the validity of the public debt of the United
States, authorized by law, shall not be questioned." This
joint resolution was carried to a committee, a majorit}^ of
which re])orted favorable to its passage, and a report was also
submitted by the minority, taking strong grounds against the
(238)
240 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
ratification of the proposed amendments; but the report oi
the majority was carried bj a very decisive vote.
An act was passed dividing tlie State into eleven congress-
ional districts, and apportioning the representation thereto;
but the most important measure of the whole session, with the
possible exception of the first referred to, was the passage of
an act providing for the registry of votes, the punishment of
fraudulent practices at elections, and for the apportionment
and compensation of a board of registration. According to
the measure, this board was to consist, in each township, of
two freeholders appointed by the county commissioners,
together with the township trustee of such township; in cities
the freeholders were to be appointed in each wai'd by the city
council. The members, by this act, arc required to file with
the auditor of the county, or with the city clerk, in cities, an
oath to support the constitution, etc. Twenty days' residence
in a township, city or ward, was required to qualify any person
to vote therein. The penalty provided, by this measure, for
ofifenses of false registration, or fraudulent personation of reg-
istered persons, is imprisonment in the State prison for a
period not less than one year, for each and every ofiense. In
all its phases the measure wa^ very strict, and well calculated
to secure honest elections. Its aim in this respect has been
3fiective. No State can present a cleaner political record,
since this law was enacted (and even from the earliest history
of the State,) than Indiana. The two concluding sections of
the law are;
Sec. 23. All ballots which may he cast at any election hereafter held in
this State, shall be written or printed on plain white paper, without any
distinspiishing marks or embellishments thereon, except the name of the
candidates and the office for which they are voted for; and inspectors of
election shall refuse all ballots offered of any otlier description, provided
nothing herein shall disqualify the voter from writing his own name on
the back thereof.
Sec. 24. That whereas frauds have been practiced upon the ballot-oox
— to prevent the same and to secure to the people of this State a fair
expression of their wishes at all elections at the earliest practicable time
— an emergency is hereby declared to exist, and this act is declared to be
in force from and after its passage.
During the same session a law was passed that created con
GOV. Morton's and baker's adminisi-rations. 241
sidorablc discussion. It provided for the protection and
indemnity of all officers and soldiers of the United States and
soldiers of the Indiana Legion, for acts done in the " military
service of the United States, and in the military service of the
State, and in enforcing the laws and preserving the peace of
the country." We annex the leading features of this law:
Sec. 2. That in all suits and actions, civil or criminal, against individu-
als, arisini; out of acts done by officers or soldiers of the United States, or
of the militia of the State of Indiana, la the preservation of order and the
suppression of the late rebellion, or in making any arrest, taking or
entering upon any property, or in holding or detaining any person or
property, it shall be a full defense to prove that the acts done or commit-
ted, and for which suit is brought, were done or committed under orders,
cither written or oral, from any military officer.
Sec. 5. In all actions for libel or slander for imputing the crime of
treason to tlie plaintiff, during the late rebellion, it shall be a full defense
to prove that the party complaining was a member of, or affiliated with,
any society or organization, other tlian as a political party, in sympathy
with the rebellion, and in any case where, for technical reasons, a full
defense cannot be made according to the provision of this act, the measure
of damages, in case of recovery, shall be five dollars, and no more, with-
out costs.
It was at this session of the legislature that an act was
passed making definite appropriations to the several benevo-
lent institutions of the State. Several measures were also
adopted for the encouragement of edticatiou, and charities.
First of these was for the establishment of the Soldiers' Home,
the corner stone of which was laid on the fourth of July,
1S67. The second was for the establishment of a State Nor-
mal School, located at Terre Haute, and, to-day, one of the
finest institutions of the kind in the west. The erection of
suitable buildings for this school was undertaken early in
1867, and the corner stone was laid in August, with interest-
ing and appropriate ceremonies. The original building cost
over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The legislature
also graciously provided for the establishment of a House of
Refuge for the correction and reformation of juvenileofienders.
According to the law, children under eighteen years of age
may be sentenced, upon regular trial, to this Home, instead of
being sent to the State prison or county jail. The institution
16
242 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
was admirably cstablislicd on the plan of an industrial school.
Children sent to the House of licfuge by a regular court, are
supported by the State, and the county from which they are
sent, equally. When sent by the parent or guardian, such
person or persons, if able, must defray the expense. This
school, or prison, is located near Plainfield, in Uendricka
county, and was ready for the reception of the wayward in
January, 186S.
After a successful session of sixty days, the legislature
adjourned on the eleventh of March, 1SG7. During the ses-
sion the question of the agricultural college — now the "Pur-
due University," at La Fayette — was discussed, but not
disposed of. The financial condition of the State on the thir-
ty-first of October, 1867, the close of that fiscal year, is sho^vn
by the following statistics, extracted from the Auditor's report
for that year:
EECEIPTS.
General revenue tax $1,243,013 75
School tax 811,632 19
Sinking fund tax 915,033 39
Library tax 46,041 15
Total $3,015,720 48
EXPENDITURES.
Ordinary $ 441,850 50
For benevolent institutions 632,186 86
Redemption of stock, interest, etc 1,671,904 01
Military expenses 66,193 07
School fund, to counties 1,289,097 00
Balance on hand Nov. 1st, 1866 381,521 89
Receipts during the year 4,210,336 44
Total $4,591,858 33
In that year the total revenue of the common school fund
amounted to $1,336,762, which was without a parallel in the
United States. The principal of the fund is over ten million
dollars, and can never be reduced or reverted from its proper
channel.
CHAPTER XXYIII.
GOVERNOR baker's ADMINISTRATION EVENTS OF 1868.
POLITICALLY Indiana took the lead in the memorable
campaii^n of 1SG8. Both parties held conventions early
in the j'ear, settini^ forth the principles on wliich they pro-
posed to conduct the canvass, before any other State became
actively interested. The Democrats nominated Thomas A.
Hendricks for Governor, Alfred P. Edgerton for Lieutenant-
Governor, and R, C. Kise for Secretary of State. The resolu-
tions constituting the platform denounced the reconstruction
policy of the Republicans, recommended the substitution of
United States notes in lieu of tlie national bank currency,
denied the right of the General Government to interfere with
the question of suffrage in any of the States, and opposed
neccro suffraije, etc.
The Republican convention nominated Conrad Baker for
Governor, William Cumback for Lieutenant-Governor, and
Max T. A. Hoffman for Secretary of State. The platform
adopted endorsed the policy of the party in strong terms,
defending the plan of reconstruction, and opposing a further
contraction of the currency, etc.
The canvass was very excited, and resulted in the election of
Conrad Baker for Governor, by a majority of nine hundred
and sixty-one votes. The presidential election followed soon
after, in which the State polled 343,532 votes, of which 176,552
were for Grant, and 166,980 for Seymour, giving the Republi-
can Board of Electors a majority of 9,572.
At the close of the fiscal year the State debt was $7,195,-
085.94. Over three and a quarter millions of this amount
consisted of balances of old debts, incurred for internal
(243)
244 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
improvements, of which wc have spoken at length in previonfe
cliapters. These debts had been adjusted by wliat is hno\vn aa
tlie " Butler Bill," in 1S4G-7, at wliich time five per cent, cer-
tificates of stock were issued to the creditors of the State.
Over three and a lialf millions of this debt, as reported in
18GS, were represented by non-negotiable bonds, held T)y tlie
State school fund, for money borrowed therefrom to redeem
a portion of the certilicates issued to help the State out of its
financial difficulty in 1S4G-T. The balance of the State debt
consisted of six per cent, bonds, issued in ISGl, for war pur-
poses, and bonds held by the Yincennes University.
In ISGS, the State of Indiana was energetically engaged in
prosecuting claims on the General Government on account of
expenses incurred in the civil war, to the amount of about
three millions and a half. The State appointed an agent to
prosecute the claims, and during the year $1,958,917.94 were
allowed.
During the previous year the legislature had appointed
commissioners to hear and considci* claims aijainst the State
for losses sustained by the "Moi'gan raid." A report was sub-
mitted by the commissioners, in 18GS, shoM-ing that $413,-
599.48 had been allowed to ])ersons suftering loss of ]>roperty
from the raid.
It was during the year 1SG8 that Governor Baker, pursuant
to the act of the legislature of the previous year, obtained a
a site for the then ])roposed House of Befuge. lie purchased
one hundred and twenty-one acres of land, near Pluinticld,
Ilendricks county, and expended about forty thousand dollars
in improvements thereon. As to other benevolent institu-
tions, "the Soldiers' and Seamen's Home, near Ivnightstown,
originally established by private enterprise and benevolence,
and adopted by the legislature in 1SG7," was in a good condi-
tion. Up to that date the institution had afforded relief and
temporary subsistence to four hundred men who were disabled
in the ciWl war. A substantial brick buildiui^r had been built
for the Home, while the old buildings were used for an
orphan's department, in which were gathered eighty-six
children of deceased soldiers.
GOVEKXOK BAKER S ADMINISTRATION.
245
During this jear, 1868, a feeling began to be prevalent in
the State, that the processes of law in relation to criminal pro-
ceedings were neither prompt nor sure for the punishment of
crime. It appeared to be easy, by means of affidavits, no
matter how false, to obtain numerous continuances and elianges
lllllllllllllJIIIIILIIllil.^llMII
See page 21.
of venue, and in that way delaying, and injuring confidence
in the administration of the penal laws. In consequence of
this fact " Lynch Law " became of too frequent occurrence in
the State. A remarkable case of this kind occurred in 1868,
in the case of several robbers of express cars on railroads in
246 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Indiana. " A gang of these desperadoes had operated for
many months in the southern counties, and on the twenty-
second of May an extensive robbery was committed on the
Jeffcrsonvillc road, upon a car belonging to the Adams Express
Company. Tliough the perpetrators of tlic robbery were soon
afterwards arrested, and kept for several weeks in custody in
the city of Cincinnati, Ohio, on the twentieth of July they
were put on board a train of cars to be taken to the county of
Jackson, in tliis State, for trial. An armed body of so-called
Vigilance Committee of Seymour county, laid in wait for the
train, and stopped the cars by hoisting a red signal on the
road. They then proceeded to seize the prisoners, and after
extorting a confession from them, hanged them without the
form of a trial."*
Almost immediately following this outrage, they published,
and widely circulated, the following proclamation, which,
together with the demonstrations of "Lynch Law " referred
to, created no little excitement and conmient in the State and
Nation :
ATTENTION, TIIIEYEs!
Tlic aUcntion of all thieves, robbers, assassins and vagrants, together
with tlieir aiders, abetters and sympathizers, is called to the doings of the
Seymour Vigilance Committee last night. We are determined to follow
this up until all of the classes above named, whether imported or to the
"manor born," are driven forever from our midst. Threats have been
made of retaliation in case we should resort to capital punishment. In
answer \vc say, " should one of our committee be harmed, or a dollar's
■worlli of any honest man's proi>erty destroyed by persons unknown, we
will swing by the neck until they be dend, every thieving character we can
lay our hands on, without inquiry whether we have the persons who com-
mitted that particular crime or not. Tliis applies not only to Seymour,
but along the line of the two roads, and wherever our organization exists.
Law and order must prevail.
By Order of The Committee.
Seymour, Ind., July 21, 1SC8.
In the following October four others of the railroad robbers
were arrested in Canada, and taken to New Albany and there
confined in prison, and on the night of the twelfth of Decem-
ber, the Seymour Vigilance Committee, to the number of
• Annual Cyclopedia.
GOVERNOK baker's administkation. 247
seventy -five men, all armed and disguised, entered that city,
and forcibly took tlic keys of the jail from the sheriff, and
proceeded to hang the rullians in the corridors of the prison.
CHAPTER XXIX.
GOVEKNOK baker's ADMINISTRATION — EVENTS OF 1869.
EVERY person in Indiana Avho has taken any interest in
the recent political history of the State, will remember
the " Fifteenth Amendment lock " in the legislature in 18G9.
The regular session commenced in January, and after listening
to the Governor's somewhat lengthy message, the members
proceeded to business, but accomplished very little. An
attem])t was made to alter the constitution of the State courts,
but the Amendment question interfered, and the assembly
adjourned prematurely, in March, without transacting any
business of importance. During the short session serioua
complaints were made against the management of the State
prisons, and nearly the whole of the two months' session was
occupied in investigating the conduct of prison, and other
officials.
Party spirit was at a very high pitch, owing partly to the
necessity of electing a United States senator to succeed Thomas
A. Hendricks. The Democrats were strongly united on Mr.
Ilendricks, and the Republicans were somewhat divided
between Will Cumback and James S. Erazer. Tlie joint con-
vention of the two houses occupied nearly the whole of three
days, and finally elected Daniel D. Pratt.
The Fifteenth Amendment came before the legislature, and
the Democrats, as well as a portion of the conservative Repub-
licans, opposed its consideration strongly, on the ground that
it would be unfair to vote on the question until the people of
the State had had an opportunity of expressing their views at
248 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
the polls. The Eepublican members, however, resolved, in
caucus, to force the ratification through the legislature, while,
on the other hand, the Democratic members, in caucus, resolved
to resign in a body, and all did so except those wlio were
ordered by the caucus to remain and protect the interests of
the party. Accordingly, on the fourth of Maivh, seventeen
senators and thirty-six representatives resigned, destroying a
quorum in both houses, which stopped legislation.
The rupture left the benevolent institutions of the State
unprovided for, as no appropriation bills had been passed.
The Governor at once issued writs for special elections of
members of the legislature to fill the vacancies made by this
wholesale resignation, and on the twenty-second of March
issued a proclamation convening the legislature in special ses-
sion, summoning the members to meet on the eighth of April.
On the day appointed the members appeared, but the Demo-
crats, before submitting to the oath of oftice, compelled a
majority of the Eepublican members to agree that the consid-
eration of the Fifteenth Amendment should not be taken up
until after the legislation needed for the general welfare of the
State had been disposed of.
At this extra session the legislature passed an act introduc
ing the study of the German language in the course of study
in the public schools; also a measure establishing a female
prison and reformatory institution for girls and Momcn, at
Indianapolis, to which all female convicts should be sent,
instead of to the State prison. This legislation was among
the good phases of the political year, as also that locating the
Agricultural College at La Fayette, in consideration of the
gift of $100,000, cash, by lEon. John Purdue, of tliat place.
This philanthropic gentleman has added $50,000 to the first
sura given, and, we understand from his own lips, contemplates
enlarging this very considerably. The institution has been,
appropriately, given his name, and is now known as the
Purdue University. It is in a flourishing condition, and
promises to win new laurels for the State's educational repu-
tation.
On the nineteenth of May, during the extra session of the
GOVEKNOE BAKEK S ADMINISTEATION.
249
legislature, the Fifteenth Amendment was again introduced,
but, as all the Democratic members, in anticipation of this,
had presented their resignations to the Governor, it was
claimed that there was not a quorum present. In the senate,
howevei', there was a quorum, and although manv of the mem-
I
GEORGE W. WOOD, ESQ.
See page 31.
bers refused to vote, and declared that they were no longer
senators, the president of that body decided that as he had not
been informed of their resignation, by the Governor, they
were still members. A vote was taken and the resolution was
250 mSTOET OF INDIANA.
adopted. Soon after the joint resolution came up in the honse,
and although the Democratic members had resigned, leaving
no quorum, the chair decided that there was a quorum of the
de facto members present, and the resolution was put and the
Amendment ratified. The decision of the chair was after-
wards substantially sustained by the Supreme Court.
Durino; the session the election laws were so modified as to
have elections held biennially instead of annually, the first
election under the new law to be held in October, 1874.
The general progress in the State institutions of all kinds
was marked with good results. The Ilospital for the Insane
was enlarged in ISGO, and so improved as to become one of
the most complete institutions of the kind in the State.
In 18G9, the development of mineral resources in the State
attracted considerable attention. Kich mines of iron and coal
were discovered, as also fine quarries of building stone. The
line of the Yincennes railroad passed through some of the
richest portions of the mineral region — its quality of richness
having been accurately determined by the engineers of the
road. Some of the mineral resources of the State, as viewed
in 18G9, are noted as follows: "IS ear Brooklyn, about twenty
miles from Indianapolis, is a fine formation of sand-stone. It
is being used extensively in buildings in Indianapolis, and is
considered the best building stone in the State. The lime-
stone formation at Gosport, and continuing for twelve miles
from that point, is of great variety, and includes the finest
building material in the world. Portions of it are susceptible
only to the chisel; other portions are soft, and can be worked
with the ordinary tools. It is said to be the most durable
buildins' material in the world. At the terminus of this lime-
stone formation a sandstone formation commences and extends
a distance of seven miles, to a point about sixty miles from
Indianapolis, when an extensive coal bed is reached, consisting
of seven distinct veins. The first is about two feet in thick-
ness, the next three feet, another four feet, and the others of
various thicknesses. These beds are all easily worked, having
a natural drain, and are already yielding heavy profits to enter-
prising companies.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR BAKES. 231
We make this mention of the mineral resources of the
State in connection with the events of 1S69, partly because
they were first brought to the notice of the public in that
year, prominently, for the first time; but in another part of
this work will be found a chapter devoted exclusively to this
subject.
On the first of October, at the trial of the machinery at the
State fair, a steam boiler exploded, killing twenty persons and
seriously wounding more than forty others. The accident was
caused by a deficiency of water.
In 1SG9 a woman's State suffrage convention was held, at
Indianapolis, whicli was quite largely attended, and at which
resolutions were adopted favoring more rights to women.
The principal agricultural products of the State, according
to the ofiicial report for the year 1S69, were:
Products. Bushels. Acres. Value.
Indian Corn 73,000,000 3,146,551 $51,100,000
Wheat 20,600,000 1,430,555 19,158,000
Rye 575,000 37,096 437,000
Oats 12,413.000 420,779 5,461,720
Barley 411,000 17,947 423,330
Buckwheat 303,000 24,240 251,490
Potatoes 4,750,000 44,811 2,090,000
Tobacco, lbs 7,000,000 9,575 672,000
Hay, tons 1,200,000 805,369 12,624,000
Total 5,936,923 $92,217,540
CHAPTER XXX.
AOanNISTRATION OF GOVERNOR BASER EVENTS OF 1870-1.
'T^HERE was no session of the legislature in 1870, and no
-L election of Governor, therefore the political campaign of
that year was not a very important one. There was no impor-
252 HlffrORY OF INDIANA,
tant issue in the canvass except tliat of general retrencliment.
Tlie subject of the Wabash and Erie canal was lightly touclicd
in the Republican platform, and occasioned considerable dis-
cussion, and probably had some effect on the election of mem-
bers of the legislature. An attemj)t was made during the
session of the legislature in 1SG9, to have the State reburden
itself with the old canal debt, and the matter was considerably
a"-itated in the canvass of 1870. The election resulted in an
average majority for the Democi-acy of about two thousand
eight hundred and sixty-four, in the State.
It was in this year, 1870, that the divorce laws of the State
began to attract considerable attention in the nation. They
were pronounced injurious to society, and, in 1871, the Gov-
ernor, in his message, recommended reform in this, direction,
which was pretty ellcctually carried out.
YVith the commencement of 1871 the condition of the State
was in every respect prosperous, iinancially and commercially.
At the beginning of the fiscal year, which closed on the thirty-
first of October, 1871, there was a surjuus of §373,2-19 in the
treasury. The receipts of the year amounted to $3,G05,G39,
and the disbursements to $2,9-13,000, leaving a balance of
$1,035,288. The total debt of the State in Kovember, 1871,
was $3,937,821.
The session of the legislature which began on the fourth of
January, 1871, presented a singular contrast with that of the
previous one. As we have seen, a large number of Democratic
senators and representatives resigned to prevent the ratification
of the Fifteenth Amendment to the Federal constitution. On
this occasion we have an equal number of Republican members
resigning to prevent the repeal of that ratification. The res-
olution was adopted in the senate by a party vote of twenty-six
to twenty, and in the house was referred to the committee on
Federal relations; but before the committee had time to report
the thirty-four Republican members of the house resigned,
thereby preventing its passage, and putting a stop to further
legislation.
At this session of the legislature one seat in the senate was
contested; that of John W. Durson, a Republican, chosen from
ADMINISTKATION OF GOVERNOK BAKER.
25S
the district made up of the counties of Delaware and Madison.
He was charged with malcing use of bribery to secure hi?
254 HISTORY OF INDIANA..
election The case excited a great deal of remark, both in thia
and otlier States, and was thoroughly investigated by the com-
mittee on elections. A report was signed by a majority of the
committee, just before the close of the session, which declared
that Mr, Bnrson " did both offer and give bribes, and rewards
to procure his election," and recommended the passage of a
resolution refusing to grant him his scat, and that the same
be declared vacant. The report was adopted by a strict party
vote of twenty-four to twenty-one.
The controversy regarding the purchase of the Wabash and
Erie canal was taken up at the session in 1S71, and after a
long and bitter debate, was finally disposed of by the adoption
of an amendment to the constitution, making it impossible
for the legislature to burden the State with any part of the
old internal improvement debt, which had been disposed of by
the " Butler bill"
The right of suffrage to women was ably discussed by the
legislature, and disposed of adversely to the interests of the
women interested. Among the important laws passed was one
fixing the compensation of State and county officers, and cut-
tinirofl'all fees and allowances: one distributing six hundred
thousand dollars to the several counties of the State, to be
loaned out for the benefit of schools, and one reducing the
State taxes. The latter was, however, pronounced unconsti-
tutional by the circuit court of Marion county, and an action
was brought to restrain the Auditor, Secretary of State and
Treasurer from making the distribution. The matter was
taken to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court of the State rendered a very important
decision in April, 1871, viz.: that the law authorizing counties
to subscribe for stock in railroad companies, and tax the
people to pay for it, was valid. It had been claimed that the
legislature had no authority under the constitution to tax the
people fur the purpose of aiding in the construction of rail-
roads, but the Supreme Court decided adversely to this claim.
During the year 1871 there was no geneml election in Indi-
ana, consequently political matters were very dull; but with
the commencement of 1872, politics began to revive. On the
DUnNISTRATION OF GOYERKOK BAKER. 255
tTTcnty-second of Febniarj the Ecpnblican State convention
was licld at Indianapolis. The State ticket nominated was as
follows: For Governor, General Thomas ]\r. Browne; Lieu-
tenant-Governor, L. M. Sexton; Coni^ressman-at-large, G. S.
Orth; Secretary of State, W. AY. Cnrry; Aiiditor of State,
Colonel James A. Wildman; Treasurer of State, Major John
J). Glover, etc.
Tlic Democratic convention was held at Indianapolis, on the
twelfth of June, when the followino: were nominated for State
officers: For Governor, Thomas A. Hendricks; Lieutenant-
Governor, "W. C. Depauw; Congressman -at-largc, John S.
"Williams, !M. C. Kerr; Secretary of State, Owen "W". Eddy;
Auditor of State, John B. Stoll, etc. Tlierc was also a State
temperance ticket in the field. The election took place on the
eighth of October, 1872. Tliomas A. Hendricks was elected
Governor, and JU. B. Hopkins, Superintendent of Public
Instruction, from the Democratic ticket. With these two
important exceptions, the Bepublicans were successful. The
State legislature for 1873 contained twenty-seven Bepublicans
and twenty-three Democrats in the senate, and fifty-four Be-
publicans and forty-six Democrats in the house, giving the
Bepublicans a majority on joint ballot of twelve.
A special session of the legislature was convened at the
capital, on the fourteenth of JS^ovember, 1872, at which con-
siderable business was transacted. O. P. Morton was re-elected
to the Senate of the United States, and the State was re-dis-
tricted for both legislative and congressional representation.
The measure re-districting the State gave great dissatisfaction
to the Democratic members. Among other bills passed, was
one raising the Governor's salary to eight thousand dollars a
year.
CnAPTER XXXI.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR HENDRICKS EVENTS OF 1S73— 4,
THE regular session of the legislature began on the first
Wednesday of January, 1S73, and soon after Governor
Hendricks was inaugurated. In his address to the assembly
he said: " Tlio laws regulating our elections require your
special attention. They do not restrain the corrupt, nor pro-
tect the votes of the people. Our elections must not become
a reproach. Their result must express the will of the people.
Our system must be made so efficient as to guarantee purity
in the conduct and management of the elections, and also to
inspire and establish public confidence. When the people
know that a political result has been fairly brought about, all
discontent disappears. They cheerfully acquiesce and yield
entire obedience to the authority thereby established. I can-
not now attempt to suggest all the provisions that may be
essential to the efiicient system, but without the following
probably no system will prove efiicient: 1st. A fair and real
representation, upon the board of election officers, of all polit-
ical parties having candidates to be voted for. 2nd. Voting
places so numerous and the precincts so small, in respect to
the voting population, that all M-ho ofi*er to vote may be
knoAVTi by the people of tlie neighborhood, as well as by the
officers. 3rd. A reasonable period of residence in the election
precinct as a qualification to vote, so that persons may not
pretend a residence not real, in fraud of tlic law. 4tli. The
exclusion of money as an influence and power from elections.
If, in the contest for power, money shall become stronger than
the people, we will have the worst government possible. It
will be a reproach to us all when wealth can buy what the
loftiest talent and the purest virtue cannot attain."
(250)
I
ADMINISTKATION OF GOVERNOR HENDRICKS.
257
Tlie Governor also made some excellent suggestions on rep-
resentation reform in tlie same address. He said; "In this
connection I wish to call attention to the subject of represen-
tation reform, which, during the last ten years, has been advo-
cated by soma of the best minds, both in Europe and in tliia
''nil|l|||'||||l|im in"'iiiii,imiiM[^
""^ i 'III, lisp I
H. A. PEED, ESQ.
See page 21.
country, and is now undergoing the test of experience. I
desire to make this the more emphatic, because in this State
it seems yet to be regarded as right and proper for the majority
to deny to the minority even that representation which an
17
258 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
apportionment based upon population and contip^uity of
counties would give. Representative reform rests n])on the
proposition that minorities of constituencies should have a
re])resentation as nearly in proportion to members as may be
practicable. All the citizens contribute to the burdens of
government, and should yield obedience to tlie laws, and it is
just, equal and fair that all should be represented."
Among the important acts of the session were the following:
One abolishing the courts of Common Pleas, and dividing the
State into thirty-eight judicial districts for judicial purposes;
one remodeling the divorce laws; one amending the school
laws, and one regulating the sale of liquors.
The following are the only causes upon which divorces can
be granted under the new law: 1st. Adultery. 2nd Impo-
tency, existing at time of marriage. 3rd. Abandonment for
two years. 4th. Cruel and inhuman treatment of one party
by the other. 5th. Habitual drunkenness of either party, or
the failure of the husband to make reasonable provision for
the family. 6th. The failure of the husband to make reason-
able provision for the family for a j^eriod of two years. 7th.
The conviction, in any county, of either party, of an infamous
crime.
Tlie new liquor law provides that it shall be unlawful for
any person, under penalty from ten dollars to fifty dollars line,
or from ten to thirty days imprisonment, to sell, barter or give
away intoxicating liquors, to be drank on the premises, with-
out a permit from the county commissioners, and even when
the permit is so procured, the law is definite as to how the
traffic shall be regulated, and is very stringent. A case of
violation of this law was soon carried to the Supreme Court,
to test its validity, and it was sustained in all points.
There was a very enthusiastic temperance convention held
at Indianapolis, m April, 1S73, at which a long list of stirring
resolutions were adopted; and, in one way and another, during
the fall of that year and the early part of 1874, the temperance
question was agitated with greater enthusiasm than it had
been for years before. The " crusade " prevailed throughout
Indiana, as well as in other States, but, unfortunately, at the
ADMINISTRATION OP GOVERNOR HENDRICKS. 259
election in 1874, the temperance projects were defeated, and
the liquor law alluded to above, approved February 27, 1873,
and known as the "Baxter law " or " local option law," was
supplanted by the general license act approved March 17,
1875, which repealed all former enactments regulating the
sale of intoxicating liquors.
The total receipts during the fiscal year of 1876 were
$4,570,943.71. The disbursements for the year amounted to
$3,9[)3,777.97, and there was a balance on hand at the elose of
the year of $57 7,105.74.
The second annual meeting of the Congress of Agriculture
was held at Indianapolis on the twenty-eighth of May, 1873;
about two hundred delegates were present, representing
twenty- five States. The proceedings of this body were very
interesting to the public and beneficial to the cause of hus-
bandry. The committee on transportation submitted a very
lenghty report, which called forth considerable remark.
The question of building a new State House was seriously
considered by the Legislature of 1875, but no definite steps
were taken in that direction. This was reserved for the next
Legislature, and the act creating a State House Commission
will be found under the administration of Governor Williams.
The administration of Governor Hendricks expired Jan-
uary 4, 1877. In his last message to the Legislature con-
vened at same date, he gave a clear statement of the financial
condition of the State, and of the management of its various
State institutions and offices. In this message he recom-
mended that steps be taken for the construction of a new State
House, and took occasion to repeat what he had said to the
Legislature of 1875, viz.: " It can hardly be questioned that a
•new State House should be built. This house is neither suit-
able nor safe for the transaction of the public business. It
does not correspond with the greatness of the State. It is not
creditable. No other State in the Northwest has such a house.
The halls are not fit for your sessions. Your constituents,
when they visit the city, can neither see nor hear your pro-
ceedings. They are much better provided for in your court
260 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
houses. You have no suitable committee rooms. You are
dependent upon rented rooms over the city. You are thereby
hindered in that personal consultation among yourselves which
is so important in legislation. The people do not desire this.
But they will expect you to avoid that prevalent fault in
public buildings of extravagant ornaments. The building
should be plain, tasteful, substantial and permanent, adapted
to its purposes, and sufficient for the growing demands of the
public service. Several years will be required in its construc-
tion, and a small special tax annually will be sufficient."
He also repeated a portion of his message to the preceding
Legislature relative to the Centennial Exposition, in which he
said : " The act of Congress has committed our country and
the people to the celebration. A failure would cause us na-
tional humiliation. Success will gratify our national pride
and at the same time promote our prosperity by attracting the
the people and wealth of other countries. I recommend that
you make such provision as will secure to the people of In-
diana and their interests a full and advantageous representa-
tion."
Among other recommendations in his closing message he
called the special attention of the Legislature to the laws
regulating our elections, and suggested several salutary pro-
visions that he deemed essential to an efficient svstem. Before
the expiration of his official term Governor Hendricks re-
ceived the nomination for the Vice Presidency of the United
States on the ticket with Samuel J. Tilden as President, from
the Democratic National Convention of St. Louis. On this
subject see biography of Governor Hendricks in another part
of this work.
CHAPTER XXXII.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WILLIAMS — EVENTS OF
1878 THE RAILROAD STRIKE.
THE fiftieth regular session of the Legislature began on
Thursday, January 4, 1877. The administration of
Governor Williams, in accordance with the provision of the
Constitution, commenced on the second Monday in January,
or the first Monday succeeding the meeting of the Legislature.
In his inaugural address to the General Assembly he said:
"Our State, in common with the rest of the Union, and
especially the western portion, is experiencing the distress and
embarrassment consequent upon a system of overtrading and
deceptive speculation. Our consumption having exceeded our
income, the balance must be restored by a corresponding excess
of our receipts over our expenses. We have been lured to the
embrace of debt under the flattering guise of credit, and we
can be extricated only by the joint aid of industry and
economy. We should again seek the ancient landmarks of
frugality and republican simplicity, from which too many
have unwittingly strayed. Labor is the prime source of
wealth in a State." He re;;ommendfc;d further, true economy
in all public expendit ires, and that none should be incurred
for official services unless found necessary or useful. He de-
clared excessive legislation to be an evil; that it imposed
additional burdens upon the treasury, and made the laws
themselves to become complex, vague and uncertain. He
recommended that the right of suffrage should be properly
guarded against all encroachments in the shape of fraud,
illegal voting, or lawless violence; that the ballot-box should
be made to reflect the will of the majority, and that illegal
voting and frauds in elections should be severely punished.
262 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
The regular session having lu^journed without completing the
necessary legislation appertaining to certain a})propriations,
Governor Williams called an extra session, and in his special
messao-e delivered on the Gih day of March, he said : '• At a
late hour last night I was made aware of your prohable ad-
iournment without final action, and requested your attendance
in this special session to complete the unfinished business of
public importance remaining on your files. Without further
enactments than those you have left in force, the benevolent
and possibly the penal institutions can be supported as enjoined
by the Constitution, and in general the ordinary expenditures
can be lawfully made. It is more particularly for expenditures
of an extraordinary character that you are asked to legislate.
Our indebtedness, foreign and domestic, permanent and tempo-
rary, costs us in interest nearly §-"^00,000 annually. For the
payment of this an appropriation is needed. An enlargement
of our Hospital for the Insane has been prosecuted nearly to
the enclosure of a spacious and well-planned department for
women. An appropriation of §300,000 is asked for its speedy
completion. Completed, it will provide for the female insane
of the State, and by relieving the present building of the
women who are now inmates, afford ample room for the insane
men. The large and rapidly increasing number of convicts
in the Prison North, and the inadequate provision made for
their care, have already been fully brought to your noiice."
He called the attention of the Legislature to the heavy
indebtedness of the Prison South, and recommended that
something should be done to relieve its embarrassments. He
also called attention to the agricultural interests of the State,
and urged the Legislature to make an appropriation of at least
$25,000 to the Board of Agriculture " to save their property
from sacrifice."
The Legislature, at its special session, made the following
specific aj^propriations, viz.: To the State Prison North, for
the completion of a new cell house, $7Q,000; for an additional
workshop, $10,000. It also appropriated $500 to each of the
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WILLIAMS. 263
State prisons lor the purchase of books for the use of the con-
victs. To the new buildinji^ of tlie In-saue Hospital for the
year 1877, in addition to the $oO 000 previously appropriated,
$100,000; for the year 1878, $150,000, and to the State Board
of Agriculture for the year 1877, $15,000, and for the year
1878, §10 000; and to the State Prison South, for the pay-
ment of the indebtedness contracted prior to December 15,
1876, $120,000.
Among the acts of principal importance passed at the special
session of the Legislature was the one authorizing and provid-
ing for the erection of a new State House. As the building of
a new capital will require several years for its completion, and
is a public enterprise of the highest importance to the people
of the whole State, the entire act authorizing its construction
is given below :
AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE AND PROVIDE FOR THE ERECTION
■ OF A NEW STATE HOUSE, AND FOR MATTERS IiXCTDENT
THERETO. Appkoved March 14, 1877.
Section 1. Be it enacted by the General As.^emhhj <f the Stiie of Indiava,
That for the purpose of organizirg to bu.ld a new State House, the
Governor shall appoint four State House Commissioners, who sliall be
selected in equal number from the two leading political parties of the
State, and, together with the Governor, constitute the Board of State
House Commissioners. Such Board shall boappoimed by tlie Governor
within such time as he may deem best, not later than Se{)tember first,
1877 The Governor shall notify such persons of their appointment
under his certificate and seal, and such notice f hall constitute their
commission, and shall be by them dei osited in the ufiice of the Secre-
tary of State, and there recorded The Commissioners, so appointed,
shall each give bond, to be approved by the Governor, in the sum of
twenty thousand dollars, condiiioned far the faithful performance of
such duties as may bo imposed upon them by law, and that the cost of
the building i-hall not exceed two millions of dollars. The Governor
shall not give bond by reason of being a member of such Board, and
shall be the President thereof. He shall sign the record of the pro-
ceedings of the Board, and shall sign or stamp all vouchers before a
warrant is drawn upon them. He may, for cause, remove any member
of the Board, and shall report the cause, and the fart to the next Gen-
eral Assembly. He shall fill, by appointment, all vacancies occurring
264 HISTORY OP INDIANA.
by reason of such removal, or other cause. The person so appointed,
to fill any vacancy, sliall be selected from the political party to which
his pi edecessor belonged.
Sec. 2. Tlie persons appointed State House Commissioners, as above
provided, shall, within thirty days after their appointment, qualify by
taking? an oath that they will honestly, diligently, and according to law,
discharge the duties of State House Commissioners. They shall cause
to be kept a record of their proceedings, shall report, quarterly, to the
Governor, for the use of the public, a synopsis of their proceedings,
and an account of their expenditures. They may make such rules and
regulations for the layment of money, the government of contractors
and employes, and the management of the grounds and premises, as
they may deem pruden', not inconsistent with this act and the laws of
the State. They may meet on their own adjourn oent, and shall meet
on the call of the President of the Board. A quorum present shall be
sufficient to do business. They shall receive for their eervices the sum
of five dollars per day, and actual traveling expenses, for the time they
are actually employed in attending to their duties as State House
Commissioners, to be paid on itemized stalements, sworn to by the
claimant.
Sec. 3. The Board of State House Commissioners are authorized and
directed, as herein provided, to build a new State House, the erst of
which shall not exceed two millions of dollars, on the grounds provided
by the State for that purpose, in the City of Indianapolis, and bounded
by Tennessee, IMissis.-ippi, Washington and Ohio streets ; and when it
becomes necessary they ehall cause the old building to be removed,
and they shall provide temporary quarters for the General Assembly,
and for the cfRcers now occupying the present building ; and the said
Commissioners are authorized and directed to contract and agree with
the City of Indianapolis, or persons interested, fo.- the vacation of any
intersecting streets, or for the use of streets and alleys, for disposing of
tools and materials, and for the purpose of Liying down temporary con-
necting railroad tracks for the transi)orting of materials, tools, etc , and
the City of Indianapolis is hereby authorized to make such agreement
and contracts as are herein contemplated. The State of Indiana hereby
accepts the offer made by the Board of Commissioners of Marion
C'Uinty. to furnish rooms for the General Assembly, and the order of
such B lard of Commissioners, in furnishing such rooms, is hereby
legalized
Sec 4. The Board of State House Commissioners, in making selec-
tion of a plan for the erection of a State House, shall call to their
assistance at least one competent and qualified architect, of known skill
and ability in his prnfession, wlio shall not have submitted a plan for
competition ; also, one civil engineer and one builder, who shall each
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WILLIAMS. 265
•
be of good standing in their regpective avocations, and shall cause them
to take an oath as follows in substance: "I do solemnly swear (or
affirm) that I have no pecuniary interest, whatever, in the selection of
a plan for a new State House, that I will not be influenced in my de-
cisions by any personal pjejudices or partialities, but will faitlifully
discliar^e my duty according to law, and will hold my action, and the
action of the Board of State House Commissioners, in the seleciion of
a plan for a new State House, which may come to my knowledge, in
strict confidence." The Commissioners shall then proceed to give the
plans, now in possession of the State, with such additional drawings as
may be submitted for their further explanation, a thorough a^ d critical
examination, in the progress of which they shall cause th ■ experts, so
called to their aid, to thoroughly examine all the said j a is and speci-
fications thereof, and test the estimates submitted. If they shall find
the specifications and estimates correct, and that the buildings, or any
one of them, contemplated in such plans, can be constructed witliin the
limit of two millions of dollars, be suitable, in respect to permanence
and convenience, adapted to all the purposes and aims of a State House
building, and in keeping with the dignity of the Slate, the Commis-
sioners may select the most meritorious of such plans, and notify the
successiul architect thereof, and shall thin return the drawings of the
rejected plans to the author thereof. If, however, after such txamina-
tion, tlie Hoard of Commis -loners shall find that none of said plans are
suitable, tiiey shall reject them all, and at once cause publication to be
made in two newspapers within the State, and one, each, in the cities
of New Y. rk, Boston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Chicago. St. Louis and
Louisville, that at a certain time, not to exceed ninety days thereafter,
they will pmceed to examine such plans and specifications for a State
House building, not to exceed in cost two millions of dollars, as may
be subuiitted to theai by competing architects, and each of said com-
peting architects shall submit to the Bourd a sealed proposal of what
fees, salary or percentage he will charge, or expect, if his plans should
be ado{)ted. At the time specified for making the award, the Board of
State House Commissioners shall again call to their assistance experts
as hereinbefore provided, and shall proceed to examine the plans and
specifications then submitted to them, under the same rules and condi-
tions as in the case of the plans now in the possession of the State; and
if, in such examination, they fail to find any plan coming within the
requirements of this act, they shall re a''vertise, and proceed in the
manner hereinbefore pre^crihed, until a suitable plan is nerured.
Sec 5. The Board are authorized to contact for labor, material,
transpo'tation, or any dis inct portion of the work. All lettirgs of the
work .«hall be advertised in two newspapeig of general circulation. In
all contracts the interest of the State shall be protected by proper
4*
266 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
bonds. All contracts with the bulders, architects or material men,
shall reserve the right of the Board, for good cause shown, and of the
Legislature, by concurrent vote of both houses, to annul the contract.
And the Board shall make no allowance fur damages, only for expense
incurred and for labor performed. Ten per cent, shall be reserved from
payments on estimates on woriv contracted, until such contract t-hall
have been completed, inspected and nccepttd. The contracts ^llllll be
so let that the State shall not be requited to pay, in any one year, in-
chiding all other necessary expenses, in all, more than eighty percent,
of the tax levy for such year, for the building of the State House:
P-ovided, There may be added thereto any money remaining in the
treasury from the tax levy of any preceding year, colleced for building,
the State House.
Sec. 6. The building shall be fire- proof, so as not to require that it
shall be insured. The material shall be of the hest quaMty, ami the
directions, plans and specifiiations of the work shall be executed by
skilled and reputable architects, contractors, artists, mechanics and
laborers. The Board shall, so far as is just and practicable, and with
due regard to the material interests of the State, make preference of
Indiana material and labor. In any plan and specifications ac(!epted,
the architect shall be required to, and fchall guarantee that each and
every part of the building shall be perfect and complete in itself, and
sufBcient to accomplish the purpose for which it is intended, as fully
and completely as it is made to appear, or represented in tlie plan or
declarations of the architect ; and he shall be required to give bond,
with acceptable sureties, in the penal sum of one hundred thousand
dollars, conditioned that said plan shall be c 'miilete and perUct f rthe
purpose designed and intended, and that the building shall he fully
c )mplefed and finished, as a whole and in every pan, for and within the
price and cost estimated and fixed by such architect; and whicli price
or cost shall be stated- in his pro}>osition, or submis-sion of a j>lan and
specifications. And it shall be further understood and agreed that no
extra work or material shall bj necessary to complete the building,
than that in the estimates set forth ; and sliould any be required, that
the ardiitect shall dt such work and furnish such material at his own
cost, and finish the work complete f ;r the price estimated by such
architect.
Sec. 7. Tlie Board shall appoint a S?cretary wK/) shall take an oath
to faithfully perform the duties of his office. He thall keep a lecord of
the proceedings of the Board, shall make a reconl of all contracts and
obligations, phall furnish each contractor with a copy of his contract,
marked " approved " by order of tt e Biard, , (day and date), and
no contract shall be valid until thus f ndorsed and delivered. He shall
certify to all vouchers ordered by the Board, shall keep a set of books.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WILLIAMS. 267
BO as to show the financial condition of the Board ; shall make yearly
Btatements of cost of building, and a complete list of vouchers, and for
what purpose, and to whom paid, which reports the Governor shall
transmit to the Lejjislature. The pay of the Secretary shall not exceed
fifteen hiindied dollars per year. All contracts for any purpose con-
nected with the building, where the amuunt exceeds five hundred
dollats, shall be regularly passed upon by the Board in session, and
shall be recorded by the Secretary in a book kept for that purpose; and
a copy shall be made out and certified to by the Secretary, and deliv-
ered to the other party of the contract ; and until such delivery, no
contract shall be valid or binding on either party ; and the Secretary
shall retain, in proper files, all vouchers, statements of accounts, and
other papers of value or importance to the Commissioners, the con-
tractors or the State.
Sec. 8. The Board may, when they deem it necessary, employ a
Superintendent, who shall be qualified and give bond, as may be pre-
scribed by the Board, who fihall also prescribe his duties and compen-
sation.
Sec. 9. It f hall not be lawful for any member of the Board, or the
Architect, Superintendent or Secretary, to be directly or indirectly in-
terested in or to derive any profit from any contract, employment, or
purchase connected with the building, or with the action of the Board;
nor shall either of the above-naoaed officers be the owner or interested
in any claim against the Board, or the State, growing out of the build-
ing of the new Stite House, or removing the old one, other than for
their compensation for services. Any of the above-named oflScers
guilty of violating the provisions of this section, or of corruptly using
his official position, shall be deemed guilty of a felony, and, upon con-
viction, shall be fined in any sum not exceeding ten thousand dollars,
to which may be added imprisonment in the State Prison for any term
not exceeding two years.
Sec. 10 The architect, who?e plans are selected, shall be the super-
vising architect of the building, and shall give bond in the sum of one
hundred thdusand dollars, conditioned that he shall faithluliy dis-
charge the duties of his office, and he shall be liable on his bond for all
losses or damages that may be incurred on account of his violatii g any
of the provisions of thi.^ act, or on account of his neglect or incapacity
for the duties of his office. He shall receive such compensation as may
be agreed upon in advance : Provided, No contract with an architect
shall be made allowing more than three per cent, commission, as full
compensation for plans and specifications, and the supervision of the
erection of such building, as the architect thereof.
Sec. 11. There shall be assessed in the year 1S77, the sum of one
cent upon each one hundred dollars worth of taxable property in the
268 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
State, to be collecled as other State taxes, assessed at the same time, are
collected. And the year 1S78, there shall be assessed and collected, as
above, the sum of two cents upon each one hundred dollars worth of
ta.'able property in the State, which money, when collected and paid
into the State Treasury, shall be kept and k; own as the new State
House fund; and the proceeds of the tax, herein levied, is hereby ap-
propriated to the use of the State House Commissioners, as herein-
before iJrovided.
Sec. 12. There is hereby declared an emergency for the passage of
this act, and the same shall be in lorce from and after its passage.
Governor Williams appointed the following persons as the
State Plouse Commissioners, viz.: I. D. G. Nelson, of Fort
Wayne; W. R. jNIcKeeu, Terre Haute; General T. A. Morris,
and General John Love, of Indianapolis. These, with the
Governor, J. D. Williams, ex-officio member and President of
the Board, met at the Governor's rooms on Thursday, May 24,
1877, and completed their organization by electing W. C.
Tarkington secretary.
The Commissioners, after visiting several State capitals and
examining their State Houses, proceeded to business by secur-
ing the services of Major Francis D, Lee, of St. Louis, as
expert architect, Major Jured A. Smith, United States engi-
neer, as expert civil engineer, and Francis D. Allen, of
Evansville, Indiana, as expert builder. These assembled at
Indianapolis July 2, 1877, and after being duly qualiiied as
required by law, proceeded to the examination of the four
plans named in the act. These plans, in the possession of the
State, were known and designated by the names of the parties
who submitted them, viz.:
I. Charles Eppenhuusen, Terre Haute, Indiana.
II. J. C. John'son, Fremont, Ohio.
III. George B. F. Cooper, New Albany, Indiana.
IV. E. E. Myers, Detroit, Michigan.
After a thorough examination of these plans, consuming
over six weeks of time, the Board decided that none of them
fully met the requirements of the law.
The Board then opened competition to the plans of all
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WILLIAMS. 269
architects. Tbey advertised on the 12th of September in the
newspapers of the several cities designated in the act for new
(plans, which they would proceed to examine within ninety
days.
Twenty-four uew plans were entered for examination. The
following experts were appointed to assist the Commissioners
in their labors, viz.: James K. Wilson, of Cincinnati, arcih-
h tect ; Henry ^yalters, of Louisville, builder, and Cyrus M.
Allen, Jr., of Vincennes, engineer. Robert P. Haynes was
elected secretary January 11, 1878, in place of Captain W. C.
Tarkington.
W. R. McKeen, one of the Omimissioners, resigned his
oflBce, and John Collett was elected in his place, and entered
upon duty February 1, 1878.
(With a view to facilitate the work, and to confine it as
far as practicable to the requirements of the law, the Commis-
sioners instructed the experts to report (in addition to any
ft, suggestions that might occur to them) the information derived
from a careful consideration of the following questions :
" 1. Can the building be completed according to the plans
and specifications within the limit named in the law, viz.:
$2,000,000 ?
'' 2. Are the foundations in character and txtent sufficient
to support the sujierstructure in such manner that no injury is
to be apprehended to any 2)art of the work from settling or
crushing?
" 3. Are the materials of the superstructure in kind and
quantity such as to insure stability and permanenf^e?
" 4. Are the combinations of materials such as to give
strength and security to the entire structure, regard being had
to the methods of spanning spaces between walls, construction
of roofs, dome and towers, supporting stairways or other de-
• pendent portions ?
5. Are damages from fire sufficiently guarded against?
6. Having regard to convenience, adaptability to the
It ,
270 History of Indiana.
purpose required, harmony and dignity of the work, are the
arrangements adequate for light to the corridors and rooms
and offices — sunlight by day and gaslight by night?
" 7. is ample provision made for safely heating the build-
ing and all its parts, as also the needed supply of water,
gas, etc.?
" 8. Are the pipes for conveying heat, gas and water easily
and conveniently accessible?
*' 9. Is drainage amply provided for?
" 10. Your opinion is also requested as to architectural
symmetry, beauty and harmony of parts, including orna-
mentation and general conformity to the dignity, resources
and ])r()gress of the State?"
After a thorough examination of all these plans the Com-
missioners selected the one bearing the motto of *' Lucidus
Ordo," or the plan submitted by Edwin May, of Indianapolis.
The following agreement for building the new State House
Avas made between the State House Commis'^ioners and Edwin
May, the author of the successful plan :
ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT WITH THE SUPERVISING
ARCHITECT.
These articles of agreement, made this eleventh day of April, 1878,
in pursuance of the provisions of an act of the General Asseaibly of the
btate of Indiana, approved March 14, 1877, eutitled "An act to au-
thorize and provide for^ the erection of a new State House, and for
malters incident thereto," by and between the Board of State House
Commissioners appointed, qnaliSed and acting as such Board puisuant
to the provisions of said act, party of the first part, and Edwin May,
of the city of Indianapolis, architect, jjarty of the second part
Witness, that said Board of Commissioners having duly advertised
for plans for the erection of said new State Home, and having re-
ceived divers plans, specifications and estimates from divers architects,
and having examinid all the same as provided for in said act, have
selected and adopted the p'an submitted by eaid Edwin May, desig-
nated by the motto, " Lucidus Ordo^
It is agreed, promised nnd covenanted, by said party of the second
part, in consideration of the atrreements and covenants of said party of
the first part, hereinafter set forth, that he does hereby make over to
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WILLIAMS. 271
said Board of Commissioners, as the property of ihe State of Indiana,
said i)lan, with all accompan)ing drawings, specifications, directions
and estimates; ajid that he will, in like manner, furnish and make over
to said C ard of Commissioners, as the propertj' of the State, as soon
as prepared, all other plans, drawings, specificaticns, directions and
estimates, thtt may hereafter be made by him, and relating to the
construction of said new State House.
Said party of the second part agrcf s that he will fully and faithfully
perform, all and singular, the duties cf tu^ervising architect in the
erection of said State House, furnishing all plans, specifications, draw-
ings, directions and estimates nect ssary, proper or useful, in the erec-
tion oi said building, as the same may i e needed or required, prepared
in a skillful and competent manner; and ihat he will perform, all and
singu'ar, the duties of supervisiiig architect, until the entire comple-
tion of said building, in whole and in all its parts and detai's, ready
for occupancy, to the satisfaction of said Board (f Commissioners.
And the party of \he first patt agrees to employ a tompetent super-
intendent during the time said bui'ding is in process of actual con-
struction, but not during any other time, who shall qualify ^nd give
bond as may be prescribed by said Board of Commissioners, and whoee
duties shall be prescribed by said Board.
Said party of the second part guarantees that each and every part of
the said new State House shall be pericct and complete fn itself, and
RufTicient to accomplish the pur[iose for which it is intended, as fully
and completely as it is made to appear, or is represented, in his plans
or declarations, and that his plans, drawings and specifications, shall
be perfect and complete for the purposes designed and intended, and
that said building can be fully completed as a whole, and in every
part, for and within the price and cost estimated and fixed by him as
archite"t, in his e.^timates ; and that no extra work or materials shall be
necessary to fully complete the building moie than his estimates set
forth, and should any such extra work cr materials be required, that
he will do such work, and furnish such material- at his own cost, and
finish the work complete for the price estimated by him as architect,
unless such extra work and materials stiall become necessary by means
of some change or modification of plan to be hereafter made by said
Board, or by direction of the Legislature.
And it is agreed and understood, that said party of the second part,
whenever he may ol>ject to any materials or work in the erection of
said buiWing, shall file his protest in writing %\ith said Board of Com-
missioners, setting forth his objections and reasons therrfor, it being
understood that said party of the second part shall be considered to
have acquiesced in the use of all materials and labor, except when his
written protest has been filed, as above provided for.
272 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
It is expressly agreed that the right is reserved to said Doard of Com-
missioners, and also to the Legislature, at any tirue or tirtis duiii gibe
progress of the work, to make any change or changes, modication or
modifications, of the said plan and specilications of paid Edwin May,
adopted as aforesaid, as in the judgment of said Board of Commis-
sioners, or of the Legislature, may be found necessary, expedient or
desirable, and in any and every case where such change or modification
shall be so deemed necessary, expedient or desirable, said party of the
second part shall, whenever so leqnired by said Eoard uf Commis-
sioners, prepare and submit plans, drawings, specifications and esti-
mates of cost of any snch change or changes, modifioation or modifi-
cations, and for tlie sulBciency and c -rrectnfss of ilie same, said party
of the second part hereby agrees to be, and shall be, resp'aisib'.e, to
the same extent as though the same had been embraced originally in
his plans, drawings, specifications and estimates, adopted as aforesaid.
Together with such plans, drawings, specifications and estimates of
any such change or modification, said Edwin ^lay, architect, shall also
show in writing what portion or portions, if any, of work and materials
embraced or contemplated in said original plan wi'l be superseded or
dispensed with by snch change or modification, together with a de-
tailed estimate of the cost of such labor and material so superseded or
dispensed with.
All plans, specifications and estimates of modi^cations or changes,
and of work and material embraced or contemplated in the said originrl
plan, but superseded or dispensed with as afores id, fhall be so made
by said supervis ng a'-chitect as that said Board of Commissioners will
be able to decide intelligently as to the cfTect that would thereby be
produced upon the ultimate aggregate cost of said proposed new State
House.
But it is further expressly agreed. and understood that no such change
or changes, modification or modifications ( f plan shall be mace as will
cause the aggregate cost of the proposed ^-tate House to exceed the
sum of two million ($2,000,000) dollars.
It is further agreed that if, preparatory to the letting of contracts, or
at any time, or for any purpose, it shall, in the opinion of the Board, be
necessary, expedient or convenient to procure any further or additional
estimaes, the part}' of the second part shall, upon demand, prepare
and submit the same to the Board. And further, that he will from
time to time, as tlie work progresses, and whenever the same becomes
necessary, furnish to the Board the proper working drawings for said
building.
It is agreed that the said pnrty of the second part sball receive in
consideration for his plans, drawings, specificitions, estimates and all
his services as architect and supervising aichitect, a sum equal to
ADMINISTRATION OP GOVERNOR WILLIAMS. 273
two (2) per oentum of the actual cost of said building; provided, how-
ever, that said per centum shall not in any case be computed on a
sum greater than two millions of dollars ; and it being understood that
of and as a part of said two per centum the sum of six thousand dollars
shall be paid to said party of the second part in consideration and as
compensation for his plans, drawings, specifications and estimates pre-
pared and submitted, and hereafter to be prepared and submitted to
said Board of Commissioners, said six thousand dollars shall be paid
out of the first moneys in the State Treasury for State House purposes
that in the judgment of the Buard of Commissioners can be properly
applied to such purpose.
The residue of said commission shall be paid upon quarterly estimates
of work done, proportionately as the woik proceeds. As a standard for
estimating approximately the amount of each proportionate quarterly
payment, it shall be assumed that the entire cost of the State House will
be $1,800,000, and that, therefore, said «6,000, when paid, will be a pay-
ment of oue sixth in amount of said May's commission. The amount,
therefore, of each quarterly payment shall be five-sixths of two per
per centum of paid estimate of work done. But when the actual cost
of the building shall be known final settlement shall be made upon that
basis, and net upon the assumed cost aforesaid.
All such quarterly estimates shall be subject to the approval of the
Board.
The party of the second part agrees that in all cases he will submit to
and be bound and concluded by the decisions of the Board as to what
constitute his duties as architect and supervising architect, and the
Board shall have the power to decide as to all plans, drawings, specifi-
cations and estimates, and as to all materials and labor used in the
(rection of said building.
It is hereby provided that said Board of Commissioners, for good
cause shown, or the Legislature by concurrent vote of both Houses
may annul this contract, and the right to do so is hereby expressly
reserved.
These articles are executed in duplicate the date above written.
Signed by order of the Board.
J. D. WILLIAMS, President.
EDWIN MAY.
Notwithstanding Injunction suits by some of the disap-
pointed architects and disaffected persons, the Commissioners
are proceeding energetically in the business entrusted to their
hands. The old State House has been demolished and every
vestige of its remains removed, and the people of Indiana
may congratulate themselves that in a few years they will
18
274 HISTORY OP INDIANA.
have a capital building that will comport with the dignity,
wealth and progress of the State.
Tlie most noted event of the year 1877, and the one that
threatened the most serious calamity to the country, was
the great strike among the employes of several of the maia
trunk lines of railway and their branches. This strike was
inaugurated early in the mouth of July upon the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad, and in a few days extended to numerous
other roads. A failure of some of the companies to pay their
employes with promptness, and especially a threatened reduc-
tion of wages to take effect at a certain date, gave rise to
intense dissatisfaction among said employes, and led tiiem
hastily to the commission of overt acts of lawlessness. They
not only refused to work for their employers, but by threats,
force and intimidation, prevented others from taking their
places on the trains. This caused an almost complete suspen-
sion of business and travel upon the main lines of railroad
from the Eastern Atlantic seaboard as far west as Omaha.
This embargo upon the business and commerce of the country
lasted over two weeks, and severely tasked the patience and
forbearance of the people, though many sympathized to a
certain extent with the dissatisfied employes. Travelers were
detained on their journey and shippers suffered losses from
delays in their consignments. Several of the railroad com-
panies sustained heavy losses in the wanton destruction of
their property. The severest calamity occurred to the Penn-
sylvania road at Pittsburg, in the burning of their depot and
an immense number of cars, merchandise in transit, etc., by
an infuriated mob. This loss is estimated at several million
dollars. Military interference by the United States and by the
State authorities became necessary to quell the disturbance, re-
store order and protect the property of the railroad companies.
Fortunately in this State but little harm was done to person or
property. Mild counsels prevailed, and peace and order and
resumption of business upon the embargoed roads were speedily
restored.
ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR WILLIAMS. 275
The following proclamation was issued by Governor Wil-
liams in relation to the disturbance in this State :
A PROCLAMATION.
To the People of Indiana :
Many disaffected employes of railroad companies doing business in
this State have renoanced their employment because o»f alleged
grievances and have conspired to enforce their demands by detaining
trains of their late employers, seizing and controlling their property,
intimidating their managers, prohibiting by violence their attempts to
conduct their business, and driving away passengers and freight ofiered
for transportation. The peace of the community is seriously disturbed
by these lawless acts. Every class of society is made to suffer. The
comfort and happiness of many families not parties to the grievances
are sacrificed. A controversy which belongs to our courts, or to the
province of peaceful arbitration or negotiation, is made the excuse for
an obstruction of trade and travel over ihe chartered commercial high-
ways of our State. The commerce of the entire country is interfered
with, and the reputation of our community is threatened with dishonor
among our neighbors- This disregard of law and the rights and priv-
ileges of our citizens and those of sitter States can not be tolerated.
The machinery provided by law for the adjustment of private griev-
ances must be used as the only resort against debtors, individual or
corporate. The process of the courts is deemed sufficient for the
enforcement of civil remedies as well as the penalties of the criminal
code, and must be executed equally in each case. To the end that the
existing combination be dissolved and destroyed in its lawless form, I
invoke the aid of all the law-abiding citizens of our State. I ask that
they denounce and condemn this infraction of public order, and
endeavor to dissuade these offenders against the peace and dignity of
our State from farther acts of lawlessness.
To the Judiciary : I appeal for the prompt and rigid administration
of justice in proceedings of this nature.
To the Sheriffs of the several counties I commend a careful study of
the duties imposed upon them by statute, which they have sworn to
discharge. I admonish each to use the full power of his county in the
preservation of order and the suppression of breaches of the peace,
assuring them of my hearty co-operation with the power of the State
at my command when satisfied that occasion requires its exercise.
To those who have arrayed themselves against government and are
subverting law and order and the best interests of society by the waste
and destruction of property, the derangement of trade, and the ruin of
all classes of labor, I appeal for an immediate abandonment of their
276 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
unwise and unlawful confederation. I convey to them the voice of the
law, which they can not aQ'ord to disregard. I trust that its admonition
may be so promptly heeded that a resort to extreme measures will be
unnecessary, and that the authority of the law and the dignity of the
State, against which they have so grievously offended, may be restored
and duly respected hereafter.
Given at Indianapolis the twenty-sixth day of July, 1877.
Witness the seal of the State and signature of the Governor.
JAMES D. WILLIAMS,
Governor of Indiana. ♦
By the Governor:
John E. Neff, Secretary of State.
This closes the important events that have transpired during
Governor Williams' administration to this time. The people
of Indiana, as well as those of her sister States, have expe-
rienced some adversity and loss from the effects of the finan-
cial panic of 1873, whose shadow now seems to be passing
away, but the excellent crops of the past years are dispelling
the gloom that has so long hung over the country, and the
indications of renewed vigor and prosperity in the common-
wealth are unmistakable.
MARION COUNTY COURT HOUSE.
THE NEW STATE HOUSE.
Dimensions. — Side and north fronts, one hundred and eigrhty-five feet ; east and west fronts, four
hundred and ninety-two feet. Center — east to west, two hundred and eifchty-two feet by one hundred
and eighteen f-et in width. Hight of dome two hundred and thirty-four feet; diameter of dome,
seventy-two feet. Hight of east and west fronts, one hundred feet ; north and south fronts, ninety-
two feet. First story, eighteen and one-half Uex. Second story, nineteen feet. Representatives Hall,
forty-eight feet. Senate Chamber, forty-eight feet. Supreme Court Room, forty feet. Third story,
si.xteen and one-half feet.
CHAPTER XXXIII.
EDUCATIONAL — GENERAL FEATURES.
THE schools and school laws of Indiana existing previous
to 1 853 are sufficiently noticed in the local history of each
county in another part of this volume. It will be expedient
278 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
in this place to treat only of tlic law to provide for a uniform
Bystcni of common scliools, adopted in 1S52 ; its several
amendments and the beneticient results that have been attained
through its successful operation. These arc, justly, the pride
and, boast of the people.
Although this law was passed in 1852, it did not hecom
practically operative until the first Monday of April, 1853,
when the township trustees for school purposes were elected
in the several townships of the State. This law committed to
the township trustees the charge of all the educational altairs
of the township. It gave them the control and disbursement
of all the school funds; it left with them to determine the
number and location of all the school-houses necessary for the
accommodation of the children of the township; it left to
them the making of all contracts for building, repairing and
furnishing school-houses; the purchasing of fuel; the employ-
ment of teachers, and, lastly, they were to determine the time
of commencing and the period of the continuance of the
schools.
Immediately upon the passage of the law, it met with con-
,Bidei"able opposition in all parts of the State. It was claimed
that it would not be possible to select men in all the town-
6hi])s of the State capable of discharging properly the various
duties required of township trustees; and, that in many in-
stances, the summary and discretionary powers with which
they were to be clothed, would be injudiciously exercised.
This o]->position, however, resulted only in the com]')lete suc-
cess of the law, for through it the people of the State were
awakened to the great im])ortance of electing the ablest and
best men to the office — a commendable practice to which they
still earnestly adhere. With hardly a single exception durint;
the i)ast twenty years, tiic}' have placed in these positions of
usefulness and power of their township their most intelligent
and eflicient men. Hardly a single year elapsed when the
friends of the new system saw that there was no cause longer
to fear for its success through the want of capacity or of
interest on the part of the trustees.
The trustees, on entering on the duties of tbeir office, were
KPUCATIONAL GENERAL FEATURES. 279
in nearly all cases, greatly embarrassed by tlic general want
of correct iutbrmation among the people concerning this new
system of public instruction. The law, in all points, M'as
radically new, providing for a system wholly different from
any to which the people had ever been accustomed. Fo.w of
the trustees, and still fewer of tlie people, had ever read, much
less studied the law, hence they were unable to oj^erate prop-
erly under it. To remove these ditlicultics a ])aniphlet of
upwards of sixty pages, embracing the law, with its amend-
ments and copious notes, explanations, instructions and forms
of proceedings, was issued from the olHce of the Suj)crintend-
ent of Public Instruction. A large edition Avas ])rintcd aiid
distributed to the several townships of the State, so that any
person, by simply calling on any of the county ollicials, would
receive a copy without charge. By this means all soon became
acquainted with the whole system.
The first duty of the Board of Trustees was to establish
and conveniently locate a suflicient number of'sehools for the
education of all the children of their township. In referring
to this matter in his annual report of 1853, lion. AV. C. Lar-
rabee, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, made these
remarks: "But the school-houses, where are they? and what
are they? In some townships there is not a single school-
house of any kind to be found. In other townshijis there are
a few old, leaky, dilapidated log cabins, wholly unfit for use
even in summer, and in winter worse than nothing. * * *
Before the people can be tolerably accommodated with schools
there must be erected in this State at least three thousand live
hundred school houses."
Previous to the enactment of the township system, school
houses were erected by single districts, but under this law
districts were abolished, district lines obliterated, and houses
previously built by districts became the property of the town-
ship, and all new houses were to be built at the expense of the
township, by an appropriation of toA\Tiship funds, by the
trustees.
By a general law, enacted in conformity to the constitution
of 1852, each and every township in the State was made a
280 HISTOKT OF INDIANA.
municipal corporation, with sncli powers and liabilities as, by
common usage, belong to such corporations. Every voter in
the township was made a member of the corporation. Tlie
business of the corporation was managed directly by the whole
body of the voters, in regular or special township meetings, or
by persons chosen by the people, as directors of the cor])o ra-
tion, called township trustees. Among the inherent and
necessary powers of such corporations, stood hrst and most
important, that of raising, by taxation on the property and
polls of the township, an amount of funds sullicient to defray
all the legitimate expenses of the corporation.
The most important interest of the township was that of
educating the children — common schools. Under the new
township system, as guaranteed by the constitution of 1S52,
the authority to levy taxes, to Ijuild school houses and to carry
on all parts of the system of public instruction, might have
been constitutionally exercised either by the m.ajority of the
members of t^e corporation, that is, by the voters of the
township, or by olliccrs elected by the voters, but no power
was given to the township trustees to levy this tax without the
consent of the voters of tlic township. This phase of the law,
authorizing the vote of the township on a S])ecial tax was
questioned, and gave rise, at first, to some impediment to the
success of the system. Tax-payers who were opposed to the
special township tax, refused to pay the assessment, therel)ynot
onh^ retarding the progress of scliools, but causing an unusual
delinquency in the collection of taxes for general purposes.
Contracts for building school houses were tlii'own u]), houses
half finished \vere abandoned, and all operations were sus-
pended in several townships.
In some townships a rumor was circulated by the enemies
of the law, that the entire school law, from beginning to end,
had been declared by the Su2-)reme Court imconstitutional and
void. Believing this, the township trustees actually dismissed
all their schools, and even considered themselves summarily
deposed from office. In reference to this state of things, lion.
"\V. C. Larrabee, Superintendent of Public Instruction, spoke
(IS follows in his report to the Governor, in 1S53: "As soon
EDUCATIONAL — GENERAL FEATURES.
281
as information of these facts was received at this office, eftbrts
were made, bj private correspondence and by circulars, to
correct public opinion and to arrest the downward tendency
of the whole system. It is hoped that the real facts are now
CROSSCU?&WEST.PHILA.
B. C. HOBBS, ESQ.
See page 31.
known and appreciated, and before any more serious evil shall
arise, we hope for a decision to settle the whole question."
While the voting of special taxes was doubted on a consti-
tutional point, it became apparent that it was weak in a prac-
ticable point. The existence of this provision ^n the law
\
282 nisTOKT OF Indiana,
greatly retarded the organization and impaired tlio eflleicncy
of tlic schools. In many townslii])s the trnstccs, on exploring
their territory, found few or no school honscs fit to be occu-
pied. They proposed a township tax for the erection of
houses, bnt the proposition was voted down. They renewed
the proposition at subsequent meetings, but it was again and
again voted down. Under these circumstances, the first year
of the existence of the township system was not a very suc-
cessful one.
Another impediment to popular education, in 1853-4, was
the great deficiency in number and qualifications of teachers.
In some townships teachers of no grade could be obtained in
sufficient numbers to supply the schools. But few of the
persons offering themselves for examination could pass accord-
ing to law.
The scarcity of well qualified teachers was well understood
by those who framed the School Law of 1852. By that law
the Superintendent was rc(juired to appoint deputies in each
county to examine all applicants for license to teach, and to
license them, if found qualified, for one or two years. The
law, however, erected no specific standard of qualification. It
left to the examiner the right of determining, at his discretion,
the amount and variety of knowledge the applicant should
exhibit in order to entitle him to a license. The examiner in
each case took into consideration any peculiar circumstances
that might exist in the county or township in which the
teacher was to be employed. In some counties and in some
townships, where schools were few and teachers scarce, and
the children few, young and backward, it was found expedient
to employ persons to teach who were by no means qualified to
take charge of schools in advanced towns.
But in this respect the School Law was changed in 1853.
The authority to appoint examiners, by the amendment, was
transferred from the Superintendent to the County Commis-
sioners, and a standard of qualification was erected. The
committee on education who prepared the amendatory law,
while erecting a standard of qualification for teachers, at which
all persons proposing to teach should aim, at the same time
EDUCATIONAL — GENERAL FEATURES. 283
made provision to meet tlie emergencies existing at that time,
anti antliorized a temporary license, at the discretion of the
examiners, to persons who might not be able to pass a rigid
examination in all tlie branches constituting the standard.
The common scliool fund available in 1854, consisted of the
Congressional Township fund, the sui*plns Kevcnue fund, the
Saline fund, the Bank tax fund, and miscellaneous funds,
amounting in all to two million four hundred and sixty
thousand six hundred dollars. This amount was subse-
quently increased to a very great extent from many sources.
The common school fund was intrusted to the several counties
of the State, which were held responsible for the preservation
thereof, and for the payment of the annual interest thereon.
The fund was managed by the Auditors and Treasurers of the
several counties, for which these ollicers were allowed one-
tenth the income. It was loaned out to citizens of the county,
in sums not exceeding three hundred dollars, on real estate
eecurity.
Under this phase of the school law the common school fund
was consolidated and the proceeds equally distributed each
year to all the townships, cities and towns of the State, in
proportion to the number of children therein. This |iart of
the law met with great opposition in 1S54-.
In reference to the township libraries, which were organized
in 1855, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in 185-i,
says: " Much time and labor, and thought, have been devoted
to the selection of books to form the libraries. * * -5^ "WTe
have made copious selections of historical works, deeming the
reading of such books both intercstinij and useful."
Caleb Mills entered upon his term of office as Superinten-
Qent of Public Instruction at the close of the year 1854. In
his report, presented to the legislature in January, 1855, he
says: " It is distressing to know that many localities can have
no schools, because instructors cannot be obtained; and it is
but little mitigation of our grief to be assured by county
examiners, that more than half the license could not be
legally authorized to teach if a rigid construction of the stat-
ate on this point should be pressed." The Superintendent, in
284 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
thib report, called loudly for some racans by \vliicli teachers
could be qualified for the important duties of conducting the
schools.
In regard to the township libraries, -which had previously
been established under the new law, ^Mr. Mills remarked:
"There is a peculiar felicity in this provision of the system
inasmuch as it will prove, in no slight degree, especially in
the rural portions of the commonwealth, an im]wrtant substi-
tute for the living teacher, and answer tlie purpose of a school
of uninterrupted session. These volumes will be like gushing
fountains to minds thirsting for knowledge. They will furnish
to our youth, and adults of every age and pursuit, intellectual
nutriment and mental stimulus. The wearied apprentice, the
tired ploughboy, the exhausted clerk, and the secluded domes-
tic, will find in them encouragement and solace under all
their toils, privations and discouragements." And again, in
the same report, in relation to scliool buildings, he says:
" Among the pleasing signs of progress in educational mat-
ters, may be named the tasteful and commodious school struc-
tures that have been erected, or are now in the process of
erection in various parts of the commouAvcalth. They have
risen in all their beauty and symmetry of proportion, not only
in the towns, but they have gone up in some of the i-ural por-
tions of the State.
During Mr. Mills' term the public scliools were blessed
with singular progress; attempts were made to establish
graded schools, but these met with much legal opposition, but
were, as we shall see, eventually successful. The State Teach-
ers' Association was organized with promises of success, and
the number and efiiciency of teachers were on the increase.
W. C. Larrabee succeeded Mr. Mills as Superintendent, and
during his term the school law was subjected to severe legal
criticism, but some general progress was made. lie was suc-
ceeded by Samuel L. Rugg, who, in his report to the legisla-
ture of 1860, informs us that there were, at tliat time, 7,233
school districts within the State; 6,475 primary schools and
73 high schools. The average number of pupils to each school
■was forty-one. During the same year there were 6,766 teach-
EDUCATIONAL GENEKAL FEATUItES. 285
ers employed in tlie primary schools, of wliich numlier 5,294
■were males and 1,359 females; sixty-two male and fifty -one
female teachers were employed in the high schools. The
average compensation of male teachers was one dollar and
thirteen cents per day, and of female teachers eighty-six cents
per day.
SCHOOL STATISTICS OF 18G0.
"Whole No. of children between 5 and 21 years of age, 512,478
Increase since previous enumeration 17,449
Males 268,394
Females 244,074
Number of school districts in the State 7,309
Increase within the year 463
No. primary schools taught within the year 6,938
Increase within the year 463
No. of high schools 78
Increase within the year 5
No. pupils attending primary schools within the year, 297,882
Increase within the year 71,509
No. attending high schools 5,991
Increase within the year 849
Average attendance at each primary school 31
Average attendance at each high school 102
Male teachers employed in primary schools 5,614
Increase within the year 320
Female teachers employed in primary schools 1,611
Increase within the year 252
Male teachers employed in high school 77
Increase within the year 15
Female teachers employed in high school 65
Increase within the year 4
School houses erected within the year 750
Increase over the previous year 84
Yalue of school houses erected within the year $324,276
No. of volumes in township libraries 221,523
No. of select schools 694
No. of pupils attending select schools 11,805
286 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Mr. Barnabas C. Kobbs, Superintendent of Public Instruc-
tion, in his report in 1868, said:
" Tlie General Assembly, in 1865, incorporated into our
seliool law a provision requiring that ' The Jiible shall not be
excluded from the public scliools of the State.' They s])oke
nobly for their heads and hearts. A sovereign State has given
its insignia for the Divine Law. It marks the progress of
Christian civilization, and indicates that toleration and mutual
coniidenee have taken the place of jealousy and suspicion. It
shows that the teachers of the common schools of our State
have reached that standard which indicates large and liberal
views; that they are guarded by prudence, and guided by that
Christian patriotism which seeks to inculcate those cardinal
and catholic principles which teach obedience to God and duty
to man. The Bible is the universal law-book of the M'orld,
and was given by inspiration of God, with the injunction that
it should be taught diligently to the cliildren.''''
And, in 1870, the same gentleman truthfully said: "Our
State has a great future before it. * * * Industry
and thrift are rapidly advancing the happiness and material
wealth of the State. But for lasting success the interest of
the capitalist and laborer must be blended. The laborer ia
contented only when he sees a pleasing future for his children.
The free schools of the State afibrd this guarantee. They are
alike the friends to both capital and labor."
CHAPTER XXXIII.
EDUCATIONAL TKESENT FACILITIBS.
IN the previous chapter we have traced the common school
system of Indiana from its first organization down to
1870. By the statistics and suggestions contained in that'
chapter it may be seen that the system has been a complete
Buccess. It shall be the pleasure of the reader of this cli;ipter
EDUCATIONAL — GENERAL FEATUEEB.
287
to contemplate the present advanced condition ol the scliools
and colleges of the State. In speaking of tlie history of the
common schools of Indiana, the late lamented Milton B. Hop-
kins, then Superintendent of Public Instruction, in his report
of 1872, said: "The fountain of knowledge and learning has
JOHi{ BKOWNFIELD, ESQ.
See page 21.
been unsealed alike for all. The children of the poor and the
opulent have sat down together at this fountain. The contest
in reference to the fundamental ])rinciples that lie at the basis
of the system has ceased. The enemies of free schools have
288 HISTORY OF IKDIANA.
either been converted or have sunk away in sullen silence.
The friends of this precious cause can now afford to seize upon
a moment's leisure, and review as a matter of history, the
i>rigin, conllicts, struggles, reverses and triumphs of the great
cause of popular schools." lie continued: *
ORIGIN OF FREE SCHOOLS.
" In the year 152G Martin Luther propounded to the Elector
of Saxony the following proposition: 'Government as the
natural guardian of all the young has the right to compel the
people to support schools.' This proposition he argued thus-
' What is necessary to the well-being of a State, (and he might
have added to its existence,) should be supported by those
who enjoy the privileges of the State. Now nothing is more
necessary than the training of those who are to come after us
and bear rule.' Luther's proposition struck the mind of the
Elector with all the force of an axiom, and just one year
thereafter he invited the great reformer to draw up a plan for
free schools, adapted to the exigencies of little Saxony, This
Luther did, and in the year 1527 he produced with his own
hand what is known as the Saxon Free School System.
" Tliis inaugurated the era of public free schools supported
by the State. Hitherto the work of education had been car-
ried on exclusively by the church and educational cor])orations.
These educated the few, but left the maii}^ untouched. The
result M'as the few did the thinkins:; the manv the servinj;.
Luther's plan opened the door alike to all. The contest thus
begun in Germany continued there for several centuries with
varied fortune. After Luther's death other friends of popular
schools bore the ark of the sacred cause on their shoulders.
One by one the German States adopted, in substance, Saxony's
system. The light of their example shot across the sea and
fell upon Scotland, and the eloquent John Knox was heard in
successful advocacy of popular schools in his own country.
" It is the part of candor, however, to confess that there was
* As the State has lost an efficient laborer in the cause of education in
the death of Mr. Hopkins, we make a liberal extract from his able report
of 1872, which our readers will not fail to appreciate.
EDUCATIONAL PRESENT FACILmES. 289
one Tinfortunatc fcatnrc connected witli these systems. An
nnliolj alliance had been formed between the State and tho
church; and while the State was asked to provide the revenue
for the education of all the children, the church dropped upon
her knees and asked permission to execute the system. The
privilege was granted, and hence the schools of tliose times
partook largely of the ecclesiastical. The pure waters of
science and literature were muddied with the sediment of a
dogmatic and speculative theology. The prevailing desire was
to make, not the intelligent thinking man or woman, but a
blind devotee to the church. For the true model of a free
school we have to look to this side of the Atlantic. Here the
contest lies between Massachusetts and Ilartfordjin Connecti-
cut. As early as in 1G47 Massachusetts made it obligatory
upon the inhabitants of every township of fifty householders
to provide for the education of all; but the town of Hartford,
six years before, in 1641, had established a town school, sup-
ported from the public treasury of the city. The crown of
this honor, therefore, must be placed upon the head of the city
of Hartford. Other New England States early fell into line,
and by the time we reach the Revolutionary era free public
schools are fixtures in all those States. Luther's proposition
that it is the right of government as tho natural guardian of
the young to compel the people to support schools by taxation,
had been a steady and growing principle with these colonies
from their earliest settlement. To this same principle and to
that same Revolutionary period we must look for the origin
of the free schools in Indiana.
" In the year 1780, Congress, realizing what must be the
barren condition of the national treasury at the close of the
war, commenced prospecting for some fruitful source o-f reve-
nue. And to whom could the people's representative look but
to the States themselves. Tliey possessed no divine wand by
the touch of which all turns to gold. Virginia, standing in
the front of the battle, her patriotic bosom bare to the leaden
storm ; her giant arm uplifted to give a powerful blow for inde-
pendence, was the owner of large possessions lying north of
the Ohio, east of the Mississippi, and stretching north to
19
290 HISTOET OF INDIANA.
LhIvC Superior, a territory out of which liavc since been carved
five threat States, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Wis-
consin, containing an area of 239,522 square miles, 153,294,080
acres of land, and capable of supporting a population of llfty
millions of souls.
" Congress ventured to hint to Virginia that a present of
these lands for the benefit of the entire family of States would
be very acceptable. A hint was all the patriotic heart of Vir-
ginia then needed, and on the first day of March, 1784, through
her delegates in Congress, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Ilardy,
Arthur Lee and James Monroe, she made the solemn, patri-
otic and valuable conveyance.
" Does history afford another instance of patriotism like
tliis, a civil State ceding away, in fee simple, so vast an area
of the richest country on earth, without one dollar in compen-
sation? Virginia may Imve committed errors since, but when
I remember that from her the people of Indiana have their
liomes and firesides, I feel like spreading the cloak of universal
amnesty upon my shouldcis, walking backward, and covering
up those errors.
" Next, the surveyor, with chain and compass, passed over
this beautiful land, and marked it off into squares of six niiles
each, called congressional townships, and these again were
divided into smaller squares of one mile each, called sections,
making thirty-six sections in each township. These were
numbered, commencing with the section in the north-east cor-
ner, counting westward and eastward, as a boy plows rows of
corn, the sixteenth falling near the centre. In 1787 a terri-
torial government was established over this countrj^, and in
the third article of the ordinance of 1787, the Congress
declared that 'religion, morality and knowledge being essen-
tial to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools
and the meajis of education shall forever be encouraged.' This
was the grain of mustard seed planted by patriotic hands,
which has grown into our great educational tree.
" On the nineteenth of April, 181G, Congress invited Indi-
ana to meet in convention, adopt a constitution, and take her
position among the family of republican States, tendering for
EDUCATION AX PRESENT FACILITIES. 291
her free acceptance or rejection the following proposition:
*That the section numbered sixteen, in every township, and,
when such section has been sold, granted, or disposed of, other
lands, equivalent thereto, and most contiguous to the same,
shall be granted to the inhabitants of such township for the
use of schools.' Indiana 'chose the good part that shall
never be taken from her,' and thus fell heir to about five hun-
dred and seventy-six thousand acres of land. This became
the corner stone of our system of free public schools."
Let us now turn our attention to the present condition of
the glorious system of popular schools in Indiana. First,
then, as to the means of support. And just here we strike the
great key note that makes the heart of every Indianian bound
with patriotism. Indiana has a laegek school fund, by two
MILLIONS OF dollars, THAN ANT OTHER StATE IN THE UnION.
The following was, in 1872, the Indiana
COMMON SCHOOL FUNDI
Non-negotiable bonds $3,591,316 15
Common school fund 1,666,824 50
Sinking fund, at 8 per cent 569,139 94
Congressional to^v-nship fund 2,281,076 69
Value of unsold congressional township lands. . 94,245 00
Saline fund 5,727 66
Bank tax fund 1,744 94
Escheated estates 17,866 55
Sinking fund, last distribution 67,067 72
Sinking fund, undistributed 100,165 92
Swamp land fund 42,418 40
Total $8,437,593 47
These items are all embedded in the constitution, and form
the principal of the common school fund, a perpetual fund
which may be increased but never diminished. Let ns com-
pare this fund with the school fund of the other leading
States in the Union:
Indiana, §8,437,593 47
Arkansas 2.000,000 00
292 rasTOKT OF nnjiAWA.
Connecticut 2,809,770 70
Florida 210,335 80
Illinois 6,348,538 32
Iowa 4,274,581 93
Kansas 750,000 00
Kentucky 1,400,270 01
Maine 289,991 58
Massachusetts 2,210,864 09
Michigan 2,500,214 91
Minnesota 2,471,199 31
Missouri 2,525,252 52
Nevada 29,263 80
New Hampshire 330,745 45
New Jersey 550,483 50
New York 2,880,017 01
North Carolina 968,242 43
Ohio 6,614,816 50
Rhode Island 412,685 00
West Virginia 216,761 06
Wisconsin 2,237,414 37
We may add to this that the common school fund of Indi-
ana is still increasing.
The next grand feature of the educational facilities of Indi-
ana is her numerous and commodious scliool houses. The
school house is the unerrins: siijn of civilization; there is no
better exponent of the educational progi-css of a people than
the number and kind of their school houses.
Two provisions have been made by the legislature of Indiana
for the erection of these. The iirst authorizes the school
trustees of the townships, incorporated towns and cities, to
levy a special tax in their respective corporations, not exceed-
ing twenty-live cents on each one hundred dollars' worth of
taxable property, and fifty cents on each poll in any one year;
the second authorizes the trustees of incorporated towns, and
the city councils of incorporated cities to issue bonds to the
extent of thirty thousand dollars.
Under the operations of these two provisions of the law,
school houses have sprung uj> in all parts of the State.
EDUCATIONAL TKESENT FACILITIES.
293
"WTierever the traveler passes through the rural districts, the
neat frame or substantial brick greets him with a smile of
cheerfulness, and as he enters the towns and cities of the State
thej arise before him in commanding proportions. Among
the cities a commendable spirit of rivalry is at work. The
following statement will show the progress in the number and
cost of the school houses for each of the last nine years pre-
ceding 1875:
Year.
Stone.
Brick.
Frame.
Log.
Total.
Total valuation.
1865
65
440
5770
1128
7403
$3,827,173 00
1866
78
506
6145
1096
8231
4,515,734 00
1867
71
554
6672
1063
8360
5,078,356 00
1868
74
592
6906
831
8403
5,828,501 00
1869
76
655
7207
723
8661
6,577,258 33
1870
83
725
7436
583
8827
7,282,639 30
1871
125
834
7517
513
8989
7,381,839 73
1872
88
877
7586
547
9080
9,199,480 15
1873
1874
12,000,000 00
The more recent amendments of the school law provides for
County Superintendents, and for a high standard of qualifica-
tion of teachers.
Having observed some of the general features of the educa-
tional facilities of Indiana, we would naturally turn to notice
the universities, colleges, normal and high schools, and other
special educational agencies. A full history and description of
these being included in the history of the town or city in
which they are located, and presented in another part of thif
volume, renders superfluous any mention of them in this con-
nection. Readers are referred to the contents and indexes to
find special features desired. The following table, however,
will show the number and class of special educational institu
tinns tliat are notioed at lenfirth elsewlicrc:
Common school fund held by counties, Janelst, 1876 .$2,523,988 33
Non-negotiable bonds „ 3,904,783 21
CongresBional township Bchool funds ^ 2 442 100 89
Total 88,870,872 43
Increase since 1872 $133,278 96
294
HISTORY or INDIANA.
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296
HISTOBT OF INDIANA.
Connected with tlie educational institutions of tlie State are
the libraries, prominent among which are the " township
libraries," or common school libraries. In our table which
follows, giving the statistics of libraries in the State, we have
classed the " township libraries," as school libraries. These
were established under the school law of 1852. Bj this law
each township in the State — nearly one thousand — was sup-
plied with a very complete library. The selection of books
for each of these libraries contemplates the literary wants of
all classes, youth and adult, and is intended to gratify the
tastes of every calling and pursuit of life. The merchant and
the farmer, the mechanic and the physician, the la%vyer and
the preacher, all find something to amuse, entertain and
instruct in these collections. These libraries furnish rich
materials for the discipline of the mental and the culture of
the moral powers. They are well calculated to refine the
taste, chasten yet gratify the imagination, inculcate virtue,
rebuke vice, foster temperance, strengthen patriotism, encour-
age cntcr])rise, confirm and establish whatever is lovely and of
good report in character and praiseworthy in action. Is it
any wonder that, with these splendid libraries, added to the
other superior educational facilities of the State the people of
Indiana have already attained a high standard of literary,
moral and reliijious culture:
STATISTICS OF LIBRARIES FROM 1850 TO 1870.
1870.
1800.
1850.
KiiulH and clasfcs.
No.
Volumes.
No.
Volumes.
No.
Vols.
All classes, public and private
Libraries, other than private.
State libraries
5,301
2,333
1
70
92
1,000
1,075
87
20
2,998
1,125,553
047,894
10,147
47,104!
10,308:
323,39 1|
204,029
24,350!
8,294|
497,059,
1,123
341
1
407,002
198,490
12,000
151
58
08,403
40,238
Town, city, etc
Court and law
Scliool, collee:e, etc
534
247
1
202,910
C5,450l
200^
7
85
1
10,500
Sabbatli school
11,205
400
Church
Circulating
Private
::::::::ii:::
I
EDUCATIONAL — PRESENT FACILITIES. 297
RELIGIOUS.
"Knowledge is power," because wherever education prevails
there will always be found a high moral and religious culture.
In the State of Indiana, as may be seen by the following sta-
tistical table, if compared with a similar showing of other
States, there are a larger number of churches, in proportion to
the population, than in any other State in the Union with but
a single exception — that of Massachusetts. The largest
religious denomination in the State is that of the Methodists,
which has a membership of considerably more than double
;that of any other religious society. The Methodiots had one
thousand and ?ix hundred churches in the State in 1874, as
shown by the returns of the compilers of this work, which
gives them an increase of over two hundred churches in four
years, or fifty churches a year. By referring to the following
table it will be seen that the increase has been above this ratio
for the last twenty years. The value of Methodist church
property in the State in 1874 was nearly four millions of dol-
lars, or more than three times as great as that of any other
church societv in the State.
Next to the Methodists, in point of numbers and wealth,
are the Baptists; third in order, in this regard, are the Chris-
tians; and fourth, the Boman Catholics. The following table
will be interesting:
298
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
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CHAPTER XXXIV.
. BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS.
TIIEEE is no State in the Union, not even Old Massachu-
setts, which can boast a better or more humane system
of" benevolent institutions. Indiana has ever been mindful of
the poor, the blind, the deaf and dumb, the friendless, tlie
orplian, and tlie fallen. All have their institutions. These
have ever been well supported by charitable donations from
individuals, and by liberal appropriations from the State.
The Benevolent Society of Indianapolis was organized in
1843. This organization was a pioneer benevolent institution,
and, although at first its field of work was small, it has gro^vn
into great usefulness, and has now a long history of good deeds.
During the session of 1842-3, the legislature adopted mea-
sures providing for a State Hospital for the Insane. " As
early as 1839," says Mr. " Hallo way's Indianapolis," "atten-
tion had been directed to the subject, but the State was in no
very good condition to undertake new enterprises, and an
appeal was made to Congress for a grant." This appeal had
no good results, and the State was left to its o'^m resources.
Subsequently the County Assessors were ordered to make a
return of the deaf mutes in their respective counties, in order
that public sympathy for these unfortunates might be awak-
ened. During the year 1842, the Governor, acting under the
direction of the Legislature, procured considerable informa-
tion in regard to hospitals for the insane in other States; and
in 1843, Dr. John Evans lectured before the Legislature on
the subject of Insanity and its Treatment. The result of this
double effort was a determination to take some active steps in
establishing a Hospital for the Insane in the State. On the
299
300 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
thirteenth of February, 1843, the Governor was directed to
obtain plans and suggestions from the Superintendents of
Hospitals in other States, for submission to the Legislature at
the next session. This lie faithfully performed, and at the
session of the Legislature in 1844, this information was exam-
ined, a mode of operation determined, and a tax of one cent
on the hundred dollars levied to carry it out. In the follow-
ing year a commission was appointed to obtain a site, not to
exceed two hundred acres, consisting of Dr. John Evans, Dr.
L. Dunlap, and James Blake. Mount Jackson was selected —
then the residence of Nathaniel Bolton. This site, with speci-
fications for building, was reported to the Legislature at the
next session, and in 1846 the Commissioners were ordered to
proceed with the work of building. Means were placed at
the disposal of the commission, and in 1847 the central build-
ing was completed, at a cost of $75,000. It has since been
enlarged by wings, some of which are larger than the old cen-
tral building, until it has become an immense structure, having
cost over half a million of dollars. It is supplied with water
by its own water works, from Eagle creek, and is in every
respect a complete, well-regulated hospital.
But while the State was providing for the insane, the deaf
and dumb were not forgotten. In the same year that the
Governor was instructed to obtain plans from Insane Hos-
pitals, a tax was levied to provide for the mutes. The first
one to agitate the subject, was William Willard, who was
himself a mute. He visited Indiana in 1843, and opened a
school for mutes on his own account, with sixteen pupils; and
in 1844 the Legislature adopted his school as a State Institu-
tion, and appointed a Board of Trustees for its management,
consisting of the Governor, and Secretary of State, ex officio^
and Eevs. Henry Ward Beecher, Phineas D. Gurley, L. H.
Jameson, Dr. Dunlap, Hon. James Morrison, and Rev. Mat-
thew Simpson. They rented the large building standing on
the southeast corner of Illinois and Maryland streets, and
opened the first State Asylum there, in 1844. In 1846. a site
for a permanent building was selected, consisting, first of
thirty acres, but afterwards of a hundred and thirty acres, just
BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONi. 301
east of the city of Indianapolis. A building was begun on
this site in 1S49, and was completed in the fall of 1850, at a
cost of $30,000. The school was transferred to the new build-
ing in October, 1850, where it is still flourishing, with enlarged
buildings, and ample facilities for instruction in agriculture.
The blind were not provided for at this time; probably on
account of the pressure of the wants of the insane, and the
deaf and dumb, as also from the fact that their number had,
at this time, not become very large. But the blind were not
forgotten. Tlie first eflPort, on their behalf, " was instigated
and directed by James M. Kay, to whom the Indiana Institute
for the Blind is more indebted than it is to any other man
livinjr." It was through his efforts that William II. Church-
man was induced to come to Indianapolis from Kentucky, and
grivQ exhibitions, in Mr. Beecher's church, with blind pupils
from his State. These entertainments were attended by mem-
bers of the legislature, for whom they were especially intended;
and the effect upon them was so good that before the adjoum-
ment of the session measures to establish a blind asylum were
adopted. A commission was appointed to carry out the
measure, consisting of James M. Bay, Geo. W. Mears and the
Secretary, Treasurer and Auditor of the State, They engaged
Mr. Churchman to make a lecturing tour through the State,
and to collect statistics of the blind population.
The Institute for the Education of the Blind was founded
by an act of the general assembly in 18-17; and was first
opened, says Mr. Ilalloway, in a rented building, on the first
of Octobei' of that year. The permanent buildings were first
opened and occupied in the month of February, 1853. The
original cost of the buildings and ground was $110,000. A
more full description will be found in the histc^ry of Marion
County in this work.
Aside from the three institutions already mentioned, tho
State early provided handsomely other needed charities. Among
these are the Indiana Female Prison and Eeformatory, infir-
maries, hospitals, homes for friendless women, homes for
o-phans, asylums for friendless colored children, societies fop
the relief of the poor, and many other benevolent institutions,
302
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
all of wliicli are fnlly noticed in this volume, in the history of
the county in wliicli they are located.
Following are some statistics of the blind, deaf ai^u dumb,
nsanc, and idiotic, in the State:
fiTATISTICS OF THE BLIND, DEAF AND DUMB, INSANE, AND
IDIGTIC 1870.
Blind.
De.'if and
Dumb.
Insane. 1
Idiotic.
Race and sex.
p
n
3
p
5*
*— *
a
B
p_
a
B
p_
jT
75G
747
4
5
B
(5
T((nl
541
521
15
5
450
441
7
2
4G7
4G2
2
2
405
403
'2
1
748
739
G
3
790
787
2
3
570
"U'Site
5f)1
Colored
5
]M II 1 ;it to
4
Indian
As before mentioned, the Institution for the Education of
the Deaf and Dumb was founded by the State, in 1844. In
ISGO it contained about one hundred and fifty pupils. During
this year the sum of $15,000 was appropriated by the State
to construct a complete steam iicating apparatus in the Insti-
tution. During the year 1870 the attendance was nearly two
hundred, and it has since been constantly increasing. The
school is conducted in the best possible manner, while the
industrial interests are growing yearly.
At the Insane Hospital, in 1860, there were about five
hundred and twenty 2:)aticnts. The number of applications
that year for admission, was two hundred and sixty, many
being refused for want of room. In reference to this matter,
the Superintendent of the hospital, in the same year, reported
that there was not room enough in the institution to accom-
modate all who were pronounced unsafe in the community,
lie added: "The constitution contemplates provision for
every insane person in the State, and humanity demands
that each one should have an equal right to the benefits of
treatment."
It was not loug until complete arrangements were made for
the accommodation of all the insane within the State. Aa
i
BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS.
303
soon as the War for the Union "vvas ended, the north wing of
the Insane Hospital was erected. This greatly improved the
institution, giving the required room, improving the venti-
See page 21.
lation, and bringing the hospital np to a standard equal to the
demand upon it. During the year 1870 tliere were seven
hundred and ninety-two patients treated in this institution,
304 mSTOKT OF INDIANA.
with good resnlts. Following are statistics of pauperism and
crime. Full descriptions of the penal institutions will be given
in the history of the counties in which they are located:
STATISTICS OF POPULATION PAUPERISM AND CRIME.
1870. I860. ISm.
Population of the State 1,680,637 1,350,428 988,416
AVliite population 1,653,837 1,338,710 977,154
Colored do 24,560 11,428 11,262
Native do 1,539,163 1,232,144 930,458
Foreign do 141,474 118,284 55,572
Number of poor supported .. . 4,657 3,565 1,182
Cost of supporting them $403,521 $151,851 $57,560
Receiving support June 1 ... . 3,652 1,589 583
Native do do 2,790 1,120 446
Wliitc do do 2,583
Colored do do 207 ....
Foreign do do 862 469 137
Persons convicted 1,374 1,184 175
Persons in prison June 1 . . . . 907 284 59
Native do do 755 129 41
White do do 691
Colored do do 64
Foreiirn do do 152 155 18
'»'
In collecting the statistical tables for this work, the com-
pilers have consulted the census reports of 1850, 1860, and
1870, and aiso obtained much valuable information from travel
throuirh the State. The above table chives tlic statistics of the
population, pauperism and crime in Indiana from 1850 to
1870. In another part of this work a sketcli will be found
giving the same information covering a period from 1870
to 1876.
In this short chapter mention has been made only of the
most distinguished features of the charities of the State. The
reader will lind special mention of the several benevolent
institutions in the histories of the counties according to their
location.
CHAPTER XXXy.
WEALTH AND rROGRESS.
IT "would be impossible to sum up, in a single chapter, or a
single volume, all the wealth of Indiana; or to measure
the progress of the great itid us trios of the State. Bj studying
the following table, and comjiaring these statistics with a sim-
ilar showing of other States, the reader will be astonished to
learn, perhaps for the first time, that Indiana is no longer a
third rate State in the American Union; and had she sufhcient
territory within her limits, she would not long rank in the
class of second rate States. Indeed it is only in point of terri-
tory that Indiana can be ranked a second rate State. In regard
to pojwlation, wealth, progress, enterprise, commerce, manu-
factures, agriculture, intelligence, the State of Indiana, in
comparison with other States, acre for acre, or square mile for
squai-e mile, is, in all senses, a FiR?r Rate State. In many
thiuirs she excells even the leadins; State of the Union.
rOPULATION.
The compilers of this work having visited all the cities,
towns and villages in the State for the pui-pose of collecting
the material for the county histories, were enabled to gather
much valuable information concerning the probable number
of inhabitants now living within the limits of the State. In
1S50, the total population of Indiana was 988,416; in 1860 it
was 1,350,428; in 1870, it was 1,680,637; and from a careful
estimate, by townships, the compilers of this work have arrived
at the conclusion that the population of this State, in 1875,
will be OVER TWO inLLiONS. The following table, showing
the population in 1850, 1860, 1870, and 1875, of all the toAvns
20 305
306 HISTORY OF INDlAlfA.
and cities in Indiana, containing over one tliousand inhabit-
ants, will exhibit the unparalleled growth of the State during
the past five years:
POrULATION OF THE rRINCirAL CITIES AND VILLAGES IN INDIANA
IN 1850, 18G0, AND 1870, with reliable
EffllMATES FOR 1875.
cities. 1850. 1860.
Anderson 383 1,169
Angola 22G
Attica 1,698
Aurora 1,945 2,984
Bloomington - 1,295
BlufTton 477 760
Booneville 195 621
Bourbon -
Brazil 84
Brownstown —
Cambridge City 1,143 1,544
Cannelton 2,155
Carthage —
Centreville 908 943
Charlcsto^n 243
Columbus 1,004 1,840
Columbia City ^ 885
Conncrsville 1,347 2,070
Corydon 429 707
Covington 1,164 1,347
Crawfordsville 1,429 1,839
Danville 338 883
Decatur 231 531
Delphi 1,354 1,395
Dublin 658 895
Edinburgh 1,097
Elkhart 1,804 2,760
Evansville 8,156 11,389
Franklin City 873 '1,710
Frankfort 573 764
Fort Wayne 4,201
Greencastle 1,375 2,093
Greenfleld 738
Grccnsburgh
Goshen 769 2,043
Gosport 584
Hafieratown 594 638
1870.
1875.
3,126
3,650
1,073
1,460
2,273
3,100
3,304
4,111
1,038
1,620
1,131
2,150
1,039
1,723
874
1,503
2,186
4,200
903
1,600
2,163
5,000
2,481
4,000
481
800
1,077
2,500
2,204
3,090
3,359
6,500
1,663
2,600
2,496
4,000
747
1,500
1,883
2,370
3,701
5,400
1,040
1,600
858
1,200
1,614
2,000
1,076
1,800
1,799
2,500
3,265
5,000
21,830
30,000
2,707
3,500
1,300
2,500
17,718
27,150
3,237
4,500
1,203
2,300
....
8,000
3,133
5,000
860
1,500
830
1,500
POPULATION.
307
cities. 1856. 1S60.
Hartford 250
Huntington 529 1,GG3
Indianapolis 7,G86 18,113
Jamestown
Jeffersonville 2,000 4,009
Kcndallviile
Kentland
Knightstown
Kokomo 1,038
La Fayette 5,997 9,254
La Grange 646
La Porte 1,782 4,973
Lawrenceburg 2,604
Lebanon * 780 890
Lexington 273 337
Ligonier
Liberty 420 567
Logansport 2,199 2,928
Mooresville 550 780
Martinsville 334 612
Mount Vernon 1,111 1,930
Marion 703
Middletown 188 364
Madison 7,714 7,883
Michigan City 983 3,304
Mitchell
Mishawakee 1,410 1,486
Milton 755 789
Monticello 885
Muncie 662 1,766
Newburg 525 999
Noblesville 659 1,090
Newcastle 666 403
North Madison 953 919
North Manchester
North Vernon 778
New Harmony 813
New Albany 7,786 12,620
Orleans
Patoka 99 409
Princeton 783 1,357
Plainfield 250
Plymouth
Pierceton 293
Peru 1,256 2,486
Petersburg 886 681
isro.
1875.
878
l.cn:}
2,925
4,200
48,244
10G,000
603
1,000
7,254
10,000
2,164
3,500
802
1,500
1,528
2,500
2,177
5,000
13,506
18,000
1,038
1,875
6,581
8,000
3,159
4,300
1,573
2,500
440
750
1,514
2,500
700
1,000
8,950
14,000
1,229
1,800
1,131
2,000
2,880
4,800
1,658
2,500
711
1,000
10,709
13,000
3,985
5,500
1,087
1,500
2,617
4,000
823
1,200
1,663
2,500
2,992
5,000
1,464
2,000
1,435
2,500
1,556
2,000
1,007
1,500
....
1,500
1,758
2,500
836
2,500
15,395
20,000
905
1,500
844
1,500
1,847
4,000
795
1,050
• . . «
3,500
1,063
1,500
8,617
7,400
923
1,200
308
HISTOKT OF INDIANA.
Cities. l&V).
Rising Sun 1,(348
Kockville 714
Jlidgeville.
Riclimond' 1,292
Rii.sliville 734
K()c;hester
Rockport 410
Seymour
Shelbyville 9SG
Spencer 335
South Bend .1,034
Sullivaa
S-.ilein 1,153
Tliorntown
Tell City
Tipton 197
Torre Haute 3,824
Union City
y incennes 1,849
Valparaiso 520
Versailles 412
Vevay
Wabash 9G4
Warsaw 304
Williamsport 279
Winamac
AVincIiesler 532
Westville 200
West Logan
Washington
Waterloo City
Worthinirtou
18R0.
1870.
1875.
1,710
i,7(i0
2,500
711
1,187
2,000
710
1,000
G,329
9,445
15,000
930
1,096
2,500
045
1,528
2,000
834
1,720
2,500
930
2,:372
3,000
1,946
2,731
3,500
971
1,500
8,735
7,200
12,000
935
1,390
2,000
1,298
1,294
2,000
1,005
1,520
2,000
1,0:50
1,000
2,500
500
892
1,500
8,379
10,103
20,000
1,439
2,500
3,703
5,4-W
8,000
1,090
2,705
3,500
495
1,000
1,195
1,200
1,000
1,504
2,881
4,000
2,200
4,000
520
988
1.500
200
900
1,500
1,450
2,500
008
1,000
987
1,200
2,901
4,000
343
1,259
2,500
1,500
AVEALTII, TA:5ATI0N, ANT) PUBLIC IXHKirrKDXKSS OF INDIANA
FOR IS 70.
Assessed valuation of real estate $ 400,120,974
Assessed valuation of personal estate 203,334,070
True valuation of real and personal estate 1,2GS, 180,543
TAXATION.
State 2,943,078
County 4,054,476
Town, city, etc 3,193,577
WEALTH, TAXATION.
309
PUBLIC DEBT.
County debt, for -wliicli bonds have been issued
All other
Town, city, etc., for which bonds have issued . .
All other
620,926
506,348
2.342.067
181,867
MAJOR ELISHA G. ENGLISH.
See page 21.
Tlie total receipts into the State Treasury during the fiscal
year 1870, were $3,589,889; of which $2,903,579 were from
taxes; $360,688 from interest on school and sinking fund;
310
niSTOKY OF INDIANA.
$85,900 from liquor licences; $15,62G from colleo^c fund;
$140,870 from public institutions; $G4,G67 from militia fund;
and $18,549 from other sources. The total disbursements
from the State Treasury during the same year, were $3,532,-
537; of which, $36,198 were for the Executive Department;
$5,880 were for Legislative expenses; $73,119 for the Judi-
ciary; $125,200 for Penitentiary expenses; $62,56G for Ilouse
of Eefuge; $3G,055 for Female Prison; $137,155 for Hospital
for Insane; $G8,042 for Deaf and Dumb Asylum; $35,594 for
Soldiers' Home; $1,580,7G3 for educational purposes and
schools; $44,881 for public printing; $1,108,778 for interest
and redemption of public debt; $4,428 for military expenses;
and $213,344 for repayments, and other purposes.
WEALTH, TAXATION AND INDEBTEDNESS.
311
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HISTOHT OF INDIANA.
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WEALTH, TAXATION AND INDEBTEDNESS.
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314
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURES FROM 1816 TO 1873.
Tears.
Population.
Value of Taxa-
bles.
Receipts.
Expenditures.
1816
$10,0(X1.00
17,953.15
17,485.59
12,412.04
17,00'J.17
47,510.67
25,174.45
35.tU3.44
61,705.89
21,544.18
30.807.10
40,.M5.88
43.;}21.08
41,02.3.00
65,:}44.48
115,102.04
97,08;}. :m
122.i:}9.33
106,797.08
11)7,714.63
120,126.8:}
98,2<l6.97
195,905.54
180.115:}. 04
1,644.158.13
4.51,ti:i7.22
1,748.859.98
891.9.31.17
1,&44,240.58
l,l:}2.413.76
874,401.23
794.025.31
l,215,;50li.;}6
872,243.35
1,4.52.442.78
984.:}9S.95
1.283,004.84
1,020.943.74
2,094.818.0.3
l,2ai,0,8.3.99
1,49.-..4S6.99
1,774.075.14
844.416.8-4
1,288,445.72
1,6.58,217.88
3,672.0.57. tU
3,480,:}(M.55
2,232,899.33
2,391. '291. 15
2,7-42,989.19
3,957.0:}5.2:}
4,210.:}:}6.44
4,279,087.07
4,197,489.21
3.589,889.40
3,605,6.39.2:}
2,415,269.59
1817
$21,428.33
20 047 39
1818
1819
11.869 24
1820
147,187
30.036 24
1821
2:} 80tJ 14
1822
40 395 17
182;}
27 044 03
1834
30,852.09
41 170 01
1825
1826
32.003 50
1827
33 208 19
1828
51.12<i 31
1829
42.247 93
1830
343,031
41,408 33
18:}1
10.5,173 90
18:}2
110,194.53
136 776 97
1&3;}
1834
121,:}72.23
18:}5
103.901 46
1836
12t),264 14
1837
98,206.97
1838
172.494 01
1839
8107,0:}7,715
91,7.56,018
95,518,763
109,17:}.610
103,709,8.5:}
115,590,065
118,615.197
122,205,686
12-l,5,5a,0t»
128,960.980
l:}3,419.056
137,4.1.3,505
2I0.973.ti43
2;i0,0O9,189
200.097,014
290,418,148
301,858,474
300,797.819
317,9:}2,958
318,201.904
435,:}07,8ti2
4.55,01 1,:}78
441,562.;};}9
421.40G.9:}f)
4.i:},4.5,5,o:}6
510.805,999
507,:}81,5.^3
578,4.84,109
577,809,079
587,970..549
65.5,521,479
662,28.3,178
179.058 25
1840
685,806
1,084,9:50 90
1841
421.874 15
1842
1,177,218.73
1843
1,028,592 38
1844
1,472.494.14
1845
8:51,9.55 26
1846
1, 0.53,920 53
1847
955,404 78
1848
979.191 48
1849
l.i:}7,:}98 25
1850
988,416
1,51;}, .5:54 04
1851
1,150,988 06
1852
1,001,005.58
1853
1.509,:}05 32
18M
l.t)4."),,544 95
1855
1,700.090.83
1856
l.;}:58,970 11
1857
1,748,750.69
1858
1,:}03,72S 04
1859
1,218,185.64
1800
1350,428
1,021,107 48
1861
3,540,2-.i4.O7
1863
2,974,976.46
1863
2,503,240.53
1864
1,752,.529.70
1865
3,899.993 02
1866
3,663,179.63
1867
4,440,691.09
1868
3.842.;W2.53
1869
4,473, 125) 66
1870
1,680,637
3,^32,:}09 04
1871
2,943,416.90
1872
2,686,001.70
1873
CHAPTEE XXXVI-
AGRICULTURE — PIOIiEER HISTOKY.
THE first object of the pioneer settler of Indiana was to
provide the means of subsistence, and for a considerable
time all the surplus produce was limited to a few articles, and
usually disposed of to other settlers. Everj one, as soon as
possible, prepared a corn field, a garden, procured a few swine,
one or two horses, and a few cows. These made up the capital
of the pioneer farmers of Indiana. Many of the citizens of the
State who are now rich, can to-day point back to a beginning
of this kind, and we doubt not they often do so with pride,
as they justly should. They frequently entered on the public
lands with even less stock than that above enumerated; they
were generally protected in the improvements they made, and
after accumulating sutficient means, entered and purchased
the lands. ]\Iany of the wealthy farmers of to-day in Indiana
can look back to the period when they began to erect the little
log cabin with only an ax and some provisions — their capital
consisting wholly in a persistent energy. They rented land
on improvement leases, by which they were to have the use
of from ten to twenty acres from seven to ten years, and, in
most cases, at the end of that time, they were abundantly able
to buy land for themselves.
It was an easy matter in those days to maintain stock. The
wild grass, nutritious roots, and several kinds of nuts and
acorns, were so abundant that neither horses, cattle, nor hogs
required much grain; and often, after a few years residence,
the flocks and herds of the settlers were very numerous. This
condition of things soon produced a surplus of corn, beef,
pork, etc. Low prices created a market, and even before the
315
316
HISTOKT OF INDIANA.
fanners \rcre fully aware of it, a profitable commerce was
established. Fluctuations soon crc}>t into tlic market, liow-
evcr, and the farmers became much exercised as to what arti-
cles of produce to expend the most labor on. Tliis led to a
greater diversity of crops, and as a consequence, a wider range
of commerce; and thus, step by stop, year by year, the pro-
duce market of Indiana has been extended, until to-day it is
one of the larijest in the Union — certainly the best re<rulated.
Many causes combined to render a great diversity ot" croj)S
necessary. The soil, though very rich, demands this, as it will
not yield a large crop of one kind of produce for many years
in succession, frequent changes being i-equired. Hemp has
been tried, and although at first unsuccessful, owing to an
injudicious management, will eventually result in profit to the
producer. Flax, tobacco, fruit of various kinds, and a great
variety of seeds from which oil can be manufactured, are now
cultivated to a great extent, and many valuable experiments
are beinir made vcarlv in beet and corn sui^ar. The cultiva-
tion of grapes in many ])arts of the State, is attended with
profitable results.
Corn is the great staple of the State; many farmers have
become wealthy in raising it. It is easily cultivated, and
almost every farmer has from forty to one hundred and fifty
acres. Two persons can pre])arc the ground, plant and attend
to and gather from forty to fifty acres, and the product is gen-
erally from thirty to seventy bushels an acre, averaging, per-
haps, forty or forty-five. Good land, with the proper prepara-
tion and care, will, in a good season, produce from seventy to
ninety bushels to the acre. Corn, in former days, say from
1840 to 1850, usually sold at from ten to thirty cents a bushel.
Millions and millions of bushels have been used at the former
price to fatten hogs in the interior; but in this respe-ct things
have undergone a chann;e — a chanije in favor of the farmer.
As we pen these lines, Se])tember twenty-fifth, 1874, corn is
in good demand in New York city at from 9oc. to $1.00, while
in the western markets the price is firm at from 85 to 95c.,
according to quality. This year, however, is not a representa-
tive in regard to the price of corn of the last decade. The
AGRICULTURE PIONEER HISTORY.
3i:
prices are ranging unusually high, owing to tlie lightness of
the crop, in many parts, and, also, to the great demand exist-
iuf among pork producers for this cereal.
The cultivation of corn is admirably adapted to the climate
and soil of the State, and to the customs of the farmers. The
lliiriiii'"ui!u:r
G. W. ROBBINS, ESQ.
See page 21.
soil is very rich, loamy, and with proper cultivation the com
does not often suffer either from cold, rains or drouth.
Following are statistical tables showing the growth of agri-
culture in all its branches, from the year 1841 down to the
present time:
318
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
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AORICULTURAL STATISTICS.
319
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS OF 1850, 1860 AND 1870 COM-
PARED.
Acres of land in farms, imi)roved
Acres of land in farnis, woodland
Acres of laud in farms, oilier unimproved
Present ciieh value of farms
Present cnsh value of farm im])! em en Is
Total amount of \va;;cH paid during the year, in
eluding value of board
Total value of all farm products
Orchard products
Produce of market gardens
Forest products
Value of home manufactures
Value of animals slaughtered or sold for
slaughter
Value of all live stock
Number of horses on farms
Number of horses not on farms
Number of mules and asses
Milch cows on farms
Working oxen, number of, on farms
Other cattle, number of, on farms
Cattle not on farms
Sheep, number of
Swine, number of
Wheat, spring, bushels
Wheat, winter, bushels
Rye, busiliels
Indian corn, bushels
Oats, bushels
Barley, bunliels
Buckwheat, bushels
Tobacco, pounds
Cotton, bales
Wool, pounds
Wool, average of fleeces, pounds
Peas and beans, bushels
Potatoes, Irish, bushels
Potatoes, sweet, bushels
Wine, gallons
Butter, pounds -
Cheese, jiounds
Milk sold, gallons
Hay, tons
Clover seed, bushels
Grass seed, bushels
Ilops, pounds
Ilemp, tons
Flax, pounds
Flaxseed, bushels
Sugar, mai)le, pounds
jtolasses, sorghum, gallons
Molasses, majile, gallons
Beeswax, pounds
Honey, pounds
1850.
5.CM(i,.M:j
7,7-1 ti,8r9
i;5tl.:i.s.'),17:i
tj,7tvi,444
7:i,8«i4
1,631,039
6..%7,9:5r)
2:J,478.rs'>.5
314,-''J9
2S'1..->.V4
389,9".)!
1.1'.^2,493
2,-.i(i:i,77ti
6,'J14,4r>H
5'2,9l,4.3(>^
5,tJ,Y..H14
4.5.483
149,740
1,044, 6 JO
14
2,610,287
3.5.773
2,0S;5.337
2<M,711
14,1 ra
12.881, .535
283,807
403,2: JO
18.320
11.951
92,790
5.'i4.4(iH
;«;,s«8
2,921,192
180,.32o
939,329
1860.
8,-.M2,183
8,146,10<t
$3,56,712.175
10,457,897
1,2.58.942
540,15.3
986,393
9.824,204
4 1,825.. 5.39
520, 1 177
39,4.;5
28.H93
363.. %33
117,687
588,144
79,310
991.175
3,099,110
16,848.267
463.49.5
T1..^H«.91!)
6,317.831
.•W2.:M5
396,989
7,993,378
2,552,318
2,57-l(X)
79.9l>2
3,866,(>47
299.51f)
102,895
18,:30lj,651
605.795
622,426
60,726
37,914
27.8S-1
4 222
97!Tl'9
119,42(1
1,511,761
881,049
292, 90S
ai.525
1,2-^1,489
1870.
10,HM,279
7,189.:i-J4
82,635
8634,804.189
17,676,591
9,675,348
122.914,302
2,8.58,086
487,479
2,61.5.679
605,639
30.246,962
83,776,782
497,883
55,320
43.259
393,736
14,088
618,360
1 .56,804
1,612,680
1,872.230
101,991
27,.585.231
457,4iS
51.l)9t,.5.38
8,5(H),409
350,352
80,2:n
9,325,392
3
5,029,023
312-100
35,526
5,399,(^14
1.50.703
19,479
22,91 .5,.385
936.9(r3
624.. 564
1,070,768
61,lta
17,.377
63,884
22
37,771
401,931
1,3;«,3.32
2,026,2la
227,880
12,OJ9
395,278
CHAPTEE XXXYII.
MANUFACTURES AND COMMERCE.
THE manufjicturc and trade of the State will be more par-
ticularly noticed in the descriptions of the towns and
places Avliere they are carried on. Madison and some of the
other towns on the Ohio, above the falls, have good natural
advantages for manufactures. These are being employed to a
good advantage, and every year carries the prosperous State
of Indiana further along the highway of commercial prosperity.
In the whole southwestern part of the State, and for three
hundred miles up the celebrated Wabash, coal exists in good
quality and abundance; and in the central portion of the State,
as well as in the north, there is every facility for water power,
and in the latter inexhaustible beds of bog-ore, so that when-
ever labor for agriculture ceases to be in demand, it can be
turned to manufacturing with good results. And, indeed, it
is true that much labor is being profitably employed in the
latter, while yet the pursuit of agriculture is on the advance.
This is one of the many evidences of the steady growth in all
the great industries of civilization applicable to the resources
of the State. The wheat raised within the State is almost
entirely manufactured into flour within its limits, though
large quantities in the southeastern part are sent to Cincinnati,
and some is transported north by the Wabash and Erie canal,
and by the lakes to Canada and western New York.
There is no commanding position in the State at which even
a fifth of the whole business will ever be concentrated. Madi-
son, Indianapolis, Tiichmond, Fort Wayne, Logansport, Lafay-
ette, Terre Haute, South Bend, Michigan City, Evansville, and
many places on the Ohio, are all fast becoming great commer-
320
MANUFACTUKES AND COilMEECE. 321
cial centers, and the railroads and other improvements now in
progress, and the facilities that shall hereafter be afforded to
the enterprising business men of the State, point to no par-
ticular citj with any assurance of its precedence. All parts
and sections are progressing. It has truthfully been said that
" the public convenience and the general good, not State pride,
is buildins: our cities."
Tlie principal articles of export from the State, at the pres-
ent time are pork and flour. The former is mostly produced
in the southern, and the latter in the northern part of the
State. To these great staples may be added horses, mules, fat
cattle, corn, poultry, butter, most of the agricultural products
of the AVest, and a wide range of articles of manufacture.
Tlie numerous canals and railroads which intersect each other
at many points in the State, afford great facilities for trans-
portation, so that our producers can reach any market desired
at a nominal expense.
Tlie disposition to monopolize in the trade of the State does
not exist to a greater degree than is desirable or necessary in
a healthy commercial State. During the civil war many
attempts of this kind were made, which resulted cither in
making very large profits or in the utter failure of the specu-
lator who engaged in them. Tlie prospect of securing a large
profit in a vast amount of produce which was made reasonably
certain by the increasing demand for this merchandise became
very exciting, and the fiour and pork trader found it quite
impossible to practice moderation in their calculations. The
result was always damaging on the general trade. When the
trader failed the farmci' generally suftered in pocket, and when
lie made heavy profits their feelings were outraged. This
state of thinc^s led to a better remilated commerce. Farmers
united in maintaining prices and protecting each other, and so
great has been their strength and influence in the making and
administration of the laws touching matters of trade that they
have been enabled to regulate the cost of transportation, and
to prevent, in a great measure, damaging fluctuations in the
markets.
Commerce in the productions of the soil, for many years,
21
322
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
absorbed tbe attention of traders and speculators; bnt no
sooner bad tbe jDrosperity of trade created a demand for a
general development of tbe agricultural resources of tbe State,
tban a special interest was directed to manufacturing. Tliis
-was manifested as early as 1S40, and, from tliat year down to
tbe present, a generaj prosperity bas attended almost every
manufacturino; establisbment in tbe State, [t is said tbat tlio
largest carriage factory in tbe wbolc world, to-day, is located
in tbe State of Indiana, at tbe flourisbing city of Soutli Bend.
Tins is tbe greater evidence of tbe enteqirisc of Indiana man-
ufactures, wben taken in consideration witb tbe celebrated
carriage factories of Connecticut, many of wbicb bave sup-
plied, to a great extent, tbe markets of tbe old world. Fol-
lowing are some statistical observations.
MANUFACTUKINO STATISTICS.
Classes.
Mfg. establishments
Steum engines employed..
Total liorse power
Total No. waterwheels
Horse power waterwheels. .
Hands employed
No. males over IG years
No. females over 15 years..
No. of youths
Capital emjiloyed
Wages paid
Cost of material
Value of products
ISTJ.
1G,812
3,(i8-l
11 4,!) 01
1,G41
SS,G14
80,403
81,021
8,791
2,000
$117,403,101
35,401,987
104,321,032
301,304,271
ISTO.
11,847
2,881
70,851
1,090
23,518
58,852
54,412
2 272
2408
? 52,052,425
18,300,780
03,135,49
108,017,278
ISOO.
5,323
21,295
20,503
118,451,121
0,318,335
27,142,59
42,803,409
1850.
4,393
14,440
13,748
093
$ 7,750,403
3,728,844
10,309,700
18,725,423
Tbe above statistics of manufacturing in Indiana, for tbe
years 1850, 18G0, and 1870, were compiled from tbe re-
ports of tbe Bureau of Statistics; tbose for tbe year 1875
have been gatbered by tbe compilers of tbis work, wbile trav-
eling tbrougb tbe State, and are, in nearly all cases, as correct
as tbose taken from tbe reports. Tbe column representing
1875 will sbow tbe unparalleled increase in manufactures iu
Indiana during tbe last five years. As a manulhcturing State,
Indiana is now considerably in advance of Illinois and Micb-
igan, in proportion to ber population, and sbe is rapidly
leaving them in the rear in this great branch of industry,
MANUFACTURING STATISTICS. 323
which must, in some future day, become the great source of
wealth in the States, instead of agriculture.
From careful estimates by the compilers of this work, it is
shown that there is over $100,000,000 now invested in manu-
facturing in this State. Five years ago Illinois had less than
H. BATES, ESQ.
See page 21.
90,000,000 invested in this branch of business, while at the
same time Michigan had but $70,000,000. Indiana, in the
same year had but little over $50,000,000 invested in her fac-
tories. How has this comparison been affected by a growth
324 msTOKY OF Indiana.
of five years! It was estimated, in 1S74, bj one of the leading
journals of Illinois, that the manufacturing capital of that
State had increased thirty per cent, in five years. This would
give Illinois $117,000 000 in manufacturing, in 1S75, against
$100,000,000 in Indiana. From this basis it will be safe to
predict that in 18S0 Indiana, in proportion to her population,
will greatly exceed the State of Illinois in manufacturing
entci*prise. The comparison with Michigan, during the same
period, is still more flattering to Indiana, than that with
Illinois.
The same increase of prosperity is noticeable in the pro-
ducts of Indiana factories. In 1870 they were estimated at
$103,617,278. From careful estimates by the compilers of
this work, it appears that the products of the various factories
in the State, for the year ending September thirtieth, 1874,
will exceed $300,000,000, showing an increase in five years of
nearly $200,000,000. These estimates have been made with the
greatest of care, and although they seem to overstate the pros-
perity of the State during the last five years, yet they may be
regarded as reliable.
It is true that the inquiries as to the amount of capital
invested, and the amount of products, were not always suc-
cessful, but means have been employed to correct errors, into
which the answers of over-ambitious persons were calculated
to lead us.
But the manufacturing industry of Indiana has not pros-
j«red in the last five years more than it will in the next.
There is a brilliant prospect for a great future advancement
in this branch of business. Indeed, this department of enter-
prise cannot be regarded as more than fully begun; and from
the present indications, its future growth is guaranteed.
CHAPTEK XXXYIII.
THE MINEKAL WEALTH OF INDIANA.
SECOND in importance among the material resources of
Indiana are lier minerals, as yet only partly discovered,
and almost entirely undeveloped. In agricultural wealth the
State has no equal, acre for acre, in North America; in min-
eral wealth she is scarcely behind the richest States in the
Union. In short, she possesses within her borders every ele-
ment required to produce wealth, and stimulate progress.
Physically, the surface of the country is, for the most part,
gently rolling. In the southern portion, along the Ohio river,
there are a few hills ranging from fifty to four hundred feet
in height, but the average height is probably not more than
one hundred feet. About one-eighth part of the State is
prairie land, and the remaining seven-eighths, when in a state
of nature, was set with a dense forest.*
About one-third of the State is still well timbered. The
Burface of the territory is well supplied with water courses.
The Ohio river, one of the largest tributaries of the Missis-
Bippi river, flows along its southern border, and is navigable
by the largest class of steamboats during the greater part of
the year. The Wabash river rises in the State of Ohio, crosses
Indiana in a southwesterly direction, and thence to its junction
with the Ohio river forms the boundary line between Indiana
and Illinois. For a part of the season this fine stream is
navigable for steamboats as far up as Lafayette, about three
hundred miles above its mouth. AVhen the improvements
now going on under authority of the General Government,
♦We have been kindly permitted to use, in tliis chapter, the materiala
embraced in a pamphlet edited by Prof. E. T. Cox, State Geologist.
325
326 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
arc completed, it is believed by competent engineers tliat it
will be navigable as far up as Terre Ilaute, at all times except
when stopped bj ice.
Lake Michigan, one of the chain of great lahes between
Canada and the United States, extends down into the north-
west corner of Indiana, and furnishes ship communication
with the immense iron ore deposits of the Lake Superior
regions, as well as a channel of commerce with the Atlantic
seaboard. In the northern part of the State there are numer-
ous small fresh water lakes, from half a mile to ten miles in
length, and from a quarter of a mile to a mile in width; the
water is clear and pure, and in many of them very deep.
They abound with fish of the finest quality for table use, and
together with flocks of wild ducks and geese that frequent
them in the fall and spring, afford fine amusement for sports-
men, as M^ell as an abundance of cheap and wholesome food.
It must be borne in mind that in this country there are no
laws against hunting or fishing on the public domain, water ,
courses or lakes, but they are open alike to all,* 1
But more particularly as to the mineral resources. Coal,
the most valuable of all minerals, exists in the State in great |
abundance. The measures, says Prof. E. T. Cox, cover an area
of about six thousand five hundred square miles, in the south-
western part of the State, and extend froin Warren county, on
the north, to the Ohio river, on the soutlt, a distance of about |
one hundred and fifty miles. The following counties lie within
its area: AVarren, Fountain, I'arke, Vermillion, Vigo, Clay,
Sullivan, Greene, Knox, Daviess, ]\rurtin, Gibson, Pike, Dubois,
Vandcrburg, Warrick, Spencer, Perr}-, and a small ]iart of ,
Crawford, Monroe, Putnam and Montgomery. The coal is alii
bituminous, but is divisible into three well marked varieties: \
Caking-coal, non-caking-coal or Block coal, and Canncl coal.
The total depth of the seams or measures is from six hun-^
drcd to eight hundred feet, with twelve to fourteen distinct
seams of coal, though they arc not all to be found throughout
the entire area of the field. The scams range from one foot
•Prof. E. T. Cox.
MINEKAL WEALTn. 327
to eleven feet in tliiclcncss, and the field may, from the cliarac-
ter of the coal, be divided from north to south into two zones;
the western contains the seams of caking coal, and the east-
ern the non-caking or block coal.
Il There are, continues Prof. Cox — and tliis gentleman is our
authority on questions pertaining to minerals — from three to
four workable seams of cakins' coal, ran2:in2: from three and a
half to eleven feet in thickness. At most of the localities,
when these are being worked, the coal is mined by adits driven
in on the lace of the ridges, and the deepest shafts in the State
are less than three hundred feet; the average depth to win coal
being not over seventy-live feet. Tlie analysis of samples of
caking coal, from dillerent counties, are here inserted, and will
serve to indicate its value.
The five feet scam at AVashington, Daviess county, is as fol-
lows: Specific gravity, 1,294; one cubic foot weighs 80.87 lbs.
Moisture @ 212° F.... 5.50
Coke 64.50 , ^. , ^ ,
( Fixed Carbon GO.OO
Yolatilo matter 35.50 \ ^^^'^ ^^'^^'^^ ^'^^
\ Gas 30.00
100.00 100.00
This is a bright black coal, makes a very fair quality of
coke and yields four cubic feet of gas per pound, with an illu-
minating power equal to fifteen standard candles. The five
feet seam in Sullivan county is as follows: Specific gravity,
1,228 ; one cubic foot weighs 7G.75 lbs.
Coke 52.50l^^^'^^"^-^@212°^---- --S^
1 Fixed Carbon 51.10
Volatile matter 47.50 \ ^'^^' ^'^^^^ ' • ' '^^
\ Gas 45.25
100.00 100.00
This is a glossy, jet black coal, makes a good coke and con-
tains a very large percentage of pure illuminating gas. One
pound of coal yields 4.22 cubic feet of gas, with a candle-
power equal to fifteen standard sperm candles. The average
calcnlated calorific power of the caking coals is 7745 heat
328 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
tnits; carbon being equal to S080. Both in tbe nortb.crn and
southern portions of the field, the caking coals present similar
good qualities, and will be a great source of private and pub-
lic wealth.
The eastern zone of the coal measures has an area of more
than four hundred and fifty square miles. It is here tliat we
find the celebrated Block coal, a fossil fuel which is used in
the raw state for making pig iron. In fact tliis coal, from ita
physical structure and freedom from impurities, is peculiarly
suited to metallurgical purposes. It has a laminated structure
with carbonaceous matter, like charcoal, between the lamina,
slaty cleavage and rings under the hammer. It is free burn-
ing, makes an open fire, and without caking, swelling, scaf-
folding in the furnace or changing form, burns like liickory
wood until it is consumed to a white ash and loaves no clink-
ers. It is likewise valuable for generating steam and for
household uses. Many of the principal railway lines in the
State are using it in preference to any other coal, as it does
not burn out the fire-boxes and gives as little trouble as wood.
There are as many as eight distinct scams of block-coal in
this zone, three of which are workable, having an average
thickness of four feet. In some places this coal is mined by
adits, but generally from shafts, forty to eighty feet deep.
The seams are crossed by cleavage lines and the coal is usually
mined without powder, and may be taken out in blocks Aveigh-
ing a ton or more. When entries or rooms are driven angling
across the cleavage' lines, the walls of the mine present a zig-
zag notched appearance, resembling a Virginia worm fence.*
In 1871, there were about twenty-four block coal mines in
operation, and about fifteen hundred tons were mined daily.
I^ow there are more than fifty mines in operation, and the
amount mined daily will reach nearly five thousand tons, and
the demand is increasing faster than the facilities for raising
it. Miners are paid from one dollar to one dollar and twenty
cents per ton, and the coal sells, on the cars at the mines, for
two dollars and seventy-five cents per ton of two thousand
pounds. The usual estimate, to cover all expenses for running
♦ Prof. E. T. Cox's pamphlet.
MINERAL WEALTH. 320
a mine, is fifty cents per ton, which leaves a net profit of from
one dollar to one dollar and twenty-five cents per ton. Coal
lands sell at from fifty dollars to five hundred dollars per acre,
according to location and the extent of the investigations that
have been made to prove the quality and quantity.
The following analysis will serve to indicate the quality of
the block coal :
CLAY COUNTY, STAR MINE, PLANET FURNACE.
No. 1. No. 2.
Ash, white 2.74 1.68
Carbon 81.60 83.68
Hydrogen 4.39 4.10
Nitrogen 1.67 1.67
Oxygen 8.88 8.17
Sulphur 72 .70
100.00 100.00
Calculated calorific power equal to 8283 heat units.
These examples show a fair average quality of the block
coal used in the blast furnaces of Indiana for making Besse-
mer pig. The quality is alike good, both in the northern and
southern parts of the field. Nine blast furnaces in Indiana,
and others at Carondclct, near St. Louis, are using the raw
block coal for smelting iron ores, and it gives universal satis-
faction.
The Brazil blast furnace is sixty-one feet high, fourteen feet
across the boshes, and has a closed top. It is using the Mis-
souri specular hematite and red hematite iron ores. With
three parts of the former and one part of the latter, the make
is forty tons of two thousand two hundred and sixty-eight
pounds per day, and with equal parts of each the make is
thirty-five to thirty-six tons per day. Four thousand pounds
of block coal are used to the ton of iron. The Missouri ores
now cost, on an average, twelve dollars per ton at the furnace,
being an advance over the year 1874 of more than three dol-
lars per ton. One and a half tons of the specular ore will
produce a ton of pig iron ; of the red hematite it requires a
little more than this quantity to make a ton of pig.
330 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
This ccrtainlj speaks liiglily for the block coal, as well as of
tlic superior advantages ofiered in Indiana for tlie manufacture
of iron and Bessemer steel rails. The cost of labor to make a
ton of pig iron at the furnace in Indiana, is about three dol-
lars and fifty cents.*
The great Indiana coal field is less than one hundred and
fifty miles, by railroad, from Chicago, Illinois, or Michigan
City, in this State, from which ports the Lake Superior spec-
ular and red hermatite ores are landed from vessels that arc
able to run in a direct course from the ore banks. Lake
Superior ore is similar in quality to that from the Iron Moun-
tain in Missouri, and is as well ada])ted for making Bessemer
pig. From the Iron Mountain to the block coal field, the dis-
tance is two hundred and sixty-six miles by railroad. There
are five railroads running from the coal field to St. Louis, and
three to Chicago, and two to Michigan City.
Any carefully thinking lousiness man can easily observe the
advantages of this immense coal field to the future prosperity
of Indiana. From it untold wealth will flow into private and
public treasuries. To-day it lays comparatively dormant,
awaiting only the combined efforts of capital and labor to
make it the centre of activity and the fountain of material
prosperity.
But we must not forget the cannel coal. One of tiie finest
scams of this coal to be found in the country is to be seen in
Da^'iess county, Indiana. Here we have a coal five feet thick,
of which the upper three and a half feet is cannel, and the
lower one and a half feet is a beautiful jet-black caking coal.
The two qualities are united, and show no intervening clay or
shale, so that in mining, fragments of the caking coal are
often found adhering to the cannel. Tliere is no gradual
change from one to the other, or blending of the varieties
where united, but the change is sudden and the character of
the cannel coal is homogeneous from top to bottom.
The cannel coal makes a delightful fire in open grates, and
does not pop and throw off scales into the room, as is usually
the case with this variety of coal. The following is Prof.
•Prof. E.T. Cox.
inXEKAL "W-rEALTH. 331
Cox's analysis of this coal: Specific gravity, 1.229; one cubic
foot Aveighs 7G.S7 lbs.
Coke 48.00 ] ^'^\'^^^^*° «-00
( Fixed carbon 42.00
Volatile matter 52.00 | Moisture & 212» F. . . . 3.50
( Gas 48.50
100.00 100.00
Ultimate analysis of the same coal by the same gentleman:
Carbon 71.10
Ash 7.65
Ilydi-ogcn G.06
Nitrogen 1.45
Oxygen 12.74
Sulphur 1.00
100.00
From the above analysis it will be seen that this coal is
admirably adapted to the manufacture of illuminating gas,
both from the quantity it yields and its high illuminating
power. One ton of two thousand pounds of this cannel coal
yields ten thousand four hundred feet of gas, while the best
Yougliioghcny coal used at the Indianapolis gas works, yields
but eight thousand six hundred and eighty cubic feet. This
gas has an illuininating jjower of 25.2 candles, while the
Youghioglicny coal gas has an illuminating power of seven-
teen caudles.
Cannel coal is also found in great abundance in Perry,
Greene, Parke and Fou7itain counties, where its commercial
value has alrcadv been attested.
There are numerous deposits of bog iron ore in the north-
ern part of the State, and clay iron stones and impure carbo-
nates and brown oxides are found scattered over the vicinity
of the coal fields. At some localities the beds arc quite thick,
and of considerable commercial value. Investigation is
already showing that Indiana contains valuable ore beds, that
will, at no distant day, contribute largely to her importance.
Indiana also contains immense and inexhaustible quantities
ol building stone, sufficient for all future purposes, of the very
332 nisTORY OF Indiana.
best quality. Numerous quarries are already open and in suc-
cessful operation.
There is an abundance of excellent lime in the State. This
is gaining a wide reputation, and largely adding to the volume
of the State commerce. It abounds in Huntington county in
extensive beds, where numerous largo kilns are kept in prof-
itable operation.
CHAPTER XXXIX.
LAWS AND COURTS OF INDIANA.
AS a work for reference, this volume would not be com-
plete without a brief digest of the laws and courts of
Indiana. Hence this chapter, in which we shall endeavor to
give a complete, concise and simple exhibit of the latest revis-
ion of the State laws. We have been aided in our selection
of materials for this feature by some of the leading members
of the Indianapolis bar.* The last revision of the State laws
was accomplished in 1852, and the latest publication of the
revised code, as amended, comprises all the public acts and
general laws now in force. "Practice in civil suits," says Mr.
Pierce, " is under the code of 1852, in which all distinction
between law and equity, and all forms of action are abolished.
All defenses, except the denial of the facts alleged by the
plaintiff, are pleaded specially. On the second and following
days of the term, the dockets are called by the court for plead-
ings or defaults. Amendments to pleadings are allowed with
liberality, somewhat in the discretion of the court."
Actions must be commenced by filing in the office of the
clerk of the court, a complaint, in the name of the person or
party interested, and the service of summons at least ten days
♦ "We are especially indebted to Henry D. Pierce, Esq.
334 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
before the first day of the term. Service may "be made by
publication. ''A judgment rendered on service by publica-
tion may be opened within five years, except in divorce cases,
when the judgment may be opened within two years as to the
subject of alimony and custody of children," and as to the
merits of the divorce, when granted upon service by publica-
tion. In the latter case the party obtaining the divorce is
prohibited from marrying within two years from the date of
the decree.
Arrests are permitted in civil cases where the plaintiff or
his attorney lodges with the clerk of the court an affidavit,
specifying the right to recover existing debt or damages, and
that the defendant is about to leave the State, with property,
with intent to defraud the plaintiff. "An undertaking of the
plaintiff must first be filed, with sufficient sureties, to pay all
damages sustained by the arrest, if wrongful, not to exceed
double the amount of the claim."
Attachments may be issued against the property of a
defendant, when the action is for tlie recovery of money, at
the beginning of the action, or any time thereafter, only upon
the affidavit of the complainant, or his attorney, showing the
exact nature of the claim, and that it is just, as also the
amount to be recovered, and the existence of one of the fol-
lowing causes: 1. That the defendant is a non-resident, or a
foreign corporation. 2. That the defendant is secretly leav-
ing, or has left the State, with intent to defraud his creditors.
3. Or conceals himself so that summons cannot be served. 4.
Hemoval of property out of tlie State. 5. That the defend-
ant has sold or is about to sell or dispose of property with
intent to defraud creditors. With certain exceptions no attach-
ment can issue against a debtor while his wife and family
remains settled in good faith within the county where the
debtor's usual place of residence had been prior to his absence.
All creditors share j)ro rata who file their claims under ao
original attachment before final judgment.
CLAIMS AGAINST ESTATES.
In order to recover costs, claims against estates of pei*sonfl
deceased, except judgment and mortgage liens created durirg
LAWS AND CODKT8. 335
the life-time, must be filed witli the clerk of the circuit court,
within one year from the appointment of the executor or
administrator. "After one year, if not filed at least thirty
days before final settlement, the claim is, with few exceptions,
barred. A succinct statement of its nature and amount is
sufficient, if it have attached the afiidavit of the claimant, that
it is justly due and wholly unpaid. The entry by the clerk
upon the ai^pcarance docket of the court is the only notice of
the filing necessary. When the claim has been so entered ten
days before the first day of the ensuing term, the executor or
administrator may admit or refuse it, on the margin of the
docket; if not admitted, it is to stand for trial at the next
term. After allowance it has the force of a judgment, and
bears interest at six per cent."*
In deeds, mortgages, acknowledgments and recording, pri-
vate seals are abolished, and one witness is sufiicient, and,
when the deed is aclcnowledged by the party, no witness is
necessary. " The certificate of acknowledgment may be annexed
or indorsed. All conveyances of land must be by deed in writ-
ing, subscribed and duly acknowledged by the grantor or his
attorney, empowered by a like instrument. The joint deed of
husband and wife passes the lands of the wife, but does not
bind her to any of the covenants. Conveyances, to be valid
against any other than the grantor, his heirs, or those having
notice thereof, must be recorded within ninety days from their
execution. To enable deeds and mortgages to be recorded,
they must be acknowledged or proved before a judge, or clerk
of some court of record, justice of the peace, auditor, recorder,
notary public, or mayor of a city, in this or any other State, or
before a commissioner of this State residing in another State,
or before a minister, charge dJ'affaires^ or consul of the United
States in a foreign country. Acknowledgments before an
oflicer having an ofiicial seal require no further attestation.
Acknowledgment is essential to admit a deed to record, but
not to its validity, which may be proved by attesting wit-
nesses. A married woman need make no acknowledgment
diflerent from that of an unmarried woman. A married
* From Henry D. Pierce's Digest of the Laws and Courts of Indiana.
336 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
womim under twenty-one and over eighteen may join her hus-
band in conveying his property, if her father, or if he be dead,
her mother, declare before the officer taking the acknowledg-
ment, that it would be prejudicial to her and her husband not
to convey, and that it is for the interest of the woman to con-
vey; this declaration, with the name of the father or mother,
to be inserted in the certificate. The conveyance by a corpo-
ration must, of course, bo under its corporate seal. All con-
veyances and mortgages of lands, and every lease for thret3
years, must be recorded in the recorder's office of the county
where the lands are situated, within ninety days from the
execution thereof, otherwise they are held fraudulent and void
as against subsequent purchasers or mortgages in good faith
for a valuable consideration." Chattel mortgage must be
recorded within ten days from the date of execution, in the
county where the mortgagee resides ; otherwise they are void
as against creditors.
In regard to depositions, they may be taken out of the State
under a commission issued by the clerk of the court where the
cause is pending. In such cases, " notice must be served upon
the adverse party, and reasonable time given to reach the place
of taking the deposition by the ordinary facilities of travel,
excluding the day of service of notice, intervening Sundays,
and the day of taking. Depositions of witnesses may be taken
within or without the State, before a judge, justice of the
peace, notary public, mayor, or recorder of a city, clerk of a
court of record, or a commissioner appointed by a court; but
not before any person being of kin to either party, or inter-
ested in the action. Unless waived by agreement, officers in
other States must act under a commission {detimus potestateTn)
from the court in Indiana where the cause is pending. Objec-
tion to a deponent, as not competent, or to any questions pro-
posed to or answers given by him, may be made at the exam-
ination and embodied in the deposition, or subsequently in
open court."*
And now in regard to executions. There are a lien on per-
• Henry D. Pierce, Esq., Indianapolis.
LAWS AND COUKTS. 337
Bonal property "witlu'ii tlic jnn'stllction of tlic officer from
tlie time of (lellvcrv, but if there be several executions in the
hands ol' (llU'erciit oflicers, tlie first levy has the preference,
and divests all liens created by prior delivery. An execution
to anotiier countv fi-oni that in \vhich iiidirnient is rendered, ia
a lien oidy from time of levy. Executions may issue at any
time Avithin live years after rendition of the judgment; al"ter
that period, leave of court must be obtained, upon notice and
motion. Executions fi-om a court of record may issue to any
county ill the State. Property sold on execution, imless oth-
erwise directed by the judgment, must be appraised and sold
for at Icarft two-thirds its appraised value. AVhen notes or
other iiistiMuncnts or contracts in writiuii' contain the clause
'without j-elicf from valuation or appraisement laws,' the
property ol' the judgment-debtor is sold upon execution for
what it will bring. Stay of execution is allowed on nearly all
judgments, by presenting one or more sufficient freehold
securities as follows: On sums not exceeding six dollars, thirty
days; over six and under twelve dollars, sixty days; over
twelve and under twenty dollars, ninety days; over twenty
and under forty dollars, one hundred and twenty days; over
forty and under one hundred dollars, one hundred and fifty
days; over one hundred dollars, one hundred and eighty days.
Stays are not allowed on judgments for luoneys received in a
fiduciary capacity; or for breach of official duty." Every
recognizance of this character operates as against the bail, as
a judgment confessed. The property of the judgment-debtor
must be exhausted before that of the bail.
As to redemptions, personal property taken upon execution
may be redeemed by delivering bond. All lands sold under
judgments upon contracts, since June 4, ISGl, may be
redeemed within one year from sale, by the payment ot
the purchase money, with interest at the rate of ten per cent.
per annum. The exemption or stay laws cannot be waived in
a binding form.
In regard to exemptions and homestead laws, " every resi-
dent householder may claim as exempt from execution, prop-
erty, real or personal, to the amount of three hundred dollars,
22
338 msTORY OF Indiana.
on any debt founded on contract made since May 6, 1S53.
This riiflit exists while in transitu from one residence to
another, within the State. Tliere is no homestead exemp-
tion."
The legal rate of interest is six per cent.; hut any other
rate, not exceeding ten per cent., may be provided for by con-
tract in writing. All interest over ten per cent, is illegal, as
to the excess only. The rate of interest on judgments is six
per cent, in the absence of a contract, but any rate may be
provided for by contract, not exceeding, however, ten per cent.
Regarding judgments of the supreme and superior courts,
they are liens upon all real estate of defendant liable to execu-
tion in the county where rendered, for the space of ten years,
and after the expiration of twenty years are deemed satisfied.
A transcript of the judgment of any court of record may be
filed in another county, and from the time of filing becomes a
lien on the real estate of the judgment debtor in that county.
An order of attachment binds the defendant's property in the
county where issued, and becomes a lien from the time of
delivery to the sheriff. Goods in the hands of a consignee are
subject to a lien for any debt due from the consignor. Jus-
tices' judgments become a lien on real estate from the time of
filing transcript in the common pleas court. Judgments on
bonds payable to the State become a lien on the real estate of
the debtor from the commencement of the action. Every
recognizance binds the real estate of the principal from the
time it is taken, but that of the surety only from the time
judgment of forfeiture is taken; those taken by justices in
criminal cases become a lien from the time of filing in circuit
or criminal courts.*
The law regarding liens of mechanics, etc., is also impor-
tant. Mechanics and all persons furnishing materials for, or
performing labor upon, any building, or machinery therefor,
have a lien on the building and real estate on which it is sit-
uated for their pay, either jointly or separately, by filing notice
of intention to hold such lien in the recorder's ofiice within
• Manual of Laws and Courts.
LAWS AND COURTS. 339
sixty days after conclusion of the work or completion of build-
ing. Tlie lien relates to the time when the work or rep:iii'3
commenced, and has priority over any subsequent claims only.
Al l who " file under " on action pending prior to judgment
are allowed a 'pro rata decree. Sub-contractors can acquire
lien in the same manner, whether the original contractor ia
paid or not, or they may give notice to the owner to stop pay-
ment, and recover whatever is due the contractor. The stat-
ute gives a lien on all boats and water craft for debts contracted
for supplies, wages, repairs, etc. A mortgage for purchase-
money has preference over a prior judgment against the pur-
chaser. Mechanics and tradesmen have a lien on goods left
for alteration or repair, liverymen and feeders on stock left
with them, forwarding and commission merchants on goods in
storage. Attorneys have a lien for their fees on all judgments
taken by them, upon entering notice on the docket or order
book at the time of taking, giving the amount of such fees.
Touching the law on limitation of actions, we quote from
the digest of Ilenry D. Pierce, Esq., as follows: "Actions for
injuries to person or character, and for penalty or forfeiture
by statute, must be commenced within two years; against
public officer or his sureties, within three years; for the recoi^-
ery of real property sold by executors, etc., on a judgment
directing such sale, by a party to the judgment, his heirs or
assigns, subsequent to the date of judgment, within five years
after confirmation of sale; on accounts and contracts not in
writing, for use, rents, and profits of real property, for inju-
ries to property, and for the recovery of personal property and
damages for the detention thereof, for relief against frauds and
for money collected by public officer, within six years; for the
recovery of real property sold on execution, when action is
brought by execution debtor, his heirs or assigns, after date
of judgment, within ten years. All actions not limited by
statute shall be brought \vithin fifteen years after the same
shall have accrued; actions on written contracts, judgments of
a court of record, and for the recovery of real estate, within
twenty years. Persons under legal disability may bring their
actions within two years after such disability is removed. Set-
340 IIISTOKY OF INDIANA.
off or pfiymcnt may be pleaded, not"\vit]istandin£^ the same are
ban-ed \>y statute. Wlicii a cause of actiuu is barred hy the
statute of the State wliere tlie defeudaiit resided at date of
contract, the lex loci contractus sliall govern tlie limitation.
An acknowledgjnent or new promise, in order to operate as a
new or continuing contract, must be in writing, signed by tbe
party to be charged."
In reference to the law bearing upon the rights of married
iromen, we have the following brief resujue from the pen of
the same writer: "A married woman may sue and defend
alo?ie where the action concerns her sepai'ate property, or Mherc
the action is between herself and husband. The wife may
claim the benefit of the exem])tion law for her husljand in his
absence. She may qualify as an executrix with the consent
in writing of her husband. Marriage, after having been
a]ipointcd an admim'stratrix, does not cause her removal if
her husband consents in writing. Married women may make
wiiis as if single. A wife of an insane Imsband may contract
in relation to her separate property as a feme sole. A mar-
ried woman holds her real and personal propei-ty and all profits
therefrom absolutely as her sejxiratc proj)ert3', and they are not
liable for the debts of her husband, but she cannot alien or
encumber her personal or real estate niilcss her husband join
in the conve^'ancc. The separate deed of the husband conveys
no interest in his wife's land. Tlie courts may authorize her
to sell and convey her own real estate in case of abandonment
by her husband, or his confinement in the ])enitcntiary, and to
malcc any contracts. By the statute of 1852, tenancies by the
courtesy and dower are abolished, A widow takes one-third
of her deceased husband's real estate in fee, free from all
demands of creditors, where the estate does not exceed ten
thousand dollars; where it does not exceed twenty thousand
dollars one-fourth only; and where it exceeds twenty thousand
dollars one-fifth only as against creditors. She takes one-third
of the personalty. In all cases she takes three hundred dol-
lars from the estate without accounting. If a widow marry a
second husband, she cannot alienate real estate held by virtue
of lier previous marriage, but it goes to her children by tho
LAWS AND COURTS.
311
former marriage. A second or subsequent wife, if there are
children by a former wife, takes onl}- a life estate in her hus-
band's lands unless she have children alive. A widow may
elect to take under her husband's will, or the law. Alienage
of the wife does not aflect her rights if the husband is a cit-
I
PROF. GEORGE W. HOSS.
See page 21.
izen, or if an alien he be authorized to hold lands. The wife's
interest is saved from reversion in the absence of heirs, where
an estate is given to the husband in consideration of love and
affection. A widow may occupy the dwelling and forty acres
of land of her deceased husband, free of rent for one year.
5>
342 HISTORY OF INCIANA.
In relation to notes, bills and protest, the law is interesting
and important: "Bills of exchange and promissory notes
payable in banks within the State, are p-ovcrned by the 'law
merchant.' On all bills of exchange payable within the State,
whether sight or time bills, three days of grace are allowed.
Notes and bills not payable in bank are governed by statutory
provisions as follows: All notes and bills are negotiable by
endorsement. The assignee may, in his own name, recover
ajrainst the maker. The suit must be brouorht in the name of
the real party in interest. Whatever defense or set-ofl* the
maker of any such instrument had before notice of assign-
ment against an assignor, or the original payee, he shall have
also ao-ainst their assiirnee. The maker is entitled to all
defenses against the note in the hands of the assignee which
he could make against it in the hands of the payee. All notes
and bills should contain the clause, ' without any relief what-
ever from tlie Yal nation or Appraisement Laws of Indiana.'
The holder of a note or bill, whether negotiable by the law
merchant or by the law of this State, may institute suit against
the whole or any number of the parties liable; but no more
than one suit at the same term. Damages of five per cent,
are allowed upon protested bills drawn or negotiated in this
State, if drawn upon a person at a place out of the State; and
ten per cent, if drawn upon a person out of the United States.
Beyond such damages no interest or charges are allowed,
except from date of protest. A holder, without consideration,
cannot recover damages. Protest must, of course, be made on
the last day of grace, in the usual form. If the notary's cer-
tificate shows that written notices were duly given to the sev-
eral parties, naming them, it is suflicient evidence of the fact."
The law in relation to taxes is important. Taxes attach as
a lien on real estate on the first day of April in each year.
Corporation taxes mostly attach on the first day of January.
Penalties attach on the third INIonday in March, annually, and
after that day all unpaid taxes are collectable by distress and
sale of personality. Sales of real estate for taxes occur in each
county on the first Monday of February annually. All lands
on which taxes are delinquent for two years are ofiered. After
LAWS AND C0UKT8. 343
sale, the owner has two years in which he may redeem. If
not redeemed within the time, a deed is made to the purchaser
by the county auditor. In order to sustain a tax sale, the
party claiming under it must show a substantial compliance
with every provision of the law authorizing the sale. After
four years no suit to review the title can be brought. A tax
deed is only prima facie evidence of regularity of the pro-
ceedings, and may be contradicted. Possession under a tax
deed is adverse though the title be invalid.
As to wills, all persons of a sound mind, who are twenty-
one years of age, may make wills and devise all their estate,
of every kind, to any person or corporation, saving the legal
provision for the widow. Married women may devise their
separate property. Wills must be in writing (except nuncu-
pation, bequeathing not to exceed one hundred dollars), signed
by the testator or some person by his direction and in his
presence, and attested by two pei'sons subscribing as witnesses.
Wills may be probated by the court of any county where the
testator resided, or in which he shall die leaving assets, on
proof of execution by one or more subscribing witnesses, or
by proof of handwriting of the testator and of the witnesses,
in case of their incompetency, death or absence. Provisions
are made by statute for contesting the validity and probate of
wills, either before or within three years after offered to pro-
bate. Wills executed without the State, and probated in another
State or country, according to the laws thereof, may in most
cases be recorded, and shall have the same effect as if executed
in the State.
Regarding witnesses, no party in a civil suit is disqualified'
as a witness by reason of interest, and one party to the suit
may compel the other to testify. Husband and wife are not
competent witnesses as to matters for or against each other, or
communications made during marriage. When an executor,
administrator or guardian is a party, and the judgment affects
the estate, neither party can testify unless called by the adverse'
party. A want of belief in the Supreme Being only affects
the credibility.
The criminal laws of the State of Indiana consist of well ■
344 msTOKT OF Indiana.
defined penalties for the various crimes. The list is very longf,
and too tedious for insertion in this volume.
"We will close this chapter M'ith a brief notice of the courts.
The supreme court of Indiana has appellate jurisdiction only
from the superior, criminal and circuit courts of the State.
Injunctions are granted by it in certain cases. Tlieie is no
distinction among the judges; each acts as chief justice in
rotation, for a single term. The present judges of the supreme
court are, five in number, as follows: John I'ettit, of La Fay-
ette; James L. Wordcn, of Fort Wayne; Samuel II. Buskirk,
of Ijloomington; Alexander C. Downey, of liising Sun, and
Ilorace P. Biddle, of Logans])ort. The terms of the supremo
court commence at Indianapolis on the Iburth JMondays of
May and jS^ovendjer. The court sits at chambers during the
greater part of the yeai', and causes can be submitted, by agree-
ment, on briefs, at any time.
The circuit and su])erior courts have original concurrent
jurisdiction in most civil cases, such as actions on contracts,
etc. The circnit court has exclusive jurisdiction in actions
for slander. In all cases of concurrent jurisdiction the court
first obtaining cognizance, retains it exclusively. There are
four terms of the circuit court. The terms of the superior
court commence on the first Monday of each month, except
July and August. An a])])cal from the special to the general
term of the superior court is granted as a matter of right,
without bond except in special cases. The superior court v.-as
established in ISTl. It exists at ])rcsent only in ]\rarion
county, the latter being the only county containing a city
(Indianapolis) of over Ibrty thousand inhabitants, that being
requisite to the organization of this court. Judgment may
be had at the first term after suit commenced, uidess trood
cause of defense is shown. A judgment in either of these
courts for less than fifty dollars does not carry costs.
Justices of the peace have jurisdiction in collections and
other civil cases, to the amount of two hundred dollars, within
the township where the debtor resides; but they may render
judgment upon confession to the amount of three hundred
dollars. Judgment can be had generally within a week or ten
days.
I
I
CIlAPTEPt XL.
OFFICIAL KEGISTKR OF INDIANA.
TT/'E will close the first part of this Voliunc with a list
▼ ' of the State olHccrs who have served the people of
Indiana, through the various grades of goverumcut, from
ISOO to 1877.
TEKKITOKIAL GOVERNORS.
Arthur St. Clair, Governor Northwest Territory.
William 11. Harrison, from ISOO to 1812.
Thomas Posey, from 1812 to 1816.
GOVERNORS OP THE STATE.
Jonathan Jennings, from ISlC to 1819.
Jonathan Jennings, (second term,) from 1819 to 1822.
William Hendricks, from 1822 to 1825.
James B. Ray, (acting,) February, 1825.
James B. llav, from 1825 to 1S2S.
James B. Kay, (second term,) from 1828 to 1831.
Koah Koble,Vrom 1831 to 1834.
Isoah Noble, (second term,) from 1831 to 1837.
David Wallace, from 1837 to 1840.
Samuel Bigger, from ISIO to 1843.
James Whitcomb, from 1843 to 184G.
James Whitcomb, from 184G to 1848.
Parris C. Dunning, (acting,) from 1848 to 1849.
Joseph A. Wright, from 1849 to 1852.
Joseph A. Wright, from 1853 to 1857.
Ashbel P. Willard, from 1857 to 1860.
Abram A. Hammond, acting from 1860 to 1861.
345
I
346 msTOKY OF Indiana.
Henry S. Lane, (a few days,) 1S60.
Oliver P. Morton, (acting,) from 1860 to 1865.
Oliver P. Morton, from 1S65 to 1867.
Conrad Eaker, (acting,) from 1867 to 1869.
Conrad Baker, from 1869 to 1873.
Thomas A. Hendricks, from 1873 to 1877.
James D. Williams, Irom 1877 to
LIEUTENANT GOVEKNOKS.
Christopher Harrison, from 1816 to 1819.
Ratliffo Boone, from 1819 to 1825.
John H. Thompson, from 1825 to 1828.
Milton Stapp, from 1828 to 1831.
David Wallace, from 1831 to 1837.
David Hillis, from 1837 to 1840.
Samuel Hall, from 1840 to 1843.
Jesse D. Bright, from 1843 to 1845.
Godlove S. Orth, (acting,) 1845.
James G. Beed, (acting,) 1846.
Parris C. Dunning, from 1846 to 1848.
James G. Reed, (acting,) 1849.
James H. Lane, from 1849 to 1852.
Ashbel P. Willard, from 1853 to 1857.
Abram A. Hammond, from 1857 to 1859.
John R. Cravens, (acting,) from 1859 to 1863.
Parris C. Dunning, (acting,) from 1663 to 1865.
Conrad Baker, from 1865 to 1867.
Will. Cumback, (acting,) from 1867 to 1869.
Will. Cumback, from 1869 to 1873.
Leonidas Sexton, from 1873 to 1877.
Isaac P. Gray, from 1877 to
SECKETAEIES OF STATE,
John Gibson, Territorial, from 1800 to 1816.
Robert A. New, from 1816 to 1825.
WiUiam W. Wick, from 1825 to 1829.
James Morrison, from 1829 to 1833.
William Sheets, from 1833 to 1837.
William J. Brown, from 1837 to 1841.
OFFICIAL EEQISTEE. 347
WilHam Sheets, from 1841 to 1845.
John H. Thompson, from 1845 to 1849.
Charles II. Test, from 1849 to 1853.
Nehemiah Ilayden, from 1853 to 1855.
Erasmus B. Collins, from 1855 to 1857.
Daniel McClure, from 1857 to 1858.
Cyrus L. Dunham, from 1858 to 1859.
Daniel McClurc, from 1859 to 1861.
William A. Peelle, from 1861 to 1863.
James S. Athon, from 1863 to 1865.
Nelson Trusler, from 1865 to 1869.
Max F. A. Iloffinan, from 1869 to 1871.
Korman Eddy, from 1871 to 1872.
John H. Farquhar, from 1872 to 1873.
William W. Curry, from 1873 to 1875.
John E. Neff, from 1875 to 1879.
B. Shanklin, from 1879 to
AUDITOKS OF STATE.
William n. Lilley, from 1816 to 1829.
Morris Morris, from 1829 to 1844.
Iloratio J. Harris, from 1844 to 1847.
Douglass McGuire, from 1847 to 1850.
Erastus W. H. Ellis, from 1850 to 1853,
John P. Dunn, from 1853 to 1855.
Hiram E. Talbott, from 1855 to 1857.
John W. Dodd, from 1857 to 1860.
Albert Lange, from 1861 to 1863.
Joseph Pistine, from 1863 to 1865.
Thomas B. McCarty, from 1865 to 1869.
John D. Evans, from 1869 to 1871.
John C. Shoemaker, from 1871 to 1873.
James A. Wildman, from 1873 to 1875.
Ebenezer Henderson, from 1876 to 1879.
Mahlon D. Mauson, froai 1879 to
TREASUKEES OF STATK.
Daniel C. Lane, from 1816 to 1823.
Samuel Merrill, from 1823 to 1835.
348 msTOUT of ixdiana.
Nathan B. ralmcr, from 1S35 to 1841.
George 11. Dunn, from 1841 to 184J.
lioyal Majlicw, from 1844 to 1847.
Samuel Uanna, from 1847 to 1850.
James P. Drake, from 1850 to 1853.
Elijah Kcwlaiid, from 1853 to 1855.
"William L. Nofi'singer, from 1855 to 1857.
Aquilla Jones, from 1857 to 1859,
Nathaniel F. Cunningham, from 1859 to 18C1.
Jonathan S. Ilarvej-, from ISGl to J 803.
Matthew L. Brett, from 18G3 to 18G5.
John I. Morrison, from 18G5 to 18G7.
Nathan Kimball, from 1SG7 to 1S71.
James B. Byan, from 1871 to 1873.
John B. Glover, from 1873 to 1875.
B. C. Shaw, from 1875 to 1879.
William Fleming, 1879 to
ATTORNEYS GENER.M..
James Morrison, from IMarcli 5, 1855,
Joseph E. McDonald, from December 17, 1857.
James G. Jones, from December 17, 1859.
John P. Usher, from November 10, 18G1.
Oscar B. Ilord, from November 3, 18G2.
Delano E. "Williamson, from November 3, 18G4
Bayliss "W. Ilanna, from November 3, 1870.
James C. Dennj, from November G, 1872.
Clarence A. Buskirk, from November G, 1874.
Thoraas W. Woollen, from NovetDber 6, 1878.
JUDGES OF THE SUPREME COURT
James Scott, from 181G to 1831.
John Johnston, from 1816 to 1817.
Jesse L. Holman, from 181G to 1831.
Isaac Blackford, from 1817 to 1853.
Steven C, Stevens, from 1831 to 183G.
John T. McKinney, from 1831 to 1837.
Charles Dewey, from 1836 to 1847.
Jeremiah Sullivan, from 1837 to 1846.
OFFICIAL EEGISTEB. 349
RamiTcl E. Perkins, from 1S46 to 1S65.
Tlioinas L. Smith, from 1S47 to 1S53.
Andrew Davidson, from 1S53 to 1SG5.
William L. Stewart, from 1S53 to 1857.
Addison L. Itoaclic, from ISoS to 1S54.
Alvin P. Ilovey, (appointed,) irora to 1S54.
Siimucl 13. Gookins, from 1S54 to 1S57.
James L. AVorden, (ajipointed,) from 1S5S to 1S65.
James M. Ilanna, (appointed,) from 1S5S to 1865.
Charles A. Pay, from 1S05 to 1S71.
John P. Elliott, from 1SG5 to 1871.
James S. Frazier, from 1805 to 1871.
Pobert S. Greirorv, from 18G5 to 1871.
James L. "Worden, from 1871 to .
Alexander C. Downey, from 1871 to 1877.
Samuel 11. Pnskirk, from 1871 to 1877.
John Pettit, from 1871 to 1S77
Andrew L. Osborn, from 1872 to 1874.
Uoracc P. Piddle, from 1874 to .
William E. Niblack, from 1877 to
George V. Howk, from 1877 to
Samuel E. Perkins, from 1877 to
UXITED STATES SENATORS.
Class 1. James IS'oble, from 181G to 1831.
Class 3. Waller Taylor, from 1816 to 1825.
Class 3. William ITendricks, from 1825 to 1S37.
Class 1. Pobert Ilanna (appointed), 1831.
Class 1. John Tipton, from 1831 to 1839.
Class 3. Oliver II. Smith, from 1837 to 1843.
Class 1. Albert S. White, froin 1839 to 1845.
Class 3. Edward A. Hannei^an, from 1843 to 1849.
Class 1. Jesse D. Pright, from 1845 to 1861.
Class 3. James ATliitcomb, from 1849 to 1852.
Class 3. Charles W. Catlicart (appointed), from 15*^2 l»
1853.
350 HISTOKT OF INDIANA.
Class 3. John Pcttit, from 1853 to 1857.
Class 3. Graham N. Fitch, from 1857 to 1861.
Class 1. Joseph A. Wright, from 1861 to 1863.
Class 3. Henry S. Lane, from 1861 to 1867.
Class 1. David Turpie, 1863.
Class 1. Thomas A. Hendricks, from 1863 to 1869.
Class 3. Oliver P. Morton, from 1867 to 1877.
Class 1. Daniel D. Pratt, from 1869 to 1875.
Class 3. Joseph E. McDonald, 1875 to .
Class 3. Daniel W. Voorhees, 1877 to
PART SECOND
COUNTY IIISTORIES.
CHATTEPw XLI.
IXTRODUCTORT.
IN" the first part of tins work vrc liavc treated only of mat-
ters pertaining to the State, in a general sense. It is our
purpose, from this point, to present sketches of the moral and
material progress of different localities \vithin the State, or,
of each county. In taking up these county histories, we shall
observe no particular order, unless it be to follow the lines
of early immigration through the State. One, and the most
important of these, is by the way of the Maumee, and the
"Wabash, to the Ohio, the oldest route ever traveled by the
whites, on the territory now within the borders of the State
of Indiana. "We shall first take up this route, observing the
pioneer history, and giving brief sketches of the condition of
each county during our progress.
A good many people, and some modem writers, are not a
little mixed on the question of the date of the first settlement
in Indiana. It must be admitted that the question is an
important, and interesting one, and yet, after all, no great
good would follow an authentic elucidation of the subject.
1 1 is important only as a starting point for the subject of the
following chapter, and to satisfy one species of curiosity not
351
352 niSTOKY OF Indiana.
altogether worthless. AVc sliall take more pride in pointing
to the causes that led to the lirst settlement of tlic tL-rritoiy,
and in defining their relationship wh\i tlic government ot" the
county, than to demonstrate, exactly, \vhen and where the
lirst outjiost of civilization in Indiana was established, jS'ev-
ertheless, we shall he able to draw our lines with some degree
of certainty as to the latter.
The iirst white man who visited the territory was a French
Jesuit iiiissiouary, avIio came from the old French mission of
the St. Joseph of Lake jMichigan, which was one of the oldest
Jesuit missions in the lahe i-cirion. This missionai-v (or mis-
sionaries) came among the iMiamis in the latter part of the
seventeenth century, probably in J075. It was through the
adventurous spirit of these early rc]>resentatives of the Cross,
that the route from " New France " to "Louisiana," by the
Maumce, Wabash, and Ohio rivers was discovered. This dis-
covery has directly to do with the early settlement of Indiana,
for with the knowledge of the route mentioned, and the con-
sequent travel over it, came the necessity of military estab-
lishments along the line for its protection. It will be remem-
bered that at the close of the seventeenth century, France held
extensive possessions in Louisiana and in Canada. There was
no established trade between the two colonics, as the former
liad direct communication with the mother country by the
way of the Mississippi and the Gulf, and the latter by the way
of the river St. Lawrence and the Gulf of that name. Not-
withstanding this, there was, at the date mentioned, a commu-
nication established between their.. About the same period,
the French Government, from its knowledii'c of the wealth and
extent of the Mississi])pl Valley, as well as of the adjacent
territory on either side, resolved on the full possession of the
country. The English appeared to be content with but a nar-
row strip of land on the Atlantic seaboard, while the French
were constantly pushing their conquests or discoveries west-
ward. In ITOO, the French foresaw the conflict that termi-
Dated with the fall of Quebec, over fifty years later, and with
a view to strengthen themselves in their new and valuable
possessions, they adopted measures looking to the speedy
ALLEN COUNTY EAKLY HISTORY. 353
establishment of a chain of fortifications, extending from
Canada to I^onisiana. For a time, the great question ■vvitli
the French colonial authorities ^vas the location of these for-
tilications. The route by the ]\Iaumee and the Wabash Avas,
at length, adopted, and in 1701 a fortitication was established
on the Detroit river. This was the lirst step towards carry-
ing the measure into cilect, but it was not the last. During
the foT^r years that followed, forts with military garrisons
were established at the head of the IVIaumee, where the city
of Fort "Wayne now stands; at Ountanon, on the Wea prairie,
in what is now Tippecanoe county, and at Yincennes. These
posts were probably garrisoned lirst in 1704-5, but as to which
of them should take ]>recedence in point of antiquity, there is
considerable doubt. They were, however, all established about
the same time.
In the foregoing we have pointed out, with some clearness,
the causes that led to the lirst settlement of Indiana by the
French. We will now speak of the characteristics and growth
of those settlements.
CHAPTEE XLIl.
ALLEN COUNTY EARLY HlffTORY.
IT was at Fort Wayne, or near where the St. Mary's and
St. Joseph rivers form the Maumee, that the somewhat
celebrated family of Indians of the Algonquin nation, the
Miamis, had their ancient capital. Around this spot, for
many years, perhaps for centuries, the Miami chiefs assem-
bled in council to deliberate upon the affairs of their confed-
eracy, or to decide for war or peace. How often have the
echoes of Indian oratory sounded along the valley of the
Maumee, and the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers! It has
23
354 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
broten tlie silence of the forests many times in defense of
justice; it has excited the savages to war to repel an Indian
enemy; it has eloquently pleaded tlie cause of the red man
against the oppressions of the whites.
Kekionga was, to the patriotic Miami, the dearest of all
places in his broad domain. There was an eloquence in the
scenery around the place that won higli admiration in his
savage heart. To the simple Indian mind there was some-
thing sujxirnatural, something unspeakably grand, in the
quiet of this fertile valley. It was here that they buried
their ilhistrious dead. It was in this valley, and particularly
at the head of the Maumee, where all their important cer-
emonies were commemorated. Returning from the chase,
these Indians would assemble in the beautiful groves along
the banks of these rivers, and pass the time in their usual
sports. Games of chance, feats of strength and agility, and
the feast were all enacted here with native enthusiasm. But,
at length, say in 1G76, the white adventurer found his way to
the Miami capital. He was not a warrior, not a trader, but a
simple, pious, yet zealous Jesuit, who came, in his mysterious
robe, telling the story of the Cross, which the savages could
never fully appreciate.
Ilere, at once, we pass from tradition to history, in which
connection it is expedient to state that the sources of much
of the information following is through the recollections of
the oldest settlers of Fort Wayne, still living. The compiler
being aware that previous efforts to produce a history of Fort
Wayne have not resulted to the satisfactioTi of those inter-
ested, first sought to learn the errors already committed by
hasty writers. Collecting every scrap of history pertaining
to the settlement of the place, he proceeded to Fort Wayne,
where he remained some three weeks, interviewing the oldest
settlers, and comparing their statements with the incomplete
writings previously published. By this method he has been
enabled to present a straightforward, truthful and complete
history of Allen county.
It has not been our custom in this work to present inter-
views verhatim, but in this single instance the ends in view
ALLEN COUNTY EAELY HIOTORT. 355
can best be accomplished by departing from the rule. On the
twenty-sixth of October, 1S74, a compiler of this work called
npon Judge , a gentleman well informed on matters of
local history, at his residence in Fort Wayne, and was kindly
tavored by the following conversation:
Cominlcr. — "Judge, I have been frequently referred to you
as a person well qiialiiied to give mo much information con-
cerning the early history of Fort Wayne. Have you any
objection to state to me what you know about the early his-
tory of Allen county, and the sources of your information?"
Judge. — " I cannot boast of any particular knowledge on
the subject, and there are others of our citizens who could
give you much more accurate information than I can, but
w-hat I have collected is at your service. I must premise,
however, that most of it is mere tradition of the Indians, and.
therefore, not to be relied upon implicitly. When in Europe,
in 18G1-2, I spent most of the summer of the latter year in
London and Paris. Througli the influence of Mr. Dayton,
our French minister, and the kindness of Mr. Peabody, J
obtained access to the colonial documents and records in the
archives of those governments, from which I obtained some
information, and when I located here, about thirty -live years
ago, I had frequent interviews witli the late Miami chief,
Richardville, as also with Messrs. Coquillard and Comparet,
the earliest French traders then living. I took down in writ-
ing their statements, but do not place so much confidence in
the tradition of the Indians as some do, yet, I have no doubt,
but that the ancient Indian route between the Ottawa (Mau-
mee) river and down the Wabash to the Ohio and Mississippi,
was first made known to the French in Canada by a visit of
one of the French priests from their mission on Lake Mich-
igan to Kekionga, about the year 1676. Nor can there be the
least doubt but that Baron La Salle was at Kekionga in tliie
year 16S0, as his letter to the Governor-General of Canada
states that fact, and also mentions that the route alluded to
had been already traveled by French traders from Canada, who
had pursued this route in their trade with the Indians on the
Lower Wabash."
35 G HISTORY OF INDLVNA.
Comjyiler. — ""Wlio ^vcrc tlic first white men to visit tliia
place?"
Judge. — "Tlic tradition of the Indians, wliich is nndonbt-
cdlj' true, is tliat one of the missionaries from St. Joseph
cainc to Kelvioiiga about four years before La Salle came in
IGSO. La Salle was the next to follow the missionaries."
Compiler. — " AVhen and where was the first stockade built
at Fort Wayne?"
Judge. — " In one local history already published, it is stated
that La Salle was at Kehioni^a in ICSO, and at that time caused
a small stockade fort to be built here.* The statement is made
on the authority of Mr. Goodman, who claims to have obtained
his information from the French records at Montreal and
Quebec. I3ut in the year 1705, Santer Yincennes, of the
French army, was at Kekionga, and found hci-e, at that time,
several Indian traders from Pcnnsjdvania. It has been gen-
erally supposed that then it was that Yincennes, by the direc-
tion of the Governor-General of Canada, erected the French
stockade north of the present Catholic hospital, between the
canal and the St. Mary's river, in the old Tipton or Hock Hill
orchard, near the residence of Judge McCulloch, our late sec-
retary of the treasury, on the same spot where Mass was first
said by the Catholic priest in 1C76. This was the stockade,
' the dim outlines of which were traced by General Wayne ir>
1794.' "
Compiler. — " AVhat became of this fort?"
Jiidge. — " It was destroyed by the Indians at the time of
'Nicholas's' conspiracy."
Compiler. — " Judge, a good many people get this conspir-
acy mixed up with Pontiac's conspiracy. This is a sorry mis-
take. Will you state your recollections of Nicholas's con-
spiracy ? '
*Thc statement that La Salle built a fort at tlie head of tlic Maumce in
1C80, is probably incorrect. lie was at that time returning from his some-
what disastrous Mississippi expedition, and being on a journey to Can-
ada, in search of the Griffin, and out of supplies, it is unreasonable to
assume that he erected a fort at this place. The author is of the opinion
that the early records in Quebec and Montreal show only that La Salle
reported the place as well suited for a fort.
358 msTORT OF nroiANA.
Judge. — " About the year 1745 tlic celebrated Indian chief
of the Ilnron tribe, called by the French and English, Nich-
olas, but whose Indian name is said to have been Sandosket,
and who lived at the Indian village where the city of San-
dusky, Ohio, now stands, formed a conspiracy to destroy all
the French ports and settlements northwest of the Ohio. The
French post at Kckionga, erected by Yincennes in 1705, fell in
this war. It was burnt by the Indians — the Miainis, the Otta-
was and the Pottawatomies assisting the Hurons."
Compiler. — " Did the French government cause another fort
to be erected here? "
Judge. — "Yes; Captain Dubuisson, of the corps ot royal
engineers, was sent here, and erected a new fort in 1748. lie
did not erect this fort on the same spot where Yincennes
erected the stockade in 1705, but at a point not far distant
to the west, and near the present canal aqueduct, and a little
to the east of the residence of Judge Lowry. The fort, or
rather a part of its foundation, was still standing when Colonel
John Johnson came here in 1800."*
In the conversation which we have given with Judge ,
it will be seen that there were two French forts or stockades
erected at Fort Wayne, one in 1705 and the other in 1748.
Following this chain of events, we next come to the English
fort which w^as erected on the east bank of the St. Joseph's
river, by Ensign Ilolmes, in the fall of 1760, or winter of
17G0-G1. With the fall of Canada in 1759, all the French
forts in the northwest fell into the hands of the British, and
Major Rogers was sent to Detroit with an army to occupy
them. Ensign Ilolmes, with a small detachment, came to
Fort AVayne, but finding the old French post here unfit to pro-
tect the garrison, at once commenced the erection of the Eng-
lish fort.
Our readers will remember that the British occupation of
the northwestern outposts was distasteful to the Indians, who,
* The compiler of this work, who visited Fort Wayne, received much
more valuable information from John P. Hedges and Judge Borden. He
was also aided by J. L. Williams, F. P. Randall, John Uough, Mr. Edger-
ton, and many others.
ALLEN COUNTY EARLY HISTOKY. 359
during tliG old Frencli war, had eontinned fast allies of their
French father. This dissatisfaction was soon augmented into
a spirit of revenge hy the insolence of British officers, and the
Indians, in the Spring of 1763, were strongly united under
the great OttaM-a chief, Pontiac, determined upon driving the
red coats from their country, Francis Parkman, the ablest
American writer on the Indian wars of North America, has
given us a volume on this Pontiac war — a literary treasure of
rare merit — in which he gives us a graphic and thrilling
account of tlie fate of Ensign Holmes and his feeble garri-
son at Fort Wayne. Our mention of this affair is necessarily
brief.
Tlie Miamis of the Maumee had taken up the hatchet at
the will of the Ottawa chief, and in the Spring of 17G3, the
valley around Kekionga resounded with many a savage war-
whoop. Holmes had observed the savages gathering with
unusual demonstrations, and, suspecting their designs, kept a
close watch upon their movements. Nevertheless he became
a victim to savage ingenuity.
An Indian girl with whom Holmes was intimate, and in
whom he placed too much conlidencc, by compulsion, it is
said, went into the fort and told Holmes that tliero was a sick
squaw lying in a wigwam not far from the fort, and expressed
a desire that he should go and see her. The fatal hour had
come.* Unsuspectingly, and with a view to serve and per-
haps relieve the supposed sick squaw, (knowing perhaps some-
thing of medicine; for, it would seem, had there been a surgeon
in the fort, he would have been more likely to have at least
been called on by the Ensign than for Holmes to have gone
himself,) preceded by the Indian girl, he was soon without the
enclosure of the garrison, and advancing with cautious steps
in the direction of the hut wherein lay the object of his j)hi-
lanthropic mission, Nearing a cluster of huts, which are
described to have been situated at the edge of an open space,
" hidden from view by an intervening spur of the woodland,"
the squaw directed him to the hut wherein lay the supposed
* Parkman's Conspiracy of Pontiac ; Bryce's History of Fort Wayne, etc.
360 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
invalid. Another instant — a few more paces — and the snd-
dcn crack of two rifles from behind the wii^wam in view, felled
Holmes to the earth, and echoed over the little garrison, start-
ling the guards and inmates into momentary surprise and
■wonder. Amid the confusion, the sergeant nnthoughtcdly
passed without the fort to ascertain the cause of the rille
shots. But a few paces Avere gained, when, with loud, tri-
umphant shouts, he was sprung upon by the savages and
made a captive; which, in turn, brought tlie soldiers within,
about nine in all, to the palisades of the garrison, who clam-
bered up to see the movement without, when a Canadian, of
the name of Godfroi, (or Godfri) accompanied by " two other
white men," stepped defiantly forth, and demanded a surrender
of the fort, with the assurance to the soldiers that, if at once
complied with, their lives would be spai'cd; but, refusing, they
should " all be killed without mercy." The aspect before them
was now sadly embarrassing. AVithout a commander — with-
out hope, and full of fear, to hesitate, seemed only to make
death the more certain, and the garrison gate soon swung back
upon its hinges; the surrender was complete, and English
rule, at this point, and for a time, at least, had ceased to exer-
cise its power.
Uut we have some local traditions of this affair. Mrs. Laura
Suttenlield, one of the " Mothers " of Fort Wayne, living there
since 1814, whose portrait appears in another place in this work
informed one of the compilers that she became acquainted with
this woman in 1815; that she and her family lived neighbors
to her for several years. At the period of Mrs. S.'s acquaint-
ance with the woman, she had a son, a man of some years.
On one occasion, being at the hut of the woman, the man, her
son, came in intoxicated, and somewhat noisy, and the woman,
by way of an apology to Mrs. S., remarked that he was a little
SQUABUY, or drunk; and concluded with the remark that he was
a Saginasu, (English); and from the age of the man, the infer-
ence is drawn that he was a son of Holmes. After leavinjj
liere, the woman took up her residence at Eaccoon Village.
She lived to a very old age, and was known to many of the
early settlers of Fort Wayne. Mrs. Suttenfield's recollections
ALLEN CX)UNTT — FOKT WAYNE. 361
of the account she received aic, that tlie Indians at the time
of the conspiracy, (probably induced by Godfroi and his asso-
ciates) forced her to act as she did towards Ilohnes, which is
quite })robabIc.
In 1764, Captain Morris was sent with a small detachment
of Eniflish soldiers, and afrain the Euo^lish fort on the St.
Joseph was garrisoned.
CHAPTER XLII.
ALLEN COUNTY FORT WAYNE.
FPtOM 1764 to 1794, there is but little to record in the
history of Fort Wayne, except those general events of
war which are sufficiently noticed elsewhere, and which form,
more properly, a part of the general history of the State.
Passing on to Wayne's campaign, and over that part of its
progress which brought his army into the field, we find liim
at the head of the Maumcc in October, 1794. The work of
erecting a fort was immediately commenced, and was com-
pleted on the twenty-second of the month, when Lieut.-CoL
Ilamtramck gave it the name of Port Wayne. Previous to
this date the place was not known by that name.
This was the starting point of tho present city, the nucleus
around which the civilization, industry and wealth of northern
Indiana early began to accumulate, and to w^hich it still
centres.
Colonel Ilamtramck commanded at Fort Wayne from its
erection in 1794 to 1796, during which time nothing of any
great importance transpired.
After the surrender of Detroit to the British, Tecumseh
devised a scheme for the reduction of Forts Wayne and Har-
rison, and in September, IS 12, began to assemble his warriors
362 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
in tlie vicinity of the forts. Tlie garrison at Fort "Wayne, at
this time, was nndcr the command of Captain Ebea, "whose
habits of intemperance," sa^-s Mr. Knapp, " disqualified liim
for the place; and during a 2:)eriod of two weeks the safety of
the fort, principally owing to the incompetency of the com-
mander, was in jeopardy."
An express had been sent to General Harrison requesting
reinforcements, but many long weary days passed, bringing
no tidings of the expected assistance. At length, one day a
white man and four Indians arrived at the fort on horseback.
The white man was Major William Oliver. He was accompa-
nied by four friendly Indians, among whom was the brave
Logan. The garrison had been in a state of cruel suspense
for more than two weeks, wishing ardently for reinforcements
on the one hand, and fearfully expecting the approach of the
British forces on the other. It is not surprising, then, that
in this extremity they were anxious to hear news from any
quarter.
The little part}'-, with Oliver at its head, had reached the
fort in defiance of five hundred Indians — "had broken their
ranks and reached the fort in safety." Oliver reported that
Harrison, having been informed of the dangerous situation
of Fort Wayne, had determined to march to its relief, Ohio
was raisino; volunteers. Ei^ht hundred Avere then assembled
at St. Mary's, Ohio, sixty miles south of Fort Wayne, and
would march to the relief of the fort in three or four days, or
as soon as they were joined by reinforcements from Kentucky.
Oliver prepared a letter, announcing to General Harrison his
safe arrival at the besieged fort, and giving an account of its
beleagured situation, which he dispatched by his friendly
Shawanoes, while he determined to take his chances with the
occupants of the post. As soon as an opportunity presented
itself, the brave Logan and his companions started with the
message to Governor Harrison. They had scarcely left the
fort when they were discovered and pursued by the hostile
Indians, but, passing the Indian lines in safety, they were
Boon out of reach.
The Indians now began a furious attack upon the fort, but
ALLEN COUNTY — FORT WAYNE. 3G3
the little garrison, witli Oliver to cliecr tlicm on, bravely met
the assault, repelling the attack day after day, until the army
approached to their relief. During this seige the command-
ing ollicer, ■whose habits of intemperance rendered him unfit
for the command, was confined in the " black-hole," and the
junior officer assumed charge. This course was approved by
the General, on iiis arrival, but Captain Rhea received but
little censure, undoubtedly owing to his services in the Revo-
lutionary war. In those days, to have been a gallant officer
in the Revolutionary war was, to official imperfections, as
charity is to sins.
On the sixth of September, the army under General Harri-
son moved forward to relieve Fort Wayne. On the seventh
it reached a point to within three miles of the St. Mary's
river, making the remaining distance to the river on the
eighth, on the eve of which they were joined by two hundred
mounted volunteers, under Colonel Richard M. Johnson. On
the ninth the army marched eighteen miles, reaching " Shane's
crossing," on the St. Mary's, where it was joined by eight
hundred men from Ohio, under Colonels Adams and Hawkins.
At this place, chief Logan and four other Indians oifered their
services as spies to General Harrison, and were accepted.
Logan was immediately disguised and sent forward. Passing
through the lines of the hostile Indians, he ascertained their
number to be about fifteen hundred, and entering the fort, he
encouraged the soldiers to hold out, as relief was at hand.
General Harrison's force, at this time, was about three
thousand five hundred. " Friday morning," says Mr. Knapp,
" we were under marching orders after an early breakfast. It
had rained, and the guns were damp ; we were ordered to
discharge them and re-load, as we were then getting into the
vicinity of the enemy, and knew not how soon we might be
attacked. A strong detachment of spies, under Captain James
Suggett, of Scott county, Ohio, marched considerably ahead
of the army. Indications of the enemy having advanced from
their position at Fort "Wayne, for the purpose of watching the
movements of our army, were manifest, and Captain Suggett
came upon the trail of a large j^arty, which he immediately
364 niSTORT OF Indiana.
pursued. After followinf^ tlic trail for some distance, lie was
lii-od on by an Indian wlio had secreted himself in a clump of
Lus]ies so near to Su2:^-ctt that the ]io\vder l)urnt his clothes,
but the ball missed him. The Indian jumped from his covert
and attempted to escape, but Andrew Johnson, of Scott county,
Ohio, shot him.-'
On the return of Suggett's party, a breastwork was erected
in expectation of an attack from the Indians, l)ut the night
passed with repeated alarms but no formidable onset.
]\Ir. ]>rvcc, in his history, tells us that on the tenth of Sep-
tember the army expected to reach Fort Wayne, but thought,
in all probability, that the march would be a fighting one, as
the Indians were encamped directly on their route at the
Lhick Swamp, but this expectation was happily disappointed,
as " at tlie Jirst grey of the morning of the tenth of September,
the distant halloos of the disappointed savages revealed to the
anxious inmates of the fort the glorious news of the approach
of the army. Great clouds of dust could be seen from the
fort, rolling up in the distance, as the valiant soldiery under
General Harrison moved forward to the rescue of the ijarrison,
and soon after daybreak the army stood before the fort. The
Indians had beat a retreat to the eastward and northward,
and the air about the old fort resounded with the glad shouts
of welcome to General Harrison and the brave boys of Ohio
and Kentucky."
This siege of Fort Wayne occasioned great inconvenience
and considerable loss to the few settlers who had gatliered
around the fort. At the date of its commencement there was
quite a little village clustered around the military works, but
with the lirst demonstrations of the enemy, the occupants of
these dwellings fled within the fort, leaving tlicir improve-
ments to be destroyed by the savages. Every building out of
the reach of the guns of the fort M-as leveled to the ground,
and thus was the infant settlement totally destroyed.
During the siege the garrison lost but three men, while the
Indians lost about twenty-flve. Thei-e was a plenty of provi-
sions in tho fort, and the soldiers suflered only from auxictj
and a fear of slaughter at the hands of the savages.
366 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
The following inforaiation concerning tlic movements of
General Harrison at Fort Wayne, on the occasion, is compiled
from the wtI tings of Messrs. Knapp and Bryce:
" The second day following the arrival of the army at Fort
Wayne, General Harrison sent out two detachments, with the
view of destroying the Indian villages in the region of country
lying some miles aronnd Fort Wayne, the first division hcing
composed of the regiments nnder Colonels Lewis and Allen,
and Captain Garrard's troop of horse, nnder General Payne,
accompanied by General Harrison. The second division, under
Colonel Wells, accompanied by a battalion of his own regi-
ment under Major Davenport, (Scott's regiment,) the mounted
battalion under Johnson, and the mounted Ohio men under
Adams. These expeditions were all successful; and after the
return of the divisions under Payne and Wells, General Har-
rison sent them to destroy Little Turtle Town, some twenty
miles northwest of the fort, with orders not to molest the
buildings formerly erected by the United States for the benefit
of Little Turtle, whose friendship for the Americans had ever
been firm after the treaty of Greenville. Colonel Simrall most
faithfully performed the task assigned him, and on the even-
ing of the nineteenth returned to the fort.
"In addition to these movements, General Harrison took
precaution to remove all the undergrowth in the locality sur-
rounding the fort, extending toward the confluence of the St.
Joseph and St. Mary, to where now stands Pudisill's mill, and
westward as far as St. Maij, to the })oint where now stands
the Fort Wayne College; thence southeast to about the point
of the residence of the late Allen Hamilton, and to the east
down the Maumee a short distance. And so well cleared was
the ground, including a very large part of the entire limits
of the present site of the city of Fort Wayne, that it was said
by those who were liere at that early day, and to a later period,
a sentinel 'on the bastions of the fort looking westward, could
sec a rabbit running across the grounds as far as so small an
object was discernible to the naked eye.' The seclusive points
were thus cut off, and the Indians now had no longer any
means of concealing thcii approach upon the fort. Some
FOET WAYNE — EAKLY SETTLE:^rENT. , 367
thirty or forty acres of what is now known as the Cole farm,
extending to tlie junction of the rivers, and just opposite the
Maumee, was then kno%vn as the I*ublic Meadow, wliicli of
course was then, as it had long before been, a considerable
open space. The soldiers were thus readily enabled to observe
the approacli of any hostile movement against the fort, and to
open tlie batteries, with formidable effect, npon any advance
that might be made against the garrison from any direction."
It will be observed that Fort AVayne, up to this period, and
for several years after, Avas but little else than a military post.
This may be said of it during the whole period of its exist-
ence, or from 1705, when the first French stockade was erected,
until the final evacuation of Fort AVavne in 1S19. Dnrinfr
this time it had been in charsce of different commanders.
Captain Ilugli Moore succeeded Captain Khea, in 1S12, who,
in 1S13, was superseded by Joseph Jenkinson. In the spring
of 1S14, Major Whistler took charge of the post and repaired
it, or built an addition to it, which he occupied nntil 1S17,
when he Avas succeeded by Major J. 11. Vase, who held the
command until the post was j^crmanently evacuated in 1819.
CHAPTEPw XLIII.
rOKT WAYNE EARLY SETTLEMENT.
ASIDE from a mere military post, we may date the first
settlement of the town of Fort Wayne in 1815. In this
year a few houses began to appear some distance from the fort,
but usually under the protection of its guns. One of these,
and perhaps the first, was built about the center of what is
now Barr street, near the corner of Columbia, which, some
years afterwards, being removed from its original location,
formed a pai't of the old Washington Ilall building, on the
368 HISTOEY OF INDIANA.
soutliwcst corner of Columbia and Barr streets, wnicli was
destroyed by lire in 1858. In referring to incidents of ])ioneer
life in tliese years, Mr. Bryce, in his Avork, says tliat during
1818, "a year remarkable for the congregation of many Indi-
ans here, the red man is referred to as presenting a general
spirit of order and love of peace, not surpassed by many of the
whites of the time, and well worthy of emuhition in many
instances. It was no uncommon thing, in their visits to
Ke-ki-on-ga, seeing a now hut, to inquire whether the new-
comer was quiet — if he 'make no trouble for Injun,' etc.
And their intuition and close observation were presented very
often in the most strikinc; and remarkable lio-ht. On one
occasion, about this period, an elderly Miami had come to the
village to trade a little. Soon meeting his old friend, Jas.
Peltier, the interpreter, his observing eye, in looking about
the place, soon fell upon a hut near, that had but recently
been built. 'Ugh!' ejaculated the Indian; 'new Avigwam!'
lie now became most anxious to know if the white man was
peaceable — whether he come to make trouble for Injun? The
two now soon entered the hut of the new-comers, and shook
liands with the inmates. The Indian at once beiran to look
about him, and to inquire how many warriors (children) they
had, etc. Eyeing the matron of the house or squaw, as the
Indian called her, and observing that she was quite sad, the
Indian became anxious to know what was the matter with
her-^ — he was sure she was sick. The woman averred that she
was not sick. But the Indian knew she was. Turnimr to his
old friend P. again, after looking at the woman and striking
his hand upon his breast, exclaimed, ' AVhite squaw sick at
heart;' and was anxious to know if she had not left somcthinc:
behind at the settlement from which they came to Fort Wayne.
In res])onse to this, the woman quickly replied that she had
left her only son, by her first husband, at Piqua, and that she
was anxious to have him with her, but her present husband
did not want him to come. ' Didn't I tell you white squaw
sick at heart!' replied the Indian, much elated; and he at once
proposed to go to Piqua and bring her son to her, if Mr. P.
would give him a blanket — which was readily agreed to.
FORT WAYNE — EARLY SETTLE jrENT. 369
Kcceiving a note from the motlier, the next morning carlj,
with two Indian ponies, tlic generous red man was on tlie road
to Piqna, and in five days from that time returned witli the
boy ! The woman's lieart was eased, and as the faitliful Indian
gazed upon tlie happy meeting of the mother and the son, liis
heart warmed within liim, and turning to liis friend Peltier,
he exchaimed: ' Isn't tliat good medicine for the white squaw!'
Tlie Indian now became the faithful protector and friend of
the woman and her son, assuming the special guard ianshi]) of
the latter; telling the husband that if he ever heard a word of
complaint, either from the son or mother, as to ill treatment,
*he would have his hide, if he had to lay in the Maumee river
until the moss had grown six inches on his back.' "
Attached to the fort, and extending west of it, to about
where the " Old Fort House " afterwards stood, and embracing
about one acre of land, was a Avell cultivated garden, belonging
to the commanding officer, always filled, in season, with the
choicest vegetables. West of this was the company's garden,
extending to about where the Iledekin House afterwards stood.
This was also well tilled, afibrdincr suitable labor for the
soldiers when military discipline was slackened. The main
thoroughfare in those days, extended westward from the fort
along what is now the canal.
Not far south of the fort in what is now knoA\Ti as "Taber's
addition," was located the burial ground of the garrison, and
where also were deposited others who died, not immediately
connected with the garrison. Lieutenant Ostrander, who had
one day unthoughtedly fired upon a flock of birds passing
over the fort, had been rejjrimanded by Captain Phea, and
because of liis refusal to be tried by a court-martial, was con-
fined in a small room in the garrison, where he subsequently
died, was among the number buried in this old place of inter-
ment. Another place of burial, where also a number of Indi-
ans were interred, extended along the northwest corner of
Columbia and Clinton streets, and to the adjoining block.
Many bones were removed from this point some j-ears ago, in
digging cellars, and laying the foundations of buildings.
In 1840, while some parties were making an excavation for
24
370 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
ft foundation wall, in the vicinity of Main and Calhoun streets,
they dug up and removed tlic remains of an Indian, Avho had
long before that been buried, with a gun excellently mounted,
some trinkets of silver, and a glass pint flask of whisky, which
liquid was still preserved in at least as good a state as when
buried. The hair was also in a fair state of preservation,
though the skull was much decayed, as were the gun mount-
injrs corroded.
At that date, the old Indian burying ground was still a
Bccnc of attraction. The stranger would often see swinging
from the bough of a tree, in some grove near the bank of the
river, the infant of the Indian mother; or a few little log
enclosures, where the bodies of adults sat upright, Avith all
their former apparel wrapped about them, and their trinkets,
tomahawks, etc., by their sides. Such were a few of the
features of pioneer Fort Wayne.
In those days a " new comer " was hailed with delight. He
was welcome. Tliere was " enough and to spare " of every-
thing but money. Land was plenty and cheap, and the few
pioneers, tired of seeing only each other, always extended a
cordial welcome to new settlers.
One of the most general ways by which Fort "Wayne was
reached in early days, was by water, either by way of the St.
Mary's or Maumee rivers, usually in flat boats, and what was
then called pirogues. The old boat landing was just below
the fort, about where the Maumee brid<rc was afterwards
erected. For many years, and do^vn to 1S3S, it was a common
sight for residents to see pirogues and flat boats, laden with
various articles of merchandise, whisky, flour, furs, etc., load
and unload at this little commercial center. This system of
river navigation was finally impeded, and completely obstructed
by dams which were erected on the St. Mary's for mill pur-
poses. The first of these was built on the St. Mary's in 1822,
at the " Devil's Race Ground," by Captain James Riley. Two
years later, Samuel Hanna and Joseph Barnett built a mill
about three miles from Fort Wayne, at the present site of
"Beaver's Mill."
Fort Wayne was, for many years, one of the principal depots
FORT WATNE EARLY SETTLEMENT. 371
of the fur trade. Many persons became ^vcalthy in the busi-
ness. Indeed it was the ])rincipal commerce of the place
during the lirst ten or fifteen years of its settlement. Kich-
ardville, the last celebrated chief of the once great Miami
nation of Indians, who was licensed as a trader with his
people at Fort Wajme, as early as 1815, is said to have accu-
mulated an immense fortune mainly by this trade and the sale
of lands. Mr. Schoolcraft estimated his wealth some years
prior to his death at about two hundred thousand dollars in
specie, much of which he had had so long buried in the earth
that the boxes in which the money was inclosed had mainly
decayed, and the silver itself considerably blackened.
T\q ibllowing short sketch of the early history of Fort
Wayne is taken from Mr. Bryce's work : "When Major Whist-
ler assumed command of the garrison, in May, 1814, aside
from the little band of soldiers here, were the two daughters
of the commandant, Mrs. Laura Suttenficld, George and John
E. Hunt; Lieutenant Cartiss, and William Suttcnfield, hus-
band of Mrs. L. Suttenfield. Soon after the war broke out,
with many other members of the tribe, including his family^
Chief lilchardville made his way to the British lines for pro-
tection, and with a view, doubtless, to render some aid to the
enemy; for, as the reader already knows, but few among the
tribes of the northwest remained neutral, or failed to give aid
in some way to the British cause. At the close of the troubles
in 1814, he again returned to this point, and soon passed on
up the St. Mary's, about three miles from Fort Wayne, M'herc
he encamped. Major Wliistlcr, desiring to see him, at once
sent an interpreter to him by the name of Crozier, requesting
him to come immediately to the fort, with which he readily
complied. The treaty of Greenville, already referred to, was
now about to take place, and the Major desired that the chief
should be present, and so requested him; but Richardville was
very indifferent about the matter, hesitated, and soon returned
to his camp again. A few days subsequently, however, he
came back to the fort, where he was now held as a hostage for
8ome ten days, when ho at length consented to attend tlio
treaty, and was soon after accompanied thither by Chief
372 HISTOKT OF INDIA1?A.
Chondonnai, of one of the lower tribes, liobert E. Forsytli,
and AVilliam Suttenficld.
" Much of the season of 1815 was spent in rebuilding the
fort; and when completed as with the first erected in 179-1,
was a most substantial affair. The timber with which it had
been built was obtained principally from what is now the east
end, about where stands the dwellings of II. B. Taylor, James
Emery, and the late Samuel Ilanna.
"At this early period, the roads leading from the fort were
mere traces; one leading to Fort Recovery, and Icnown as the
'Wayne trace,' passing through what is now Allen county,
thence into Adams, to the north of Monmouth; from thence
passing not far from Willshire to ' Shane's Crossing,' and so
on. There was also a trace to Captain Wells' place, on the
banks of Spy Run; two traces led down the Maumee on either
side; and one extended in the direction of Fort Dearborn,
(Chicago;) between which point and Fort Wayne no house
was then visible, nor indeed in any other direction, with per-
haps one or two exceptions, short of the settlements in Ohio.
The two common fording places at that time, and for some
years later, were above and below the Maumee bridge; the
one below the bridge was better known as ' Ilarmer's Ford,'
both of which are now most entirely obliterated.
" It was below this latter ford, near a path leading toward
Detroit, under the cheerful shade of what was then and long
after known as the 'Big Elm,' on the fourth of July, 1810,
that Captain Ray and a few others from the fort, were enjoy-
ing themselves most agreeabl}'^, partaking of a dinner in honor
of the glorious occasion, when an express came up the trace
from Detroit with the private mail and government dispatches.
Here Captain Ray took possession of the 'mail matter,' all
gathering around to receive their favors, which were then duly
distributed by first Postmaster Ray; and the old Elm was
thereafter known as ' the Post Office.' What has become of
this ' old familiar tree,' whose o'erhanging boughs formed the
shadow of the first post office in the region of Fort Wayne, is
now unknown. Perhaps some unsparing axeman long since
cut it doNVTi. It was by way of Fort Wayne at this period,
I
374 msTOKY OF Indiana.
and some years after, that the troops at Cliicago and Green Bay
received their regular mail by military express.
" Major Whistler, in 1817, being removed from this point
to -what is now St. Charles, Mo., was succeeded by Major J. II.
Yose, of the lifth regiment of regulars, who held command
until permanently evacuated in April, 1819. The departure
of the troops is said to have left the little band of citizens
then here extremely lonesome and unprotected. The cessa-
tion of the therefore daily music of the ti-oo])S in the fort was
supplied by the stillness of nature, almost overwhelming.
The Indians were numerous, and their camp fires and rude
music, the drum, made night more dreaded; but to this the
inhabitants of Fort "Wayne soon became lamiliari/.cd. The
punctilio of military life was gradually infused into the social
circle, and gave tone to the etiquette and moral habits of the
citizens of the fort."
Payment season at Fort Wayne was for many years a lively
business period. On these occasions, traders from Ohio,
Michigan, and even !New York, visited the place for purposes
of trade, taking with them large quantities of whisky, which
they dealt out to the Indians so freely as to keep them con-
tinually drunk and unfit for business; horse racing, drinking,
gambling, debauchery, extravagance, and waste, were the order
of the day and night.
When Indiana was admitted into the Union as a State, in
181G, what is now Allen county formed a part of Knox county.
Tlie seat of government for the county was located at Yin-
cenncs up to 1818, when Eandolph county was organized,
including the present Allen county and a large extent of ter-
ritory to the north. AVinchester was the county seat until
the formation of Allen, in 1823.
By an act of Congress, a land office was established in Fort
Wayne in 1822. Joseph Ilolman, of Wayne county, M'as
appointed Register, and Captain Samuel C. Yance, of Dear-
born county. Receiver. After the survey of the lands, the
President issued a proclamation for their sale, to the highest
bidder, the minimum price being $1.25 per acre; and tho sale
began on the 22d of October, 1823, at the fort. Considerable
TOBT WAYNE EAULT SEITLEMENT. 375
rivaliy having been aAvakened, touching that portion which
embraced the town and immediate settlement — some forty
acres, in the immediate locality of the fort, being reserved for
the use of the Indian Agent — the most extensive purchasers
thereof were Barr, of Baltimore, Maryland, and McCorklc, of
Piqua, Ohio. Tliis portion of the city is marked on the city
maps " Old Plat to Fort Wayne," and originally designated as
"the north fraction of the southeast quarter of section two,
township thirty, north of range twelve east;" and it was on
this that Messrs. Barr and McCorkle laid oif the original plat
of the " Tovm of Fort "Wayne," as surveyed by Bobei-t Young,
of Piqua, Ohio. This plat was embraced in one hundred and
eighteen lots.
Subsequently, Hon. Samuel IJanna purchased all the Barr
and McCorkle claims, and therefore became one of the oriirinal
proprietors of the town. There was a school-house erected on
this original plat, at an early day, of which the Fort Wayne
Ti772es s\)oke as follows in 185S: " In this old school-house,
many of those, then young, but now past middle life who yet
live here, many dead, and others absent, had their early train-
ing for usefulness; and many there experienced that joy only
once to be enjoyed in a life-time; while, perhaps, nearly every
teacher, who there disciplined the youthful mind, has gone to
his final account, and soon here to be entii-ely forgotten. * *
This old school-house was built of brick, in 1825, and was
then quite large enough for all needed purposes. * * * It
was only one story in height, and served for many years, not
only as a school-house, but as the place of religious worship,
town meetings, masonic installations, political speeches," etc.
John P. Hedges,* one of the earliest settlers of Fort Wayne,
Btill living, was among the first teachers in this old pioneer
school-house. In the winter of 1826, he had it repaired at his
own expense. Mr. A. Aughinbaugh also taught in this build-
ing.. The old county jail, which, until 1847, stood on the
southwest corner of Calhoun street and the court-house square,
*Mr. Hedo-f s called upon one of the compilers of this work, while he
was im Fort Wayne, in October, 1874, and related many interesting inci-
dents of pioneer life in the vicinity of the oM fort.
376 mSTOKY OF lndiana.
was also used for several years as a school -house. It mms in
this buiklin^ that Mr, Henry Cooper taught, who is claimed
to he the first regular teacher in Fort Wayne.
Amonij: the events of 1810, was the erection of a log house
by Samuel Ilanna, at the northwest corner of Earr and Colum-
bia streets. In this log structure he and James Barnett opened
a considerable wholesale store, which they successfully con-
tinued for several years. They brought their goods from the
East, by the way of Toledo and the rapids of the Maumee.
At the time of the first land sale at Fort Wayne, the pur-
chasers, other than Messrs. Barr and McCorkle, were Alexan-
der Ewing, wdio entered the east half, southwest quarter of
section two — being the same land on which Ewing's and
Eockhill's additions were afterwards laid out. The section
of land across the river, in the forks of the St. Mary's and
St. Joseph's rivers, known as the "Wells pre-emption," had
been, by an act of Congress of May, 1808, set apart as a pre-
emption to Captain AV^clls, who was authorized to enter it,
when adjacent lands should be offered at $1.25 per acre; but
having lost his life in the massacre at Fort Dearborn, in 1812,
his heirs being authorized, entered it at the land sale refer-
red to.
The establishment of the land office, and the influx of pop-
ulation opened the way for the settlement of Fort Wayne, and
in a few years quite a town sprang up at the forks, which has
grown into the present poj)ulous city.
CHAPTEE XLIY.
ALLKN COUNTY EARLY SETTLEMENT.
ALLEN county was organized in 1823. Previous to that
date it formed a part of Umdolph county. The com-
missioners appointed to determi. e upon a site for the county
ALLEN COUNTY — EARLY SETTLEMENT. 377
seat, were James M. Eay, of Indianapolis, TV. M. Conner, of
Ilaniilton county, and ALaitlics Hathaway. In the early part
of 1S24, tliey agreed upon Fort AVayne as the i:)i-o]ier pkce,
and in the last week in May, in the same year, the first elec-
tion for county officers for Allen county took place. The first
session of the " County Board " was held on the last clay of
May in the same year, the Board consisting of William Hock-
hill, James "Wyman, and Francis Comparet. The county offi-
cers, elected at the first election, were: Anthony L. Davis,
Clerk; Allen Hamilton, Sheriff; Samuel Ilanna and Benja-
min Cushman, Associate Judges; Joseph Holman, Treasurer;
H. B. McKcen, First Assessor; Lambert Cushovis, First Con-
stable; AV. T. Daviss, Overseer of the Poor; E. Ilors, Inspec-
tor of Elections; Israel Taylor, Joseph Troutner, and Mose3
Scott, Fence Viewers; Samuel Hood, Supervisor. At the first
session of the Board, three Justices of the Peace were elected,
as follows: Alexander Ewing, William N. Ilood, and AVilliam
Pockhill. These gentlemen' assumed the position, ^a? officiOy
of the "Board of Justices," taking the place of County Com-
missioners. The first session of this body was held on the
twenty-second of October, 1824. On this occasion the Board
gave notice of the location of a State road from Vernon, in
Jennings county, by way of Greensburg, Bushville, and New
Castle to Fort Wayne.
These were true pioneer days in Fort Wayne. There were
none of the present fine buildings that grace the city; no lead-
ing thoroughfares adorned wdth fancy teams; no colleges; no
fine church buildings; nothing of the modern, fashionable
order. But there were the rude taverns, the straggling Indian,
the hardy fur-trader — in short, the unpretending pioneer. But
few, if any, at this day, thought that Fort Wayne would ever
become a leading city. Yet the place had its advantages for
trade, and the penetrating business men of early times were
not slow to improve them. Pioneer hotel life in Fort Wayne
in 1824, is, to some extent, portrayed by an old bill of " tav-
ern rates" which has been preserved. It reads as follows:
"Per day, 50 cts.; breakfast, dinner and supper, each 25 cts.;
lodging, per night, 12^ cts.; whisky, per quart, 12 J cts.;
378 msTOKT OF Indiana.
brandy, per quart, 50 cts.; gin, per quart, 37^ cts.; porter,
per Lottie, 37^ cts. ; cider, per quart, ISf cts."
Allen county had its taxation, and, we suspect, it was both-
ersome, too. Every male over twenty-one years of age had to
pay iifty cents. And for each horse, gelding or mare over
three years old, thirty-seven and a half cents; every work ox,
eighteen cents; every gold watch, twenty-live cents; every
pi nchback, twenty-live cents; every four-wheeled pleasure car-
riage, one dollar. The State taxes were generally paid in wolf
Bc;il]">s, on which a bounty was allowed.
The first circuit court held in Allen county Avas on the ninth
of August, 1S24. The judicial circuit then included Adams,
Wells, Huntington, and Wliitlcy counties. At this time, C.
W. Ewing was made prosecuting attorney, and John Tipton
foreman of the grand jury. W. G. Ewing was, on this occa-
eion, admitted to the bar as a practitioner at law. At this
Bcssion of the court an application was made for a divorce,
and, says Mr. Bryce, "some indictments were found against
parties for selling liquor without license, etc., at this term of
the court — each being fined three dollars and cost. In one
instance, for gambling, a man was fined ten dollars." The first
master in chancery of this court, was Charles W. Ewing, then
a young lawyer of much ability. " To show the diflcrence
between the manner of allowances of that dav and this, when
eix times as much service was rendered in a given time, * *
tlie records show that Eobert Hood (well remembered by old
citizens,) was allowed seven ty-iive cents per day for three days'
service as bailiff to the circuit court; Allen Hamilton, sixteen
dollars and sixty-six cents for four months' service as sherifl'
of Allen county; and Charles "W. Ewing, for his services a8
prosecuting attorney, for the term, five dollars. This court,
after a session of three days, adjourned on the twelfth of
August, 1824, to convene again as the court in course. The
following year, 1825, the board of justices appointed W. G.
Ewing county treasurer; and the second term of the circuit
court was convened at the residence of Alexander Ewing, on
the sixth of June — Hon. F. Morris, of the fifth judicial cir-
cuit, a resident of Indianapolis, presiding — Judge Hanna
ALLEN COUNTY EAKLT SETTLEMENT. 379
oflBciating in the capacity of associate justice. James TJari-
dcn, and Calvin Fletcher were admitted as practitioners of
law at this term — both men of considerable disthiction in
after years. Henry Cooper, a man of many estimal>le quali-
ties, long since deceased, was also admitted to the bar at this
term of the court, which continued only five days."
The third term of this court was convened at the house of
"William Suttenfield, on the twenty-first of November, 1825,
Judges Ilauna and Cushman presiding. It was at this session
of the court that a device for a seal was presented by Charles
"W. Ewing. Calvin Fletcher presented his commission and
was sworn in as prosecuting attorney. The term in the fol-
lowinc: vear, 1S26, was held at the residence of Alexander
Ewing, the same judges presiding; but at the next regular
term, which Avas opened on the thirteenth of August, in the
game year, Hon. Miles C. Egglcston, of Madison, presented
his commission, as president judge, was sworn in, and ]n'e-
sided during the term. Benjamin Cushman acted as associate
judge; Cyrus Tabcr as sheriil", and Amos Lane as prosecuting
attorney. A singular story is told of the trial and conviction,
on a charge of murder, of Big-Leg, an Indian, who resided
near Fort AVayne, at the term of the court held in 1830. "A
half Indian and negro woman, whom he claimed us his slave,
had been in the habit of enteriui]: his cabin durinii: his absence,
and taking his meat. After repeatedly warning her to desist,
he at Icnirth told her that if she disobeved him aj2:ain, he would
kill her. From her residence among the clan, of Avhich Big-
Leg was chief, whose village was on the Wabash, a few miles
from Fort Wayne, with a view to escape the fate that she knew
must befall her, after a further disregard of the commands of
the chief, the woman came to Fort AVayne, and was soon
employed by some of the citizens. Shortly after her depar-
ture, Big-Leg came to town, too, and wandering about, he
Boon discovered her washing, at a house then standing about
what is now the southeast corner of Clinton and Columbia
streets. Stealing suddenly upon her, with his long knife ready
for her destruction, he plunged it into her with such force,
that it is said the blade passed through her body, and she fell
380 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
dead at his feet; whereupon he proudly ejaculated, 'Was'nl
that nice!' Though no nncounnon thing, at that period, for
the IndiaHis visiting liere to kill each other, and for which no
redress had ever been sought by the authorities, the citizens
here, who were then largely outnumbered by the Indians of
the region, were greatly incensed at this terrible ])ruccdure
of Biff-Lcc:, and the civil authorities at once had the chief
arrested, and placed in the old county jail. His main plea
was that the woman belonged to him — was his propci'ty, and
that he had a right to do what he pleased with her. When
told that he was to be hanged for the ofiense, he could not
comprehend- it, bnt seemed to get the idea that it was some
such operation as that he had often witnessed in the use of
the old steelyards by the traders in weighing venison, etc., and
concluded that he was to be loeigJied until he was dead; which
fact soon became commonly understood among the Indians of
liis tribe and the region here; and as he was a chief much
regarded by his clan, they early songht to exchange him for
one of tlieir number, whom they considered rather worthless;
but without avail. Having received some explanations as to
his probable fate by hanging, or weighing, as he understood
it, which he seemed to regard as fixed, he, with his friends,
thought to have the experiment tried upon a dog, in order to
see how the animal would act. Accordingly, while the chief
was still confined in the jail, a number of his Indian friends
collected about the outside of the prison, in view of a small
opening, where the chief could look out and see the action of
the canine as his Indian friends proceeded to execute him.
Placing a rope around the animal's neck, and suspending him
from a pole that had been arranged for the purpose, at the
height of a few feet from the ground, by means of crossed
stakes driven into the earth, the dog was soon dano-ling in the
air. Observing the animal very closely through the grates of
the jail, the violent throes and contortions of the dog at once
gave him a great aversion to hanging, or being thus weighed
till he was dead ; and when the jailor again made his appear-
ance, he urged that he might be shot, rather than be killed by
Buch a process as that he had seen tried on the dog. When
ALLEN COUNTY — EATJLT SETTLEMENT. 381
his trial came on, Jolin B. Bonrie and chief Richardvillc acted
as interpreters. He was convicted, but hcini!^ recommended-
to mercy by the jury, the governor subsequently granted him
a pardon ; and in 1848, v/ith a body of Miamis, he removed
to Kansas."*
From 1823 to 1830, Fort "Wayne was a scene of pioneer life.
Tlie general style of the dwellings was that of the usual log
cabin, or the "hewed log house," which was quite a luxury.
There were a few frame houses, but the interior of all was
pretty much the same. Kot a vestige of aristocracy could be
Bcen in any quarter. Young ladies were then ])lain, common-
Bcnse girls. Courting was conducted in the vivid presence of
a "big log fire," unaided by tlie soft notes of tlie piano, as at
the present time. The K)vers talked of plain matter-of-fact
subjects. But little, if auytliing, was said of tlic opera. The
theatre had a chaiMii, l)ut only as something to be talked about.
But thinc'S have chaiiircd. AVith 1827-28, tliere came rumors
of a canal, and finally, the canal itself This was a vast inno-
vation — an important improvement; but the advanced idea
did not rest here. A railroad was ao^itated — nav, constructed.
Brick and stone buildings took the place of log houses; the
pioneer trader became a mei'chant ; elegant residences were
erected; churches were built; society was formed; fine tastes
were cultivated; elegant furniture, costly pictures and the
piano were introduced, lii short, a populous, prosperous city
grew up with all its attendant luxuries. Pioneer life disap-
peared and modern extravagance took its place.
It would be tedious to follow along the dry current of the
modern history of Fort Wayne and Allen county. It has
been a history of continued progress. Enterprise has marked
every page, and success croAvned almost every eftbrt. "\Vc
shall be content now, to notice the present condition and
future prospects of Fort "Wayne and Allen county, and to
give a few pe» pictures of the pioneers of civilization in that
section.
♦Bryce's Work — Recollections of Mr. Hood.
CHAPTEE XLY
ALLEN COUNTY — FOKT WAYNE MODERN HISTORY.
4 LLEN County was named, at the suggestion of General
^^ Tipton, in lionor of Colonel John Allen, of Kentucky, a
distinguislicd lawyer, who met his death at the Massacre of the
River Raisin. The county has an area of 654.35 square miles,
embracing 413,007.08 acres, and a population of about 5G,000,
with a taxable valuation of over $20,000,000. In 1830, the
population of the whole county was only 996, and the taxable
valuation of real and personal property scarcely $100,000.
These statistics give some idea of the immense growth of the
county in both population and wealth. The following table
shows the growth of the different townships in population,
from 1850 to 18T5:
Townships and Cities. ]875> 1870 18G0 1850
Abostc, 1200 906 876 539
Adams, 3000 2388 1773 1012
New Haven, 2500 912
Cedar Creek, 2100 1713 1228 814
Eel River, 1900 1217 1003 655
Fort Wajmc, 25150 19460 10319 4282
Jackson, 304 202 93
Jefferson, 1800 1445 1061 563
Lafayette, 1700 1471 1320 529
Lake, 1600 1309 951 578
Madison, 1500 1278 919 561
Marion, 1400 1319 1358 1095
Maumcc, 600 394 164 93
Milan, 1300 1183 780 361
Monroe, 1600 1479 610 414
Monrocvillo, 900 G30
382
• • • •
ALLEN COTINTT FOKT WATKE. 383
Perry, 1400 12S0 IISO 84*3
Pleasant, 1300 12S0 1207 658
Scipio, COO 420 34G 173
SpriDgficld, 2100 1749 1505 702
St. Josepli, 1500 1373 10G5 748
Washington, 1900 1G2S 1487 1305
Aside from the city of Fort "Wayne, tlici'C are no hirge toAvns
or cities in Allen county. Tlie soil is generally well adapted
to agriculture, and corn and wheat arc produced in abundance.
For the most part, the farmers arc wealthy; and within the
last ten or fifteen years, the small, incommodious pioneer farm
houses have been exchanged for handsome dwclliuirs. Farmers
and farmers' children are well educated. The young ladies of
the rural districts are in happy contrast with the "girls" of
1850. Most of them are accomplished in music, and possess
a ijood education.
The public schools of Allen county are in an excellent con-
dition. Well furnished buildings are provided in all parts of
the county, and these arc generally supplied with well qualified
teachers. There is, perhaps, no other county in the State,
where the schools are in a better condition.
Tlic public schools of Fort AYaync are justly the pride of
the city. At the present date, there arc in the city thirteen
cKccllent school buildings, Avell furnished, valued at $185,000.
Seventy-five teachers are emploj'cd to teach 3,500 pupils. Tlie
high school building is located on beautiful grounds, with an
area of 18,000 square feet. The basement of the structure is
of dressed stone, nine feet high; the main building, of brick,
is two stories high, each fifteen feet in height; and the whole
is covered by a " mansard," twelve feet in the clear. The
tower has a porch finished with a balustrade so as to form a
balcony. The interior is tastefully and elaborately appointed.
Tlie Jeficrson, or Fourth Ward, school buildin<r is also an
ornament to the city. Tliis building is of brick, three stories
in height, and covers an area of 3,G00 feet. It contains twelve
rooms, with a seating capacity of six hundred, and is supplied
with twelve teachers.
The Clay, or First Ward, school is also a fine tlircc-story
384
mSTORT OF INDIANA.
brick biiildlnp^, containing eight rooms, 405 scats, and is sup-
plied Avitli ciglit teachers. Tiie others are, the West German,
wood, corner Webster and Washington, rented; Jeflerson,
brick, corner Jeflerson and Grifiith, $27,500; Washington,
brick, corner AVashington and Union, $20,750; Iloagland,
wood, corner lloaghmd avenue and Bntler, $17,000; Ilanna,
brick, coi-iier Ilauna and Wallace, $1G,G00; Ilarmer, M-ood,
corner Ilanner and Jefferson, $5,650; Bloomingdale, wood,
corner Bowser and Marion, $3,900; North Bloomingdale Ger-
man, wood, north of Feeder, rented; North Bloomingdale
English, wood, north of Feeder, rented.
ENROLLMENT FOE 1874.
Schools. Boys.
Clav, 252
High, 25
Wr'st German, 70
Jcflc'rson, 318
Wusliiiigton, 132
Iloaghind, 204
Ilanna, 136
Harmer, 53
Bloomingdale, 85
North Bloornin^rdalc German 13
North Bloomingdale English,. ...... 18
Girls.
Tota..
255
507
42
67
69
139
300
618
172
304
211
415
125
261
51
104
121
206
15
28
14
32
[554
3049
Total, 1495
The following comparative table, giving the various items
concerning tlie public schools, for a period of ten years, will
not only show the growth of the public schools, but of the
city as well:
Enroll- No. of Value of
mcnt. Teachers. School Prop'y
.1385.... 19....$ 33,150
. 1400 30,000
.1629.... 18.... 38,000
.1937.... 23.... 58,500
.2181.... 34.... 115,110
.2457.... 44.... 140,000
.2537.... 49.... 165,000
.2640.,.. 54.... 165,000
.2472.... 55.... 168,000
.2682.... 56 173,000
.3056.... 65.... 180,000
Years. Ennme-
ration.
1864 5270.
1865 5673.
18<;6
1867
6321.
7255.
7846.
8365.
8256.
8239.
8637.
1873 8777.
1874 9060 .
1869
1870
1871
1872
386 msTORT OF Indiana.
Tlic Catliolics Lave a lari^e number of parocliial scliools, as
well as the Lutherans, who liave several conimodioiis edilices.
The Lutherans have also a large college withhi the city limits,
known as the Concordia College. This is under the Synod of
their church, under whose jurisdiction tliis district is. The
Convent of the Sacred Heart, under the charge of the Sisters
of the Holy Cross, is in close proximity to the city. The
Methodist University occupies a large and well-arranged build-
ing in the western part of the city. It has been established
for a number of years, occupying their present quarters since
1S50. The Rev. R. D. Robinson, D. D., has charge of it, and
under his able management it is rapidly reaching success.
The Methodists have a well-conducted college at Fort Wayne.
The building is a fine one, and adds something to the appear-
ance of the city.
Religious. — There are more than twenty fine, elegant, and
well-furnished churches in Fort Wayne. The architecture is
generally handsome, and the material is substantial. Among
them should be mentioned the Roman Catholic Cathedral.
This is a very beautiful structure of brick, surmounted by two
steeples. Trinity Church (Episcopal) on AVest Berry street, is
one of the handsomest church edilices in the State, though by
no means as large as some others in that city. The Lutherans,
Presbyterians, Methodists, and Christians have all built them-
selves fine and costly churches.
Railroads. — The lines of railroad leading from Fort Wayne
in eight diflerent directions, give to the city a decided metro-
politan appearance, and bring untold wealth to its doors.
These roads are all important lines, that connect the "Summit
City " with all the principal cities of the country. The tracks
and equipments of these roads arc first-class, Avhile the accom-
modation for all kinds of transportation is as good as could be
desired. It is estimated that thirty-four passenger trains arrive
at, and depart from, the city every day, while freight trains
may be estimated by the hundred daily. Other important
roads are in contemplation, but even at the present day Fort
Wayne is the great railroad city of Northern Indiana.
Wabasd and Erie Canal. — The importance of canals as a
ALLEN COUNTY FOKT WAYNE. 387
means of inland navigation, attracted much attention in the
early davs of this country, and it is due to them, in a great
measure, that our country has been settled and cities founded.
In 1820 an act was passed by the 'Ohio legislature, appointing
three commissioners to locate a route for a canal between Lake
Eric and the Ohio river, but it was not until 1824: that a
survey M'as made of what is now the Wabash and Eric Canal.
The members of Congress from Indiana then procured a
survey of the canal by a corps of United States topographical
engineers. This survey was commenced at Fort Wayne, about
June, 1S2G, and at its completion, Congress passed an act,
granting to the State of Indiana one-half of five miles in
width of the public lands on each side of the proposed canal,
from Lake Ei'ie to the navigable waters of the Wabash river.
This grant amounted to three thousand two hundred acres per
mile. It was accepted by the State legislature, during its
session of 1827-28, and Samuel Ilanna, David Barr, and
liobert Johns, were appointed a Board of Commissioners.
This grant was the first of any importance nuide by Congress
for the furtherance of any public works, and may be considered
the inception of the policy afterwards adopted, of granting so
much of the public domain for public improvements. In 1828
the State granted to Ohio all the land which had been granted
for canal purposes in that State, upon the condition that they
would, in consideration therefor, construct the works through
their territory. In 18-43 the canal was opened for navigation,
and two years afterwards the Miami extension was completed,
thus perfecting a continuous line of canal between Maumee
bay and the Ohio river at Cincinnati. The Malion Brothers
commenced running two small packets betM'een Toledo and
Fort Wayne, in 1843, but not with any regularity, and it was
not until the summer of 1844 that a line making regular trips
was established. Samuel Doyle and William Dickey, of
Dayton, Ohio, were the pioneers in this enterprise, running
ten boats and one steam proj^eller between Toledo and Lafa}'-
ctte, and Toledo and Cincinnati. In 1846, the act known as
the "Butler Bill " was passed by the legislature, by which the
canal was transferred to three trustees, two of whom were
388 msTOKY OF Indiana.
appointed hy tlic bondlioklcrs, tlic rcinainini^ one by tlic State.
PuBiJC liuiLDixos, — The County Court Jlouse and County
Jail, both located at Fort AVuyne, ai'e sul)stantial buildings,
well ada})ted to the purposes soui^ht. Tlierc is yet no commo-
dious cit}' hall, nor is any needed at the present day, that
would ini]iosc a heavy tax upon the city. The building in
which the headfpiarters of the lire department are located, is
well suited to tlnit nranch of the municipality. Further
remarks on the ])resent condition and I'uturc prospects of Fort
Wayne, iinancially and commercially, are noticed in another
part of this work, under the department of the "Great Indus-
tries of Indiana." See Index to IJiographies to lind interesting
biographical sketches of jMoneers and prominent men of Allen
county.
The leading newspapers published in Fort "Wayne arc the
Gazette and Sentinel, both well conducted and inlluential
journals.
CHATTER XLYI.
HUNTINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DESCKIPTITE.
LEAVING Allen county by the route mentioned in tlie
foregoing chapter, wc soon reach Huntington county, now
rich in agriculture and commerce, and minerals, but once a
dense forest. The county was named in honor of Samuel
Huntinc^ton, a deleirate in the Continental Couirress from Con-
necticut, and one of the signers of the Declai-ation of Inde-
pendence. A small portion of the county is liilly, but for the
most part it is level, or only sufticiently undulating to consti-
tute a natural drain. The soil is a mixture of sand and clay,
is very deep and fertile, and well adapted to all the products
indigenous to the climate and country. At an early day the
HUNTINGTON COUNTl*. 389
county was -icavilj timbered tlirougliout, witli tlic exception
of a few small ])i'airies.
The first sottleiueiit, as near as wc can learn, was made in
Huntington county in 1S129. Messrs. Artimcdce AVoodworth
and Elias ]\rnrray Avcre the first settlers. They came in 1S29.
Mr. AVoodward settled north of Silver creek, on the AVabash.
Here he built a log house and began ])ioncer life in earnest.
Mr. Murray settled a mile cast on the o])posite side of the
river, where he also built a cabin. In 1S32-3, a settlement
was made on the Salamony river, near the present town of
AVarren. Samuel Jones erected a log house at this ])lace in
1833, and moved into it with his family in Seiitembcr of the
same year. James ]\lorrison settled at the same juace about
the same time, and in the following winter Lewis Pnrviancc,
Lewis Eichards, and George Helm, located with them.
The first settlers of the present i:)rosperous city of Hunting-
ton were C. and J. Hclvey, who came from the AVhite river
sect'on, originally from Clinton county, Ohio, to Huntington,
in 1830, Avith their sisters. They built a hcM-ed log tavern,
which is known in history as the '' Flint Springs Hotel.'' It
remained a tavern until 1857, and was for a long time a favor-
ite stopping place on the old "Fort AA^ayne and Lafayette
trace." A few now living in Huntington county remember
this trace. It Avas nearly the same pathway over which the
bold Robert de La Salle traveled with his military escort in
1G80, and the same trace upon which many a zealous French
priest journeyed alone, before Americans explored the head
waters of the AA^abash.
Tliere was another log tavern erected near the cabin of Mr.
AVoodworth in 1832, but that region remained unsettled until
1847. Clear creek, two and a half miles north from lluntinir-
ton, was first settled by Michael Doyle, in 1834. In that year
he erected the pioneer log cabin of that section, and moved into
it with his famil3\
The Helvcys, who first settled at Huntington, sold their
lands to General Tipton and Captain Murray, soon after they
were located, and the latter gentlemen laid out the town in
1832. Mr. Murray moved to Huntington to reside, with his
390 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
family, abont one year previons. Tlic '\^'^al»asli aiitl Eric Canal
was conimenccd in 1S32, wliicli may be regarded as flic imme-
diate cause that led to the settlement of Huntington. The
work on this important State internal im]-)rovemcnt prospered,
and the new town of Huntington shared in the prosperity.
In 1S35 the permanent population of Huntington was probably
two hundred and fifty, although previous to that time gangs
of canal men frequently visited the place, swelling its popula-
tion temporarily to four and live hundred.
.IJuutington county was organized in 1S.34, previous to
which it funned a part of Grant county. The iii'st county
election was held in the fall of 1834, as also the lirst court.
The latter was held in the well known "Flint Sj)rings Ilutel."
From this the court was soon after taken to the school house,
which shows that Huntington, now so justly celebrated foi
her excellent schools, began the good work of education in hei
you til.
The first school teacher in Huntinirton was a Mr. Scrij^ant.
They called him a " down east Yankee," but he had couBidcr-
able inlluence, probably because he was the son of a l*resljy-
terian clei'gyman. He "boarded round," and being a little on
the particular order, it is not a wonder that the old settlers of
HuntingtoTi tell some funny stories of his experience of this
phase of his residence in their towni. It is veiy probable,
however, that he had enough to contend with, both in the
school room and in society. But wc shall not tax the reader
with every step in the growth of Huntington county. Such
was its social and ]>olitical beginning. Let us look at results —
its present condition.
The Huntington of to-day has a population of three thousand
five hundred, and is surrounded by well settled, well cultivated
agricultural lands, in every direction. It is the county seat,
and a smart, thriving city. The streets have been admirably
laid off, and the general appearance of the buildings favors the
substantial. The new court house is a fine building, located
in the center of a spacious square enclosed by a substantial
iron fence. The churches are, for tlie most part, fine build-
ings, erected in a modern style of architecture, and present
HUNTINGTON COUNTT. 391
striking evidence of the high moral taste of tlie people. Tlie
city scliools are, at present, in a nourishing condition. For
many years they lagged for -want of tlie pro])cr management,
but Avithin the last few years a splendid tliree story brick
building has been erected, in -whicli tlie city graded schools
are now located, excellent teachers arc provided, and the iniblic
schools of Huntington to-day are a credit to tlie State.
There is probably no other city in Indiana of equal popula-
tion that can boast as much success in manufacturinrr as
Huntington. The manufactTire from wood has increased until
the city is now sup]dying many of the towns in northern
Indiana with staves, licadiTigs, plow handles, etc. In this
particular industry Huntington possesses many advantages.
AVood of nearly all kinds exists in large quantities in many
parts of the county. Labor is cheap, and the surrounding
country affords an ample and remunerative market. However,
the manufacture of lime is perhaps tlie largest industrial
interest of Huntington. During the present year there were
over thirty kilns in successful operation, employing a capital
of over one hundred thousand dollars, and giving em])lovment
to an army of men either in immediate connection with the
Kilns or in chopping wood to supply them with fuel. Over
ten thousand cords of wood were consumed during the year
just closed, for which over twenty-five thousand dollars liave
been disbursed throughout the county. The product of the
Huntington lime kilns is unsurpassed in quality. "Hunting-
ton white lime," has become a favorite brand in the northwest,
and is sought after even to the full extent of the supply. The
lime business of Huntington shows a steady and iiealthy
increase, and is capable of great extension. The total product
in IST-i was over four hundred thousand bushels.
Huntington county is rich in agricultural wealth, and most
of the farmers have become wealthy. Old-time log houses
Jiave, for the most part, disappeared, and new and elegant
rural residences are scattered over the entire county. Villages
liave sprung up, and in every quarter there are indications of
thrift and prosperity. With the increase of wealth have come
all the other desirable acquisitions. Education, once so sadly
392 HISTORY OF INDIAJJA.
ncG;lectcd in the county, Las now its full sliarc of attention,
and the youths are as far advanced in the usual course of study
as in any other rural section of the State.
CnAPTER XLYII.
CASS COTJNTV mSTOKrCAL AXD DESCRITTnrE.
PASSING over Wahash and Miami counties, for the pres-
ent, we will talcc up Cass county. This jump in our
route is made necessary by the absence of data, at this writing,
for the complete history of those counties, as well as by the
fact that the settlement of Cass county is of earlier date.*
Cass county was organized on the thirteenth of April, 1829:
previous to which it was under the jurisdiction of Carroll
county, being originally, however, under the jurisdiction of
Tippecanoe county. Previous to its existence as Cass county,
it was known as Eel township, in Carroll county.
"The mouth of Eel," which, in early times, acquired con-
siderable notoriety as the point where the main lino of travel
crossed the Wabash, is the point where the first settlement
was made in Cass county. As early as the fall of lS24,f Ed-
ward ^IcCnrtney came down from Fort Wayne, under the
auspices of a company of "fur-traders" located there, with
head-quarters at Detroit, and erected a small trading-house on
the north side of the Wabash, a little below the "mouth of
Eel," which was, perhaps, the first house built for the occu-
pancy of a white man within the present limits of Cass county.
A year and a half later, about August, 1S2G, Alexander Cham-
berlain, a native of Ivinderhook, New York, but more recently
from the vicinity of Fort Harrison, in Vigo county, Indiana,
brought his family and settled on the south side of the Wabash,
* Sec Tmlcx to find sketches of Wabash and^Mianii counties.
f From IMS. furnished by T. B. irdm, of Logiuisport.
CASS COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DI■:SCKI^TI^^j:. 393
just 0]>posito tlic mouth of Eel I'ivcr. Here, witli the assist-
ance of his iiei^libors fi-oni tlie " J)cer Creek settlements,"
more than twenty miles down tlie river, he built tlic lirst res-
idence, also used as a " hotel," (a double hewed-log cabin, two
stones hiijh.) in tlie countv.
About the same time, William Xewman settled vrith his
family and built a calnu, also situated on the south bank of
the AVabash, and three miles below Chamberlain's. The samo
season, James ]>urch made a settlement less than one mile
below the former, and on the same side of the river, on Avlmt
is since known as the Simons' farm. These two last remained
but a short time, scllini'' out their claims and returnin*:: to
older settlements.
]\Ir. Chamberlain, after selling out his first residence to
General Tipton, who lived there afterward and established the
Indian Ai^ency formerly at Fort AVayne, built another house,
a little further down, where he lived and "kept tavern" until
the year 1S35, when he moved to liochcster, in Fulton county^
and died there a few years since.
On the twenty-seventh day of March, 1827, Major Daniel
Bell, a son-in-law of Captain Spear S])encer, who was killed
in the battle of Tippecanoe, and brother-in-law of Genera}
John Tipton, crossed the Wabash river and built his cabin,
the first one built between the rivers, within the present limits
of the city of Logansport. It Avas situated just south of the
canal, and a few feet west of Berkley street. lie lived there
until sometime in the spring of 1830, removing thence to a
claim, subsequently purchased, a little M'ay north of Eel river,
in what is now Clay township.
Not long after the settlement of Major Bell, Hugh B.
McKeen. an Indian trader, from Fort Wayne, erected a tra-
ding-house and domicil on the banks of the Wabash, a ie\r
rods above the mouth of Eel river, near "udicre McKeen street,
in the city of Logansport, strikes the Wabash river.
In the fall of the same year, Joseph Barron, an interpreter
of considerable celebrity, with his family, moved also from
I'ort Wayne, and settled on the reservation granted to his
children by the treaty of October IG, 1S2G, below^ the mouth
394 msTORT OF utoiana.
of Eel river, residing temporarily in tlie lionsc before bnilt
and occupied by Edward McCartne}^ as a trading-house, until
the completion of his own house, a half mile above.
Ijcside tliose named, there were numerous other settlors who
came shortly alter, adding rapidly to the ]iopulation from time
to time, so that, by the spring following, the inhabitants num-
bered about one hundred souls.
By the treaty with the Pottawatomics, at the mouth of the
Mississinaway, in October, 1S2G, one section of land, " at the
falls of Eel river," was reserved to George Cicott, Avhich, hav-
ing been surveyed in the month of July following, negotiations
were at once entered into between McKcen, Chaunccy Carter
and General Tipton, for the purpose of acquiring an interest
in, if not the entire control, of the Cicott grant. Mr. Carter
succeeded in obtaining the control, and, on the tenth day of
April, 1S2S, laid out the original plat of Logansport, between
the Wabash and Eel rivers, just above their junction.
On the eighteenth of December, 1S28, the legislative act
authorizing the organization of Cass county, was approved by
the governor, to take effect from and after Monday, April 13,
1820. Accordingly, on that day, an election was held by the
qualified voters of the county, under proclamation from the
governor, and the following oflicei's chosen, as prescribed by
said act, to wit.: Chauncey Carter, James Smith and Moses
Thorpe, County Commissioners; John B. Durst, Clerk and
Recorder; James II. Kintner, Sheriff; John Smith, Senior,
and Hiram Todd, Associate Judges; Job B. Eldridge and
Peter Johnson, Justices of the Peace. Eor the purpose of
conducting: this election and carryinE: the enablinii: act into
effect, William Scott had been previously appointed by the
governor, special sheriff", to serve as such until his successor
was elected and qualified.
By the sup])lemental act of January 19, 1820, the territory
included within the present limits of Fulton, Kosciusko,
Miami, Wabash, Marshall, Elkhart, St. Joseph, with portions
of La Porte, Pulaski and Starke counties, was attached to
Cass county, for civil and criminal jurisdiction.
The first session of the Board of Commissioners was held
OASS COUNTY niSTOKICAL AND DESCRimVE. 395
ou tlic iirst day of May, James Smith and Moses Tliorpe,
Commissioners, witii AVilliam Scott, SliorifF, being present.
Ai this session, Cass coimtj and tlie territory under its juris-
diction, M'cre sub-divided into Eel toionsJdi), embracing "all
that part of Cass county lying south of the Tippecanoe and
"west of the west boundary of the five-mile reservation " ;
Wahash townsMj) embracing all that part of the territory
attached, "south of Eel river," and east of the eastern boun-
dary of Eel to^ynship, and St. JosejjJi's township, embracing
all that part of the attached territory "lying north of the
Tipy)ecanoc river, to the north line of the State."
On Thursday, May 21, 1S21), the Cass circuit court held
its first session in the old seminary building, occupying only
one day, Hon. Bethuel F. Morris, Judge of the Fifth Judicial
Circuit of the State, presiding, %yith Iliram Todd and John
Smith Associate Judges, "William Scott, Sherifl", and John B.
Duret, Clerk.
A seal for said court was adopted on the same day, the
device of which commemorates the agreement of Aub-bee-
naub-bee, a principal chief of the Pottawatomies, and General
Lewis Cass, one of the commissioners on the part of the
United States to the terms of the treaty of October 16, 1S26,
by which the major part of the territory within the bounda-
ries of Cass county came into the possession of the United
States — "An Indian and a white man joining hands."
Ilenry ]tistine, Erasmus Powell and Harris Tyner, appointed
by the act of organization. Commissioners to locate the scat of
justice of Cass county, by their report dated August 12, 1829,
submitted to the Board of County Commissioners, then in
session, selected LooANsroRT, in consideration of certain dona-
tions made by Mr. Carter, the proprietor.
The settlements in the outer townships, Miami in the east,
Clay, Noble and Jefierson immediately north of the Wabash
and Eel rivers, Boone, Harrison, Bethlehem and Adams on
the extreme north, Clinton, Washington and Tipton south of
the river, with Deer Creek and Jackson on the extreme south,
as the public lands came into market from time to time, were
filled up rapidly with an enterprising population. The last
39G HISTORY OF IXDLVNA.
Bcttlcincnts were in tlic lower townsliips, tliat part having been
fiiirveyeil in the winter and spring of 1S4G-7, came into market
immediately after, thongh ])i-ior to that time and sijbseqnent
to the treaty of 1S43, many settlements M-erc made by prc-
cmj)tion.
For several vears sncceedin^r the year 1S2D, the growth of
town and country lvej)t nearly even pace in the progi'css of
Bcttlements and impro\'emcnts, reaching, perhaps, the year
1830, wlien the country having fallen hchiud in the race, as
a conserpicnce, the trade being yet chielly of a local character
the town came nearly to a stand still, while the country moved
steadily forward, producing, ere long, a largo excess over tho
demands of home trade, for transportation to other localities.
The completion of the canal to this point, in the fall of 1837,
opened an avenue to trade with other j^oints of commercial
im])ortance, which advantages the people were not slow to
improve. The improvement of the Michigan road, also, from
the fall of 1828 to 1834—5, tended to the development of
resources scarcely known to exist before. The canal having
been completed from Toledo to tlie lower Wabash, was about
the only means of shipment of surplus ])roducts until 1852-3,
and from that time forward, when the Ilichmond and New
Castle, and the Lake Erie, Wabash and St. Louis Kailroad
that began to be operated about that time with telling eftect
upon the producing interests of the county, adding greatly to
tho wealth and prosperity of our citizens. Since that time
other roads of equal importance traverse the county in various
directions.
Beside Logansport, other smaller towns have sprung up, of
greater or less importance, in different parts of the county;
among these, Galveston, Walton, Ivoyal Center, New Waverly
are of most consequence, embracing a population of from
three hundred to five hundred each in their own localities, car-
rying on a substantial trade.
There are now published in the county, all of them in
Logansport, the Logansport Pharos, daily and weekly; the
Logansport Journal, weekly; Logansport Star, daily and
weekly, and the Sun, weekly.
CASS COU^'TY IlISTOrJCAL AND DESCKirXIVE. 397
And now, more particularly of tlie present city of Logans-
port. The scat of justice of Cass county, as originally laid
out, was a small, unpretentious plat, in the shape of a right
angled triangle, its base, along the margin of the Wabash,
being of the length of live, and it-S perpendicular of four
squares, embracing one hundred and eleven lots and fractions.
These lots contained an area of iifiy scpiare rods, and such of
them as occupied a position on the corner of a square \vcrc
offered and sold for seventy-five dollars, the others for fifty
dollars. Some of the lots M^erc sold on condition that the
purchaser should erect thereon, within a prescribed time, a
bouse not less than eighteen by twenty feet, and one story
high. It was laid out on the tenth day of April, 1S2S, and
the plat recorded in Carroll county, in which jurisdiction it
then was. In connection with the name, the following inci-
dent is related: While the survey was in process of comple-
tion, the name of the new town site became the subject of
conversation between Mr. Carter, the proprietor, General Tip-
ton, Hugh E. McKcen, Colonel John 13. Duret, and others
present. General Tipton suggested a Latin compound, sig-
nifying "the mouth of Eel," of liistoric Itime, or otherwise,
commemorative of the location above the junction of the two
rivers known as the " Ouabache and Eel " rivers. Another
submitted an Indian name by which the locality had before
been known. Then Mr. McKcen, who had formerly resided
on the Maumee, in the Yicinity where Captain Logan, the
Shawanoe chief, a nephew of Tecumseh, who lost his life while
attesting his fidelity to the white people, in the month of
November, 1812, proposed that his memory be perpetuated in
the name of the new town. Colonel Duret agreed with
the idea, and thought Logan's 2^oH would be approjiriatc.
These dificrences of opinion were then submitted to the arbi-
trament of "shooting at a mark," an exercise common in
those days. The several names proposed were " shot for,"
and that having "four best out of seven," should have it.
TlxQ exercise was finally brought to a close by the declaration
that Colonel Duret had "won." Ilence, the name as now
known — " Logajst's-Pokt."
398 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
By the action of tlic commissioners appointed for tlic pur-
pose, Logansport M'as selected as the seat of justice of Cass
county, on tlic twelfth day of August, 1829.
At the time it was laid out, and for several years succeed-
ing, its importance was, cliiefly recognized in the light of a
central "trading post" for a large extent of Indian territory
surrounding, and as such it acquired a well merited fame.
Tlio consequence was that as soon as the sources of trade
began to diminish, the producing population outside the
town being inadequate to meet the demands of consumption,
and the growth of the town was retarded for several years
subsequent to 1836-7, indeed, until the country products
equalled, overbalanced the consumption account of the non-
producers in town, and the avenues of trade were 02)eucd
between this and other more commanding markets.
The increase in population and business facilities was steady
for many years succeeding the depression of trade in 1837-8,
but not rapid. Up to 18G0-G5, the spirit of improvement
and enterprise was only in process of development. After
that time, however, new life seemed to be infused, and rapid
advances were observable in every department of industry,
and capital — before withheld from investment promising
extensive accumulations, as if a dollar out of sight was for-
ever lost — began to seek investment in public and private
enterprises which have since yielded liberal j^rofits. For a
few years past, the character of the improvements have been
more healthy and permanent than ever before, the population
increasing in the last decade more than three hundred per
cent. To-day it contains fourteen church edifices, one college,
eight public school buildings, including seven w^ard and one
high school building, in addition to four private school build-
ings, representing conspicuously the educational interest of
the citizens.
CHAPTEE XLVIII.
TIPrECAXOE COUNTY mSTORICAL AND DESCRIPTm:.
TIPPECANOE county contains witliin its limits one of
the oldest historical landmarks in Indiana — Ountanon.
This was the French name given to the military' post which
was established on the AYea prairie, near the AVabasli, about
the same time that Fort Miami, at the head of the Haumec,
was erected, probably in 1705.
At Ountanon, (unlike other pioneer French outposts in
Indiana,) but few French settled, except the transient trader,
who was cominp^ and going with the demands of his vocation,
and the military occupation of the place was not permanent.
There were long intervals when no garrison was maintained to
restrain the savages, which may be given as a reason for the
tardiness of the place as a general French settlement. How-
ever, in 1759-60, when all the French forts in the northwest
fell into the hands of the British, Ountanon was enjoying tlie
benefits of a garrison, and was surrounded by a small number
of rude French dwellings. The post, with all others in the
vicinity, passed into the hands of the English, and was garri-
soned bv the latter in 17G0. At this time most of the French
inhabitants removed to Yincennes, a few families only remain-
ing.
The Wea Indian village surrounding the fort, was one of
the most important Indian settlements in the Miami con-
federacy, and remained such until its destruction under the
military administration of General George Kogers Clark, in
1788-0.
In 17G3, during the memorable Pontiac war. Fort Ountanon
tell among the "fated nine," a victim to Indian stratagem.
399
400 TiisTOKY OF indi^\:na.
At tliat time tlic little fort was commanded by Edward Jen-
kins, "who, in a letter to ^fajor Gludwyn, of Detroit, dated
June first, 1TC3, gives ns an account of the reduction of the
fort in the following language:
Siu: I have heard of your situation, Avhicli gives me great pain; indeed,
wc are QOt in much belter ; for this morning liie Indians sent for mc to
speak to me, and immediately bound me. AViien I got to their cabin I
found some of my soldiers in the same condition. They told me Di'lroit,
Miami, and all those jiosts were cut oil', and that it was a folly to make
any resistance. The}' therefore desired me to make the few soldiers in
the fort surrender, otherwise they Avould put us all to death in case one
man -was killed. They were to have fell on us and killeil us all last
nig!it, but ^Ir. ^laisongville ami Lorain gave them wampum not to kill us,
and when they told the interpreter that wc were all to be killed, and he,
knowing the condition of the fort, begged of them to make us juisoncrs.
They have put us into French liouses, and both Indians and French use
us very %vell. All these natitms say they are very sorry, but that they
were obliged to do it by the other nations. The belt did not arrive
here till last night about eight o'clock. ]\Ir. Lorain can inform you of
all. I have just received the news of St. .losephs' being taken. Eleven
men were killed, and three taken prisoners with the oIVkxts. I liave
nothing more to saj', but that 1 sincerely wish j'ou a speedy succor, and
that we may be able to revenge ourselves on those that deserve it.
This letter M'as written by Mr. Jenkins while a ])risoner of
the Indians bclbre liis departure from AVea to Illinois, whence
he was taken by his ca})tors.
These incidents were enacted on the soil of Tippecatioe
county, in 17G3, long before it was settled by Americans.
The fort had been erected ])robably in 1705, and was garri-
soned, at intervals, by the French until 17G0, when it was
occupied by the English, Avho maintained a garrison at the
post until its destruction by the Indians in 1703, which termi-
nated its existence. It was never rebuilt, and to-day not a
vestige of it remains to mark the place where it stood. The
Boil has been cultivated, and most of the old rusty swords,
tomahawks, etc., have been uncovered and carried away by the
surrounding settlers.
"When the fort was reduced, in 1703, the few remaining
'French settlers removed to A^incennes, leaving their rude
dwellings, as well as the old fort to the Wea Indians, who
demolished them.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY.
401
The first American settlers ^vho cume to Tippecanoe coiintj,
settled in 1823, seven years after the date of the oroanization
of the State, and at an era in its history when immigration
was riowing in from the east in a steady volume. From 1TG3
to the date of the settlement of the county, there is but little
of importance to record. In 1808, the " Prophet's Town,"'
, OPERA HOUSE, LA FAYETTE.
which has become famous in liistory, was established. It was
located near the junction of the Tippecanoe aud Wabash
rivers, about one mile from the spot where the celebrated
"Battle of Tippecanoe" was afterwards fought, and about
seven miles from the present city of La Fayette. AVlien
General Harrison invaded this town, on the sevefith of
26
402 niSTOKY OF INDIANA.
November, ISll, it contained ahont two tlionsand inliaLitants,
men, women and children, and was tlic lari^cst Indian settle-
ment in tlie State; bnt, with tlic Prophet's defeat, and the
retnrn of his brother, Tecnmscli, in the ibUowincj sprin^^, it
was brohen np, and the remaining followers of tlie brave
Shawanoc went with him to Canada, where they establislicd
themselves near Maiden.
In 1S23, when the first settlers came to the county, Craw-
fordsvillc was the center of civilization in the Wabash valley
for several miles in both directions. It was at this place
that the first land ollice was opened, and where the first
settlers of Tippecanoe county entered their lands. For
three years after the settlement of Tippecanoe county, or
until 1S2G, when the county was organized, the settlers wwe
obliged to go to Crawfbrdsville for all judicial purposes, as
well as for supplies. As we have said, the county was organ-
ized in 1S'2G. " In due time commissioners were appointed to
survey and lay out the new county according to law, and to
locate the county scat. The natural beauty and eligibility of
the site now occupied by La Fayette, togcthci' with its surround-
ings, immcdiatelv determined the said commissioners to award
to this locality the county honors. At the time thei'e wei-e rival
towns, but that rivalry soon ceased to be, as La Fa^'ettc soon
outstripped them in the race of progress, some of which joined
with her and added to her population, being satisfied that La
Fayette was soon to be the '])ridc of the valley,' her location
being at the head of navigation, bounded by the beautiful
wooded hills, beyond which lies the different prairies, teeming
with fertility, the abundance of whose harvests have more
than made real the hopes of the most hopeful, gladdening the
hearts of the industrious farmer, filling his home with the
necessities of life, giving him a liberal purse, a liberal mind,
and manly qualities."^'
In lS25,f or about one year previous to the creation of
Tippecanoe county, one "William Digby was induced by a few
enterprising gentlemen from Crawfordsville, to lay out the first
* Lorcn Ilarsman's pamphlet.
f From a sketch written by Mr. A. J. Rouse, of La Fayette.
TIPPECANOE COUNTY.
403
plat of tlie town of La Fayette, on his little tract of land on the
east bank of the river Wabash, near the center of wliat would
be a reasonable sized county, with the view that ultimately it
might become the county seat of the then projected county.
Digby was not a man of enterprise or forethought, and conse-
quently sold his entire tsown plat of the city on the same day
fMe^S
FORD SCHOOL, LA FAYETTE.
it was laid out, to Samuel Sargent, for two hundred and forty
dollars, reserving for himself only one fractional lot, and
twenty acres adjoining the town. Tlie original plat was soon
divided between Isaac C. Ellston, John Wilson, and Jonathan
Powers, all of the same town of Crawfordsville. As yet it
was a mere city on paper, located in a dense forest, with rivals
404 niSTORY OF INDIANA.
both above and below, wliose claims were not to be ignored.
Cincinnatus, two miles below, on the west bank of the river,
and Americns, above, on the east bank, had eacli claims that
were thonght by the parties interested, sufficient to induce the
proper authorities to locate the county scat at either place.
But the joint proprietors of the new city in the woods were
liberal as well as enterprising, and offei-cd to the new county
authorities half of their town plat for the location; besides,
Sargent, Kesey, and Alexander, each donated ten acres adjoin-
ing the plat, as a further inducement to the authorities, which
liberal donation was accepted, and the location of the county
seat made the same year the county merged into existence.
The choice was a wise one, that has given entire satisfaction
to the iiduibitants ever since, because of its central and healthy
location.
With the completion of the old "Wabash and Erie Canal to
LaFaj^ette, that place began to improve and increase in popu-
lation, and although for several years it had many rivals in
the Wabash valley, it has outgrown them all, and is now one
of the leading cities in the State in point of population,
wealth and influence. La Fayette is beautifully situated, and
is one of the handsomest places in the State.
Its educational advantages are second to no city in Indiana;
its commerce is very good, and in manufactures it is consider-
ably behind, but there are ample facilities for this branch of
industry in La Fayette, and many bright prospects of their
being improved at an early day. The city has now a popida-
tion of about twenty thousand, and is growing ra])idly.
The history of the public schools of La Fayette is full of
interest and instruction. It has been verj- pleasantly written
by Mr. Sanford C. Cox, an afi'ablc old gentleman of La Fayette,
who himself has spent many valuable years as a teacher of
pioneer schools, and who has kindly permitted the use of the
pioneer sciiooh, and who has kindly pen^Hted the use ot the
following in this volume:
In llic fill! and -winter of 1827-28, Joseph Tatman, Esq., tansht school in
La Fayette, in a ]og cabin tliat stood near where Breckcnrid>;c & Jenkins'
mill now stands. Like all other cabins of those days, tlie floor was laid
with puncheons, the door made of shaved clapboards, hung on wooden
TIPl'ECANOE COUNTY.
405
hinges, the chimney built of cat-an-chxy, witli back wall and jambs. The
seats and Avriting-tables were also made of puncheons, and the windows
Avere covered with greased paper instead of glass. The furniture con-
sisted of a splint-bottom chair for the teacher, a water bucket, gourd, and
some pegs in tlie wall on which to hang hats, cloaks and dinner-baskets.
He taught two (ir threo terms in this cabin. He also taught vocal music,
and played well on the flute. The next school was taught by Jolin D.
Farmer in the same cabin, who afterwards removed his scliool to the old
court-house, tiiat stood near the ferry landing at the foot of ^lain street,
which was afterwards occupied as a residence by Moses ^Michaels, the
ferryman, and the widow Riley, who i)akijd and sold the first ginger-cakes
baked in La Fayette. How many terms Mr. Farmer taught is not remem-
bered.*
Hugh M. King, in the year 1829, taught school in a one story frame
PURDUE UNIVERSITY.
that stood on the lot now occupied by Handley's block, on the east side
of Fourth street, between Columbia and South streets. These were sub-
scription sciiools — the emploj'crs paying according to the number of
pupils subscribed, at the rate stipulated in the articles, whicli was gener-
ally from one dollar and fifty cents to two dollars per scholar per quarter.
The branches taught were spelling, reading, writing, arithmetic, English
grammar and geography. In but few instances was the teacher called
upon to instruct his pupils in more than the four first named branches.
The athletic sports of the boys, at the noon plaj'-time, consisted in playing
corner ball (bull-pen), cat, town ball, and a game called shir.n3\ Base
*The sketch of the pioneer schools of La Fayette may be applied, in a great measure,
to the pioneer schools of every city and county in the State.
406 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
ball, now 86 popular among grown up boys, who go from city to city to
play with other hopeful "nines" whose ages range from eighteen to forty-
five, is a perversion of town-ball. It is a rough and dangerous game. The
girls amused themselves jumping the rope, gathering flowers, swinging,
and other healtlifnl amusements. There were then no male and female
D0II3' Varden Croquet Clubs, playing out-door billiards on the green, with
painted mallets and balls, large shoe-buckles, and a stock of allcctation to
match.
The next on the list of teachers was Ezekiel Timmons, who taught in a
small frame house which stood on the northeast corner of the lot occupied
by the Jlilwaukee block. lie taught several terms. lie also taught sing-
ing schools In the village, and in several ncigliborhoods in the country,
and served as surveyor of Tippecanoe county for many years. He wrote
excellent poetry. Kufus Webb followed Mr. Timmons in teaching the
young idea how to shoot. He taught in a one-story frame on the "Miller
property," east of Henry Taylor's residence, near the corner of Third and
Alabama streets. He taught two or three terms. Miss Abigail llutl", in
the summer of 1833, taught school in a one-story frame tliat stood on Main
street, north of the public-square, between the First National Bank and
Wilson & Hanna's bank. Colonel Henry Oilar, a few years later, taught
three terms in the Jennings' brick, which stood where the Lahr House
now stands. He was also county surveyor for several years.
In 1833, the Presbyterians built their brick church, on the corner of
Fourth and South streets, Jind had, by an agrc-ouicnt with those who con-
tributed funds for its erection, a room struck off at the west end for a
school-house. Rev. Joseph G. Wilson and his wife, and Rufus A. Lock-
wood, Esq., were among Uie tirst who taught in this house. Hon. David
Turpie, Hon. Joseph E. JIcDonald, and other distinguished personages,
can look back to this little house where tlicy received their first academic
honor-s. In a few years, the congregation being straitened for room, the
partition was taken out, and the whole building was used as a church,
literary hall, and public lecture-ro<im, where many distinguished strangers
entertained tiic literati of the village. The first County Lyceum (inaugu-
rated by i\rr. Town, tlie grammarian,) was held in this house. Some of
the moiit pleasant recollections of by-gone years of many of our older
citizens, date back to the literary meetings held in this house.
The first regular school-house built in the town, was a one-story frame,
which stood north of Main street, near where the German Catholic Church
now stands. In this house John E. Heald, Frederick Stone and Jacob
G. Wallace successively swayed the birch ; also, a gentleman, and scholar,
whose name is fortunately forgotten, generally known as tlie " Educator."
The way he obtained that soubriquet was as follpws: Having a higii opin-
ion of himself, and his qualifications as a teacher, ho imprudently (per-
haps playfully) told some of his chums that he wjis no common pedagogue,
but an educator. His remark was regarded as rather pedantic for a new
country, and was the occasion of a severe pun. One afternoon, on return-
ing to school from his boarding-house, he espied the word " Educator,"
TIPPECANOE COUNTY.
407
carved in large Roman letters on a plank of the weather-boarding of the
house facing Main street. It could be seen and read plainly from the
middle of the street. His wrath was kindled, and he declared that he
would punish any one who had the audacity to engrave that word on the
wall, to insult him. On an investigation of the case, he found it had been
carved by a blue-eyed, golden-haired miss of some twelve summers, a
member of one of the most wealtliy and influential families in the town.
He changed his mind in regard to inflicting corporeal punishment. The
mischievous urchins, in going to and returning from school, would often
stop and spell aloud the hand-writing on the wall, in the hearing of the
teaclier, which so worried liim that in a short time he left the town in dis
gust — but the word "Educator" was for many years seen standing oat in
bold relief, as the only mcnument of the departed school-master.
The white school-house that stood on the corner of Fourth and Alabama
streets, east of the new jail, was the next school-house erected in the town.
LABORATORY.
PURDUE UNIVERSITY.
It became the principal seat of learning for the youth of La Fayette, as
well as a hall of the Moot Legislature that met there for several winters;
the County Lyceum, and other interesting literary, religious and political
meetings. The interesting discussions in the Moot Legislature, Avhich
numbered some hundred members, were participated in by many who
afterwards became distinguished as jurists, legislators, scholars and busi-
ness men. It was in this house Miss Sarah Webb, Rev. P. R. Vannatta,
James B. Heatley and several others taught prior to the erection of the
county seminary. Reuben Robinson taught one or two terms in the old
frame Methodist Church, on the lot occupied by the late Fifth Street
Church — now used as a town hall. Solomon Hathaway taught two or
three terms in the basement of the Baptist Church, on Sixth street, between
Main and Ferry. Mrs. McCune taught in the southern part of the city,
408 niSTORT OF INDIANA.
near tbc old Junction House, and afterwards on Fifth street, about cue
square soutli of the New Albany Railroad depot. Mrs. Goodwin's high
school was taught on the Oakland Ilill, near the Oakland House. Among
the fn-st teachers in the graded scliools, under our common school S3'Stem,
were Laura Maynard, Ellen ]\renill, ]\Iary E. Smitli, Nancy J. Skinner,
!RIargarct E. Iloes, Sarali C. Comstock, Elmira Sleeker, Slary G. Clinc and
Orphic Ilathawaj'. C. M. Bisliop taught a grammar school. In 1SG^G3,
Professor House had a Classical Academy in tlie old Slate Bank, corner
of ISIaiu and Sixth streets. Professor Kennedy conducted a commercial
college in Taylor's block, west side of the public square. There was also
a commercial college and writing school taught by a Mr. llollingsworlh
in the Barbee block, opposite the Lahr House, about the years 18G3 and
18G3.
P. B. Began taught in the school-house at the St. ]\Iary's (Catholic)
Church, on Fifth street, Father il. J. Clark, pastor. At St. Mary's Church
and Seminary, on Columbia street, Kev. Father Hamilton and Hallinan,
pastors; Christian Brothers' School, Superior Brotlier Bernard and live
brother assistants; Sisters' School of the Order of Sisters of Providence;
Superior, Sister Mary John, and eight sister assistants. At St. Boniface,
(German Catholic Church and Schools) pastor, Kev. Biene; assistant. Rev.
Gregory; Franciscan, (German School), taught by three Ursuline Sisters;
and at St. Ann's (Catliolic) Church and School, on Wabash avenue — three
primary schools for children under eight years of age — under charge of
the Brothers of the Holy Cross.
There were several select schools kept in different portions of the town
by tlie Misses Boyer, Garland, Campbell, Stiles, Carpenters, Shaw, Jason,
Dame, lilrs. Underwood, Rev. Mr. Barton, Rev. ]\Ir. Leveredge, Naylor and
■wife, Rev. Mr. Tenbrook and others, whose names and places of teaching
arc not remembered with sulhcicnt deliuiteucss to be described by the
writer, nor by those with whom he has conferred on the subject — whose
assistance has greatly aided him in the preparation of this paper, which,
although correct in the main, he can not hope will be entirely free from
inaccuracies.
Tlie success in after years of a majority of these Lang Sync teachers is
well known to our citizens. The most of them have passed to the Spirit
land — while a few remain to witness the good results of their labors of
"long time ago." May their hearts never grow old.
Tlie erection of the County Seminary in 1841-43, by R. S. Ford, Joseph
S. Hanna and Jacob Benedict, Trustees of the Seminary funds of Tippe-
canoe county, formed a new epoch in the literary advantages of our county.
It was built on the side of the hill in the eastern portion of La Fayette, on
the site now occupied by the Catholic Church and Seminary. It was
opened I'.udcr favorable auspices under the charge of Rev. Joseph G. Wil-
son and his wife, as principals, aided by other competent teachers in the
primary and higher grades of the Academy. Public exhibitions were
given at the close of each session, giving satisfaction to the parents and
guaidiuns of the pupils attending the school. But county seminaries did
TIPPECAJsOE COUNTY.
409
not supply the wants of the people of the different counties in the State.
Few were able to pay the expenses of boardini^ and tuition of their cliil-
dren ; besides they were deprived of the society of their sons and daugh-
ters, who were removed from the social endearments and wholesome
restraints of liome, where their welfare could be looked after by those
Avho loved them best. The system became unpopular, and the law was
repealed by the new Constitution of tlie State which took effect Novem-
ber first, 1851, and the county seminary and land on which it was erected
reverted to L. B. Stockton, Esq , who had conveyed it to the board of sem-
iuarv trustees on tlie condition that it was forever to be used for school
purposes and as a public hall for the town — and for no other purpose
whatever. Resort was tlien had to the old system of select and high
schools. A high school was erected on the corner of South and Seventh
streets, under the auspices of Messrs. M. L. Pierce, R. H. Eldridge, Wil-
dormitory:
PURDUE UNIVERSITY.
liam P. Heath, R. Brackenridge and others. It was conducted success-
fully for several years, by Rev. Mr. Stone Allen and Prof Winters and his
wife.
But, at length, the present excellent common school system
came to the relief of those who wished to educate their chil-
dren, and three large school-houses — the Central, Southern
and Eastern — were erected in localities to suit the conven-
ience of the residents. But educational entei-prise, under the
new system, did not stop here. The Ford school building
was soon after erected, which is one of the finest public school
buildings in the State. Other school buildings have from time
to time been erected, until La Fayette has to-day very com- ^
410
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
plete and most admirable school facilities. The present year
required the labor of thirtj-seven teachers, and there was an
average attendance of two thousand pupils. The school prop-
erty of the city proper is valued at one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars.
Aside from the public schools, the Purdue University, or
Indiana State Agricultural College, is also a pride and boast
of the citizens of La Tayette. There is sufficient reason to
hope that, at no distant day, the Purdue University will be
one of the most popular institutions of learning in the West.
Its founder, whose name it bears, together with the trustees,
have thus far spared nothing which might add to its advan-
""^'^'^11^^^
PURDUE UNIVERSITY.
tages. Its endowments are large enough to bring it up to a
high standard, and, with proper management, it will surely
become a lasting blessing to the State and a solid honor to its
venerable founder. The funds available at present are as fol-
lows: Educational fund converted into government bonds,
$300,000; county funds, $50,000; donation by Hon. John
Purdue, $150,000. There are now one hundred and eighty-
four acres of land connected with this college, with a prospect
of increasing the same to three hundred.
Hon. John Purdue, of La Fayette, has the honor, not only
of founding this college, but of securing its location at La
MONTGOMERY COUNTY EARLY DlffTORY. 411
Fajcttc, lie lias already donated two hundred thousand dol-
lars to it, ill the way of money and land, and there is a prob-
ability that he will increase this amount bcibre his death to
five hundred thousand dollars. The writer, when in Tippeca-
noe county, called on Mr. Purdue, at his jn-ivate rooms in the
Lidir House, and was handsomely entertained. Mr. Purdue
is a genial, kind-hearted old bachelor, hu\ini^ never married.
He is ripe in years, sound in intellect, I'ully conversant with
the ail'airs of the world, and very pleasant in conversation.
The St. Mary's Academy is another of the valuable educa-
tional advanta<^cs of La Fayette, as is also the Sisters' School.
The buildings and grounds of these institutions are valued at
one hundred thousand dollars.
Tippecanoe county is one of the best agricultural counties
in the State. Throughout the county the farmers are nearly
all wealthy, the schools are in good condition, and general
prosperity is noticeable to the observing traveler on every
hand.
CHAPTEE XLIX.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY EARLY HISTORY.
"]% TONTGOMEEY county was named in honor of the dis-
-^'J- tingnishcd General Richard Montgomery, who gave his
life for the American cause at the battle of Quebec. It was
first settled in 1822-3. In the latter year the county was
organized, including a much larger tract of country than that
now embraced within its limits. Crawfordville, the county
6cat of Montgomery county, was early a central point on the
Wabash, and for several years the principal town in that sec-
tion. It is one of the oldest settlements in the valley. It
was the depot from which the early settlers of La Fayette and
412 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Tip]iccaiioc comity, drew their supplies from 1823 to 182G-7.
Until 1S2G, all the settlements for thirty, and even forty miles
in any direction, M'crc compelled to visit Crawfordsville for
judicial ])ui-poscs.
Anions^ the prominent early settlers was Major Ambrose
Whitlock, M-ho located in Montgomery connty in 1822. This
pioneer laid olf the tt)\vn of Crawfordsville in 1823. He was
appointed receiver of ]nil)lic moneys by John Qnincy Adams
in 1825, one year after the land otlicc was o]icned in Craw-
fordsville, ]\[aior Whitlock was one of the leadinu' men of
the olden time; he was an active and clhcient oilicer nndcr
Generid AVayne, and a nsefnl man in the town which he
assisted in founding. He died in Crawlbrdsville in June,
18G4, leaving a widow, who lived until* ninety years of age.
She died in Crawfordsville in 1873.
In 182-1, or about two years after the county was lirst settled,
and one year after the county was organized, the land ollico
was opened at Crawlbrdsville. The iirst general land sale
took ]i]ace on the twenty-fourth of December of that year.
Up to this date the numerous settlers were mere "squatters,"
having no title to the land which they occupied, and, as a con-
Bcquence, there M'as considerable rivalry at the sale. At this
period Crawfordsville was a small settlement, surrounded on
every side by a dense wilderness.
The first white settlors in Montgomery county wei'C William
Oflield and AVilliam Miller. Mr. Ollield settled near the mouth
of Offield creek in 1822, where he built a rude cabin and beavan
pioneer life with energy. Mr. ]\[iller settled near the present
town of Crawfordsville in the same year. lie ci'ccted a I'ound
log cabin, which was the first building of any kind ei-ected in
the vicinity. Both of these pioneers have passed away. ]\[r.
Offield left the county in 183G, and Mr. INIiller died in the city
wliich he was useful in founding, early in 1874.
Among those who settled in 1823, in the vicinity of Craw-
fordsville, was John Beard. He was born in A'orth Carolina
in 171).">, and at the age of twenty-seven, came as a pioneer to
the State of Indiana. He became prominent in the allairs of
Montgomery county at an early day. In 182"< ho was elected
MOXTGOMERY COUNTY — EARLY HiyrOBY. 413
representative of tlic county in the State legislature, and was
continued lor iiftccn years, witli tlic single exception of one
term, as a representative either in tlie Senate or in the House.
Mr, I'eard distinii^uislicd liimself in le^-islative duties, render-
ing an ellcctive support to the bills fur tlie abolition of impris-
onment fur debt, liberal exemption of property from execution,
investing the governor with power to commute capital pun-
ishment to imprisonment for life, and for the construction of
the Wabash and Eric canal.
There is no better tribute to the memory of the public ser-
vices of Hon. John Beard than that which has been con-
tributed by Hon. John Coburn, of Moorsvillc, Morgan county,
Ind., which is in these words: "I venture to say again, that
not one man in a hundred in our State knows the name of
him who ]iroposed that the surplus of the proceeds of the
stock of the State in the State Bank of Indiana should be
appropriated as a school fund. He is one of our greatest
public benefactors, a venerable, simple-hearted, clear-headed,
sonnd-mindcd old gentleman, living in JNIontgomery county,
named Joifn Beard. His name ought to be precious in the
heart of every boy and girl who enjoys the benefit of free
schools. "When he proposed the measure, it was hardly treated
seriously. Kobody thought anything would be left as a
surplus; he himself, doubtless, did not realize its importance.
But so it was he put the net where it caught the golden fish,
and we thank him for it ten thousand times; and we thank
those steady, sti-aightforward, strictly upright financiers who
husbanded these funds for us. This measure has been the
means of producing our present fund of eight hundred thou-
sand dollars for the support of common schools."*
But we must discontinue our sketches of biography, and
refer the reader to the regular department of biograpliies in
this work for life sketches of Messrs. Beard, Lane, and many
other pioneer settlers of Montgomery county.
Montgomery county was organized in 1823, with the follow-
ing county oflicers: John "Wilson, clerk of the circuit court,
recorder of deeds, and clerk of the commissioners' court;
* Tlic fund is now $8,000,000.
414 niSTORY OF nsT5TANA.
William Onicld, James Plcvins, and Jolin ]\rcCullongli, county
comniissioiicrs; Samuel D. Maxwell, sheriff.
Montg-omcry county is located in the western part of the
State, having good facilities for the transportation of its mer-
chandise. The soil is avcII adapted to the cultivation of the
various kinds of grain indigenous to the northwest. "It bor-
ders npon those fertile prairie lands in the northern part of
the State, and partakes partially of both timbered and prairie
Boils. Indeed, the northern portion of the county contains
Bcvcral small prairies, which give to it the ap]^earance of
liavinir been settled much lonwr than it really has. The soil
of these prairies is very rich and productive, yielding in favor-
able seasons, very profitable crops of corn, wheat, rye, oats,
and barley. Considerable tracts of this prairie i-emain uncul-
tivated, being used principally for pastures.
Nearly two-thirds of the county was originally very heavily
timbered, but much of it has been consumed; yet there is an
abundance remaining for all immediate needs. The county is
laid out into eleven townships, and is twenty-four miles long
north and south, and twenty-one miles wide. The soil is
watered by Sugar creek and its tributaries. This stream used
to be known by the name of Hock river. There are a consider-
able number of mills located on this stream. Tiie next prin-
cipal stream is theAValnut ibrk of Sugar creek, which cmj^ties
into the main stream near Crawfordsville. "The county,"
Bays Mr. James Ileaton, Sen., "is well supplied with good
public highways. The public improvements, in the way of
school houses and bridges, are of the most substantial charac-
ter. There arc but few counties in the State so well snpjilied
with railroads. Every township in the county, except two,
has a railroad; and the two exceptions arc so near to a road
that it may be said that every township has a direct advantage
in the way of railway tralhc. Tliese roads all center at Craw-
fordsville, making that city a desirable location for manufac-
turing enterprises."
Crawfordsville is the connty scat, and the principal business
center of the county. It is an enterprising city of over four
thousand inhabitants, many of whom may be ranked among
MONTGOMERY COUNTY — EARLY HISTORY. 41$
the most cntei'prising citizens of the State. Tlie city lias three
railroads, giviiiii: six different directions of railroad trans-
portation. These roads liave constructed a very fine Union
Depot at the junction, about one mile from tltc city.
Crawfordsville is taking great pride in her streets, expend-
ing considerable means in grading and paving them. They
are very broad, and are bordered on cither side with beautiful
shade trees, which lend an enchanting scene to the place.
Good turn])ikc roads lead from the city in almost every
direction.
The medical, or mineral springs, just northwest of the
town, promise to become no inconsiderable attraction to this
city, and seem to add another assurance that the future of
Crawfordjville will partake largely of a resort for summer
recreation and literary pursuits. These springs are already
enclosed in light and airy summer houses, and the gentlemen
who have control of them contemplate erecting a five story
hotel just north of the springs. The waters of these springs
are said to contain ingredients of great medical importance.
The material resources of Crawfordsville for manufacturing
purposes are equal to those of any town in the State of its
size. There is an abundance of good timber, coal, iron ore,
limestone and sand, and brown stone.
In educational and religious enterprises, Crawfordsville is
not behind any other point in Indiana. She has nine
churches, most of which are constructed in an attractive and
substantial style. The public schools are well conducted in
one of the finest school buildings in the State, having been
erected at a cost of over sixty thousand dollars.
Wabash College is the pride of the city, and is one of the
finest educational institutions in the "West. It is located just
west of the city limits, " in a campus containing thirty-three
acres, shaded with beautiful native forest trees, afibrding to
the students a healthful atmosphere, as well as abundant space
for drill and field sports." There are four buildings, \iz.:
Central Ilall, the Academy, the Dormitory, and the Polytech-
nic Building, all of which are tastefully appointed and well
equipped with all modern appliances.
41 G HISTORY OF INDIANA.
This college was founded in 1S32-3, and in the latter year
the institution was opened with only twelve students.
Throu«>h a lonjr and tedious efibrt, however, it has reached a
firm financial footing.
CHAPTEE L.
VIGO OOUNTY HISTORICAL AND DESCRimVE.
THE first settlement made in Yigo county was around Fort
Harrison. The march of Harrison's army to the Upper
Wabash, the battle of Tippecanoe and the establislmient of Fort
Ilarrison, seemed to impress the people of the West with the
importance of this region of country, and soon after the close
of the war of 1812, public attention was drawn toward it. The
Indians of the Wabash, who had been mainly liostilc during
the war, were far from being I'cconcilcd to peace, and the sur-
veys of the land in tliat section were not only opposed by
them, but frequently interrupted; and in the spring of 1815 a
company of Rangers, on Cusseron creek, were defeated and
dispersed by Indians, and a number of children taken prisoners,
who were never recovei'cd.
At the close of the war, in 181 4, an act was passed by Con-
gress granting lands to certain Canadian volunteers, who had
been citizens of the United States, but who had during the
war joined our forces, and whose ]>roperty in Canada had been
confiscated in consequence. This act permitted these lands to
be located in the Land District which included Yigo county,
even before the public sale. The sale was announced to take
place in June, 1810, and in anticipation of this many settlers,
in the early springof that year, had resorted hither and selected
favorite spots, with the intention of purchasing at the sale,
and several had erected log houses thereon; but previous to
VIGO COUNTY nrSTOKICAL AND DESCEimVE. 417
the sale, their lands so selected, to^i^cther with a lar^c propor-
tion of the most valnable of the county, were located bv tlio
claims rd'en-ed to. This so disheai-tened and discouraired the
earlv setllei-s that many left and located on the eastenHjorder
of the Great Prairie, in Illinois. This, together with the
nnconcihitoi-y bearing of many of the prominent Canadian set-
tiers, engendered hostile feeling, which, for years, it seemed
impossible to allay, and which tended greatly to retard the
settlement of the country.
In ISIo, Tort Ilarrison* was garrisoned by a rille regiment
under the command of Major W. Morgan. In this ;>^car he
rebuilt the foj-t. In the following year this regiment wa»
ordered wcs^., and the garrison succeeded by a com])any from
Fort Knox, nndcr command of Major John T. Chunn, who had
command of the fort np to the summer of 1S17, when he M-as
ordered to Detroit and the post finally abandoned as a militarj
fortification.
TJie early rettlcrs at the fort, in 1815, were Isaac Lambort,
John Dickson, Joseph Dickson and John Handy. These thea
were the only reputed settlers north of Tnrman's creek, or
Fort Turman, as it was then called. The Indian traders at'tha
fort i!i 1S15, were John A. LaFonde, John Eolland, A. Dasli-
neyand Fierro Faplaut. Mitchell Bronillet was the Indian
agent and also the interpreter.
The eai-ly settlers around Fort Ilarrison prairie, were Mr.
Lane, at Strawberry Hill; R. Elackman, Thos. Packet, and
some others, at the raWne near Hiram Smith's place; a Mr.
Austin, on tha hill now occupied by Joseph Gilbert; John
M. Coleman, at the Early Grove; Capt. John Hamilton, at
the old Dawson place; Peter Allen, two miles east of the fort;
Maj. MavMc, at the mill; Truman Plackman, also east of the
fort; Caleb Crawford, Eobert Graham and Solomon Taver-
baugh, at Ott(!r creek; Alexander Chambcrlin and Elisha H
Brown, on the bluff north of the Hovey Creek Locks; Isaac'
Lambert, John Dickson, George Clem, Moses Hoggatt, Pobcrt
•.Vn account ol llic erection of Fort Harrison is given in iLe first part of
tins T- ork. *
27
418 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Iloplvlns, "William "Walker, and otlicrs, on Ilovcy crccTc, and
Ezra Jones, at the Wallace farm.
In the fall of ISIG the town of Terrc ITantc was laid
out, and the lirst sale of lots took place on the thirty-first of
Octolier, of that year, and its settlement commenced immedi-
ately therealtcr. Dr. Charles B. Modcsitt, who had lately
come on from Yirginia, and who then resided near the fort,
was perhaps the first to settle at Terre Haute. He built a log
cabin on the alley, on lot No. 257, at the mouth of Ohio street.
Soon thereafter followed Lewis Hodge, Ilobert S. JMcCabe,
John 13ailey, Adam Weaver, Nicholas Yeager, Samuel Mc-
Quilkin, Ucnry Iledford, John Ilarris, !Malcom McFadden,
Wm. Ha}Ties, liichard Jaques, Eobert Brasher, Nathan Kirk,
Eobert Kerr, Gideon Sleeper, Ichabod Wood, John Eritton
and Lucius 11. Scott, and in 1818, came Dr. E. Aspinwall, Dr.
Davenport, Lewis B. Lawrence, Demas Dening and Chauncy
Eose, who had the year previous been at tlie fort. These per-
sons, with but two exceptions, have finished their labors and
gone to rest.
The second sale of lots took place in May, 1818. It was
made by the county, of lots donated by the original proprie-
tors, on account of the seat of justice being estal)lished there.
The sale was, in all respects, a good success, but from thia
period the value of lots began to decline, and in 1821, Avhcn a
final sale of the company's property took place, it had declined
more than fifty per cent., and had severely aficctcd those who
had made large purchases.
In 1820, the river became remarkably low, the wells were all
dried up, and general sickness prevailed, and not a family
escaped. Many deaths occurred, taking off some of the most
prominent citizens, including Dr. Asjunwall, Dr. Davenport,
Lewis B. Lawrence, Samuel Ilill, a Miss Collett, and Mrs.
llussey. This seemed to strike a fatal blow to the health of
Torre Haute, which was felt for years, and from which it did
not fulley recover until after the draining of Lost creek, in
1837. This creek, previous to being drained, had washed down
the prairie cast and south of the city, creating an immenso
VIGO COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRirTITE. 419
morass of several hundred acres, witliout any outlet except by
absorption and eva])oration.
As already mentioned, nearly all of the first settlei'S of Vigo
county have passed away. The first white male child born in
the county was William Earl, who became a successful luiri-
gator in foreii^n seas. lie was born in Tcrre Haute, September
22, 1818. The first female child born here was Mary McFad-
dcn, now "Widow !^[arkle, of Terre Haute.
Yigo county was organized in 1818, and the first county
officers were: Curtis Gilbert, clerk and recorder; Trumaa
Blackman, sheriff; Alexander Barnes, coroner; JMoses Ilac:-
gett and James Barnes, associate judges; John Hamilton,
Isaac Lambert and Ezra Jones, county commissioners.
The first session of the circuit court held in the county,
was commenced April twenty-seventh, 1818, and was conducted
by the associate judges, at the house of Truman Blackman.
The county was then attached to the first judicial circuit.
The first attorneys were George B. C. Sullivan, Samuel Whit-
tlesey, Jonathan Doty, and Wm. P. Bennett. The i-egular term
of court in 1819 was held at the house of Ilichard Bedford, in
Terre Haute, by Hon. Thomas 11. Blake, presiding judge.
The first court house was erected on the public square in
Terre Haute, in 1821-2. It was built for the county by Mr.
John Brocklebank. In 18G8, becoming unfit for use, it was
torn down. The present building occupied by the county
offices, was erected in 18GG. The following persons have been
judges of the circuit court of Vigo county since its organiza-
tion, in the order named: Thomas II. Blake, Gen. W. John-
son, John B. Potter, David McDonald, John Law, Elisha H.
Huntington, Amory Kinney, Dclaney B. Eckels, Wm. P. Bry-
ant, James Hughes, Solomon Claypool, B. W. Thompson, and
C. Y. Batterson.
The old judicial system required associate judges to set in
the circuit courts, and also probate judges, without separate
jurisdiction; but in 1851 the system was changed by a revis-
ion of the constitution of the State into circuit courts and
courts of common pleas. This system continued until 1872,
when the legislature dispensed with the courts of common
420 HISTORY or INDIANA.
picas, since wliicli time all business lias been done by the
circuit courts.
TiiK CrrY OF Terre Haute, one of tlio larpjest and most
llourisliin"- business centres in the State, is beautifully situ-
ated, and, with the possible exception of Kvansville, is the
handsomest city in Indiana. It is situated on the eastern
banks of the Wabash river, and is, of course, the county seat
of Vio-o. county. It derived its name (which signilics high
land), from the site on Mhich it is located, being elevated
about fifty feet above the level of the river, on a rolling
table land, which extends back to the adjoining prairie. Teri-o
Ilautc is admirably laid out, and has quite a metropolitan
ap]>earance. Many of the business houses arc among the
largest in the State, and the principal thoroughfares will com-
pare favorably with those of any city in the west.
The town of Torre Haute was laid out in ISIG, by a com-
pany styled the Terre Haute Company. The com]>any con-
sisted of Cuthbert and Thomas Bullitt, of Louisville, Kentucky;
Abraham Markle, of Fort Harrison ; Hyacinth LaSalle, of Vin-
ccnnes; and Jonathan Lindley, of Orange county, Indiana. Tho
articles of association of the company bear date of September
nineteenth, 181G. The company held patents from the United
States to lands described in their articles as " thirteen tracts
of land on the river Wabash, in the vicinity of Fort Harrison."
These lands were divided into twelve shares, of which Lindley
had four, Markle three, LaSalle three, and the Bullitts two.
They were the original proprietors, from whom the first title
to lots were derived.
The original site selected for the town was a spot some
three miles below the present location, but it was soon aband-
oned for the more desirable situation now occupied. One of
the principal objects, however, in moving was that the national
road crossed the Wabash at the latter point. In 1817, this
town presented a truly pioneer appearance. There were only
a few log cabins, situated along the river, and these were of
tho rudest style of architecture. But in 1818, when the town
was made the co\inty seat, there was a new life difi\ised among
the somewhat dull inhabitants, and tho village settlement im-
VIGO COUNTY — HISTOEICAL AKD DESCRIPTIVE. 421
proved. The company referred to, tliat laid out tlic town,
deeded to the county eighty lots, besides the public square,
and paid into the county treasurer four tliousand dollars in
cash and mortgage bonds. These liberal inducements secured
the location of the county seat at Terre Ilaute. The S])irit of
liberality, as well as the location of the county seat at Terro
Gaute, was instrumental in creating a new feeling of enter-
prise.
The first settlers of Terre Haute were Dr. C. B. Modesitt,
Lewis Hodge, Henry Eeedford, Uobert Carr, John Earlc,
Abner Scott, Ezekiel Bnxton, and "William Eamage. Tlieso
pioneers settled in ISIG, and built the first cabins in tho
town. The settlement grew very slow, at first, from tho
causes noted in the previous chapter; but, in 1S23-4, it took
a new start, and has prospered until the present.
Terre Haute Avas incorporated as a town in 1832. Tlie town
was divided into five wards, and one trustee elected from each.
These trustees elected the first municipal ofiicers of the town
as follows : James B. McCall, president; James T. Mofiat,
clerk; Charles B. Taylor, assessor; Samuel Crawford, treas-
urer; William Mars, constable and collector.
In 1838, a new charter was granted to the town by tho
Legislature, which -jiroAdded for the election of a mayor and
ten councilmen. This charter was adopted by the inhabitants
in March, 1838, and, in the May following, an election was
held, which resulted in the election of Elijah Tillotsou as the
first mayor of the town.
In 1853, Terre Ilaute was incorporated as a city under tho
general laws of the State, and the first city election was held
in May, 1853, at which AVilliam K. Edwards was chosen tho
first mayor.
PuESENT Condition. — A popular city directory, of recent
date, gives the population of Terre Ilaute at 28,000. This is,
probably, a little too high. It is about 23,500, or, perhaps,
24,000. The census of 1870 places it at a little more than
1G,000 at that date. The growth since then, however, has been
marvelous. Ko city in Indiana has made greater progress in
all material interests. Only ten years ago Terre Haute was
422 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
but an a<^ricultnral town, " and had," sajs a recent writer,
" readied about the liciglit in population and business usually
attained by towns whose chief dependence is on tlie fanning
interests immediately around them; but, by a system of ex-
pansion through raih'oads, manufiieturing interests, and whole-
Bale business, the area of its influence and resources lias been
greatly extended, so that now Terre Haute draws its sustenance
and wealth from a wide extent of country, and from many
cities connected with it by its numerous railroads. As the
country itself is inexhaustible, and the channels of trade and
communication are already fixed, like the veins and arteries
which circulate the blood through the liuman system, Ave may
expect no premature decay or death of a city which has become
the vital center of so extensive a commercial and businesa
Bystem," The business interests of the city arc increasing
every year. Some of the largest wholesale houses are located
tliere. The manufacturing interest of the city is represented
by blast furnaces, with a capacity of fifty tons of iron daily;
nail works, 3,000 kegs, weekly; waterworks, 3,000,000 gallons,
daily ; a successful rolling mill, and other very extensive
establishments. Terre Haute is fast becoming one of the
leadiuf]: manufacturing cities of the west.
The schools and churches of Terre Haute, and, indeed, the
whole of Yigo county, arc in a high and cfiicient condition.
In the various professions arc found men of superior talent
and education, under Avhosc care the schools and churches
Lave attained the hiirhest dciri'ce of usefulness.
The State Xormal School is located there. The building is
one of the finest in the United States, having a capacity of
accommodating over a thousand pupils. This institution has
already achieved a national good name, and is fast becoming
the pride of Indiana.
Another educational institution is now being established in
Terre Haute, which has already elicited the attention of the
philanthroi)ic citizens of half the world. "We refer to the
" Terre Haute School of Industrial Sciences,'' in sup})ort of
which the Hon. Chauncey Eose is devoting his immense for-
tune. In short, Terre Haute lacks none of those higher phases
KNOX OOUSnr mSTOKICAL AND DESCKIPTIVE. 423
of material and intellectual enterjirise that characterize the
modern American city, while, on the other hand, it excels in
many of them.
CnAPTEPw LI.
KSOX COUNTY niSTORICAL AND DESCRIl'TIVE.
IN a view of Knox county, historical!}', our attention must
at once centre round Yinccnnes, one of the oldest — and
possibly the oldest — settlements in the State of Indiana. This
city — once a French trading post and military station — is
situated on the ea'st bank of the "Wabash river, about one
himdred and ten miles southwest of Indianapolis, and, of
course, is the county scat of Knox county. It was on this
spot where a French Jesuit missionary from Canada, or Kew
France, said mass before astonished savaj^cs in the year 1T02.*
Tliis act may be rcjjarded as the very bcirinninfi^ of French
civilization in Indiana, for, altliough missionaries had been in
the nabit of visiting the territory during the fifteen years pre-
ceding, and notwithstanding llobert do La Salle passed through
it on the old Wabash and .Afaumec route, erecting some tem-
porary stockades in IGSO, Lnerc was no ]icrmancnt mission
established within the limits of Indiana initil 1702. This was
one year after the establishment of Detroit by La Motte Ca-
dillic; and the French records show that this missionary came
from that post, or from some point in Michigan. Three years
later, or in 1705, the date at which the French fort at the con-
fluence of the St. Mary's and St. Joseph rivers, where the city
of Fort Wayne now stands, was erected, a French trading post
and stockade were established at Yincenncs.f Thus it will be
* Quebec Annals.
\ Quebec Records.
424: IIISTOKT OF INDIANA.
8ccn tluit Fort "Wayne and Vinccnnes stand on an cqnal foot-
ifif^ in tlic important point of aiitiquity. Tlio first fort, or
more properly stockade, Avas established at hotli places in the
same year, and it is said hy the same man.
There was. not, however, any considerable settlement around
Post A'^incennes nntil 1745. In the latter j-ear quite a number
of traders were found there, who, under the j)rotection of the
eli^^ht garrison, conducted a proiitable commerce with the
Indians, — rum and tobacco being the chief articles of mer-
chandise on the one side, and peltries on the other.
TL.erc is no authentic record of the aflairs at Vinceimes
from its first settlement down to 1749 — a period of about
forty years — outside of the government records at Quebec.
FroUi the latter date, hoM-ever, a very complete record has been
presci red by the Catholics of the ])lace.
AV' h :le A^incennes may be regarded as one of the first settle-
ments in Indiana, Knox county must be looked upon as the
oldest county. As Virginia has been called the Jiwjther of
States, so may Knox county be called the mother of Indiana
counti>.'S. Its organization dates back to a ])eriod anterior to
the teifitorial government, and linds a place among the earliest
actb ol the £;overnment Ibrmed for the territorv northwest of
the Ohio river. Its original boundaries extended from the Ohio
river on the south to the lakes on the north, and irom the
"Wabadi river on the west castwai-dly to a line bisecting the
State cast and west. Its oi-igiiial ai'ca embraced oue-thii-d the
teri'itory of the entii'e State, and from it have been carved,
from lime to time, thirty of the richest and most prosperous
counties of the State.
The site of the present city of Yiiicennes was for a long
time only a trading post, and im])roved but slowly in wealth
and ])Opulation, as the traders wei'e generally transient parties,
permanently investing the means elsewhere ac(piired at this
point. The organization of the territori:d government and the
location of its capital at Vinccnnes, in the beginning of the
nineteenth century, added greatly, for a time, to its* prosperity,
and from that time down to a period as late as ISIS it
promised to become one of the gi-eat centres of trade and
KNOX COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DESCKHTIT E. 425
wealth and population in the Northwest. But the rcniovjil of
the territorial capital to Corydon, prematurely and unexpect-
edly, was a fatal blow, for the time, to its proi^ress. AltliDUgh
it lost the stimulating im])etus of political favor and the
expenditure o|' public money — the creative ])()\vc'rs of ti-ade
and commerce of late years — from its own intrinsic resources
it has more than met the ho]ies of its people, and fully drmon-
Btrated the sagacity of the early French, who yeai's ago visited
its site in the then wiUierness, and with ]U'o])hctic vision
marked it as a future seat of emjui-e, wealth and jiowoi-.
Although the name of Vincennes is a liousL'liuld word
throuirhout the State, and even tlie whole land, and in a his-
torical sense it is an old ])lace, yet the present city of Xhi-
ccnnos is but the child of ycstei-day, and is just springing into
vigorous and active life. The mud-thatched hut and tin; two-
wheeled cart of the early settlci-s, both consti-ucted without
the use of any metal implement whatever, have entirelv dis*
appeared within a very few years before the advaiu-ing wave
of ei\ili/ced progress, and the material apj^cai-ance of A'in-
cenncs to-day will compare with that of any city in the State.
The old-time business houses have all given ])lace to line
business blocks, three and four stories high, of bi'ick and stone,
and of improved architecture. And oidy a few old-time resi-
dences remain as landmarks, as it Mere, to rcmiiul us of the
days of yore. The ])rivate residences of the citizens are
among the finest in the State. Among them we ma)- mention
the sjilendid and costly numsions of Dr. Eobb, Captain JJoss
and ]\[r. Pollock, built of wood, in a magm'iiccnt style, and
those of ^Messrs. McKinney, Bayai-d and AVise, of biick and
stone. The residence of General AVilliam II. Harrison, the
first Governor of the territory, is still standing, and is one of
the most substantial buildings in the State. It is built of
brick, and was constructed in 1804, and its walls and inside
finish are as good and perfect in all respects as when first
put up.
The public buildings of Yincennes are numerous, and some
of them are fine specimens of architecture. Among them
may be mentioned the city hall, a substantial brick building,
426 HISTOKY OF INDIANA.
two stories high, erected in tlic centre of the city square, in
the heart of the business portion of tlie city, containing rooms
for the mayor's olHce, city clerk, cn<;ineer, and treasurer, and
a hall for tlie meetings of the common council. The Knox
county court-house, erected on the stpiaie owned by tlic county,
and beinir the most elevated site in the city, is one of the linest
buildings in the West, and, excc})tiiig the one at Indianapolis,
the grandest, finest and costliest structure of the kind in the
State. It was built after designs and jilans furnished by
Edwin May, arclutect, and Frank L. Furman, builder, and,
unlike most other public ])uildings, its finished apj)earancc
Burpasses the best representation tliat can be given of it on
paper. It is built of a beautiful light-colored and durable
limestone. It has a front of ninety- three feet on Seventh
fitreet, and extends back between Broadway and Bussei'on
street one hundred and thirty-one feet. It is three stories
hitrh, and each corner is ornamented with a tower of beautiful
proportion and design, each differing from the other. The
tower on tlie west corner is the principal one, and is one
hundred and forty -eight feet high, and has a clock with a dial
fronting each point of the com])ass, and a large bell, of
eighteen hundred pounds, of a fine and musical tone. The
outside face of the walls are beautifully and elaborately carved,
and ornamented with marble statues, in ap})ropriate niches,
representing the celebrated General George Hogers Clark,*
the Goddess of Liberty, and a Federal soldier, and also two
large monumental tablets of marble on the Seventh street
front.
The building is furnished in the finest style throughout.
It was commenced in the spring of 1S72, and completed in
tlie spring of 1875, and cost over $275,000.
The public high school edifice is another of Yincennes'
splendid buildings. It is of brick, three stories high, built on
an elevated plateau, and can be seen from all parts of the
city, and for a considerable distance on approaching it. The
German Catholics have also a very large and commodious
♦ Sec General History to find account of Clark's operations at Vinccnncg
la 1778.
KNOX COUNTY niSTOEICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. 427
scliool building, of brick, of modern arcliitccture, two storiea
Ligli. The 6cliool building of the Cathedral congregation is
another fine edifice of brick, two stories high, and of fine ap-
peaiance. Tlie buildings of the Vinccunes University, for the
accommodation of males and females, are also fine looking
structures. The St. Eose Academy, for females, under the
charge of the Sisters of Providence, is a commodious and neat
building. Tlie various school buildings of tlio city are sutii-
cient to accommodate 1,500 pupils, and are all supplied with
excellent schools in the proper seasons. So high in the public
estimation are the schools of the city, that children from a
radius of thirty miles around, in both Illinois and Indiana, are
sent to Vinccnnes to receive the benefit of them.
The churches of the city are numerous, and many of them
are of beautiful design; and on approaching it from the
elevated points in the vicinity, a dozen lofty spires, sur-
mountins: churches of various denominations in dificrcnt
parts of the city, meet the eye, and present a beautiful appear-
ance. The Catholic Cathedral is as fine a church edifice as can
be found anywhere. It is built of brick, and was commenced
in 1835, and improved from time to time, and ornamented
elaborately, nntil, to-day, it is a perfect gem. The interior
decorations are costly, and it is ornamented with splendid
paintings. This church building is surmounted by a spire
one hundred and sixty-eight feet high, of beautiful propor-
tions, and contains a clock and the largest bell in the State.
The German Catholics have also a splendid church edifice,
built of brick, in a cruciform, and capable of accommodating
1,500 worshipers. Its walls arc beautifully frescoed, and it
is also surmounted by a spire about one hundred and twenty-
five feet high. The Presbyterians have two large and fine
churches, finished within and without in the finest style. The
one on Main street was built in 18G3, and is in the most
approved style of architecture. The Methodists, Baptists, and
Christians have each fine church edifices.
The buildinofs of the bankins: and business houses in the
city are among the finest in the State. The city possesses
many supei'ior advantages, which cannot fail to make it one
428 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
of the most prominent and important places in tlic west. It
has unrivaled advantages for trade, manufactures, and com-
merce combined, such as are possessed bj no other single
point in the State, and only need the talismanic touch of
ca]>ital and labor to raahe them tell npon the future of the
place. It is situated in the midst of the linost timbered region
in tlie %vest, \vhcrc all kinds of wood material for manufactur-
ing are at hand, in inexhaustible quantities. It is also in the
centre of the finest coal region in the State — the coal fields of
Daviess, Pike and Knox counties being the richest and most
productive in Indiana. It is also situated on a gravel founda-
tion, and is blessed with the best streets and sidewalks and the
finest water. The streets are never muddy, and the natural
gravel foundation makes a better sidewalk than either brick or
Btoric. Viucennes is also situated in the midst of one of the
most fertile agricultural districts in the West. The county of
Knox is bounded on all sides, except the north, by natural
boundaries — tlic "Wabash and "Wliite rivers — and the pocket of
land enclosed Ixjtween them forming the county, contains a
vast area of rich alluvial bottom land, unsurpassed for fertility
anywlici-c. The annual rke of the AVabash and AMiite rivers
overfiowed a large extent of territory tributary to Yincennes,
and prevented its settlement and development. The Wabash
river opposite Yincennes has often, from overflow, been eight
or nine miles wide, but, within the past few years, the con-
struction of levees in Illinois and Indiana, have eficctually
restrained the water and protected these lands from overflow,
and they are rapidly being brought into cultivation, thus in-
creasing the agricultural products that find a market at Yin-
cennes. Tlic levee on the Illinois side, extendinix from the
high land some ten miles alx)ve Yincennes, to a point four or
five miles below, will effectually protect from the overflow of
the iVabash river a rich praii-ie, some ten miles long and six
miles broad, immediately adjoining the city and the west,
which heretofore could not be cultivated with profit, on
account of the annual overflow of the river, and will make it
the finest agricultural district in either of the States. Yin-
KNOX COIINTT IIISTOKICAL AND DESCRIITIVE. 429
ccmics, of course, Avill become the depot for the accniiuil;ition
of tlic products of these improved lands.
Besides these advaiibi^es, Yincennes has available communi-
cation with all parts of the country, both natural and artificial.
The Wabash river is luivigable six months of the year by
steamboats of as larire a drauf^ht as can naviiratc the Ohio
river; besides, it has become, within the past two years, a
great railroad centre, and from it the iron bands radiate in all
directions, like the spokes of a wheel from the hub. The
Ohio and Jklississippi railroad gives an outlet to the markets of
the East and the AV^est, and connects the Ohio and ^fississippi
rivers at this central point l)y a direct line at the citii;s of
Cincinnati and St. Louis. The Indianapolis and Vincennes
railroad connects it with the State capital, the great lailroad
centre of the West, and the Cairo and Vincennes railroad,
with the head waters of the continuous naviijation on the ^lis-
sissippi. The Evansville and Crawfordsville raiJi-oad connects
it with the Ohio river at Evansville, and with the northwe&t
of the State by the M-ay of Terre Haute; and the Chicago rail-
road, now nearly completed, will give direct connnunication
with the entire Northwest. The various advantages, both
natural and artificial, are attracting the attention of capital
and labor, and, in consequence, the city is improving rapidly
in wealth and population. In ISGO, it contained less than
2,000 inhabitants ; in 1870, about 4,000 ; and, to-day, Vin-
cennes has a population of over 8,000. The city has an effi-
cient lire department, and is in every respect a delightful,
safe, comfortable, and liealthy place to reside.
In the forciroinfr brief sketch of Vincennes and Knox county,
the compiler has, no doubt, disappointed the reader, who, of
course, expected to lind only accounts of the thrilling incidents
of war and pioneer lite in the days of Clark and Bowman.
Sufficient of this has been given in the general history of tho
State, in another part of this volume, and in this sketcli the
writer has given a history of the modern rather than the an-
cient. This will be appreciated.*
*Wo are indebted to I^Ir. ITcnr}' Cauthorn, one of the leading attorneys
— a very intelligent and alTal/.e gentleman — of Vincennes, for assistance
in producing tlie above sketch.
CHAPTER LII.
VANDERBUBOn COUNTY EVANSVILLE.
AK historical and descriptive sketcli of Ynndcrbiirgh
can be but little else than of Evansville. The county
has but few attractions outside of that city. In 1812, Col.
Ilugli McGary, of Kentucky, settled on the site of Evansville,
crcctino: a I02: house — the first white man's dwellins: in tliat
section. At the time of this settlement there was an Indian
village, of the Shawanoe tribe, near Pigeon creek. " In 1813,"
Bays Mr. Ilobert, "Warrick county was formed out of that
portion of Knox county lying south of ' Hector's Base Line,'
and extending from the boundary of Ilarrison county to the
"Wabash river, and Col. McGary, who owned the lower part
of the present site of Evansville, laid out a number of lots,
and donated some land to Warrick county, provided they would
fix on this place as the permanent scat of justice. In 1814,
the territorial legislature of Indiana divided Warrick county,
creating Posey county on the west and Perry county on the
cast, which left the site of Evansville near the southwest
corner of the then existing county of Warrick; for which
reason the legislature ordered ' that the seat of justice be
removed from Evansville to a certain tract of land owned by
Kathaniel Ewing,' which was afterwards called ' Darlington.'
This removal came near nippng the existence of the embryo
city in the bud, and from this period until 1817, Evansville
made very little progress, hardly having an existence as a vil-
lage." However, it was not destined to remain long in ob-
Bcurity. In 1816 and 1817, Gen. Robert M. Evans and James
W. Jones, united with Col. McGary, and established the town
on an enlarged plan. Tliey purchased additional land, and
430
VANDEEBUECn COUNTY EVANSVILLE. 431
made some general preparations for improvements. It is said
that Col. McGary entered the land soon after his arrival, and
endeavored to make a survey; but, when Gen. Evans arrived,
he made another survey, and had the whole tract platted.
This town, in its unsettled state, was called Evansville, in
honor of one of its founders — General Evans. Gen. Evans
was a Virginian, liaving been born in that State in 1783. lie
settled in or near Princeton, Gibson county, in 1S05, and re-
moved to Evansville to reside permanently, in 1824.
So soon as the town liad been remodeled on its enlarged
Bcalc, a number of lots were sold and attention was attracted
to the place as a convenient landing point for Vincennes (the
Old French Fort), and other interior towns in the AVabash
valley, which then gave promise of far outstripping Evans-
ville. In 1818, Yanderburgh county was formed from the
western portion of "Warrick, and named in honor of J"udge
Henry Yanderburgh, one of the territorial judges and early
settlers of Indiana. In the same year commissioners were
appointed to fix the seat of justice of the new county, who
reported to the county commissioners that, in consideration
of the local advantages of Evansville, and of a liberal donation
by the proprietors, of one hundred lots and five hundred dol-
lars in cash, or such materials as will suit in the erection of
the public buildings, they have established and fixed the per-
manent seat of justice of Yanderburgh county at Evans\'ille.
The town for a while made considerable progress. The first
election was held in August, 1818, when twenty-five votes
were polled. In one year from its establishment as a county
seat, it became an incoi-porated to^vn, by the election of Hugh
McGary, Isaac Fairchild, EvertonKinnerly, Alfred O. Warner,
and Francis J. Bentley, trustees. Hugh ^McGary was chosen
president; Elisha Harrison, secretary, and lister of taxable
property; John Conner, treasurer; and Alpheus Fairchild,
collector and marshal. The first tax levy was twenty cents on
the one hundred dollars of real property, and a specific tax on
several kinds of personal property. The value of taxable
property is not given in the records, but the total of tax dup-
lic<ate for that year amounted to $191 28f . On the twentieth
432 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
of March, 1S19, tlio first meeting of the board of tonvn trustees
was licld."
In ISIO, Evansvillc had a population of one hundred souls.
A hotel, hc'i)t bj Mr. Ansel Wood, was situated on the
State road, now Main street, and stood in rear of the present
site of Armstrong's furniture warerooms. In the same year,
a Frenchman opened a store near the river bank. Other stores
followed. " Their stocks were scant, but amply sufficient for
the pioneers, with whom hard cash was a great rarity, indeed.
Coon skins, and bartei* of that character, formed tlie medium
of exchange, not only with themselves, but with the outside
world." In this year, Amos Clark was made prosecuting
attorney of the county; and Daniel AVarner, postmaster of
the new town. In 1S20, John M. Dunham, David F. Gold-
smith, Priestly Pritchett, "William Mills, Jr., and John A.
Chandler, were elected trustees; and James A, Boiss was
appointed secretiry; and Alanson "Warner, treasurer. These
early officers were, for many years, distinguished citizens of
Evansville. They have all passed on to another stage of action.
The lirst church in Evansvillc was built in 1S21, under the
auspices of Ilev. D. C. Banks, of Ohio, a zealous Presbyterian
clergyman.
"We quote from Mr. Pobert's somewhat remarkable pamphlet
this authentic information concerning the early schools of
Evansville: "The first school house was erected in 1S24. It
was a small brick building, and stood at the corner of Third
and Main streets. Mr. Chute, an elderly gentleman, was ap-
pointed and empowered to ' teach the young idea how to
s/ioot.'' As early as 1818, he had occasionally received pupils
at his cabin ; but now, for the first time, a school was instituted
to which all could send children hitherto unprovided and nn-
affordcd regular educational privileges. Tlie school house was
also regularly used for religious purposes. Eev. Mr. "Wood,
a Presbyterian minister, often preached there, as well as clergy-
men of other denominations. From 1825 to 1830, Evansville
was under a deep shadow of commercial depression; but, in
*Mr. Uoocrt's work — Evansvillc and Ucr Commerce and Manufactures.
VANDERBUEOn COUimr EVANSVILLE. 433
the latter year, new liope and spirit seem to have possessed
the people, and, as a consequence, improvement and develop-
ment were visible. Produce began to find its way to southern
markets in flat boats, on the Wabash and White rivers, and
tlie convenient proximity of Evansville to these water-courses,
made it a favorite landing place. During the spring and sum-
mer months trade was quite lively, and hundreds of boatmen
returning from the Lower Mississijipi made Evansville their
point of debarkation, and it thus became known and appre-
ciated as the 'Landing for the Wabash.' Some lively 'scenes*
and gay fandangos characterized those times, but it grew to be
a point of supply for much of the interior region of country
watered by the Wabash and AVliite rivers, and in this way laid
the foundation for its present mercantile prosperity and im-
portance.
"In 1S34, on the establishment of the first State bank,
Evansville was designated as one of the points for the organ-
ization of its branches. This greatly enlarged its financial
facilities, and gave additional and timely impetus to all de-
partments of business. In lS35-C,the State legislature having
passed the Internal Improvement Bill, Evansville was mtide
the southern tenuinns of the Central and Wabash and Erie
canals. The Wabash and Erie canal, commencing at Toledo,
Ohio, was to strike the head waters of the Wabash river, and
follow the rich and prolific valleys of that and White river,
terminating on the Ohio at Evansville. The Central canal waa
intended to pass from Muncietown, through Indianapolis, to
Point Commerce, on White river, Avhere it would be united
with the Wabash and Erie canal. Thus Evansville, by a grand
scheme of hydrographical inosculation, was to be placed in con-
trol of these stupendous works, commanding the outlet of two
of the richest and most productive valleys on the globe. Ko
wonder there was liberal impartment of new energy, new vigor
and high hopes of the future. In June, 183G, the awarding of
the contracts for the consti'uction of the canal commenced, and
a large immigration at once began to pour in; real estate ad-
vanced to high and fancy speculative rates, and the town
appeared to have again taken a hold on prosperity, and deter-
28
434 nisTORT OF Indiana.
mined to prove Plioenix-lilve. But licrc another drawback
occurred, and energy was hampered and enterprise lettered,
A great financial revulsion occurred in 1S37-S, which caused
a suspension of specie payment by our banks, and a very con-
siderable depreciation in tlie value of real estate. The crisis
■was general, and was severely felt all over the countiy in its
Bwceping damage, tlius, for a time, blighting tlie fair prospects
of Evansville. The work of internal improvement was aban-
doned, general stagnation in trade was prevalent, and the town
not only ceased to prosper, but actually decreased in popula-
tion. Much of the property of Evansville passed into the
hands of Eastern creditors, in payment of the indebtedness of
merchants and speculators, and for several years possessed very
L'ttle market value. In 1840, the number of inhabitants had
increased to 2,121, which shows quite a substantial gain for
the time.
"Some time about the year 1845-6, Evansville began to
recover from the prostration occasioned by the failure of the
internal improvement system and the commercial crisis of the
country, and business generally began to revive. The natural
advantages of location which it possessed, attracted to it the
trade of the surrounding country, and its mercantile interests
re-began to advance and thrive. From that period the growth
of Evansville has been steady and substantial; for many years,
it is true, laggard and hardly perceptible, but never stationaiy
orrecedino;. Her course and career has been nothinc: less than
a succession of progress and pause, but the latter seemed to
have given strength rather than detriment; and if the ability
of our people to recover after such damaging and discouraging
impediments were repeatedly thrown in their way be any
criteria, certainly such trials are brightly prognostic of an
attainable power and excellence commensurate with what we
to-day proudly claim for her. During the legislative session
of 1856-7, a grant of land was obtained to extend the Wabash
and Erie canal to Terre Ilaute, and subsequently another
grant was obtained to aid in the construction of this work to
the Ohio river at Evansville. This concession was made the
basis of an arrangement by the State with her bondholders for
VANDERBURGH COUNTY EVAN3VILLK. 435
the sale of the Wabash and Erie canal, and a resumption of
payment of State interest. The completion of the canal be-
came a fixed fact, and the anticipation of the benefits to be
derived from its successful workiufcs did mucli to strenirthen
confidence in our future." *
In 1847, Evansvillc was incoq)orated as a city. This vras
another stroke in favor of her progress. Wharf improvements
■^ere made, and in 1850 tlie Crawfordsville and EvansviUo
railroad was commenced. In 1857 the limits of Evansville were
extended by the annexation of Lamasco, then an adjoining
town. The city public schools of Evansville were established
in 1853. Thus, it will be seen that during these years the city
was growing rapidly, and also preparing for continual advance-
ment. IS^or was her interests, commercially, injured in 18G1.
The civil war proved a perfect God-send to her trade. Stand-
ing as she did upon the verge and dividing line of the con-
sumptive region and productive sections, her position was one
of advantage, and, consequently, the growth during this period
was decidedly great.
To-day, Evansville has a population of over 30,000, and is
the second city in Indiana, in wealth and importance. Iler
public schools are fully up to an advanced metropolitan grade,
and her religious and literary institutions do credit to the
State. Evansville is believed by many to be the handsomest
city in the State. It is certainly a very beautiful city, and the
streets always present a scene of wholesome activity.
We will close our historical and descriptive sketch of Evans-
ville with a brief notice of her public schools, for which we arc
in a great measure indebted to Mr. Charles E. Eobert, of that
city: Evansville has fostered her educational interests with
peculiar care, and has sought by a liberal and judicious expen-
diture of money, and by the employment of first-class educators
to manage her institutes, to place her schools among the very
first in the country. So well has she succeeded in attaining
this desired object that the splendid facilities here ofiered for
the free education of the young, more than any other cause has
* Robert's Evansville.
436 HISTORY OF IXDIANA.
induced immigration to tliat point, from a large section of the
surrounding country. This is a potent ai-gument witli those
citizens from other states and countries who are invited to
settle there. Many of them have families of growing children
— all of them, it is hoped, education and tastes, or luitural
instincts that would make them prefer the elevated to the
degraded, the moral to the immoral, in the intellectual atmos-
phere of a new home. All that has been said in behalf of
Evansville as a commercial centre, as an inviting' Held for new
enterprises, for the investment of capital, and for the transfer
of manufacturins: or mechanical skill from the old to this new
home of labor, would be unavailing with many, if something
more could not be presented than mere appeals to selfish
moneyed interests. Those whom Evansville most desires aa
citizens, hesitate to remove from Eastern cities to identify their
interests with Western communities, no matter what the
inducements for the employment of their capital, business exper-
ience or skill, to new fields, because they fear it will be at the
sacrifice of educational advantages, moral influences, a thousand
individual comforts, the loss or practical deprivation of which
might not be compensated for by the pecuniary advantages to
be gained.
But the social and practical characteristics of the citizens of
Evansville are in nothing more clearly and favorable mani-
fested, than in their zealous support of their scholastic interests.
The city abounds in public, semi -public and private schools
and colleges. Yet the quantity of the instruction given is,
perhaps, less noteworthy than its qualit3\ Public teachers
compete with private teachers, and vice versa/ and the result
is, a lively spirit of emulation has ensued and been productive
of some very beneficial results. The central location, the fer-
tility and beauty of the surrounding country and the salubrity
and healthfulness of its climate, have doubtless been among
the causes which have led to the concentration there of those
Intellectual elements which have given tone and tenor to the
society. And in addition to all this we may state that Indiana
has the largest school fund of any State in the Union, and
Evansville has taken full pha'-f^ of this great advantage, tlius
VAXDERBUKGH COUNTY — EVAKSVILLE. 437
securing permanent and satisfactory basis for lier scliolastic
structure.
From the report of tlic State Superintendent of Public
Instruction made in September, 1874, we glean the following
valuable facts:
Estimated value of school property including grounds, scats,
etc. $10,015,344.48
Estimated value of school apparatus 358,298.10
Total $10,373,042.58
No. of pupils in attendance 489,0'14
" " teachers 12,655
" " volumes in township libraries 2G5,029
Amount of revenue on hand September 1, 1874 $1,704,413.81
Amount special " " " " " " 498,39C.9G
This admirable system of free public schools was established
in 1853. They were organized under the assiduous efforts of
H. Q. Wheeler, Esq., who having been made the first Superin-
tendent, to his credit very much of their after success is to be
set down. Each year, however, has witnessed additional growth
and improvement, until at present the public school property
vnll amount to $400,000, including fifteen supurb and costly
buildings, erected in the most modern and excellent manner,
finely ventilated and so located as to afford convenient school
privileges to children in all quarters of the city.
The schools are under the supervision of a Board of Trustees,
three in number, elected by the Common Council, and at pres-
ent is as follows: Luke Wood, president; Dr. II. W. Cloud,
treasurer; J. II. Polsdorfer, secretary. The direct manage-
ment is under Prof Alexander M. Gow, as Superintendent,
with the following excellently appointed staff: Prof. Phil.
Baker, first supernumery teacher; Prof. M. Z. Tinker, teacher
of music; Prof. A. Bourgeois, teacher of writing; Prof. F. W.
E. Pcschau, teacher of German, and Simon Hecht and Miss
Huldah Eahm, assistant teachers of German; assisted by a
corps of one hundred and seven teachers, many of them ladies
and gentlemen of superior talents and accomplishments for
their work, and all laboring faithfully to build up this most
important and fundamental interest of the city. The total
438 HISTORY OF IJTDIANA.
number of pupils enrolled December first, 187-i, was 4,3 IG;
which was increased to 4,G00 February first, 1875, when thixjc
new school buildings were completed. "We can but congratu.
late Evansville on the rare fortune which has placed her edu-
cational interests in the hands of so able, experienced and suc-
cessful an educator as Prof. Gow. Under the ^\^se discipline
of mind and conduct which he, during the past four years, has
inaugurated, the schools are becoming nurseries of right and
honorable principle, and diflusers of an invigorating atmos-
phere of thoughtful study. Any community that builds up
such a system of schools as, from ])crsonal knowledge, we
know those of Evansville to be, is deserving of the credit of
being known as a national benefactor — for it is to that extent
helping to meet the greatest demand of the nation, — the
demand for men o''' brains and honesty.
CIIAPTEE LIII.
PAEKE COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCEIPTIVE.
PARKE county was organized in 1821, and was named in
honor of Benjamin Parke, the first member of Congress
from the territory. The county contains about four hundred
and forty square miles, with a population of nearly 25,000.
The county was first settled in 1818, by John M. Doty, who
located on Henry's prairie. Judge Joseph Walker settled
near where Numa now is, in Florida township, in 1819.
Judge Seybold settled on Big Raccoon, not fiir from Bridge-
ton, in the same year. The mills at Roseville were erected by
Chauncey Rose, Moses Robbins and Andrew Brooks, as early as
1820. AVhcn the county was organized, an Indian reservation
was made, running up and down the Wabash, from the mouth
of Sugar creek to the mouth of Big Raccoon, and about seven
PAEKE COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRimVE. 439
miles in width. Most of tliis territory was afterwards included
in liescrvc township. The last Indian representative who
lived on these lands was a half-breed named Christinas Doznev.
John Adams settled in 1S20, at the forks of the two Haccoon
creeks, and Judge Steele, now a prominent resident of Terro
Ilaute, settled at Portland mills in 1821. Moses Hart settled
at the same place about one year before. Judge Strange and
Tobias Miller settled in Haccoon vallc_y, in 1820, as also Gcorgo
and Alexander Kirkpatrick. James Kelsey and Francis Dick-
son built Dickson's mills (now Manslield mills), in 1821.
Thomas AVhitc and James Allen were also among the early
settlers. Daniel Buchanan settled in the county in 1822, and
Selmjui Lusk settled at the narrows of Sugar creek in 1821,
where he built a mill and had a postofiice, John Beard built
mills near the mouth of Sugar creek, in 1822. In 1821, Perley
Mitchell setttled in Penn township.
In the year 1825, the friends settled in Penn township.
Prominent among them may be mentioned Peyton Wilson,
James Morrison, Solomon Allen, James Pickard and Jei'cmiah
Siler. The Friends added much to the settlement, in the way
of industry and thrift. They have now an excellent church and
high school at Bloomingdalc. The latter is under the super-
vision of Prof. B. C. Ilobbs, who has made it a superior school
for the education of boys. Dr. E. Allen was one of the first
settlers in lleserve township. His associate ju'oneers were
William Cook and Joseph and Daniel Wolfe. Mr. Cook was
father-in-law to Governor Joseph A. Wright.
The first settlers of Wabash township were James and John
Laverty, Samuel Hill, Dr. Tayloi', Colonel Hays and A.
Punteny. Quite a number of the old log cabins of pioneer
days arc still standing — some that were erected in 1820.
The first county court was held in 1821, at Roseville, and
was removed permanently to Pockville, in 1824.
With regard to the soil and productions, we will remark that
Parke is a county of timbered land. Although situated on the
very margin of the great western prairie region, it has, with
but the exception of a few acrcs, or bottom prairie along the
Wabash river, nothing deserving the name of jorairie in tbo
440 mSTOKT OF INDIANA.
county. Nearly every other variety of soil found in tlie north-
west is represented in the county. However, for agricultural
purposes, the soil is excellent, and most of the farmers have
become wealthy.
The available coal in Parlcc county belongs to the lower
members of the great western coal field. Measuring from the
base of the coal measures upward, the seams number one and
two arc the only reliable coal beds in the county; but these are
productive, and sufficient for all practical purjDoses.
llockville, the county seat of Parke county, county, was laid
out in the fall of 1823, and became the permanent county seat
in the following year. Previous to the latter date, the county
courts had been held in Poseville and Armiesburg. "The
donors of the land on which Pockville is situated, woyq the
first settlers of the town," viz. : Arthur Patterson, Andrew
Kay, Aaron Hand and James B. McCall. Andrew Pay built
the first house, which was a log cabin, situated on the public
square. It was the place of entertainment for all land "pros-
pectors " in that section of tlie country for many years. He
also built and conducted the first hotel in Pockville, which was
opened first in 1824. Mr, Pay M-as a careful pioneer, lived
economically, practiced industry, and died in 1872, a wealthy
an(< respectable citizen of Parke county. The first white child
bo'ii in Pockville, was James B. Pay, son of Andrew Pay,
in 1824.
Pockville being situated some distance from the "Wabash,
and only accessible over almost impassable roads, it was for
mnny years backward in its growth and improvements. The
first house built expressly for school purposes, was a small
b-ick structure, north of the old Baptist churcli, and the first
teacher was a Mr. Patterson. The celebrated Lorenzo Dow
jn-cachcd in Pockville in 1832, in the M-oods, on a lot south of
the public square. That was a great day for the infant town.
The settlers gathered from far and near to see and hear the
eccentric preacher. " A man came into the meeting with a
cigar in his mouth, and was peremptorily challenged and
ordered to throw it away." There were some other interesting
incidents connected with the mcetinir.
JOHNSON COUNTY inSTORICAL. 441
The first cliTircli organized in Kockvillc was by the Eaptists.
They lield their first meeting in the old count}' conrt liouse.
During the Last ten or fifteen years Tiockvillc, and, indeed,
the whole of Parke county, has improved rapidly. The man-
ufacturing and commercial interests of the former arc now full
of promise, while the agricultural prospects of the latter are a
source of material comfort to the fjirmers. The railroad facili-
ties of Rockville have done considerable to promote its com-
mercial enterprise, and have been largely instrumental in
placing it on a solid footing.
The educational facilities of Ttockville arc second to no other
town of equal population in the State. The new public school
house was begun in the fall of 1872, and finished in January,
1874, at a cost, including grounds, of $3G,000. It is a fine
three story brick, containing ten rooms, besides the lai'ge
chapel, or lecture room, and is arranged to accommodate five
hundred pupils. Roclrville is a pleasant place to reside. The
people are intelligent, sociable, and sensible; and the same
remark holds good wherever you go in Parke county.
CHAPTER LIY.
JOHNSON COUNTY HISTORICAL ANT) DItSCRII'TIVE.
THE surface of Johnson county is quite level. There is
scarcely an acre in the county that may not be cultivated.
The only elevations that can be called hills, are to be found in
the southwestern corner, and along the western border. The
soil is rich and deep, and is underlaid by extensive beds of
gravel. The streams are sluggish, and there are no rock-quar-
ries of consequence in the county. The gravel beds are a
source of immense wealth. Dirt roads are really impassable
during three or four months of the year, bo that before the
442 mSTOKY OF indiaita,
introduction of gravel roads, farmers, and, to a great extent,
manufacturers and villagers, wci'c obliged to suspend business.
Now these roads extend in all directions from Franklin, the
county scat, and as a consequence, all classes are nearly as
active in business durino: winter as summer. Owiufj to the
level surface, and the vast accumulations of carbon and other
elements from the old forests, the prevalence of fever and ague
was very manifest for many years. Eut owing to the later
very general use of nnderdrainage, the miasma lias almost
disappeared. At least it may be truthfully said that Johnson
is as free from fever and ague as any of the river countiesv
The main industi-y of the county is agriculture and stock-
raising. The leading products are wheat, corn, and hogs.
Most of the grain and stock find a ready sale in the county at
the very highest prices. Va>\i:er, Herriott & Co., slaughter
from twenty-five to fifty thousand hogs each year at their
establishment in Franklin, while Tilford & Co., of Edinburg,
could find use for all the surplus corn in their immense starch
factory. Flouring mills are abundant, and the railroads that
cross at right angles at Franklin furnish as many ship])ing-
posts as the farmers and manufacturers need.
The county was organized in 1S22. Among the very first
settlers were Jacob "Whitzel, John Campbell, and Abi-uham
Sells. Elizabeth Campbell, (born in 1S21,) is said to be the
first white child born in the county.
Among others who came in the eai-ly settlement, are George
Cutsingei', Samuel Herriott, William H. Ilinsley, William
Ilunt, James Eitchey, Daniel Trout, James Jacobs, George
King, David W. McCaslin, the Webbs, the Davidsons, tho
Adamses, the Thompsons, the Wishards, and the everywhere-
present Jonses and Smiths. The county was named in honor
of Judge John Johnson, of the supreme court.
The district and graded schools of Franklin county have
made very decided progress within ten years. The old log
houses were replaced by frame ones, and these are now giving
place to substantial and conimodious brick houses.
The school-term has come up from two months to over six
months. The standard of teaching has materially advanced.
JOHNSON CXDUNTY DESCRIPTIVE. 443
and better wages arc paid teachers. Tliere arc about one
hundred district schools in the county, and teachers' institutea
arc licld in nearly every townsliip during term-time.
There are several graded schools in the county, and this fact
speaks well for the prosperity of education. At Hopewell,
four miles west of Franklin, is a school of long standing, and
a good record. It is now under the snperintendency of Prof.
Cole, formerly of the State University.
At Williamsburg, in the southwestern portion of the county,
is a ])rospcrous graded school, under the care of Prof Moore,
formerly of Ilopewell. At Greenwood, on the northern bor-
der, is a prosperous graded school, at present under the care
of Mr. Burdick. Edinburg, on the southern border, has an
efficient graded school. Prof Martin is superintendent, and
has the assistance of from eight to ten teachers. The citizens
have also presented the school with a very fair supply of
philosophical apparatus. Tlie trustees feel the necessity of
adding to their school building. Franklin has one of the
most convenient city school-buildings in the State. Prof.
Ilunter is the superintendent, and is aided by from ten to
twelve teachers. The trustees have spared no expense in pro-
viding the school with ample apparatus. There is also a good
supply of philosophical apparatus, besides maps, charts,
blocks, etc., and one of Estel's programme clocks in each
room. The high scliool organizes a lecture course each year
and the proceeds are applied to the purchase of a library for
the school.
Franklin College, the State Institution for Baptists, is sit-
uated on a pleasant rise of ground in East Franklin. It was
founded in 1834, as a " Manual Labor Institute," and it was so
in fact. The students built log huts in which to study, and
chopped wood to defray their necessary expenses. For many
years the school had no endowment, but the endowment of
earnest Christian workers, both in its Faculty and Board of
Trustees. In 1844, Rev. G. C. Chandler, D. D., (now of
Oregon) became President, and brought the school up to a
high state of efficiency, and a higli grade of scholarship. He
resigned in 1852, and Rev. Silas Bailey, D. D., LL.D., became
4i4 niSTOET OF IKDtAHA.
President. He worked in the Institution ten years with rare
power and self-sacrifice. A nominal endowment of sixty
thousand dollars was raised, but a real endowment of only
twenty-seven thousand dollars. Seventeen thousand dollars
of this was expended in buildings and the liquidation of debts,
in accordance with the agreement of the subscription. Under
Dr. Bailey's administration a large number of young men
were sent out into the State prepared for work, and they have
uniformly done good work. In ISGl, the war called almost
all the students into the United States service. In 1862,
declining health obliged Dr. Eailey to resign, and for lack of
students the Institution suspended instruction till 18G9. Bnt
it suspended only after a long sti-uggle. For six weeks pre-
vious to suspension there were but two students — and they
were loth lame. Their names are Oliver II. Stout and Mar-
ehall Gi'instead. In 1SG9 college instruction was begun again.
In 1870, Eev. II. L. "Wayland, D. D., of Michigan, was elected
to the presidency. lie resigned in 1871.
The present financial status of the college is: Heal estate,
forty thousand dollars; endowment subscription, fifty thou-
sand dollars; bequests, representing, forty tliousand dollars.
Besides this, the board has completed a conditional addition
to the endowment of twenty-five thousand dollars.
Dr. Bailey, the former president, has given his private
library (consisting of eight hundred volumes) to the college,
and also his estate, valued at ten thousand dollars.
The institution has had long and severe struggles, but it is
now emerging into the sunlight of prosperity. It afibrds its
advantages alike to young men and young women.
Its present faculty of instruction are: Bev. W. T. Stott,
A. M., president and professor of intellectual aiid moral phi-
losophy; Miss B. A. Thompson, A. M., professor of math-
ematics; , professor of ancient languages; J.
"W. Moncrief, A. B., tutor in preparatory department; Miss
T. Parks, A. B., instructor in preparatory department ;
Mrs. Belle R. Stott, teacher of painting and drawing; Miss
Cattie McCoy, teacher of instrumental music.
CHArTER LY.
WABASn COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
n[''^IIERE are four liundrcd and twcntj-six square miles in
J- Wabasli county, tlie surface of which is general! j level.
Tliero are no very high liills,* notwithstanding the land is
rolling or undulating, near all of the water courses, exce])ting
at the head of them, where it is generally level, and taken as
a whole the face of the country is very pleasantly diversified.
Almost the whole county is abundantly supplied Avith water
by fine springs and running streams. The northern portion
is watered by Eel river and its tributaries. "Wabash passes
through the centre, and is intersected by the Salamonie, four
miles from the county line on the east, and Mississinawa runs
through the southern part of the count3\ Among the larger
streams are Josina, Grant and Ten Mile creeks, emptying
into the Mississinawa, Kush, Lagro, Treaty, Mill and Charley
creeks which empty into the Wabash; Clear, Paw-Paw and
Squirrel creeks emptying into the Eel river. These rivers
and streams are of sufheient size, and finely adapted for man-
ufacturing purposes. The land north of Eel river being about
fifty-five sections, is composed of prairie barrens, interspersed
with small and beautiful lakes. The balance of the county
was heavily timbered with walnut (black and white), hickory,
oak, maple, beech, poplar, linn, cherry, etc. Along the Wa-
bash and Mississinawa there are many fine quarries of lime-
stone, suitable for building purposes. The soil is rich and
very productive. There arc few, if any counties in the Stato
that promise a greater reward to the manufacturer or hus-
* From a sketch by Hon. Elijah Ilacklcinan.
445
446 HISTOKT OF INDIANA.
bandman tlian tliis. The county was organized in 1835, and
is di^'idcd into six townships.
Not long after tlie general treaty witli the Indians, in 1818,
a mill was erected in the agency of Benjamin Level, on Mill
creek, by order of the general government. This mill was
located about four miles and a half southwest of the present
town of AVabash, and was intended for the use of the Indians.
The place of its location is known by the name of the Indian
Mills. The mill was kept up for several years, and proved
efficient for the pui*poses designed by its projectors, but it has
long since been demolished. In the autumn of 1S2G, General
Ti])ton and Mr. Barron, the Indian inter])reter, selected the
Paradise Springs, on the north bank of the "Wabash, as a suit-
able place to hold a treaty with the Indians. James II. Ivent-
ner (now of Loganspoi-t) Avas present when the location was
made. Suitable buildings were erected for the accommoda-
tion of the commissioners, military, etc. The treaty was
signed on the sixteenth and twenty-third days of October,
182G, respectively by the Pottawatomies and Miamis. The
commissioners for the United States were General Lewis Cass,
General John Tipton and Governor James B. Pay. The site
of the treaty grounds and Paradise Springs are those near the
residence and now owned by Colonel Hugh Ilanna, on the
cast side of the town of Wabash. Tlie land south of the
"Wabash river and west of a line running due south from the
mouth of the Salamonic, were reserved for. the Indians, and
constituted a part of the thirty miles reserve. In the year
1827, the land between the Wabash and Eel river was sur-
veyed, and the following year that north of Eel river was ^ir
veycd. On the fifteenth day of January, 1827, three months
pfter the treaty, Samuel McClure moved from Ohio into the
cabins at the treaty grounds, and during that winter he cleared
fifteen acres of ground, and in the spring planted it in corn,
and in l^Iay, when the section reserved to the Indian, Charley,
was surveyed, McCl arc's clearing was included in its eastern
limits. On the tenth of June of the same year, McClure built
a log house on the north bank of the Wabash, three miles
below the treaty grounds, where his son-in-law, Jonas Carter,
"WABASH COUls'TT — DESCEITTIVE 447
now lives. Tliis was the first house built within the limits of
this county for a permanent residence. In the spriug of tlie
same year, Champion and Joseph Ilehy arrived at the treaty
ground, and shortly after settled opposite tlie month of the
Salamonie river. Tlie next settlers were Benjamin Ilurst and
jRobert AYilson, who arrived at the treaty grounds in May of
the same year; soon after ]Mr. TTilson was egiployed as gov-
ernment blacksmith at the Indian Mills. The next settlers
were David Burr, who settled at the treaty grounds, Jonathan
Keller at the Indian mills, and Frederick and James II. Kcnt-
ner, who settled at the mouth of Kentner's creek, and estab-
lished a saddle and harness shop (the first in the county). In
1S30 a post oflice was established at the treaty grounds.
David Burr, postmaster, and Jonathan Keller had a contract
to carry a weekly mail from the treaty grounds to ]\Iarion,
Grant county. Samuel McClure, Jr., now a citizen of Marion,
opened the first dry goods store on the twenty -eighth day of
August, 1827, in a log building at the bluffs, where Jonas
Carter now lives.
The town of Wabash was laid off in the spring of 1834, by
Colonel II. Ilanna and David Burr. It is situated on the
north bank of the "Wabash river, at the treaty grounds, partly
on tlie first and partly on the second bottoms. The latter is
elevated about forty feet above the former, and contains an
abundance of excellent buildinor stone but a few feet below the
surface of the ground. It is about ninety miles northeast
from Indianapolis. The sale of town lots was on the fourth
of May, 1834. The first settlers in the town were George
Shepherd, Colonel William Steel, Allen Smith, Alpheus Black-
man, Jacob D. Cassett, John Smith, Zara Sutherland, Michael
Duffy, Andrew Murphy, Dr. J. R. Cox, Colonel Hugh Ilanna,
David Cassett, Dr. I. Finlcy, Dr. James Ilackleman, and
James W. "Wilson.
Tlie first lot cleared and enclosed was lot number 22, im-
proved by Colonel Steel and Allen Smith. George Shepherd
built the first house, which was on lot 63. Colonel Steel built
the second on lot 22. These were built in May, 1834. Tliis
eamc year Alpheus Blackman made a kiln of brick, and Dr.
448 niSTOKY OF indiaica.
Finlcy built a small brick house (in the fall) on lot 54. Tins
liouso is still standing, and occupied by William Ditton;
Colonel Steel and Colonel Ilanna built of the same kiln of
brick. Colonel Steel opened the first provision store, and
Colonel Ilanna the first dry good store; this was in the spring
of 1S34. From this time forward the town improved rapidly.
The first tavern was kept by A. Murphy, on lot 37. The first
lawyers were Colonel Steel (still a resident) and William II.
Coombs, now a resident of Fort Wayne. Colonel Steel was
elected the first justice of the peace, in June, 1834. By an
act of legislature, Gillis Smith, of Grant county, Daniel
Worth, of Randolph county, Jesse Carter, of Clinton county,
Bartliolomew Applegate, of Johnson county, and Thomas
Watson, -of Tippecanoe county, were appointed commissioners
to locate a seat of justice for said county of Wabash, Said
commissioners met at the house of David Burr, at the treaty
grounds, on the third Monday in May, 1835, and after exam-
ining difierent locations, selected Wabash as the permanent
seat of justice for this county. The present population of this
town is 1,522.
... ' .
A log jail was built on the northwest corner of the public
square, in the fall of 1835, by Jonas Carter and J. II, Keller.
(It was destroyed by fire some years ago.) The present court-
house was built in 1839 and 1840, under the agency of Colonel
Hugh Ilanna. It is a square building, two stoi'ies high, forty
feet front, and terminates with a spire on the centre of the
building. Court-room in second story, and jury-rooms below.
The -[ircsent jail was built in 1853.
Tlie Wabash circuit court met for the first time at the house
of David Burr, on the fourth Monday (24tli) of August, 1835.
Present, lion. Augustus A. Everts, judge of the eighth
judicial circuit, also Hon. Daniel Jackson and Hon. Daniel
Ballanger, associate judges; Samuel C. Sample, Esq., prose-
cuting attorney; William Steel, clerk; and William Johnson,
sherifi'. After calling the court, they adjourned to the house
of Andrew Murphy, in the to^vn of Wabash, on lot number
37. Charles W. Ewing, S. C. Sample, Thomas Johnson, J.
ELK'nART COUNTY — niSTORICAL. 449
W. Wright and William C. Coombs were admitted to practice
as attorneys in this court.
AVe liavc no space in this work to mention the eai'lj settlers
of all the towns in Wahasli county. The county is tliickly
settled. The iarmers are all ])rosperous and wealthy and
intelligent. The district schools are in an excellent condition;
good buildings and teachers ai'e supplied in all parts of the
county.
The city of Wabash has grown to be quite a flourishing
centre, and is to-day one of the most thrifty places in the
State of its size. The Union hiirh school at Wabash is an
excellent edifice. It is situated on the summit of the hill, in
the upper town, M'ith a commanding prospect. It is three
stories liigh, and contains six rooms, and is of sufhcient size
to accommodate six hundred pupils. It was erected in the
year 1S5S, at a cost of thirteen thousand dollars.
On a Saturday afternoon the streets of Wabash present a
lively appearance. There are to be seen on every hand evi-
dences of thrift and prosperity. The population is between
four and five thousand.
CIIAPTEK LYI.
ELKHART COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
ELIvIIAKT county was organized in 1S30, by James Math-
ews, John Jackson and A. E. Fenwell, constituting the
board of commissioners. At a meeting of this board, in July
of the same year, all the territory in the State east of the
present limits of the county was created into a township, and
called Mong-go-qua-nong. The territory constituting this
extensive township was attached to Elkhart county, for judicial
and other purposes, and has sincxj been organized into several
counties. „„
450 mSTORY OF INDIANA.
In ^^r.iy, 1S30, the same commissioners located the connty
scat in Concord townsliip; but in 1S31 this location was
cliangcd, and the scat of justice Avas finallj established at
Goslicn, where it still remains.
The county contains over 302,080 acres of land, all suitable
for af^ricultural purposes. Tlie soil is well watered. The St.
Joseph river enters the county near the northwest corner of
"Washiuirton township, and runs soutliwesterlv throuirh Bristol
to Elkliart, thence nearly due west to St. Joseph county. The
Elkhart river enters the county near the northwest corner of
Benton township, and runs nearly west through the village of
Benton to Jackson townsliip, thence it pursues a northwesterly
course through Waterford and Goshen to Elkhart, where it
enters the St. Josej^li. It is quite a stream, and has been
valuable to mill owners. At Goshen it is made available for
manufacturing purposes to a large extent. The little Elkhart
passes through Middlebury, and joins the St. Joseph at Bristol.
Christian creek rises in Michigan, enters Elkhart county in
Osolo township, and runs tlicnce nearly south to Elkhart,
where it falls into the St. Joseph. Turkey creek enters into
the Elkhart river about four miles south of Goshen, while
Baui^'s creek and its tributaries water much of the western
portion of the county.
Elkhart county is also well provided with railroad conven-
iences, and being one of the finest agricultural counties in tlic
State, its business centres have grown into flourishing cities.
Elkh-art city is one of the most delightful places in the State.
The visitor is at once impressed with the great beauty of the
locality and its wonderful adaptation to purposes of business,
and especially to manufacturing. The city is situated on a
gentle declivity, bounded on the north by tlie St. Josepli river.
Tire streets are tastefully laid out and excellently improved.
The whole place has the appearance of cleanliness and thrift.
The citizens are among the most intelligent and enterprising
in the State. They are justly proud of their city and its
improvements. The bridge facilities, educational advantages,
religious and literary institutions, combine to make Elkhart
all that the intelligent resident could desire. But in addition
ELKHART CO^^TT — DESCKimVE. 451
to tlicsc, Elkliart is an important railroad point and a com-
mensal and mannfacturini;: centre.
Goshen is tlic county seat of Elkliart connty. It is situated
on the east bank of the Elkhart river, and near Elkhart prairie.
This prairie is about live miles long and about three miles in
width, and is noted for the deptli and richness of its soil. The
site of the city was formei-ly oak openings. The land upon
which the city stands was entered by the county, and the first
lots were sold in the fall of 1S31. William Bissell was the
first permanent white settler. The first mill was built on
Rock Ivun, about half a mile from the centre of the town, by
John Carpenter, in 1831. Goshen, as a town, began in true
pioneer style; but, step by step, she has gro^\^l, until to-day,
with a population of nearly six thousand, and rapidly increas-
ing commercial and manulacturing industries, she stands
among the important centres of wealth and population in the
State. It will not be necessary to enumerate all the special
features of Elkhart and Goshen ; what can be said of one may
be said of the other. They are both flourishing and prosperous
cities, with a bright prospect for the near future. Goshen has
excellent schools, and the higher educational advantages of the
city are the pride of its citizens.
Elkhart county afibrds to-day a happy contrast with its con-
dition twenty years ago. Then the farmers were struggling
for a living; now they are mostly independent, live in neat
and commodious residences, and take a vast deal of solid com-
fort. The youth have all the advantages of our great common
school system, and the moral and intellectual condition of the
people is not only improving, but already at a high standard.
There are numerous thrifty villages in the county, all of which
are graced with incorporated schools, fine churches, and other
public improvements.
A portion of this sketch is compiled from Mr. Turner's work.
CIIArTER LVII.
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY — IlISTOKICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
TIIE surface of St. Joseph county is greatly diversified, and
is tlioronglily adapted to agriculture in all its branches.
Tlie soil is divided into four classes: 1st, The light, sandy
soil of the original oak springs, or barrens; 2d, The black,
sandy loam of the thick woods; 3d, Tlie deep vegetable mould
of the prairies ; 4th, The natural meadows and marshes.
There are some extensive prairies in the county, all of which
are similar to the general prairies of the great west. "The
marshes," says Mr. Turner, in his work on the St. Joseph
valley, "are quite numerous, but none of them of much mag-
nitude, except the celebrated Kankakee, which commences two
miles from the St. Joseph river, near South Bend. It is but
a few years since these lands began to be prized at something
near their real value. At present, however, under a proper
system of drainage, they have become very desirable. In
many localities, the coarse marsh grass and useless weeds liave
given way to fields cultivated in wheat, corn, or other crops,
or to pasture, or meadow lands, thickly set in timothy or blue
grass. The Kankakee marsh, or ])erhaps more properly, the
valley of the Kankakee, in ]iarticular, presents a remarkable
illustration of the bei>efits of judicious drainage. Here, on
four square miles of land, or about two thousand five hundred
acres, thct-e have been constructed over twenty miles of ditcli,
averaging eight feet in width l)y four feet in depth. These
ditches have an average fall of about four feet to the mile.
Three-quarters of this drainage is through the outlet of the
Kankakee lake into the St. Joseph river, some two miles dis-
tant, and more than forty feet below the lake and the sur-
452
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY
HISTOEICAL.
453
rounding country. Along liere is the dividing line between
the waters flowing into the St. Lawrence on the one hand, and
into the Gulf of Mexico on the other. Indeed, so equal is the
poise here, that it is frequently impossible to tell in which
direction the "water is inclined to run when unobstructed and
unassisted by art."
St. Joseph county is well watered by fine springs, clear run-
ning streams, and several ponds and lakes, and at almost every
point the best of water is found by sinking wells from fifteen
to twenty-five feet.
St. Joseph county was organized ou the twenty-seventh of
==11 iiJ ^^sfi^Jdi if *i'i'f 11 111 1^ S ni' Hlnl
^JimiHfittittiWilgiilllfMfw
STUDEBAKER BROS. CARRIAGE WORKS, SOUTH BEND
August, 1830. " On that day," says the author last quoted,
" in pursuance of the act of the general assembly, Adam
Smith, Lambert McComb, and Levi F. Arnold, met at the
house of Alexis Coquillard, and having each presented his
commission as a justice of the peace, from James B. Ray, gov-
ernor of the State, took the oath of ofiice before L. M. Taylor,
clerk of the county. They then proceeded to elect Lambert
McComb president of the board, and St. Joseph had a legal
existence." The first act of the newly-created board was to
appoint John D. Lasy treasurer of the county. Panels of
grand and petit jurors were drawn to serve at the term of the
^y^ mSTOET OF INDIANA.
circuit court, to be held in the following November. It is
Baid, liowcver, that this court was never held. The iirst court
of record, of which there has been any record preserved, was
held at South Bend on the twenty-ninth day of October, 1S32,
by lion. John E. Porter, president judge of the first judicial
circuit to which the count}' was then attached for judicial pur-
j>oscs. The session of this court lasted but one day, and was
held in the bar-room of Calvin Lillcy's hotel.
The first steamboat arrived at South Bend in the spring of
1S34. " She was propelled by a stern wheel, and was called
the Matilda Barrcy. She was hailed with great rejoicings,
and her advent cclcbi'atcd with immerous and full-sized liba-
tions of red-eye and tangle-leg decoctions."
It should be observed, in this connection, (as it should more
properly have been in the first part of this volume,) that in
1S31, by an act of the general assembly of the State, the
boards of justices of the peace, in whom the government of
counties had predously been vested, were abolished, and the
election of county commissioners provided for. The first
election under this law was held in St. Joseph county, in the
summer of 1831, and resulted iji the election of Aaron Staun-
ton, David Miller, and Joseph Barer.
In May, 1 830, the commissioners appointed by the general
assembly, met and located the county seat on the " McCartney
farm," then owned by "William Brookficld, about two miles
below the center of the present city of South Bend. " Eacii
of the commissioners," says ]\[r. Turner, in liis appropriate
work, " was honored by having his name given to a street —
an honor which, however brilliant in anticipation, has only
been realized in successive crops of corn." In May, 1831, the
county seat was located at South Bend. The first court house
was completed in 1837, and this was taken dovm in 1854, to
give place to the present one.
The city of South Bend is located on both banks of the St,
Joseph, " near a point where the river suddenly turns from a
nearly west course and stretches away with a rapid cun-ent
northward, into the State of Michigan. The site of the city
is extremely picturesc^ue and beautiful. * * The location is
&T. JOSETH COUNTY — DESCRIPTR^E. 455
elevated and commauding, and tlic character of the soil, and
the excellent facilities for perfect di-ainage, are a perpetual
guarantee of healthy and atlractivc places of residence, and
dry, hard thoroughfares for l-coniotiun." "We quote still fur-
ther from Mr. Turner, conceniing the beautiful city of South
Bend: "The rich sandy loam, of whicli the soil is composed,
forms abundant nutriment for the liealthy and rapid growth
of innumerable shade and ornamental trees, indigenous to the
locality, among which may be mentioned the sugar and silver
maple, the elm, the sycamore, the walnut, and the oak; while
gardens are filled with thrifty apple, pear, peach, plum, cherry,
and quince trees, and an abundance of the smaller fruits.
The streets are wide and regular, crossing each other at right
angles, and at convenient intervals. The grades are uniform,
with a sufficient fall toward the river to secure perfect drain-
age, and aflbrd a never-failing auxiliary to the natural health-
fulness of the place. The business houses are capacious and
convenient, while many of them, by their imposing appear-
ance, impart a metropolitan air to the city. The private res-
idences, many of which are of brick, are generally neat and
tasteful, and freque*itly illustrate some of the most modern
and artistic achievements in architecture.
The first white settlement at South Bend was made by
Alexis Coquillard, in the Spring of 1S24. This was also the
first in the county. This gentleman Avas an Indian-trader,
and agent for the North American Fur Company, then under
the control of John Jacob Astor. He was a Frenchman,
originally from Montreal, and, having lived a great portion
of his life with the Indians, became a thorough pioneer of tlie
old school. As a business man he was enterprising, prudent
and successful. Other settlers soon followed, and step by step
the little town grew into a city, and from an infant city to an
important manufacturing and commercial centre.
We have no space in this volume to speak of the educa-
tional advantages of South Bend in the manner in which their
importance deserves. Notre Dame! Who is not familiar with
the name, and with its great merits? "Notre Dame Univer-
sity " is one of the few institutions of learning in the State
45 G HISTORY OF INDIANA.
which liavc taken a liip^h stand in the estimation of the world.
It is a Catholic institution, ai d is justly tlic boast of that
people. From all parts of th', world it attracts its pupils;
foreign countries as well as all ] arts of our own fair land, con-
tributing their quota to swell tlic number who haunt the lovely
shades of Xotrc Dame and imbibe instruction and knowlcdirc
in its ]u-incely halls. The professors, who deal out learning in
the ablest manner, are selected with woridrous care, and by
their attainments and power of imparting the gleanings of
studious years of research, have made an education gained at
this university a high honor to any young nian. Not oidy in
the more substantial elements of learning does this famed
institution excel. The rcsthetic is given a prominent place in
the curriculum of study, and combines with the more sc»lid and
practical branches to form a result but little short of jK'rfec-
tion. The extent and magnitude of the grounds and build-
ings are ever the wonder of the admiriuir stramrer. lie had
dreamed of something on an enormous scale, but lalling short
of this. To the guest of South Bend, Notre Dame is a prom-
inent place of interest, and the afl'aljility of its polite brothers
tends not a little to make it so. The })residing genius of the
institution is well and widely known as Father Lcmonnier,
revered, and loved of all. It is the headquarters of Father
Sorin, general of the order.
" St. Mary's is none the less perfect in its own peculiar attri-
butes. Erected on a garden spot of earth, and in the midst
of grounds which nature and art have both ti-ied their most
skillful hands upon, it aifurds within its hallowed shades a
perfect home and school together. The common branches
and the rugged paths of leai-ning arc by no means igJiored
nor slighted; but St. IMary's particularly excels in the ])crfect-
ing of those accomjdishments which adorn the mind of lovely
woman and which send the elegancies of art into an otherwise
sordid and too common-place existence. Music, jKiinting and
needlework here receive that critical attention so often disre-
garded in other academies of this kind. From 'early morn
till dewy eve' music, drop]>ing from rose-bud mouths, liko
pearls, or brought from ivory keys in some mysterious man-
458 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
ner, sounds tlirougli tlicse stately buildings. Prominent among
tlic delightful features here seen is tlie care bestowed upon the
amenities of life. The polished manners of the Sisters of the
Holy Cross are insensibly communicated to the students, giv-
ing a well-bred and courteous air which a pupil of St. Mary's
never loses. At commencement there are gala days here;
crowds of friends, from afar, come to see and hear the ' sweet
girl graduates with their golden hair,' and to praise the skill
and excellence evinced in their instruction.
" St. Joseph's Academy is under the same supervision, but
situated on a commanding spot in our city, instead of some
distance down the banks of the beautiful river, as is St. Mary's.
It possesses the same excellencies, however, although on a less
colossal scale. At both of tlicse institutions special attention
is given to health, and the watchful care and tender nursing
of these gentle sisters is a great object to parents who would
not otherwise dare to send their little ones away from home."*
The public schools of South Bend are in a good, efficient
condition. The high school has all the attractions of the
metropolitan high school, and is under a very able manage-
ment. The schools throughout the whole county are above
the average county schools of the State.
The manufacturing interests of South Bend are very exten-
sive, and are yearly increasing. Tlie city has excellent bank-
ing facilities; and the commercial industries are full of
promise. There is no city in Indiana growing faster. The
population is about twelve thousand.f
* Compiled from Turner's Annual.
f There are many of the special features of the county which we are
compelled to pass over for want of space.
CnATTEE LYIII.
MADISON COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
MADISON county was first settled in 1S20, or during the
year preceding. In 1820, the county contained, probably,
one hundred settlers, who were located, for the most part, near
the falls of Fall creek. Among this number may be mentioned
the names of Elias Ilollingsworth, Stimuel Holliday, Thomas
and William McCartney, Thomas Scott, Israel Cocks, and Saul
Sliaul. Adam Dobson, Parmer Patrick, and William and
Thomas Silver followed soon after. " From this infant settle-
ment," says Mr. Ilarding, "we have grown to a population of
25,000."
The county, as a rule, might be called level; "there are,
however, on AVhite river and Fall creek, hills of considerable
size. There is comparatively little waste land in the county.
The prairie, between Pendelton and Anderson, for many years
considered as waste land, is gradually being subdued, and will
soon become the garden spot of the county, instead of being
the home of miasma and noxious weeds." * Improvements in
this land, by a system of ditching, are rapidly going forward.
The county is well watered by numerous creeks, which have
served a valuable day for mill owners, and which drain the
soil admirably.
Madison county was organized in 1823. At that time the
county seat was located at Pendleton, where it remained until
I83G, when is was permanently located at Anderson. The
poi)ulation of the county in 1830, was 2,238; in 1840, it was
8,874; in 1850, it was 12,375; in 1860, it was 16,518; in 1870,
it was 22,770; and, in 1875, is estimated in round numbers at
♦ Mr. Hardins's work.
o
459
460 mSTOKY OF INDIANA.
25,000, with a voting populution of 5,272. The number of
acres of improved land in 1S70, was 133,190. The number
of acres of woodland was 87,521. A survey of the county at
this time woukl sliow an extension of the former, not a little
llattcrin": to tlie liusbandman. Tlie cash value of farm-s in
1870, was $9,399,441; tlic value of iarm implements and
machinery, $242,571; value of orcliai-d jiroducts, $70,2G2.
The compilers of this work have ascertained that the increase
in these items during the last live years has been over sixty
per cent, per annum.
There is nothing remarkable in the early history of the
30unty, except the Indian murders of 1824, of which wc have
the ibllowing account in Mr. O. II. Smith's "Early Ileminis-
cences of Indiana:"
At the time of tlie Indian murders on Fall creek, the coimtrj- was new
and the population scattered here and there in the woods. The game was
plenty, and the Indian hunting grounds had not been forsaken by several
of the triljes. The while sclllers felt some alarm at the news of an Indian
encampment, in the neighborliood, and althougli they were all friendly, a
watchful eye was kept on all their movements. The county of JNIadison
had been organized but a short time before. Pendleton, with a few houses
at tlie falls, was the scat of tljc new county. Anderson, on White river,
was a small village. Chesterfield and Iluutsfield were not then heard of.
There were onlj- a few houses between Indianapolis and the falls, and still'
fewer in other directions from the capital. Early in the spring of 1834, a
hunting party of Seneca Indians, consisting of two men, three squaws, and
four children, encamped on the east side of Fall creek, about eight miles
.above the falls. The countr}- around their camping ground was a dense,
unbroken forest, filled with game. The principal Indian was calk?d Lud-
low, and was said to be named for Stephen Ludlow, of Lawrenceburg.
The other man I call ]\Iingo. The Indians commenced their seasons hunt-
ing and traiipiug — the men with their guns, and the squaws setting the
traps, jireparing and cooking the game, and caring for the children — two
bo3's, some ten years old, and two girls of more tender years. A week liad
rolled around, and the success of the Indians had been very fair, with bet-
ter prospects ahead, as the spring was opening, and racoons were begin-
ning to leave tlieir holes in the trees in search of frogs tlia-t had begun to
leave their muddy beds at the bottom of tlie creeks. The trapping season
was only just commencing. Ludlow and his band, wholly unsuspicious
of harm, and unconscious of any approaching enemies, were seated around
their camp fire, when there ajiproached through the woods five white men
— Harper, Sawj-er, Hudson, Bridge, Sen., and Bridge, Jr. Harper was the
leader, and stepping u^j to Ludlow, took him by the hand and told him his
MADISON COUKTT — IIISTOEICAIi. 461
party liad lost llicir liorses, and wanted Ludlow and Uringo to liclj) find
them. The Indians agreed to po in search of the horses. Ludhnv took
one path, and Jlingo another. Harper followed Ludlow, Hudson trailed
l^lingo, keeping some fifty yanls behind. They traveled some short dis-
tance from the camp, when Harper shot Ludlow through the body. He
fell dead on his face. Hudson, on hearing the crack of the riOe of Harper,
immediately shot ]\Iingo, the liall entering just below his shoulders, and
passing clear tlirough his bodj'. ]\Iingo fell dead. The party then met
and proceeded to witiiiu gunshot of the camp. Sawyer shot one of the
squaws through the liead. She fell and died without a struggle. Bridge,
Sen., shot another squaw, and Bridge, Jr., the otlicr squaw. Botli fell
""^cnd. Sawyer then fired at the oldest boy, but onl}' wounded him. The
oilier children were shot by some of the party. Harper then led on to the
camp.
The tliree squaws, one boy, and the two little girls lay dead, but tb«
ohlest boy was still living. Sawyer took him by the legs, and knocked
his brains out against the end of a log. The camp was then robbed of
everything worth carrying away. Harper, the ring leader, left immediately
for Ohio, and was never taken. Hudson, Sawyer, Bridge, Sen., and Bridge,
Jr., were arrested, and when I first saw them they were confined in a square
log jail, fitting tight above, below, and on the sides. I entered with the
sheriff. The prisoners were all heavily ironed and sitting on the straw on
the fioor. Hudson was a man of about middle size, with a bad look, dark
eye and bushy hair, about thirty-five years of age in appearance. Sa\\ycr
was about the same age, rather heavier than Hudson, but there was nothing
in his appearance that could have marked him in a crowd, as any other
than a common farmer. Bridge, Sen., was much older than Sawyer; his
head was quite grey, he was above the common height, slender, and a little
bent while standing. Bridge, Jr., was some eiglitcen years of age, a tall
stripling. Bridge, Sen., was the father of Bridge, Jr., and the brothcr-in-
law of Sawyer.
The news of these Indian murders flew upon the wings of the wind.
The settlers became greatly alarmed, fairing the retaliatory vengeance of
the tribes, and especially of the other bands of the Senccas. The facts
reached Mr. John Johnston, at the Indian agency at Piqua, Ohio. An
account of the murders was sent from the agency to the war department
ut Washington City. Colonel Johnston and "William Conner visited all
the Indian tribes, and assured them that the government would punish
the offenders, and obtaining the promises of the chiefs and warriors that
tJiey would wait and see what their " Great Father " would do before they
took the matter into their own hands. This quieted the fears of the set-
tlers, and preparation was commenced for the trials. A new log building
was erected at the north part of Pendleton, with two rooms, one for the
court and the other for the grand jury. The court room was about twenty
by thirtj^ feet, with a heavy "puncheon " floor, a platform at one end, three
feet high, with a strong railing in front, a bench for the judges, a plain
table for the clerk, in front a long bench for the counsel, a little pen for
462 HISTORY OF INDIAJJA.
the prisoners, a side bench for the Tvitnesses, and a long pole in front, sub-
stantially supported, to separate the crowd from the court and bar. A
guard by day and night was placed around the jail. The court was com-
posed of Wm. W. Wick, presiding judge; Samuel Holliday and Adam
"Wincholl, associates. Judge Wick was young on the bench, but with
much experience in criminal trials. Judge Holliday was one of the best
and most conscientious men I ever knew. Judge Wincholl was a black-
smith, and had ironed the prisoners; he was an honest, rough, frank, ill-
iterate man, without any pretensions to legal knowledge. Moses Cox was
the clerk; lie could barely write his name, and when a candidate for
justice of the peace at Conncrsville, he boasted of his superior qualifica-
tions : " I have been sued on every section of the statute, and know all about
the law, while my competitor has never been sued, and knor/s nothing
about tlie statute." Samuel Cory, the sherilT, was a fine specimen of a
woods' iloosier, tall and strong boned, with hearty laugh, without fear of
man or beast, witJi a voice that made the woods ring as he called the jurors
and witnesses. The county was thus prepared for the trials. In the mean
time the government was not sleeping. Colonel Johnston, the Indian
agent, was directed to attend the trials to see that the witnesses were pre-
sent and to pay their fees. Gen. James Noble, then a United States sen-
ator, was employed by tlie secretary of war to prosecute, with power to fee
an assistant. Philip Sweetzcr, a young son-in-law of the general, of high
promise in his profession, was selected by the general as his assistant;
Calvin Fletcher was the regular prosecuting attorney, then a young man
of more than ordinary ability, and a good criminal lawyer. The only inn
at Pendleton was a new frame house near the creek, still standing by the
Bide of the railroad bridge.
The term of the court was about being held. The Sunday before the
term commenced the lawyers began to arrive, and, as the custom was in
those days, they were invited out to dine on the Sabbath by the most
wealthy citizens, as a favor and compliment, not to the lawyers, but to
their hosts. We had a statute in those days imposing a fine of one dollar
on each person who should "profanely curse, swear, or damn," and making
it the dut}' of all judges and magistrates to see that the law was enforced
upon offenders in their presence. Judge Holliday invited Calvin Fletcher,
the circuit prosecuting attorney, and his Indianapolis friend, Daniel B.
Wi:k — the brother of the judge — to dine with him. The invitation Avas
accepted, of course, there being no previous engagement in the way. Din-
ner was announced; Judge Holliday asked a " blessing " at the table — Mr.
Fletcher declining. The judge had killed a fat goose for the extraordinary
occasion, which was nicely stuffed with well seasoned bread and onions
and placed in the centre of the table. Mr. Wick, who was not a church
member, fixed his ej'e upon the goose, and said, by way of compliment,
" That is a damned fine goose, judge." " Yes, it is a fine gooso, and you are
fined one dollar for swearing." Not a word more was spoken at the table.
Dinner over. Judge Holliday said, " 'Squire Wick, pay me the dollar." " I
have not a cent with me, judge." " Perhaps Mr. Fletcher will lend it to
MADISON COUNTY niSTOKICAL. 4C3
you." Mr. Fletcher: "I really have only enough -with me to pay my
tavern bill." Judge Holliday: " "What is to be done?" Fletcher: "Lend
him the money, judge, and take his note, or bind liim over to court." " I'll
bind liim over; you'll go his security.?" "The rules of the court forbid
lawyers from going security for any one, but you can go it yourself; just
draw the recognizance that 'Daniel B. Wick and Samuel Holliday ap-
peared before Samuel Holliday, associate judge of the Madison circuit
court, and acknowledged themselves to be indebted to the State in the
penalty of twenty-five dollars each for tlie appearance of Daniel B. "Wick
at the next term of the court to answer.' " The reasonable proj)ositiou of
Mr. Flctclicr was at once accepted by all parties. The recognizance was
taken in due form, and forfeited at the next term, by the absence of Mr.
Wick. Judgment was rendered against Judge Ilollidtiy for ticenty-five dol-
lars. A petition to the governor was drawn up, and signed by tlie whole
bar; a remittance soon followed.
Tlie trial of Hudson commenced tlie next day after the Sabbath dinner
at Judge Holliday's, and will now be sketched.
The day for the trial of Hudson, one of the prisoners, arrived. A
number of distingurslied lawyers were in attendance from this State, and
several from the State of Ohio. Among the most promineut'I name
General James Noble, Philips Sweetzer, Harvey Gregg, Lot Bloomfield,
James Bariden, Gharles H. Test, Calvin Fletcher, Daniel B. "Wick, and
William B. ^lorris, of this State; General Sampson ]^Iason, and Moses
Vance, of Ohio. Judge Wick being temporarily absent in the morning,
William B. Morris arose and moved the associate judges — "I ask that
these gentlemen be admitted as attorneys and counsellors at this bar;
they are regular practitioners, but have not brought their license with
tliem." Judge Winchell — "Have they come here to defend the prison-
ers ?" " The most of them have." " Let them be sworn ; nobody but a
lawj-er would defend a murderer."
!Slr. Morris — "I move the court for a writ of habeas corpus, to bring
up the prisoners now illegally confined in jail." Judge Winchell — "For
•what?" "A writ of habeas corpus." "What do you want to do with it?"
"To bring up the prisoners and have them discharged." "Is there any
law for that?" Morris read the statute regulating the writ of habeas
corpus. "That act, Mr. Morris, has been repealed long ago." "Your
honor is mistaken, it is a constitutional writ, as old as Magna Charta,
itself" "Well, Mr. Morris, to cut the matter short, it would do you no
good to bring out the prisoners. I ironed them myself, and you w^II
never get them irons off until they have been tried, habeas corpus or no
habeas corpus." Percuria "motion overruled." Judge Wick entered and
took his seat between the two side judges. " Call the grand jury." All
ffnswer to their names and are sworn. Court adjourned for dinner. Court
met; the grand jurj' brought into court an indictment for murder, drawn
by Mr. Fletcher, against Hudson. Counsel on both sides — "Bring the
prisoner into court." Tlie court — "Sheriff, put in the box a jury."
Sheriff— "May it please the court, Dr. Highday just handed me a list
464 HISTORY OF I^^)IA^rA.
of jurors to call on the jury." Judge "Wick — "Bring Dr. Highday into
court." " Dill 3'our honor wish to see me?" "Dr. Iligliday, is this your
hand writing?" "I presume it is." "Dr. Highday, we have no jail to
put you in, llie one we have is full; hear your sentence: it is the judg-
ment of tlie court that you be banished from these court grounds till the
trials are over. Sherill", sec the judgment of the court carried strictly into
execution."
I digress to give the scene in court, published by General Sampson
M.asou, in a Springfield, Ohio, paper. "As I entered the court room, the
judge was sitting on a block, paring his toe nails, when the sherill"
entered, out of breath, and informed the court that he had six jurors tied,
and his deputies were running down the others." General INIason, with
all liis candor, unquestionably drew upon his imagination in this
instance.
Hudson, the prisoner, was brought into court by the deputy sheriff and
two of the guard. His appearance had greatly changed since I first saw
him in tlic log pen willi Iiis comrades in crime. lie was now pale,
liaggard, and downcast; and with a faltering voice, answered upon his
arraignment, "Not guilty." Tlic petit jury were hardy, honest pioneers,
wearing moccasins and side knives. The evidence occupied but a single
day, and was positive, closing every door of hope to the prisoner. The
prosecuting attorney read the statute creating and affixing the punish-
ment to tiie homicide, and plainly stated tlie substance of the evidence,
lie was followed for the prisoner, in able, eloquent, and powerful
speeches, appealing to the prejudice of the jury against the Indians;
relating in glowing colors the early massacres of white men, women and
children, by the Indians; reading the principal incidents in the history of
Daniel Boone and Simon Kenton; relating tlieir cruelties at the battle of
Blue Licks and Bryant's station, and not forgetting the defeat of Brad-
dock, St. Clair, and Ilarmar. General James Noble closed the argument
for the State in one of his forcible speeches, holding up to the jury the
bloody clothes of the Indians, and appealing to the justice, patriotism,
.".ml love of the laws of the jury, not forgetting that the safety of the
settlers might depend upon the conviction of the prisoners, as the chiefs
ind warriors expected justice to be done. The speech of the general had
a marked ellect upon the crowd, as well as the jury. Judge Wick
charged the jurj- at some length, laying down the law of homicide in its
diflerent degrees, and distinctly impressing upon the jury that the law
knew no distinction as to nation or color; that the murder of an Indian
was equjdly as criminal in law as the murder of a white man. The jury
retired, and next morning brought into court a verdict of "guilty of
murder in the first degree," motion for a new trial overruled. The pris-
oner was brought into court, and sentence of death pronounced in the most
solemn manner, by Judge "Wick. The time for the execution was fixed,
as is usual, for a distant day. In the meantime Hudson made his escape
from tlic guard one dark night, and hid himself in a hollow log in the
woods, Where he was found and arrested.
MADISON COUNTY HISTORICAL. 465
Time rolled on, llic fatal day for execution arrived, multitudes of people
were there. Among them -wore seen several Scnecas, relatives of tho
murJcrcd Indians. The gallows was erected just above the falls, on the
north side. Tlie people covered the surrounding liills, and at the
appointed hour, Iludsnu, by the forfeiture of his life, made the last
carliily atonement for liis crimes.
Sucli was the result of tlie first case on record in America where a
wliitc man was hung for killing an Indian. The other cases were con-
tinued until the next term of the court, and will be the subject of a
distinct sketch.
TRIAL OF SAWYER.
Monday morning came. Court met. Judge Eggleston, in fine health,
on the bench in the center; Adam Winchell on his left, and Samuel
ITolliday on his right, Closes Cox at the clerk's desk, Samuel Cory on the
sheriffs platform, and Colonel John Berry, captain of the guard, leaning
against the logs. The grand jury were called, sworn and charged, and
court adjourned for dinner. In the afternoon, the evidence of the main
witness was heard. I had prepared the indictments in my office and had
them with me. The foreman signed the bills on his knee, and they were
all returned into court before the adjournment. That night. Colonel John
Johnston, the Indian agent, called at my room and offered me one
hundred dollars on behalf of the United States. I informed him that I
was a Slate officer and could not accept the money, however templing it
might bo under other circumstances.
The court met in the morning. AVe agreed to tr3^Sawyer first for shoot-
ing one of the squaws. The prisoner was brought into court by tlie sher-
ill. He appeared so haggard and changed by his long confinement, that I
scarcely knew him. The court-room was crowded. General James Noble,
Philips Sweetzer and myself for the State; James Rariden, Lot Bloom-
field, William R. IVIorris and Charles II. Test, for the prisoner. Judge
Eggleston — " Slierifl", call the petit jurj'." Judge Winchell — " Sheritf, call
Squire ISIakepeace on the jury, he will be a good juror; he will not let
one of these murderers get away." Judge Eggleston, turning to Judge
Winchell: "This will never do. What! the court pack a jury to try a
capital case?" The jury was soon impannelcd. The evidence was con-
clusive that the prisoner had shot one of the squaws at the camp with his
rifle after the killing of Ludlow and Mingo by Harper and Hudson in the
woods. The jury were a hardy, heavy-bearded set of men, Avith side
knives in their belts, and not a pair of shoes among the whole of them;
all wore moccasins.
Mr. Sweetzer opened for the State with a strong matter-of-fact speech;
that was his forte. He was followed in able specclies by IMr. ^Morris, Mr.
Test and !Mr. llariden, for the prisoner. General Nolde closed for tlie
prosecution, with a powerful speecli. The general Avas one of the strong,
est and most effective speakers before a jury, or a promiscuous assembly
466 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
I have ever heard. The case went to the jurj' under an able charge from
Judge Egglcston, and court adjourned for dinner.
At tlie meeting of the court in the afternoon, tlie jury returned a verdict
of "guilty of manslaugliter," two years liard Labor in the penitentiary.
Mr. Huriden sprang to his feet, "If the court please, we let judgment go
on the verdict, and arc ready for tlie case of Sawyer, for killing the Indian
boy at the camp." "Ready for the State." The same jury were accepted
by both sides — being in the box. They were immediately sworn. The
evidence was heard again conclusive against the prisoner. General Noble
opened for the prosecution, and was followed by diaries 11. Test, "William
I?. Morris and James Rariden, with powerful speeches. The jury were
referred to their verdict in the previous case, and their judgment warmly
eulogized. This was, by arrangement, my case to close. I saw mj' posi-
tion, and that the only point I had to meet, was to draw the distinction
between the two cases, so as to justify the jury in finding a verdict for
manslaughter in the one case, and of murder in the case before them. In
law Uicre was no difference whatever. The}- were both cold-blooded mur-
ders. The calico shirt of the murdered boy, stained with blood, laj' upon
the table. I was closing a speech of an hour. Stepping forward, I took
up the bloody shirt, and holding it up to the jury: " Yes, genllcmcn of
the jury, the cases are very different. You might find the prisoner guilty
of only manslaughter, in using his rifle on a grown squaw; that was the
act of a man, but this was the act of a demon. Look at this shirt, gentle-
men, with the bloody stains upon it; this was a poor, helpless boy, who
was taken by the heels by this fiend in human shape, and his brains
knocked out against a log! If the other case was manslaughter, is not
this murder?" The ej-es of the jury were filled with tears. Judge Eg-
glcston gave a clear and able charge upon the law. The jurj--, after an
absence of only a few minutes, returned a verdict of ''murder in the first
degree." The prisoner was remanded, and court adjourned.
TRIAL OF BRIDGE SCENES AT THE EXECUTION.
The next morning the case of Bridge, Sen., for shooting a little Indian
girl at the camp, was called. The prisoner entered with the sheriff. He
was more firm in his step and looked better than Sawyer, though a much
older man. A jury was impannelled. The proof was positive. The case
was argued by Mr. ^lorris and ]Mr. Rariden for the prisoner, and Sweet-
zer and myself for the State. The charge was given by Judge Eggleston,
and after a few minutes' absence the jury returned a verdict of "murder
in the first degree." The only remaining case — of the strippling. Bridge,
Jr., for the other Indian boy at the camp — came on next. The trial was
more brief, but the result was the same — verdict of murder in the first
degree, with a recommendation, however, to the governor for a pardon, in
consequence of his youth, in which the court and bar joined. The trials
closed. Fro forma motions for new trials were overruled, the prisoners
remanded, to be brought up for sentence next morning, and the court
adjourned.
I
MADISON COUNTY DESCKimVE. 467
Morning came and with it a crowded court house. As I walked from
the tavern I saw tlie guards approacliing with Sawyer, Bridge, Sen., and
liridgc, Jr., with downcast eyes and tottering steps, in their* midst. The
prisoners entered tlie court room and were seated. Tlie sherifl' commanded
silence. The prisoners rose, the tears streaming down their faces, and
their groans and siglis filling the court room. I fixed mj- eyes upon Judge
EggU'ston. I liad heard him pronounce sentence of dcafli on Fuller, for
the murder of "Warren, and upon Fields, for the murder of Murpliy. But
here was a still more solemn scene. An aged fatlicr, liis fnvorite son and
his wife's brother — all standing before him to receive sentence of death.
The face of the judge was pale, his lips quivered, his tongue faltered, as
he addressed the prisoners. The sentence of death by hanging was pro-
nounced, but the usual conclusion, "And may God have mercy on your
Bouls," was left struggling for utterance.
The time for the execution was fixed at a distant day; but it soon rolled
around. The gallows was erected on the north bank of Fall creek, just
above the falls, at the foot of the rising grounds you maj' see from tho
cars. The hour for the execution had come. Thousands surrounded the
gallows. A Seneca chief, with his warriors, was posted near the brow of
the hill. Sawyer and Bridge, Sen., ascended the scaffold together, were
executed in quick succession, and died without a struggle. The vast audi-
ence were in tears. The exclamation of tlie Senecas was interpreted —
"We are satisfied." An hour expired. The bodies were taken down and
laid in their coffins, when there was seen ascending the scaflbld Bridge,
Jr., the last of the convicts. His step was feeble, requiring the aid of the
sheriff. The rope was adjusted, lie threw his eyes around upon the
audience and then down upon the coffins, where lay exposed the bodies of
bis father and uncle. From that moment his wild gaze too clearly showed
that the scene had been too much for his youthful mind. Reason had
partially left her throne and he stood wildly looking at the crowd, appa
rently unconscious of his position. The last minute had come, when
James Brown Ray, tho Governor of the State, announced to the immense
assemblage that the convict was pardoned. Never before did an audience
more heartily respond, while there was a universal regret that the exec-
utive mercy had been deferred to the last moment. Thus ended the only
ti-ials where convictions of murder were ever had, followed by the execu-
tion of white men, for killing Indians, in the United States.
Anderson, the county seat of Madison county, is located on,
tlie south bank of "White river. It is named in remembrance
of a Delaware chief of that name, and is the site of an old
Indian village. This Indian Tillage, or what remained of it,
was consumed by fire, by order of General Harrison, in 1813.
Xot far distant were the small villages of Bucktown, Nanticoke
and Greentown. Among the first settlers of Anderson, were
William Allen, John Berry, Alford Makepeace, Samuel Carry,
468 msTOKY OF Indiana.
N. Berry, and William Curtis. A few years later, tins little
comTimnity was increased by Jose])li Howard, G. T. Hoover,
Dr. Wyman, R. N. Williams, J. M. Zekc, C. D. Henderson,
and Andrew Jackson. About the year 1S28-30, they were
joined by W. G. Atlicrton, W. 13. Allen, Orcn Toddliunter,
John Davis, William Beard, and Dr. T. Eyan. But we have
no space to follow the growth of Anderson. Step by step, in
all its measures of growth, it has become one of the most enter-
prising cities in the State, and has a population of nearly five
thousand. It is thrifty in business, enterprising in manu-
factures, and prominent in education. Anderson docs, however,
need one thing — indeed, the whole county needs it — a better
court house. Probably this will be erected soon. The schools
and school buildings, both in the city and county, are in a fair
condition.
The following are among the leading business and profes-
sional men of Anderson at the present time: Col. N. Berry,
Col. M. S. Bobinson, Ex-Judge Lake, Ex-Judge West, William
Crim, John E. Corwin, J. M; Dickson, T. Byan, W. B. Pearse,
J. W. McAllister, Hon. James Sansbery, N. C. McCollough,
banker; H. IS". McComber, dentist; James H. McConnell.
The principal banks are, the Exchange Bank (W. Crim,
president, and Jos. Fulton, cashier); the Citizens' Bank (N.
C. McCollough, cashier); and tlie Madison County Bank (J. E.
Corwin, president, cashier.) These banks are all in a
sound condition, and are enjoying the well-merited confidence
of the public.
Among the leading commercial houses in Anderson, there
may be mentioned: John P. Barns, hardware; J. M. Warner,
clothing merchant; J. T. Elliott, boots and shoes; Klein &
Sharp, groceries ; J. H. Cridcr, hatter ; D. H. Patterson,
grocer; Bell Bros., dry goods; D. C. East & Bro., dry goods;
W. W. Williams, dry goods; Bosworth <& Bro., doors, sash,
blinds, etc.; Lee M. Trees, dry goods.
The court house, such as it is, is located in the public square,
around which the principal business houses of the city have
been located. Many of the buildings are of a modern style of
architecture, and, in every particular, Anderson presents a
thrifty appearance.
CHAPTER LIX.
BULLIVAN, CLAY, OWENS, GREENE, LAWRENCE, AND JACKSON
COUNTIES HISrORICAX A_ND DESCRIPTIVE.
SULLIYAN county was organized in 1817, and embraced,
at the date of its formation, all the territory north of
Knox county to the lakes. The present limits include about
four hundred and twenty square miles. The county received
its name in honor of General Sullivan, of revolutionary fame,
who was the intimate friend of General Knox, after whom
Knox county was named.
The first settlement in Sullivan county was made by tlie
family of James Ledgewood, who located near the present site
of Carlisle, in 1803. Colonel Samuel Ledgewood, a son of
James, lived Anthin a mile of where his father settled, for many
years after, and was a leading and respected citizen of the
county. The Ledgewood family were the first settlers north
of Knox county, and should have a prominent place in the
history of Sullivan county.
Those who followed James Ledgewood, and were early set-
tlers in the county, were Benjamin Price, Major Watson,
Thomas Ilolden, Edward Parccll, Col. John Benefiel, and
others. Colonel Benefiel was a member of the first constitu-
tional convention, held in 1816. He represented Knox county,
which, at that time, included Sullivan.
In 1808, Carlisle was laid off, and quite a settlement sprang
up in that vicinity during the same year. It was at this place
that the early county courts were held. Judge Prince, presid-
ing; George It. C. Sullivan, prosecuting attorney; and IL
Buutin, sherifi". Tlie courts were often held under a large
beech tree in the north part of the town. At an early da^,
469
470 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
tlic county seat was removed to Merom, wliere it remained
until 1S43, when, after a good deal of diflicult}-, it was per-
manently located at Sullivan. Carlisle being the oldest town
in the county, though not the largest, has several historical
phases; In the first place, it is one of the oldest American
settlements in the State. During the war of 1812, it figured
prominently, furnishing many brave soldiers for the field. It
was near Carlisle that the ''Dudley Mack" massacre took
place during the war.
The county is watered by Busseron and Turman's creeks.
The latter was named after Benjamin Turman, the first settler
on the west side of the county in ISOG. The lands lying in
Sullivan county are equal to those of the best agricultural
counties in the State, and for mineral wealth the county lias
but few rivals. The Wabash bottoms, which are extensive in
this county, are excellent lands for corn. There are large
tracts of beach and sugar lands, M'hich are well adapted to the
production of clover and timothy, as also oak lands to that of
wheat and other grains. The to^vnships of Curry, Jackson,
Cass, and Jefierson, have an abundant supply of the very best
bituminous coal in the State. Tliese extensive coal fields are
being mined, without interfering in any degree with the agri-
cultural interests of the surface of the country. Numerous
coal shafts are already in working order, from which immense
quantities of coal are shipped to Chicago and other cities.
The town of Sullivan, located nearly in the center of the
county, is the county seat, and has a population of over two
thousand. It is incorporated as a town, having a board of
trustees and a town clerk and a marshall. Until within a few
years, the town government has not been very enterprising,
but recently a new spirit of enterprise has taken hold of both
people and government. The public schools, for so many
years neglected, are now both an honor and an ornament to
the town. The public school building, an engraving of which
we prcFent herewith, is one of the finest in the State. It is a
magnificent three story brick structure, having been erected at
a cost of over twenty thousand dollars, and capable of seating
about six hundred pupils, exclusive of the spacious hall for
SULLIVAN COUNTY.
471
general exercises, wliicli is capable of seating about five
hundred people. There is a well conducted school kept open
in this building the whole year. When the town school year
is closed, the school is continued as a private enterprise. It
is known as the " Ascension Seminary," and is called one of
the most successful graded schools in the State. Governor
Hendricks, at a visit to this school, two years ago, expressed
himself happily surprised at finding it so efiicient, and the
pupils so well advanced in all branches of study.
PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING, SULLIVAN.
Sullivan is situated on the Evansville, Terre Haute and
Chicago railroad, and will soon have the benefits of an east
and west road, which is now in contemplation, to run through
Greene county. With an extensive and abundantly rich agri-
cultural region around it, with inexhaustable coal fields on
either side, and with sterling business men, may we not expect
Sui^LivAN soon to reach a position of eminence among the
cities of the State. The court house, located here, is a fine
building, having cost over sixty thousand dollars. It is
located in a pleasant square of over two acres, and will, during
the present season, be enclosed by a substantial iron fence.
472 nisTOKY OF Indiana.
Merom is also a lively town in this county. It lias tlio
Union Christian College, one of the best institutions of the
tind in the State, nndcr the patronage of the denomination
of Christians (New Liglits,) and destined to become a leading
collcjre. Tliis institution has a most dch^htlul site, beinjr
built upon tlic highest point on the Wabash, and commanding
an extended view of tlie Illinois prairies. This town is also
interesting to the scientist and antiquarian on account of tlie
recent discovery at that place of the remains of a once petri-
fied town, located on one of the highest points of the AVabash.
Investigation in this mound, has revealed stone vaults, human
ekelctons, implements of war, and many other rare curiosities.
The county was settled principally by Kentnchians, but
embraces persons from nearly every State. The citizens are
an exceedingly industrious and xcry intelligent class of people.
Sullivan county will keep pace with the rest of the] State, in
its grand march to progress and wealth.
The schools and churches all over the county ai'c in a fair
condition, and, what is still better, there is a disposition man-
ifesting itself to improve these. The county has fully entered
upon a new era of progress in all branches of industry, and in
all the professions. The population of the county is about
twenty-live thousand.
CLAY COUNTY.
This county is well watered by Eel I'iver, a branch of the
■west fork of the AVhitc river, of which Birch creek and Croy's
creek are tributaries. Numerous other small streams How
through the county. We should hasten to say that the genei-al
health of the county is good, for the reason tliat at an early
day it gained a bad reputation in this respect. It will be
remembered that the Wabash and Erie canal ])asscd through
this county, but this canal is now entirely abandoned south of
Tcrre Haute. The supply of water for this section of tho
canal was obtained from the great reservoirs fed by Eel river
and Birch creek, etc. Splurge creek reservoir embraced over
four thousand acres, and the Birch creek reservoir about four-
CLAY COUNTY. 473
teen liundred. When tlicsc reservoirs were created, the exten-
sive tracts of land overflowed were covered witli a dense forest,
but the stagnant water killed the trees and caused the vegeta-
tion to decay. This process charged the atmosphere with
miasmatic poison to sucli an extent that a general sickness
was engendered among the people for several miles in every
direction. These facts were scattered abroad, and did much
to turn the tide of immigration in other directions. Being
sorely grieved and unable to obtain redress from the courts,
the citizens of Clay county, who resided near these "stinking
pools," resolved to take the law in their own hands. They
assembled in force, cut the embankment, and let the water
free. This of course created a great sensation. Those inter-
ested in canal navigation M'cre injured, and the laws were
outraged. Troops wci-c sent out by the governor of the State
to bring the guilty parties to justice, but the people doubled
their resistance. They liad taken a decided stand against
having these miasmatic pools in the county and were not
wanting in courage when the militia appeared. The governor
findinir that an armed force was not calculated to enforce the
law, ajid being convinced of the impi'acticability of keeping
up the canal, concluded to withdraw the ti'oops and leave the
matter with the citizens. It is hardly necessary to add that
the canal reservoirs have not been seen since that day. Not a
vestiire of them can now be found, and the health of the
county could not be better.
There is considerable bog-iron ore in this county, large
quantities of which were successfully made into pig-iron in
the days of the canal, but when that system of inland com-
munication was abandoned, the smelting works were discon-
tinued. With the establishment of railroads, these will be
re-established and the valuable mineral resources of the State
developed. There are also some valuable mineral waters in
this county, which will be the means, when brought to notice,
of attractins: considerable attention.
The agricultural advantages of Clay county cannot be com-
pared with those of other counties, but forming is conducted
with moderately good results. Stock raising is also profitable.
474 UISTOKY OF ISDIA^A.
Tliere is an abundance of good timber, consisting cbiefly of
white, red and black oak.
The county seat of the county is Bowling Green. This
place has now a population of over one thousand, and is grow-
ing rapidly. It has lirst-class school facilities. The inhab-
itants are quite entcrjn'ising, and kec]) ])ace with the age in
their public improvements of all kinds. The schools of the
county are, for the most part, very acceptable, yet tliere is
much room for improvement — an improvement that will soon
be inaugurated. Brazil, with a population of over three
thousand, is the largest town in the county.
The county is very generally settled, and mostly its inhab-
itants are in a sound condition financially. The farmers are
all increasing their comforts, and adding to their means. In
every part of the county may be seen evidences of thrift and
good feeling.
OWEN COUNTY.
Owen county was settled in lSlG-17. The first settlers
were David Thompson, Philip Hart, Captain Bigger, John
Dunn and Bobcrt Blair. The county was named for Colonel
Abraham Owen, who was in the battle of Tij>pecanoe, on the
eighth of November, 1811. He was a volunteer aid-de-camp
to General Ilarrison.
The first court held in the county took place at the residence
of John Dunn, in INI arch, 1819, located about one mile east of
Spencer, Judge Blackford presiding, when Philip Hart, the
second settler, was fined twenty-one doUai-s and costs for com-
mitting an assault on Dr. David Thompson, the first white
settler of the county. Here is a case where the second settler
whipped the first settler. The respect shown to "first set-
tlers" in those days, however, is evinced by the fine. The
first white child born in the county was John R. K. Dunn,
whose father established the first ferry on the west fork of the
"Wliite river. In the year 1818, William Baker built a mill on
Kaccoon creek, and soon after a few of the early settlers " rig-
ged up a corn-cracker" on a small stream near the present
town of Gosport.
John Dunn was the third settler of the county. He came
GKEENE COUNTY. 475
in tlic winter, when the ground was covered with eight inches
of snow, and arriving on the banks of the White river in Feb-
ruary, IS 17, with his family, witliout a liouse of any kind to
protect them from the cokl, he commenced life in a rude camp,
and at once set about build ino^ a loii; house, which he accom-
j)lislied after great difficulty and suflering.
Spencer, the county scat, was located in 1820. The site was
donated by lliehard Bccm, Isaiah Cooper, John Bartholo-
mew and Philip Hart. It was laid out by James Galletly
and others. S])cncer is very pleasantly situated in the valley
of tlic west furk of the White river, on the Indiana and Vin-
ccnnes railroad. It has a po])ulation of about fifteen hundred,
and is in a nourishing condition. The to^\'n is named for Cap-
tain Spier Spencer, who fell at Tippecanoe.
There is some of the finest landscape scenery in this county
to be found in the State. The county has also its curiosities,
in the " Boone Cave," and the various Indian mounds. We
have been unable to procure as full statistics from this county
as we desired, but have ascertained that the schools in the
rural districts are in a fair condition, while those in the towns
arc equal to any in the State.
GEEEXE COUNTY.
Tnis county, which was named in honor of Gen. Natlianiel
Greene, was organized in 1821. Tlie county seat was first
located at Burlington, but was afterwards removed to Bloom-
field. The county has a population of about 26,000, and there
is every reason to suppose that it will be nearly, if not quite,
doubled in the next decade.
The resources of the county are excellent. The soil is good,
and there is an abundance of coal, iron ore, and limestone.
The coal and iron are easily rained, and exist in great quanti-
ties. Extensive business interests will, undoubtedly, spring
up out of the mineral resources of this county, which will be
fully developed in the course of the next five or ten years.
The extensive coal fields only await increased facilities for
transportation.
476 msTOET OF Indiana.
Bloomficld is the county seat, and is in a flourisliing condi-
tion. The public buildings arc in good order. Good schools
and school buildings exist in every quarter, Avith a few excep-
tions, and the religious societies represented have all substan-
tial houses of worship.
The lirst settlers of the county were John Van Vorst and
Daniel Carlin, who came in the spring of ISIS. In Novem-
ber of the same year, Peter C. Vanslyker, Sen., and his son,
Cornelius P., came with their families. In the S])ring of 1S19,
James Warwick, R. Ilill, Thomas Bradford, W. Robinson,
and Wm. Scott settled near the others. In 1S19, the Indians
who resided in the county, departed for their western liomes.
They bid an affectionate adieu to the graves of their forefathers,
and to their favorite hunting grounds. The scene was an
impressive one, and was long remembered by the settlers of
that year.
"Worthington, in this county, is also a very lively town.
T7ie White lilver Valley Times is published at this place.
The to\vn has unusual commercial advantages, and is destined
to become a prominent business centre.
LAWEEXCE COUNTY;
In 1810, a few heroic pioneers, fearless of danger, accustomed
to Indian life and usage, and lovers of border pastimes, settled
in Lawrence county. They came originally from Virginia, and
had remained one year in Kentucky, intending to settle per-
manently there, but changed their minds. At this early day,
especially in this section of the State, the hardy settler was not
permitted to erect his log cabin in peace. Tecumsch and the
Prophet had been at work, and the Indians were, at that time,
pretty well aroused. But these pioneers resolved to settle in
Lawrence county, and were not disposed to fear the Indians.
Their first business was to erect a fort, which was located about
one mile and a half north of Leesville, near where the old resi-
dence of " Granny "VYhite " stood for so many years afterwards.
This little fort was put up as a necessary defense of the pro-
posed settlement, and, although not of hea\'y proportions,
withstood many assaults from the Indians. The settlement
LAAVREXCE COUNTY. 477
U'as made by Daniel Gnntlirie, a liero of Braddoclv's defeat,
his sons, and Jacob and William Flinn. These have all, long
airo, jTone to their rest and their rewards.
The little settlement had scarcely been formed, -when the
Delawares began to make raids npon it, stealing everything
not secured within the fort. Horses were their favorite sjioils,
and it was difficult for the settlers to heep their animals, with-
out the strictest watch. These Indians scarcely ever made
open war on the settlement, but, professing friendship in day,
they would come in bands by night, and steal anything they
conld obtain. At one time, a party of these Indians was
pursued by Major Tipton, at the head of fifty militia. On
this occasion the stolen property was recovered, and the In-
dians severely punished.
On the tenth of March, 1815, the settlement, which by thia
time liad been largely increased, was attacked by a body of
Pottawatomics. This was a desperate day for the few early
settlers of Lawrence county. John Gunthrie was shot, and
Josiali Flinn scalped and tomahawked. Guntlirie was saved
from death by the heroism of his wife, who lifted him up and
carried him to the fort, whei-e lie recovered. Jacob Flinn was
captured at the same time, and carried off, but, after several
months, he managed to escape from his persecutors; but, be-
fore he reached the settlement, or obtained food of any kind,
except roots, he was reduced with hunger until his weight
was less than fifty pounds. His adventure was only one among
the thousands of thrilling incidents of pioneer life in the north-
west that will never be fully recorded.
In the winter of 1813-14, Roderick Rawlins made a settle-
ment in the bottoms, near the site of the present town of
Scottville. He was accompanied by two other parties. They
built a rude cabin in the winter, and felled a large number of
trees for a clearing, and, in the spring, visited Jeffersonville,
during which time their hut was robbed. In 1815, Edward
Johnston made a settlement opposite Scottville, on the farm
afterwards owned by Harry Bright. Other settlements were
also made, but nothing of importance transpired in the way
of improvements in the county until 1816, at the date of the
I
478 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
erection of tlie State, •\vlicn a new spirit of enterprise seized
the settlers, and the great tide of immigration commenced.
In lSlG-17 and IS, numerous settlements were made in the
county, hut during these years, and for several thereafter, thcro
was great suficring among the settlers. They were nearly all
very poor, and there was not a\ailahle market for the scanty
produce which their industry yielded. But after many years of
toil, and constant hardship, these pioneers have emerged from
poverty to wealth, fi'om toil to comfort.
From 1815 the little fort fell into disuse, and finally into
ruins, but the spot upon which it stood will always be sacred
to the people of Lawrence county, as that around which all
the exciting scenes and incidents of pioneer life centered,
Lawrence county was named after Captain Lawrence, of the
navy, and was oi'ganizcd in 1818. The county seat was at first
located at I'alestine. As an object for locating the capital of
the county at this point, Messrs. 13. and E. Blackwell and IE. ]\[.
Massie donated tlie authorities two hundred acres of land.
The fii-st court house wa3 erected at Palestine, and M-as of
hewed logs that would " fice a foot." It was two stories,
twenty by twenty-four feet. The old settlers inform us that I
there was as much political wrangling over the erection of
this log court house, as over the one recentl}'- erected at Bed- j
ford, the present county seat. The first court held in the
county, convened at the house of James Gregory, in June,
1818. Hon. Thomas IL Blake was the presiding judge, and
John Milroy and William Erwin were the associate judges.
In 1825, owing to the unhealthy condition of Palestine, the
county seat was removed to Bedford. This was a happy
change; one that marked the commencement of the real -
prosperity of the county. Bedford is now a town of over
two thousand inhabitants, in which is one of the finest court
houses in Indiana, havincc cost over one hundred thousand
dollars. The school building, in M-hich the graded schools arc ,
located, is an honor to the town and county. It has been
erected at a cost of over thirty thousand dollars, and is capable
of seating as many pupils as can be properly attended to in
one school. This house is elegantly appointed and fully sup-
JACKSON COUNTY. 479
plied -^tli all tlie necessary agencies for imparting instruction
in all branches of education.
There are in the county over one hundred and twenty good
school buildino^s. The children of the county, between the
ajjes of six and twenty-one, number fiye thousand seven hun-
drcd and seventeen. Tlic population of the county is about
nineteen thousand. Tlie town of Mitchell has also a fine
graded school, of which the people of that place are justly
proud.
The resources of Lawrence county compare favorably with
the other counties of the State, while its educational facilities
are considerably ahead of most counties of equal population
and wealth.
JACKSOX COUXTY.
Jackson county has a good soil, well adapted to the produc-
tion of all kinds of grain. Some parts of the county, how-
ever, have a clay soil, which is very poor. The county was
first settled in 1809, by parties from the falls of the Ohio and
from Kentucky. "Wlicn they first came to the county they
met with a few French traders, who complained that the trade
with the Indians had been ruined by the war. These French-
men left the county, and went, probably, to Vincennes.
Among the first Americans who settled in the county, were
II. and A. Kogers, Abram Miller, J. B. Durham, James
Ilutchinson, Thomas Ewing, John Ketcham, William Gra-
ham, Abram Huff, Tliomas Carr, and Alexander Craig.
In 1812, the Indians became troublesome, and some of tho
settlers removed to escape their wrath; others sent their fam-
ilies, but remained themselves. Tliey built a little fort for
their defense, which alone saved them from the " Pigeon
Hoost" massacre, where, in 1812, twenty families perished
beneath the tomahawk. This little fort was frequently
besieged, but always held out. The Indians, however, drove
off all the horses and cattle, and otherwise impoverished the
settlers.
John Ketcham lived near the site of the present town of
EroAvnstown, where he had a block house for his own protec-
480
raSTOKY OF INDIANA.
tion. In the iall of 1813, Mr. Ivctcliam and a lured man
named Buskirk, were hauling pumpkins from a field to tho
house, ]\[r. Ketcham driving and the other man following tho
team, when they were fired upon by Indians. Buskirk was
instantlj' killed, and Ketcham was wounded and would have
been tomahawked, only that his team became exceedingly
frightened and ran away, taking him along on the cart.
The news of this disaster was at once sent to the fort already
mentioned, which was at Yallonia, where a company of militia
had been organized. The troops started out the following day,
and finding the body of Buskirk, buried it, but so bold were
the Indians, in their assaults upon the militia, that one of tho
men lost his life, being fired on by the enemy from somo
hiding place. During the war of 1812-13, several persons
were shot and killed or wounded in this county. The Indians
were very hostile, and- kept a close watch for an opportunity
to pick off the settlers. However, the only battle fought in
the county during the war, was at Tipton Island, in 1814
There were about fifty Indians opposed to thirty whites, but
they were quickly dispersed, leaving one or two killed upon
the field. This encounter was conducted by General Tipton,
tho commander.
Jackson county was organized in 1815, by an act of the
Territorial legislature. In the following spring, the county
seat was located at Brownstown, which received its name in
honor of General Jacob Brown, who distinguished himself in
the war of 1812. Brownstown was laid out in the woods, and,
in consequence, the county scat was temporarily located at
Yallonia. Very soon after the organization of the county,
the population began to increase, and general improvement
was pushed forward. The surplus produce of the early set-
tlers was generally shipped down the Driftwood river in flat-
boats, but since the completion of the Ohio and Mississippi
railroad, the trade of the county has been carried to Cincin-
nati.
In 1830, a number of Germans settled in the eastern part
of the county. They were a very enterprising class of people,
and since their first residence in the county their numbers
WEI.L8 COUNTY HISTORICAL. 481
have been largely increased. Tliey liave done much to pro-
mote tlie material and moral growth of the county, and are
mostly all wealthy.
Ih-ownstown, one of tlie principal towns in the county, is
located on the Ohio and Mississippi railroad, and is in a nour-
ishing condition. It has a fair court house and guud school
facilities; population about one thousand. The largest ]»laco
in the county is Seymour, a town of over three thousand
inhabitants. It has every appearance of thrift, and is press-
ing forward iu all valuable industries and improvements.
CHAPTER LX.
WELLS COUNTY UISTORICAL AND DESCUimVE.
THE first smoke of civilization, said tlie lion. jS'ewton Bur-
well, within the limits of Wells county, curled above the
log cabin of Dr. Joseph Knox. That cabin was reared in the
year 1S20, on the western bank of the AV' abash, about five miles
below Bluffton, and on the farm now occuj)icd and owned by
Mr. Henry ^liller. Thei'C was made the first foothold on the
Iiuliiin's hunting ground, on the AVabasli river, between Fort
liecovery and the tovv'n of Iluntingtou. It was there, about
forty years ago, in the solitude of that awful wilderness, when
the first sound of the white man's axe disturbed the wolf and
panther in their jungle, and echoed throughout the wilderness
the knell of the red man's destiny.
Messrs. Yantrees and Warner, sons-in-law of Dr. Knox, soon
afterwards settled near him, and made the first openings on
the fai'ms known, respectively, as the James and Kobcrt
Ilarvey farms. These three families lived there about three
years, when, becoming tired of pioneer life, they sold their
interests iu the lands on which they had settled and left the
31
482 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
country. Mr. ]\[il]cr snccccdcd Dr. Kiiox in November, 1S.32,
and "fell to work with stronii; heart and ai-iiis," and hy dint
of his indnstrj, the little held and triic'k-])at('h that sur-
ronndcd the cabin of his predecessor, and aflui-ded him a
scanty supply of coarse bread and vegetables, have been trans-
formed into extended meadows, a iine lai-gc orchard, and iields
that were last autumn M'aving with golden grain. His brother,
Jacob Miller, settled a short distance below him about the
same time.
Following the address of the gentleman referred to in tho
opening sentence of this chapter, \vc learn that Mv. Allen Nor-
cross had settled on the oj)posite bank of the Wabash about
a year before Dr. Knox and his friends left, and was there
"when Henry Miller moved into the settlement.
The Black Hawk war, which in the year 1832 raged so fear-
fully in Illinois, and which spread such consternation through-
out the western settlement, began to alarm these new comers,
and Mr. Norcross "pulled up stakes," and M'ith his family
^ returned to his native State, where he remained until there
was no longer any danger to be apprehended.
This was a trying time with the two brothers and their
families, who were thus left alone in the wilderness. When
we take into consideration that Black Hawk, himself so lieart-
less and blood-thirsty, was daily increasing his force by acces-
sions from the restless and disaffected of the western tribes,
and that be had received encoui-agement from tlie British in
Canada, it is no wonder that these families, so destitute of
means of defense, and so far from material aid, should be
terror-stricken at the rumors that occasionally reached their
ears. The facilities for jrettinir war news were not so good as
they are now. Then the western lightning liad not been
taught to carry messages, nor had tliat animal, so peculiarly
domestic, the l7'onJlo7'se, hccn introduced into the wilderness.
There was not even, at that time, a government mail carried
on horseback through the western settlement to give informa-
tion from the seat of war. Weeks, or even months, might
intervene without knowing how many white fiimilies had been
made victims of the savage butchers, and then they would
WELLS COUNTY — DESCRIPTIVE. 483
only get tlie news from some wanderer, on his return from a
western trapping or fnr-buying excursion, as lie might chance
to come that way. Thus, these pioneers were liable to be in
constant fear, for they knew not but that the next news would
be brought by the dusky warriors themselves, who would deal
out death to them before they could have an opportunity of
escape.
In the years 1834^35-30, immigration set in rapidly. Among
the first settlers were Adam Miller, Charles Bennett, Thomas
W. Yan Horn, David Bennett, Solomon Johnson, Solomon
Sparks, Mason Powell, II. C. Bennett, Sen., Isaac Covert, AVm.
Covert, Adnah Ilall, Thomas T. Smith, Bowen Hale, James
Scott, Wm. 11, Parmalee, Wm. McDole, Abram McDoIe, "\Vm.
Priliaraan, Solomon Kemp, John A. Deam, Chads Chalfaut,
James Guthrey, Gabriel Markley, John Markley, Daniel Mil-
ler, Michael Miller, Joseph Logan, Elim Hooker, and a few
others.
The following sketch of pioneer life in "Wells county, from
the pen of Mr. Burwell, we quote entire. It is interesting
and truthful. Concerning the early settlers, he says: "They
settled in different parts of the county, or, rather, within the
limits of the county, for the county was not yet organized.
That was, indeed, a time that tried men's souls. If we will
but reflect on the condition of afi'airs then, and consider the
privations these early settlers had to suffer, we will I'cadily see
how unjust, and almost criminal it is for us to complain of our
condition now, surrounded as we are by the bounties of a kind
Providence. Then they had to go fifty or sixty miles to mill,
carry their grists on horses through the trackless wilderness,
and would be from five to eight days in making the trip, of
course camped out at night, and very often awakened from
their dreams by the approach of wolves and other wild
animals in pursuit of prey. During their trips for provisions,
their wives were left at home to superintend affairs; hoed tlic
corn and potatoes, and attended to other no less arduous wort.
by day, and passed sleepless nights in watching and protecting
their little ones from the jaws of hungiy wolves and panthers
whose howls and screams they nightly heard around their
484 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
cabins. A few of tliosc brave women arc present to-dav, eiir-
rounded by stout, middle-aged sons and daughters, wlio were
then tlie objects of their solicitude.
" It is hard for the present generation of people, surrounded
as they now arc by all the improvements, comforts and luxu-
ries of o-ur civilization, to realize that the old settlers suffered
and endured the many hard&.hi])S that they can tell about.
When they would run out ol" bread-stuffs, and their neighbors
bad none to lend them, tliey would pound up their corn in a
wooden mortar which was improvized for the ])urpose, and
some of them will now tell you of having lived for months on
bread made from meal prepared in that way. The ffne ])art
was made into bread and the coarser into hominy. They
could not go off to mill at any time. It must be remembered
that there were no roads in those days, and the streams were
not bridged; so that it was sometimes not only inconvenient,
but extremely dangerous, to go lifty miles to mill. James
Gutlircy had a son and horse drowned crossing the Limberlost,
on his way to Greenville to mill."
The history of Wells county politically, dates back to the
first of May, 1S37, a little more than thirty-seven years. At
this date, the legislature of the State provided ibr the incor-
poration of the county, with a regular jurisdiction. The first
circuit conrt met at the honse of 11. C. Bennett, on the nine-
teenth day of October, 1837, Hon. 0. W. Ewing, presiding.
The county scat was permanently located at Biuffton, in 1838.
For many years it Avas a small hamlet, but, after a long and
severe struggle, it has become a prominent business center,
with ample railroad communication with the surrounding
country. Elufflon has the appearance to-day of a substantial,
well built town. The streets are regnlarlv laid out, ami are
for the most part graded and graveled, and ])rovitled with
substantial sidewalks. The court house is located in the busi-
ness center of the toAvn, and although a little out of style, is
still useful and durable. The schools and school buildings
are the pride of the town. Tiie county is new, and only par-
tially developed, but a majority of the farmei-s are already
wealthy. The people are beginning to cultivate a spirit
MONJJOE COUNTY. 485
friciully to all kinds of public improvements. The soil is rich
in ngricultural resources, and there is every prospect of a con-
tinuous I'apld growth in all the industries and professions rep-
resented i[i the county.
CHAPTER LXI.
MON'KOE COUNTY THE IMDIAXA STATE U^^VERSITY.
OUR sketch of ]\ronroe county is made shorter than was at
lii-st designed, on account of the importance of the State
university, Avhich is located at Bloomington, in that county.
The soil of the county is well adapted to all kinds of grain
indigenous to the State. There is an abundance of valuable
timber in many parts of the county, for ■which there is a ready
market. The surface of the county is well watered with num-
erous beautiful springs and small streams. The M-estcrn portion
of the county abounds in coal and iron ore of a siiperior quality.
These inexhaustible mineral deposits are now comparatively
dormant, awaiting only increased railroad facilities to awaken
a commercial activity over them. There is an abundance of
excellent building stone in the county, and several quarries are
now working a large number of hands profitably in supplying
the adjacent towns and cities with stone for building purposes.
There are already ample railroad facilities for nearly all parts
of the county. The farmers find a ready and profitable market
for their produce. Most of them have become wealthy, and
nearly all of them are in good circumstances.
Tlie educational facilities of the county, in reference to the
public schools, as also the higher branches of education, are
without a parallel in the State, which is due, no doubt, to tho
beneficent influences of the State university. Every school
district in the county has six good, substantial and well-
arranged school houses, conveniently located; and it is ac-
486 niSTORY OF IXDIA>'A.
knowlcdgcd that, in point of liealthfnlncgs, Monroe connty is
not surpassed by any otlier portion of the State.
Ijlooinington, the county seat of Monroe county, is a pros-
perous city, of over 3,000 inhabitants. It is located on tlie
line of the Louisville, Xew Alban}', and Chicaf^o railroad, and
is the commercial centre of a large and prosperous district of
country. Naturally a pretty site, it is rendered artistic and
beautiful by well directed good taste and enterprise. The
principal streets are handsomely graded and macadamized;
the side walks are well improved, and highly ornamented with
shade trees; the private residences and business houses arc
attractive and elegant; the public buildings are handsome,
commodious, and of the best style of architecture. Such is
the beautiful little city in which the
IXDIANA STATE UNI\'EKSITT
is located. Tliis institution has not reached as high a place in
the State and nation as its friends desire it to reach, but it has
done, and is still doing, a grand work, and is destined, as wo
shall see, to till a higher station, as the educational growth of
the State advances.
We give, following, a somewhat lengthy history of the origin
and growth of the Indiana State University, which has been
compiled froni sketches furnished by Rev. Dr. Cyrus 'Nntt,
president of the institution, and others:
As early as lb02, Congress made a grant of a township of land in Gibson
county, and, in the year 1810, another in Monroe county, for the support
of a seminary of learning. In 1807, an act incorporating the Vincenncs
University passed the legislature, and the township of land in Gibson
county was placed in the market by the trustees of this institution. The
sale of land being slow, and proceeds small, and the board failing to meet,
the institution was supposed to be dead, and treated as such.
The trustees of the Indiana Seminar}' were appointed by an act of the
legislature, passed in 1820, and the board met in June following, at Bloom-
ington, and selected the site for the institution. This was the same as that
upon which the university now stands.
In !March, 1822, the contract was made for the erection of the seminary
building, but it was two3-ear3 from this time before the building was ready
to be occupied, and then it was only in an unfinished condition. The first
session was commenced with about twenty students, in the spring of 1825,
INDIANA STATE UNrVEKSITY. . 487
with but a single teacher, Rev. Baynard R. Hall, and he at a salary of one
hundred and fifty dollars per year. The academic year was divided into
two sessions of five months each. In this way the school continued for
two years, when, in Ma}', 1827, John II. Harney was elected professor of
mathematics, natural philosophy and astronomy, at a salary of one hun-
dred and fifty dollars per session, that of the principal having been raised
to four hundred dollars per j-ear. The success of the institution thus far
caused the legislature to designate it with the name, " Indiana College,"
in the year 1828. At this time, Dr. D. II. IMaxwcll was the president of the
board of trustees, and the first faculty of the college was organized as fol-
lows: Rev. Andrew Wylie, D. D., president of "Washington College, Pa.,
was chosen president and professor of mental and moral philosojjhy and
belles letters: Rev. John II. Harney, A.M., professor of mathematics and
natural philosophy; and Rev. Baynard R. Hall, A.M., professor of ancient
languages. In the year 1828, the trustees adopted measures for the sale of
the college lands in Gibson count}-, and for the erection of a new college
building. This building, which was completed in a few years, was a brick
structure, eighty feet long, thirty wide, and three stories high, and was
burned in 1854.
The career of the institution, under the leadership of Dr. Wylie and his
efficient assistants, was very successful until some time during the years
1831-2, a personal difficulty grew up between the president and members
of the faculty, which, to a great extent, jeopardized the interests of the
college. The trustees first attempted a reconciliation, but, failing in that,
they declared the chairs of Harney and Hall both vacant. Beaumont Parks,
A jr., was elected in the place of Hall, and Rev. E. N. Elliott, A.M., in that
of Harney. In 183G, Prof Elliott resigned to accept the presidency of a
college in Mississippi, and his place was filled, temporarily, until the next
meeting of the board, when two professorships of mathematics were estab-
lished ; one of pure mathematics, and the other of natural philosophy. The
first of these was filled by James F. Dodds, the latter by Rev. T. A. "Wylie.
At the same time the board divided the chair of ancient languages, and to
Prof. Parks was assigned Latin language and literature ; and A. "W. Rut-
ter was elected to the chair of Greek and modern languages.
The Indiana College was re-organized by an act of the legislature in 1839,
the name was changed to Indiana University. It was endowed with uni-
versity powers and a new board of trustees, with authority to establish such
departments as the funds of the institution would justify, were appointed.
This new board re-elected the old faculty, but soon after the chairs of
Profs. Dodds, Parks and Rutter were declared vacant, and were afterwards
filled by the election of Jacob Ammen, from the "West Point military ac-
ademy, to the chair of mathematics ; and John 1. Morrison to the chair of
ancient languages ; and also M. M. Campbell as adjunct professor of lan-
guages and principal of the preparatory department.
Professor Ammen retained this position until the thirtieth of June, 1843,
when he resigned. Prof. Morrison resigned during the same year, but
Prof. Campbell continued in charge of his department for thirteen years.
488 msTOKY OF Indiana.
JTc was succeeded by James Woodburn, -oiio served in that position until
his <lcatli in 18G5.
The cliair of ancient languages was, at the next meeting of the board,
filled by Daniel Read, of the Ohio University, and that of mutliemalics by
the Rev. Alfred R^'ors, of tlie same university, and tlnis liie faculty remained
for four years, when Prof. Ryors resigned, and Cliarles Marshall, of Vir-
ginia, was elected in his stead.
President Wylie, after having discharged the duties of that ofllce for
twentj'-three years, died on the eleventh of November, 1851. The jM'esi-
dcncy was filled by Prof. T. A. Wylie, until January, 1853, wlien the Rev.
Alfred Ryors, who had previously been elected, entered upon the duties of
the ofllce. At the close of this year the faculty was again re-organized.
The Rev. Wm. ]\[. Daily, D.D., was elected president; and Rev. Alfred
Ryors, D.D., Avas elected to the cliair of mathematics, but resigned, and
Uev. Robert Milligan, A.M., was chosen to till his place.
The administration of Dr. Daily was marred by much discord. Charges
were at times preferred against him, and, itcniling one of these trials, he
resigned. His term of oflice was five j-ears and si.x months. Prof. IMilli-
gau filled the chair of mathematics from 1853 to 1855, and was transferred
to that of natural science, left vacant b}'^ the resignation of T. A. Wylie,
and the chair was filled by the election of Rev. Elisha Rallentine, A.jNL, of
Richmond, Virginia. In 185G, Daniel Read resigned the chair of ancient
languages. It was filled by Prof. Ballcntine; and Prof. Daniel Kirkwood,
who was then president of the Delaware College, was appointed to the
chair of mathematics and civil engineering. Prof. Milligan resigned the
professorship of natural science in 1855, and Prof. T. A. Wylie was elected,
and after a two years' absence in the ]\Iiami Universit}^ returned to his for-
mer position. Dr. Daily resigned the presidency in 1859, and was suc-
ceeded by Dr. J. II. Lathrop. Soon after this another professorship was
established, "the chair of English literature," and Rev. II. B. Ilibben was
elected to fill it. Dr. Lathrop resigned in July, ISCO, and the Rev. Cyrus
Nutt, D.D., then acting president of Asbury University, was elected presi-
dent, and he has continued to fill that ollice ever since. In 18G3, Prof.
Ballentinc resigned the professorship of ancient languages, and Prof.
Wylie was transferred to that chair, his place being filled by Col. Richard
Owen, M.D., LL.D. Prof. Kirkwood resigned his place, accepting tlic
chair of mathematics of the Washington and Jeficrson College, Pa., where
he remained two years, after which he returned to his old position. Prof.
Kirkwo^.''' ^..<.^b vvas n..cu ^u.-i.^ _;? -'-aence by C. 51. Dodd, A.M.
in 1807, three new chairs were establishea. inc „jji-*ment of ancient
languages was divided, the chair of Latin language and litera...:.r- and the
chair of Greek language and literature established. Prof. Doda Tvas
transferred to the chair of Latin, and Prof. Ballcntine was re-elected to the
chair of Greek. The department of natural science was also divided, and
two chairs established, one of natural philosophy, and another of natural
science and chemistry. To the former T. A. Wylie was assigned, and
Bicharu Owen to the latter. The professorship of English literature and
INDIANA STATE UXIVMISITY. 489
tlic theory and practice of tcacliingwas cstnblisliccl, to wliicli G. "\V. lloss,
LL.l)., w;is appointed in 1SC8. Tliecliuir of modern liunriiuge \v;is estab-
lished in 1S07, but Avas not filled for t-vvo years, when Joim A. Kenbelt,
D.D., was cliosen for it, but, liolding it one year, he resigned, and was suc-
ceeded by if. B. Boiscn. The niililary dejiartnient was organi7.e<l in 1S08.
and Eli Long, IMajor-Gen. in the United States Aiiny, was given the pro-
fessorship. Long resigned in 18G9. Civil engineering was ailded to the
department, and Cob James Thompson, a graduate of AVest Point, Avas
elected to tlie chair, and continues to liold it to this time.
James "Woodburn died in ISGo, and Bev. A. Atwaler was appointed tutor,
bitt tlio rcguhu" preparatory department was soon alter alM)li.slied, and
Atwater was elected professor of the Latin language and literature, a posi-
tion which he has held since, with the exception of a year or two. The
preparatory department being abolished, it was found necessary to employ
tutors to bring forward such students as were ready for the freslimau class
witli most of their studies, but behind in Greek and Latin. Scott Butler,
A. ]\[., served in tliis department from ISOS to 1871, and was succeeded by
Alexander Kirkpatrick, A. B., and Samuel Tilly, A. B., and they by T. IL
Mallow, A. B. JIallow died in 1871, and was succeeded by "W. II. Hough-
ton, A. B., Avho still continues to hold the position.
Prof. IIoss resigned his professorship in 1871, and his place was fdled
by Bev. John L. Gay, A. M., but he resigned in 1872, and was succeeded
by Bev. George "\V. Parrott. Parrott resigned in 1873, and Prof, lloss hav
ing been re-elected, resumed the duties of the office on the first of Jan-
uary, 1874.
But, aside from the changes in the faculty of the university, which have
been frequent, we must refer to its various relations to the legislature and
people of Indiana.
The donation of a township of land in Gibson county for the Univer-
sity of Vinccnnes, the organization of a board of trustees, tlie attempt to
sell the laud, and the supposed death of that corporation, have already
been mentioned. After the board of trustees of tlie Yincennes University
had thus failed to perform the functions of tlic corporation, the legislature
passed an act authorizing the sale of the land and an appropriation of the
proceeds to the Indiana State University. After this land liad all been
sold, and the board of trustees of the Yincennes University had slept for
forty years, they began to awake and make an attempt to reinvest them
selves with the property which formerly belonged to them. Beorgaaizing
the board and filling its vacancies, they proceeded to bring suits against
the purchasers of the college lands, for their recovery. But the State liad
sold the lands to these defendants, and would be liable to them on her
warranty in case they were thrown out of possession, so the legislature
passed an act authorizing the board of trustees to sue the State directly,
and thus settle tlie matter without putting the holders of the lands to the
ey-^ense and annoyance of defending their titles. Suit was accordingly
b' vught in the circuit court of Marion county by the trustees of the Yin-
c mes University, and was lost. They appealed from this decision to the
490 niSTOET OF INDIANA.
Buprcme court of the United States, ond the decision of the court below
■was reversed. Judgment was accordingly given against the State for sixty
thousand dollars. To have paid this would have almost exhausted tho
endowment fund of the State University, but Congress happily came to
her aid with a donation f)f twenty-three thousand and forty acres of land,
and the State also assumed the judgment in favor of the Yincennes Uni-
versity, thus preserving the endowment fund of the State University
intact.
The State University having thus passed the ordeal of this suit, it waa
for a few years thought her final success was insured. But soon another
misfortune overtook her. In April, 1854, the college building which had
been erected about twenty-five years before, with all its apparatus and
libraries, was destroyed by fire. That this fire, occurring at a season of
the year when there was no fire kept about the building, it was supposed
to be the work of an incendiary. The libraries then in the building were
the college library and the libraries of the two literary societies, ctmtain-
ing, in all, about nine thousand volumes, many of the books being rare
and valuable. These were dark days for the friends of the university, and
it was even thought, by many, that the institution was lost. The faculty
and trustees, however, decided to continue recitations, and measures were
taken for the erection of a new building. The citizens of Bloomington
and Monroe county rallied to the rescue, generously donating ten thousand
dollars to aid the cause. The remainder of the money necessary for the
completion of the building was borrowed from the sinking fund of the
State, and thus the Avork Avent on until the confidence of success again
lighted the countenances so recently marked with despair, and a raagnifl-
cent ncAV building arose, "Phoeni.x-like," from the ashes of the old, the
finest and best university building at that time in the West.
A tuition foe of eighteen dollars per year in the preparatory department,
and of thirty dollars per year in the collegiate, was required until 1838,
when the legislature provided for the admission of two students frcnu each
county free. In 18G0 tlie doors of the institution were thrown open to all
alike, and since that time no tuition fee is required of any student in any
of the departments of the university, thus complying with the spirit of
that constitutional provision, which says, " It shall be the duty of the
general assembly to establish a public school system, embracing a regular
gradation from the primary school to a State university, in which tuition
shall be free and equally open to all."
Another step onward Avas taken in 18G7. Though a long time coming,
it is, perhaps, of as much importance as any. Tliis was a step that the
groAving sentiment of the people demanded fen* the equal education of
■women, and was no less than the complete breaking doAAm of the barrier
that kept the female sex entirely out of the college from its beginning to
that time. "By one fell swoop the old prejudice against the co-education
of Uie sexes Avas swept away, and the doors of tho institution opened to
the daughters of the State, as it had been to the sons before, and ihey are
no^w invited to come and drink of the crystal fountains of knoAvledge and
INDIANA STATE UNIVIOiSITY. 491
to enjoy all the rights and privileges tliat arc enjoyed hj' the 'lords of cre-
ation.' And come they do, and right well do they coj^e with tlic yoiin/r
men in tlie ascent of the hills of science. Several young ladies liave
already graduated from this institution, and experience proves that the
co-education of the sexes is a real benefit to all."*
In this connection it is, perliaps, proper to notice, briefly, some of the
causes tliat have operated against the success of the universit}',. as well as
against tlie advancement of the high educational facilities of the State.
The first board of trustees of the Indiana State Universit}-, unfortunately
for the interests of the institution, was a close corporation, the vacancies
in the board being filled by themselves, instead of being filled by the legis-
lature, or, as tliey now arc, by the State board of education; hence the
religious denomination, or sect, which liad the supremacy at first, would
perpetuate the supremacy through all time; and thus the institulion be
made substantially sectarian. Such was practically the result during the
first ten years of its history. Tliis was the source of many complaints
from the Methodists, Baptists, and other denominations, not represented
in the faculty, who were members of tlie Presbyterian church exclusively.
The murmurs against this exclusivcness were long and loud, as it was per-
Bistently continued. This dissatisfaction with the management of the
State University finally culminated in the withdrawal of the sui)port of
the denominations who could not obtain representation in the faculty, and
the establishment of several sectarian colleges in dillerent parts of the
State. In 183(5, Franklin College was established at Franklin, by the Bap-
tists, the Northwestern Christian Universit3%at Indianapolis, by the reform-
ers, was established at a later period; as also the Christian Union College,
at Merom, by the New Lights. The Indiana Asbury University was estab-
lished at Greencastle, by the Methodist in 1839.
The Indiana Conferences of the 3Ietliodist Episcopal Church, scyeral
years before they resolved to establish a university of their own, by con-
ference action, tendered the support and patronage of the denomination
to the Indiana College, provided the general assembly would so modify
the organization thereof as to make the trustees elective by the legishv
ture; or, if the trustees would place a Methodist in tlie faculty of the uni-
versify. These requests were steadily denied until 1836, after the confer-
ence had selected Greencastle as the location of the universit}-, for which
the legislature had just granted a charter. Then the authorities of the
State college elected Augustus ^Y. Rutter, A. M., a JMethodist, who was
professor of languages in Alleghanj' College, Pennsylvania, to the chair
of political economy and modern languages. But this liberality came too
late, for the denomination had a college of its own. For the same reason
the legislature withheld all financial support for thirty years, and the State
university made no progress. Had a more liberal course been pursued
from the beginning, all the denominations would have rallied to the State
university, and instead of having sixteen colleges, Indiana, to-day, would
* Indiana Patriot,
492 msioKY OF indi.vija.
havo Lut one grand university, fully equaling, if not excelling, that of
Micliii^an.
It blioultl be observed, notwithstanding, that the Presbyterians -were not
more to blame in this case than any other church would have been in like
circumstances. "Anxiety for their own creed makes any churcli an unsafe
guide in <iucstions involving conflicting interests. The higliest prosperity
of the common school system, as well as all other American institutions,
Avill be found when fartherest removed from all religious intermeddling."
LAW DEPAKTMEXT.
A law professorship was created in 1835, and Judge Blackford was
elected to the chair, but he declined to accept, and no one was found to
take the place until 1840, at which time it was accepted by lion. David
McDonald, LL. D. Judge ]\IcDouald remained in this position for twelve
years. In 1S17 the law faculty was increased by the election of Hon.
William T. Otto, LL. D. This department was marked with great success
under the charge of these able jurists until 1853, when they both resigned.
Hon. James Hughes succeeded to the chair of law, and held the position
from 1852 to 1855, when, being elected to Congress, he was succeeded by
Hon. James R. ]\L Bryant, who filled the professorship for six years. Bry-
ant was succeeded by Hon. George A. Bickwell, LL. D., who filled the
chair from ISGl to 1870, when he resigned.
This department was re-organized in 1809, by establishing another chair,
and by making tuition free. The law professors had, previous to this time,
depended upon tuition for their compensation, and this was so small that
the term only lasted for three months, but now the law professors ar<> paid
salaries, and the terra lengthened to six months; Hon. John "W. Peltit,
LL. D., was employed in connection with Judge Bickncll. Both these
resigned in 1870, and were succeeded by Hon. Samuel E. Perkins, LL. D.,
and Hon. B. E. Rhoads. Two years later. Judge Perkins resigned, and
•was succeeded by Hon. Deland K. Dekles, who served one year and was
succeeded by Hon. D. W. Lafollette. He also served one year, and was
succeeded by Hon. Cyrus F. JMcNutt.
TRESENT CONDI'nON OF TITE STATE UNIVERSITY.
The departments of instruction arc as follows:
First — Tlic school of Mental, Moral and Political Philoso-
phy, Cyrus Xutt, D. D., LL. D., Professor. In this depart-
ment are taught mental philosophy, embracing the human
intellect, sensibilities, and will; moral science, inchiding the
theory of morals, and practical morals; the former embracing
the moral sense, the grounds of right and wi'ong, the nature
of virtue, the authority of conscience, the i-ules of moral
I
494 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
conduct, and tJie sources from which they arc derived, and the
nature of moral obligations; the latter, or practical morals,
embraces the duties which we owe to ourselves, viz.: self-sup-
port, self-protection, self-control, and self-culture; the duties
•we owe to man, justice, veracit}', and benevolence; justice in
regard to life, liberty, property, character, and reputation;
vei'acity, in respect to the past, present and future; embracing
b'^^'n' pi'oii^ises, contracts, and oaths; duties arising from tlie
constitution of the sexes, the law of chastity, the law of
marriage, the rights and duties of parents; the rights and
duties of children; benevolence, its nature and obligation;
benevolence to the unhappy, to the wicked, to the injurious;
and lastly, the duties which we owe to God, obedience, love,
and worship. Political philosophy, embraces civil polity,
constitution of the United States, political economy, interna-
tional laws. The evidences of Christianity are also tauglit in
this department. Text-books are used, accompanied by lec-
tures by the president, who has charge of this department.
Second — The school of Katural Philosophy, Theophilus A.
Wylie, D. D., professor. In this department are taught
descriptive geometry, mechanics, the nature and laws of light,
heat, and electricity, the laws of motion, statics, dynamics,
hydrostatics, hydro-dynamics, ]meumatics, acoustics, optics,
and astronomy. While text-books are used, the larger part of
the instruction is given by lectures. The great laws of matter
are clearly and beautifully illustrated by experiments, for
which an extensive apparatus furnishes the requisite facilities,
thus rendering their comprehension easy, and their acquisition
attractive to the student.
Third — The school of Natural Science, Pichard Owen, M.
D., LL. D., professor. Thos. S. Van Kuys, M. D., professor
of analytical and practical chemistry. In this department
are taught botany, physical geography, anatomy, physiology,
hygiene, zoology, mineralogy, geology, and chemistry. In-
struction is given by lectures, accompanied by the use of text-
books. Facilities for illustration are furnished by one of the
largest and best museums in the United States; containing
specimens of almost every genus and species of the vegetable
INDIANA STATE UNIVERSITY. 495
and animal kingdoms, together with a very extensive collection
of specimens in mineralogy and geology. In 1867, the cele-
brated cabinet of Dr. David Dale Owen, of New Harmony,
which was rcpntcd by scientific men as fully eqnal, in the
number, variety and volume of its specimens, to any in the
country, was purchased by the trustees and transferred to
Bloomington. This cabinet is now scientifically and tastefully
displayed in the new college building. Another large addi-
tion to the museum has recently been made by the purchase
of the Ward specimens in palaeontology, which are exceed-
ingly rich and varied.
The chemical apparatus is extensive, and admirably adapted
to experimental illustrations, and all kinds of chemical anal-
ysis. A full course of experiments is given to the classes in
this department. No institution in the country is better pro-
vided with facilities for an extensive and thorough course of
instruction in the natural sciences than the Indiana State
University.
Fourth — The school of Mathematics, Daniel Kirkwood, LL.
D., professor. In this school are taught algebra, geometry,
(plane, solid, and spherical,) plane trigonometry, spherical
trigonometry, surveying, navigation, analytical geometry, dif-
ferential and integral calculus. In addition to the full course
of recitations, lectures are delivered from time to time on
these various branches and their applications taught in con-
nection with their theories.
Fifth — The department of the Greek Languages and Lit-
erature, Elisha Ballantine, A. JM., professor. In this school
are taught Greek grammar, Greek reader, Greek compositions,
Xenophon's anabasis and cyropedia, Herodotus, Homer, Thu-
cydides, Demosthenes, Xenophon's memorabilea, Sophocles,
Eurepides, Greek prosod}^ antiquities and mythology. Thor-
ough instruction is given in the structure of this language,
with constant attention to the accents and grammar.
Sixth — The school of Civil Engineering and Military Sci
ence. Colonel James Thompson, U. S. A., professor. In this
school are taught practical surveying, with operations in the
field, and instructions in regard to the use of the theodolite
493 niSTOKY OF ixdi.vna.
and the otlicr instruments used in civil engineering. Tho
students in this department arc also taught mechanical draw-
ing, and the theories of the construction of bridges, raih'oads,
tunij)ikes, etc., and the various styles and kinds of archi-
tecture.
Practical iustruction in military drill in the school of tlie
soldier, and that of the company, is also furnislicd in tliis
department. Those in this military school drill twice a week,
which, in addition to giving them a knowledge of the manual
of arms and military tactics, tends greatly to promote their
physical development, giving them a graceful bearing, as well
as iirmuess of muscle and general good healtli.
Seventh — Tlie school of the Latin Lauiruairc and Literature,
Amzi Atwater, A. M., professor. Li this school are taught
Latin composition, and the elements and structure of the Latin
language, and the fullowing classical authors are read, viz.:
Cicero, Horace, and Tacitus; lloraan antiquities and mythology
arc also studied.
Before entering this department, the student must have
mastered the preparatory course in Latin, consisting of Latin
grammar, the elementary exercises of rendering Latin into
English, and English into Latin; Latin reader, Latin prose
composition, Ciiisar, and Vii-gil. Direct reference is liad con-
stantly to intellectual disci])line which the study of the classics
furnishes the student, and to perfect him in his command of
tlie powers and resources of his vernacular tongue.
l^yhjldh — The department of English Literature and Elocu-
tion, Geo. AV. Hoss, LL. D., professor, and Sarah A. Morrison,
A. M., assistant professor of English Literature. In this
school arc taught English composition, rhetoric, philosophy
of rhetoric, logic, criticism, sentential analysis, English litera-
ture, art of discourse and elocution. In logic, rhetoric and
art of discourse, practice, as well as theory is required.
Especial attention is given throughout the course in this
department to criticisms in English; and in the daily recita-
tions and exercises, every eflbrt is made to render these studies
of practical utility to the student, in giving him perfect com-
mand of the English lauguaije. Classes arc formed in elocu-
INDIANA STATE UNI\'ERSITT. 497
tion, and daily lessons are given in vocal culture and delivery.
Nhith — The school of Modern Languages and History. In
this department are taught German grammar, German com-
position, tlie translation of German into English, and of Eng-
lish into German; French grammar and composition, and tho
translation of French into English, and of English into' French.
The students daily practice conversation in these languages in
connection with the professor. The most distinguished Ger-
man authors are read; and selections from the Lest French
writers are read and translated. General history, ancient and
modern, is studied, with daily recitations throughout the fresh-
man year.
Tenth — The preparatory school, "Walter B. Houghton, A.
M., and Miss S. May, professors. In this department are
taught English grammar, arithmetic, geography, ortliography,
sentential analysis, English composition, history of the United
States, book-keeping, algebra, (elementary and higher), geom-
etry, Latin grammar, Latin reader, Latin prose composition,
Cfesar, Yirgil, and Cicero's orations.
A change lias recently been made in the studies requisite for
admission to the freshman class in the university. One year
more of mathematics, and one year less of Greeks are now
required in the preparatory course. This modification adapts
the collegiate course of the university to the course of study
in the best class of liis-h schools in the State. The student
who completes the high school course and passes satisfactory
examinations, is entitled to enter the freshman class in the
university without further examinations; and he is not com-
pelled, as heretofore, to spend two years in some private acad-
emy or preparatory department of some college, in oi'der to
bring up his studies in Greek. Thus the public system of
education of Indiana is consolidated and harmonized; and a
complete gradation of schools is established, in accordance
with the provisions of the State constitution, from the pri-
mary, intermediate, and high school, to the university, in all
of which, tuitio7i is free.
Eleventh — State geological, mineralogical and agricultural
reconnoissance, Edward T. Cox, A. M., State geologist. By
32
I
498 nrsTORY of njDiANA.
an act of the general assembly, passed in 1S61, the State geol-
ogist is made, ex officio, a member of the faculty of the Indiana
State University, and one of the stated lecturers, lie is also
required to present to the cabinet of the university a duplicate
of all the specimens in geology and mineralogy collected in
the State of Indiana.
IhoelftJi^Tlhe Law School. Faculty: C}tus Nutt, B. D.
LL. D., president; Hon. B. E. Ehodes, A. M., and Hon. Cyrus
F. McNutt, law professors.
Tliis department now occupies the commodious and beauti-
ful room prepared for it in the new edifice, just completed.
The course of instruction begins on the seventeenth of Sep-
tember, and closes on the last Thursday before the fourth of
July in each year. The year is divided into three sessions
corresponding to the sessions of the collegiate department.
Moot courts are held every Wednesday and Saturday, in which
all the students are exercised in the preparation of papers and
pleadings, the rules of practice, forms of record and in the
discussion of legal questions. Tuition is free for all. The
contingent fee is three dollars per session. Students of the
law department are allowed to attend lectures and recitations
in the university, under the direction of the faculty of arts.
Students receive the degree of bachelor of laws after an
attendance of not less than two years, provided they pass the
requisite examinations. Connected with this department,
there is a large and valuable law library, containing the works
of the best writers upon jurisprudence, together with English
reports, and the reports of the supreme court of the United
States, and the reports of the supreme courts of most of the
States. To this library the students have free access.
If we have made a longer chapter on the Indiana State
University than its importance, compared with other interests
of the State, demands, we have done so in the hope that it
may awaken a more general interest in its welfare. This is
much needed. The medical department of the university is
located in Indianapolis, and will receive due notice in our
sketch of Marion county, in a succeeding chapter.
CHAPTEK LXII.
HENET COUNTY IIISTOKICAL A^T) DESCEirTITE.
HENEY county was first settled in 1818-19. In the latter
year Asaliel Woodard, Andrew Shannon, Allen Shep-
herd, a Mr. Whittinger, David Cray, George Ilobson, and
"Wm. Shannon, settled in what is now Henry township. Mr.
"Woodard erected his log cabin just north of the site of the
present town of iSTew Castle, within a few yards of his residence.
The Whittinc-crs and Mr. Cray built a " los; residence" not
many yards from the site where Joshua Holland's house was
afterwards erected. Allen Shepherd settled nearly two miles
north by east of iSTew Castle, on what was afterwards known
as the Iluddleson farm, and his " elegant residence,* erected
fifty-five years ago is still standing." Andrew Shannon located
just north of Shepherd, and near the present site of the Ilern-
ley mills. Georo-c Ilobson settled on the farm afterwards
owned by Judge Elliott, about a mile and a half southwest of
New Castle. "William Shannon settled on what was afterwards
known as the Ilolloway farm, four miles southwest of New
Castle. Following these came Joseph Ilobson, who settled
near the Elliott farm, two miles sonthwcst of New Castle. It
was at his house that the first county courts were held.
" George Ilobson, Andrew Shannon, Mr. Whittinger, and D.
Cray," says Mr. Pleas, "brought their families with them, and
made their cages afterwards. Mrs. Ashel Woodard and Mrs.
"William Shannon arrived on the thirty-first of July following,
and Mr. Woodard planted about two acres of corn, the first
crop, he thinks, ever raised by a white man in this county.
He planted an old Indian field or clearing, and although culti-
* From ilr. Picas' narrative.
499
500 mSTORT OF INDIANA.
vatcd Tvitli the lioc alone, he tliinks he never saw such corn
before or since." Thus was commenced the settlement of
Henry county. The record is a simple one, yet full of mean-
ing, and the same plain story can be told of the first settlement
of nearly every county in the State. These were the pioneers
of pioneers — those who felled the first trees of the forest, and
tilled the first patch of ground, and built the first rude log
cabins; and then there were the other ])ioneers who followed
and increased the settlement, bringing with them new hopes,
new ideas, new energies, new resolutions that braced up the
weary original settlers. Then there were the long, cold, cheer-
less winters, with a scarcity of clothing and provisions; with
sick infant children, that were often laid away, after death, in
the snow-covered earth, Avith only the little mound to mark
their graves amonj: the tall trees; with absent husbands and
fathers, and lonesome nights, when the beating hearts of fore-
boding wives and mothers longed for the return of paternal
footsteps, or chilled as the dismal howl of the hungry wolf
floated on the midnio^ht winds. And then there were toilina'
men, brave men, and indeed great men, the greatest men this
State has overbad — pioneer men — who through the " dark
days " of want, privation, hardship and peril, worked on, and
opened the way for the glorious civilization that followed them
BO closely. Such was pioneer life in Indiana, and it is scarcely
necessary to repeat the same story in these short county
ekctdics.
Henry county was organized by an act of the legislature,
adopted in February, 1821. Lawrence Brannon, and John
Bell, of Wayne county, John Sample, of La Fayette, Eichard
Biem, of Jackson, and J. AV. Scott, of Union, were appointed
as commissioners, to meet at the house of Joseph Ilobson on
the first Monday in July, 1S21, for the purpose of locating the
county scat. The first county election was licld in 1S22, and
resulted in the election of the followinir ofiicers: Jesse H.
Healy, sheriff"; Eeme Julian, clerk and recorder; Thos. R.
Stanford, and Elisha Long, associate judges; Allen Shepherd,
Wm, Shannon, and Samuel Goble, commissioners.
New Castle was chosen the county seat of Henry conntj,
HENRY COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. 501
and in February, 1S23, the county commissioners ordered that
" the agent of Henry county shall oftcr for sale, to the lowest
bidder, in the town of Kcw Castle, the building of the court
house of Henry Cv^unty of the following dimensions, to wit.
being logs t^venty-two by eighteen feet, each log to face not
less than twelve inches at tlie little end, being seven inches
thick, twelve rounds high, with a cabin roof to consist of
eleven joists, to be four inches by nine, the joists to be eight
feet nine inches from the floor," etc. In the following May,
however, the commissioners ordered that the plans for the
court house should be changed so as to make the building
larger.
New Castle, the county seat of Henry county, is pleasantly
located in the center of the county. It was first laid off in
1S22. After the usual pioneer struggles, the town grew in
population and importance, and' in 1833 it contained about
three hundred inhabitants. It has now a population of about
two thousand five hundred, and is a flourishing business
center. It has excellent educational facilities, and contains
within it the elements for an extensive future development.
Knightstown, a thrifty village, is pleasantly situated on Blue
river. It was first platted in 1827, and is now one of the most
enterprising villages in the county. In educational matters
it has cxcciicd. The Knightstown academy building is a com-
modeous structure, capable of accommodating nearly four
hundred pupils. The graded school at this town is also a
flourishing and cfiiciently managed institution. The popula-
tion of Kniirhtstown is over two thousand. There are several
enterprising and prosperous villages in the county. In the
rural districts the scene is fully as refreshing as in the villages.
The farmers have all put aside their pioneer habits and have
taken on the modern regime. They are nearly all either
wealthy or in comfortable circumstances. The county has
good railroad facilities, and with a productive soil, its future
material progress is guaranteed. The area of the county is
about three hundred and ninety square miles. The surface is
well watered, and the soil adapted to all kinds of grain indi-
genous to the State.
CnAPTEE LXIII.
CARROLL COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DESCRirTIVE.
HENRY EOBINSON and liis son, Abner Robinson, were
the first settlers of Carroll county. Others followed
close in their footsteps. The Robinsons built their cabins in
the winter of 1824-5, and, in the fall of 1825-6, the settle-
ment had reached quite a neighborhood. There is a long train
of interesting pioneer reminiscences connected with the early
experiences of the Robinsons, and those who settled in the
county about the Same time. These would aflbrd a narrative
full of romance and interest, and full of evidences of the great
energy and perseverance of those early settlers. But we have
no space for this narrative. Carroll county was organized by
an act of the general assembly, in 1S28. The connnissioners
appointed for the pui-pose selected the site of the present city
of Delphi for the county seat. It was first given the name of
Carrollton, but was soon after changed to Delphi. The sale
of lots took place on the eleventh day of August, 1828, but
land was not very valuable then, and the lots went off at a low
price. So little enthusiasm was manifested at the sale, that it
"was decided to dispose of only part of the town lots, and await
a more profitable season for the sale of the others. Not long
after the sale a Presbyterian church was organized at Delphi,
and the residence of Ilenry Robinson was used as a place of
worship. In the fall of 1828, a large number of new settlers
arrived, and the little town began to show evidences of growth
and prosperity.
The fall and winter of 1828-9, were unusually dry. "The
merchants shipped their goods from Cincinnati for the Wabash
on steamboats, which could proceed no further than the rapids
502
504 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
below Yinccnncs, at ]\rouiit Canncl." From that point they
were conveyed to Delphi on wagons, " very mucli to the injnry
of the mei-cliants, and the disappointment of tlie people."
Early in the year 1S30, Mr. Henry Eobinson's mill was put
in operation. Du riiit^ that year the summer was exceedingly
dry and sickly* The county im])roved rapidly, hut, unfortu
nately for Delphi, as it first came into notice that season, the
unusual amount of sickness gave it a had name, from wliich
it did not recover for many years. This idea, however, has
lonf since been lost in the general and well-founded re])utation
of the present Delphi for health fulness.
At the tirst meeting of the Old Settlers' Society of Carroll
county, held iu 1S55, the following list of the names of the
early settlers of the county was obtained. It gives their
names, their native States, age at that time, and the date of
their settlement in the county :
Name. Where Born. Age. Date of Settlement.
Abner Robinson Ky 54 ....Dec. 31,1824.
William McCord Va 59 ....Feb. G, 1827.
James Odell Ind 44 .... Feb. 1825.
Tliomas Gillam, Sen Penn G8 ....April 4,1829.
John M. Gillam Fenn G9 .... Mar. 4, 1 829.
Thos. Sterlin Penn 54 .... Mar. 3, 1825.
John Little N. C 6G Kov. G, 1826.
John M. Ewing Penn 58 .... April, 1827.
Daniel McCain Ohio 55 .... April, 1826.
William Hughes Ya G8 .... Feb. 1829.
Adam Porter Va 50 Nov. 1829.
Aaron Gregg Ohio 53 Oct. 1830.
AVilliam McCain Ohio 52 ... .Dec. 10, 1828.
John W. Gillam Ind 44 .... April 1, 1827.
Isaac Robbins Ohio 39 Oct. 1828.
William B. Givins Ya 37 ... .April, 1829.
Henry M. Graham ..... Ind 38 Jan. G, 1829.
JohnB. Milroy Ind 35 Dec. 1826.
John Archer Ohio 40 April, 1831.
* James Harvey Stewart's compilation.
CARROLL COUNTY EARLY HISTORY. 505
JoscpJi Cox Ky..
Jolin Earr Ohio
Isaac Jackson Ya . .
Jas. F. Givins Ind .
Gcori;;c Koystcr Ind .
James II. Stewart Ky . .
Andrew Burntrager Va,.,
Enocli Stanccl Oliio
David Eaum Penn
Is'oble Conklin Ohio
Jas. McDowell N. C.
Sam. D. Gresham Va. . ,
37
....April, 1829.
47
....Sept. 1831.
40
.... Oct. 1827.
28
April, 1827.
20
Jan. 1830.
4G
Apr. 10,1830.
55
Sept. 1829.
49
Nov. 1S30.
50
April, 1825.
48
....Oct. 1830.
09
....Aug. 14,1826.
49
Apr. 30,1830.
These are by no means all the early settlers, or even' a com-
plete list of those who settled previous to 1829. Dut it
embraces nearly all who located in the county in 1828, and
previous to that date.
The Urst circuit court of Carroll county was held at tho
house of Daniel Baum, on the eighth of May, 1828, Judge B.
F. Morris, presiding. This was a pioneer court scene, but
Carroll county has beautifully outgrown those early days.
Delphi has, to-day, an elegant court house, and the Carroll
Circuii Court is one of its boasted evidences of a hiirh intel-
ligence.
The surface of Carroll county is undulating along tho
"Wabash, Tippecanoe and "Wild Cat, which are the principal
streams; in other places it is level. About one-fifth of the
county was originally dry prairie, the balance forest, consist-
ing mostly of oak, walnut, poplar, beech and sugar tree. Tho
soil is mostly a rich loam, well adapted to corn, wheat, etc.,
and these, with cattle, hogs, etc., are the principal surplus
articles produced for exportation. The rural districts of the
county present one general scene of prosperity. The farmers
are nearly all wealthy. They have good residences, thrifty
farms, excellent schools, commodious and substantial churches.
Education is encouraged, and the youths promise much for
the future welfare of a prosperity already flourishing. The
towns and villages of the county are all enjoying superior
506 mSTOEY OF INDIANA.
graded scliools. Delphi has a population of over two thous-
and, and is the largest to^vn in the county. Its school facili-
ties are excelled nowhere in the State.
CHAPTEE LXIY.
SWITZERLAND COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
THE first settlement within the limits of Switzerland, of
which any definite account can be obtained, was made by
Heathcoat Picket, who settled above Plum creek, about three
miles above Yevay, in 1795, where he built a cabin and re-
mained for several years. There being an abundance of game,
his family were always supplied with meat. The bread was
made from corn ground in a hand mill. The family consisted
of the father, mother, two sons, and one daughter. They all
endured severe privations, and often narrowly escaped the
dreaded tomahawk of the treacherous savages. In 1798 the
Cotton and Deckason families settled on Indian creek, about
three miles from the Ohio river, some distance from Vevay.
In 1799 Robert Gullion settled in the Ohio river bottom,
above the mouth of Loglick creek.
In 179G John James Dufour, a native of Switzerland,
Europe, explored the country along the Ohio river between
Cincinnati and Louisville, seeking a suitable location for the
future homes of himself, his son, four brothers, three sisters,
and a few of their associates who were desirous of coming to
America to introduce the cultivation of the vine. He finally
located between Indian and Plum creeks, and entered, under a
Bpecial act of congress, about three thousand acres of land, at
two dollars per acre, with interest, on a credit of twelve years
— the extended credit being given for the purpose of encour-
aging the cultivation of the vine and making domestic wine.
SWITZERLAND COUNTY EA1{LY DISTOKY. 507
" The colonists, numbering seventeen souls, embarked for the
United States in January, 1801, and landed at Nortulk, Vir-
ginia, in May of tlic same year. They began arriving at their
destination, New Switzerland — the name given to their new
settlement — in 1803, and by 1809 they had built comfortable
log houses, cleared considerable land, planted orchards and
vineyards, and commenced making considerable quantities of
wine, which in the market was always known as ' Vevay wine '."
In November, 1813, John Francis Dufour and Daniel Dufour
laid out the town of Yevay — the lots being sold at j)ub]ic
sale. This sale was quite successful, many persons from
neighboring settlements being present and purchasing liberally.
In the spring of 1814 persons from Ohio, Pennsylvania and
New York commenced settling in the new town. The site of
the town, for the most part, was lying in a very heavy timbered
tract of land, and it required much hard work to clear ofl" the
timber and build houses. The county was organized in 1814,
and the county scat was located at Yevay.
The hardshi])S of the early settlers of Switzerland county
may be imagined, from the fact that from 1803 to 1813 the
settlers within the limits of the county were in continual
dread of bcinsr attacked and massacred bv bands of hostile
Indians. As a means for better protection against surprise by
the Indians, several families would meet at night at the house
of one of the number, and while the women and children and
part of the men retired to rest, part of the men kept watch
with loaded gnus. Through these precautions, but few, if any,
persons ever met their death at the hands of hostile Indians in
that county.
Immediately after the orgam'zation of the county it began
to increase in population, and from 181G to 1822 towns were
laid out in diftcrent parts of the county, and tlie general scene
was that of activity, industry and thrift. In 1815 James
Mclntire laid out the town of Erin, opposite Carrollton, Ky.,
but was unsuccessful in his attempts to attract population at
that point. In 1816 Peter Demarce laid out the town of
Allen sville, which for some time promised to become an im-
portant point. It is now a pleasant village. Thus we might
508 HlSTOliT OF IXniAXA.
name several towns that were laid out in tliat county in ISIG-
17-lS, etc. In short, its progress was fully up to the best
counties in the State.
The larnicrs of the county arc a very industrious, moral,
hard-workin;> people; most of them liave gained an independ-
ence, and are now enjoying tlie fruits of their labors, liaving
excellent residences, while their children enjoy the best of
Bchools. Hay is the great staple of the county, and has been
exported M'ith great profit. The connty is m'cII timbered with
the very best quality of wood, and the farmer has all tho
opportunities and advantages for success. Switzerland county
has not increased in ])opulation as rapidly as in wealth. Its
villages are all established on a firm footing, and its commerce
pud agriculture are exceedingly prosperous.
CHAPTEK LXV.
OHIO COrNTT — niSTOKICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
OHIO county contains eighty-seven sqnare miles, or 55,680
acres of territory. Of this, 54,750 acres are tillable.
Tlie general character of the land is rolling, and in some parts
broken l)y ranges of hills; these, however, are not so high or
60 steep as to prevent cultivation. Many of these hill farms
rival the bottom lands in fertility; "while the bottom farms,
lying along the courses of the Ohio river, Langhery or Arnold's
creeks, arc fully equal to the far- tamed Miami bottoms in rich-
ness." Some time previous to its settlement by Americans,
the soil of Ohio county was the scene of a terrible massacre —
that of Colonol Langhery and his party, Avhich occurred in
1781. Colonel Langhery, with a party of about one hundred
men, was descending the Ohio, endeavoring to overtake and
and re-enforce the celebrated General G. E.. Clark, who was
OHIO COUNTY inSTOKICAL AND DESCRimVE. 509
then on an expedition against the western Indians. lie was
•waylaid and surprised near Langherj creek, where he, with
most of his men, Avcre overpowered and massacred.
In the spring of 1798, Benjamin Chambers, a government
officer, first planted his compass and carried his chain over the
land on which now stands Ilising Sun — the county seat of
Ohio county. " This, together with several tracts which he sur-
veyed, was granted to him and Lewis Davis by government,
the jiatent bearing date of October twenty-first, 1807, and the
signatures of Thomas Jcfierson, president, and James Madison,
secretary of state of the United States. In 1803 he had built
a double log house, and moved his family out here the same
year. In the same year, John Fulton and his son, with their
families, emigrated here from Lancaster county, Pa. They
bought land the following year from Benj. Chambers, and
Samuel Fulton built a cabin on the river bank, near where the
woolen factory now stands, in liising Sun. The beautiful
scenery of green and lofty hills, opening fields, giant forests,
and winding river, presented an enchanted picture to his fam-
ily, lie was a pioneer of many excellent qualities, and noted
for his daring skill as a hunter, simplicity of manners and
integrity of character. He opened his house for the use of the
Eev. James Kemper and Eev. David Riske to preach the gos-
pel, from 1804 to 1808." * In 1799, Benj. Avery located on a
tract of land bordering on the river, a half a mile above Rising
Sun. In 1802, Thomas Fulton settled on the bank of Arnold's
creek, on what is now known as the ^Nelson farm. The
Indians encamped there often and held their councils, but
they were seldom troublesome. In 1803, the Brown family
began to settle in the county. First came Ethan Allen Brown.
He and David Brown established the "old Brown homestead."
Eoger Brown, Jr., came in 1810, and the rest of the family in
1814. Ethan Allen Brown rose to honorable distinction in the
civil service of his country. He became judge of the supreme
court, governor of the State of Ohio, commissioner of the land
ofiice, senator of the United States, and minister to BraziL
• From a sketch in State Atlas.
510 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
He died at Indianapolis, February twenty-fourth, 1S52, aged
Bcventy-six years.
Tlie early settlement of Ohio county is — as also that of all
other counties in the State — full of romance. In the winter
of 1805, Samuel Fulton made a large party for his neighbors;
Benj. Chambers, an invited guest, put his oxen to a large
pirogue (a water craft, or dug-out), and, with all of his family
and a few of his neighbors in it, gave them a merry sleigh-ride
to the party. This was a common conveyance during the sea-
son of sleighing, in those early days of our history.
In 1817, an attempt was made to organize Ohio county, but
the measure was not carried into effect until 1843. In Decem-
ber, 1844, the first court was held in Rising Sun — the latter
place having been selected as the seat of justice for the county.
Rising Sun is situated upon the Ohio river, thirty-five miles
from Cincinnati, Ohio, upon a high rolling table land; so high
there is no possibility of an overflow from any rise in the river.
A complete natural drainage is afibrded. The city was first
laid out in the spring of 1814, in a dense forest, which then
covered its present site, by John James. Rising Sun was
incorporated as a city by a special charter, in January, 1848,
and has long been celebrated for its beautiful location, health,
wide and pleasant streets, numerous shade trees, cozy and
elegant residences, and congenial and intelligent inhabitants.
The land in Ohio county is very fertile, and well watered by
numerous small streams. There are throughout the county
numerous mounds, near which interesting relics of the '' stone
age " have been found.
CHAPTEE LXYI.
BARTnOLOMEW COUNTY mSTOKICAL AND DESCRIPTTVE.
BArtTIIOLOMEW county was organized in 1821, under
an act of the general assembly, approved January ninth
of tliat year, and was taken from what was then known as
Delaware county.* It was named in honor of General Joseph
Bartholomew, of Clark county. lie was a distinguished
soldier of the Indian wars, and commanded a battalion of
Indiana militia in the battle of Tippecanoe, where he wa3
severely wounded. In IS 10, when the treaty by which tlie
lands in Bartholomew county were ceded to the United States
by the natives, there were no white settlers in the county, yet
such was the inviting character of the country that it was
rapidly settled by an intelligent and enterprising population.
At the first election after the organization of the county, there
were three hundred and fifty-five votes cast, indicating nearly
two thousand inhabitants.
The central and eastern portion of the county is generally
level and the soil productive; the western portion is broken
and less fertile, although there is but little really poor land in
the county. The country known as the "Ilaw Patch," which
is twelve miles in length and six in width, would compare
favorably M-ith any portion of the famous "Blue Grass '^
region of Kentucky. "Between Flatrock and Driftwood,"
says the author of the " Indiana Gazetteer," " there were
originally forests for miles, without any undergrowth, and
where the tall and thinly scattered walnut, blue ash and sugar
* Our sketch of Bartbolomew county is compiled principally from M3.
furnished by Dr. J. C. Beck, of Cincinnati, an old and respected resident
of the county.
511
512 niSTOKT OF INDIANA.
trees no more interfered with travelers on horseback or in car-
riages, tlian would open parks, where trees had been planted
and trimmed for the pui-pose."
Tlie principal water courses are the Driftwood or East Fork
of AVhite river, Flatrock, Big Sand creek, Little Sand creek,
Clifty, 131ue river. Hock creek, Haw creek, Duck creek. Tough
creek, "Wliite creek. Bear creek, Denio's creek, Nineveh creek,
Cook's creek and Pleasant run; * Driftwood fork was, by an
act of the legislature in 1824, declared a public highway;
nearly all these streams afford mill facilities during a greater
part of the year, and a never-failing supj^ly of water for stock.
Fish were formerly found in abundance, but of late years the
6up])ly has notably diminished, and artificial means have been
resorted to, to restore it, with a fair j^rospcct of success.
Prominent among the early settlers were, John Lindsay,
Luke Bousteel, John Prathea, David Deitz, John P. Pobiiison,
Williamson Terrell, Francis J. Cramp, Joseph Cox, Tunis
Quick, William S. Jones, David Kellar, Pansom Davis, Arch-
ibald McEwan, Solomon Stout, Samuel Nelson, Jacob Cook,
James Ilamncr, Joseph INfcFall, Samuel Peek, and Jessie and
William Puddick. They had mostly emigrated from Ken-
tucky, and were all men of character and force, and contrib-
uted largely to the subsequent prosperity of the county.
Many of their descendants reside there, and are numbered
among the most prominent and influential citizens.
Columbus is the county seat of Bartholomew. It has
been incoii^orated as a city. Uartsville, Hope, Taylors-
ville, Azalia, Elizabethtown, Jonesvillc, Walcsboro, Wa}mes-
ville, Newburn, Mount Healthy, Waymansville, Clifford,
Betliany, Kansas, Burnsville, and St. Louis Crossing are
incorporated towns, all of them prosperous and thriving.
The county seat was selected by William P. Thomasson, of
Harrison county, Ebenezer E. Morgan, of Crawford county,
John E. Clark, of AYashington county, and James Hamilton,
of Jackson county, commissioners appointed by the general
assembly for that purpose. Hiey met at the house of John
Parker, on Haw creek, February twelfth, 1821, and after care-
ful consideration, agreed upon the site. They decided to call
514: IIISTOKY OP INDIANA.
it TIptoiia, ill lionor of General Tij'toii, wlio owned lands in I
tlio vicinity, but tlio county coniniissioncrs, at tlieir second 1
meetiiiir. in Mui-eli, 1S21, c!i:m:u,ed the name to Colnnibns.
The lirt^t settlers of C"i>hinilius wei-e John Lindsay aud Luke
Bonestecl, who ]iu<l jiuivhascd hy entry from the ^vneral gov-
ernment in lS2(t, the ground nj»oiJ \vlncli a considerable j^or-
tion of the town was located, and which was donated by them
for the pni'jwsc of securing the h.K-ation. David Di'.itz, the J
oldest settler in Columbus, now living, came there in the
spring of 1S21. The next in seniority, still residing there, is
Francis J. Crump, pi-esident of the First National l)ank, who
came early tlio following year. AVilliamson Terrell came to
the place, from Kentucky, in IS21. There were Init tlii'cc
lionses in it, and so unpromising was its prospects tliat he
left. lie returned, however, in 182S, and remained till Uis
death in 1S73
Bartholomew county has all the elements of greatness, and
it naturally invites capital and remunerates abundantly the
husbandman.
In consequence of the donation of a large amount of land,
by the Indians, at a treaty tor the spccilied purpose of build-
ing a road from the Ohio river to Lake Micliigau, the building
of this road, and especially as no point on the Ohio I'iver had
been designated in the treaty, evciy jtlacc from the mouth of
the Miami to the Wabash intriirued lor it. For several ses-
sions this was the prize coveted and cojitended for."
Jefferson county was ably represented in the house by Mil-
ton Stapp, and in the senate by Joseph G. Marshall, who, by
th-cir energy and talents, secured JMadison as the starting point
from the Ohio river, and as tliey suspected Philip Swectser,
who represented Bartholomew county, of having senatorial
aspirations, which would naturally lead him to prefer Jeller-
sonville as a starting point, they had the road laid off by the
way of Greensburg and Shelbyville, instead of through Ver-
Qon, Columbus and Franklin, as it ought, if it was to become
a great thoroughfare.
* From Dr. J. C. Beck's MS.
BARTHOLOMEW COUNXr. 515
This caused the defeat of Sweetser and the election of Wil-
liam Herod the following year, wlio became our next repre-
sentative.
Colonel T. G. Lee, who represented the conntj in 1835-6,
secured charters for railroads from Madison and Jeffersonville
through Columbus to Indianapolis, and the people, on learning
the fact, assembled and had a time of great rejoicing, bonfires,
etc., little suspecting that the very next day, the charter for
the Jeffersonville branch railroad had been repealed by the
efforts of Marshall and Stapp. Some years after the same
charter was again granted, and made only a few years later
than tlie Madison railroad, and is now the more important of
the two roads.
The first train on the latter road reached Columbus on the
fourth day of July, 1844, greeted with great joy by the people
of the county. Now they are accommodated by two railroads
crossing at Columbus and traversing the county in the form of
an X; the Jeflcrsonville road having trains direct w^ithout
change of cars to the eastern cities. The Madison and Jeffer-
sonville roads unite here and go direct to Indianapolis. What
is called the Cambridge City Branch railroad, is the direct
route to the Eastern cities.
Another projected line from Cincinnati, passing through the
middle of the county, from cast to west, to the famous coal
and iron fields in the western portion of the State, will per-
haps be built in a few years.
The county is well improved by turnpikes and other works
for the convenience and comfort of the people. During the
year 1821, and until July, 1823, the courts occupied the house
located on lot No. 119 of the original plat of Columbus, and
known as the "Xuke Boncsteel Ilouse. ' John Pence and
Ephriam Arnold, associate judges, held the first court March
twelfth, and the second court June eleventh, 1821. At the
third term, held in October of the same year, Davis Floyd,
judge of the second judicial district of the State, presided, with
the same two associates previously named. The next court
was held in a log house on lot No. 148, north-east corner of
Lindsay and Walnut streets, owned by Wm. Y. Snyder, and
516 HIOTOEY OF INDIANA.
the youthful "Wm. W. Wick, presiding judge, witli Pcnse and
Arnold as " side judges." In 1S24, court moved into a house
provided by Philip Sweetser.
In 1S25, court was held in Newton C. Jones' house, on the
north-east corner of Jackson and Walnut streets. We have
been thus minute in the history of the courts, to show the con-
trast between then and now, as Bartholomew county now has
the most elegant temple of justice in the State, outside of
Indianapolis.
The brick courthouse, built by Giles Mitchel, was occupied
by the courts and received by the county commissioners
November, 1S25. This court house was regarded by the
pioneers as "extravagantly costly," but the rapid progress of
the county in wealth and population, and the early decay of the
building, caused, in 1838, the board of justices to order " that
the old court house be sold, and a new court house built."
Columbus has now a population of over five thousand. Its
schools are conducted on the most efficient plan, in commodi-
ous buildings. The new court house is an ornament to the
city, and a credit to the county. The city is quite prosperous
in commerce, education and public improvements.
The rural districts of the county are nearly all wealthy.
The farmers are enjoying the richest fruits of the husband-
man's toil, and are mostly independent in this world's goods.
They had early provided excellent schools for the young, and in
every quarter there are noticeable evidences of industry and
thrift.
CHAPTER LXYII.
FLOYD COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
FLOYD conntj was named in lionor of Colonel John Flojd,
of Yirginia. The snrtace of tlic county contains some
of the distinguishing^ physical features of the State. A range
of hills called the "knobs," about two and a half miles in
breadth, runs through the county from north to south, reach-
ing the Ohio a short distance below New Albany, the county
seat. They present a very rugged surface, and are composed
of slate, clay, soft sandstone and iron ore. Above the clay and
ore is a layer of freestone, valuable for building purposes.
East of the knobs, and in a portion of the country west, the
land is gently rolling, but the general character of the county
is hilly and the soil poor, with the exception of some tracts of
good land. The county was formerly quite well timbered.
Much of the county is well adapted to the cultivation of corn
and grass, and to raising cattle, hogs, horses and sheep.
Any sketch of Floyd county must be principally of New
Albany. Within the limits of that city we find concentrated
most of the industry, wealth, and materials for future great-
ness in the county.
New Albany was laid out in 1S13, by Joel, Abner and
Nathaniel Scribner. The original plat of the town did not
embrace more than one-third of its present area, the purchase
of the Scribners amounting to but eight hundred and twenty-
six and one-half acres. The land was purchased by the Scrib-
ner brothers of John Paul, who entered it at the government
land office at Yincennes. The lots were disposed of by public
auction on the first Tuesday and Wednesday of November,
1813, and there was a stipulation in the advertisement of tJio
517
518 niSTORY OF INDl/LNA.
sale tliat " onc-foiirth part of cacli payment upon the lots sold
shall be paid into tlic hands of trustees, to be chosen by tho
purchasers, until sucli payments shall amount to five thousand
dollars, the intci-est of which to be applied to the use of
schools in the town fur the use of its iuhabitants forever."
This was the manner in which the Scribncr high school of
Kew Albany M-as founded, which, through the lapse of hfty-
uinc years, has flourished, and is now one among the most
efficiently managed and prosperous high schools in Indiana.
It is connected M'itli the public schools of the city as the male
high school. Provision was also made by the Scribners for
lots upon which to erect churches, county buildings, and lor a
public park, all which generous designs of the founders of the
city have been fully carried out. In ISltt a large number of
families removed to Xew Albany, and from that time forward,
notwithstanding the nearness of Louisville, and the start that
to^\Tl had gained in population and business, the contiguity of
Jeficrsonville and shipj^ing post, and the laying off and settle-
ment of Portland, on the oj)posite side of the Ohio, with tho
active competition these towns ollcred, Xew Albany had a
steady and substantial, but not a rapid, growth.
There are no thrilling incidents in the early history of
Kew Albany. It has had a quiet growth, and has " ever been
more celebrated for its moral, religious and educational advan-
tages, fnic climate and good health, than as a 'fast town,'
where vice is predominant, and the temptations to youth
numerous and alluring. In its religion, benevolent and educa-
tional enterprises, it has always held the raidv of the first city
in the State."
The location and scenery arc admirable. "It is laid out,"
says Mr. Cotton, "upon a beautiful j.'lateau, above high water
mark in the Ohio, upon two benches or plains that sweep
northward by a gentle rise from the river, with wide streets
crossing each other at r^'ght angles. To the west and north-
west is a range of hills from three to five hundred feet in
height, knoM-n to the Indians as the ' Silver Hills,' from tlie
peculiarly bright, smoky lialo that ever liangs around and
over them. These hills, now called the ' knobs,' arc cro'ivncd
FLOYD COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DESCKIlTrVE. 519
witli grand old forest trcc>, or dotted here and tliere with neat
and often elegant farm lionses. Tliej add greatly to the
beanty of the city, giving it a most charming and romantic
appearance. From tliesc hills a magnificent view of Kew
Albany, i.onisville, Jefferson ville, tljc Falls of tlic Ohio, the
great Ohio river bridge at the Falls, the lar-away hills that
loom np in grandeur along Salt river, in Kentucky, the famous
Muldraugh hill of that State, the entire range of knobs in
Indiana for many miles, and a long stretch of river. A more
grand and beautiful natural jianorama is nowhere else unrolled
in Indiana. This range of hills ]irotccts the city iVom storms,
and such a thing as a hurricane is unknown at jS'ew Albany,
while the violence of such storms not nnfrcqucntly falls with
destructive force upon the neighboring ci-ties of Louisville and
Jcflersonville. These 'knobs' ailbrd splendid building sites
for suburban residences, and arc especially celebrated fur the
superior quality and abundance of the peaches, pears, plums,
apples, grapes, raspberries, strawbcri-ies, and other iVuits grown
upon them. For the purposes of fruit culture the lands on
these ' knobs ' are in e:reat demand. Nevertheless, tlicv sell
at remarkably low prices ])cr acre. The city, to the west,
along the line of the Ohio river, overlooks miles of rich and
highly cultivated garden lands, while to the east and northeast
large and valuable farms meet the view."
!New Albany's river navigation facilities give her natural
avenues of commerce and trade with fifteen States, having a
population of over nine million. The cash value of tlic farms
of this population in 1S70 was over $001,000,000; of farm
products, $519,876,412; of live stock, $189,301,721. This is
but a portion of the wealth of the sections penetrated by the
navigable rivers to which Kew Albany is directly accessible.
The railroad advantages of tlie city are extensive, and there is
a fair prospect of their enlargement in the near future.
The city is now the terminus of the Louisville, Kew Albany
and Chicago, the Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis, and
the Louisville and Kew Albany railroads. Concerning the
railroads and their future, we have the following from the pen
of Mr. Cotton: "The track of the Lonisville and Cincinnati
520 niSTOKY OF INDIANA.
branch of the Oliio and Mississippi railroad will soon bo
extended here, (the right of way into the city havinc: been
granted by the city council,) making New Albany the terminus
of this road. The Louisville, New Albany and St. Louis rail-
way, now being rapidly constructed, and which will be speedily
finished, also terminates here, though it connects with Louis-
ville by the Louisville and New Albany road. The Terre ITaute
and New Albany road is projected, and the New Albany and
Cincinnati road has a hona fide subscription to its stock of
over eiirht hundred thousand dollars. The Lake Erie, Louis-
ville and New Albany railroad, (to Toledo, Ohio,) will be com-
pleted early in the summer of 1873. These roads connect New
Albany with all sections of the Union, north, south, east and
west, giving her railroad advantages possessed by few cities in
the west. The Louisville, New Albany and Chicago road runs
from the Ohio river, at this city, to Lake Michigan, at Michi-
gan City, a distance of nearly three hundred miles, connect-
ing with the Ohio and Mississippi, the Toledo, Wabash and
Western, the Pittsburg, Cincinnati and Chicago, the Michigan
Southern, the Michigan Central, and a number of other roads.
The Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis road is the
Bouthermost link of the great Panhandle route cast via Cam-
bridge City, Columbus, Pittsburg, and the Pennsylvania Cen-
tral to Ilarnsburg, Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore;
and at Indianapolis it connects with all the roads leading
from that city east, northwest, and north. The Louisville and
New Albany road connects at Louisville with the Louisville
and Nashville, and the Louisville and New Orleans roads to
all points south; with the Chesapeake and Ohio to New York
City and Norfolk, Virginia; with the short line to Cincinnati
and the Baltimore and Ohio road east; and with all the roada
in Kentucky centering at Louisville. The Ohio and Missis-
sippi road will connect New Albany directly with the Balti-
more and Ohio and all the lines leading east from Cincinnati.
The Louisville, New Albany, and St. Louis Air Line railway
is, as its name indicates, an air line road to St. Louis, connect-
ing the two great commercial cities of Louisville and St.
Louis, passing for nearly forty miles through the coal fields
FLOYD COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DESCRirTIYE. 521
of Indiaim, and the shortest route from Louisville to St. Louis
by forty-six miles. This is one of the most important rail-
roads in Indiana. The Lake Erie, Louisville and New Albany
road will, when completed, give to New Albany an almost air
line road to the great pineries and famous iron mines of
Michigan. The New Albany and Cincinnati road is projected
along the north bank of the Ohio river, via Madison to Cincin-
nati. The New Albany and Terre Haute road is projected by
way of the coal fields and iron mines of Owen, Clay, Greene
and Yigo counties to Terre Haute, on the Wabash river, at
the western limit of the State. Thus it will be seen that the
railroad interests of New Albany are of vast magnitude, and
promise to make her one of the lirst cities of Indiana."
The manufacturing interests of New Albany are foremost.
The most extensive glass works in the United States are
located there. These works arc orjranized under the name
and style of the Star Glass Company. They cover an area of
jSfteen acres with the buildings and necessary grounds, and
manufacture the very best quality of plate glass, in all respects
equal to the best French and English plate, and also window
glass, fruit jars, and bottles. The manufacture of plate glass
in America is as yet an experiment so far as relates to
profitable returns upon the very large investment of capital it
requires to operate such works. There can, however, be little
cause to doubt that the experiment now making at New
Albany in the manufacture of a first quality of plate glass
will prove successful, inasmuch as the capital employed, the
extent of the buildings, and the amount and superiority of the
machinery used, will compare favorably with the like condi-
tions in the extensive plate glass works of Europe, The
commercial interests of the city are very extensive and con-
stantly expanding.
The people of New Albany boast, and perhaps justly, that
they have the most efiicient system of free schools, in the
State. "Their claim in this regard," says Mr. Cotton, "is
well founded, as the carefully collated oflScial statistics of the
schools will show. Tliere are in the city ten elegant and very
large brick school buildings, and one frame school building.
522 HICTOKT OF INDIANA.
The valnc of tliesc buildings is about one Inindrcd and fifty
tliousand dollars, and they furnish accommodations fur fully
three thousand pupils. Eight of the buildings are used for
the primaiy, intermediate, and grammar schools, and one as a
male high school, and one as a female high school. The system
of grading is a most perfect one, and works admirably and
efficiently. Tuition is absolutely free in all departments; and
the pupils who pass all the grades and graduate through the
hiirh school receive a thorouirh Emrlish and scientific educa-
tion, and are competent for any department of business, or for
any of the professions. The city has erected a first-class brick
ediiice as a school house for the colored inhabitants of the city,
who have the same rights to admission into their own. schools
as the whites have into theirs — the same law governing both.
Forty-five white and two colored teachers are employed in
these public schools, while the average attendance of pupils 13
about two thousand three hundred. The annual cost of the
echools is not far from thirty thousand dollars, and the total
number of school children in the city entitled to the privi-
leges of the schools is seven thousand one hundred and thirty.
The schools are managed by a board of three school trustees,
elected by the city council, which secures to them permanency,
and the best educators in the way of teachers. These public
schools afford the poor man, the mechanic, laborer, and small
dealer or tiader, superior facilities for giving his children an
excellent education free of all expense; so that no man who
lives in Xe'v Albany can have the least excuse for perinitting
his sons or daughters to grow np in ignorance. It is doubtful
if a better nystem of public free schools can be found in any
section of tbe Union than the one now in operation, with the
most emin(nt success, at New Albany.
The Dc]>auw college for young ladies is one of the best and
most popohir female colleges in Indiana. The institution ia
the ]>roprrty of the Indiana Conference of the Methodist
Episcopal Church. For the last six years, or since its reorgan-
ization m ISdG, it has been under the direction of Rev. Erastus
Rowley, 1). I)., as president, who has been recently re-elected
to the same position for the next three years. This college
\
524 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
occupies one of the most pleasant and commanding situutions
in the most beautiful portion of the city of New Albany.
This city has long enjo^'cd a high reputation for its educa-
tional advantages, as well as for the high moral and religious
tone of its inhabitants. It is noted for its hcalthfulncss, and
is accessible in all directions by various railroads and by tlie
Ohio river. The college building, originally erected for a
ladies' boarding school, has been enlarged and improved within
the past six years, at an expense of near twenty thousand
dollars, and now other improvements, embracing the entire
renovation of the interior of the building, are just completed.
The rooms for the boarding pupils and teachers are all carpeted
and well furnished. The capacity of the building is sufficient
to accommodate seventy-five boarding and an equal number
of day pupils. This college affords very superior facilities to
those desiring t-o educate and accomplish their daughters.
The faculty embraces six experienced and successful educators
besides the president. The college year opens September
eleventh and closes June fourteenth. The institution confers
upon its graduates the degrees of Mistress of English Litera-
ture and Mistress of Liberal Arts. Every valuable improve-
ment in method of instruction will be adopted, and the great
ailn will be to develop the mental and moral powers of the
pupil, and to educate the mind to habits of thought and
investigation. The college is furnished with globes, maps,
charts, and apparatus to illustrate natural philosophy, chem-
istry, electricity, and astronomy. The music department
embraces instruction on the piano, organ, guitar, and in vocal-
ization, while the French and German languages are taught by
competent teachers. Tlie graduating class in 1S72 numbered
nine young ladies.
The St. Mary's female academy is a first-class one, under
the care of the Sisters of St. Francis (Catholic,) and with
Sister Yeronica as Lady Superior. The building is one among
the largest and best adapted educational edifices in the State,
having accommodations for eight hundred pupils. All the
branches of a thorough and accomplished education are taught,
including music, the modern languages, painting, needle- work,
CLARKE COUNTY HISTOKICAL AND DESCEirTU'E. 525
flowers, etc. Tlicre is probably no better Catholic academy in
the west than St. Mary's, and it is the j)ride ot" the Catholics
of southern Indiana.
The Morse acadcm}' is a high school of the best grade, under
the supervision of Prof. F. L. Morse, in which the education
of the two sexes together is a leading feature. This academy
possesses all the ad\antages of a college in ap])aratus, and the
high character of its board of insti'uction. The marked suc-
cess that has attended it, and enabled Prof Morse to erect the
most commodious and convenient buildinirs, indicates its hiirli
character.
Besides those schools already named, there are five Catholic
parochial schools; German Pi'otestant parochial scliool; Ger-
man Methodist parochial school; and seven ])rivate schools.
Add these private and parocliial schools, colleges, and acad-
emies to the grand system of public I'ree schools, and it will
readily be seen that the educational advantages of Is' ew Albany
arc unrivaled.
The churches and benevolent institutions of the city are
equal to the educjitional facilities in every respect. The New
Albany Society of Natural History is well organized, and
evinces the high culture of the citizens
GHArTER LXVlll.
OLAKKE COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DP:SORIPTIVE.
IN 1784, the legislature of the State of Virginia, in consid-
eration of the important and valuable services rendered to
that commonwealth by General George Tiogers Clarke, donated
to him large tracts of land in that part of the Indian territory
which he had nominally placed under its government. Among
these lands was a tract comprising a portion of the site of the
62 G IIISTOKY OF INDIANA.
present city of Jcflcrsonville, and including also tlic lands
ujion wliicli the sti-u,i;i;ling village of Clarkcsvillc is located.
At the latter point old "Fort Clarke" was located, and around
it many of the most thrilling scenes and incidents in the early
history of Indiana were enacted. Many of the deeds of the
brave Clarke, center to this old landmark of his remarkable
career. He, with his brave Virginians, fought his way along
the ever-bending banks of the Ohio, not only contending with
Indians, but Englishmen, and through repeated triumphs,
which shed an enchanting lustre upon the annals of border
warfare, he unfurled the ilag of a free people and a republican
government over the soil now included within the limits of
the State of Indiana. But as we have given an account of
most of General Clarke's services in behalf of Indiana, in the
first part of this work, we shall have to pass over his opera-
tions around Fort Clarke, at this time, and deal with more
recent events. It should be remarked, however, that the early
settlement, or attempted, at Clarkesville, was not successful.
Ilowever, in the year 1S02, Jeflersonville was located, near
this point, by John Gwathmey. This new seat of civilization
was named in honor of the illustrious author of the declara-
tion of independence, Thomas Jeficrson. The tovm was incor-
porated in 181G, and the city was incorporated in 1839. These
two events mark its progress, which has been steady, but not
rapid.
Omitting, for want of space, the hundreds of incidents in •
the early history of Clarke county, we will observe only some
of its most noticeable present features.
The surface of the county along the Ohio river, and from
three to five miles in the interioi", is rolling, and the remain-
der mostly level, except a chain of "knobs," which form a
ecmicircle along the northwestern boundary of the county, and
strike the Ohio river just below New Albany, in Floyd county.
Only about half of these " knobs " are cultivated, but they are
covered with a good quality of timber, chestnut, oak and pine
being the distinguishing classes. Aside from the "knobs,"
the lands in the county are susceptible of cultivation. The
Btrip along the river, about thirty-five miles in length, and
CLARKE COUNTY HISTOKICAL AND DESCEimVE. 527
from five to ten in width, lias a limestone soil, and, though
mostly rolling, is, when well tilled, as ]>roductive as any of tho
celebi-ated bottom lands. There are no prairies in the county.
The I'ariiis are generally well improved, and are graced with
good buildings. Iron ore, marble, excellent building rock,
and hydraulic cement are found in abundance.
Tviost (»f the lands within the present limits of the county
are embraced in what was known as the " Illinois errant."
This was made, as before intimated, by the legislature of Yir-
gitiia in 170G, and conveyed to certain commissioners one
hundred and forty-nine thousand acres of land, in trust, to
be ajiportioncd, according to their rank, to General Clarke,
and the ollicers and men of- the regiment which he commanded
in the expedition to Vincennes and Ivaskaskia. It was divided
into live hundred acre tracts and apportioned according to the
terms of the grant. One thousand acres more, lying along the
falls of the Ohio, were also granted at the same time for tlie
location of a town to be called Clarkesville. This was intended
as a monument to the memory of General Clarke, and it was
hoped that the town would develop into a great commercial
centre, but these hopes were futile. It flourished for a short
time, but soon sunk into decay. It is now only a small vil-
lage, with no prospects of reaching metropolitan pre-emi-
nence. The first settlements in the place were made from
1790 along up to ISOO. The early settlers located along the
banks of the Ohio river, so as to be able to escape into Ken-
tucky at tlie approach of the hostile natives.
J cfi'ersonville, the principal town, has grown to be a handsome
and important city, with a population of over eight thousand,
and excellent free school facilities. The city is handsomely
laid out. The streets are broad, crossing each other at right
angles. The buildings are nearly all substantial and present
Bomcthing worthy of notice in the way of architecture. Many
neat cottages beautify the streets and give the town a pictur-
esque and rural appearance.
" The cliief manufactures of JefTersonville are railway cars,
Bteamboats, and machinery of various kinds.* The JcfFcrson-
* From a sketch of Jcffersonvillc in the Pittsburgh United Presbyterian
528 niOTORY OF INDIANA.
ville, Madison and Indianapolis Hailroad Company's machine
shops and car works give employment to a considcral)le num-
ber of mechanics, and besides these tliere are two sliip-yards
which afford, in activ^e business times, regular em])lo}'ment to
about two hundred skilled artisans. It is claimed that there
are more steamboats built here annually than at any other
l)oint between Pittsbui-gh and New Orleans, and that they
rank amouir the best steamers that naviijatc the M'csteru
waters. Just beyond the city limits, 'the Ohio Falls Car
Company' conduct a lai-gc establishment, with a capacity for
the employment of eight hundred workmen, and near by is
its competitor, ' the Southwestern Car Company,' the princi-
pal work for whicli is done by the convicts (three hundred and
fifty in number), of the Indiana State Prison South, whose
white front is in sad contrast with the o^loom that dwells
witliin. Beside these, there are two iron-foundries, an oil-
stone factory, an extensive coopering establishment, and just
at this time more noticeable than any of them, in consequence
of the horrid screams of its steam-whistle every morning, the
large pork-house on the river bank, where two hundred men
are employed in killing twelve hundred hogs daily. The loco-
motive whistle, too, is heard nearly every hour of the day and
night in Jeffersonville, Avhosc heart is pierced by the iron
bands of the Jeffersonville, Madison and Indianapolis, and
the Ohio and JMississippi, besides those of other minor local
roads.
" The local government is presided over by Mayor Pile, a
venerable gentleman of three score years and ten, who, being
to ' the manor born,' has grown up with the growth of Jeffer-
sonville, and is a fair s})ecimen of the plain, fi-ank, honest,
hardy western pioneers who lived in this section of country
when it was an unbroken wilderness, and have been spared to
see it blossom like the rose. Put the crowning glory of Jef-
fersonville, and that which imparts to it much of its business
life and vitality, is the extensive depot of the Quartermaster's
Department. Some idea of the magnitude of this structure
may be formed when it is stated that the series of fire-proof
warehouses, built in the shape of a hollow square, contain one
CLARKE COUNTY HISTOKICAL AND DESCKIPTIVE. 529
hundred and fifty tlionsand square feet, or three aud one-half
acres of ilooring, witli a storage capacity of two million seven
hundred thousand cubic feet. The p'ound upon which the
depot is located, covering about fifteen acres, was donated for
the purpose by the city of Jeffersonville. The building has a
frontage of over three thousand two hundred Icet, and the
principal offices are above the main entrance. In the centre
of the court yard is a tower one hundred feet high, in which,
at an elevation of seventy feet, is a Avatchman's room, I'rom
which every one of the numerous warehouse doors arc visible.
On the summit of this tower there is also a large tank, of the
capacity of six thousand gallons, from which copious sti-cama
of water can be thrown to any part of the building. In the
court-yaid there are also two reservoirs, of the capacity of
three hundred thousand irallons each. This immense structure
was erected at the cost limited by the appropriation of con-
gress, viz.: one hundred and fifty thoujfand dollars — a rare
fact in the financial history of public buildings.*
"The public property now stored in this depot is estimated
to be worth about twenty-two million dollars. From it are
now su])j)licxl with clothing, camp and garrison equipage, and
all kinds of Quartermaster's stores, the military ])osts in the
South and West, and most of the troops operating in those
sections. The depot is so capacious and so well arranged, lliat
if all the old material now stored in it were disposed of, and
new and serviceable material stored in its place, enough could
be kept on hand to sujiply the entire army of the United
States. There are now nearly one hundred male employes on
the rolls of the depot, exclusive of about seven hundred
women, who are engaged in making shirts, dravvers, stable
frocks, and bed-quilts to meet the demands of the service.
This work is a god-send to the poor sewing-women of Jeffer-
eonville. ' Ladies' pay-day,' at the depot, is always an event-
ful and memorable occasion. It is full of sunshine and joy,
and the source of a general difi'usion of comfort and happiness
throughout the community. Hundreds of poo? women, with
♦ From a sketch in the United Presbyterian.
34
530 niSTOKT OF INDIANA.
emiling faces, light liearts, and liglitcr steps, may be seen on
that (lay returning from the depot, the cheerful ])Ossessors of
their monthly earnings, which arc destined to make so many
homes look brighter and more happy. Seven thousand dollars
distributed every month among the poorer classes in a com-
munity of eight thousand, carry Avitli them many comforts
and delights, and the baker and the butcher, the grocer and
the dry-goods dealer — indeed all classes of the populace —
feel the happy influences of the welcome pay-day.
" The Jeffersonvillc Depot is the conception and design of
Major-General M. C. Meigs, Quartermaster-General, and may
justly be ranked among the proudest monuments of his
enlightened and efficient administration of the Quartermaster's
Department."
Charlestown, situated near the center of the connty, and
twelve miles north of Jeffersonvillc, on the Ohio and Missis-
sippi railroad, is the county seat. It is a smart, thriving
town, of about three thousand inhabitants, and is, in every
way, an honor to the county.
CHAPTER LXIX.
SHELBY COUNTY DISTOKICAL AND DESCKIFTIVE.
SHELBY county was named in honor of Isaac Shelby, an
officer of considerable distinction in the Kevolutionary
war, as also the war of 1S12. He was also governor of Ken-
tucky. The county was originally level forest land, with fertile
bottoms along the streams, from half a mile to tAvo miles in
width. The uplands are elevated about forty feet above these
bottoms. The soil in the bottoms is a rich dark loam, with a
slight mixture of sand; on the upland there is much clay, cov-
ered with a dark muck, which required drainage before it
could be successfully cultivated. The timber in the bottoms
was principally walnut, ash, etc.; on the uplands, beach, oak
SnELBY COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND DESCKimVE. 531
and hickory were the distinguishing features of the forest. It
is a lirst-rate farming county, in ahnost every respect,
" Slielbyville, the county seat, was laid out on the fourtli of
July, 1S22, "^ on a donation of land made by John Hendricks,
James Davison, and John C. AYalkcr. Tlie commissioners
appointed for that purpose, were Ebenezer "Ward, of Bartliolo-
mew county; Benjamin J. BIythe, of Dearborn county; Amos
Boardman, of Iwiplcy county; George Bcntley, of Harrison
county, and Joshua Cobb, of Delaware county. They met at the
Louse of David Fisher, July first, and after four days deliberation
decided upon the location of the county seat, where it at ]n-es-
ent stands, giving it the name of Slielbyville, a double honor
to the venerable and patriotic ex-governor of Kentucky, Isaac
Shelby. Jacob Wetzel, of the noted Indian fighting family of
tliat name, on learning of tlic treaty of October, ISIS, had
blazed a trace from Jehu Perkins', on the old boundary line,
to the blufls of White river, about eighteen miles below the
present site of Indianapolis. Bichard Thornburg settled the
same fall on Flat Bock, and James Wilson the same fall also
on Blue river, the Wetzel trace crossing at both places. B. F.
Morris was the first surveyor; Capt. McLaughlin, one of his
assistants, camped on Wilson's place in November, ISIS. lie
put his field notes and some other j^apers and valuables in a
keg and concealed it, together with a hatchet, on the creek near
his camp, when he left the neighborhood for the winter, and
on returning in the spring found them safe and uninjured.
James Wilson may be regarded as the first settler. He came
from Jefferson county, Ind., in 1S19, and he induced Bennett
Michael, a shoemaker, to settle near him; also John Forman,
Benjamin Castor and John Smith, who came afterwards.
Isaac II. Wilson, a son of James, who was born in Jeflerson
county in 1S07, and came to Shelby county with his father, is
still living in Shelbyville. He informed me that Indians wore
occasionally met with when he first came to the county. He
frequently saw Joseph "Wliite-ejes, a Delaware chief, who had
a son called Charles and a grandson named James, who was
♦From a sketch by J. C. Beck, M. D.
532 HISTORY OF IXDIA]S'A.
red headed. Two Indians, known as Cnnian and Pisliaw, lived
on J line river, a few miles from his lather. They had very
handsome half-breed wives. On one occasion Mrs. Wilson
invited them to visit her, which they did, riding npon ponies
in gaily decorated side-saddles. Tlicy were \q\"^ tastefully
dressed, and wore silver brooches on tlieir arms, and neat
slij^pers fastened to the feet with silver bands, and exhibited a
good breeding and politeness that might have excited the envy
of their nioi'C civili/ced white sisters.
"JMarion is the oldest town in the connty. It was laid
off in 1S20, on the south-west quarter of section twenty, j
township thirteen north, of range seven east. John Slcetk I
was one of the original proprietors. His daughter Nancy «
was the iirst person nuirricd in the county; she was mar-
ried to Abel Summers, May fifteenth, 1S22, by Kev. Ilenry
Logan, then living near the Bartholomew county line."
After 1S2S, Shelby county increased i-apidly in population
and wealth, and it still continues to thrive. To-day, the rail-
road facilities of Shelbyville, and also of Shelby county, are
second to no county in the State of equal population. Shelby-
ville has grown to be a city of over 3,500 inhabitants, among
whom are some of the ablest and most enterprising business
and professional men in the State. The schools of the county
are well oi'ganized and efficiently conducted. The iiicorporatcd
schools of Shelbyville are the just pride of her citizens.
CLIKTON COUNTY.
Clintox county was named in honor of DeWitt Clinton.
The surface of the county is level, cxce])ting aJong the AVild-
cat, in the southwest corner. There is no barren or waste
lands in the county. In the south-western portion is the
" twelve mi'c prairie." There are one or two other small
prairies in the county, but, with the exception of these, and
the one first named, all the balance of the surface was originally
covered with a dense and heavy forest, containing an abund-
ance of timber of a fine quality. The soil of the county may
be termed alluvial, with a clay bottom. All the grains and
534 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
grasses indigenous to tlie "West can be produced in tliis comity
with profit. It is, perhaps, especially adapted to the cultivation
of hay and for pasturage. Generally speaking it is one of rlic
best fanning counties in Indiana. As a proof of this, it may
be mentioned that it is quite thickly settled with an intelli
gent, M'ealthy class of farmers, wlio have grown up to inde-
pendence M'ith the growth of the county.
Frankfort is the county seat. The section of country fiom
which this young city derives its trade, is one of the best agri-
cultural sections in the "West. It already has a population of
over three tliousand, and is steadily progressing in all its
industries. Its schools are excellent, supported by first-class
talent, and provided with commodious buildings. The city
has very good railroad facilities, and lias all the elements of
future prosperity, which are being rapidly developed.
BOONE COUNTY.
Boone county contains two hundred sixty-seven thonsand
five hundred and twenty acres of good land. The county was
organized in 1830, with a population of six hundred and thirty.
It was named in honor of Daniel Boone, the hero of border
life. The southeastern, western and northwestern portions of
the county arc gently undulating. The other portions are
level. The soil, in most parts of the county, is a dark loam,
dee]) and very rich. It is remarkably well adapted to the pro-
duction of all kinds of jrrain, passes and vc£rctables indiiren-
ens to the Northwest. Timber is plenty and of the finest
qua! it}'. Boone county is composed of the summit lands
dividing the waters of the "Wabash and "White rivers. This
accounts, probably, for the level, wet lands so common on
almost all dividing ridges. They are generally termed " sum-
mit levels," and are frequently composed of many ]ionds
and small lakes, with only occasional ridges of high land.
The county is watered by Eagle creek, "White Lick and AValnut
Fork of Eel river, which empty into the former, and Big llac-
coon and Sugar creek, which empty into the latter. Owing to
the level surface of the county where these streams have their
Bourcc, they are sluggish and comparatively of no value in the
BOOXE COUNTY HISTORICAL AND DESCRirTIVE. 535
way of propelling macliinerj. "The dense forests of heavy
timber and low wet lands of Boone county, ^yere not sulli-
ciently attractive to bring within its borders a class of men of
peculiar relinement and means, consequently it was first set-
tled by men of stout constitutions, iron wills, and but little
financial resources. It required a vast amount of labor and
untiring eflbrt to clear away the heavy forests preparatoiy to
raising crops. Man}' of the early settlers cleared out a little
* truck patch,' sufficient to raise some ' roasting ears,' beans and
other garden vegetables, after which they aj^plied themselves
to hunting, fishing, etc. The settler who could command a
good rifle, two or three dogs, a cow, and one old horse, with
the means to buy powder and lead, was considered supremely
happy. In these early days there was abundance of wild
game — deer, bear, wolves, turkej'S, pheasants and q^uails.
The currency of the country was the skins of deer, raccoons,
mink and wild honey."
The county was once the home and hunting-grounds of a
tribe of the Miamis; upon the banks of the streams were the
graves of their fathers. In these little mounds lie the remains
of many a native warrior and hunter. Tlie site of the present
town of Thorntown was once the habitation of nearly five hun-
dred Indian and French traders. About the year 1833 most
of the tribe were removed from the reservation at this place,
which was purchased by the government in 1S2S. Thorntown,
located in the northwestern part of the county, was once a
lively Indian trading post; since that time it has become a
lively place, with a civilized home trade. Only a few years
ago the county of Boone was a wilderness, so densely covered
with heavy timber and underbrush that the rays of the sun
were almost entirely cut off from the earth in the summer
season. Lonely and desolate must have been the feelings of
those who first traversed these woods, when naught but
nature's uncultured sounds greeted the ear — when the eye
conld see no heavens for the intervening foliage — when ser-
pents and lizards, frogs and hornets, and wild beasts were
possessors of the land. Forty years have wrought a mighty
change in the county. Then no cleared fields were visible
536 msTOKT OF Indiana.
from one neighbor's to another; grecat hates of water, backed
up by huge trunks of fallen trees, were visible on every hand;
but now the lake has become a fertile field; great farms haro
been opened; the eye can see for miles over green or golden
fields of corn. The cabin superseded the wigwam, and the
neat cottage has superseded the cabin in almost every locality
Lebanon, the county seat, is located near the centre of the
county, in a rich and productive section. It is a small town,
but is thrifty and rapidly improving. It has a population of
about three thousand, including a line class of citizens, enter-
prising, intelligent and prosperous. The town and county
have good schools and school advantages,*
CnATTER LXX.
HENDBICKS COUNTY HISTOKICAL AND DESCRirnVE.
HENDRICKS county is located near the centre of the
State of Indiana. It contains about one hundred and
thirty-five thousand acres of land. The county was organized
in 1824, and was named in honor of Governor William Hen-
dricks. The surface of the county is gently rolling, and the
soil is generally very good. The county is well tim])ered,
especially in the northern portion. It is well watered by Eel
river, Mill creek, Mud creek, White Lick creek, and their
numerous tributary streams.
The first settlers of the county emigrated from North Car-
olina to this county about the year 1818, and settled on gov-
ernment lands prior to entry. The first lands were entered in
the county in 1821, about three years before the organization
of the county. The first settlements were made in the south-
east portion of the county, in what is now Lilierty and Gil-
* From a published sketch of the county.
MORGAN COUNTY — HISTORICAL AND rESCEIPTITE. 537
ford towiisliij^s. Among tlic first settlers were David Downs,
Icoss !N'ic]iol;is, liicliard Christie, George and David JMatock,
"William JJallai-d, Jonathan Tlodgers, James Thompson, Tliomas
Hadlcj, Josiah Tomlinson, John Bryant and Thomas Lockhart
The connty was organiz:cd in 1S24, and Danville was chosen
as the seat of justice. The first settlements were made in the
connty in ISIS, when tlie first trees were felled and the first
rude cabins erected. This population increased so rapidly
that in 1S24 there were more than one thousand inhabitants
in the county. In 1S70, tlie population of the coimty was
twenty thousand two hundred and seventy-seven. The growtli
of wealth and pul)lic improvements in tlie county liave been
commensurate with this growth in population. The old court
Louse has long since perished, and a new and substantial
building has taken its place. The new jail and county asylum
are substantial and well conducted institutions. The pioneer
log school houses of the county have gone, and now over one
hundred fine brick and frame school buildinr>-s attest the edu-
cational advantages of Hendricks county. Excellent turnpike
roads bisect each other in all parts of the county, and ample
railroad facilities are presented. The county has now over
one hundred and thirty thousand acres of improved land,
valued at twelve million dollars. The products of the farms
have always been largely remunerative. The taxable property
in the county is worth over twenty million dollars. In every
sense, the people of Hendricks county are intelligent, pro-
gressive, and enterprising citizens.
The Indiana House of Hcfujie is located on the State farm
adjoining Plainfield, in Hendricks county. This is one of the
State's most worthy and benevolent institutions, and it is
doing a good Avork for the benefit of the boys who have been
sent there.
IIORGAX COUNTY.
Morgan county is located near the geographical centre of
the State, and contains about 201,800 acres of land, and is
watered by "White river. White Lick creek, Mud creek. Dig
Indian creek, Stott's creek, Clear creek, Burnett's creek.
538 HISTORY OF ixdiana.
Eliodcs' creek, Mill creek, and otlier smaller streams. There
is "a coitsideraljlc portion of this county rough and broken,
especi;illv along the AVhite river, where tlie land is not very
prolitable tor grain growing, hut is well adapted for the pro-
duction of fruit, such as a])])lcs, peaches, pears. About one-
tliird of the county is bottom land. The soil in this section is
a sandv l(iani,veiT rich and productive. The county is splen-
ditlly tiiril)ered. The principal kinds arc poplar, walnut, white
oak, hickory, beech, sugar tree, etc.
IMorgan county was organized in 1823, and named in honor
of General Daniel ]\rorgan. The first county election was held
in a lug house, owned by Mr. Stotts. The house was built in
the year 1819, about one and a half miles west of AVaverley.
It was, ]ti-ub;ibly, the first house built in the county. Tlie
first settlers came to the county, probably, in 1818. Mr. Phil-
lip llodge ])urchased land and settled in the county in 1818.
Mrs. llebecca Douglas settled among the Indians, in Morgan
county, in 1817, but the first general settlement may be set
doM"n in 1819, when, among others, Iiobert C. Stotts, Hiram
T. Craig, James A. Laughlen, James Stotts, IS^athan Laughlen,
and AV. M. Oftield, settled in Avhat is now called Harrison
township. Among the settlers who immediately followed
these, and who have endured all the privations of pioneer life,
were the families of the Hodges, Samuel Moore, Judge Hiram
Matthews, Benjamin Hofihum, Jonathan AVilliams, Larken
Ileynolds, George II. IJuler, G. A. I'helps, Mr. McCrakcns,
Benjamin Cutbertli, Ivcuben Claypool, Alex, and Thomas J.
"Worth, Daniel Thornberg, Jack Kecord, John Bray, ]\[adison
Had ley, Bichard Iladley, Benjamin Stafford, and Bebecca
Blank. The latter is now a citizen of Clay township. She
vras one of the first settlers, and is the oldest person in the
county, and one of the oldest ladies in the State. She was
born in Bichmond, Va., in the year 17G8, and is now nearly
one hundred and seven years old. She remembers Daniel
Boone, and has participated in some of his deeds of daring on
the borders of Jventucky.
Martinsville, located near the centre of the county, is the
county scat. It has now a population of nearly two thousand.
SCOTT COUNTY — HIFIORICAL AM) DESCKirTIVE. 539
and is the largest town in tlic county. !MoorcsvilIc is tho
next largest town, and has a population ol' nearly sixteen
hnndred. The founder of this place, wlio is well known to
the people of the State, is still an active citizen. Tlic county
is well supplied with good schools and churclies. There have
been great improvements made in this direction during the
last five years. Tlie public improvements of the county are
in advance of some other counties.
This is a good agricultural county. It has 133,015 acres
of improved land, producing annually 330,000 bushels of wlieat,
G,500 bushels of rye, 1,190,000 bushels of Indian corn, 05,000
bushels of oats, from 200 to 1,500 bushels of barley, 50,000
bushels of potatoes, 229,355 pounds of butter, about 10,000
tons of hay, and over 00,000 pounds of wool, besides thousands
of dollars' worth of vegetables. The vahie of improved land
in the count}^ is over $9,000,000. Tlie raising of live stock is
a profitable pursuit in this county. The farmers are a thrifty
class of people, distinguishing themselves by their industry
and their love for public improvements.
SCOTT COUNTY.
Scott county is situated in the southeastern part of the
State, near the Ohio river. It is of irregular shape, and con-
tains about one hundred and eighty square miles. The county,
generally, is level and rolling, except a small area known as
the "knobs," which is quite broken. The soil is fair; the
county is well watered by streams, and many springs abound.
The timber is of the very best, and in abundance.
The county was organized in 1S20, while the State capital
was at Corydon, Harrison county.
It was named in honor of General Charles Scott, an officer
of the revolutionary period, and, at a later period, governor of
Kentucky. The county was formed from portions of Jefferson,
Jennings, Clark, and "Washington counties. The first county
commissioners were Joseph Switzer, Reuben Johnson, and
John Ilerod. "Wm. K. Eichey was the first sherifl:', by appoint-
ment from the governor. The first sherifif elect was Jesse
540 iriSTOKT OF INDIANA.
Jackson, wlio .iftcnv.inl sci-vec! in tlic le^iplatni-c, ami al^o a3
rcf'^istcr of the land oHlce at La Porte. Otlier orii-iiial coniitv
olliccrs "wcrc : James AV^ard, clerk; John I'l-ime, i-ecoi-dei- ;
James Lochranc, treasnrer, and liuLert 'Wardell, an old revo-
lutionary soldier — as coroner.
The county was first settled in 1S05, by John ]\iml)erlin,
Tvho removed to this section of the State from l\entucky, and
who built, in the same year, the first house erected in the
connty. Among the early settlers were: AVm. E. Collins, Dr.
John Eichey, Eliab Collins, Samuel P. Devore, Pobert AVardlc,
John Morris, Jeremiah Paine, Dr. Joiuithan Carter, John
Finley, Dr. James Ilicks, David and Charles Eastin, Eli and
Joseph Harlan, Kindred Ferguson, Wm. Nichols, John Win-
gate, Zebulon Foster, James Lcmaster, "Wm. jN'ortun, John
Dickey, Jacob Cutler, Asahel Passwater, Dtmiel J lough, John
Stucker, Pobert Prenton, "\Vm. Fleming, Peter Storms, Daniel
Serls, and many other brave and hard}' pioneers, whose names
are in the past.
Kindred Fermison is still a resident of Scott countv, where
he lias lived for sixty-iivc ^-ears, and has reached the extra-
ordinary age of one hundred and four years.
In 1S20, the county scat was located at Lexington, by AYm.
Fleming, Dennis Pennington, Hardin II. jMooi'c, Abel C.
Pepper, and two others. The town was originally hud out by
Jesse Henley, General Wm. McFarlanc, Adam Steele, liichard
Steele, and Kehcmiah Hunt, in ISll, on gi-ounds owned by
these gentlemen. The first house in Lexington was erected by
John and Jacob Stucker. Gcn.McFarlane built the first brick
house. The first public improvements were made by jirivato
enterprise. Wm. Fleming and ]\[oses Gray were the pioneer
merchants. The first marriage solemni/.ed in the county ^va3
between Daniel Kimberlin and Ursula Prenton. A chikl born
to them is claimed to be the first white jierson born in the
county. Among the early citizens oi Lexington and Scott
county, and who have since become prominent in the State,
may be mentioned: Henry P. Thornton, the first prosecuting
attorney of the county; the Carpenter Prothers; INlajor Elisha
G. English, many years in State legislature; his son, Hon.
542 niSTOKT OF Indiana.
Wm. n. English, who for many years ic.^caentcd tlic district
in Congress, M'as Lorn in Lexington, as was also his grandson,
"Wm. E. English, now a promising lawyer of Indiana])olis.
The seat of justice was continued in this place for over hl'ty
years, but was removed in 1S74 to a more central point, a
place formerly called Centervillc, but now known as Scotts-
burgh. This town was laid off in 1873, by Lloyd S. Keith,
being surveyed by Thos. K. AVardlc and Wm. Estel. It is
located on the Jeflcrsonville, Madison and Indianapolis
railroad, eighty miles south of Indianapolis, and now contains
a population of about four hundred souls. Among the other
towns of Scott county, are Austin, Vienna, New Frankfort,
Wooster, and Ilolman. Iron ore and salt abounds in the
county. A good article of salt is manufactured, and numerous
wells are sunk for salt water near Lexington, one of which is
Bcven hundred feet deep. Good building stone is had in the
same vicinity, and also a kind used for making a very Ime
quality of water cement. As these quarries are located near
the railroad, and of easy access, it is believed that a factory for
the manufacture of this cement will be erected at no distant
day.
This county is the scene of the celebrated Pigeon roost mas-
sacre, a full account of which will be found elsewhere in this
volume. It is also a witness of the depredations committed by
the rebel General John Morgan, in his raid through southern
Indiana during the civil war. The depot at Vienna was
burned by him, and many are the farmers through this county
who have bewailed the day when they " swapped " their line
fat, sleek horses, for the worn out, sore-backed jades of the
rebels. Scott county possesses good railroad facilities. The
Jeffcrsonville, Madison and Indianapolis road north and
south, and the Ohio and Mississippi road traversing the county
in the same direction.
CHAPTER LXXI.
WAYNE COUISTT TIOXEEK HISTORY.
IN THE Spring of 1S05, George Holmari, and Eichard
Eue, and Thomas MeCoj, and a Mr. Blunt, with their
families, came from Kentucky and settled about two miles
south of the present site of Richmond. Holman and Rue had
served in General Clark's expedition against the French set-
tlements in Indiana, and having been held as prisoners about
three years and a half among the Indians, thej had become
acquainted with the country, and had selected the most favor-
able site for their future homes, while returning home from a
western trip, in the fall of 1804. Early in the winter they
returned to erect their log cabins, bringing with them, on their
horses, such tools as were necessary for the work, and a few
household utensils. Holman was accompanied by his two
eldest sons, AVilliam and Joseph, then about sixteen and
eighteen years of age, respectively. They were were not long
in erecting the log dwellings, and in the course of two weeks,
leaving the boys in charge, the pioneers departed for Ken-
tucky to bring their wives and families.
On reaching home they were joined by two other families —
those of Thomas McCoy and Mr. Blunt — and the four fam-
ilies, with all their household goods and eifects, consisting of
clothing, provisions, tools, cooking utensils, guns and ammu-
nition, started for their new homes on pack horses. They
traveled through the forest day after day, through tlie cold
storms, and at length, weary and alone, arrived at the cabins,
where they found the Holman boys enjoying themselves in
true forest life. McCoy and Blunt located near the site of the
two cabins already mentioned; and thus was commenced the
543
544 niSTOKY OF INDIA2JA.
settlement of Wa}Tic count}^, now one of the most wealthy
and prosperous counties in the State of Indiana.
Not many miles distant, on the Elldiorn creek, the Endsleys
and Coxes, with their families, settled in the latter part of the
same year. These pioneers were soon followed by the Jiev.
Lazarus Whitehead, a Baptist minister, Aaron Martin, Charles
Hunt, and their families. Hev. Hugh Call, a Methodist min-
ister, also came in ISOG, and settled near Elkhorn creek, M'here
he lived until his death, in 1SG2, at the age of one hundred
and live years. Shadrack Henderson, with his family, settled,
in 180G, on the west side of the Whitewater, and in same year
a Mr. Lamb built a cabin not far from that of Call's on the
Elkhart, in which he lived for several years.
It was in the latter part of this year that the settlement of
Eichmond was commenced, or, at least, most of the land in
that vicinity was taken np in this year, although much of it
was not occupied until the spring and summer of 1S07.
"About the lirst of March, 1800," says Mr. Young, in his
valuable history of Wayne county, " David Hoover, then a
yonng man residing with his father, in the Miami country, in
Ohio, with four others, in search of a place for making a set-
tlement, took a section line some eight or ten miles north of
Dayton, and traced it a distance of more than thirty miles,
through an unbroken forest, to this place, where he afterwards
settled. He fancied he had found the Canaan his father had
been seeking. His parents were of German descent, and
members of the society of Friends. They had emmigrated
from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, and thence to Miami,
where they had temporarily located until a permanent home
could be selected. Toung Hoover and his companions were
supposed to be the first white men who explored the territory
north of Hichmond. They discovered many natural advan-
tages, among which were the pure spring water issuing from
the banks of the stream, with its prospective mill-sites, inex-
haustable quarries of limestone, and a rich soil. Following
tlie stream south a short distance, they found traps set, and
near the west bank of the AVhitewater, nearly opposite Rich-
mond, they saw some Indians. From these Indians, who
YTATXE COUNTY PIONEER EISTORT. 545
could speak broken Englisli, tlicy learned the Avliitc n-icn had
Bottled below, on the east side of the stream. They made
their way thither, and found the Ilohnan, line, and McCoy
families. After a brief rest, they started back for the Miami,
by a different route, and reported the finding of the ' promised
land"-
In the followinfi: June the first lands were entered as the
result of this prospecting tour. "Andrew Hoover, father of
David, entered several quarter sections, including that which
the latter had selected for himself on his first trip. John
Smith entered on what is now the south side of Main street,
cleared a small patch of ground, and built a cabin near the
bluff. Jeremiah Cox ]'urchased his quarter section late in the
Bummer, north of Main street, of Joseph Woodkirk, who had
bought it of John Meek. Woodkirk, having made a small clear-
ing and planted it with corn. Cox paid him for his improve-
ments and corn. Andrew Hoover had a number of sons and
daughters, who settled around him as they got married. David
had taken a wife in Ohio before coming to the territory; but
he did not occupy his log cabin until March in the following
year (1S07.) Here, on the west bank of Middle Fork, he
resided until his death in 1S6G. The land in and about Hicb-
mond was settled chiefly by Friends from Korth Carolina,
some of them from that State direct, others after a brief resi-
dence in Ohio. As the Hoover family were the pioneers of
these people, but for the discovery made here by young Hoover
and his fellow adventurers, the Society of Friends would
probably not have had the honor of being the first proprietors
of the land on which liichmoud stands, and of naming the
city." Among the first families who settled were those of
Jerry Cox, Julm Smith, Elijah "Wright, Frederick Hoover,
Andrew Hoover, Sen., David Hoover, William Bulla, and
John Harvey. Soon after " the spirit of emigration prevailed
strongly in the Southern States, especially in Korth Carolina.
The Friends had settled in that State before the adoi)tion of
the Constitution of the United States, which allowed the en-
eiavemont of the African race in this country. They were
generally unfriendly to slavery, hence, probably, their desire,
35
54() mSTOKT OF INDIANA.
in great part, to find liomcs on better soil and in more con-
genial society. Soon after the families above mentioned, otliera
of the Carolina Friends began to arrive. Among those -who
settled in the vicinity of Richmond Avere Jacob Meek, in ISOG;
Elijah Wright, in 180G or 1807; Jesse Lond, in 1807, on the
form where Earlham college now is; John Enrgcss, in 1808;
Yalentine Pegg, 1809, ten miles west from Eichmond; John
Townsend, abont the same time; Cornelins Entliff, 1810;
John McLain, 1810; and abont the same year came families
of the names of Stewart, Evans, Gilbert, Thomas, Roberts, and
others." A settlement was soon commenced on East Fork, at
an early day. In 1806, Joseph "Wright, a revolntionary sol-
dier, settled there, and was followed, in 1807, by Peter Fleming,
both having entered their lands as early as 1805. Besides
those above mentioned, there were many others settled on East
Fork at an early day.
"Among them were David Wasson, a son-in-law of Peter
Fleming, afterward known as Jndge Fleming, who had entered
eeveral hnndred acres, on which he settled his children,
reserving for himself a homestead, since known as the ' Rarnes
farm,' or the 'Woods' place,' and now owned by John
Brown, adjoining the State line. Tlie farm early owned by
his son, Samnel Fleming, and now by James Smelser, was a
part of the Judge's purchase. Charles ]\[offat, an early settler,
lived on the south side of East Fork, near Richmond, where ho
built a mill. He remained there until his decease, many years
ago. Hugh Moffat, a son, still resides near the homestead. A
little above Amos and John Ilawkins settled early with their
families; and a little further on, William Ireland, long since
deceased. Next, Benjamin Hill, who remained there until his
death, about forty years ago. His wife survived him until
18G7. Adjoining on the east was Joseph Wasson, beforo
mentioned. Nathaniel McCoy AVasson built a cabin in 1809,
on the homestead near the banks of East Fork, married
and lived there until his death, in 18Glr. Near by was
John Gay, an elderly settler, known as Major Gay, who
early sold his land to Jacob Crist, still living on the premises.
John Drake, with numerous grown up sons, settled early on
WAYNE OOUNTT — PIONEEK HISTORY. 547
their fjirms adjoining the Ohio line. The Drakes were of the
Baptist denomination. During the prevalence of a malignant
fever, at an early period of the settlement on East Fork, a
number of robust, middle-aged men fell victims to it. Of this
number were' David and John "Wasson. * * * On Middle
Fork, near its mouth, was William Bulla, an early settler, and
son-in-law of Andrew Hoover, Sen. lie early built a saw mill
on his farm near the site of Burson's oil mill. lie lived there
until his decease, some years ago, at an advanced age. Kcar
the lands of the Hoover families, Jesse Clark, Ilalph Wright,
Alexander Moore, and Amos and Abner Clawson settled. A
little further up were the Staflbrds, Bonds, Bunkers, Swallows,
Ashbys, Andrewses, and others, all of whom, we believe were
from Korth Carolina, and chiefly Friends. They had a small
log meeting house in the vicinity, and were subordinate to the
Wliite Water monthly meeting. William Bond had erected a
saw mill, and Joshua Bond a cheap oil mill. Edward Bond,
Sen., died a few years after he came. A little further up,
Jeremiah Cox, Jr., settled, and early built a grist mill, to the
great gratification of the settlers. Above Cox's mill were a
few inhabitants. Among these were Isaac Commons, Bobcrt
Morrison, Barna!>as Boswell, Isaac, John and William Hiatt,
and John Nicholson, the farms of some of whom are now
within the limits of Franklin township. Balden Ashley
settled near Cox's mill, and owned the land from which has
long been obtai:'.cd the lime furnished the builders of Bich-
montl. On the West J'ork, above the lands of the Batliff ana
Hoover fjirailies, already mentioned, was Joshua Pickett, au
early settler. Kext above was the Addington settlement, on
both sides of the stream. Further up, the first settlers were
the Starbucks, Swains, Harrises, Turners, and others, who were
useful, enterprising citizens. Paul Swain, and William Star-
buck wagoned produce of various kinds to Fort Wayne.
Edward Starbuck, Sen., was an early justice of the peace.
William died in middle life. Hester Starbuck, his widow,
died within the last three or four years, having lived to an old
age. An early settlement was also made in 1S06, about four
or five miles southeast of Bichmond, bj Jesse Davenport,
543 niSTOKY OF Indiana.
Jacob Fonts, and liis sons William and Jacob, and liis son-in-
law, Thomas Bnlla, natives of North Carolina, bnt immedi-
ately from Ohio. By the formation of Boston, the land of
Davenport was taken into that township. Other families
came in soon after."* The toils and hardships of the pioneers
of Wayne county were about the same as those of other sec-
tions of the State. They came at an early day, and perhaps
knew more of border life, in its reality, than those who settled
at a later day, in close proximity to mills, etc. Their log
cabins were all of the old pioneer style, and tlieir clothing,
diet and customs were those of border life. They had their
troubles with the Indians, their battles with poverty, their
struggles M'ith the forest, tlieir scarcity of flour; in short, they
suflered and endured all the perils and dangers and privations
of the first pioneers. But they overcame, and prospered.
They hewed away the forests, and cultivated gw.at fields of
corn; they dispensed with the rude, unshapely cabin, and
erected commodious dwellings. They accomplifHed a work
for civilization.
CHAPTEE LXXII.
WAYNE COUNTY — HISTOKICAL AND DESCRIPTTTE,
WAYNE county was organized in 1810. It was then
composed of " that part of Dearborn county lying cast
of the twelve mile purchase, and between the north and south
lines of the new county, together with that portion of the
purchase lying between those lines." Tlie lands west of the
purchase were not acquired until 1820. On the 25th of Feb-
ruary, 1811, the first circuit court was held at the house ot
Eichard Eue, three miles south of Eichmond, The orAj busi-
* From Mr. Young's work.
WAYNE COUNTY — niSTORICAL AND DESCRIITTTE. 549
ncss transacted at this session, however, was that of di\'itling
tlie county into civil divisions. The next session of the court
was hekl at the same place the following month, when a grand
jury was for tlie first time empaneled in the county. Tlio
court consisted of Jesse D. Ilolman, presiding judge, and
Peter Flemming and Aaron ^Martin, associate judges.
Immediatelv witli the oriranizution the wraiiirle of the loca-
tion of the seat of justice of the county hegan, and, we regret
to say, has scarcely terminated to tliis day. The lirst commis-
sion appointed to make the location reported a site near tho
present town of Ccnterville, but owing to the lands upon
wliich the location was madu ])cing unsold, the action of tlio
eoniniissioners was decided illeiral. A second commission
appointed to locate the cajutal of the county decided to accept
the donation of Samuel AVoods, iu range three, and further
decided that ti;e name of tlie county scat sliould be Salisbury.
A log court-hc'ise, i\n- temjiorary use, and a jail of hewed
square logs, were built, and were soon followed by a brick
court-liousc. "Salisbury liaving now become an incorporated
town," says Mr. Young, '* tlic earliest in the county, and its
citizens liaving secured — ]>ermanently, as they supposed —
the public buikli'igs, they anticipated a long and prosperous
career. In this, howevei", they were disappointed. Eflbrts
werc soon nuide for the removal of the county seat to Ccnter-
ville. In the midst of the Ititter strife between the Salisbury
and Ccnterville parties, * * '-^ an act was ])assed in 181G
authorizing the removal of the county scat to Ccnterville, pro-
vided, however, that the citizens furnish, without ex]iensc to
tho count}', ])ublic buildings as good and of the same dimen-
sions as those at Salisbury. After the removal of the county
seat, Salisbury was raj)idly dcsei'ted. The few I'rame and brick
buildinirs were taken down, and some of them removed to
CD
Richmond. The bricks in the building on the southeast corner
of Main and Pearl streets, known as Harris' corner, were for-
merly in the court-house at Salisbury. There remains nothing
on the site indicatino: that a town was ever there. The irround
on which it stood is now a part of tlie farm of Enoch Pails-
bach. Within a recent date the county seat has been removed
550 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
from Ccntcrvillc to Iliclimond. In all probability it will
remain there pcrmancntlj."
AYc will now turn to the present condition of "Wayne county
and observe what a growth of sixty years lias wrought. It
would be well first to glance at its natural resources. The
surface of the territory is mostly rolling, with some slight
hills in the southeastern portion. The two forks of White-
water, fed by numerous branches, pass through the whole
count}', from north to south, and supply abundant water power
to every part of it. Between these streams — usually from
one to four miles apart — the land swells gradually, so that
from the summits, in each direction, the most delightful pros-
pects are everywhere presented. The forests have disappeared,
except such as have been reserved for timber, and more than
three-fifths of the county is under profitable cultivation. The
soil is principally a rich loam, bedded on clay, with a light
mixture of sand and limestone. The soil is well adapted to
wheat and corn and grass. In short, in agricultural produc-
tions, in agricultural importance, it is the " banner county ot
Indiana." These natural advantages have been so highly im-
proved and developed by skill, capital and industry, that to-day
it is one of the most wealthy portions of the State. Nearly
all the farmers are wealthy. Their schools are the best. Cities
and towns flourish in many parts of the county, while Hich-
mond, its larirest city, is amonix the leadinc: commercial
centres of the State. Kichmond is one of Indiana's finest
cities. It is substantially built, is surrounded by one of the
richest agricultural sections in the Northwest, has ample rail-
road lacilities, and is enjoying a large and healthy commerce.
Since the county scat has been removed there it has taken a
new start. Its educational advantages are its pride and boast.
Within one mile of the city, on the National road, stands
Earlham college. This institution, owned by the Friends, has
one hundred and sixty acres of land in connection with its
attractive l)uildings: this under the manasrement of a board
of trustees appointed by Indiana yearly meeting. Its first
pi-csident was Earnabus C. Ilobbs, who was also superintendent
of public instruction for the State of Indiana at a later day.
WAYNE COUNTY HISTOKICAL AND DESCEIPTIVE. 551
There arc both preparatory and collegiate departments, with
two courses of study for each — a classical and a scientific.
There are six professorships. The college has a well-furnished
reading-room and a Kbrary of over three thousand volumes.
Both sexes are admitted, and have equal privileges and oppor-
tunities.
CHAPTEE LXXIII.
JAY COUNTY nONEEIi HISTORY.
PERHAPS the ladies of Indiana of the present day ^dll
find a valuable lesson of duty in the history of the early
Bettlemcnt of Jay county. It is not likely they will ever be
called upon to endure similar hardships, but by reading and
remembering the dangers to which the pioneer women of this
State were exposed, they will be able to find peace and com-
fort in some of their present imaginary ills. It was only
about fifty years ago that the first settlers came to Jay county,
then a wilderness inhabited only by Indians. Wolves, bears
and other wild animals were prowling through the woods and
over the prairies, and the lonely settlers had much of danger
on every hand to contend with. But even in the face of these
obstacles its first settlers were a bride and bridegroom. She
was a true heroine, who, nothing daunted by the thrilling tales
of border life then rife in the Eastern settlements, volunteered
to unite her fortune with that hardy pioneer in his resolve to
find a home on the distant Wabash. Nor was her praise-
worthy heroism the only example of true womanhood in those
early days of Indiana. Hundreds of noble, true hearted
women, fired by the indomitable energy and perseverance of
their husbands, voluntarily shared the hardships and exposures
of pioneer life. They came not after the log cabins had been
erected, not after homes had been established, but when the
only shelter was the forest and the only bed the broad bosom
of the prairie. Such were some of the pioneer women of Jay
county.
On the fifteenth of June, 1S21, Peter Studabaker and Miss
Mary Simison were joined in the bonds of wedlock at the
552
JAY COUNTY riONEER HISTORY. 553
home of the bride's f.itlior, at Fort Recovery, Ohio, at that
time one of the Western outposts of American civilization.
The marriage ceremony was not celebrated in a large and
elegantly linishcd church, in the presence of a fashionable
audience. Fort Recovery was not blessed with such marriages
in those days. 'No, the wedding was a matter of fact occur-
rence, becoming alike to the customs of pioneer liic and to
the circumstances which followed. The newly married couple
at once set out for the West. Gathering their earthly efi'ccts
together, they started in company with a few friends on the
"Quaker Trace" towards Fort Wayne. Journeying along
through the forest, resting and refreshing occasionally by the
wayside, they at length reached the waters of the Wabash.
Here they halted and the bridegroom, assisted by the parties
who were with him, and in the presence of his bride, com-
menced to build a cabin. Night was drawing near and the
nuptial bed was yet to be prepared. Cutting four forked poles
he drove one end of each into the ground, laid poles and
branches across the top, covered the whole with boughs, built a
fire, and then, while " Mary " was getting the supper, ho pre-
pared a table. The young bride at once adapted herself to
the situation and in a few moments the weary travelers sat
down to a comfortable meal in the little camp, fifteen miles
from any other settlers and iil'ty from the settlements of
civilization.
Night came on, and, making beds of robes and blankets,
the pioneers retired to rest. Ko sooner had sleep overtaken
them than they were awakened by the howling of distant
wolves. They approached nearer and nearer. Their cries
were answered by other packs which hastened to join them.
Hour after hour the dismal barking and howling was con-
tinued, until, at length, the foremost were snapping their teeth
at the open door of the camp. It must, indeed, have been a
moment of fear for the young wife when one of the men took
a rifle and discharged its contents among the barking wolves
without leaving his bed. But we have no record of her want
of courage. It is record jd, however, to her honor, that she
braved the dangers of camp life until a log cabin was erected,
554 HISTORY OF INDIANA.
and entered it with a resolution that never departed from licr
during lier toils and hardships. "Thus camped and slept the
first white iamily that ever ti-od the wilderness which lilteen
years afterward became Jay county," This was on the farm
afterwards owned by Samuel Hall, on the south bank of the
Wabash, at Kew Corydon. Mr. Studabaker's cabin was the
first built in the territory, and was rude in every respect — a
hut twelve by sixteen, of small, round logs, with a clapboard
roof, held on by " weiglit-poles." Unbroken forests sur-
rounded this cabin for miles in every direction, and there was
no mill or store within thirty miles, and no other dwelling
within fifteen. "Tlieir only companions were Indians, their
only foes wolves." Mr. M. W. Montgomery, who has written
a very good history of Jay county, relates this : " Mr. Studa-
baker moved to the Wabash with the intention of making that
his permanent home, but the frequent overflows of the river
at that time discouraged him, and finally led him to move
away. One evening, in the spring of 1822, several travelers
stopped to stay all night. The Wabash was quite higli, but
not unusually so. Mrs. S. made a bed on the floor, in which
the travelers retired to rest. In the niijht one of them
thought he felt rather 'moist,' and on turning over found
the puncheons were floating. They got up; one went up in
the loft, and the other concluded to nap the rest of the night
away on the logs of wood by the fire. But the family, being
more fortunate, were on a bedstead, and slept there until
morning, when they found all the puncheons except the two
on which the bed-posts rested, floating about the room. Mr.
Studabaker waded out and brought his canoe into the house,
and took his family to dry land in the woods, where they
camped till the water went down, which was in four or five
days. In this way the Wabash overflowed the land about his
cabin, and he moved back to Fort Hecovery, after living in
Jay county about two years." The same writer pays this
tribute to Mrs. Studabaker: "After moving back to Fort
Eecovery, Peter Studabaker was engaged chiefly in farming
for about twelve years, when he moved to Adams county,
where he died in 1840. * * Mary, (Mrs. Studabaker,) now
JAY COCXTY — inSTOKICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE. 555
lives witli lier son, Abram, in Adams county, Indiana, in a log
house, witli one of those great old-fashioned cabin fire-places
which so abundantly disi:)ensc warmtli and cheerfulness to the
inmates. It is about sixty feet from the river, upon the
banks of which she has lived since her childhood days, nearly
half a centur}'. By the side of its quiet waters she was woed
and won, and has devotedly braved many dangers, reared a
large family, and followed her husband and several children
to the tomb. She is now (18G4) seventy-four years of age,
and though in feeble health, her mind still retains its original
vigor. Strong common sense, quick perception, and good
judgment are her characteristics."
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