Full text of "Indiana magazine of history"

SSneauogy cor.r.scTJSgg

ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

3 1833 01741 3268

GENEALOGY
911 .2
IN2471A
1916

Vol. XII MARCH, 1916 No. 1

INDIANA
MAGAZINE
OF HISTORY

The First Public La
Wilson

CONTENTS

p
ND Surveys in Indiana — George R.

age

1
34
53

60
84
89

The Election of
Samuel Merrill
Settlement of

MERGE

1852

in Indiana—

-Concluded.

__Dale Beeler

Wortiiington and Old

Point Com-
Weems

Communication-
Reviews AND No'

-The
rES

Tassements

Published Quarterly

SUBSCUII'TION PRICE, !(i2.(M> IMJU V/; VK SIXGI.K COPY, 50 CENTS

Entered as second-class matter September 16, 1913, at the postoffice at
Bloomington, liirliana, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

Summer Session 1916

200 COURSES 85 INSTRUCTORS

GRADUATE and UNDERGRADUATE COURSES for
Business Men, Housekeepers, Teachers, Clergymen, Doctors,
Lawyers, Social Workers, in the following subjects:

Political Science, Economics and Sociology, History, Psychol-
€»gy, Education, Fine Arts, English, Latin, German, Ro-
mance Languages, Physiology, Anatomy, Botuiy, Zoology,
Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Geography, Physical Edu-
cation, Vocational Education, Mathematics, Journalism,
Home Economics, Music.

SPECIAL FEATURES: Courses in Play, Pageantry.
International Relations, Rural Sociology, Psychology of Occu-
pations, Heredity, Physiology and Hygiene, Practical Pho-
tography, and Library Methods for Teachers.

SHAKESPEARE WEEK, EXCURSIONS, RECEPTIONS,
MOTION PICTURES

Dates
Regular Session Law School

June 15 to August 11 June 12 to August 25

Session for Class A and Class B Teachers

June 12 to August 25

Medical School Biological Station

June 12 to August 11 June 17 to August 18

Fee, $15. Room and Board, $4.25 to $6.

Address, Director of Summer Session,

INDIANA UNIVERSITY,

Bloomington, Indiana.

68098S

INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY

published quarterly by
The Department of History of Indiana University

WITH THE cooperation OF

The Indiana Historical Society The Indiana State Library

BOARD OF EDITORS

James A. Woodburn, Ph.D., Professor of American History and
Politics, Indiana University

Samuel B. Harding, Ph.D., Professor of European History, In-
diana University

George S. Cottman, Former Editor, Indianapolis

Christoppier B. Coleman, Ph.D., Professor of History, Butler
College

William O. Lynch, A.M., Professor of History, Indiana State
Normal School

Harlow Lindley, A.M., State Archivist, Professor of History,
Earlham College

Jacob P. Dunn, LL.B., Secretary Indiana Historical Society

Demarchus C. Brown, A.M., State Librarian

Logan Esarey, Ph.D., Managing Editor,
Instructor in Western History, Indiana University

Subscription Price, $2.00 per year. Single Number, 50 Centa.

Address all communications to the Managing Editor, Bloomington, Ind.

INDIANA
MAGAZINE OF HISTORY

Voi. XII MARCH, 1916 No. 1

The First Public Land Surveys in Indiana;
Freeman's Lines

By George R. Wilson, Civil Engineer.

Tlie earliest land claims about Vincennes rested on a reputed
grant by the Indians. According to a memorial to congress, filed
by the inhabitants of Vincennes, the Indians of the Wabash, at
a council in 1742, ceded to them all the land from Point Coupes
to the mouth of White river. The record of the treaty long re-
mained with the recorder of deeds at Vincennes, but at the begin-
ning of the French and Indian War an absconding officer is said
to have taken the deed away with him. The petitioners claimed
that the Indians had often ratified this gift, afterward extending
it forty leagues west and thirty leagues east of the Wabash. The
congressional committee rejected the claim, on the ground that
if there were such a grant, it had been made to the French govern-
ment, and in time, had passed to the United States under the
treaties of 1763 and 1783.i

This claim was, in a measure, at least, recognized when the
deed to the Wabash Land Company was made, for in that deed
the land was excepted. The lines and corners of this grant are
known as the "Freeman Lines and Corners."

The "Freeman Lines and Corners" have been subjects of a
great deal of comment recently. They are lines run, and corners
established by Thomas Freeman, a surveyor, in 1802-3, when
Indiana was a territory. He surveyed a tract of land that was

1 American State Papers, Public Lands I, 26; Esarey's Indiana, page 132.

2 Indiana Magazine of History

"excepted" from a very large body of land which a company of
men bought, or attempted to buy from the Indians in Illinois and
Indiana. The "excepted" tract is known as the Vincennes Tract.

To understand the situation fully one must keep in mind that
Vincennes is a very old city ; that there were "land grabbers" in
pioneer days ; that Wild Cat creek empties into the Wabash river
near Lafayette, Indiana; that Point Coupee is on the Wabash river
about six miles south of Merom, in Sullivan county, Indiana ; and
that Wabash river was once written "Ouabache river."

Companies of men who promoted enterprises, settlements, etc.,
were formed in the East and operated in the Northwest Territory.
Among them may be mentioned the "Illinois Land Company" and
the "Wabash Land Company."

On March 21, 1775, Governor Dunmore, of Virginia, issued a
proclamation ordering that all vacant land of His Majesty within
the colony of Virginia, "be surveyed in districts and laid out in
lots of from 100 to 1,000 acres, and put up at public sale."

In the year 1775, after the expedition of Lord Dunmore against
the Shawnees, Louis Viviat, a merchant of the Illinois Country,
commenced a negotiation with the Piankeshaw Indians for the pur-
chase of two large districts of country lying upon the borders of
the river Wabash. Viviat acted as agent of an association of
individuals which was denominated the "Wabash Land Company;"
and at Post Vincennes, October 18, 1775, he obtained a deed from
eleven Piankeshaw chiefs. The deed is a sample of pioneer con-
veyances, or treaties, is full of historical interest, a guide to land
values, and a record of the business sagacity of the land grabbers.

The deed in full reads as follows :-

"To all people to whom these Presents shall come : Know ye. that we,
Tabac, or Tobacco, Montour. La Grand C!ouette, Ouaouaijao. Tabac. junior,
La Mouche Noire, or the Black Fly, Le Maringouin, or Mosquito, Le Petit
Castor, or the Little Beaver. Kiesquibichias, Grelot, senior, and Grelot,
junior, chiefs and sachems of the several tribes of Piankeshaw nation of
Indians, and being, and effectually representing, all the several tribes of
the Piankeshaw Indians, send greeting :

"Whereas Louis Viviat, of the Illinois country, merchant, one of the
grantees hereinafter named, as well for himself, as on the parts and behalfs
of the several other grantees herein also after named, did, at several
conferences publicly held with us, the said chiefs and sachems, at the towns

== Dillon, Historical Notes of the North-Western Territory, 1843, pages US
to 123.

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 3

iiml villn.aes I'ost Saiut Viuceiil and ^'el■millio^. treat and confer I'or the
pui'cliase of certain tracts of land belonging and appertaining unto us, and
to tlie several tribes of our nation, whom we represent :

"And whereas we, the said chiefs and sachems, have deliberately
and maturely considered, for ourselves and our posterities, and consulted
with the other natives of our several tribes, respecting the proposals made
as aforesaid to us, the said chiefs and sachems, by the said Louis Viviat.
on behalf of himself and others: And whereas we, the said chiefs and
sachems, as well as all the other natives of the several tribes of our
nation, are fully satisfied and contented, for the consideration hereinafter
mentioned, to grant and confirm unto the said Louis A'iviat. and to the
other grantees hereinafter mentioned, the several quantities and tracts
<)£ lands hereinafter bounded and described.

'•Now, know ye, therefore, that we, the said chiefs and sachems of
the ri.nikeshaw nation aforesaid, in full and public council assembled, at
the town or village of Post Saint Vincent aforesaid, for and in con-
sideration of the sum of five shillings, to us in hand paid by the said
Louis Viviat, and for and in consideration of the following goods and
merchandise, to us, the said Tabac, or Tobacco. Montour, La Grand
Couette. Ouaouaijao. Tabac. junior. La Mouche Noire, or the Black Fly,
Le Maringouin. or Musquito, Le Petit Castor, or the Little Beaver,
Kiesquibichias, Grelot, senior, and Grelot, .junior, for the use of the several
tribes of our nation, well and truly delivered in full council aforesaid,
th.at is to say : "four hundred blankets, twenty-two pieces of stroud,
two hundred and fifty shirts, twelve gross of star gartering, one hundred
and twenty pieces of rib))on. twenty-four pounds of vermilliou. eighteen
pairs velvet l.iced housings, one piece of malton, fifty-two fusils, thirty-
five dozen large buckhorn-handle knives, forty dozen couteau knives, five
hundred pounds of brasskettles, ten thousand guuflints, six hundred
pounds of gunpowder, two thousand pounds of lead, four hundred pounds
of to])acco, forty bushels of salt, three thousand pounds of flour, three
horses: also, the following quantities of silverware, viz: eleven very large
armb.inds. forty wristbands, six wholemoons. six halfmoons. nine ear-
wheels, forty-six large crosses, twenty-nine hairpipes, sixty pairs of ear-
bobs, twenty dozen small crosses, twenty dozen nosecrosses, and one
hundred and ten dozen brooches, the receipt whereof we do hereby
acknowledge, have granted, bargained, sold, aliened, released, enfeoffed,
ratified, and fully confirmed, and by these Presents do grant, bargain.
sell, alien, release, enfeoff, ratify, and fully confirm, unto the said Louis
Viviat. the right honorable John. Earl of Dunmore, governor of the
colony and dominion of Virginia ; the honorable John Murray, son of the
said earl, IMoses Franks and Jacob Franks, of the city of London, in the
kingdom of Great Britain. Esquires: Thomas Johnson, jr-, Esquire, attor-
ney at law. and John Davidson, merchant, both of the city of Annapolis,
in the province of Mainland: William Russell. Esquire. Matthew Ridley.
Robert Christie, sen., and Robert Christie, .jr.. of Baltimore town, in the
said province of Maryland, merchants: Peter Campbell, of Piscataway. in
Marvland, merchant; William Geddes. of Newtown Chester, in Maryland.

4 Indiana Magazine of History

Esq., collector of His Majesty's customs; David Franks, mercliant, aiul
Moses Franks, attorney at law, both of the city of Philadelphia, in the
province of Pennsylvania; William Murray, and Daniel Murray, of the
Illinois Country, merchants; Nicholas St. Martin, and Joseph Page, of
the same place, gentlemen; Francis Perthuis, late of Quebec city, in
Canada, but now of Post St. Vincent aforesaid, gentlemen; their heirs
and assigns, equally to be divided, or to his most sacred Alajesty George
the Third, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland.
King, Defender of the Faith, and so forth, his heirs and successors, for
the use. benefit, and behoof of all the said several above named grantees,
their heirs and assigns, in severalty as aforesaid: (by whichever of these
tenures they may most legally hold the same:) the two severrd tracts or
])arcels of lands, hereinafter bounded and described, viz:

"One tract or parcel of land, situate, lying, and being on both sides of
the Ouabache river, beginning at the mouth of a rivulet called Iliviere du
Chat, or Cat River, where it empties itself into the Ouabache river afore-
said, being about fifty-two leagues distant from the above Post St. Vin-
cent aforesaid; thence down the Ouabache, by the several courses thereof,
to a place called Point Coupee, (about twelve leagues above Post St.
Vincent,) being forty leagues, or thereabouts, in length on the said river
Ouabache, from the place of beginning, with forty leagues in width or
breadth on the east side, and thirty leagues in breadth or width on the
west side of the Ouabache river aforesaid; to be continued along from
the place of beginning to Point Coupee aforesaid. And also one other
tract or parcel of land, situated, lying, and being on both sides of the
Ouabache river aforesaid, beginning from the mouth of White river, where
it empties itself into the Ouabache river, (about twelve leagues below
Post St. Vincent.) thence down the Ouabache river, by the several courses
thereof, until it empties itself into the Ohio river, being from the said
White river to the Ohio, fifty-three leagues in length, or thereabouts, be
the same more or less, with forty leagues in width or breadth on the
east side, and thirty leagues in width or breadth on the west side of the
Ouabache river aforesaid; (the intermediate space of twenty-four leagues,
or thereabouts, between Point Coupee and the mouth of the White river
aforesaid, being reserved for the use of the inhabitants of Post St. ^'incent
aforesaid, with the same width or breadth on both sides of the Ouabache
river, as is hereby granted in the two other several tracts of land above
bounded and described.) the aforesaid two several tracts of laud hereby
bargained and sold, from the first place of beginning to the Ohio river,
consisting together of Ninety-three leagues in length on the Ouabache
river, and on both sides thereof inclusive, seventy leagues in width or
breadth, and that during its whole course as aforementioned, exclusive of.
and beside, the reservation of twenty-four leagues in length, and seventy
leagues in width or breadth, for the inhabitants of Post St. Vincent,
reserved as aforesaid. And the said chiefs and sachems, for themselves,
and for the several other natives of their nation, whom tliey fully and
effectually represent, and their and every of their posterities, do herel>y
guaranty, engage, promise, covenant, and agree, to and with the several

Indian Land Cessions in Indiana.

6 Indiana Magazine of History

above-named grantees, tlieir lieirs, and assigns, and eveiy of tiieui. that
they, the said several above named grantees, their heirs and assigns, and
every of them, shall and may, at all time, for ever hereafter have and
enjoy the full, free, and undisturbed navigation of the said Ouabache
river, from its confluence with the Ohio to its source; as v^-ell as of all
the other several rivers running through the lands hereby bargained and
sold, any thing herein contained to the contrary, or supposed to be, in any
wise, notwithstanding : And also all minerals, ores, trees, woods, under-
woods, waters, watercourses, profits, commodities, advantages, rights,
liberties, privileges, hereditaments, and appurtenances, what.soever, to
the said two several tracts of land belonging, or in any wise appertain-
ing: And also the reversion and reversions, remainder and remainders,
rents, issues, and profits thereof, and of evei"y part and parcel thereof;
and all the estate, right, title, interest, use. properts', possession, claim,
and demand of them, the said Tabac, or Tobacco, etc., chiefs and sachems
aforesaid, and of all and every other person and persons whatsoever, of
or belonging to the said Piankeshaw nation of Indians, of, into, and out
of the premises, and every part and parcel thereof; to luive and to hold
the said two several tracts or parcels of land, and all and sigular the
said granted and bargained premises, with the appurtenances, unto the
said Louis Viviat, etc., their heirs or assigns, for ever, in severalty, or unto
his majesty, his heirs, and successors, to and for the only use, benefit,
and behoof of the said grantees, their heirs and assigns, for ever, as
aforeaid.

"And the said Tabac, or Tobacco, etc., for themselves and for all the
several tribes of their nation, and all and every other nation, or nations.
tributaries, and dependents on the said Piankeshaw Indians, a.nd their,
and every of their, posterities, the said several tracts of land and premises,
and every part and parcel thereof, against them the said several above-
named chiefs and sachems, and the said Piankeshaw Indians, and their
tributaries and dependents, and all and every of their posterities, unto
all the severally above-named grantees, their heirs, and assigns, in
severalty, or unto his said majesty, his heirs, and successors, to and for
the only use, benefit, and behoof, of the said grantees, their heirs, and
a ssigns. in severalty as aforesaid, shall and will warrant, and for ever
defend, by these Presents.''

This deed, which conveyed to the purchasers about 37,497,600
acres, was signed by the Indians, attested by a number of the
inhabitants at Vincennes, and subsequently registered in the office
of a notary pubHc at Kaskaskia, Illinois. The commencement and
progress of the Revolutionary War frustrated the schemes of
the Wabash Land Company, and prevented it from planting Eng-
lish settlements in the territory to the possession of which they
had acquired only an imperfect claim.

The agents of the company applied to the American Congress

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 7

for a confirmation of a part of the claim, in the years 1781, 1791,
1797, 1804 and 1810; but all of these appHcations were rejected.^

That part excepted by this Indian deed and admitted to have a
French, or white title, has become known as the "Vincennes Tract."
It contained about 1,600,000 acres. That part of it which was in
Indiana had its northeast corner near Orleans. The north line
of this old Indian land started at Point Coupee, on the Wabash
river, about six miles below Merom, Indiana, and about 39 degrees
north latitude. It ran at a right angle to the main trend of the
Wabash river between Point Coupee and the mouth of White
river. That is, it ran south 78 degrees east, passed near Odon,
Indiana, and near Georgia, Indiana, and ended in Section 19, near
Orleans, at what is locally known as "Freeman's Corner." (This
north boundary line was so surveyed as to place the French settle-
ment, at Carlisle, in Sullivan county, within the "Vincennes Tract.")
Surveyor Thomas Freeman ran the lines of this "Vincennes Tract,"
in 1802-3, and placed a post at the corner not far from the center
of Section 19. From this corner the line ran south 12 degrees
west, 40 miles, through Orange, Crawford and Perry counties, to
a point at a creek in Perry county about 7^^ miles due south of
the southeast comer of Dubois county, and near Apalona, in
Perry county. In going south 12 degrees west, 40 miles, the line
ran nearly 12>< miles west of a due south line.^ The south
line ran from this point, through Perry, Spencer, Dubois, Pike
and Gibson counties to the mouth of White river. It passed near
the St. Meinrad Monaster^^ Freeman ran both lines from the
river eastward. The east line he ran by going southward from
the Orleans corner. He turned the Orleans corner at a right angle,
(90 degrees) and passed through what is now Orleans, and be-
tween Paoli and Abydel, and near Eckerty, in Crawford county.

In making his survey he was required to cut out some of the
underbrush, and in that way opened up forest paths, which, in
some places, in time, became trails and finally public roads.

In the Indian treaty the standard of the measurement used was
the league. A marine league, in England and America is 18,240
feet, or almost 3>^ miles. Perhaps a water measurement was used
because the description was based on the Wabash river. The

'Dillon's History of Indiana, 109; "Wilson's History of Dubois County,
Chapter 7.

* Survey Record 5, page 17, State Auditor's Office.

8 Indiana Magazine of History

common league of France was 2.422 miles, and since the treaty was
between the French and Indians this measurement may have been
employed. A land league is sometimes said to be three statute
miles. It seems each country has its own length for a league,
and frequently one league for water, another for land, and still
another for mail routes, etc., so it appears very indefinite. A
league is an itinerary unit not in much use now. It was once used
in making treaties with water courses as boundaries, before surveys
had been made.

This "Vincennes Tract" was 24 leagues wide, and 70 leagues
long. Part of it was in Illinois. Twenty-four leagues along the
meanderings of the Wabash proved to be 40 miles when run
south 12 degrees west from the Orleans corner.

The American government did not recognize the title, as held
by the French and the Wabash Land Company, as sufficient, and
proceeded to recognize the claims of the Indians. The govern-
ment proceeded to buy the land from the Indians direct, and the
"Vincennes Tract" being the oldest settled part, was taken under
consideration at an early date. Here is where Surveyor Freeman
and the Orleans corner come in. The description of the "Vin-
cennes Tract" is obtained through an "exception" made in the
Indian treaty of October 18, 1775/' Surveyor Freeman was called
upon, in the summer and fall of 1802, to survey the "Vincennes
Exception," which has since become known as the "Vincennes
Tract."

In the survey the Freeman corner in Section 19 is shown to
be 60 miles from the Wabash river, and in Freeman's day he wrote
concerning the corner, "very rich level land, timber very large,
black oak, hickory, sugar," etc.^ In making the survey many nota-
tions were made ; for example, in the survey of the south
line he says he started from the mouth of White river on Sunday.
In his record of this survey he says that at 32 miles and 41 chains
from the Wabash he crossed an Indian trail. The south line is
59 miles long.

To get a practical idea of what part of Indiana the "V^incennes
Tract" embraced, take a large map of Indiana and draw a line
from Point Coupee, on the Wabash river, to the Freeman Corner,

f* Dillon's History of Indiana, 105, 106, 107, 108 and 109.

« Surveyor's book marked "Indiana," 28, State Auditor's Office; Plat Book
No. 1, "Records of Surveys," State Auditor's Office, 120.

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 9

at Orleans. Then take a carpenter's square, place one blade at the
mouth of White river, the other at Orleans, and the corner south
of the line between Dubois and Crawford counties. Draw a line
around the blades. That part within the lines thus defined repre-
sents the Vincennes Tract, which Surveyor Thomas Freeman was
employed to survey.'^

The Freeman Corner, near Orleans, is a corner of three Indian
concessions. Extend a line from this corner to the county line
between Ripley and Decatur counties and you have located an
Indian treaty line. The land of the "Vincennes Tract," which
Freeman surveyed, was acquired by the United States June 7, 1803 ;
the land immediately east of the Freeman Corner, at Orleans, was
acquired by the treaty of Grouseland, August 21, 1805, and the
land immediately north of the Vincennes Tract was acquired by
the treaty of Ft. Wayne, September 30, 1809. In making these
Indian treaties General William Henry Harrison was the leading
agent for the general government.^

After the "Vincennes Tract" had been acquired by the extinction^
of the Indian title, the land was subdivided by government sur-
veyors. Their contracts usually ran by ranges — tracts six miles
wide, running from the south side to the north side of the "Vin-
cennes Tract." In their survey records they recorded the location
of the Freeman lines, with reference to the last section corners,
because these lines bounded their surveys.

On October 15, 1804, Tupper and Stone surveyed into sections
that part of the "Vincennes Tract" which lies in the extreme east
and around the Freeman Corner, and up to the meridian line.
The sections just east of the "Vincennes Tract" and around the
Freeman Corner were surveyed by Arthur Henri, June 1, 1806;
the same surveyor laid out the sections north of the Freeman Comer
under a contract dated November 10, 1810. Thus the sections
just west of the meridian line, in the "Vincennes Tract," were the
first to be surveyed. They were laid out about two years after
the Freeman Comer was established.^ The second principal merid-
ian line passed within a half mile of the Freeman Corner. In

' state Geologist's Report, 1882 ; Esarey's History of Indiana, 345 ; Wilson's
History of Dubois County, 88; Wilson's Wall Map of Dubois County; Records
of Indian Treaty Lines ; Miscellaneous Record No. 1, State Auditor's Office ;
Cockrum's Pioneer History, 242.

* Cockrum's History of Indiana, 241.

'State Geologist's Report, 1882.

10 Indiana Magazine of History

the surveys made by these surveyors, the Freeman Corner v^^as
fairly well tied to the section lines and corners by recorded meas-
urements. However, it is surprising that some stone monument
was not put at the corner by the surveyors.

By a system of interpolation, without the use of solar instru-
ments, and without ever being at the corner, my calculations indi-
cate that the Freeman Corner, at Orleans, coincides with 86 de-
grees, 27.5 minutes west of Greenwich, England, and 38 degrees
and 40.5 minutes north latitude.

From a standpoint of historical association the two Freeman
Corners in Indiana deserve recognition, really more than state wide,
because the other two corners are in Illinois.

The Freeman Corners in Indiana are excellent subjects for
centennial markers, or monuments. The monument near Orleans
might be constructed so as to face the three Indian concessions.
On the side facing the southwest these words could appear :

"This Inscription Faces the Vincennes Tract Acquired
From the Indians by Treaty, June 7, 1803."

On the side facing the southeast these words could appear:

"This Inscription Faces the Land Acquired From the In-
dians BY Treaty of Grouseland, August 21, 1805."

On the side facing the north these words could appear:

"This Inscription Faces the Land Acquired From the In-
dians by Treaty of Ft. Wayne, September 30, 1809."

The words "Freeman Corner" and any other inscription desired
should also appear, to the end that the monument will, in a large
measure, explain itself.

Arthur Henri, a government surveyor, also surveyed the Indian
treaty line running from the Freeman Corner, near Orleans, to
near Brookville. This is the north boundary of the Grouseland
Purchase. It was surveyer in July and August, 1806. Surveyor
Henri began at the Freeman Corner and ran a random line at
north 65 degrees east, intending to strike the Greenville Indian
treaty boundary line 50 miles from the mouth of the Kentucky

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys

river. He struck the said Indian treaty line 15 miles and 77
chains too far south.

He then began at a point 50 miles north of the mouth of Ken-

Earlikst Surveys in Indiana.

tucky river, (near Brookville, Indiana), and ran back to the Free-
man Corner, which he missed by running south. From this second
line he corrected back to the Fort Recovery line running at north
about 57 degrees east.

The distance from the Freeman Corner to a point 50 miles

12 Indiana Magazine of History

north of the Ohio river on the Fort Recovery line is 89 miles and
45.5 chains. The course from the Freeman Corner was north
about 57 degrees east, at the time of Henri's survey, 1806. At
the time this survey was made the magnetic variation at the Free-
man Corner was 6 degrees and 25 minutes east.^^

The west line of Dearborn county is the Greenville treaty line.
It was surveyed in 1798 by Israel Ludlow.

It ran from the mouth of the Kentucky river to Fort Recovery,
Ohio, about 15 miles east of Portland, Ind. The Grouseland treaty
line ran from the Freeman Corner, in Orange county, to a point
on the Greenville treaty line, near Brookville. The line between
Decatur and Ripley counties is the Grouseland treaty line, sur-
veyed by Arthur Henri. The northeast Freeman Corner is 57 miles
east of Vincennes. The court house at Vincennes is about 38
degrees and 41 minutes north latitude.^ ^

The southeast Freeman Corner of the "Vincennes Tract" is in
a creek in Perry county, and at a place almost inaccessible by
ordinary means of travel. It is south of the northeast corner of
the southeast quarter of section 25, township 4 south, of range 3
west, on the line between ranges 2 and 3. It is on the lands of
Thomas J. Lanman and John B. Jones. i-

The record Freeman left of his survey is not altogether dry
reading to students of pioneer conditions in Indiana. His record
begins :

"Crossed the Wabash July 21st (1802), and proceeded from AMucennes
with my little party for Point Coupee; arrived next day, 12 o'clock, very
weak and unwell, Sunday (July 22, 1802), determined the width of river
and took courses, etc."

His record describes the land, timber, streams, etc., in units
of one mile. Line trees were marked and recorded, but in this
his records are not so complete as one would wish. He paid more
attention to topography than he appears to have done to witness
trees. He writes of "handsome prairies," "wavy land," "scrubby
pieces of woods," "bushy barrens," "tough, wet, clay soil," etc.

In 1802 he found a coal mine, on the south line, at thirty-seven

i» Miscellaneous Record — Indiana, 55 to 67, State Auditor's Office.
" Dillon's History of Indiana, 419; Esarey's History of Indiana, 132, 340
and 342.

^ Minto's Map of Perry County, 1894.

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 13

miles from the mouth of White river, near the corner of Pike, War-
rick and Dubois counties.

Freeman's record shows that he started to run the northeast hne
February 8, 1803, but "lay bye" until February 14, 1803, on account
of bad weather. At six miles from Point Coupee he found a
"crab orchard ;" at thirty-eight miles he found an Indian trail ; at
forty-two miles he found mineral springs (perhaps Trinity Springs).

When he ran south 12 degrees west, on the east line he found
the bed of a dry creek at eight miles. Twelve miles from the
Orleans corner he records the "Trace to Cincinnati," and at four-
teen miles he was on the "side of hill, above Louisville Trace,
(i. e., "Buffalo Trace") and a few paces from a large cave."^'- On
Saturday, September 17, 1803. he began the survey of the settle-
ment around Carlisle, in Sullivan county. Freeman was employed
nearly two years in this survey.^ "*

Another interesting side light on the "Vincennes Tract" is found
in the survey of the old "Buffalo Trace" from it to "Clark's Grant."

The "Clark's Grant" land survey l^ears date of 1785. There is
a treaty line running south 73 degrees and 30 minutes east from
a point on the east line of the "Vincennes Tract" to the west
line of the "Clark's Grant," a distance of 40 miles and 42 chains.
This line was surveyed by William Rector. The land south and
west of this line was bought of the Indians by treaties dated at
Vincennes, August 18 and 27, 1804. The line above referred to is
practically the old "Vincennes" or "Buffalo Trace." Its various
courses and distances were surveyed, July 11, 1805. by William
Rector.^"' Trees along this line were marked, "To C. G. 2 mi.,"
"To C. G. 33 mi.," etc., meaning the distance the particular tree
was from "Clark's Grant." The survey began from "Clark's
Grant" and went a general northwest course to the east line of the
Freeman survey. The survey noted the locations of cabins, springs,
etc., along the trace. i*"' At 43 miles and 7 chains from "Clark's
Grant," Surveyor Rector records a "whetstone cave." The
meanderings of the "Buft'alo Trace" make the distance 43 miles
and 28 chains. At the end of the survey, and on the east line of
the "Vincennes Tract," Surveyor Rector marked a beech tree 12

" Miscellaneous Record — Indiana, 29.

1* Miscellaneous Record — Indiana, 33. See Rector's mention of a "whet-
stone cave."

1' Miscellaneous Record — Indiana, page 37, State Auditor's Office.

'« Miscellaneous Record — Indiana, 39.

14 Indiana Magazine of History

inches in diameter, "To C. G. 43 miles and 28 chains." He com-
pleted the survey, July 16, 1805. The magnetic variation at that
time was 5 degrees and 15 minutes east.^'^ This old line is now
recognized as the old New Albany and Paoli pike.

In those days land was not valuable, and the surveys were not
made with the same care as surveys are made today, yet the work
done by the old surveyors, like Freeman, Henri, Rector, Bucking-
ham, Sanford and others, served a noble purpose in the develop-
ment of Indiana.

On October 27, 1795, a treaty was made between the United
States and Spain, defining the boundaries of the respective countries
in the south and west, about Florida, and at thirty-one degrees of
north latitude on the Mississippi, etc. (The north line of Florida.)
The treaty was ratified March 3, 1796, and on May 24, 1796,
I'homas Freeman was appointed surveyor, on the part of the
United States, for the purpose of running the boundary line men-
tioned in said treaty. It thus appears that Thomas Freeman must
have been a surveyor who enjoyed the confidence of his country,
and had had unusual experience before he came to Indiana. ^^

The Spanish claim to America, the French settlement at Vin-
cennes, how the English took it from the French, and how General
Clark captured Vincennes from the English and secured the terri-
tory northwest of the Ohio River for Virginia, and finally how
Virginia ceded it to the general government of the United States,
are understood by practically all Americans who have read the
history of their native land, but the details of the treaties with the
Indians, the real owners of the land, and the first survey of the
land thus obtained are not so well known.

Many of us know the fee simple title to our lands from the
United States down. This article may assist us to know how the
general government obtained it.

What is known as the "Vincennes Tract" seems to have had
the first white title in southern Indiana. Just how this title was
acquired and Avhat was paid for it may never be known. It was
held for years before the treaty of Greenville, Ohio, by white set-
tlers and acknowledged by the Indians by that treaty to be the

" Miscellaneous Record — Indiana, 46, State Auditor's Office. See Freeman's
mention of a large cave.

" Dillon's History of Indiana, 378 and 379.

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 15

property of white men. That there was a white title to the "Vin-
cennes Tract" is evidenced by a deed dated October 18, 1775, and
conveying land north and south of it to the Wabash Land Com-
pany. ^^

A second tract of land in southern Indiana that had been ac-
quired by white settlers was at Clarksville, near Jeffersonville, and
the "Hhnois Grant," now generally known as "Clark's Grant."
■'Clark's Grant" was surveyed by William Clark in 1786. It was
named in honor of General George Rogers Clark, the hero of Vin-
cennes.

"In the montli of July, 1779, two Piankeshaw chiefs, Tabac and
Grand Cornette, by deed conveyed to George Rogers Clark a tract of land
two and a half leagues square, lying on the northwestern side of the
Ohio opposite the falls of that river. Virginia never confirmed this pur-
chase, because the constitution of that state, which was formed in May.
1776, declared that no purchase of lands should be made of the Indian
natives, but on behalf of the public, by the authority of the General
Assembly. By an act of the 2nd of January, 1781, the General Assembly
of Virginia resolved that, on certain conditions, they would cede to Con-
gress, for the benefit of the United States, all the right, title and claim
which Virginia had to the territory northwest of the river Ohio. Con-
gress, by an act of the 13th of September, 1783, agreed to accept the
cession of the ten-itory; and the General Assembly of Virginia, on the
20th of December, 1783, passed an act authorizing their delegates in
Congress to convey to the United States, the right, title and claim of
Virginia to the lands northwest of the river Ohio.

"In October, 1783, the General Assembly of Virginia passed an act
for laying off the town of Clarksville, at the falls of the Ohio, in the
county of Illinois. The act provided that the lots, of half an acre each,
should be sold at public auction for the best price that could be had. The
purchasers respectively were to hold their lots subject to the condition
of building on each, within three years from the day of sale, a dwelling
house 'twenty feet by eighteen, at least, with a brick or stone chimney.'
William Fleming. John Edwards. John Campbell, Walker Daniel. George
R. Clark. Abraham Chaplin. John Montgomery, John Bailey, Robert Todd
and William Clark, were, by the act of the Assembly, constituted trustees
of the town of Clarksville."20

On March 1, 1784, Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Hardy, Arthur
Lee and James Monroe, delegates in Congress on the part of Vir-
ginia, executed a deed of cession by which they transferred to the

i^Dillon Historical Notes of the Northwestern Territory, 119, 123; Dillon
History of Indiana, 105, 402, 403. (White river was called "Blanche River"
by the French.)

^'Dillon Historical Notes of the Northtoestern Territory, 196, 197 ; Hening'a
Statutes, Volume II, pages 235-257, 309, 335-337.

16 Indiana Magazine of History

United States, on certain conditions, all claim of Virginia to tlie
country northwest of the river Ohio. Among the conditions wis,
this one: /

"TliJit ;! ouaiitity not exceeding one hundred and fifty thousand acres
of land., promised hy Virginia, shall be allowed and granted to the then
colonel, now General George Kogers Clark, and to the officers and soldiers
of his regiment, who marched with him when the posts of Kaskaskia and
Mucennes were reduced, and to the officers and soldiers that have been
since inconiorated into the said regiment, to be laid off in one tract.
the length of which not to exceed double the breadth, in such pbu-e on
the northwest side of the Ohio, as a majority of the officers shall choose,
and to be afterwards divided among the officers and soldiers in due
proportion, according to the laws of Virginia."

This reservation was laid oft" on the borders of the Ohio river,
adjacent to the falls, in 1786, and was then called the "Illinois
Grant." Of this tract the private soldier received 200 acres, non-
commissioned officer 400 acres, captain 4,000 acres.-^

The Indians conceded "Clark's Grant" to the white men in
Article IV, of the Greenville Treaty. In that treaty it is enumerated
a.-^ — "First. The tract of one hundred and fifty thousand acres
near the rapids of the river Ohio, which has been assigned to Gen-
eral Clark for the use of himself and his warriors."--

By a treaty made at Greenville,-^ on August 3, 1795, the United
Slates acquired a title to the "gore" of Indiana, being that part
of Indiana east of the Greenville Treaty Line, and acknowledged
that the Indians held a title to certain lands west of the Green-
ville Treaty Line, which ran in a northerly direction from the mouth
of the Kentucky river, and along the west line of Dearborn county,
but in so doing, excepted: "Second. The post of St. Vincennes,
on the river Wabash and the lands adjacent, of which the Indian
title has been extinguished."-^ This intended to except the "Vin-
cennes Tract," and in a way shows there must have been some older
French and Indian treaty, as was implied in the deed to the \^^abash
Land Company, the copy of which was lost.

The description of the "Vincennes Tract" in the Greenville
Treaty proved to be too vague, and to make it definite this "Excep-
tion No. 2" became the subject for consideration at another treaty.
It seems that Thomas Freeman took the description in the Wabash
Land Company's deed as a guide, and, by a survey, produced a

=iDillon Historical Notes of the Northwestern Territory, 197, 198.
^-'Dillon Historical Notes of the Northwestern Territory, 453.
"Dillon Historical Notes of the Northwestern Territory, 451.

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 17

more definite description which was used when a new treaty was
made at Fort Wayne. A copy of the final treaty at Fort Wayne,
June 7, 1803, follows i^^

"Articles of ;i trenty made at Fort Wayne, on the Miami of the
Lake, between William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana terri-
toi'y, superintendent of Indian affairs, and commissioner plenipotentiary of
the United States for concluding any treaty or treaties which may be
found necessary, with any of the Indian tribes northwest of the Ohio,
of the one part, and the tribes of Indians called the Delawares, Shawanees,
Pattawatimas, Miamis and Kickapoos, by their chiefs and head warriors,
and those of the Eel Rivers, Weas, Piankeshaws and Kaskaskias, by their
agents and representatives. Tuthinipee, Winnemac. Richeville and Little
Turtle, (who are properly authorized by the said tribes) of the other
part

"Art. I. Whereas, It is declared by the fourth article of the Treaty
of Greenville, that the United States reserve for their use the post of
Vincennes, and all the lands adjacent, to which the Indian titles had
been extinguished. And whereas. It has been found difficult to determine
the precise limits of the said tract as held by the French and British
governments; it is hereby agreed, that the boundaries of the said tract
shall be as follows: Beginning at Point Coupee, on the Wabash, and
running thence by a line north seventy-eight degrees west, twelve miles,
thence by a line parallel to the general course of the Wabash until it
shall be intersected by a line at right angles to the same, passing
through the mouth of White river, thence by the last mentioned line across
the Wabash and toward the Ohio, seventy-two miles, thence by a line
north twelve west [east], until it shall be intersected by a line at right
angles to the same, passing through Point Coupee, and by the last
mentioned line to the place of beginning.

"Art. II. The United States hereby relinquish all claim which they
may have had to any lands adjoining to. or in the neighborhood of the
tract above described.

"Art. III. As a mark of their regard and attachment to the United
States, whom they acknowledged for their only friends and protectors,
and for the consideration hereinafter mentioned, the said tribes do hereby
relinquish and cede to the United States the gi-eat salt spring upon the
Saline creek, which falls into the Ohio belovi' the mouth of the Wabash,
with a quantity of land surrounding it, not exceeding four miles square,
and which may be laid off in a square or oblong, as the one or
the other may be found most convenient to the United States:
and the said United States being desirous that the Indian tribes
should participate in the benefits to be derived from the said sirring.
hereby engage to deliver yearly, and every year, for the use of the said
Indians, a quantity of salt, not exceeding one hundred and fifty bushels,

-^ Mss. 49062 Indiana State Library, 52.
=■• Mss. 49062 Indiana State Library, 57-60.

18 Indiana Magazine of History

and wliicli shall be divided among the several tribes in such manner as
the general council of the chiefs may determine.

"Art. IV. For the considerations before mentioned, and for the con-
venience which the said tribes will themselves derive from such estab-
lishments, it is hereby agreed, that as soon as the tribes called the
Kickapoos, Eel Rivers, Weas, Piaukeshaws and Kaskaskias, shall give
their consent to the measure, the United States shall have the right
of locating three tracts of land (of such size as may be agreed up(|n
with the last mentioned tribes) on the main road betw^een Vincennes
and Kaskaskia, and one other between Yincennes and Clarksville, for
the pnrjjose of erecting houses of entertainment, for the accommodation
of travelers. But it is expressly understood, that if the said locations are
made on any of the rivers which cross the said road, and ferries should
1)6 established on the same, that in times of high water any Indian or
Indians, belonging to either of the tribes who are parties to the treaty,
shall have the privilege of crossing such ferry toll free. [A copy of
this agreement hereinafter follows.]

"Art. Y. Whereas, there is reason to believe, that if the boundary
lines of the tract described in the first article should run in the manner
therein directed, thnt some of the settlements and locations of land, made
by the citizens of the United States, will fall in the Indian country: it
is hereby agreed, that s-uch alterations shall l»e made in the direction
of these lines, as will include them, and a quantity of land, equal in
quantity to what may be thus taken, shall be given to the said tribes,
either at the east or the Avest end of the tract.2 6

"In testimony whereof, the commissioner of the United States, and
the chiefs and warriors of the Delawares, Shawanees, Pattawatimas.
Miamis and Kickapoos, and those of the Eel Rivers, Weas, Piankeshaws
and Kaskaskias, by their agents and representatives, Tuthinipee, Winne-
mac, Richeville and the Little Turtle, who are properly authorized by
the said tribes, have hereunto subscribed their names and affixed their
seals, at Fort Wayne, this seventh day of June, in the year of our Lord
one thousand eight hundred and three, and of the independence of the
United States the twenty-seventh.

WILLIAM PIENRY HARRISON. (Seal)
(Miamis.)
UICHERYILLE (his X mark). (Seal)

MESHEKUNNOGHQUOH, or Little Turtle (his X mark). (Seal)

On behalf of themselves. Eel Rivers, Weas, Piankeshaws and Kas-
kaskias. whom they represent.

(Kickapoos.)
XEHMEHTOIIAN, or Standing (his X mark). (Seal)

PASHSHEWEHAH. or Cat (his X mark). (Seal)

(Shawanees.)
XEAHMEMSIEEH (his X mark). (Seal)

-"For example, see Carlisle, Sullivan county. Seriate Document, Volume 39,
pages 64 and 65.

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 19

(Pattawatimas.)
TUTHIXIPEE (his X mark). (Seal)

WIXNEMAC (bis X marlv). (Seal)

On behalf of the Pattawatimas and Eel Rivers. Weas, Piankeshaws
and Ka ska ski as. whom they represent.
WANNANGSEA, or Five Medals (his X mark). (Seal)

KEESAAS, or Sun (his X mark). (Seal)

(Delawares.)
TETA BUXIKE (his X mark). (Seal)

BUKONGEHELAS (bis X mark). (Seal)

HOCKINGPOMSKERM (his X mark). (Seal)

KECHKAWHAXUND (his X mark). (Seal)

(Shawanees.)
CUTHEWEKASAW, or Black Hook (his X mark). (Seal)

METHAWXASICE fhis X mark). (Seal)

Siffued. sealed and delivered in the presence of John Rice Jones,
secretary to the commissioner: John Gibson, secretary Indiana territory;
Thomas Pasteur, captain first regiment infantry; William Wells, inter-
preter; John Johnson. United States factor: Hendrick Anpaumut, chief of
Mubbecon: Thomas Freeman.

'•The proceedings at the witliin treaty were faithfully interpreted by
ns, John Gibson and William Wells; that is. for the Delawares. .John
Gibson, and for the rest of the tribes. William Wells.

"JOHN GIBSON,
"WILLIAM WELLS."

The a£;:recment mentioned in the foregoing- treaty :

•'At a council holden at Vinceunes, on the Ttb day of August. 1803,
under the direction of William Henry Harrison, governor of the Indiana
territory, at which were present the chiefs and warriors of the Eel
Rivers. Wyandott, Piankeshaw and Kaskaskia nations, and also the tribe
of the Kickapoos. by their representatives, the chiefs of the Eel River
nation.

"The fourth article of the treaty hc^lden and concluded at Fort
Wayne, on the 7th of June, 1S0.3, being considered, the chiefs and
warriors of the said nations give their free and full consent to the same,
and they do hereby relinquish and confirm to the United States the
privilege and right of locating three several tracts of land of one mile
square each, on the road leading from Vincennes to Kaskaskia. and also
one other tract of land one mile square on the road leading from Yin-
ceunes to Clarksville. [Buffalo Trace] which locations shall be made in
such places on the aforesaid roads, as shall best comport with the con-
venience and interests of the United States in the establishment of houses
of entertainment for the accommodation of travelers.

"In witness whereof, the said William Henry Harrison, and the said
chiefs and warriors of the before mentioned nations and tribe of Indians,

20 Indiafia Magazine of History

have Iiereuuto set their hands and affixed their seals, the day and year
first above written.

WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON. (Seal)

KA TUNGA, or Charly (his X mark). (Seal)

AKA KETA. or Ploughman (his X mark). (Seal)

GROS BLED, or Big Corn (his X mark). (Seal)

BLACK DOG (his X mark). (Seal)

PUPPEQNOR. or Gum (his X mark). (Seal)

LA BOUSSIER (his X mark). (Seal)

DUCOIGNEI (his X mark). (Seal)

PEDAGOGUE (his X mark). (Seal)

SACONQUANEVA, or Tired I^gs (his X mark). (Seal)

LITTLE EYES (his X mark) (Seal)
Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of us.

JOHN RICE JONES,

B. PARKE,

JOSEPH BARRON. Interpreter."2T

The McDonalds settled in Dubois county, cleared land, ana
built a cabin on the Vincennes and Clarksville road before this
treaty was signed, and before the survey of the "Vincennes Tract,"
which this treaty covers, was made.

It will be noticed that the Buffalo Trace passed from near Vin-
cennes toward Louisville, almost in the center of the tract conveyed
by this treaty, thus giving a line of travel through the center of the
purchase.

The Treaty of Greenville, made August 3, 1795, contained this
provision :

"And whenever the United States shall think proper to survey and
mark the boundaries of the lands hereby ceded to them, they shall give
timely notice thereof to the said tribes of Indians, that they may appoint
some of their wise chiefs to attend and see that the lines are run accord-
ing to the terms of the treaty."28

The Fort Wayne treaty is known in the American State Papers
as No. 104, and was communicated to the Senate, October 31, 1803,
by President Thomas Jefferson.

The possession of the Buffalo Trace was a valuable asset to the
settlements in the "Vincennes Tract." With that end in view addi-
tional territory was purchased from the Indians.

On November 15, 1804, Thomas Jefferson communicated to the
Senate a treaty made with the Delawares and Piankeshaws, August

"Mss. 49062 Indiana State Library, 60; American State Papers, Indian
Affairs, Volume 1, page 688.

=»Article III, of the Greenville treaty; Dillon Historical Notes of the North-
western Territory, 451-456 ; Mss. 49062 Indiana State Library.

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 21

18, 1804, and also one made with the Piankeshaws, August 27, 1804.
These two treaties made at Vincennes, August 18, 1804, are known
as No. 105 in the American State Papers. A copy follows :"^

"The Delaware tribe of Indians, finding tliat the annuity which they
receive from the United States is not sufficient to supply them with the
articles which are necessary for their comfort and convenience, and afford
the means of introducing amongst them the arts of civilized life; and
being convinced that the extensiveness of the country they possess, by
giving an opportunity to their hunting parties to ramble to a great distance
from their towns, is the princijial means of retarding this desirable event;
and the Ignited States being desirous to connect their settlements on the
Wabash with the state of Kentucky:

"Therefore, the United States, by William Henry Harrison, governor
of the Indiana territory, and the said tribe of Indians, by their sachems,
chiefs and head warriors, have agreed to the following articles, which,
when ratified by the President of the United States, by and with the
advice and consent of the Seuiite. shall be binding on the said parties.

"Art. I. The said Delaware tribe, for the considerations hereinafter
mentioned, relinquishes to the United States, forever, all their rights
and title to the tract of country which lies between the Ohio and Wabash
rivers, and below the tract ceded by the Treaty of Fort Wayne, [Vincennes
Tract] and the road leading from Vincennes to the falls of Ohio.

"Art. II. The said tribe shall receive from the United States, for
ten years, an additional annuity of three hundred dollars, which is to
be exclusively appropriiited to the purpose of ameliorating their condi-
tion, and promoting their civilization. Suitable persons shall be employed
at the ex])ense of the I'nited States, to teach them to make fences, culti-
vate the earth, and such of the domestic arts as are adapted to their
situation: and a further sum of three hundred dollars shall be appro-
priated, annually, for five years, to this ob.iect. The United States will
cau.se to be delivered to them, in the course of the next spring, horses
fit for draught, cattle, hogs and implements of husbandry, to the amount
of four hundred dollars. The preceding stipulations, together with goods
to the amount of eight hundred dollars, which is now delivered to the
said tribe (a part of which is to be appropriated to the satisfjnng certain
individuals of the s<aid tribe, whose horses have been taken by white-
people) is to be considered as full compensation for the relinquishment
made in the first article.

"Art. III. As there is great reason to believe that there are now
in the iiossession of the said tribe several horses, which have been stolen
from citizens of the Ignited States, the chiefs who represent the Siiid tribe
are to use their utmost endeavor to have the said horses forthwith
delivered to the Superintendent of Indian Affairs, or such persons as he
may apix)int to receive them. And. as the United States can place the
utmost reliance on the honor and integrity of those chiefs who have mani-

*Undian Affairs, I, 689, 690.

22 Indiana Magazine of History

fested a punctilious regard to the engagements entered into at the Treaty
of Greenville, it is agreed that, in relation to such of the horses stolen
as aforesaid, but which have died or been removed beyond the reach of
the chiefs, the United States will compensate the owners for the loss of
them, without deducting from the annuity of the said tribe the amount
of what may be paid in this way. But it is expressly understood that
this provision is not to extend to any horses which have been stolen
within the course of twelve months preceding the date hereof.

"Art. IV. The said tribe having exhibited to the above-named com-
missioner of the United States, sufficient proof of their right to all the
country which lies between the Ohio and White river; and the Miami
tribe, who were the original proprietors of the upper part of that country,
having explicity acknowledged the title of the Delawares, at the general
council held at Fort Wayne, in the month of June, 1803, the said United
States will, in future, consider the Delawares as the rightful owners of
all the country which is bounded by the White river, on the north, the
Ohio on the south, the general boundary line running from the mouth
of the Kentucky river, on the east, and the tract ceded by this treaty
and that ceded by the Treaty of Fort Wayne, on the west and southwest.

"Art. V. As the Piankeshaw tribe have hitherto obstinately persisted
in refusing to recognize the title of the Delawares to the tract of country-
ceded by this treaty, the United States will negotiate with them, and
will endeavor to settle the matter in an amicable way: but, should they
reject the propositions that may be made to them on this subject, and
should the United States not think proper to take possession of the said
country without their consent, the stipulations and promises herein made,
on behalf of the United States, shall be null and void.

"Art. VI. As the road from Vincennes to Clark's grant will form a
very inconvenient boundary, and as it is the intention of the parties to
these presents, that the whole of the said road shall be within the tract
ceded to the United States, it is agreed, that the boundary in that quarter,
shall be a straight line, to be drawn parallel to the course of the said road,
from the eastern boundai-y of the tract ceded by the treaty of Fort Wayne,
to Clark's grant, but the said line is not to pass at a greater distance than
half a mile from the most northerly bend of said road.

"In witness whereof, the commissioner plenipotentiary of the United
States, and the chiefs and head-men of the said tribe, have hereunto set
their hands and affixed their seals.

"Done at Vincennes. August 18. 1804. and of the independence of the
United States the twenty-ninth.32

WILLIAM H. HARRISON. (Seal)

TETA BUXICA (his X mark). (Seal)

BOKONGEHELAS (his X mark). (Seal)

ALIMEE, or Geo. White Eyes (his X mark) (Seal)
HOCKING POMSKANN (his X mark) (Seal)

TOMAGUEE, or the Beaver (his X mark) (Seal)

^American State Papers. Indian Affairs, II, 689, 690; Senate Documeyits,
Vol 39, 70-72.

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 23

"Signed., sealed, and delivered in the presence of John Gibson, secre-
tary to the commissioner; Henry Vanderburg, judge of Indiana territory;
Vigo, colonel of Knox county, L. T. Militia ; B. Parke, attorney-general of
the Indiana Territory; John Rice Jones, of Indiana territory; Robert
Buntin, prothonotary of Knox county, Indiana territory ; Geo. Wallace, Jr.,
of Indiana territory ; Antonine Marchel, of I. T. ; Joseph Barron, Inter-
preter; Edward Hempstead, attorney at law.

"I hereby certify that each and every article of the foregoing treaty
was carefully explained and precisely interpreted by me, to the Delaware
chiefs, who have signed the same.

JOHN GIBSON."

The Piaiikeshaw Treaty, which is really a continuation of the
foregoing, follows :

'•A treaty between the United States of America and the Piankeshaw
tribe of Indians, concluded at Vincennes, August 24, 1804.

"The President of the United States, by William Henry Harrison,
Governor of the Indiana territory, and the chiefs and head-men of the
Piankeshaw tribe, have agreed to the following articles; which, when
ratified by the President of the United States, by and with the advice
and consent of the Senate, shall be binding upon the said parties.

"Article I. The Piankeshaw tribe relinquishes and cedes to the
United States forever, all that tract of country which lies between the
Ohio and the Wabash rivers, and below 'Clark's Grant' and the tract
called the 'Vincennes Tract,' which was ceded by the Treaty of Fort
Wayne, and a line connecting the said tract and grant, to be drawn par-
allel to the general course of the road leading from Vincennes to the Falls
of the Ohio, so as not to pass more than half a mile to the northward
of the most northerly bend of the said road.

"Art. II. The Piankeshaw tribe acknowledges explicity the right of
the Kaskaskia tribe to sell the country which they have lately ceded to the
United States, and which is separated from the lands of the Piankeshaws
by the ridge of highland which divides the waters of the Wabash from
the waters of the Saline creek; and by that which divides the waters of
the said Waba.sh from those which flow into the Au-Vase and other
branches of the Mississippi.

"Art. III. An additional annuity, of two hundred dollars, shall be
paid by the United States to the said tribe, for ten years, in money, mer-
chandise, provisions, or domestic animals, and implements of husbandry,
at the option of the said tribe; and this annuity, together with goods to
the value of seven hundred dollars, which are now delivered to them by
the commissioner of the United States, is considered as a full compensa-
tion for the above mentioned i-elinquishment.

"Art. IV. The United States reserves to themselves the right of
dividing the whole annuity, which they pay to the said tribe, amongst
the families which compose the same; allowing, always, a due proportion
for the chiefs. And the said chiefs, whenever the President of the United

24 Indiana Magazine of History

States may require it, shall, upon proper notice being given, assemble
their tribe for the purpose of eCCecting this arrangement.

"In witness whereof, the commissioner plenipotentiary of the United
States, and the chiefs and head-men of the said tribe, have hereunto set
their hands and affixed their seals.

"Done at Viucennes, in the Indiana territory, August 27. 1804, and of
the independence of the United States the twenty-ninth.
WILLIAil HENRY HARRISON (Seal)

WABOCHQUINKE. LaGros Bled, or Big Corn (his X mark) (Seal)
SWOKANIA, Trois Fesse. or Three Thighs (his X mark) (Seal)

MAKATEWELAMA. Chien Noir. or Black Dog (his X mark) (Seal)
ALEMOIN. LeChien. or the Dog (his X mark) (Seal)

KEKELANQUAGOH, or Lightning (his X mark) (Seal)

''Signed, sealed, and delivered, in the presence of John Gibson, secre-
tary to the commissioner: John Griffin, one of the judges of the Ty. of
Indiana; Henry Vanderburg. one of the judges of the Indiana Territory;
B. Parke, attorney general of the Tj'. of Indiana ; William Prince, sheriff
of Knox county. Indiana territory; George Wallace, jun., of the Indiana
territory ; Peter Jones, of Knox county. Indiana territory ; Edward Hemp-
stead, attorney at law. Indiana territory; Abraham F. Snapp; Joseph
Barron, interpreter.

"I do hereby certify that each and every article of the foregoing
treaty was carefully explained and precisely interpreted, by me. to the
Piankeshaw chiefs who have signed the same.

JOSEPH BARRON. Interpreter."33

There was an Indian trail leading from Cincinnati that joined
the Buffalo Trace near French Lick in the ''Vincennes Tract."
If the territory through which it passed were acquired it would
open up a line of travel between Cincinnati and Vincennes, and
entirely shut off the Indians from the Ohio river. That was
accomplished by the Treaty of Grouseland.

It is but a small flight of the imagination to say that the Buffalo
Trace from Vincennes to Clarksville, or Louisville, was a great
religious highway to the Indian, for when French white men came
to Vincennes, they found Indians there worshiping the buffalo as
their Manitou, or Great Spirit.'^ The Buffalo Trace was a great
factor in the settlement of southern Indiana, and the possession of
this road and the trail from the Whitewater country early attracted
the attention of General Harrison, who therefore negotiated the
Treaty of Grouseland, August 21, 1805. (near Vincennes) :

"Articles of a treaty made and entered into, at Grouseland, near Vin-

"^ American State Papers, Indian Affairs, II, 690; Senate Documents,
"Volume 39, pages 72, 73.

3* Dillon Historical Notes of the Northwestern Territory, 31, 32.

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 25

cennes, in the Indiana territox'y, by and between William Henry Harrison,
governor of said territory, and tlie tribes of Indians called tlie Delawares,
Pattawatimas. Miamis, Eel Rivers, and Weas, jointly and severally, by
their chiefs and head-men, of the other part.

"Art. I. Whereas, by the fourth article of a treaty made between
the United States and the Delaware tribe, on August 18, 1804, the said
United States engaged to consider the said Delawares as the proprietors
of all that tract of country which is bounded by the White river on the
north, the Ohio and Clark's grant on the south, the general boundary line
running from the mouth of Kentucky river on the east, and the tract
ceded by the treaty of Fort Wayne and the road leading to Clark's grant
on the west and southwest. And whereas the Miami tribe, from whom
the Delawares derived their claim, contend that, in their cession of said
tract to the Delawares, it was never their intention to convey to them the
right of the soil, but to suffer them to occupy it as long as they thought
proper, the said Delawares have, for the sake of peace and good neigh-
borhood, determined to relinquish their claim to the said tract, and do.
by these presents, release the United States from the guarantee made in
the before-mentioned article of the treaty of August, 1804.

"Art. II. The said Miami. Eel River, and Wea tribes, cede and relin-
quish to the United vStates, forever, all that tract of country which lies
to the south of a line to be drawn from the northeast corner of the tract
ceded by the treaty of Fort Wayne, so as to strike the general boimdary
line, running from a point opposite to the mouth of the Kentucky river
to Fort Recovery, at the distance of fifty miles from its commencement
on the Ohio river.

"Art. III. In consideration of the cession made in the preceding arti-
cle, the United States will give an additional permanent annuity to said
Miamis, Eel Rivers, and Wea tribes, in the following proportions, viz :
to the Miamis, six hundred dollars: to the Eel River tribe, two hundred
and fifty dollars; to the Weas, two hundred and fifty dollars; and also to
the Pattawatimas, an additional annuity of five hundred dollars, for ten
years, and no longer; which, together with the sum of four thousand dol-
lars, which is now delivered, the receipt whereof they do hereby acknowl-
edge, is to be considered as a full compensation for the land now ceded.

"Art. IV. As the tribes which are now called the Miamis, Eel Rivers,
and Weas, were formerly, and still considered themselves as one nation, and
as they have determined that neither of those tribes shall dispose of any
part of the country which they hold in common; in order to quiet their
minds on that head, the United States do hereby engage to consider them
as .loint owners of all the country on the Wabash and its waters, above
the Vincennes Tract, and which has not been ceded to the United States
by this or any former treaty; and they do further engage, that they will
not purchase any part of the said country, without the consent of each
of the said tribes ; provided always, that nothing in this section contained,
shall in any manner weaken or destroy any claim which the Kickapoos,
who are not represented at this treaty, may have to the country they noAv
occupy on the Vermilion river.

26 Indiana Magazine of History

"Art. V. The Pattawatimas, Miami, Eel River and Wea tribes,
explicitly acknowledge the right of the Delawares to sell the tract of land
conveyed to the United States by the treaty of August 18, 1804, which
tract was given by the Pianlseshaws to the Delawares about thirty-seven
years ago.

"Art. VI. The annuities herein stipulated to be paid by the United
States, shall be delivered in the same manner, and under the same con-
ditions, as those which the tribes have heretofore received.

"Art. VII. This treaty shall be in force and obligatory on the con-
tracting parties, as soon as the same shall have been ratified by the Presi-
dent, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate of the United
States.

"In testimony whereof, the said commissioner plenipotentiaiy of the
United States and the sachems, chiefs, and head-men of the said tribes,
have hereunto set their hands and affixed their seals.

"Done at Grouseland, near Vincennes. August 21, 1805, and of the
independence of the Unitetl States the thirtieth.
WIULIAM HENRY HARRISON L.S.

Delawares
HOCKING POMSKAN (his X marlv) L.S.

KOCKLAHENUND. or William Anderson (his X mark) L.S.

ALLIME, or White Eyes (his X mark) L.S.

TOMAGUE, or Beaver (his X mark) L.S.

Pattawatimas
TOPANEPEE (his X mark) L.S.

LISHAHECON (his X mark) L.S.

WENAMECH (his X mark) L.S.

Miamis
KAKON^'ECONNER. or Long Legs (his X mark) L.S.

MISSINGGUIMSCHAN. or Owl (his X mark) L.S.

WABSIER, or White Skin (his X mark) L.S.

MASHEKANOCHQUAH, or Little Turtle (his X mark) L.S.

RICHARD VILLE (his X mark) L.S.

Eel Rivers
WAIONECANA, or Night Stander (his X mark) L.S.

METANSAUNER, or Sam (his X mark) L.S.

ARCHEKATAUH, or Earth (his X mark) L.S.

Weas
ASSONNONQUAH. or Labossiere (his X mark) L.S.

MISQUACONAQUA, or Painted Pole (his X mark) L.S.

CHEQUANAH, or Little Eyes (his X mark) L.S.

MISSENEWAND, or Captain Bullet (his X mark) L.S.

Delawares

Done in the presence of B. Parke, secretary to the commissioner ; John
Gibson, secretary Indiana territory: John Griffin, a judge of the Indiana
territory ; B. Chambers, president of the council ; Jesse B. Thomas, speaker
of the House of Representatives: John Rice Jones, Saml. Gwathmey. Pierre

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 27

Menard, members of the Legislative council, Indiana Territory ; Davis
Floyd. Shadrach Bond, William Biggs, John Johnson, members of the
House of Representatives, Indiana territory; W. Wells, agent of Indian
affairs; Vigo, colonel of Knox county militia.

JOHN CONNEK,
JOSEPH BARRON.

Sworn Interpreters."

"Additional Article. It is the intention of the contracting parties,
that the boundary line herein directed to be run, from the northeast corner
of the 'Vlncennes Tract' [Orleans corner] to the boundary line running
from the mouth of the Kentucky river, shall not cross the Embai-rass or
Driftwood fork of White river; but if it should strike the said fork, such
an alteration in the direction of the said line is to be made as will leave
the whole of the said fork in the Indian territory."

The white settlers in the "Vincennes Tract" and in the "gore"
of Indiana, near Brookville, felt the Indian territory lines were
too near them, so additional land was purchased from the Indians.
as evidenced by another Fort Wayne treaty under date of Sep-
tember 30, 1809, which brings us up to the "New Purchase." and
to the end of our task, for it was nine years before other Indian
treaties occurred embracing land near southern Indiana.

"A treaty between the United States of America, and the tribes of
Indians called the Delawares, Pattawatimas, Miamis. and Eel River
Miamis.36

"James Madison. i)rosident of the United States, by William Henry
Harrison, governor and commander in chief of the Indiana territory, and
the sachems, head-men. and warriors, of the Delaware. Pattawatima.
Miami, and p]el River tribes of Indians, have agreed and concluded uiwn
the following treaty : which when ratified by the President, with the advice
and consent of the Senate of the United Sstates, shall be binding on said
parties.

"Art. I. The Miami and Eel River tribes, and the Delaware and
Pattawatimas, as their allies, agree to cede to the United States all that
tract of country which shall be included between the boundary line estab-
lished by the treaty of Fort Wayne, the Wabash, and a line to be drawn
from the mouth of a creek called Raccoon creek [near Montezuma], empty-
ing into the Wabash, on the southeast side, about twelve miles below the
mouth of the Vermilion river, so as to strike the boundary line established
by the treaty of Grouseland. at such a distance from its commencement,
at the northeast coi'ner of the 'Vincennes Tract.' as will leave the tract
now ceded thirty miles Avide at the narrowest place. And also all that

s'Mss. No. 49062 Indiana State Library, 63, 64, 65 ; Senate Documents,
Volume 39, page 104.

seMss. No. 49062 Indiana State Library, 71-74.

28 Indiana Magazine of History

tract which shall be included between the following boundaries, viz:
beginning nt Fort Recovery, thence southwardly along the general boun-
dary line established by the treaty of Greenville, to its intersection with
the boundary line established by the treaty of Grouseland: thence along
said line to a point, from which a line drawn parallel to the first men-
tioned line, will be twelve miles distant from the same, and along the
said parallel line to its intersection with a line to be drawn from Fort
Recovery, parallel to the line established by the said treaty of Grouseland.

"Art. II. The Miamis explicitly acknowledge the equal right of the
Delawares with themselves to the country watered by the White river.
But it is also to be clearly understood, that neither party shall have the
right of disi)osing of the same without the consent of the others; and any
improvements which shall be made on the said land by the Delawares. or
their friends, the Mochecans. shall be theirs forever.

"Art. III. The compensation to be given for the cession made in the
first article, shall be as follows, viz: to the Delawares, a permanent
annuity of five hundred dollars: to the Miamis. a like annuity of five hun-
dred dollars: to the Eel River tribe, a like annuity of two hundred and
fifty dollars: and to the Pattawatima.s. a like annuity of five hundred dol-
lars.

"Art. IV. All the stipulations made in the treaty of Greenville, rela-
tive to the manner of paying the annunities. and the right of the Indians
to hunt upon the land, shall apply to the annuities granted, and the land
ceded, by the present treaty.

"Art. V. The consent of the Wea tribe shall be necessary to com-
plete the title to the first tract of land here ceded; a separate conven-
tion shall be entered into between them and the United States, and a
reasonable allowance of goods given them in hand, and a permanent
annuity, which shall not be less than three hundred dollars, settled upon
them.

"Art. VI. The annuities promised by the third article, and the goods
now delivered to the amount of five thousand two hundred dollars, shall
be considered as a full compensation for the cession made in the first
article.

"Art. VII. The tribes who are parties to this treaty, being de.sirous
of putting an end to the depredations which are committed by abandoned
individuals of their o^\^l color, upon the cattle, horses, etc., of the more
industrious and careful, agree to adopt the following regiilations, viz:
when any theft or other depredations shall be committed by any individual
or individuals of one of the tribes above mentioned, upon the property
of any individual or individuals of another tribe, the chiefs of the party
injured shall make application to the agent of the United States, who is
charged with the delivery of the annuities of the tribe to which the
offending party belongs, whose duty it shall be to hear the proofs and
allegations on either side, and determine between them : and the amount
of his award shall be immediately deducted from the annuity of the tribe
to which the offending party belongs, and given to the person injured,
or to the chief of his village for his use.

Wilsoii: First Public Land Surveys 29

"Art. VIII. The United States agree to relinquish their rights to
the reserve, at the old Ouroctenon towns, made by the treaty of Green-
ville, so far, at least, as to make no further use of it than for the estab-
lishment of a military post.

"Art. IX. The tribes who are parties to this treaty, being desirous
to show their attachment to their brothers the Kickapoos, agree to cede
to the United States the land on the northwest side of the Wabash, from
the Vincenues tract to a northwardly extension of the line running from
the mouth of the aforesaid Racoon creek, and fifteen miles in width from
the Wabash, on condition that the United States shall allow them an
annuity of four hundred dollars. But this article is to have no effect
unless the Kickapoos will agree to it.

"In testimony whereof, the said William Henry Harrison, and the
sachems and war chiefs of the before-mentioned tribes, have hereunto set
their hands and affixed their seals, at Fort Wayne, this thirtieth of Sep-
tember, eighteen hundred and nine.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON L.S.

Del a wares
ANDERSON, for Hoekiiigpouiskon. who is absent (his X mark) L.S.

ANDERSON (his X mark) L.S.

PETCHEKEKAPON (his X mark) j..S.

THE BEAVER (his X mark) L.S.

CAPTAIN KILLBUCK (his X mark) L.S.

Pattawatimas
WINEMAC (his X mark) L.S.

FIVE MEDALS, by his son (his X mark) L.S.

MOGAWGO (his X mark) L.S.

SHISSAHECON. for himself and his brother Tuthinipee (his X mark) L.S.
OSSMEET. brother to Five Medals (his X mark) L.S.

NANOI'SEKAH. Penamo's son (his X mark) L.S.

MOSSER (his X mark) L.S.

CHEQUINIMO (his X mark) L.S.

SACHANACKSHUT (his X mark) L.S.

CONENGEE (his X mark) L.S.

Miamis
PUCAN (his X mark) L.S.

THE OWL (his X mark) L.S.

JIESITEKENOGHQI'A. or the Little Turtle (his X mark) L.S.

WAPEMANGUA. or the Loon (his X mark) L.S.

SILVER HEELS (his X mark) L.S.

SHAWAPENOMO (his X mark) L.S.

Eel Rivers. 3 "!■
CHARLEY (his X mark) L.S.

SHESHANGOMEQUAH, or Swallow (his X mark) L.S.

THE YOUNG WYANDOT, a Miami of Elkhart (his X mark) L.S.

In the presence of Peter Jones, secretary to the commissioner: John

«'Dillon History of Indiana, 535-538.

30 Indiana Magazine of History

Johnson, Indian agent; A. Heald, capt. the United States' army; A.

Edwards, surgeon's mate; Ph. Ostrander, lieut. United States' army;

John Shaw; Stephen Johnson; J. Hamilton, Sheriff of Dearborn county;

Hendrick Aupamut. WILLIAM WELLS,

JOHN CONNER,
JOSEPH BARRON,
ABRAHAM ASH,

Sworn Interpreters. "38

A separate article, bearing upon the foregoing treaty, reads
as follows:

"A separate Article, entered into at Fort Wayne, September 30. 1809.
between William Henry Harrison, aud the sachems and chief warriors of
the Miami and Eel River tribes of Indians, which is to be considered as
forming part of the treaty this day concluded, between the United States,
and the said tribes, aud their allies, the Delawares and Pattawatimas.

"As the greater part of the lands, ceded to the United States, by the
treaty, this day concluded, was the exclusive property of the Miami nation,
and guaranteed to them by the treaty of Grouseland, it is considered by
the said commissioner just and reasonable that their request to be allowed
some further and additional compensation should be complied with. It is.
therefore, agreed, that the United States shall deliver, for their use, in the
course of the next spring, at Fort Wayne, domestic animals to the amount
of five hundred dollars, and the like number for the two following years;
and that an armory shall be also maintained at Fort Wayne, for the use
of the Indians, as heretofore: it is also agreed that, if the Kickapoos
confirm the ninth article of the treaty to which this is a supplement, the
United States will allow to the Miamis a further permanent annuity of
two hundred dollars, and to the Wea and Eel River tribes, a further
annuity of one hundred dollars each.

"In testimony whereof, the said William Henry Harrison, and the
sachems and war chiefs of the said tribes, have hereunto set their hands,
and affixed their seals the day and place above mentioned.

[Here follow the signatures.] 3»

An endorsement of the foregoing treaty reads as follows, dated
at Vincennes October 26, 1809 :

"A Convention entered into at Vincennes, in the Indiana territory,
between William Henry Plarrison, Commissioner Plenipotentiary of the
United States for treating with the Indian tribes, northwest of the Ohio,
and the Wea tribe.

"The said tribe, by their sachems and head warriors, hereby declare
their full and free consent to the treaty concluded at Fort Wayne, on the

"^Mss. No. 49062 Indiana Stats Library, 71-74; Senate Documents, Volume
39, pages 101 and 102; American State Papers, II, Indian Affairs, 761.

^'Mss. No. 49062, Indiana State Library, 74, 75; American State Papers, II,
Affairs, 761-762 ; Senate Documents, Volume 39, 103.

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 31

thirtieth ultimo, by the above mentioned commissioner, with the Delaware,
Miami, Pattawatima. and Eel River tribes, and also, to the separate article
entered into on the same day with the Miami and Eel River tribes; and
the said commissioner on the part of the United States, agrees to allow
the said tribe an additional annuity of three hundred dollars, and a
present sum of fifteen hundred dollars, in consideration of the relinquish-
ment made in the first article of said treaty; and a further permanent
annuity of one hundred dollars, as soon as the Kicliapoos can be brought to
give their consent to the ninth article of said treaty.40
[Then follow the usual signatures.]

In the following treaty the Kickapoos gave their formal consent
to the Treaty of Fort Wayne :

'•William Henry Harrison, Governor of the Indiana territory, and
the sachems and war chiefs of the Kiekapoo tribe, on the part of the said
tribe, have agreed to the following articles, which, when ratified by the
President, by and with the advice of the Senate shall be binding on said
parties.

"Art. I. The ninth article of the treaty concluded at Fort Wayne,
on the thirtieth of September last, and the cession it contains, is hereby,
agreed to by the Kickapoos, and a permanent additional annuity of four
hundred dollars, and goods to the amount of eight hundred dollars, now
delivered, is to be considered as a full compensation for the said cession.

"Art. II. The said tribe further agrees to cede to the United States,
all that tract of land which lies between the tract above ceded, the Wabash,
the Vermilion river, and a line to be drawn from the north corner of the
said ceded tract, so as to strike the Vermilion river, at the distance of
twenty miles, in a direct line from its mouth. For this cession, a further
annuity of one hundred dollars, and the sum of seven hundred dollars,
in goods, now delivered, is considered as a full compensation. But. if
the Miamis should not be willing to sanction the latter cession, and the
United States should not think proper to take possession of the land with-
out their consent, they shall be released from the obligation to pay the
additional annuity of one hundred dollars.

"Art. III. The stipulations contained in the treaty of Greenville,
relative to the manner of paying the annuity, and of the right of the
Indians to hunt upon the land, shall apply to the annuity granted and the
land ceded by the present treaty.**i

[The signatures follow.]

All the treaties mentioned in this article were ratified by the
United States Senate. In transmitting this treaty first before
mentioned, General Harrison called attention to the fact that the

^"American State Papers, Indian Affairs, II, 762; Senate Documents, Volume
39, page 104; Mss. No. 49062 Indiana State Library, 259.

"Mss. No. 49062 Indiana State Library, 262; American State Papers, Indian
Affairs, II, 762-763 ; Senate Documents, No. 39, pages 104 and 105.

32 Indiana Magazine of History

Kickapoos had consented to the Treaty of Fort Wayne, September
30, 1809, and also consented to a cession northwest of the Wabash,
as high up as the Vermilion river. On December 10, 1809, he
wrote :

"This small tract (of about twenty miles square) Is one of the most
beautiful that can be conceived, and is, moreover, believed to contain a
very rich copper mine. I have myself, frequently seen specimens of the
copper, one of which I sent to Mr. Jefferson, in 1802. The Indians were
so extremely jealous of any search being made for this mine that the
traders were always cautioned not to approach the hills, which are sup-
posed to contain the mine."-t2

it appears that the Indians had large road belts to guide them
in the making of these treaties, and in showing the treaty lines.^^

The student of the foregoing treaties will observe that the In-
dians received better pay for the land they ceded in the treaty
of September 30, 1809, than they did for any other sale while
Indiana was a territory. He will also observe that there was a
tendency of each tribe to recognize the right of some other tribe to
a quasi title to the land ceded. He will further observe that Gen-
eral Harrison usually stipulated that a compensation would be
paid the Indians who signed, when the other tribes agreed to the
treaty, etc.

The Indians began to see themselves losing the land, and the
tribes in the central and northern part of Indiana began to see
white men to the south of them, where once roamed warriors of
their own color. The government surveyor, who immediately en-
tered the land after the treaties were signed, began to divide the
forests into sections ready for the land offices and settlers. Two
hundred and fifty thousand forest trees bearing the marks of the
surveyors, tokens of advancing civilization, told the Indians, in
a manner not to be misunderstood, that the days of the forest were
numbered, and that their possessions were passing away.

Tecumseh was an Indian statesman, in addition to being a war-
rior. He contended that the Indians held their land in common,
and that no one tribe or family could properly convey a part of
the Indian territory to the whites. He endeavored to have the
Indians unite and to consider their lands as the common property
of the whole. He accused General Harrison of taking tribes aside,
and advising them not to unite or enter into Tecumseh's Confed-

*-Ainerican State Papers, Indian Affairs, II, 762.

^'Dillon Historical Notes of the Northwestern Territory, 393-396.

Wilson: First Public Land Surveys 33

eracy. Tecumseh was particularly severe in his address to General
Harrison on August 20, 1810."*^ The sale of land made at the
Treaty of Fort Wayne in 1809 by certain tribes brought forth a
remonstrance from Tecumseh, and in time, the dissatisfaction among
the Indian warriors caused by the treaties enumerated in this article
led to the battle of Tippecanoe, in 1811.

That part of these Indian treaty tracts in which Dubois county
can claim a particular interest is the original "Vincennes Tract,"
and the tract first bought after the Greenville Treaty and which
lies immediately south of the "Vincennes Tract." The treaty line
is known as the Freeman Line. It enters Dubois county about
two and one-fourth miles north of the southwest corner of the
county, runs south 78 degrees east [1802], and leaves the county
a mile west of the southeast corner of Cass township. The line
runs through Dubois county a distance of 7.35 miles, and covers a
meridian distance of seven miles. The land north of this line is
said to have been sold by Indians at a council at Vincennes, in
1742. This sale w^as reaffirmed at the Treaty of Greenville, Ohio,
in 1795, and again by the treaty of Fort Wayne in 1803. That
part south of the line was sold by the Indians, at the Treaty of
Vincennes, in 1804. It is said Vincennes became an Indian trading
post in 1690, and a French military post, commanded by Francis
Morgan DeVincennes under King Charles XIV, in 1702.^'' Thus
we see, the French were at Vincennes one hundred years before
Freeman surveyed this line through Dubois county, as indicating
the boundary of the territory the French had obtained from the
Indians, by treaty, the documentary evidence of which seems to
have been lost. The exact location of this Freeman Line with
reference to section corners is shown by the plat herewith.

« Dillon History of Indiana, 431, 442-447, 454. 455, 473.

^^Governor Ralston's "Centennial Letter," 1915. Dillon Historical Notes of
the N or tliive stern Territory, 100-101.

The Election of 1852 *

By Dale Beeler, Vice Consul to Rome.

VI The State Campaign

The candidates on the State ticket filled long schedules of joint
poltical meetings in all parts of the State and from early in the
spring until a short time before the election. Messrs. Wright and
McCarty, candidates for governor, and Messrs. Willard and Will-
iams, candidates for lieutenant-governor, and others of the leading
office-seekers had extended itineraries during most of the campaign.
The newspapers seldom reported in full any of the speeches, but
always commented on them. A great part was taken in the cam-
paign by the editors who waged an incessant warfare against their
political opponents, always seeking to embroil in the general con-
flict any man who showed signs of fight. One side endeavored to
put the other in a hole by digging up some particularly unsavory
act in a candidate's past record.

In the campaign of 1852, as in nearly every State campaign since,
the candidates pleaded the "farmer" story, pretending a great love
and affection for and interest in that body of the citizenship, in
order to get the farmers' votes. The leading newspapers of each
party engaged, during the campaign, in a controversy as to the
early hfe of their candidates for governor, each trying to make out
the strongest case for its own man that he was or had been a
farmer, and thus making him eminently qualified to represent the
interests of the farmers. This was a necessary qualification for a
good candidate for governor. The truth in this case was that
neither Wright nor McCarty had ever been a farmer long enough
to get the name. McCarty had worked a few months when a young
man, while Wright's only claim lay in the fact that he had been a
mechanic who worked on farming implements. The fact that
while he was governor, he had spoken at several agricultural meet-
ings and at various county fairs, appeared to give the governor
the strongest case.

♦Concluded from last number.

680S82

Beeler: The Election of 1852 35

The Indiana State Journal labored long- and industriously to
manufacture campaign thunder from some of Governor Wright's
fervid and over-eloquent protestations of love for Democracy's prin-
ciples. Daily from March 1 until election day, it gave prominence in
its columns to the following words, which Governor Wright had
uttered at the time of the State Convention :

"Whigs! Remember that Joseph A. Wright emphatically twice de-
clared, on accepting the nomination of the Democratic Convention, that 'he
had rather fall with his political friends than rise with the aid of his
political opponents.' "4i

The Democratic press answered this by saying that the State
Journal inserted the words "the aid of," that Governor Wright did
not say them ; and further, that what he meant was that "he would
rather fall fighting with his friends for his cherished principles, than
rise with his opponents, by the sacrifice of any of those principles."^-

The Whig papers were not in the least averse to going into
Governor Wright's past record to gather utterances of his which
might be converted to useful campaign ammunition. The State
Journal and the Madison Banner, both Whig, attacked the governor
for his speech at a fair in Cincinnati in 1851, during the heat of the
slavery agitation, in which he had said that "all the members of
Congress from Indiana, who supported the compromise measures,
had misrepresented their constituents and would be defeated if they
were candidates for re-election" and "that Indiana would never
execute the fugitive slave law." At this time, in 1852, Governor
Wright and his party stood for that measure, and now the Whig
press was calling upon him to explain the inconsistency of his atti-
tude. Governor Wright was never strong pro-slavery, rather he
was more of a Free Soiler. His views as he expressed them on
that occasion, are explainable when it is remembered that he ex-
pressed the real sentiments of most Indianians at that time when the
free men's passions were inflamed by the slavery agitation. The
governor was no more inconsistent than many of the Whigs.

The Democratic press refrained from attacking Mr. McCarty to
any extent. It may have been because he was commonly recognized
as a weak candidate. His career as a noteshaver in connection with
the Indianapolis Land Office several years before would have made
good campaign material but for the fact that the business seems

" Indiana State Journal, March 1, 1852.

*- Logansport Democratic Pharos, May 12, 1852.

36 Indiana Magazine of History

to have been a bi-partisan game, with a prominent Democratic leader
involved. It would have been as bad for one party as for the other
if this subject had been thoroughly aired.

The death of Henry Clay on June 29, 1852, gave the Whig
press cause for another sally against Governor Wright's record.
This time an attempt was made to get campaign capital from the
inconsistency of Wright's criticism of Clay during the campaign
of 1844 and his expressions of respect, after Clay's death, for the
greatness of the Kentucky Statesman. The Indiana State Journal
called the Governor a slanderer of Clay for pronouncing hypocritical
eulogies. It gave voice to its power of villification in the follow-
ing words :

•'Among all the lean, gaunt, and vindictive blood-hounds, that were ever
unleashed from the kennel of Locofocoism, and for years pursued Mr. Clay
with slander and detraction, Joseph A. Wright was among the foremost
In 1844, he denounced Mr. Clay as a blackleg, a Sabbath-breaker, and a
murderer, declaring with most sanctimonious face, and with up-turned
eyes, that the 'blood of poor Cilley (killed in a duel) was upon his
hands.' "43

The State Sentinel replied that the above article in its length and
breadth, was wilfully and maliciously false, and that John D. De-
frees, the author, knew it was false when he uttered and published
it ; that the Journal men were soulless villifiers, by whose policy of
blackguardism it would never allow itself to be driven from position.
These editorials were mere newspaper squabble and had little influ-
ence on the voters. The editor of the State Journal was more eager
to break down the Democrats than to work for the election of
General Scott and the Whig ticket. Such an attitude only shows
their unconcern as to the outcome of the election. Editor Clarkson
of the Brook ville American, said that neither Scott nor Pierce repre-
sented any moral issue and he was perfectly indifferent as to the
result of the election. Parker, the only Whig member of Congress
from this State, repudiated the Whig platform and ticket.

The Logansport Democratic Pharos also indulged in the prac-
tice of comparing the lives and records of the Democratic and Whig
candidates for governor. As for McCarty, it said that the Whigs
talk about that honest, plain, unassuming man as though the article
of honesty were a rare commodity at least among the Whigs. Then
the Pharos tells what an honest, industrious young man Governor

« Indiana State Sentinel, Aug. 30, 1852.

Beeler: The Election of 1852 37

Wright was in his youth, about his Hfe as a student at Indiana Uni-
versity, where, during his attendance, he acted as janitor and door-
keeper at that institution, earning, by chopping w^ood and other
services usually considered menial, the means of subsistence while
in Bloomington during his college course. The Sentinel asserted
that the President of the Board of Trustees of Indiana University
was the authority for the statement about Wright.

Governor Wright entered the campaign early in April. He
usually spoke on some phase of State finances, occasionally changing
to the tariff and the subtreasury system when he wished to speak
on national issues. He claimed for the Democrats the credit for
the redemption of the State from Whig indebtedness and he never
failed to extol the wisdom of the sale of the State's interest in the
Madison and Indianapolis Railway, a deal which seems to have
been engineered by politicians in both parties. The reduction of the
State debt which in 1843, following the financial stringency,
amounted to near $15,0CX),000, which he had reduced by one-half—
by repudiation, some said — was one of Governor Wright's main
sources of campaign argument. In a speech made on one of the joint
tours with McCarty, he said : "What is now the condition of the
State? About one-half of the State debt discharged, and the interest
on thte balance promptly paid. The credit of the State is good at
home and abroad ; and the sun rises this day upon a million of her
children prosperous and happy. Are not these things so? And by
whose policy has this change been produced? There is no man in
Indiana, who knows her history but that will, in the honest conviction
of his heart, say it was the Democratic policy that has redeemed our
fallen State. "^^ About one-half of the State debt was cancelled by
the Butler Bill of 1846 and its amendment of 1847, according to
which the old canal was given to the bondholders for one-half of
the bonds.

Nicholas McCarty had been a merchant most of his life and
therefore was not very well versed in the arts and tricks of the
political campaigning. He was a plain, unassuming man, so plain,
in fact, that he never made a hit with his audience by displaying his
oratorical powers. McCarty's lack of experience in the art of stump-
speaking was well-known to most people, including the Democratic
press. The statement issued by McCarty after the Whig State
Convention that he would take no active part in the campaign gave

■'■' Indiana State Journal, April 2, 1852.

38 Indiana Magazine of History

occasion to the Huntington Democrat to express satisfaction with
such a course. That paper said:

"It is understood tliat Mr. McCarty will remain at home tliroughout
tlie entire campaign, being a little timorous about meeting Wright on the
stump. That's a sensible arrangement on his part. For him to canvass the
State in opposition to Jo. Wright would be only time and money thrown
away, and it seems he knows it."45

Expressions of this kind by the opposition served to draw Mr.
McCarty from his retirement, as on March 16, he resigned his seat
in the State Senate because

"his nomination as the Whig candidate for governor, and his determina-
tion to devote a considerable portion of his time in visiting different por-
tions of the State, renders it necessary for him to resign."

The Indiana State Journal, throughout the campaign, mani-
fested great confidence that the elections would result favorably to
the Whigs. Soon after the opening of the State campaign, it ex-
pressed its confidence in the following words :

"There never has been a time in Indiana, since 1840, that the Whigs
felt more confident of success than now. Since the news of the nomina-
tions made by the Whig Convention has reached the various parts of the
State, we have received many letters of the most encouraging character.
In every neighborhood the right kind, of spirit to secure victory seems to
pervade the Whig ranks."46

The Whigs tried to make their prospects look a little more rosy
by putting out rumors to the effect that many Democrats of North-
ern Indiana were so much displeased with the ticket composed
mostly of Democrats from Southern Indiana that they would refuse
to support it. The threat, if it was made, does not seem to have
been carried out.

The Whigs and Democrats in many places in the State held jolli-
fication meetings following the news of their Presidential nomina-
tions, and at other times during the campaign. The press, in the
period from April to November, carried an almost daily account of
a ratification meeting or pole-raising somewhere in the State. Guns,
bonfires, cannon and fire works were a few of the means to which
the enthusiastic partisans resorted. Balloon ascensions, quite a
novelty in that day, occurred at Indianapolis and Lafayette on the

" Huntin^on Democrat, March 15, 1852.
*" Indiana State Journal, March 11, 1852.

Beeler: The Election of 1852 39

occasion of jollification meetings. The newspapers of one party, in
reporting an account of the meetings of the other party, always em-
phasized the poor attendance and conduct. On the other hand, when
their own party held a meeting, the newspaper account dwells long
on the enormous crowds that swarmed to hear the speaker, the num-
ber always taxing the capacity of the halls or grounds, and the great
enthusiasm of everyone. A Democratic political meeting at Edin-
burg, on September 9, which was addressed by Thomas A. Hen-
dricks, candidate for Congress, was reported by the Whig papers
as having been postponed once because of the small audience, and
when it did take place, there were only thirteen men and boys
present. "About fifteen men and boys" was a favorite number with
the Whig press when reporting Democratic meetings. The Demo-
cratic press was equally guilty of this practice. The papers fre-
quently gave the speeches bitter and sarcastic criticisms.'*^

In many instances, there were attempts, sometimes successful,
made by rowdies of one party to disturb and to break up the political
meetings of the other party. The practice was general and there
were several cases of it in Indianapolis. But the most prominent
case was that at New Albany just before election. The editor of
the Democratic Ledger, John Norman, publicly accused the editor
of the Whig New Albany Tribune of instigating the disturbance at
the meeting held by the Democrats. The Tribune editor, P. M.
Kent, did not deny the accusation, probably because he considered
it as one of the legitimate tricks of the game. A great many voters
of both parties had little interest in the campaign, so it may be that
their conduct at political meetings was nothing more than horseplay.

The newspapers made good use of campaign poetry as a means
of arousing enthusiasm and getting in an additional thrust at the
enemy. Some of the poems were not of a very high class, but they
all served the purpose.^^

The Free Soilers were most frequently troubled by having their

" Indiana State Journal, June 15, 1852. Hon. John "W. Davis of Carlisle,
Indiana, spoke to Democrats at Indianapolis June 14. Journal: "His speech
lasted three-quarters of an hour, during which he completely enchanted the
audience (judging from the absence of applause), glorified the 'gallant,' 'noble,'
'Young Hickory of the Granite State,' and gave the Whigs particular saltpeter."
** Indiana State Sentinel, Aug. 30, 1852. "Such kind of stuff is all the argu-
ment that Whigs can hunt up in favor of Nick McCarty. It is now going the
rounds of the Whig press in the State."

"Let fools unite While those who know

And vote for Wright, A thing or two

Just to support the pa^t3^ Will go for Nick McCarty."

40 Indiana Magazine of History

meetings disturbed or broken up. They carried on their campaign
work mostly in connection with church activities. Andrew L.
Robinson, Free Soil candidate for governor, who made speeches
in Evansville, New Albany, Madison and other towns on the Ken-
tucky border, without interruption or annoyance, according to the
New Albany Daily Ledger, was not permitted to speak at Terre
Haute, far away from any influence which slaveholders might be
expected to wield.'i^

VII. The National Campaign

The national campaign may be said to have opened soon after
the national conventions were over. The Democratic Empire said
that "the opening of the Presidential campaign on the Democratic
side, calls vividly to mind the good old Jackson times." And then
the Indiana State Journal pointedly remarked : "Perhaps it does —
by contrast ; just as a famine is apt to revive the mtmory of the
feast."^" There certainly was a famine of real Democratic enthu-
siam when the campaign began, and concerning this apparent defi-
ciency, the State Journal continued :

"The great lack of enthusiasm among the Democrats for their can-
didates is occasioned by their obscurity in public life. Few people any-
where, including Indiana, know anything about the candidates. So there
is little room either for criticism or enthusiasm."

A most correct diagnosis of the situation ! Then the State
Journal quotes from the Charleston ( S. C.) Mercury, as follows:

"When a party throws aside all its most distinguished men, the only
men capable of giving consistency to its counsel and vigor to its movements
— when it disowns its leaders and representatives, and for motives of tem-
porary advantage, crowns with highest honors obscure men, it ceases, in
any respectable sense, to be a party, and becomes a mere herd of spoilsmen.
We have no ambition to labor in such a crowd."50

The State Journal, in giving its opinion of Pierce, first quoted
General Pickett, one of the Democratic stumpers of Tennessee, who
said : that "the Presidency should never be awarded to any man on
account of eminent services," and then it adds, "if this be so, then
have the Democracy been very fortunate in their selection. "-^^

*' New Albany Daily Ledger, Oct. 2S, 1852.
"* Indiana State Journal, June 25, 1852.

"Obscurity of Pierce," James Scliouler, History of the U. S., Vol. 5, Chap.
XX, p. 244.

°^ Indiana State Journal, Sept. 30, 1852.

Beeler: The Election of 1852 41

The Whig newspapers of the State took great deUght in the
many mistakes which the Democrats made in reporting the name of
their Presidential candidate. Lists of 'these errors were run in the
Whig papers. Many of the names were given by the editors of the
country newspapers who, not knowing the real name, made one of
their own. Also, the Whigs invented some of the names for their
own use. The State Journal conducted an unrelenting editorial
attack against General Pierce up until the very day of the election.
It did almost everything possible to belittle and heap ridicule upon
the Democratic candidate. It made light of Pierce's war record,
saying that :

"Next to making a 'whistle out of a pig's ear' the attempt at manufac-
turing Franklin Pierce, Attorney and Counselor at Law and Solicitor in
Chancery, into a military hero, is the most provoking."

The Whigs worked hard to make capital of the fact that the
New Hampshire constitution excluded Catholics from holding office
and General Pierce was a member of the convention that drafted
the constitution. They contended that the Democrats controlled
the state and made the law; therefore that in the convention they
were against the Catholics. General Pierce was in the convention,
but there was plenty of proof to show that he opposed the provision
relating to Catholic exclusion. In their turn, the Democrats often
accused Scott of being a Catholic and a Catholic sympathizer, there-
fore the Native Whigs could not support him, nor could the Know-
Nothings. This accusation was not well founded, as General Scott
was an Episcopalian.

The Indiana Whigs began the national campaign by organizing
Chippewa Clubs all over the State. The Indiana State Journal en-
dorsed the idea of closer organization. These clubs usually con-
ducted the Whig rallies and pole-raisings.

On July 1st, the Whigs of Indianapolis had a great ratification
meeting to endorse the nomination of the Whig National Conven-
tion. Resolutions were adopted which gave approval for the Scott
and Graham nominations ; for Fillmore's conduct in office and his
good service; and expressing sorrow at the death of Henry Clay, an
event which the Indiana State Journal called "a great national
calamity, as creating a void in the councils of our country that can
not be filled." Col. Henry S. Lane, of Montgomery county, made
the main address. The Whigs declared that they had flourished

42 Indiana Magazine of History

in 1840 on Hard Cider ; in 1852 they would meet with equal success
on Scott Soup and Graham Bread. On this occasion they raised a
tall, thin pole bearing a Scott banner, but the pole soon broke, the
event causing much amusement for the State Sentinel. The State
Journal retorted that "any sapling will bear up the Pierce flag, for
it is a name of no weight ; but it takes something of a pole to float
the great name of General Scott. Common timber won't do it."
Alusic for the ratification miceting was furnished by the Chippewa
Glee Club of the city.

The Whigs worked hard to make the tarifif the leading issue of
the campaign. While the Democrats were busy telling the voters
the beneficent eft'ects which the country was enjoying under the
equitable Walker Tariff of 1846, they were engaged in reciting the
iniquities of such half-hearted protection and loudly declared that
the ruination of American industries was speedily being brought
about. The Indiana State Journal carried a series of articles on
tariff and protection which were intended to show the ill-eff'ects of
the Walker Tariff' for revenue of 1846. They laid great emphasis
on the decrease in foreign exportation and attendant increase in the
amount of imports and the bad business conditions. They deplored
the large shipments of specie sent from this country to Europe.
This series of articles was signed by Americus of Philadelphia,
Indiana, but the author was most likely O. H. Smith.

In the tariff controversy carried on during the campaign, the
Whigs, in order to cite Democratic authority in the justification of
protection, resurrected the old "Coleman letter," which General
Jackson had written to Governor Ray, of Indiana, during his first
administration. In this letter General Jackson had said that he
favored a "judicious protection." The State Journal professed to
believe and labored vigorously to make the voters believe that the
Democrats, by free trade or low tariff, were sacrificing the American
manufactures to the English merchants. It went so far as to declare
that there was an alliance between the Locofoco party in the United
States and the English merchants, to break down American manu-
factures and thus secure the market for England. The State
Journal published items from three London papers purporting to
show English preference for Pierce's success, though the truth was
those papers expressed general indifference to the American election
and stated that in event of General Pierce's success, the Democrats
would continue to conduct commercial relations on the principle of

Beeler: The Election of 1852 43

trade co-operation. The Whigs used this as another ruse to arouse
opposition to the Democrats among the Irish by declaring that the
Democracy was alhed with England through free trade, which would
not be for the welfare of Irishmen.

As the campaign was drawing to a close, the papers of both
parties began to publish long lists of the names of voters who were
not going to support their party nominees. The New Albany
Tribune was the most notorious offender along this line. Many
days its lists of "come-outers" from the Democratic party became
so extensive that they were obliged to shorten the number for lack
of space to print the names and frequently the Tribune editor would
insert a statement to the effect that certain news items were post-
poned until the following day in order that in the issue at hand
there might be space to publish the names of the Democrats who
were flocking to support General Scott. The Democratic press
was also guilty of using this method.^- Those voters who went
from one party to the other were generally known as "backfirers,"
"come-outers," and their act was called "firing in the rear."

On September 11, the Democrats of Indianapolis had a grand
rally with Judge Stephen A. Douglas, U. S. Senator from Illinois, as
the chief orator of the day. Previous to the meeting, the Granite
Clubs of the city, with most of the Democrats, had a procession
which the Indiana State Journal reported as consisting of two
carriages, and one buggy, the military company and just thirty-nine
other persons, all told. The State Journal severely criticized Judge
Douglas's speech and thereby aroused the ire of William J. Brown,
the editor of the Sentinel. A few days later he flung a hot shot
of the following calibre into the Journal camp :

"The JoiiDial jiersists in its scurrilous iibuse of Judse Douglas, and
attempts to justify it. Though its course in this matter may be perfectly
self-satisfactory, we are much mistaken if the correct taste and good
sense of the decent portion of the Whig party is not outraged by such
billingsgate."53

'^- Indiana State Journal, Aug. 28, 1S52. "In 1840, and in 1848, the Demo-
cratic papers were filled with names of John Smiths and Jim Browns who would
not vote for 'Old Granny Harrison' in 1840, and for 'Old Noodle-head Taylor'
in 1848. The election day arrived, and we got along very well, without these
gentlemen. The same trick is now being performed. Whole counties and even
States of people won't go for 'Old Fuss and Feathers,' any way it can be fixed !
Well, we shall see on election day. It will come out about as it did in 1840 and
1848."

=" Indiana State Journal, Sept. 21, 1852.

44 Indiana Magazine of History

Both parties made use to the fullest advantage of the war records
of their candidates. The Democrats attacked General Scott for what
they called his unjustifiable conduct in both the War of 1812 and the
Mexican War. They even figured up the total amount of his salary
which he had drawn from the government during forty years of
service, and then they raised the howl for economy. The Whigs
made light of Pierce's military record in Mexico, declaring that he
fainted in battle at the sight of blood from a wound inflicted by
falling from his horse. The Whigs thought that General Scott's
long faithful and patriotic services to his country were in themselves,
sufficient qualifications to fit him for the Presidency. His dealings
with foreign-born citizens had been so extensive and varied, and
his attitude on the period of naturalization required of immigrants
had been so changeable that he was obliged to explain his position
on the subject of naturalization in order to prevent the Democrats
from making effective appeals to the foreign-bom vote by circulating
false stories as to his belief. Webster had few if any supporters in
Indiana, or even the West ; his strength was in the East. The de-
fection of the Webster faction from the Whig regular ticket was
denied by the Whig press of Indiana, but the papers from time to
time, contained bitter expressions regarding Webster's attitude. His
seventh of March speech had cost him the respect of most Northern
Whigs. ^* Webster at no time was out of harmony with the Balti-
more platform, but Whig leaders would not be reconciled because
of his past acts and his refusal to participate in the campaign now.
Even when news of Webster's death, on October 24, reached this
State, the leading Whig papers of Indiana failed to show his memory
the usual respect by wearing mourning, and they gave very little
notice concerning his death. In contrast, the Democratic press
accorded the noted statesman the customary respect of an opposition
press, and the New Albany Daily Ledger, considered by many as
the most liberal paper in the State, wore, on the morning following
Webster's death, a full dress of mourning and carried a most praise-
worthy eulogy of his life and services. The Indiana State Journal,
the New Albany Tribune and other Whig papers passed him by
with a wave of the hand, a few lines, a mere squib. The thoughts
of the Whig editors were poorly concealed behind the veil of silence
and the denial of the facts only helped to betray the true state of
affairs within the Whig party.

" See J. G. WTiittler's "Ichabod."

Beeler: The Election of 1852 45

As soon as the campaign started, the campaign poets began
to produce poetry of varying kinds, ranging from short battle-cries
to long, romantic lyrics. All the newspapers were well supplied dur-
ing the campaign with these literary efforts.^'^

VIII The Elections and Results

The State election was held October 12. The Democrats in sev-
eral places accused the Whigs of using unfair means to promote
their success. On the day preceding the election, the New Albany
Daily Ledger gave strong exhortations to the Democrats to beware
of fraudulent tickets on which the name of Mr. Willard, Democratic

"> Here are a few samples of poetry :

V^^HIG WAR-CRY.

Damn the Loccs,

Kill 'em — slay 'em !
Give 'em hell I

"With Scott and Graham !

— N. A. Daily Ledger, Sept. 10, 1852.

FIRST DEMOCRATIC RALLYING SONG.

Fling forth our banner gallantly.

And let the people sing —
Hurrah for old Democracy —
Hurrah for Pierce and King.
Come brave Locos —

Gallant men and true.
The Whigs were Polked in '44
We'll Pierce in fifty-two.

— N. A. Daily Ledger, June 8, 1852.

A SONG FOR SCOTT AND GRAHAM.

In Baltimore the Whigs agreed

Upon their candidate ;
And mean that he shall be the man

To guide the Ship of State.
He bears a name that is without

A blemish or a spot —
A patriot, hero, statesman, sage —
Wlio else but Winfleld Scott.
Hie Lokies ! Ho Lokies !
Listen while we sing,
Hurrah, hurrah, for noble Scott,
And down with Pierce and King.

— Indiana State Journal.

46 Indiana Magazine of History

candidate for lieutenant-governor, had been replaced by the name of
Mr. Williams, the Whig candidate for that ofBce. The Ledger
warned the Democrats to read carefully their ticket to see that
every name was on it. This paper accused the Whig Tribune office
of printing these tickets and Whig leaders of putting them into
circulation. Other towns witnessed similar trouble from the use
of mixed and scratched tickets, usually called fraudulent, but not
technically so.^^

The returns for the election came in very slowly from the out-
lying parts of the State. By October 14, sufficient news as to the
general trend had been received by the Indiana State loiirnal to
bring it to the point of reluctantly admitting defeat. The State
Journal had never had any great hopes that McCarty would be
elected, as it admitted a few weeks before the election that it hardly
expected McCarty to win, but was counting strongly on Scott to
triumph. In the eleven congressional districts of the State, only
one Whig was elected, the others being Democrats. These men
were to take office in the first session of Congress in 1853. The last
congressional election had been held in August, 1851, the men
elected serving until the first session of 1853. This election was
held according to the regulations of the old State constitution which
became ineffective after 1851. The successful candidates in October,
1852, were as follows :

First District, Smith Miller; Second District, W. H. English;
Third District, Cyrus L. Dunham; Fourth District, James H. Lane;
Fifth District, Samuel W. Parker (Whig) ; Sixth District, Thomas
A. Hendricks; Seventh District, John G. Davis; Eighth District,
Daniel Mace ; Ninth District, Norman Eddy ; Tenth District, E. M.
Chamberlain ; Eleventh District, Andrew J. Harlan. Total — Demo-
crats, 10; Whigs, 1.

The other State election returns are included in the same table
with those of the National election. The Indiana State Journal
ascribed this decisive defeat of its State ticket to the large numbers
of foreigners in Indiana who voted the Democratic ticket, having
been let in under the new Democratic State constitution of 1851.

'-" Each candidate had his own ticlcets printed. A straight ticket contained
all the candidates of the party. If a voter so desired, he might have a man
in another party insert his name on the ticltet in place of the regular candidate.
Tickets so altered and distributed indiscriminately without notice might carry
the intent to defraud, but whether it was fraudulent depended entirely upon the
voter.

Beeler: The Election of 1852 47

In the preceding year more than four hundred Germans had settled
in Marion county alone. The State Journal said the Whigs had the
satisfaction of knowing that the better class of citizens voted the
Whig ticket, to which the Peru Sentinel, Democratic, answered as
follows :

"The State Journal man at Indianapolis has already commenced show-
ing his true feelings toward our foreign population. In accounting for the
i-ecent overwhelming defeat of Whiggery in this State, he says the foreign
vote is the cause. They (Whigs) have the consolation of knowing that
all the better portion of our citizens voted the Whig ticket. If this view
of the case affords him consolation, it would be cruel to disturb him in his
agreeable fantasies."57

The State election had scarcely passed by and the returns were
not all in when the day of the National election approached. It
was November 2. Indiana and even the whole Union appeared to
have lost interest in the outcome. The voters were aware that
an election was at hand, but they failed to manifest much under-
standing of the significance of the event. The poHtical horizon was
dimmed by few signs of an approaching tempest, few traces of the
terrible breakers. There seemed nothing but a clear sky with all
signs propitious to an era of peace and industrial development.
There was scarcely a breath of political agitation, of any importance,
stirring ; everywhere was the calm, so quiet and oppressive that, only
to the more discerning eye, it was evident that it could not long
continue. Voters acquiesced with sullen silence in the conditions
then existing and voted to continue such conditions. The Demo-
crats solemnly declared the accomplishment of peace and prosperity
to depend on the universal acquiescence in and recognition of the
"finality" ; for the Whigs, it all depended on the success of their
party at the polls. The following quotation from the Logansport
Democratic Pharos, on the eve of the national battle, well illustrates
Democracy's position :

"The approaching presidential election is one of the deepest interest;
and, indeed, it may be said without exaggeration, to be one of the most
vitally important that ever has been held. It is not merely, as is alleged
by some, to turn on a preference of men, or on a scramble for office, or
mainly even on the issues which hitherto divided the parties; but it is to
turn principally and really on the finality of the compromise, however
much some may attempt to conceal the fact.""*

" Indiana State Journal, Oct. 29, 1852.

■'* Logansport Democratic Pharos, Oct. 27, 1852.

48 Indiana Magazine of History

There is no doubt that the issue of "finality" did not influence
some sections of the country, but it is true that there was somewhat
of a scramble for office. The State Journal, on election day, re-
counted at considerable length the dire disasters which would befall
the nation, in event of their opponents' triumph. It said:

"The result of the election today is of Aast consequence to the future
of this country. The triumph of the Democracy would see the destruction
of the little protection now existing. Then would the spirit of conquest
and lawlessness be fostered and encouraged until our country would be
involved in war. Cuba would be seized upon and appropriated to our
own use in defiance of existing treaty stipulations with Spain. Then would
the slavery question, which so recently threatened to destroy our country,
and is now so happily settled, be opened again, not to be closed otherwise
thiiu by a dissolution of the Union.^^

How true the State Journal spoke in the last sentence history
alone has proven. The returns from the election came to the press
very slowly. Two days after the election the State Journal had
received enough of the results to bring the editor to admit defeat.
The editor deeply regretted that the people put aside their famous
hero for such an obscure individual as Pierce. The returns for the
State and national elections were completed about a month after-
ward and published in the Indiana State Journal. The following
table of returns shows the vote by counties for the presidential and
gubernatorial candidates :^'^

President. Governor.

, ^— ,, ^ ,

COUNTIES. Pierce Scott Hale Wright McCarty Robinson

Adams 672 362 14 652 329 4

Allen 1,964 1,225 24 1,804 963 11

Bartholomew 1,512 1,345 26 1,412 1,097 11

Benton 138 110 19 144 106

Blackford 263 108 15 340 110 8

Boone 1,161 936 109 1,113 919 27

Brown 532 102 __ 606 120

Carrol 1,256 1,075 29 1,209 909 3

Cass 1,190 1,176 50 1,189 994 8

Clark 1,812 1,186 24 1,683 1,068 6

Clay 743 474 8 820 388

Clinton 1,250 929 75 1,180 841

Crawford 499 502 __ 524 528

Daviess 720 726 6 795 549

Dearborn 2,486 1,474 89 2,436 1,477 15

Decatur 1,394 1,364 138 1,392 1,345 S3

DeKalb 780 391 164 684 386 95

Delaware 937 1,083 11 892 991 ■ 3

=" Indiana State Journal, Nov. 2, 1852.
"" Indiana State Journal^, Dec. 6, 1852.

Beeler: The Election of 1852

COUNTIES. Pierce

Dubois 717

Elkhart 1,343

Fayette 872

Floyd 1,815

Fountain 1,496

Franklin 1,956

Fulton 581

Gibson 1,127

Grant 836

Greene 944

Hamilton 961

Hancock 1,002

Harrison 1,278

Hendricks 980

Henry 1,226

Howard 526

Huntington 888

Jackson 1,188

Jasper 347

Jay 500

Jefferson 2,263

Jennings 1,104

Johnson 1,333

Knox 1,003

Kosciusko 938

LaGrange 677

Lake 334

Laporte 1,468

Lawrence 1,113

Madison 1,282

Marion 2,599

Marshall 511

Martin 519

Miami 1,196

Monroe 1,085

Montgomery 1,852

Morgan 1,181

Noble 807

Ohio 455

Orange 1,022

Owen 1,060

Parke 1,084

Perry 659

Pike 688

Porter 527

Posey 1,433

Pulaski 333

Putnam 1,466

Randolph 993

Ripley 1,386

Rush 1,480

Scott 559

Shelby 1,627

Spencer 710

Starke 122

Steuben 543

St. Joseph 1,052

Sullivan 1,203

President.

Governor.

Scott

Hale

Wright

McCarty

Robir

229

883

206

1,068

1,271

873

1,019

869

921

1,328

1.851

1,260

1,023

1,267

803

1,473

1,973

1,413

559

561

522

942

1,020

842

599

345

925

712

199

884

1,048

785

_j.

971

401

893

952

293

823

980

758

1.284

1,155

1,158

1,252

156

925

1,223

1,559

456

1.179

1.527

358

539

165

465

516

706

797

682

614

1,088

484

357

317

299

375

135

562

426

2,016

286

2,064

1,845

168

998

1,037

954

896

1,172

775

1,167

938

987

—

1,045

919

1,000

677

117

746

709

230

465

228

1,357

136

1,330

1,226

1,054

1,116

978

1,004

1,253

942

2,158

112

2,469

2,075

343

508

322

377

621

235

994

1,139

924

622

1,151

629

1,559

100

1,772

1,527

1,109

132

1,158

1,169

606

779

587

432

460

408

747

977

583

901

849

705

1,312

105

1,157

1,181

684

724

653

538

809

499

444

532

379

784

1,368

595

210

360

178

1,712

1,418

1,449

900

530

988

965

442

1,119

113

1,466

1,183

1,507

119

1,406

1,466

518

586

505

1,286

1,629

1,071

685

757

577

144

487

502

503

998

174

979

928

122

529

1,188

399

50 Indiana Magazine of History

Switzerland 1,147 1,134 7 1,098 979

Tippecanoe 2,446 1,918 143 1,912 1,471 77

Tipton 461 340 7 457 293 4

Union 626 584 149 611 576 86

A^anderburg 1,317 945 6 1,300 838

Vermillion 783 852 4 763 717 1

Vig-o 1,155 1,694 8 1,112 1,350 ..

Wabash 959 1,145 91 952 1,018

Warren 552 850 56 464 705 1

Warrick 1,034 487 31 1,056 435 16

Washington 1,613 1,093 11 1,576 939 2

Wayne 1,874 2,304 786 1,763 2,142 553

Wells 710 415 23 625 391

W^hite 536 510 13 497 453

Whitely 568 497 11 550 462 1

Total 95,299 80,901 6,934 92,576 73,641 3,303

The vote for Hale and Julian was unexpectedly small, having
decreased about one-fourth in Indiana since the preceding presiden-
tial election. This party, the Free Soil, had served its purpose and
could no longer exist as a separate organization.

For the session of 1852-53, the Indiana State Legislature was
composed as follows :

Dem. Whig.

Senate 34 16

House of Representatives 66 34

When the result was commonly known as a Democratic triumph,
the Whig papers began their work as "calamity howlers," each for
its own community predicting great evils to come upon the nation
during the next administration. The Indiana State Journal started
out two days after the election with the following:

"The forcible extension of slavery and the formation of a batch of
slave States will again unchain the spirit of disunion and civil war. Such
will be the legitimate result of the late election, and we say — ^let it come!
We want to see the writhing of those who will have thus brought upon
the country so terrible a scourge."

The editor was partly correct in his prediction.

The Democrats celebrated their victory in such a half-hearted
manner that the Whigs expressed disappointment. The Democrats
were neither surprised nor gratified at their success. They expected
to carry the elections but probably never dreamed of the magnitude
of their victory, which, great as it was, failed to arouse the old-time
enthusiasm.

Beeler: The Election of 1852 51

The election had resulted in a sweeping defeat of the Whig
forces. The seriousness of the disaster was not immediately appar-
ent, although some of the wise men in the party, like Greeley, and a
few Democratic editors pretended to see the total dissolutiton of
the Whig party at hand. The New Albany Daily Ledger was one
of the Democratic papers which firmly believed that the Whig party
had been killed and now would be superseded by a new party, the
Seward-Abolition party. On November 16, the Daily Ledger car-
ried the following article on the future of the Whig party, written
by Horace Greeley for his New York Tribune:

"General Scott is overwhelmingly defeated, and the Whig party not
merely discomfited but annihilated. We have no prophetic lien, and make
no pretensions to reading the future; but we do not see how the Whig party
as such can ever be rallied again. Defeat is hut accidental, to which any
party may be subjected; but a defeat based on comprehensive, systematic
treachery, like that just experienced (through Fillmore and Webster), can
hardly be other than conclusive."

After considering the effect which the election did have on the
Whig party, the only conclusion is that Horace Greeley was right
in his belief.

IX The Conclusion

Democracy's triumph in 1852 was nothing more than a bar-
ren victory. The battle in Indiana had been fought listlessly and
with little popular interest. Although there had been occasions
when enthusiasm was displayed, yet the political meetings had
lacked the life and spirit of the preceding campaigns. The spirit
of a poHtical campaign depends almost wholly upon the interest
aroused in the issues. In this campaign the issues no longer de-
served the name ; they were dead, notwithstanding the efforts of the
politicians to inject life into the "finality" question. The politi-
cians fought over the carrion of extinct political questions ; they
fought for the oflfices, for there was little else at stake. Office was
the real issue, and its cause was championed by Democrats and
Whigs alike. Victory meant no triumph of political principles ; in-
stead, it carried with it this time only jobs for so many hungry
aspirants. Voters went to the polls because they had to discharge a
citizens' duty, not with the belief that their vote was needed to help
onward some all-important issue.

The result of the elections this year, favorable as they were to
the Democrats, was not an indication or proof that the Democrats

52 Indiana Magazine of History

had made a glorious, aggressive fight against a worthy and valiant
foe. The Democrats appeared to be united, but the Free Soil ele-
ment of the party stayed away from the polls. The Whigs had had
to fight disunion and sedition within their own ranks during the
campaign, so they were in no condition to win from the Democratic
hosts already strongly intrenched in the State offices and backed by
well-organized party machinery. Occasionally there were heard, in
those days, the complaints of the party masses against the bad prac-
tices of the machine politicians who were the men that forced the
compromise legislation upon the people. The Democratic leaders
were very successful in bringing their followers to believe that
"finality" of the compromise legislation was absolutely necessary to
the continued existence of the Union. Many Democrats considered
that they were performing a patriotic service by voting to keep in
office the political leaders who had enacted the compromise measures
two years before. Others in this party were uninfluenced by the
plea of the politicians. It is impossible to know what might have
happened if there had been no general acquiescence in the finality ;
civil war then, instead of a decade later, might have resulted.

The campaign and election of 1852 marked the last important
contest by the Whigs. The Jacksonian Democracy, likewise, made
its final stand at this same time. Hereafter the Free Soil men, the
Conscience Whigs and the Jacksonian Democrats were to be found
fighting together for a common cause. Two short years intervened
until a new political organization arose from the ashes of the old
Whig party, a new organization which included almost all the
leading Democratic editors of Indiana in its ranks. That element
of Indiana Democracy, in the Northern part of the State, which
complained because they were accorded such slight recognition in
the selection of the Democratic State ticket, was ready to shift its
support to any party that would treat it fairly. And that element of
the Whig party which believed that its rights had been violated and
its protests stifled by the Whig politicians during the Slavery con-
troversy, gladly welcomed the opportunity for the political freedom
ofifered by the new party. By the time another National election
was at hand, these various elements were fighting side by side under
the common banner of Republicanism. The most significant result
of the election of 1852 was that it laid the foundations of a new
political organization, the Republican party.

Samuel Merrill, Indiana's Second State Treasurer
(1792-1855)

(From the Papers of Catharine Merrill.)

Samuel Merrill, born October 29, 1792, in Peacham, Vermont^
and died in Indianapolis, August 24, 1855, was the second son
of Jesse and Priscilla Merrill. The first American Merrill was a
Puritan who left England in 1637, and settled the next year in
Ipswich, Massachusetts. His name was Nathaniel. His descend-
ants in a direct line to the subject of the present notice, were Abel,
Nathaniel, Samuel, Samuel and Jesse. The second Samuel lost his
father when very young, and seems to have been thrown entirely
on his own resources ; which, however, were sufficient. By farm-
ing and lumbering he acquired a handsome property. He joined
the Revolutionary army during Burgoyne's invasion, and as cap-
tain of a company, was present at the surrender at Saratoga.

The following paragraph from a private letter written by a
granddaughter of Captain Merrill gives something of his char-
acter, as well as that of his wife :

"Our grandfather was a man of a good deal of energy and
independence of character, with great firmness and tenacity of pur-
pose. Of course, this made an enterprising man. Such he was.
His business extended over much of New Hampshire and Ver-
mont. Withal he was eminently social, quick at repartee, a most
genial companion, and not wanting in the little comities of life.
Now, if you have known in any of his descendants, a something
of the severe (not sour or morose, hardly indeed severe) with an
apparent determination not to be driven to talk, and an ability tc^
confer with one's self, notwithstanding surroundings, added to all
a sarcasm seldom used, but always ready and keen as 'Damascene
blade,' making the flesh to quiver at the thought of it, I say
when you find these traits, it is their inheritance from Abigail
Eaton, the wife of Samuel Merrill, a woman of great excellence
of character and propriety of manner, of whom all the world were
ready to aver that she never uttered a wrong or useless word.

54 Indiana Magazine of History

Is it to be wondered that nine 'live' boys, reared by such a mother
with no sister, should lack somewhat the effects of a softening in-
fluence ?"

These nine rugged sons were accustomed to steady labor, and
were sometimes subjected to severe hardships in rafting and boat-
ing wood and ship timber on the Merrimack river. None of them
formed bad habits. The oldest children, Jesse was the second,
received but a limited education. Jesse Merrill married Priscilla
Kimball, and took her immediately to a new farm he had begun
making in Peacham, Vermont. He was an industrious farmer, an
active and upright citizen. He held at different times numerous
town offices, and was four years a member of the Vermont legis-
lature. Both he and his wife took great pains to supply their want
of early education, and to gratify in their children a stronger than
ordinary love of knowledge. Mrs. Merrill was in all the relations
of life noble and excellent. In their love and admiration of her,
her children were enthusiasts. When in after life they instructed
their own daughters, they illustrated their idea of womanhood by
the tender, generous and just character of their mother.

For forty years Peacham was happy in one minister, and that
one a good and great man, the Rev. Leonard Worcester. The town
was fortunate also in its academy, celebrated for many years among
the good schools of New England. Under the influence of Mr.
Worcester, whose preaching everybody attended, and of the excel-
lent teachers in the academy, seven Merrill children, six boys and
one girl, grew to maturity. James was the eldest son, Samuel the
second. The two brothers went to school together, read the same
books, and continually talked over together what they heard and
read. The encouragement they thus gave each other was such
that when rewards for excelling at school were proposed, neither
of them ever failed. When the boys were respectively ten and
seven years old, it was proposed that all the scholars in the academy,
who by a particular day could not be caught in Webster's spelling
book, should be entitled to a picture book. On the arrival of
the day, the boys and girls, about one hundred in number, were
placed on the outside seats of a large room to change their places
to the center of the room as they missed. Among seven, who
held out to the last, the two youngest were James and Samuel.
The influences of the prizes they then won were not lost on either

Samuel Merritl 55

of them. Confidence that they could succeed enabled them to suc-
ceed.

At the beginning of 1800 the attention of the whole civilized
world was fixed upon the career of Napoleon. "Peacham comer"
had an interest scarcely less keen and vivid than that of London.
News came from Boston once a week, the stage arriving at eight
or nine in the evening. On mail day the two boys, after the
farm work, which was no light matter, would plod through the
darkness, nearly two miles to the postoffice, feeling themselves
amply rewarded as they carried home the Boston Journal. The
Merrill children were all voracious readers, and they acquired an
accurate knowledge of Josephus and other books of like character
that formed their father's small library.

From the academy, James and Samuel entered Dartmouth Col-
lege. After graduating, the elder left to teach school and study
law in York, Pennsylvania, the younger joining him the next year,
1813. The school employed besides the two brothers, Thaddeus
Stevens and John Blanchard, also from Peacham and from Dart-
mouth, and also students of law. The friendship of these young
men, formed in boyhood, continued through life. A year or two
before the death of Thaddeus Stevens, in that memorable winter,
when the feeble but fierce old man seemd to cHng to life but
to denounce dishonest and half-hearted measures and cut right and
left with the double-edged sword of his satire, a visitor to Wash-
ington referred in his presence to the friend of his youth, Samuel
Merrill. The old man in a breaking voice, but still mindful of
the present, exclaimed, "Ah, why is it that he is dead ! Why
should heaven, already thronged with the pure and noble, rob us
of one so needed here!"

After three years in York, Mr. Merrill came to Indiana, and,
looking first at Vincennes, determined to settle in Vevay. He
found it impossible to get a conveyance from New Albany, and
he bought a boat, and putting in it his trunk and a number of law
books, he rowed himself seventy miles up the river to Vevay. He
was then twenty-four years old. To the last week of his life
he retained this vigorous self-reliance. When he was fifty-seven
he rowed an equal distance with one assistant, in an open boat on
the Mississippi, carrying the drowned and coffined body of a little

56 Indiana Magazine of History

grandson from the woods near New Madrid, Missouri, where it
had been buried by strangers.

Within a year from the time he began to practice law, Mr.
Merrill married Lydia Jane Anderson, the daughter of a widow
in Vevay.

It is not a little singular in the history of Samuel Merrill, of
the two brothers next younger than he, and of his elder brother,
that none of them for near ten years after they commenced profes-
sional life did anything more than to pave the way for future
operations. If they had used spirits even moderately it is not
unlikely that the small sums required for this would have inter-
fered materially with their ultimate success, and Mr. Merrill was
confident that if he had used tobacco, the seed of future prosperity
would either never have been planted or would have failed to
come to perfection. Mr. Merrill represented Switzerland county
two years in the legislature, then in session at Corydon. In 1825
he became state treasurer and removed to Corydon. The intelli-
gence of his son's election to the office of treasurer prompted the fol-
lowing paragraph in one of his father's letters : "If you don't honor
the office, it will not honor you. Remember that he that rises must
fall. While you are going up, prepare for retreat, not as the
unjust steward did, but by being honest to your trust. He that
depends on the flatteries of the world must know that the flatterer
will turn against him when it suits his turn." The old Yankee
farmer was most concerned that his son should be honest. And the
son was honest. It was said of him, thirty years after the date of
this letter, that "red hot balls would have been as tolerable to his
palms as the smallest coin that he believed another's."

In November, 1824, Mr. ]\Ierrill removed to Indianapolis. He
held the office of treasurer until in 1834 he was elected president of
the State Bank of Indiana. In this office he remained until in 1844
he was made president of the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad
Company, which position he held four years. In the period of com-
parative leisure which followed, he compiled with great industry
and research the Indiana Gazetteer, a third edition of ten thousand
copies of which was published in 1850.

His beloved wife died in 1847. His second wife was Elizabeth
D. Young, of Madison, Indiana, previously of Chambersburg.
Pennsylvania.

Samuel Merrill 57

In 1850 he bought out Hood & Noble's book store, and united
with it the business of pubhsher. Not feehng satisfied with the
Gazetteer, he meditated a thorough revision of the work. But,
after a week's illness, in the midst of his activity, he died. He
had but a short time before in conversation expressed the wish
that if it accorded with the will of Providence he might die before
old age sapped his energies.

"Mr. Merrill was a man of superior abilities and attainments.
His judgment was sound, his perceptions clear, and his memory
retentive. Probably no man could tell so many incidents and anec-
dotes illustrative of the early history of the state, or could have
woven his knowledge into a more interesting or instructive narra-
tive. Though never eminent as a speaker, his clearness and deci-
sion made him a valuable councillor and useful officer."

His life was exceedingly laborious. While president of the State
Bank, he visited twice a year, never once omitting the duty, every
bank in the state, giving careful personal examinations to accounts
and ledgers. (He could run over columns of figures with a
machine-like rapidity and accuracy.) He usually made his journeys
on horseback, often through roads indescribably bad, and though a
most humane man to animals, several horses were sacrificed to
the terrible roads and the necessity of speed. When he travelled
in the stage his good humor, his fund of anecdote, the flow of
thought, playful or serious, furnished by his richly stored mind,
shortened to his fellow passengers the hours of dreary dragging
through swampy woods. Not only his powers of conversation were
at the service of strangers. He used to declare that nobody knew
how to travel in this country who could not walk and carry a rail ;
and his rail often served a whole company. Once he walked all
night long, nineteen miles, carrying a lantern before the stage, on
the horrible old Madison road, reaching home just at daylight.

"Mr. Merrill took up the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad
when it was languishing near Vernon, and accomplished more in
track laying in two years than had been done in ten years before,
bringing the road into Indianapolis, and starting in its career of
railroad importance the city that he had named when a legislator in
Corydon, and to which he had brought the archives and given its
original importance when treasurer of state."

His careful attention to details may be illustrated by his action

58 Indiana Magazine of History

during one of those spring floods that sometimes sweep everything
before them. He sat all night in a terrible storm, fending the drift
from the abutments of a bridge which but for this care would have
been swept away.

A sudden rise in Pleasant Run at one time excited his solicitude
in regard to the regular Madison train, and unwilling to trust a
messenger, he hurried himself to the spot, two miles south of town.
The train was approaching. He made vehement gestures for it
to stop. The engineer misunderstanding his signals, rushed on
and across. Mr. Merrill was prostrated by the agony of mind
he endured for about one minute. Good humored, cheerful and
patient as he was, with a tenderness that made his eye fill, and
his lips quiver at the sight of another's woe, a hand open as the
day to melting charity, and ever a deferential respect for man
as man in any rank or class of society, he was utterly intolerant
of meaimess, of hardness, and even of thoughtlessness. His anger
was quick, flaming and fierce like lightning. One said of him, and
said well, "He maintained in sublime combination the sternest
ideas of justice with the most beautiful simplicity and childlike
sweetness of manners."

"He was impulsive, and may sometimes have been imprudent,"
said one of his old friends, "but he was made of heroic stuff and
more like our revolutionary fathers than any man I ever met."

For years, during the early history of Indianapolis, a band
of rowdies in and about the town, persecuted negroes, threw rotten
eggs at Abolitionists, disturbed religious meetings, and waged war
generally against peace and order. Mr. Merrill was outspoken in
denunciation of these rascals, threatening them with the severities
of the law. The ringleader of the gang came into the bank one
day prepared for fight. Mr. Merrill laughingly looked up from his
desk as the rowdy, with coat off and sleeves rolled up, dared any
man to lay hands on him, and said, "Mr. B., you brag too much."
"Come out," roared the bully, "and try me." Out stepped the
banker in his neat broadcloth and floored the bully three times in
succession. The fellow picked himself up without a word, sneaked
ofif, and never again took an active part in public disturbances.
Years after, one bitter cold night, Mr. Merrill was roused from
sleep by the voice of a drunkard in what was then a lane back of
his house. He hurried on his clothes and went some distance

Samuel Merrill 59

to rescue the man from the cold. Bringing him in, making a fire
and preparing a bed for him, he discovered that the helpless creature
was his old antagonist. If not the first, Mr. Merrill was one of
the first presidents of the Temperance Society of Indianapolis, and
of the State Colonization Society. He took an active part in edu-
cational movements, taught school several times, was a trustee of
Wabash College, superintendent of the First Methodist Sabbath
school, and of the Second and Fourth Presbyterian. He was an elder
in both the latter churches. His love of books never waned. The
delight with which in his youth he read the Waverly Novels as
they came from the hand of the "Great Magician" was scarcely
greater than that wath which in his later years he pondered over
Neander, Ranke, Macaulay, or Carlyle. If at sixteen his enjoyment
in literature was more intense, at sixty it was more profound.
As his humanity comprehended men of all classes and character, so
liis taste in literature, while pure and refined, was universal. With
all his ardor and activity, Mr. Merrill was modest even to timidity.
Much of the good that he did was never known to others, and was
not remembered by himself. But "the memory of the just shall
live."

Settlement of Worthington and Old Point
Commerce

By Robert Weems, Worthington.

Early Settlers

The region which now embraces Greene county, Indiana, was
once the home of the Piankeshaw Indians, a tribe which belonged
to the Miami federation. In about the year 1767 the Piankeshaws
made a treaty with the Delaware Indians who thereby gained cer-
tain privileges, although actual possession was not relinquished by
the former tribe.

About the beginning of the nineteenth century the fertile lands
of this region began to attract the white man. Prior to that time
the only pale faces who had visited this region were explorers and
trappers who passed up and down White river in canoes at inter-
vals. Among these first visitors were the Jesuit missionaries, who
were always well received among the Indians.

It was about the year 1805 or 1806 that the first white men
began to visit this territory with a view of forming settlements.
They came from Vincennes which had been established about 100
years and was known as the "Old Post."

The exploring parties from Vincennes had carried home favor-
able reports of the fertility of the lands lying along White river and
our own meandering Eel river. These explorers came in pirogues
or canoes, by the river route, that being the only line of travel
except the Indian trails through the forests. Consequently the
first settlements were formed along the rivers. Much of the adja-
cent territory being wet and marshy, elevated localities were chosen
as sites for settlements.

The bold bluff, later known as Point Commerce, had long at-
tracted the eye of the voyagers and explorers, and as a result
one of the first settlements in what is now Greene county was
formed on that elevation. It is known that a settlement was formed
there as early as 1812. In a few years considerable of a settle-

Weems: Settlement of Worthington 61

ment had been established and clearings cut in the forest in that
locality.

Among the first settlers were Edmond Jean, Edward Dyer,
Samuel Dyer, Richard Wall and Thomas Smith. Later there came
George Griffith, John Sanders, Caleb Jessup, James Stalcup, Thomas
Stalcup, John Jessup, Jonathan Osborn, Eli Dickson, Thomas
Clark, William Winters, Hiram Hicks, John Craig, John Stanley,
Benjamin Shoemaker, William Lemons, Joab Wilsher, Henry Lit-
tlejohn and others. Some of these pioneers have descendants who
are among the leading families of today. They entered land and
acquired titles which have passed down to their posterity. Cabins
were built, fields were cleared and homes were made in the forests.
These settlers were hardy backwoodsmen, long accustomed to the
hardships and privations of a life in the forests. In a few years the
settlement at Point Commerce had spread over the adjacent terri-
tory.

Their cabins grew in number, their clearings broadened into
fields and conditions improved each year. Corn was the principal
crop, but soon wheat was sown and orchards were planted. Samuel
Dyer and Richard Wall raised the first wheat. It was threshed,
or beaten out, with flails on quilts in the door yards of the raisers.

Richard Wall, who had brought a cjuart of apple seed from
North Carolina, divided with his neighbors and in time each settler
had a small orchard. Cotton was raised, spun and woven. Some
raised sheep and wool was carded, spun and woven into cloth.
Everybody wore home-spun and hand-made garments in those days.

By the resistless encroachment of the pale faces the Red Men
had been pushed back l)efore a settlement was ever formed in this
region ; consequently the pioneers were in no danger of Indian
massacre. The war-whoop, the tomahawk and the scalping knife
had lost their terror and the block house was not a necessity in
Greene county.

Yet the pioneers remembered the sufferings and the dangers of
what they called "early days" in other places. From such dangers
the first settlers of this region were exempt. Yet their hardships
and privations were great. They were the advance guard which
blazed the way for the civilization which we enjoy and to them w^e
owe a debt of gratitude we can never pay. Let us perpetuate their
memory.

This is one of our purposes in publishing this brief history.

62 Indiana Magazine of History

An absorbing interest, which excels the most thrilling romance,
permeates the story of the pioneers who first hewed homes out of
the forests.

Volumes have been written about the adventures, dangers and
hardships of the forerunners of civilization, who enacted the first
chapter in the wonderful drama which transformed a wilderness
into a populous land of culture and advancement, yet the most
facile pen, the most gifted tongue and the deepest research fail
to exhaust the subject or to do full justice to the brave men and
women who were the links in the chain of history which trans-
formed the wilderness.

Before the old town of Point Commerce, at the rivers' junction,
was started, a settlement had been formed in that locality and was
slowly spreading over the adjacent territory. The cabins had
steadily increased in number and grown in dimensions, year by
year. Log houses were the only homes outside the village, for a
full generation.

The people were happy and contented amid their primitive sur-
roundings. The first settlers had each "entered" a large tract of
land, and, consequently, the cabins and clearings were widely sepa-
rated. One's nearest neighbor often lived three miles away. Yet
they visited and mingled in a very neighborly way.

Neighbors exchanged visits in cordial hospitality. Often the
whole family went and spent a day with a neighbor, perhaps several
miles away. "Come, bring your knitting and the children and stay
all day," was the common form of invitation for the women ; while
"our latch-string hangs out" meant that a hospitable welcome
awaited the guest.

Ox teams did all heavy hauling and sleds were used instead of
wagons. A carriage was seldom seen in those days. To possess a
family carriage would have been considered positive evidence of
great wealth. The wagons had wooden axles and linchpins.

Social gatherings were not overlooked in early days. The
neighbors held corn-huskings, apple-cuttings, and frolics, at which
both old and young assembled. While the young folks danced,
to the stirring strains of the fiddle, the old folks looked on in
admiration and talked their homely matters over, in mutual ex-
change.

People rode horseback, or walked to church, parties or other

Weems: Settlement of Worthington 63

places. To own a horse, saddle and bridle was the ambition of
every young man. When a beau desired to accompany his sweet-
heart home from church, or to escort her to a dance, she rode
behind him on, horseback. Often jolly crowds of young folks
enjoyed a ride on big bob-sleds in winter when the snow was deep.

County Organization

Greene county was organized in 1821. Prior to that time it had
been a part of Sullivan county, and the county seat was at Carlisle.
Those who had official business to transact had to ride to that
town. Previously both had been a part of Knox county, Vincennes
being the county seat. All official business was transacted there.
Those who had county business to transact went to that town,
which had been settled in October, 1702. ^ Carlisle is the next
oldest town in the state, it is claimed.

The first county election was held at the home of Thomas
Bradford. The following officers were elected: Norman W.
Pearce and John L. Buskirk, associate judges ; John Seaman, county
sheriff ; Thomas Warnick, county clerk ; Thomas Bradford, col-
lector ; John Owen, county treasurer ; George Shroyer, county
recorder. All were required to swear that they had not engaged
in duels, either as principals or as seconds, and had not challenged
any man to fight a duel.

The first county seat was at Burlington, that being the exact
geographical center of the county. It was on the east bank of
White river, directly opposite the pioneer town of Fairplay. A city
was laid off in the woods, a public scjuare was located and a court-
house erected at a cost of $250. The county officials had their
offices there and court was held there, from May, 1822, to May,
1823. A well was dug, but no water could be obtained. The old
well still is located on the original public square, which is now a
part of the farm of Nicholas Flater, of Richland township.

Two roads were surveyed, one running north and south and
the other east and west, to the county lines. No town, it appears,
was ever established there, although Burlington was laid off for a
city, A ferry was operated across White river to Fairplay, where
there were a few stores and several homes.

On finding that water was not obtainable at the site selected,

iThis date is doubtful. — Ed.

64 Indiana Magazine of History

a petition was submitted to the legislature praying to have the
county seat relocated. The prayer of the petitioners was granted
and a commission appointed to choose another site for the county
seat. This commission consisted of Amos Rogers, William White,
Charles Polk and Abraham Case.

Owing to the fact that Fairplay was so near the center of the
county and being a town, and having plenty of good water, all
expected that it would be selected as the county seat. Yet the
citizens of the village were too confident and offered no induce-
ment. But the citizens of Bloomfield showed more enterprise and
offered the necessary inducements. A site was offered free and
the county seat was located at Bloomfield, in 1823, and still remains
there.

When Greene county was first organized it was subdivided into
five townships as follows :

Highland: Which included what are now Jefferson, Smith,
Wright and Highland townships ; so named on account of the hills
along White and Eel rivers.

Richland : Which included what are now Fairplay, Grant,
Stockton and Richland townships.

Burlingame : Which included what are now Beech Creek, Center
and Jackson townships.

Plummer : Which included what are now Taylor and Cass town-
ships.

Stafford: Which included what are now Washington and Staf-
ford townships.

The first settlement in Greene county was formed at Point
Commerce in 1812.

The second settlement in Greene county was formed at Fair-
play, on White river, five miles below Point Commerce. It had 150
inhabitants. After a brief existence the old town perished. There
was a ford just above the ferry.

Newberry, on White river, was the third town in Greene county.
It was settled in 1822, when a store was opened there by John
Ritter. Mike Neff erected a grist mill and started a ferry. In
canal days Newberry was a place of importance. It is still a pros-
perous little town.

The fourth settlement formed in Greene county was at Bloom-
field. This became the county seat in 1823.

We ems: Settlement of Worthington 65

The fifth settlement in this county was at Scotland, on Doan's
creek, in 1834. That is now a quiet hamlet.

The sixth settlement in Greene county was made at Linton, then
called New Jerusalem. It is now a prosperous and pretentious
city.

In 1828 Jefferson and old Eel River townships were formed.
They remained separate townships until 1881 when they were
merged into one, under the name of the former, Jefferson. Old
Eel River township lay between White and Eel rivers and extended
northward to the county line. The first settlement was in that
locality, which is still often designated by its orginal name.

Upon the formation of Eel River township an election was held
at the home of Mr. Dayhuff and the following officers were elected :
Election inspector, Henry Little John ; fence viewers, Alexander
Watson and Jonathan Brashears ; overseers of the poor, John San-
ders and Caleb Jessup.

The second election in old Eel River township was held at
the home of Mr. Sanders, when the officers chosen were as follows :
Election inspector, Ephriam Owen; road superintendents, Richard
Wall and G. W. Haton ; overseers of the poor, Caleb Jessup and
John Archer ; fence viewers, Herbert Sanders and Henry Smith.

The first elections were held in private homes, later in mills, and
afterwards in the school houses.

The hotel and tavern rates were fixed by law as follows :

Dinner, 25 cents ; breakfast, 20 cents ; supper, 20 cents ; corn
and hay for horse, 25 cents ; whiskey, ^ pint, 12^/2 cents ; cider,
quart, 12>< cents ; rum, ^ pint, Z7y2 cents ; brandy, ^ pint, 50
cents, board and lodging, week $2.00, horsekeeping, week, $1.25.

The market prices for country produce and live stock were
very low in those days.

Corn was 10 cents per bushel ; wheat, 35 cents ; cows, $7.50 per
head; chickens, 6 cents each; turkeys, 25 cents each. The sub-
scription for a weekly newspaper was $2.50 per year.

Officers of the law were permitted to arrest fugitive slaves and
recover pay for their keeping, until returned to their owners. John
Seaman, one of the first sheriffs of Greene county, was allowed $14
for arresting and keeping one runaway slave, two weeks. William
Lemons, constable, was allowed $8.00 for arresting and keeping a
fugitive slave for a few days.

66 Indiana Magazine of History

The usual fee of a minister or a squire for performing a mar-
riage ceremony in early days was 25 cents. Sometimes, the groom
desiring to be especially liberal, the preacher was paid 50 cents.

Point Commerce

The Divine Architect of the Universe built a town site at the
junction of White and Eel rivers. Owing to its advantageous sit-
uation it was named Point Commerce. It grew steadily and be-
came the best town on White river. Stores were started, ferries
established, shops were opened, saw-mills were located, boats were
built and the pioneer village continued to thrive.

The first merchant was J. M. H. AlHson, who settled there and
opened a general store in 1835. Shortly afterward he was joined
by his brother, J. F. Allison, who surveyed and named the village.
In addition to a large general store the firm engaged extensively
in the pork-packing business and in the purchase of the products of
the farms, which they shipped to New Orleans. Sometimes the
AlHson. Brothers shipped twenty-five or thirty flatboat loads of
pork, furs, lumber and grain to the southern market in one season.

They built a big pork -house on Eel river, near where it empties
into White river. The farmers slaughtered their hogs and sold
them, dressed, to the pork-packers. They also established a double
ferry, where the rivers met.

Allison & Allison built a large hotel which was called the Junc-
tion House. It became a famous hotel among river men. There
was an old saying: "The Junction House is good enough for Phil-
adelphia." The old hotel was brought to Worthington in later
years and now forms a part of the Commercial House.

J. M. H. Allison also erected a fine two-story brick house, which
still stands and is now owned and occupied by Jasper Hutchinson.
Mr. Allison was an adventurous speculator. It is said he sank a
large fortune at Point Commerce.

In time more merchants came and other lines of business were
established so that Point Commerce gave promise of becoming a
great city. There were blacksmiths, wagon makers, tailors, tin-
ners, a turning lathe, a cabinet maker, a tannery, a saloon (then
called a "grocery"), a saw-mill, a grist-mill and finally a distillery
and a powder mill.

Goods for the stores were bought in New York, shipped to

Weems: Settlement of Worthington 67

Pittsburg, floated down to Louisville on flatboats and then hauled
in wagons to Point Commerce.

Ferries were established. One ferry across White river was
operated by Thomas Smith, about where the wagon bridge now
spans that stream. Another ferry was started north of Point Com-
merce by Jonathan Osborn. Later, the village having become a
thriving business center, a double ferry was started at the junction
of the rivers. Another ferry was started across Eel river, where
the wagon bridge now spans that stream.

Some years later a wagon bridge was built over Eel river, just
above where the I. & V. railroad bridge is now located. The large
rocks on the south bank of that stream formed a natural abutment
for that end of the old wooden bridge. A wagon road ran along
the ridge, now known as Hays' Heights, and descended to the
bridge where the orchard of Herman Kautz is located.

In time a large brick Methodist church was built. Later it was
razed and the brick used to build the residence now owned and
occupied by Marcus Hays.

A two-story frame building was erected, the lower story being
used as school room and the upper story as a Masonic Hall. Later
this building was transferred to Worthington and used as a carpen-
ter shop by Squire Riggs. It still stands, near the Water & Light
Plant.

A grist-mill and saw-mill combined stood on the east bank of
Eel river at the old "Indian ford." Later, a carding mill and sub-
sequently a weaving department were added. Lumber was sawed,
cloth was woven, flour, meal and feed were ground and shipped
down the river to the southern market. That important industry
was owned and operated, in later years, by Samuel Miller, father
of F. N. Miller. There were two saw-mills on Eel river between
the first wagon bridge and White river.

Later, another pork house was built on the east bank of Eel
river, just above where the wagon bridge now spans the stream.
It was established by E. H. Sabin. who was a preacher as well as a
pork-packer.

W. C. Andrews, father of W. C. Andrews, the hardware mer-
chant, came in 1839 and opened a general store. Later, the firm
became Andrews & Topping. In addition to conducting a large
general store they did an extensive shipping business.

68 Indiana Magazine of History

Among the pioneer business men and firms of Old Point Com-
merce were the following :

J. M. H. and J. F. Allison, W. C. Andrews, John Barekman,
Andrews & Toppings, Mclntyre & Jaquis, Joseph Miller, general
merchants ; William Bradshaw, cabinet maker ; Wilson Helms, car-
penter; T. Messick and J. Stanley, tailors; J. Barekeman, squire;
John Beach and James Abbott, shoemakers; Sam and Alf Willy,
blacksmiths; William Wooden, wagon maker; Bob Leach, wood
workman; Fount Gooley, harness and saddle-maker; Isreal Car-
roll, coffins and undertaking ; Jesse Brazier, brewer and baker ; Jesse
Brazier, saloon; Sam Miller, saw-mill; Aaron Craigg, woolen mill;
John Sanders, distillery ; Jonathan Osborn, powder mill ; William
Bays, squire.

Mr. W. G. Sanders, of Point Commerce, whose grandparents
were among the first settlers, recalled the names of merchants and
other pioneers, besides many interesting events in the old flat-boat
days, when Point Commerce was in her prime. Mr. Sanders
remembers when his father had a distillery and made corn whisky,
apple brandy and peach brandy.

Often he would haul a barrel of whisky to other points, in an
ox-cart, and sell it at 12^^ cents per gallon.

Mr. Sanders remembers Rev. Eli Farmer, pioneer circuit rider,
who preached at Point Commerce. He was a great exhorter.

The first school house, which Mr. Sanders recalls was a small
brick structure, which stood near where the residence of B. F. Hays
is situated.

"In those days," said Mr. Sanders, "the people made the jeans
and woolseys for their clothes which were all home-made. When
I was a boy, drunkenness was much more common than it is now.
The elections were then held in August. Several rough and tumble
fist fights always occurred on every election day, as well as at all
horse races or other public gatherings."

Before the first cabins were built by white men at Point Com-
merce, the last tepees of the red men had disappeared. But occa-
sionally a roving band of Indians visited the place. They were
peaceful and some of them could speak "broken" English. If on
foot or on horseback, they traveled single file, and crossed Eel river
at the old Indian ford. But more often they floated leisurely down
the streams in canoes, stopping here and there to hunt and to barter
with the whites.

Weems: Settlement of Worthington 69

In September, 1819, a band of redskins visited this region. They
numbered 300, and belonged to a single tribe, probably the Pianke-
shaws. They were on horseback and passed along the old Indian
trail and crossed Eel river at the old Indian ford, a fourth mile
north of where the wagon bridge now spans this stream.

A few days later another band of Indians, numbering 200,
floated down White river in bark canoes and camped at the mouth
of Eel river. That was on Sunday, September 30, 1819.

The date of this last visit of the Indians is fixed by the fact that
a wedding of a pioneer white couple occurred on that day. It
was probably the first wedding solemnized in the old Point Com-
merce settlement. John Fires and Miss Martha Craig were mar-
ried at noon that day by Alexander Craig, who had a grist-mill at
the junction of White and Eel rivers. The entire settlement had
assembled to celebrate the first wedding.

Directly after the ceremony the wedding party was greatly sur-
prised and terribly startled by the arrival of the big band of sav-
ages. Some feared a massacre. But the Indians were friendly.

The bride and groom and others of the wedding party walked
down to the river to see the Indians. The chief was a young brave
who only a few days previously had been married himself to a
pretty Indian maiden of his own tribe. But on seeing the blushing
young paleface bride, the chief was so pleased with her appearance
that he ofi:ered to swap wives. The bride was very indignant at
the Indian's presumption. She was but fifteen years old and quite
comely. The audacity of the savage was further shown by the fact
that he demanded a blanket and a bear skin to boot.

The next marriages which occurred in the Point Commerce
settlement were the following:

Isaac Jackson and Elizabeth Griffith, by Rev. Hugh Barnes,
August 9, 1821 ; David Smith and Mary Byson, by Squire Edmond
Jean, October 25, 1821 ; Philip Silver and Sarah Lindley, by Squire
John B. Kelshaw, January 10, 1822 ; John Fires and Patsy Craig,
by Squire Edmond Jean, May 19, 1822; Eli Duncan and Rebecca
Stevenson, by Squire William Clark, July, 1822 ; Peyton Owen and
Rachel Griffith, Richard Wall and Mary Dyer, Herbert Sanders
and Jessie Jessup, Samuel Dyer and Celia Arney, Aquilla Walker
and Elizabeth Dyer, William Foley and Jane Osborn, Ira Danley
and Olive Jessup, Joseph Smith and Sallie Jessup, William Huey

70 Indiana Magazine of History

and Sally Stanley, John Stanley and Mary Ball, Abram Shoemaker
and Maria Morris, Obediah Winters and Hanna Duncan, Thomas
Huey and Vasta Steward, Joshua Duncan and Maria Shoemaker,
William Smith and Mary McKee.

Before any churches, or "meeting houses" were built, services
were held in the cabins, by the circuit riders who rode from place
to place on horseback. The services were always well attended and
the pioneers were, as a class, religious. The singing was congrega-
tional and the hymns were lined-off by the preacher and then sung
by the people, often with more force than melody. These services
gave the settlers an opportunity to meet and greet each other, which
they did in cordial manner. Good old fashioned "handshakes"'
always followed the meetings in which the exhorters often stirred
their hearers into shouting. The religion of that day was more
demonstrative than that of the present.

Spelling schools were another meeting place for the people, and
proved both beneficial and enjoyable.

The first saw-mills were very primitive, slow and laborious.
The log had to be elevated. Then two men, with what is usually
called a whip saw, cut it into boards. One sawyer stood on the
log and the other under it. The lower position was disagreeable,
on account of the sawdust falling into the sawyer's eyes, when he
looked up to see his work, which was, of course, necessary.

For a time the nearest grist-mill was at Vincennes, and the
settlers had to go there to have their corn and wheat ground. But
later horse-mills and water-mills were built.

Land was cheap in those days and could be bought for from
fifty cents to $2.50 per acre. What was known as "congress" land
was valued at $1.25 per acre. The swamp lands could not then have
been given away. By drainage it has become the most valuable
now.

Wages were low. Farm hands were paid $5.00 and $6.00 per
month. They worked hard and long.

The first settlement, for many years, was the best and always
remained a model of thrift and enterprise. And when a town was
later established there, it led all others in its progress and its
advancement, in commercial activity, in education, in religion and in
cleanliness. The place was often called "White Town," a name
in which the inhabitants were justly complimented. The houses

Weems: Settlement of Worthington 71

and other buildings and fences were kept neatly dressed in white-
wash. To the voyagers, ascending or descending the rivers, to the
"movers," ever passing, the little town of gleaming white on the
hill, surrounded by the forest of green, was like a beckoning invita-
tion to a haven of rest and comfort.

In this the village patterned after the town of Vincennes, where
the mud houses of the pioneer French settlers were kept in spotless
white, at all seasons, by a plentiful use of white- wash, made from
lime, formed by burning mussel shells. The French women were
models of cleanliness, neatness and industry, although so much can
hardly be claimed for their husbands, many of whom were prone
to idleness and inebriacy, caring more for fiddles and whisky than
they did for wealth and education.

But this was not true of the men in the "White Town" com-
munity. They worked and developed the country ; established fer-
ries and bridges, mills and stores, schools and churches, more rap-
idly than their French "neighbors" had done at the "Old Post," on
the Wabash.

The first grist-mills established in the Old Point Commerce set-
tlement were operated by hand and were very primitive. Their
product was a coarse "unbolted" meal. Then horse-power mills
were started. Subsequently water mills were built. To secure
power, dams were built across the streams.

It is claimed that Alexander Craig built and operated the first
mill at Point Commerce. Then Thomas Clark started a "tub"-mill
on Clark's creek.

Later the Junction water mill was established by Daniel and
Peter Ingersoll, at the Rock Ford, on Eel river. It became an
important enterprise. People came there with their grists, for
many miles around — often remaining two or three days, waiting
their turns, fishing meanwhile in the mill-race.

Above its junction with Eel river, the "White River Mills" were
established and a dam built, on the latter stream, and operated by
Green Tally, Amos Owen and Ira Danley, successively, on the Hax-
ton farm. A part of the old dam remains.

Game was so plentiful that the pioneers procured their meat with
their rifles. Bears and deer were so often killed that their skins
became a staple product of the land. Fur-bearing animals were
so numerous that trapping was a profitable enterprise in the winter

72 Indiana Magazine of History

season. There being little money, skins and furs became a com-
modity of such regular barter that they were almost a "legal tender."

Owing to the ever-shifting habits of men who, even in that day,
were moving westward, the travel overland was wonderful. And,
as all merchandise was hauled overland, an almost constant stream
of wagons were coming and going, when the roads were passable.
Four and six-horse teams were the rule. The ferries as a result
were busy all the day. Besides, the taverns along the "big roads"
or principal thoroughfares were located at intervals and did a profit-
able business. Owing to the frequent attempts at extortions, the
rates were finally fixed by law.

Near Point Commerce is located the famous "Devil's Tea
Table," an interesting geological formation, which has been called
the "Plymouth Rock of Point Commerce." It is nearly one hun-
dred feet high, and by its elevation and its location near White
river, it forms a natural "lookout" and was so used by the Indians
and by the pioneer whites. It is covered with the names of its visi-
tors, carved upon its surface. Some were carved there nearly a
century ago.

It is beheved that this ancient landmark was used by the Mound
Builders as a sacrificial altar.

Just below it, nearer the river, is the "Devil's Chair," a stone
formation resembling an immense seat with a back, which has also
attracted the attention of the sightseers.

In those earlier days there was no mail service. Mail routes
were not established until about seventy-five years ago. There was
a route from Point Commerce to Washington, which brought and
received mail weekly. The postage on a letter was twenty-five
cents, and was usually paid by the receiver. This was called "lift-
ing" a letter. No envelopes were used. The letters were folded
and sealed with wax.

From the first the settlers in Old Eel River township showed
an interest in the cause of education and maintained the best schools
of the county.

The first school in what was Old Eel River township was organ-
ized in 1821. It was taught by George Baber in a little log house
which stood near the home of Caleb Jessup.

The pioneer teachers, in the order named, were: Henry Sar-
gent, Ephraim Owen, Luke Philbert, William Bray, Joseph Saddle

We ems: Settlement of Worthington 73

and Amos Roark. Each taught a subscription school for a short
term in winter.

Later a school house was built. It stood near the home of Mr.
Jessup. Then another school house was erected near the home of
Mr. Sanders. In these, successful schools were taught.

Mr. Fletcher Griffith recalls the names of the following teach-
ers in that community : Rev. Simpson, Carlos Kelsey, Fred
Spooner, William Leach, Robert Taylor, Sam Kelshaw, John Curry,
William Glover and John Buck.

In 1830 there were five school houses in Jefferson and Eel River
townships. The schools grew in number and the course of study
was improved year by year.

Finally the famous Point Commerce Academy was founded in
1869 by Prof. E. E. Henry and Rev. John Laverty, both of whom
were able educators. Students came from the surrounding coun-
try and from distant towns. The higher branches were taught.
Its course of study was similar to the modern high school.

For a few years Point Commerce Academy flourished. Then
Prof. Henry accepted a position elsewhere and the school finally
closed. Mr. Laverty later was a clerk in Dr. Squire's drug store
in Worthington. The history of Point Commerce would be incom-
plete without a sketch of James M. H. AUison. He and his brother,
John F. Allison, came from Spencer to Point Commerce in the fall
of 1836, and opened a store. They bought land and laid off a town
and named it Point Commerce.

In the following summer J. M. H. Allison erected the famous
old Junction House, which stood on the corner on the east side
of the street about where the little frame school house is now sit-
uated. His brother-in-law, Dr. David Shepherd, was the first
landlord of the hotel. It was of frame, two stories and was a sub-
stantial building. The lumber was sawed by Mr. Allison at Spencer
and floated down White river. The old hotel was brought to
Worthington in 1880, by Tip Osborn, who started a hotel here.

A year later, in 1838, Mr. Allison brought his family to Point
Commerce. They first occupied a frame cottage, which stood just
east of the hotel, then moved into another home. Later, they lived
in the hotel, until 1844, when Mr. Allison erected the two-story
brick residence overlooking the beautiful prospect where the two
rivers meet. The house still stands and is occupied by Jasper
Hutchinson.

74 Indiana Magazine of History

Jas. M. H. Allison was of British ancestry. He was born at
Elizabethtown, Maryland, September 11, 1802. He was a large,
portly man, weighing over 200 pounds, an ardent Whig, a faithful
Methodist and a man of wonderful enterprise and generosity.

Mr. Allison was married twice. His first wife was Julia Ann
Payne, who died childless, eighteen months after their marriage.
In 1828, Mr. Allison married Julia Ann Applegate, daughter of a
wealjthy tobacco dealer of Louisville, Kentucky. To them were
born thirteen children, two of whom survive, viz. : Squire Geo. F.
Allison of this town and Dr. David E. Allison, dentist, of St. Paul,
Minnesota. Mr. Allison died at Indianapolis, in 1877.

The firm of Allison & Allison did an extensive business as gen-
eral merchants, pork-packers and dealers in produce, which they
shipped down the river to New Orleans. Frequently they would
have $40,000 worth of pork and produce in their warehouse and
pork house, waiting for the river to reach boating stage. In addi-
tion of this the Allisons owned several hundred acres of land.
Their possessions included that part of what is now Worthington
north of Union street, and extending northward to Johnstown ;
also west of what is now Worthington.

James M. H. Allison, the principal owner of the business and
real estate, possessed large means and had great wealth at his com-
mand; but his generosity helped bring on a financial crash, which
occurred in 1852.

His son, 'Squire George F. Allison, to whom we are indebted
for much of the data in this chapter, says :

"My father was the principal contributor in building the first school
house and the first Methodist church at Point Commerce. Without his
aid neither would have been built. When any money was needed for
church purposes, school expenses, or for some public enterprise, J. M.
H. Allison always headed the list of subscribers and made up the bal-
ance, after the subscriptions of other citizens had been received. Usually
the largest portion of the whole amount was left for father to pay. He
paid the preachers and the teachers, the most of what they received.
Many times my lather paid the taxes for his neighbors and then waited
until they brought him their produce. Some of them never paid him. He
was too generous for his own good. He donated to everything and
assisted his friends in the hour of need. Then, when he lay sick and all
thought he was on his death-bed, in the summer of 1852, some men whom
he had befriended sent out false and misleading reports about him, which
damaged his credit and brought on his financial ruin."

Weems: Settlement of Worthington 75

"I remember when my father chartered the steamboat 'J. B. Porter'
at New Orleans, and loaded it with goods for his store at Point Commerce.

"In the spring of 1841 father loaded twenty-one fiatboats with pork
and other produce and shipped them to New Orleans. Two of the boats
sank and their cargoes were lost, before reaching their destination."

'Squire Allison recalls the names of the old flatboat pilots :
Anderson Harvey, James Harvey, Ky Gooden, Tom Archer, Joseph
Osborn and William Kesterson.

Much of the hauling was then done in wagons, from Vincennes
and from Louisville to Point Commerce. Mr. Allison recalls the
names of the old wagoners, who used to drive four and six horse
teams : Robert Fulton, Howard Crantz, James Buckner, Adam
Stroops, Jonathan Peyton, Jerry Buckner, Samuel Chaney, George
Rhinehard and Joseph Huey. He also remembers the names of
some of the men who used to clerk in his father's store: Robert
Howe, John Barekman, John Farmer. 'Squire Andrews and his
uncle, John F. Allison.

The names of the preachers, which 'Squire Allison recalls, are as
follows : Revs. Eli P. Farmer, John Williams, Abediah Winters,
James Lathrop, William Mayson, W. F. Harned, Raven-
scoff, Sabin and John Hancock.

He remembers, likewise, when the street which passed in front
of the hotel and his father's store, ran down to the wharf at the
rivers' junction. Hundreds of heavily loaded wagons, drawn by
four and six horse teams, were pulled up that steep incline every
season. When he was a boy Point Commerce was a good business
town. It was a busy place and there was bustle and action every-
where. Pork houses, grist-mills, cotton gins, carding mills, saw-
mills, tannery, distillery, ferries, shops, stores, "coffee house," and
all other pioneer enterprises were active. All expected that Point
Commerce would one day become a great city. Its founder, J. M.
H. Allison, had proudly spoken of it as the "Pittsburg of the West."

'Squire Allison rememmbers the times when other crowds assem-
bled besides those who met for worship. He remembers when the
voters came from the surrounding country to vote on election days
and on Muster day. The spring, or local elections, were held in
April, and the county elections in August.

The use of Hquor was more general in early days than it is now.
The records show that when public officials met to transact business

76 Indiana Magazine of History

that whisky bills were put into their expense accounts and allowed
as necessities.

But whisky, then as now, was a great curse and finally the better
class of people began to oppose its use and to stop drunkenness,
which was alarmingly common. Every public gathering was
annoyed by whisky-crazed men and often the meeting was broken
up and ended in a drunken riot.

Finally a lodge of Washingtonians, a strong pioneer temperance
society, was organized at Old Point Commerce. The members used
to sing:

"The shouts of Washingtonians
Are heard on every gale,
They're chanting now their victoiy
O'er whiskey, beer and ale."'

Yet another member of that family, who was a man of influence
at Point Commerce and surrounding territory, was John F. Allison,
a younger brother of J. M. H. Allison.

John F. Allison was born in Bourbon county, Kentucky, July 10,
1814. His father was a man of wealth and the owner of many
slaves, which he had inherited, but he did not believe that one man
had a right to own another. Consequently he liberated his slaves ;
yet as Mr. Allison had been a humane master, some of his negroes
declined their proffered freedom and remained in the service of
their former owner.

John F. Allison was the youngest of three brothers. Both of the
older brothers were engaged in the mercantile business, Noah at
Spencer and James, with whom the subject of this sketch was asso-
ciated, at Point Commerce, where they had opened the first store
on the 17th day of November, 1835.

Being a man of education and an experienced civil engineer,
John F. Allison surveyed and laid off the town of Point Commerce
and took an active part in its affairs. No other man had a wider
acquaintance throughout this region than the younger member of
the firm of Allison & Allison, of Point Commerce. He had the
especial charge of the outdoor branch of their business, made fre-
quent trips to New Orleans and occasionally journeyed to Louis-
ville and to Pittsburg, besides covering, on horseback, by stage and
by boat, the surrounding territory, which broadened his acquaint-
ance until he was the best-known and most popular man in this
region during his day.

We ems: Settlement of Worthington 77

Hon. John F. Allison was an ardent Whig. He served three
terms in the State Legisalture, two as Representative and one as
Senator. He was first elected to the House of Representatives
from Greene county, in 1839. Two years later he was offered the
nomination to a seat in the State Senate, but declined and was soon
afterward renominated and elected to a second term as Represen-
tative.

In 1844. Mr. Allison was elected Senator from the district com-
posed of Greene and Owen counties.

John F. Allison was an orator and recognized as the best politi-
cal speaker in this section of the State. In 1840 he stumped the
State for William Henry Harrison and participated in the great
political debates of his day, and was the relentless foe of slavery.
His oratorical ability and his strenuous activity made Mr. Allison
a leader in both House and Senate. He fought, with characteristic
vigor, for the repeal of the law which allowed the imprisonment
of men for debt. While in the State Senate he was one of the lead-
ing advocates of the great compromise measure, known as the But-
ler Bill, which became a law and saved the State from bankruptcy.

But John F. Allison did not confine himself to political and
commercial affairs alone. He was a leader in every public enter-
prise and made tremendous sacrifices of time and money, for the
good of the community, and for internal improvements. He advo-
cated the first railroad project, the great "Air Line," to which he
gave twelve hundred acres of land, then valued at $8,000. It would
now be worth $80,000.

Mr. Allison was also active in the first effort to build a railroad
from Indianapolis to Vincennes. He served one year, without pay,
as secretary of the board of directors, besides making a cash dona-
tion of $1,000. Later he assisted in promoting the I. & V. railroad,
which was built in 1869 and donated $1,000 to the enterprise.

Johnstown, which was a place of considerable business in the old
canal days, was named after John F. Allison. He opened the first
store there. Mr. Allison died in 1885, at Indianapolis.

'Squire George F. Allison recalls the names of the teachers who
taught at Point Commerce, in the little old brick school house, which
stood north of the big brick church. They were : James Freeman,
Miss Rowel, Thomas Rowark, Henry Grim, Mary Taylor, Ann
Ritter, Hiram Hanshot and William Leach.

78 Indiana Magazine of History i

Before the church was erected reHgious services were held in
the school house. Previous to the building of the school house
they used to hold services in the hotel, the famous old Junction
House, owned by Allison & Allison. The dining room was used
for the meetings and when the crowd was large, the door leading
to the barroom was opened. Rev. Farmer, an uncle of J. M. H.
Alhson, often preached there.

The old brick church at Point Commerce was called Wesley
Chapel. It was erected in 1849. It was 40x80 feet in size and
was two stories high. It stood almost directly opposite the one-
story brick residence which still stands and is occupied by Clarence
Cressy. This cottage was built by Dr. Shepherd, a brother-in-law
of J. M. H. Allison, as a residence. It was occupied later by 'Squire
William S. Bays, who had married the doctor's widow after his
death.

The brick for the old church at Point Commerce were burned
across the road from where the residence of B. F. Hays now stands.

George F. Allison remembers when the first church society was
organized at Point Commerce, in the little old brick school house,
with the following members : George Helm, Jesse Brazier, James
Denton, John Yarnell, Robert Stricklin, George Griffith, Thomas
Messick and Cavin Spooner. Mr. Helm and Mr. Griffith were
class-leaders.

The first quarterly meeting at Point Commerce was in 1840.
It was conducted by Rev. McGinnis, Presiding Elder. A big revival
followed.

Camp meetings had been held in the old Point Commerce com-
munity even before the town was started, and were always well
attended.

The first preacher was Rev. Hugh Barnes, an old Revolutionary
soldier. Other old pioneer preachers of that settlement were Rev.
James Armstrong, Rev. Obediah Winters and Rev. Eli P. Farmer.

Old Wesley Chapel, at Point Commerce, was a stately and sub-
stantial edifice and was the best known church in Greene county for
many years. Some great revivals were held there and the leading
ministers of those early days, who visited this region, preached in
the old church. The people for miles around met and worshipped
there for a half century.

The old church outlasted the pioneer town which it had blessed

We ems: Settlement of Worthington 79

bj- its divine and powerful influence, by many years. Long after
Worthington had grown up into a good town and Point Commerce
had fallen into decay, the ancient church on the hill was still the
meeting place for the Methodists of this locality. Commercially
Point Commerce came to Worthington, but spiritually the condi-
tions were reversed.

Finally a Methodist church was built in Worthington, and grad-
ually the old pioneer church at Point Commerce was abanaoned.
Its parishioners had died or moved away ; the ministers who had
preached there in years agone had been called away, some to other
fields of labor and others to their eternal rest. And, with all its
hallowed memories, the dear old ''meeting house" on the hill top
stood silent and deserted until the ancient edifice was razed in 1882,
by Marcus Hays, Sr. (father of Ben F., Sam F. and Marcus Hays),
who bought the building, tore it down and built a residence with the
brick. This house, a substantial two-story building, was erected in
1883, and is now the residence of Marcus Hays, son of the builder.

In the front gable of the old church, over the door, was a heavy
slab of stone, in which was chiseled these words : "Wesley Chapel
M. E. Church, 1849." This fixes the date of its erection. The
old stone now forms a top for Mark Hays' cistern.

The pulpit and pews in old Wesley Chapel were of the finest
black walnut. They are now doing service in Mount Vernon Meth-
odist church, three miles northwest of old Point Commerce, and
are still in splendid condition.

Mrs. Josephine Andrews, mother of William C. Andrews, the
well known hardware dealer, who went to school at Point Com-
merce and was well acquainted there, remembers many interesting
events and personages of that place. She recalls the name of the
first Methodist minister who preached at old Wesley Chapel. He
was Reverend Gunsaulus.

Scourged by Cholera

In 1851 the entire country was scourged with an epidemic of
cholera, and the four doctors fell victims of the disease within three
days of each other, leaving Point Commerce without a physician.
This is the way some old residents remember the event. Others say
that only two of the doctors died ; another says three of the doctors

80 Indiana Magazine of History

died of cholera. However, one-fourth of the people died and others
fled from the dreaded pestilence.

Not only did the ancient village on the hill at the rivers' junction
suffer, but other towns and cities, all over the land were visited
by the awful scourge. In many a city there were scarcely enough
well people to bury the dead. The scourge became so fatal and so
prevalent that in some large cities, the dead bodies of its victims
were carted to their graves and buried without coffins. Burying
squads went from house to house, with wagons. Pausing at the
door of the house of mourning the men shouted: "Bring on your
dead !" and corpse after corpse was loaded into waiting wagons, to
be hauled away to the "silent city of the dead" and interred without
the usual funeral formalities.

The feeble words of men fail to express the fullness of sorrow
when every heart is burdened with grief and every home is a house
of mourning.

In its nation-wide devastation the scourge stalked with sorrow-
leaving strides, from sea to sea in a season, and no protecting angel
had "passed over" in advance, for nowhere had the saving spray
of hyssop struck the lintel of any door in the land : nor was the mon-
ster satisfied with the first-born, but demanded a deadlier toll, and,
pitied not its prey. Neither tears, nor prayers, nor doctors, could
stay its ravages.

A Barrel of Money

One of the leading citizens of Point Commerce was William C.
Andrews, who conducted a dry goods store there and was post-
master for many years. The postoffice was kept in his store. In
those days the postage on a letter was two-bits. Often Postmaster
Andrews was asked by the receiver for a loan of twenty-five cents,
in order that the interesting missive might be taken home to the
family. Some of these loans were never paid ; yet, to the good
name of those sturdy pioneers, let it be said that Mr. Andrews lost
but a few times through accommodating his neighbors in this way.

Mr. Andrews was also associated with C. J. Barekman in the
pork and grain business. They bought such produce from the
farmers, built flatboats and shipped it to New Orleans. Mr.
Andrews made frequent trips to that city, then the commercial
emporium for this and all the intervening territory.

In those days flatboating was an important industry. Boats

Weems: Settlement of Worthington 81

were built at Point Commerce, loaded and sent to New Orleans.
Often twenty -five flatboat loads of pork, grain and other products
were shipped to the great southern metropolis in a single season.

Mrs. Josephine Andrews tells us of an interesting event. Mr.
Andrews went to New Orleans with an unusually heavy cargo of
pork and grain, which he sold and received his pay, several thou-
sand dollars in silver and gold. He put his money into a barrel
and, accompanied by a trusted assistant, shipped it by boat to Louis-
ville, Kentucky, with as little display as possible, not caring to make
known the contents of the barrel. But one of them always stood
guard, and both slept by the precious collection of coin. On reach-
ing Louisville, the barrel of money was rolled into a wagon and
hauled overland to Point Commerce.

In later years Messrs. Andrews and Barekman located at
Worthington, which fact will be given in a subsequent chapter.

Though Allison & Allison, merchants, pork-packers and ship-
pers, hotelkeepers and speculators, were the pioneers, other large
stores and rival merchants were soon located and all did a good
business.

Hogs and cattle were raised in great number then. They ran
at large and it cost little to feed them or to care for them. The cat-
tle fattened on the range and hogs upon the mast. Just before
slaughtering them they were taken up and fed a few weeks to make
them "corn fed" by which their market value was enhanced.

Mr. W. G. Sanders' father, who had done a large business in
raising hogs, packed his own pork in later years and shipped it to
market.

Subsequently the hogs were driven to market on foot in big
droves. Mr. W. G. Sanders remembers when he went with his
father who drove 600 to 700 fat hogs to Terre Haute. They were
eight days on the way. The drovers were accompanied by teams,
ready to haul any fat swine which gave out on the way. When a
wagon got a load it went on ahead to Terre Haute, left its hogs
and then returned to meet the drove.

Cattle were driven to Cincinnati or other markets in those early
days.

Drovers were usually men of considerable means and on return-
ing from the cities (where their cattle had been sold), with their
money in saddle bags, they were often waylaid and robbed by high-

82 Indiana Magazine of History

waymen, on the lonely roads in the forests. Sometimes they put
up for the night at some wayside inn whose landlord was the head
of a band of robbers and murderers. The returning drover who
fell into such hands never reached home and was never heard from
again. No Point Commerce drover ever met such a fate.

However, in those days, before there were any daily or even
weekly market reports, many an unfortunate drover lost heavily and
was driven into bankruptcy by an unfortunate deal in swine, or
through the dishonesty of some swindling speculator in the large
cities. Occasionally a local speculator lost heavily upon hogs which
he bought here and drove to some large city.

Jack Newsom, who owned the land known as the "Peters'
Farm," now the property of Z. P. East, was among the pioneer spec-
ulators who lost all he possessed through the dishonesty of Louis-
ville packers to whom he sold hogs. Mr. Newsom had raised some
of the hogs, but the rest he bought from his neighbors. He paid
them but received nothing from the dishonest men to whom he sold.
They told him that the "market was down" and that they had suf-
fered heavy losses. If they bought from others on the same terms
they did from Jack Newsom it is difficult to see how they suffered
any loss. It cost Jack Newsom 1,300 acres of good land, now
worth $125 per acre.

The drovers forded the rivers and creeks enroute. The older
residents of Point Commerce remember when big droves of cattle
forded, or swam, White river on their long and tiresome journey to
Cincinnati, Ohio, or to Louisville, Kentucky.

Everything was cheap in those days. David S. Fulk remembers
when his father, Charles Fulk, raised corn, shelled it by hand and
sold it for 16 cents, delivered. Pork sold for 2y2 cents net. Mr.
Fulk's father sold a cow for $8 and a good heifer for $3. With the
money he bought a steel plow and a pair of leather check lines.
Land was worth $1.25 per acre. A man who wanted to "enter"
land rode to Vincennes, paid $L25 per acre and got a deed.

John Stanley, a pioneer citizen of the Point Commerce com-
munity, used to raise corn and hogs and ship his products to New
Orleans by flatboat. He built his own boat, loaded it with his own
com and pork and acted as his own pilot and business manager.

He cooked and lived on the boat as he floated down stream to
the great southern mart. On reaching New Orleans he would sell

We ems: Settlement of Worthington 83

the cargo, retaining his cooking utensils, ropes, block and tackle,
which he brought back for the next trip.

Once he sold a load of produce for $1,500 and received his
money in silver. This he put into a barrel, piled the ropes, pans
and skillets in on top of it and shipped it by boat to Louisville.
There the barrel, wth its valuable contents, was stored in a ware-
room and left. There the barrel stood, with no one to guard it;
no one knew what the barrel contained.

Mr. Stanley walked to Point Commerce, took his four-horse
team and drove to Louisville, loaded his barrel into the wagon with
a quantity of merchandise he had bought and returned. On reach-
ing home Mr. Stanley unloaded his barrel, dumped its contents upon
the barn floor, and lo! his bags of money were there, safe and
untouched. He hid his money in some "gums" of seed wheat,
where it lay for several months, until Mr. Stanley invested it in
land. There were no banks near and as no one but the owner knew
that the money was there it was safe.

Communication

AN ECHO FROM THE ERA OF THE TASSEMENTS.

A contribution to the December number of the Indiana Maga-
zine of History, entitled "The Meaning of Tassinong," invites the
undersigned to present his authority for applying the old French
word tassement to the simple log structures of old French trading
posts, or palisaded shops, where furs were obtained from the Indians
in exchange for various articles of trade. I take pleasure in respond-
ing to the invitation contained in that article, especially since I have
been indebted to its author, in past years, for kindly and valuable aid
on more than one difficult point in Indiana's ancient histtory. I
waive the fact that the invitation is presented in a manner to which I
am little accustomed, and I attribute the author's playfulness in
part to the freedom of an old-time acquaintance.

For critical purposes relating to French historical and literary
matters of old time, I find the work of Celestin Hippeau (1803-
1883) indispensable; for it seeks to do what has not been done by
any other lexicographer of the language, so far as I know. It
seeks to give the status, in centuries gone, of old French words,
and to condense in two volumes of convenient size the substance
of great works which are rare, expensive, and inconvenient; to
give what the student would otherwise have to search for in the
Dictionaries of Roquefort, De Burguy, and Du Cagne, and in vari-
ous partial lexicons.

The first volume of Hippeau's work was issued in 1866; the
second, in 1873. The work was published in Paris by Auguste
Aubry, of 18 Rue Seguier, who issued also seventeen other volumes
of historical, literary and educational criticism (all remarkable)
by Hippeau, together with seven valuable literary compends by
him.

In the second volume of Hippeau's Dictionnaire on page 132,
is found the word tassement, it being in the class of words which
had come into use before the close of the thirteenth century. It is,
therefore, at least, over six hundred years old, and it is still in use,

Communication: The Tassements 85

with no change in the spelHng or in the pronunciation, and still
relates in a way to buildings (with a technical meaning known
especially to architects), though the old palisades have passed
away.

To this word our historical lexicographer gives but a single
meaning. He defines it palissade.

Hippeau connects the word with tas, tasse, or tassel, meaning,
as he says, rassemblement, assemblage de plusieurs objets; also
(a peculiar usage, I think) touffe d'arbres. Tassement has been
associated by others with tas, tasque, and tasche, meaning a pocket
or a sack or purse carried at the belt. The pocket or swung purse
of the workman or housewife, in centuries gone, contained many
articles not now carried around in clothing. Hence tassement, it
would seem, came to convey the idea of an assortment of serviceable
things, such as were to be found in a trader's establishment. But
the idea of a palisade was the first and dominant one expressed
by the word, and our lexicographer gives no other meaning than
this.

When the Count de St. Chamas (a native of Paris, long resident
at the court of Cairo, with whom I sustained an intimate acquaint-
ance for a decade in Chicago) was about to start, seven years ago,
upon his journey around the world, he came to me and gave me,,
as a parting present (the last of many generous gifts), the great
Grammaire des Grammaires and the two volumes of Hippeau's
Dictionnaire. Of the latter he said, 'T give these to you, mon ami,
because I know that you will appreciate them and use them." He
had often seen me ransacking Laronsse and La Grande Encyclo-

Where were the tassements of the French in the third century-
back? The greatest line of tassements in history (with which Hip-
peau was so familiar) was the line built from Quebec to New
Orleans.

The scanty records remaining tell of the more prominent of
these ; but there must have been, in the colonial period, many a
modest tassement of French traders all unknown to fame, and
hundreds of crudely-drawn maps or tracings of routes that were
never engraved for books or even copied in enduring manuscripts.
The heroic colonial age of the west was largely characterized by
individual daring, enterprise, endurance and achievement, ua-

86 Indiana Magazine of History

recorded, and lost even to family legend and popular tradition by
the changes of sovereignty and of population.

What remains, even of vague, dim legend, should be treasured,
especially where it is fortified very strongly by the evidence which
a perpetuated name supplies.

The writer of the December contribution mentioned above seeks
to derive the name "Tassinong" from an Indian word meaning
plum, and presents the matter ingeniously. Such a derivation would
involve the substitution of the sound of "n" for that of "m" (which
I do not regard as a serious matter) ; but it presents other phonetic
difficulties, which to me seem to be of a serious nature.

That writer's opinion is entitled to respectful consideration;
but it seems to ignore the following facts, to say nothing of the
inherent probability that some modest tassement of an early French
trader, unknown to fame, existed in the neighborhood of Tassinong
in the old French days (a probability that does not appeal to the
contributor) :

1. The fact that the tradition of the place, often told by the
early settlers, and by them received from the Indians, was that
a very old French trading establishment had existed there, of which
not a splinter remained.

2. The fact that a word such as the French spelled tassement,
varied perhaps in a single small particular (by the exchanging of
an "m" sound for an "n" sound), was orally handed down through
generations of Indians (who were in no way chargeable with the
spelling, since they did not write the word, but only spoke it).

3. The fact that the earliest settlers, having acquired the very
old name orally, from the Indians, gave its final syllable the
French nasal sound (pronouncing "nong" as a very nasal "naw,"
and thrusting out their lips in the effort), to the later amusement
of their children and grandchildren.

4. The fact that "Grove" was not a part of the Indian name,
and was probably used only informally and by only a very few
persons. I never heard of it before in this connection.

5. The fact that the minor tassements of the French did not
always have names. Even Vincennes was long known simply as
the "Poste," having no other name.

6. The fact that the more modest palisades would not likely
be spoken of as postes (which would denote an official character),

Communication: The Tassements 87

but would more naturally be called by another and more generic
name. Probably the legendary trading house at Tassinong was
wholly a private affair, and never had any official designation (or
character, other than the license of the trader would presuppose
if he had one). Duluth, I learn, had neither a license nor a name
for his tassement in Minnesota.

Since the Indians who transmitted the old name orally were
not responsible for the spelling of "Tassinong" (which bears the
earmarks of some one who understood the old conventional Eng-
lish rendering of the French syllable "ment"), that counts for
little.

The principles of French syllabication are so well established
that I should not think of arguing them. When any one tells
me that French words like tassement, nnllement, tellement, etc.,
etc., have but two syllables, I respectfully refer him to a competent
professor of French.

In dealing with a light French syllable, Americans either fortify
it or else ignore it. It may be remarked that ''Tassinong" (unlike
Prattville, which must be pronounced in two syllables, or Calumet,
which must be pronounced in three) happens to contain a resonant
liquid, the sound of ''n" ; and while I have been familiar with the
name from babyhood, I could scarcely tell now, in hundreds of
cases, whether the speaker using it is making one or two syllables
of it. Happily, the oral pronunciation handed down presents no
problem of syllables, at all.

In my preceding paper I did not urge the antecedent and inher-
ent probability that the hunters' and trappers' paradise in my native
county of Porter, north of the Kankakee, on the route taken by the
first recorded incursion of the French into Indiana (La Salle's,
1679) should contain, within the French period, at least a modest
and unnamed tassement. Yet this did appeal very strongly to a
gentleman well acquainted with Smithsonian work in archaeology,
and well posted in our colonial history, who took me to task some-
what severely, several years ago, for not making an effort to locate
such a trading establishment. So strongly was he impressed with
the inherent probability of its one-time existence (though he knew
nothing at all of Tassinong), that he was concerned only as to its
location. I looked, in Hippeau, for tassement, as an original form
for the conventionalized "Tassinong," and found it with the muta-
tion of a single letter, in tassement.

88 Indiana Magazine of History

My purpose has not been to attempt anything sensational, but,
as a conscientious duty, to contribute what I might of historical
criticism relating to the region north of the Kankakee, so much
neglected by writers of Indiana history. I presumed that the dis-
tinguished writer of the December contribution was acquainted with
Hippeau and perhaps also with the Dictionaries of De Burguy,
Roquefort, and Du Cange, which Hippeau so cleverly epitomized
for our convenience.

While I perhaps had no right to assume this of so busy a gen-
telman, and may have overestimated his acquaintance with authori-
ties on old French, it would be difficult for any one to over-
estimate his painstaking diligence in arresting the influence of im-
pudent or careless historical impositions, and in sifting the great
mass of materials, often very perplexing, which he has handled.
Perhaps it is not to be wondered at that his feelings cause him, at
times, to make use of exclamation points, and to demand facts and
authorities in a somewhat undiplomatic way.

I am delighted to learn from him that the name "Tassinong"
still appears on recent maps of Porter county. I hope it will long
remain. Unless it shall be discovered elsewhere in current car-
tography, I shall be glad to feel that Porter county possesses, in
a conventionalized form, the last remaining cartographic use of a
name so full of heroic and romantic suggestiveness as attaches to
the word tassement in old and historic French.

Hubert M. Skinner.

Reviews and Notes

George Washington: Farmer, Being An Account of His Home
Life and Agricultural Activities. By Paul Leland Ha-
woRTH. The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Indianapolis, pp. 336.

The first question to suggest itself on reading the above title
was What can a serious historian do with such a subject? For-
tunately a reading of the book settles the question. The author has
done at least four things and avoided doing one which has brought
considerable notoriety to less sensible authors. The author has
held strictly to the fundamental principles of good history writing.
The whole account is based on a first hand study of Washington's
own papers ; he has produced a valuable commentary on the labor
question, the problems of farming, the problem of good living,
the social customs, and commercial conditions of that period ; he
has given us a new angle on the life of Washington ; he has pro-
duced a very readable book ; and finally he has not given us one of
the modern "real" biographies by dipping into every trace of scandal
handed down by the gossips of the times.

The account is concrete and descriptive. There are no opinions
advanced, no theories set forth and argued at length. There is
an atmosphere of reality preserved throughout. The author naturally
has a snappy style, and the numerous expressions picked up from
Washington's own pen help to keep one on the Mt. Vernon premises
at all times. Some of the chapters are "Building an Estate", "Vir-
ginia Agriculture in Washington's Day", "Conserving the Soil",
"The Stockman", "White Servants and Overseers", "Black Slaves",
"A Farmer's Amusements", "Profit and Loss". The reader cannot
escape believing that the author enjoyed browsing among the
voluminous papers of General Washington. There is no evidence
anywhere of that musty, dutsy, grind by which some writers make
a living browsing through repulsive material hoping here and
there to find a pay lead. Being a robust, red-blooded Hoosier
farmer himself, he certainly enjoyed the long visits with "Our
Farmer" as he rode from farm to farm, or chased the foxes, or
cursed lazy negroes, or tried to raise bumper crops on worn out

90 Indiana Magazine of History

land, or whiled away the wintry hours studying *'Hoil." The fortu-
nate thing about the whole affair is that he can take any reader
who has any appreciation for farm life with him on these trips,
so that he gets an idea of the great general not easily obtained
elsewhere. The finest thing in the whole book is the testimony
the author bears to the character of Washington. It seems that
every new discovery, as he studied the Farmer day by day, increased
his regard.

Michigan Historical Collections, Vol. XXXIX. Michigan His-
torical Commission, Lansing, Mich., 1915. p. 601.

This volume contains besides the usual reports and a Subject
and Author Index for the whole series, the following papers :
Patricki Sinclair, Western Sketcl>es of Caroline Kirkland, D;r.
Douglass Houghton, Prehistoric Copper Mines of Lake Superior,
Prominent Newspaper Men in Michigan, James McMillan, Will
Carleton, Thomas W. Palmer, Two Early Missionaries, Saginaw
County, Study of Michigan History, Memoirs of Pioneer Settlers,
Biographical Sketches (14 in number). The volume contains sspv-
eral articles of great value to Indiana readers. The Michig\in
Historical Commission under the lead of Governor F*erris is doii\g
a great deal of work. Dr. Charles Moore is editor for the Conv
mission.

The Illinois Whigs Before 1846. By Charles Manford Thomp-
son^ Ph. D., Associate in Economics, University of Illinois,
Urbana, 1915. pp. 165.

This is a preliminary study to a history of the Whigs of Illinois.
The five chapter heads : Genesis of the Illinois Whigs ; The
Emergence of the Whig party, 1834-1839; Harrison and Tyler,
1839-1841 ; Sectional and State Issues, 1841-1845 ; and The Illinois
Whigs and National Politics, 1841-1845, show fairly accurately
the field the author has examined. From another point of view
the study seems to fall into three sections ; the period of personal
politics, the period of State politics, and the period when national
issues dominated the field. Each of these periods developed its
characteristic men. Governor Edwards built up a strong personal
following, the men of the second period built up sectional follow-
ings, depending for their cohesion on local interest. This was the
period of bank and internal improvement legislation. In the third

Reviews and Notes 91

period men of national significance were developed. Dr. Thompson
has not developed this idea extensively but has gone perhaps as far
as the facts would warrant. He has wisely refrained from the
sweeping generalization which historians are constantly tempted to
make.

The study is most significant for Indiana. Our party history
is almost a counterpart of that of Illinois. Indiana had its Jen-
nings as Illinois had its Edwards ; Indiana had its experience in
Internal Improvements backed up largely by the Whig party,
but really a non-partisan movement ; the Indiana Supreme Court
was attacked by politicians at the same time as that of Illinois.
The author's description of the Harrison Campaign if a few names
were changed would do for the campaign in Indiana. The charge
of scandal against Clay and Adams was made in one state the
same as the other. Indiana had the same conflict between the
northern and southern parts of the state, though not so acute as
in Illinois. The opposition to Jackson and Van Buren crystallized
into the Whig party in Indiana about the same time and in about
the same way as in Illinois. The Jacksonian party in 1824 found
its strongest weapon in denouncing officeholders. The Whig party
was evidently much stronger in Indiana as early as 1832 and cer-
tainly in 1836 conducted a well organized campaign carrying the
State.

The study is a good one, well written, based on what seems
sufhcient data. The wide use of the newspapers of the period is
especially to be commended. Above all it is encouraging to see such
men as Dr. Thompson devoting their time to the history of the
middle period of the West. It is certainly one of the most profitable
fields in our history for investigation.

The December Records of the American Catholic Historical
Society of Philadelphia has the first section of the journal of Rev-
erend Father Marie Joseph Durand. It was translated from the
French and edited by Ella M. E. Flick. In 1803 a group of French
Trappists, refugees, came to America to establish a foundation. In
1805 Father Joseph joined them. They decided not to locate in
America and returned to France at the time of the Restoration.
Father Joseph lingered in the West till 1820, when he too returned.
The journal published in the Records is his olificial report made on
his return to France.

92 Indiana Magazine of History

In the Indianapolis Medical Journal for January, the editor,
Dr. A. W. Brayton, very kindly calls attention to the work of the
Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana Magazine of History.
No men in the state have better opportunities for learning of
valuable historical materials than the physicians. The Historical
Society belongs to no class or profession and would gladly avail itself
of any and all possible assistance.

The Attica Daily Tribune of January 26, 1916, contains some
local traditions concerning Scott's attack upon the Indians of the
Wea Towns in 1791. These traditions are to the effect that a
battle was fought on the hills opposite Attica at the same time
Scott destroyed the Wea Towns. It is suggested that this may
refer to the battle between Colonel John Hardin and the Indians.
In his official report General Scott says he detached Colonel Hardin
with sixty men to attack some villages to his left — that is, down
the river. Hardin executed the order but after Scott had driven
the Indians from the Wea Towns he received word from Hardin
that he had found more Indians than he expected and was hard
pressed. Scott was five miles west of Lafayette.

The Plainfield Messenger of January 27, 1916, contains the first
of a series of papers by Mrs. Clara Vickrey on the development of
transportation in Indiana from pioneer times down to the present.

The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society for
January has a brief biography of Col. J. Stoddard Johnston of
Kentucky. He was a leading editor and politician after the war.
He was the son of Senator Josiah Stoddard Johnston of Louisiana
and the nephew of Albert Sidney Johnston. The Johnstons were a
Connecticut family yet most of them fought on the Confederate side
during the RebelHon. Col. J. S. Johnston was adjutant on the staff
of General Breckenridge. The biography is by George Baber.
The Register also contains a copy of the "Boone Records" from the
manuscripts of the Society of Friends of Pennsylvania ; and a very
entertaining account of the visit of Burr and Blennerhasset to
"Chaumiere," the country seat of Col. David Meade.

"The Story of the Burnett Family" is told by J. Wesley Whicker
in the Attica Ledger of January 28. The Burnetts were French

Reviews and Notes 93

half-breeds who took sides with the Indians in their struggles with
the white people. They were allied by marriage with the Kicka-
poos. It is said that they planned an ambuscade for Harrison's
army in 1811, as it should cross Pine Creek, but that they were
circumvented by Zachariah Cicot, the half-breed guide of Harrison,
who led the army back from the Wabash ten miles to make the
crossing. Tradition has it that Abraham Burnett commanded the
Kickapoos at the Battle of Tippecanoe, and that his father and
oldest brother were killed in 1791 in Scott's attack on the Kickapoos.
The Story of Zachariah Cicot, the French half-breed scout who
guided Harrison to Tippecanoe in 1811, is told by Mr. Whicker in
the Attica Ledger of January 21, 1816. Cicot seems to have been
the first settler in Warren county.

The Princeton Clarion-Nezvs of Dec. 25, 1915, contains remi-
niscences by Col. G. R. Stormont. The story of the Nachez storm
and that concerning the ravages of the smallpox are interesting
reading.

An article by Herman Rave of New Albany in the Indianapolis
News of January 22, deals with the work of Christian Post and
other Moravian Missionaries among the western Indians before the
Revolution.

Rev. Edgar F. Dauciiiertv, pastor of the First Christian Church
of Vincennes, delivered a series of addresses on the Early History
of Vincennes. The first of these appeared in the Vincennes Com-
mercial, December 10.

The Vevay Reveille of December 9 does the Indiana Magazine
of History the honor of republishing entire Miss Knox's History
of Vevay which appeared in the September number. The editor
forgot to give the magazine credit, however. Credit ought to be
given inasmuch as all matter in the magazine is copyrighted.

The January History Teacher's Magazine has an article by Pro-
fessor S. B. Harding on "The Nature and Method of History."

No.

No.
No.

3.
4.

5.
6.

No.

-'.

No.
No.
No,

No.

No.
No.
No.
No.

No.
No.

11.

No.

No,
No,
No.

No.
No.

No.

No.
No.

No,

No.

No,

No.

No.
No.
No.

No.

2.
8,

idiana Historical Society Publications

CONTENTS OF VOL., I

Proceedings of thb Socibtt, 1830-1886.
Northwest Territoht.

Letter of Nathan Dane concerning the Ordinance of 1787.

Governor Patrick Henry's Secret Letter of Instruction to George Rogers
Clark.
The Uses of History. By President Andrew Wylle, D. D.
The National Decline of the Miami Indians, By John B.. Dillon.
Early History of Indianapolis and Central Indiana. By Nathaniel Bolton.
Joseph G. Marshall. By Prof. John L Campbell.
Judge John Law. By Charles Denby.
Archaeology of Indiana. By Prof. B. T. Cox.
The Early Settlement of the Miami Country. By Dr. Ezra Ferris.

CONTENTS OF VOL, II
The Laws and Courts op Northwest and Indiana Territories. By Daniel

Wait Howe.
The Life and Services of John B. Dillon. By Gen. John Coburn and Judge

Horace P. Blddle.
THE Acquisition of Louisiana. By Judge Thomas M. Cooley.
Loughbry's Defeat and Pigeon Roost Massacre. By Charles Martindale.
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Official Publications of the Territory

AND State op Indiana from 1800 to 1890. By Daniel Wait Howe.
The Rank of Charles Osborn as an Anti-Slavery Pioneer. By George

W. Julian.
The Man in History. By John Clark Rldpath.
Ociatanon. By Oscar J. Craig.

Reminiscences of a Journey to Indianapolis in 1836. By C. P. Ferguson.
Life of Ziba Foots. By Samuel Morrison.
"Old Settlers." By Robert P. Duncan,

French Settlements on the Wabash. By Jacob Piatt Dunn.
Slavery Petitions and Papers. By Jacob Piatt Dunn.

CONTENTS OF VOL. HI
A Hi6tory op Early Indianapolis Masonry Atw ov Center Lodge. By Will
E. English.

SlEDR DE VINCBNNES. THB FOUNDER OF INDIANA'S OLDEST TOWN. By Bdmond

Mallet.
The ExEcuTnTB Journal of Indiana Territory. Edited and annotated by

William Wesley Woollen, Daniel Walt Howe, and Jacob Piatt Dunn.
The Mission to the Ouabachb. By Jacob Piatt Dunn, pp. 78.
Fifty Years ix Pharmacy. By George W. Sloan, pp. 27.
Caleb Mills. By Chas. W. Moores, pp. 280.

CONTENTS OF VOL. IV
Dlary of Wm. Owk^*. Edited by Joel W. Hiatt.
The Word "Hoosibr." By Jacob Piatt Dunn.
John Finley. By Mrs. Sarah A. Wrigley.
William Henry Harrison's Administration of Indiana Territi cr. By

Homer J. Webster, A. M., Ph. M.
Making a Capital in the Wilderness. By Daniel Walt Howe.
Names of Persons Enumerated in Marion County, Indiana, at the Fifth

Census, 1830.
Some Elements of Indiana's Population ; or Roads West, and Their Early

Travelers. By W. B. Henry.
Lockerbie's Assessment List of Indianapolis, 1835. Edited by Eliza G.

Browning.
The Scotch-Irish Presbyterians in Monroe County, Indiana. By James

Albert Woodbum.
Indianapolis and the Civil War. By John H. HoUiday.

CONTENTS OF VOL. V
Lincoln's Body Guard, with Some Personal RBCOLLBC'i'iONS of Abraham

Lincoln. By Robert McBride.
Internal Improvements in Early Indiana. By Logan Esarey.
THE Sultana Disaster. By Joseph Taylor Elliott.
An Indiana Village (New Harmony). By John H, HoUiday.
The pioneers of Morgan County :Memoirs of Noah J. Major. Edited by

Logan Esarey. •

The Life and Services of Gen. Robert S. Foster. By Charles W. Smith,

No,

Uniform volumes, 8vo cloth, uncut, with continuous paging and complete index. The
earlier numbers have been reset in the same style as the later ones and the volumes are
now uniform throughout. Volume $1.50. Number 50c.

THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY

Ptibhshers for the Society , INDIANAPOLIS

INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Organized December 11, 1830

"The objects of this society shall be the collection and
preservation of all materials calculated to shed light on the
natural, civil, and pohtical history of Indiana."

This society was organized by the leading men of our State.
The following were the first officers :

Benjamin Parke, president; Isaac Blackford, fiirst vice-
president; Jesse L. Holman, second vice-president; James
Scott, third vice-president ; John Farnham, corresponding sec-
retary; Bethuel F. Morris, recording secretary; James Blake,
George H. Dunn, Isaac Howk, James Whitcomb and John Law,
executive committee.

In the early days its annual meetings were one of the
great occasions of the ^^^nter at the State capital. Among its
early members were eight governors, all the judges of the
supreme and federal courts, most of the circuit judges, a
majority of the U. S. senators and congressmen and other
leading men of the State. The annual address was usually
given by one of the great men of the nation.

The society has never had a building to house its collec-
tions nor adequate funds to publish its papers. Its member-
ship fee has been one dollar per year until quite recently when
it was raised to two. One dollar of this fee goes to the Indiana
Magazine of History which is sent free to all members. A
small donation is made annually by the State. It has never
received but one gift or endowment. This was made by Hon.
William H. English, its former president and one of the distin-
guished historians of the State.

The Society should have an income of $5,000 per year,
Indiana has at least 5,000 men and women who are interested
in the State's history; and it is thought that if the matter
were brought to their attention they would help in the work.
The membership fee is not a gift. The Society sends its pub-
lications free to its members. These will cost on an average
$1 per year. It also sends the Indiana Magazine of History, of
which it is a joint publisher, free. The price of the Magazine
itself is the same as the entire membership fee.

For further information address

CHARLES E. COFFIN, Secretary,
Star Building, Indianapolis ; oi
INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY,

Bloomington, Indiana.

"no;!

N D I A N A
AGAZINE
F HISTORY

CONTENTS

Page

\ The

vSociALisT Party

IN Indiana . .

Ora Ellen Cox

: Who

Was Our Sieur

DE ViNCENNES? .

. . J. P. Duim

131

■ SOML

Features in the History of Parke County

Maurice Murphy

144

' The

Teriol Haute Comi'any , . . ,

. A. R. Markle

158

, Tecumseh's Confederacy

Elmore Barce

161

S Reviews and Notes .

1/1

Minor Notttk^;

189

Published- Quarterly

2HirTION PRICE, 92.00 PKU \'l',\n

si>iOL!: a.ii'w So osiijti';*

Entered aa second-claes matter S«i>tajn1jer Iff, 1918, at the postofflae ut
Bloomingtori, iTuJiana, unflep the Act Of March 3, 1370.

INDIANA UNIVERSITY

Summer Session 1916

200 COURSES 85 INSTRUCTORS

GRADUATE and UNDERGRADUATE COURSES for
Business Men, Housekeepers, Teachers, Clergymen, Doctors,
Lawyers, Social Workers, in the following subjects:

Political Science, Economics and Sociology, History, Psychol-
ogy, Education, Fine Arts, English, Latin, German, Ro-
mance Languages, Physiology, Anatomy, Botany, Zoology,
Physics, Chemistry, Geology, Geography, Physical Edu-
cation, Vocational Education, Mathematics, Journalism,
Home Economics, Music.

SPECIAL FEATURES : Courses in Play> Pageantry,
International Relations, Rural Sociology, Psychology of Occu-
pations, Heredity, Physiology and Hygiene, Practical Pho-
tography, and Library Methods for Teachers.

SHAKESPEARE WEEK, EXCURSIONS, RECEPTIONS,
MOTION PICTURES

Dates

Regular Session Law School

June 15 to August 11 June 12 to August 25

Session for Class A and Class B Teachers
June 12 to August 25
Medical School Biological S|

June 12 to Aug-ust 11 June 17 to Auj

Fee, .$15. Room and Board, $4.25 to

Atldress, Director of Summer Session,

INDIANA UNIVERSl
Bloomington,

INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY

published quarterly by
The Department of History of Indiana University

WITH the cooperation OF

The Indiana Historical Society The Indiana State Library

BOARD OF EDITORS

James A. Woodburn, Ph.D., Professor of American History and
Politics, Indiana University

Samuel B. Harding, Ph.D., Professor of European History, In-
diana University

George S. Cottman, Former Editor, Indianapolis

Christopher B. Colema.n_, Ph.D., Professor of History, Butler
College

William O. Lynch, A.M., Professor of History, Indiana State
Normal School

Harlow Lindley, A.M., State Archivist, Professor of History,
Earlham College

Jacob P. Dunn, LL.B., Secretary Indiana Historical Society

Demarchus C. Brown, A.M., State Librarian

Logan Esarey, Ph.D., Managing Editor,
Instructor in Western History, Indiana University

Subscription Price, $2.00 per year. Single Number, 50 Cents.

Address all communications to the Managing Editor, Bloomington, Ind.

INDIANA
MAGAZINE OF HISTORY

Vol XII JUNE, 1916 No. 2

The Socialist Party in Indiana Since 1896

By Ora Ellen Cox, Logansport, Indiana

The Socialist Party in Indiana is not something different and
apart from the general Socialist movement; on the other hand it
is affiliated with and subordinated to the Socialist Party in America.
It also cleaves closely to the principles of International Socialism
as outlined by the national platforms and decisions of International
Congresses. This State has been one of the most regular in its
adherence to the national organization. The Unity Convention per-
mitted the various States and Territories much latitude in organiz-
ing to suit the needs of the various sections, but there is at present
a tendency to bring all the State organizations under the more direct
control of the national offices. Indiana will have nothing to undo,
as it started right.

Indiana may justly claim some prestige in the Socialist Party.
New Harmony, Indiana, was the scene of the most important of the
Owenite movements. While this experiment did not have any
direct connection with the present political party, it served to show
social unrest and sowed some seeds, the fruit of which was harvested
by reformers in favor of the emancipation of labor.^ Robert Owen
was called "Our Dear Social Father" and it is said by Owen's asso-
ciates that Owen claimed to have used the word "Socialism" at least
ten years before it was adopted by any other writer. If he did not
actually use the word it came into use as a substitute for Owenite. ^

1 Socialism, by John Spargo (1906), 11.

'International Socialist Review, Vol. VI, No. 1. July (1905).

96 Indiana Magazine of History

The Socialist contribution to the picture gallery of party emblems
in its present form is the work of James Oneal, of Terre Haute.
The design represents two clasped hands around the globe. Encir-
cling the picture is the famous motto of Karl Marx, "Workers of
the World Unite" and the words, "Socialist Party." This badge is
used by the national organization and by nearly all of the States.

The Socialist paper. The Appeal to Reason, was started in
Greensburg, Indiana, under the name of The Coming Nation? The
place was selected because the editor desired his paper to circulate
from the center of population. It was in this paper that Eugene
Debs first advocated "the establishment by ballot of a commonwealth
based upon co-operation."

Mr. Debs, the party's candidate for president in four campaigns,
was born in Terre Haute and still lives in his native city. His
brother Theodore was the first national secretary of the Social
Democratic party.

The Unity Convention which launched the present Socialist party
was held in Indianapolis and John W. Kelly, of Marion, has the
honor of being the first chairman of the first convention of the So-
cialist Party in America. "*

The movement was not entirely new, "The Socialist Labor
party" had been organized some twenty-five years before ;^ and had
been the main representative of the Socialist movement during this
period though related societies of an educational character were to
be found here and there. Its highly centralized form of organization
and adherence to a dogmatic censorship over the utterances of its
members bred dissention in the early nineties. In 1896 the Social-
ist Labor Party organized the Socialist Trades and Labor Alliance
as an antagonist of the trade union movement. This was an out-
come of fruitless efforts to force the trade unions to accept Socialist
principles. These two organizations never proved a success and
the dissatisfaction it caused in the ranks of the Socialist Labor
Party resulted in a split in the party in July, 1899. The larger part
of the membership withdrew and organized with headquarters in
New York City. There were two Socialist Labor Parties with head-
quarters in the same city.

On January 1, 1897, Mr. Eugene Debs issued a circular to the
members of American Railway Union entitled "Present Conditions

3 The Coming Nation. Nov. 23, 1895.
* Proceedings of the Unity Convention.
^ Hunter, Socialists at Work, 358.

Cox: Socialist Party 97

and Future Duties" and at the same date issued a card to the Asso-
ciated Press announcing his conversion to sociahsm, saying, "I am
for Socialism because I am for humanity."^ It was hoped that this
stand taken by their leader would bring the American Railway
Union into the folds of Socialism and it did so, practically.

The Social Democracy of America was organized in Chicago
June 18, 1897. This party was the result of a union between mem-
bers of the American Railway Union numbering about 150,000, the
Brotherhood of the Co-operative Commonwealth, and the indepen-
dent organizations of Socialists, most of whom had left the Socialist
Labor Party. The national executive board was composed of old
American Railway Union officers, "The five Woodstock prisoners."^
The organization was somewhat crude and indefinite in its declara-
tions of principles and in its working methods. It provided for a
colonization department with the view of capturing some western
State and organizing a model Socialist commonwealth as an ex-
ample for the other States. Mr. Debs and others made tours of the
East and South in interest of the new party. The elections of 1898
show gains of this faction over the Socialist Labor Party, electing
two aldermen in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. "In Richmond, Indiana,
their candidate for Mayor received 89 votes. "^

The first national convention of the Social Democracy met in
Chicago June 7, 1898. Eugene V. Debs presided. There were
present 170 delegates representing 94 branches. The issue of politi-
cal action versus colonization immediately developed. A split fol-
lowed. The political actionists were in the minority. The advo-
cates of colonization established two small colonies in Washington
State. They maintained a precarious existence for a few months
when Social Democracy disappeared. The thirty-seven political
action delegates bolted the convention, reconvened at Hull House and
organized a political party, taking the name Social Democratic Party
of America, with headquarters in Chicago with Theodore Debs, of
Terre Haute, as national secretary and treasurer.^ On March 6,
1900, this new organization met in National Convention at Indian-
apolis with 67 delegates representing 2,136 votes. ^° Each was a

« S. M. Reynolds, Debs; His Life, Writings and Speeches, 20.

' Social Democracy, edited by Frederick Heatti (1900), 58.

s Ibid. p. 50.

9 History of Socialism in U. S., Morris Hillquit, 333.

1" The delegates from Indiana were the following: John Ozanic and Hugh
Miller, Indianapolis ; Matthew Hollenbarger, Bvansville ; William Blanks,
Kokomo ; John W. Kelly, Marion ; Eugene Debs, Theodore Debs, James Oneal,

98 Indiana Magazine of History

delegate at large and had as many votes in the convention as he had
signatures of members attached to his credentials. The responsi-
bility of all actions was placed upon the membership.

The convention nominated Eugene V. Debs, of Terre Haute, for
president and Job Harriman, of California, vice-president. The
latter was the presidential candidate of the rebellious faction of the
Socialist Labor Party and had been nominated a few months before
at Rochester, New York. A committee on unity representing the
Rochester convention appeared at the Indianapolis convention of the
Social Democratic Party and after an earnest presentation of the
need of unity a committee was elected to confer with a like com-
mittee from New York.

The recommendations of the joint conference of three were
submitted to both organizations for a general vote of their members.
They were rejected by a vote of 1,336 to 720, but this did not pre-
vent both factions from supporting the same presidential ticket.
The Socialist Labor Party, in anticipation of unity, adopted the same
name as the Chicago organization and so there were two Social
Democratic parties. However, the result of the presidential cam-
paign brought a better understanding between members of both
organizations, so that a union convention met in Indianapolis, June
29, 1901, and this date marks the beginning of the real Socialist
party.

Besides economic conditions there were other reasons why this
was an opportune time for the birth of a new party.^^ The Populist
Party was in the West, the Greenback in the Middle West and
Northwest, and Union Labor in the East. These organizations were
casting a quarter of a million votes without electing any of their
candidates. The Populist Party in its convention in Omaha in 1892
tried to catch the votes of the labor unions by its plank which said :
"Wealth belongs to him who creates it and every dollar taken from
industry without its equivalent is robbery. The interests of rural
and civic laborers are the same ; their enemies are identical. "^^ fhe
Populists fused with the Democrats in 1896. Debs supported Bryan
in this campaign, but there were many who would not affiliate with
the old line parties and there was a counter agitation probably due
to the direct and indirect teaching of Karl Marx.^^ The union

Judson Oneal, Herman Stuempfle, Clarence Kingery, John Kingery and Ed H.
Evinger, Terre Haute.

" Why I Am a Socialist, Chas. E. Russel, 144.

^ History of Socialism in U. S., Morris Hillquit, 319.

"A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy, by Karl Marx, 4.

Cox: Socialist Party 99

resulted in the election of a few officers and it was thought that if
all factions would unite upon a program success would eventually
crown their efforts.

With this end in view the convention which met in the old Ma-
sonic Temple on West Washington street, in Indianapolis, was the
largest and most enthusiastic one that had ever met for a similar
purpose. There were 124 delegates and each delegate had from one
to four hundred names on his credentials.

"Among the delegates there, were men who had been active in
all phases of the socialist movement, and alongside of them men of
prominence who had recently come into the ranks. The composition
of the convention also served to demonstrate how much the char-
acter of the socialist movement had changed during the last few
years. No more than twenty per cent, were foreign born."^^ About
10,000 members drawn from all factions were represented by these
delegates, but out of it came a strong organization which has stead-
ily increased.

The new party assumed the name. Socialist Party ,^^ except in
States where a different name had or may become a legal require-
ment.16 The Socialist Labor Party did not fuse with the new one
but still exists as a small remnant of the once vigorous organiza-
tion by that name, but its growth and influence does not keep pace
with the Socialist.!'''

" A History of Socialism in the United States. Morris Hillquit, 338-9.

1= Proceedings of the Unity Convention, 577.

" Report of the Socialist Party of the United States of America to the Inter-
national Socialist and Trades Union Congress, Amsterdam, 1904.

" The delegates to the unity convention from Indiana were as follows : M.
Greuling, John M. Ray, William Hamilton and Charles Cotton, Indianapolis;
William Blenks, Kokomo ; John Adams, Brazil ; Martin Wef el, Ft. Wayne ; John
W. Kelly, Marion ; James Oneal and Ed H. Evinger, Terre Haute. By the
constitution of the Unity Convention "The affairs of the Socialist Party shall be
administered by a National Committee, its officers and executive committee, the
party conventions, and the general vote of the party." The officers, committee-
men and delegates to conventions are all to be elected by referendum vote. "All
party nominees whether municipal state or national shall file with their respec-
tive nominating bodies a resignation covering both their nomination and election
which shall be operative whenever their nominating bodies declare that said
nominees have proven themselves untrue to their trust." To become a member
of the party it is necessary to be a resident of United States, eighteen years
of age and to sever connection with all other political parties and to pay dues
to the State committee who shall pay each month a sum equal to five cents to
the National Committee for every member in good standing in their respective
territories. "Each state or territory may organize in such way or manner and
under such rules and regulations as it may determine, but not in conflict with the
power of this Constitution. A State or territory shall be deemed organized and
shall have a right to affiliate upon the organization of not less than four
branches, each branch to consist of not less than five members. Each State

100 Indiana Magazine of History

The Unity Convention, in adopting a national constitution, made
the unit of organization the State; hence, locals must affiliate with
the State. Dues stamps can be had only from the State office. The
general principle is State autonomy with its locals working in har-
mony with the National organization.

Indiana had been organized under the Social Democratic party
which had recognized local branches in cities and towns as units.
Dues were paid directly to the National office and if the members
paid any dues to the State organization it was purely an individual
matter.^ ^ The State had fared well in this voluntary payment for
Hugo Miller, State Treasurer, was able to report to the Indianapolis
convention, June 24, 1901, a surplus of $23.85 after paying all ex-
penses that had accrued since the organization of the State executive
board on July 20, 1900.

The committee on State organization for Indiana, which had been
selected by the delegates to the unity convention, went to work to
reconstruct the Socialist branches, locals and independent organiza-
tions. Bulletins were sent out requesting special meetings to pass
upon the plans at once and report to the secretary of the committee
their vote upon the following: "Seat of Headquarters — Terre
Haute and Indianapolis, nominated. Shall State officers be elected
by referendum vote to serve until first convention ?"i9

The efforts of the committee met with such good success that
ere the appointed time Indiana received her charter.^o

The National Organization affiliates with the State through the
National Committee.^i In the beginning the States and Territories

and territory organized shall receive a cha.rter. The States are to elect Nationaf
Committeemen by September 1, 1901." — Proceedings of the Unity Convention,
641-642.

^* Report of State Treasurer to the Delegates of the Indiana State Convention;
The Toiler, Terre Haute, Sept. 20, 1901.

" The Toiler: Terre Haute, Sept. 20, 1901.

20 This charter reads as follows : "To the Comrades of the Socialist Party
in the State of Indiana, Greeting: Your application for affiliation with the
Socialist Party has been granted and your organization has been entered on
the roll as the State organization of Indiana. Provided, that your organiza-
tion shall issue no platforms or utterances in conflict with the National Platform
and will not institute any rules or regulations in conflict with the provisions of
the National Constitutions. The National Committee reserves the right to sus-
pend or revoke this charter on account of violation of the above provisions.

"Dated at St. Louis, Mo., this 16th day of October, 1901.

(Signed) National Committee,
"E. Val. Putnam, Chairman,
"Leon Greenbaum, Secretary."

This charter is framed and hangs in the office at State Headquarters.

" "The affairs of the Socialist Party shall be administered by the National
Committee, its sub-committees and officials, the National Convention and the

Cox: Socialist Party 101

when organized were allowed one member but as the party increases
in size additional members on basis of party strength are permitted.^-
In 1904 an additional member for every thousand members or major
fraction thereof, in good standing in the party. In 1908 this was
increased to two thousand and in 1912 to three thousand :

For the pui-pose of determining the representation to which each State
or Territory may be entitled, the executive secretary shall compute at the
beginning of each calendar year the average dues-paying membership of
such State or Territory for the preceding year. Three years' consecutive
membership in the party shall be necessary to qualify for membership in
the National Committee.22

By a recent ruling of the party the State secretaries of all organ-
ized States and Territories may act as National Committeemen or
such other persons as the members of the party in the State shall
elect by referendum vote. The committeemen may also be subject
to recall by referendum. The National Committee meets once a
year but it may hold special sessions by a vote of two-thirds of its
members. "The members attending the meetings shall be paid from
the national treasury their railroad fares and $2.50 per day to cover
expenses."

The duties of the National Committee are carried on largely by
correspondence. They have charge of the following: — calling con-
ventions, making reports, strengthening the organization by propa-
ganda, managing a lecture bureau, routing lectures in districts that
are weak, formulating rules and order of business of national con-
vention, receiving reports from State organizations, conducting na-
tional referendums, recommending amendments to the National
Constitution, appropriating the funds, and electing some national
ofificers.

The national committee keeps in close touch with the work of
the State through the State party offices. The constitution for the
Socialist party in Indiana provides that :

The management of the Socialist party of Indiana shall be adminis-
tered by its officers, an executive committee, a State committee, locals and
branches, pai'ty conventions, and general vote of the membership. The
officers and committees of this organization shall consist of a Chairman,
State Secretary-Treasurer, Woman Correspondent, 'Executive Committee of
five members, and a proper quota of National Committeemen.2 3

general vote of the party." Act III, Sec. 1, Constitution of the Socialist Party.
1914.

22 Constitution of the Socialist Party, 1904. Art. IV, Sec. 1, and later amend-
ments.

^ National Constitution of Socialist Party 1912, Art. V, Sec. 1-12.

102 Indiana Magazine of History

The party officers and committees up to the adoption of the new
constitution April 10, 1914, had been named by the party in State
convention and then submitted to the locals for a referendum vote.
It was necessary to name at least two persons for each office so
there might be a choice, but by the present system the State secre-
tary-treasurer sends out a call on the first Monday in October to
the locals for nominations giving a limited time for nominations and
acceptances :

Then withiu ten days ballots sliall be prepared and sent out for the
referendum; thirty days to be allowed for the vote; should there be no
majority vote for any candidate on the first ballot, then within ten days
all names but the two highest shall be dropped ; when more than two can-
didates remain and only one to be elected, and all but three dropped when
two are to be elected, and so on allowing of one candidate in excess of the
actual number to be elected before a second and final ballot is to be taken.
Thirty days shall be allowed for the second ballot.

The duties of the State party officers are definitely outlined :

The Chairman shall attend to all political transactions involving the
signing of documents, as may be prescribed by State law. He shall attend
to the political affairs of the party and supply such information regarding
the election laws as may be required by virtue of his ofiice. He shall be a
member of the Executive Committee, and he shall have been a member of
the party for two consecutive preceding elections.24

The real business of the party is transacted by the secretary-
treasurer. In the beginning of the party the duties of this hyphen-
ated officer were performed by two different members, each serv-
ing as a labor of love, but the work was too much for a man to do
and carry on his own business. In 1904:

It was decided that the duties of secretary shall be performed by a
regularly employed and paid official who shall devote his entire time to
the worli and shall receive as compensation a minimum salary of fifty
dollars a month or a maximum of eighty at the discretion of the state
executive board.25

The salary question was later placed in the hands of the State
Convention. It has been gradually increased from fifty dollars to
sixty in 1911, sixty-five in 1912 and seventy-five since 1912. The
office rent and supplies are paid for by the party and the fixtures
are owned by the party.

The State Secretary-Treasurer shall have charge of all affairs of the

2* Constitution of the Socialist Party of Indiana. Art. IV, Sec. 1.

" Constitution of the Socialist Party of Indiana. 1904. Art. IV, Sec. 3.

Cox: Socialist Party 103

state office subject to the direction of the Executive Committee, conduct
the correspondence of the state office, sign and issue charters, sell and dis-
tribute Socialist literature, report to the National Secretary as provided
in the National Constitution, report monthly to the locals an itemized
account of the receipts and expenditures and general work of the previous
month; annually render to the State Convention a full account financially
and otherwise of the year; keep a system of names of all the active So-
cialists of Indiana; attend to the touring of all organizers (state and
national) working in the state, and do such other work as may be im-
posed by the Executive Committee, said amount to be not less than $500.26

The office of the secretary-treasurer is the headquarters for the
State. It is open the year round and is a regular beehive of activity.
A fairly good-sized book store must be conducted besides taking
care of the party records. The room is the editorial one for publish-
ing the Indiana Socialist Party Bulletin, copies of which are sent to
the locals for distribution among the members so that each one may
keep in touch with every move that is made and know how the
money is used, for the members "pay the fiddler and call the tunes."

Closely connected with the work of the secretary-treasurer is that
of the executive committee, composed of the chairman and four
other members :

The state organization shall pay all necessary expenses of members
of the Executive Committee and allow them two dollars per day during
time of actual service. They shall meet eveiy four months or oftener
if necessary between meetings, the business of the party to be carried on
by correspondence. 2 T

This committee has concurrent powers in connection with the
secretary-treasurer in transacting all business that is not expressly
delegated to the State secretary-treasurer or the vote of the party.
It has original jurisdiction in the care of all legal possessions of the
party in Indiana, also in the hearing and revoking of any charter of
any subdivision which is accused of violating party principles.

Another very important party officer in the State organization is
the Woman's State Correspondent or secretary. The constitution of
the party places this office co-ordinate with State secretary but does
not define the duties, while the constitutions of 1912 and 1913 define
the duties but do not classify the position. Her duties are to keep in
touch with women correspondents elected by the locals and with the
State secretary-treasurer, who is to co-operate with her to bring

^ Constitution of Socialist Party of Indiana. 1904. Art. IV^ Sec. 2.
'^Constitution of Socialist Party of Indiana. 1914. Art. IV, Sec. 4 and Sec. 5.

104 Indiana Magazine of History

women into the Socialist party and make them inteUigent suffragist
Socialists.

The first woman correspondent, Rosa Lehnert, of Indianapolis
in her report to the State convention in 1912 made some unexpected
recommendations for the men to follow, one of which was :

That the male membership of the State take particular note of the
rapid growth of sentiment toward granting women the rights of franchise
—that when the time does arrive that they may be comited on our side
and not allow them to be used as a boomerang to defeat us after our
years of agitation in their behalf. 2 8

In another paragraph she speaks of the need of Socialism's being
carried "to every woman wage slave, or slave of a slave in our
State. This can best be accomplished by the husband and father,
who are already Socialists staying at home with the children and in
other ways make it possible for the wife and mother to attend their
meetings."

Working with the woman's correspondent there are at present
three hundred dues-paying members standing on the same footing
as the men with a voice and vote in the party management. They
distribute each week thousands of leaflets on Socialism and Wom-
an's Suffrage, or any literature especially for women, whether they
be wage workers or wives of wage earners.

Aside from party work they never let an opportunity go by to
assist in any suffrage demonstration. Before the meeting of the
General Assembly in 1913 the State correspondent, Lilith Martin,
of Anderson, sent suffrage petitions to all locals in the State for
their signatures and for those of their friends. She secured three
or four thousand signatures for equal suffrage and gathered the
women party leaders together in Indianapolis prepared to assist the
other organizations of the State that were for equal suffrage. The
Equal Franchise bill did not pass the committee but the Socialist
women proved their willingness to help the women of the State even
if they did have different political views. This co-operation has
resulted in placing the Socialist women in a better standing with the
other suffragists of the State. Miss Florence Wattles, a prominent
Socialist organizer, is a favorite speaker for them. The special
work for the women has not been as successful as it was claimed it
would be. The women generally prefer to do their work in the lo-
cals co-ordinate with the men.

-8 ReiJort of Women's State Correspondent to State Convention of the Social-
ist Party of Indiana, Indianapolis, Jan. 27, 28, 1912.

Cox: Socialist Party 105

The activities of the party are kept ahve in season and out of
season by the lowest unit of organization, the local or branch. This
is in reality a political club. "By subscribing to the constitution and
the platform of the Socialist party five or more persons may organ-
ize a local, subject to the approval of the executive committee."
This number has not been changed since the beginning of the party
organization.

It was the intention of the party at first to make the county local
the unit. In the constitution of 1902, little is said about organiza-
tion except "Each county organization shall determine its own
initiation fees and dues, provided that it shall include ten cents per
month for each member to be paid to the State treasurer." In 1904
we again have the county emphasized :

Tbis organization shall be divided into county organizations to be
known as Locals wbicb may in turn be subdivided into subordinate bodies
known as branches, but all business with State offices shall be transacted
through county organizations. The first organization formed in any county
shall be granted jurisdiction in such county, but upon organization of all
other branches a county organization must be formed and each additional
branch must be given proportional representation in the management of
county affairs.29

By the present method of organization the local quite as often
centers in a town as the county, provided —

Only one Local may be organized in each town or city; but in town-
ships where no town or city is located each township may contain one
Local. A branch shall be a division of a Local and shall constitute a com-
ponent part thereof and may only be organized and granted a charter by
the Local Central Committee.

The local receives its charter from the State signed by the State
chairman and State secretary ; the branch from the county or oldest
local in the county and it is signed by the county chairman and the
county secretary. The conditions are the same as those required for
a State charter except they go somewhat further. The local adds
State to its national obligations; and the branch, county, to State
and national. The committee granting the charter reserves the right
to revoke it for violation of its obligations.

"The following officers, at least, shall be elected by each local :
organizer, secretary, financial secretary, literature agent, a chairman
and a woman correspondent." The secretary shall report to the

-^ Constitution of Socialist Party in Indiana. 1904. Art. Ill, Sec. 1.

106 Indiana Magazine of History

state secretary-treasurer the facts of the organization. He in turn
will be provided with blanks upon which monthly reports must be
made and if the local fails to make a "report for three months shall
not be considered in good standing and shall not be entitled to par-
ticipate in any referendum or general business of the State or-
ganization. Locals or members thereof shall not co-operate with
or fuse in any manner with any other political party."

The right of membership is inherent in the local. The appli-
cant must present the proper credentials and, if there is any objec-
tion to his becoming a member, two-thirds majority is required for
admission. The local may expel:

Any person proved guilty of violating the laws and principles of tlie
organization must be suspended or expelled. Accused shall have written
charges preferred against them, signed by the accuser, and furnished a
written copy of the same thirty days before trial and allowed a fair and
impartial trial. Members must belong to a Local at least three months
before casting a vote to expell or retain a member.

The right of any Local or branch to carry on its worli of agitation,
education and propaganda in such manner and with such literature or
speakers as may be deemed best by a majority of its members shall not
be questioned; but no local or branch shall employ speakers to advocate
or distribute literature advocating any connection with any capitalist or
reform party or with any religious or industrial organization.

The slogan of the local is "Keep Busy." Some locals have in
addition to their regular monthly business meeting sessions of
study and of pleasure. These meetings are usually held on Sunday
as that is the only time the working man cares to attend. The no-
tices of meetings appear in the party papers but seldom in a local
one.3^ It is the intention to make the coming together a means of
holding SociaHsts together and keep up their enthusiasm and to
attract outsiders so as to make converts of them.

Methods of propaganda are discussed and campaigns are mapped
out and followed up between meetings by circulating The Appeal
and as they say, "If that does not bring a man in, then try The Rip
Saw and it will fetch him." Some get lists of subscribers to their
party papers and follow up those routes by a canvass to sell litera-
ture. Books are borrowed from pubHc libraries and loaned to per-
sons whose taste prefers a bound book to a pamphlet.

Some locals have regularly planned courses of study in Socialist

3" Socialist Party Meeting. Regxilar meeting of the 14th Ward, west, every
Sunday morning at 9 :30, at the corner of Harvard St. and Blair Ave., in I. O.
O. F. Building. Charles Becker, Sec.

Cox: Socialist Party 107

literature. Debating is a favorite intellectual exercise. They will
challenge any one to meet them. One of their favorite subjects for
discussion is immediate action versus political, if they can receive
answers to their challenge from advocates of immediate action.
The locals are allowed much latitude and frequently become clan-
nish. Madison county local keeps things moving. They have a
business meeting on Sunday afternoon at which each branch makes
a report and after this they sing. On Wednesday night they study
law. On Thursday night they have a euchre club.

Vigo County Local has a band called the Unity Vigo County So-
cialist Band. This band is composed of Socialists and plays only
for Socialist and labor meetings, parades, etc.

Another feature of the local meetings is the appointment of
committees to investigate the conditions of the poor in their vicinity.
They go from house to house and see if there are any cases of real
need. They are especially active in a strike because this is an oppor-
tune time to befriend people who may eventually be won to party
membership.

Members distribute literature in envelopes designed for the pur-
pose. Printed on the back are these words :

Please read the enclosed. You will find it both interesting and in-
structive. If after reading, you wish to retain, the price is five cents;
otherwise please return. The party leaving this will call again in a few
days.

A study of Socialist methods of membership will show some-
thing distinctly original in American politics.

It is not necessary to be a voter in order to join the SociaHst
party. At first any one sixteen years old, later changed to eighteen
years, without question as to color, sex, creed, or previous condition
of political servitude unless this party service was not under civil
service is eligible.

In order to become a member of the party an applicant must
subscribe to the following :

I, the undersigned, recognizing the class struggle between the capitalist
class and the working class, and the necessity of the working class consti-
tuting itself into a political party distinct from and opposed to all parties
formed by the capitalist class, hereby declare that I have severed my rela-
tions with all other parties, and I endorse the platform and constitution
of the Socialist Party including the principle of political action, and hereby
apply for admission to said party.

108 Indiana Magazine of History

The original application is kept with the recording secretary of
the local or branch with which the application is made and a dupli-
cate is sent to the State committee unless the county has a central
committee, in which case it goes through their hands to the State
committee.

A careful watch is kept lest som.e one is brought into the fold
who is not orthodox. It is not numbers of members but quality
that is demanded. The following item shows what is liable to hap-
pen whenever there are any irregularities :

Member Expelled ! Local Ft. Wayne requests that announcement be
made that Sam. L. Randolph of Central Branch has been expelled by the
party. The expelled member was active in support of Woodrow Wilson
and the Democratic Party.si

Another original feature in political organization is the dues-
paying system. Its financial support as well as its political depends
upon the working people and those in sympathy with them. They
have a voice and a vote in all the party affairs from the selection
of the officers of the local to national committeemen from their
State. Through the referendum they have a voice in national affairs
of the party.

When a member is admitted to the party membership he receives
a red card which is now used as a cover for the State constitution
of the party. Up to 1913 the folder was separate but it was thought
better to make the change, "The purpose being that each applicant
becoming a member of the Socialist party will be sure of having a
State constitution to familiarize himself with the working order of
the Socialist party."^^

The face of the folding card has blanks to fill in name, address,
date of admission, State and local. The back of it has blanks to
fill for transfer record. Inside there is placed a scheme for receipts
for dues.

There are spaces printed for three years of dues stamps and the
other fourth of the space is left for "Special Stamps which may be
issued to members who have paid dues for three months and who
are out of work temporarily under any condition which is not within
their control."33

51 Indiana Socialist Bulletin, November, 1912.

^ Minutes of the State Convention of the Socialist Party of Indiana, Marion^
Feb. 8-9, 1913.

S3 National Constitution of Socialists. 1912. Art. X, Sec. 7.

Cox: Socialist Party 109

The due stamps are small adhesive ones not quite so large as a
postage stamp. The sale of these is the only sure support of the
party. The national office prints them and sends them to the State
secretary so that the office receives five cents for each member, ex-
cluding those whose affiliation is kept up by exemption stamps. The
member so elected is called a "red card" Socialist to distinguish him
from other factions. The secretary-treasurer sells these stamps to
the Locals or Branches for a "sum equal to fifteen cents for each
due stamp. Ten per cent of the dues received by the State office
each month shall be set aside as mileage fund for delegates to the
State Convention" and the balance, after the national office receives
its pay, goes to support the State offices.

The monthly clues are payable on the first day of each month. Any
member in arrears for three months will not be deemed in good standing,
and shall not be entitled to vote on referendum or in convention, provided
that this shall not apply to regular members who are unable to pay.

The local or branch sells the due stamps for twenty-five cents
and ten cents of this sum maintains the Local organization. Any
one living in a locality where there is no Local may apply to the
secretary-treasurer for admission to membership and enclose one
month's dues. The dues of members-at-large are twenty-five cents
per month. The secretary-treasurer keeps a careful record of all
receipts and expenditures of dues and makes an annual report to the
Locals of the State and the delegates to the State convention and
each month in the Socialist Party Indiana Bulletin sends to the locals
reports of the receipts of the previous month and the same month
a year before so that each one may know if the funds are in-
creasing.

The following figures show the dues paid in Indiana for the
past eleven years: 1903, $419.06 (8 months) ; 1904, $732.35 ; 1905,
$717.25; 1906, $1,135.85; 1907, $851.13; 1908, $1,886.22; 1909,
$1,660.39; 1910, $2,262.00; 1911, $3,742.51; 1912, $4,769.15; 1913,
$3,414.80.

It will be observed by the above table that campaign years pro-
duce better results than off years, yet the figures show a healthful
growth ; and that while some members take a Rip Van Winkle sleep
they can be revived and depended upon. The cause suffers for a
short time and then recovers.

There are other causes than lack of interest that may cause a
retrenching in funds.

110 Indiana Magazine of History

In the latter three months of the year of 1913 there has been quite a
number of exempt stamps called for, probably more of these stamps were
used in the last three or four months in Indiana than all times since the
exemption stamps have been in use in the Party.34

There is another purpose besides financing the party that the
dues system serves. It keeps the party organization in touch with
its constituents and forbids some new advocate from stepping into
places of trust and taking the reins out of the hands of the "war
horses."

No member shall be nominated for civil office on the Socialist ticket,
nor for office in the party organization unless he has been a member of the
party for two years preceding the nomination; provided, that this shall
not prevent nominations in political subdivisions where there has been no
organization for so long a period.

The revenue of this organization shall be derived from the sale of
dues, stamps, party supplies, literature and from pledges and contributions
from individuals and Locals.

The pubHcity of campaign funds was fundamental with the So-
cialists and was done before there was a law requiring it.

The platform speaker of the Socialist party is not only a speaker
to rally the party and get new converts to it, but he is an organizer.
If five members may be found where there is no organization or if
by reason of indifference the Local has lapsed when it once had
existed, it is the duty to form a local.

The organizers receive a salary varying from two dollars to five
per day and expenses. In the beginning of the party propaganda
the organizer spoke on the street because few halls would be open
on account of prejudice or lack of pay. Now if they speak on the
street corner it is from choice. The speakers take up collections
and sell literature. The literature is sold to the State office from
the national at wholesale price. The organizers sell at retail price
and the difference between these two prices goes to the State or-
ganization.

In 1912 there were thirteen speakers in the field with a total of
856 days out.^^ The amount of literature sales was $864.00 While
the speakers receive a regular salary and expenses, the amount they
turn over to the State frequently balances their expenses. Locals
sometimes secure speakers independently of the State committee

3* Annual Report of the State Secretary-Treasurer of Socialist Party in
Indiana, 1913.

^ State Secretary-Treasurer's Rsport for 1912.

Cox: Socialist Party 111

and pay a much larger sum for their services than those receive who
are routed by the State.

There is an enormous amount of pamphlets given away, 21,700
free ones being sent to some weak Locals in one month. Tons of
free literature have been sent out from the State headquarters.

The lyceum department of the national office sends speakers out
at their own expense. They usually spend ten or twelve days in a
State and speak each day. Mr. W. A. Jacobs, of Wisconsin, spoke
on "Political Power" in Indiana last campaign.

The function and name organizer dates back to the Social Demo-
cratic party. Messrs. Evinger, Thorndyke, Oneal, Greuling and
Thornton were in the field for the Social Democratic Party. Messrs.
J. W. Kelly and A. S. Edwards made tours of the state in October
following the unity convention.

The party is by no means nailed down on the question of organ-
izers. Each convention sees some change made. They have had
county organizers, district and State, elected by Locals, in the case
of the county and district and State by the convention, but in reality
any sanctioned speaker is an organizer.

The main speakers and organizers in Indiana at present are :
Terre Haute, Eugene Debs, S. M. Reynolds, J. H. Hollingsworth,
William Houston, James Oneal, Judson Oneal, W. W. Risher; In-
dianapolis, William Henry, Edward Henry, J. Zimmermann; An-
derson, W. W. Farmer, Janet Fenimore Korngold, Frederick Strick-
land; Marion, John W. Kelley, William McKown, S. S. Condo, O. B.
Hall; Valparaiso, W. E. Graham, Ira Tilton; Evansville, Edward
Miller; Kokomo, Florence Wattles; Garrett, L. M. Nesmith; Mun-
cie, Ross Brown; Montpelier, S. C. Garrison; Peru, Robert Du-
derstade.

One of the most interesting ways that the party manifests itself
is through its State convention. Up to 1914 the party held a con-
vention each year, usually in February, for the purpose of naming
candidates for party officers who serve one year and civil offices
on election years but by a recent decision, "A State Convention
shall be held bi-annually in the month of May during the years
when civil officers are to be elected. Special conventions may be
held at any time if decided upon by a general vote of party mem-
bership."

The exact time and the place of the convention is decided by the
State committee. Indianapolis and Terre Haute have been favorite

112 Indiafta Magasine of History

convention cities yet it may go to any town. One was held in Ko-
komo and one in Marion.

The announcement for the call for the convention is sent by the
State chairman to each Local about sixty days before the time of
meeting. The call for February 14, 1914, read as follows :

Comrades, Greeting :

The time is near wlien tlie comrades of Indiana must elect and send
delegates to a State convention to start in tlie campaign of 1914. Capital-
ism is still here and there is nothing left for the Socialist party but con-
tinue its work till this capitalist system of government has been supplanted
with an Industrial Democracy by the working class. Therefore, I, as State
chairman of the Socialist party of Indiana, on this twenty-sixth day of
December, 1913, send this call, that the party meet in convention in Indi-
anapolis, February 14 and 15, 1914, beginning at 10 a. m. on the 14th to
nominate for the various offices to be voted for at the November election
1914, and such other business as may properly come before the convention.
Yours for Industrial Freedom,

Marion Wiley,
State Chairman.^6

The convention meets in some obscure place where a hall may
be had for a small sum. The newspapers give little or no publicity
to the meeting. The city where it meets does not take on convention
aspect, and decorate with flags, bunting and pictures of favorite
sons. There are no crowded hotels with their all-night before
caucuses and bosses dropping in now and then just for friendship
sake.

The convention hall and the delegates present just as much con-
trast as may be seen in the convention city. The hall is not deco-
rated ; its doors are wide open to the public. The delegates are not
politicians with special interests who come to represent a constitu-
ency that have not awakened to the fact that there is to be a con-
vention until it is all over and all settled. Our forefathers were
not more serious in their conventions.

The Locals are thoroughly alive from the time of the call for the
convention; in fact their interest is aroused three months before
the meeting, for at this time they are called upon to nominate a
committee of five on the State constitution which must be elected
in the manner provided for taking referendum. Each Local is
allowed to send one delegate and one additional one for each twenty-
five members. The members-at-large are represented in the same

'» Proceedings of the Indiana State Convention of Socialist Party.

Cox: Socialist Party 113

proportion. The delegates receive mileage and the committee on
constitution receive in addition car fare and two dollars per day.
Their time begins the day before the convention and ends as soon
as the constitution is adopted by the convention.

The convention is called to order by the State chairman. The
delegates name by ballot the temporary chairman so that it is not
safe for any man to come to the convention with a ready prepared
speech in his pocket, for no one can foresee who will receive the
honor. His presence is not heralded by the usual scream and shout.
He does not rattle the dry bones of party leaders for several reasons.
His party is new and it is a party that exists upon principles and
not upon leaders.

Even the credentials committee is elected so that there is no
possible chance for wire pulling. The only permanent offices that
hold through the convention, and these are not necessarily so, are
the secretary, two tellers, and a sergeant-at-arms, but even these
must be named and elected at each session by the delegates. The
committees are elected in the same way as the officers. The most
important committees are as follows : credentials, rules and order,
platform and resolutions, grievances, auditing. The constitution
committee is one of the important ones but it is now chosen by
referendum.

A new chairman is elected for each session and no man need
flatter himself that he is in such demand that he may be chairman
for more than one session. It is a matter of education for chair-
man and delegate. They have made the rules so they ought to know
them and if they should forget they have copies of the State con-
stitution in their hands. Time is of no consequence, to be right is
everything. The stake for which they play is not to be measured in
dollars and cents in the way of patronage, but it must stand the
scrutiny of the party members for all time to come.

Each delegate who wants the floor rises and shouts, "Comrade
Chairman !" until some one is recognized by the chair then the one
recognized must preface his remarks by announcing his name and
the name of his Local. He is allowed but five minutes in which to
speak and no delegate is permitted to speak twice upon the same
subject until all have spoken unless the convention grants him this
privilege. Frequently there are a dozen on the floor shouting for a
hearing and will not be pacified until the chairman assures them
that he will hear each one of them if they stay there until midnight.

114 Indiana Magazine of History

The State committee has a voice but no vote in the convention. The
constitution committee have a voice when the constitution is dis-
cussed but they have no vote unless they are delegates.

Instead of visits from detached missionaries who go around to
tighten the wires there are calls from the members of the various
committees who are obliged to sit in another room but who pull
themselves away long enough to look in and see what is going on.

There is little emotionalism, almost no cheering, but a grim,
deep-set determination pervading the atmosphere. When the time
comes for nominating party and civil officers there is no lack of
names presented. Each delegate is bent on having some one from
his Local named. As many as six persons were named for some
of the offices in 1914. The delegates to the State convention occu-
pied seats in front. Vigo, Marion and Madison Locals outnum-
bered the rest. The rank and file sat back of the delegates. When
a vote was taken viva voce there was much consternation lest the
persons without authority to do so were voting. They were so
democratic that they allowed themselves to be voted out of the right
to smoke in the convention hall. They are ever mindful of their
mission in behalf of their comrades.

The Locals have a right to send recommendations that they want
to have considered in the convention. These are referred to the
proper committees and are reported when the regular report is
made. In subject-matter the convention resembles the New England
town meeting. Every variety of subject is discussed from capital
punishment down to private matters such as an attack on the char-
acter of some member. There is now and then a fling at the capi-
talist class and the capitalist laws but there lies under all a desire to
better present conditions and make their work constructive rather
than destructive. Collections are taken for the families of any
organization known to be in want either from strikes or lack of
work.^'^ All sorts of petitions are sent to the Federal and State
authorities. Their manner of work is no less interesting than
delegates.

The personnel of the convention is not as might be expected, a
gathering of working people. In the convention of 1914 there
might be seen the lawyer, the student, the society lady, the working
man and woman. The race variations were equally noticeable, white,

3' The Collection Committee for Michigan miners reported $22.75; State Con-
vention Proceedings, Feb. 14, 15, 1914.

Cox: Socialist Party 115

black, and what is most unusual in convention, a Navaho Indian with
long hair and wearing a gorgeous red tie sat with the comrades
from Valparaiso. All seemed to discuss questions of State with
equal ease and interest. There were a few women delegates and
while the party is fundamentally pledged to equal rights their years
of heredity in which men have dominated in political matters mani-
fested itself quite frequently and the women seemingly were for-
gotten.

The convention sessions are long, with intermissions at lunch
time when people go to some nearby lunch room and hasten back.
No one thinks of leaving the room but for a short time even when
the sessions run through the night. At least two full days are
given to a convention, closing on Sunday.

The final close of the convention is one rousing union of voice?
in singing the Marseillaise by substituting "Ye Sons of Toil" for
"Ye Sons of France."

The State convention is followed up by the referendums on the
civil and party officers and on the constitution. The referendum
for selecting nominees for State and party offices is arranged like
the Massachusetts ballot, all nominees are given in parallel columns
with a square at the left side of the name in which to check the pre-
ferred name.

The referendum on the constitution gives the proposed consti-
tution in full and leaves a space on each side of each section. The
space on the left hand side is for yes and the right for no.

Enough referendums are sent to each local so that a copy may
be in the hands of each member. The local tabulates the votes and
sends the report to the State headquarters. It sometimes happens
that there is no choice so another referendum is sent out. A limited
time, usually about thirty days, is set to close all referendums.

The campaign methods are much the same as those used by any
other political party. More organizers are sent into the field than
at other times. A preference is shown to districts that have nomi-
nated full tickets. The national office sends out speakers to the
places where they are most needed. Rallies are held. The largest
ones have been in Indianapolis, Evansville, Terre Haute, Anderson,
Elwood, Ft. Wayne and Richmond. Eugene Debs draws enormous
crowds wherever he speaks. He challenged Mr. W. H. Taft to
debate with him in Philadelphia last campaign but the president
declined, owing to the fact that he was taking no speaking part in

116 Indiana Magazine of History

the campaign.38 yi^. Debs' work is over the United States so that
it is not many of the Indiana towns that have a chance to hear him.
Collections for the party are taken at their rallies instead of the usual
method, barbecue and burgoo feasts.

They follow the regular campaign style of putting in the win-
dows the pictures of favorite candidates. Pictures are worn on
neckties, flaunted from pennants or they may be used on buttons.
Party emblems are used on buttons and pennants, also tie clips,
and cuff buttons. The red flag badge may be the favorite of some
of the adherents. Probably no larger percentage of Socialists take
part in these demonstrations than in the old line parties.

The real work of the party goes on all the time and few votes
are gained by the red fire method. It requires the educational one
to win converts. When a Socialist is once enrolled he is not liable
to compromise his vote. The results of the elections show the abid-
ing character of the voters :

TABLE OF SOCIALIST VOTES, 1896-1912.

(The vote in 1900 includes that of the Socialist Labor and the Social Demo-
cratic tickets. The vote is for the head of the ticket.)

1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912

Adams 1 1 9 5 13 24 30

Allen 20 99 170 954 470 396 494 694 1,512

Bartholomew 2 1 16 142 98 84 59 130 196

Benton 1 3 7 4 1 3 15 22 30

Blackford 92 6 23 37 34 42 125 256

Boone 1 3 10 4 19 14 11 29 90

Brown 1 7 5 5 9 12

Carroll 1 6 14 34 68 58 83

Cass 1 29 24 45 52 22 38 91 187

Clark 6 11 20 42 133 46 68 113 137

Clay 8 69 182 308 432 172 499 463 697

Clinton 6 1 30 56 47 78 102 219

Crawford 6 16 82 80 128

Daviess 34 17 95 148 99 204 193 327

Dearborn 1 6 41 126 62 20 41 62 146

Decatur 4 4 12 16 41 33 39 40 88

DeKalb 4 6 96 154 69 63 87 457

Delaware 17 163 149 58 362 107 316 824 1,199

Dubois 4 1 4 5 4 58 83 106

Elkhart 14 31 89 216 472 315 400 471 856

Fayette 2 2 65 107 90 81 101 231

Floyd 7 16 12 66 235 158 226 241 341

Fountain 15 6 15 14 35 45 72 140

Franklin 25223 11 72 30

Fulton 1 9 17 22 13 44 70

Gibson 1 5 5 33 91 46 86 125 295

38 Appeal to Reason, Oct. 5, 1912.

Cox: Socialist Party

117

1896 1898 1900

Grant 9 145 337

Greene 7 86

Hamilton 1 4 10

Hancock 9 3

Harrison 3 4

Hendricks 1 1

Henry 2 5 9

Howard 33 51

Huntington 2 50

Jackson 12 2

Jasper 2 3 3

Jay 8 4

Jefferson 15 26

Jennings 2 1

Johnson 12 7

Knox 2 5 4

Kosciusko 7

La Grange 1

Lake 4 32 25

Laporte 4 10 42

Lawrence 1 6

Madison 3 102 185

Marion 103 265 281

Marshall 2 3 2

Martin 1 2

Miami 1 8 22

Monroe _^ 3

Montgomery 2 2

Morgan 4 2

Newton 1 2

Noble

Ohio 1

Orange 2

Owen 7

Parke 3 16 82

Perry 1 2

Pike 1 3

Porter 5 4

Posey 2 5 9

Pulaski 2 5 1

Putnam 1 2 12

Randolph 15 2

Ripley 14 19

Rush 3

Scott 1 1

Slielby 5 5

Spencer 115

Starke 113

Steuben 16 3

St. Joseph 2 36 45

Sullivan 8 21

Switzerland 2

Tippecanoe 2 3

Tipton 9 6 3

Union 4 73

Vanderburg 36 179 330

Vermillion 40

Vigo 8 93 353

902

1904

1906

1908

1910

1912

158

281

167

339

638

1,323

180

377

930

812

1,203

133

118

156

437

211

255

897

1,107

105

207

198

241

221

252

117

175

218

137

200

120

375

470

892

210

109

386

156

303

576

1,182

103

170

397

119

366

398

328

882

692

894

1,789

1,947

871

1,067

751

1,075

2,330

5,268

164

157

112

187

261

422

110

173

185

106

161

115

204

167

346

131

138

298

114

120

132

135

126

272

163

194

319

151

318

107

236

705

958

1,285

200

398

419

1,045

191

113

,280

1,780

633

1,034

709

2,572

141

225

407

302

550

335

814

284

690

1,017

1,862

1900

1902

1904

1906

1908

1910

1912

207

178

308

130

101

310

■2

145

280

281

308

468

1,032

132

118 Indiana Magazine of History

Wabash 1

"Warren

Warrick 1

Washington

Wayne 3

Wells 2

White

Whitley

Totals 302 1,795 21,374 7,111 12,013 7,824 13,476 19,632 36,931

The party vote is quite regular.^^ This is as the party wants it
to be. The strength of the party is put on its principles and they
do not approve of one man trying to have himself elected on account
of his personal strength. The party vote is widely scattered through-
out the State. The year 1912 showed the greatest gains. All coun-
ties except Montgomery, Orange and Perry gained. More Socialist
votes were cast in eleven cities in 1902 than were cast in the entire
State in 1900.^0 In 1900 and 1902 no votes were cast for either the
Social Democratic or Socialist Parties in the following counties :
Warren, Union, Jennings, Crawford, Martin, Newton and Ohio.

A comparison of election returns shows that the party must be
gaining by drawing from other political parties. More votes were
cast for Mr. Bryan in 1908 than were cast for Mr. Wilson and more
votes were cast for Mr. Taft than were cast in 1912 for Messrs.
Taf t and Roosevelt together.^!

In comparison with other States Indiana stood in the Socialist
Party eighth in 1912, ninth in 1910, thirteenth in 1896. Tho Social-
ist party in Indiana is not only gaining in votes but it is making itself
felt as a municipal force. In 1911 :

For the first time in the history of the Socialist Party of Indiana the
general town elections found a number of towns swept into the Socialist
column in the November election. These are as follows : Staunton, electing
entire ticket including Clerk, Marshal and two Trustees; Shirley, electing
entire ticket including Clerk, Treasurer, Marshal and Trustee; Millersburg,
entire ticket, including Clerk, Marshal, Treasurer and Trustee; Shelbum

89 VOTE IN 1912 —

S. M. Reynolds for governor 35,464

S. S. Condo, lieut.-governor 35,796

Reece Townsend, secretary of state 35,816

W. W. Farmer, treasurer 35,876

Ross D. Brown, presidential elector 36,931

" The Toiler, Terre Haute, July 11, 1902.

«i World's Almanac election returns, 1909-1914. — 1912, Mr. Wilson, 281,890;
1908, Mr. Bryan, 338,262 ; 1912, Mr. Roosevelt, 162,007 ; Mr. Taft 151,267 ; 1908,
Mr. Taft, 348,903.

Cox: Socialist Party 119

electing Treasurer and two Trustees; Farmersburg, Marshal; Spencer,
Marshall ; Normal City, Trustee ; Diamond, Trustee.42

The next year the party made further gains. At Marion the
comrades elected three councilmen and at Elwood one. Bicknell
elected every candidate but one. Fairview elected its complete
ticket, and the Socialist administration held over at Staunton as
there v^ras no opposition to it. The Indianapolis News said the So-
cialists w^on and the Democrats and Progressives lost.

At the present time Fairview and Staunton are the only towns
in the State which have all their officials of the Socialist party.
Marion has added another councilman. The party officials have
given the most of their time and energy to the questions of educa-
tion, safety, and health. The last election brought gratifying results,
as it is thought that those who support the party are really in line
with Socialist principles. The party Bulletin sent out each month
from the headquarters bears the message "No Compromise, No
Political Trading!" The statement issued by Mr. Debs entitled
"Danger Ahead" represents the views of the party in the State. ^^
The party must win on its principles.

The victories in the State are accompanied by its responsibilities.

These victories indicate that the Socialists of Indiana are now ap-
proaching a iwriod of responsibility, a period when we will find ourselves
carried into public office by a revolutionary working class. It is all the
more necessary, therefore, that our electoral campaigns shall be waged on
the clearest presentation of the issue between the working class and its
exploiters, and that extra precaution should be taken in nominating our
candidates.44

The party is gaining ground in converting the union men to party
principles. Forty per cent, of the union men of the State have
endorsed the Socialist principles, according to the report of the
State secretary, William Henry.

Now and then the party tries some Socialistic experiment with
fairly good results. Wabash has a coal yard owned and managed
by Socialists. It has proved a success for buyers and consumers
from the first.

One of the party achievements that does not show on the surface
is that of providing literature and reading rooms where laboring

*2 Annual Report of State Sec.-Treas. of Socialist Party of Indiana, Jan. 1,
1911, to Dec. 31, 1911.

" Walling, Socialism As It Is, p. 176.

*^ Annual Rep. of Sec.-Treas. of Soc. Party of Ind., 1911.

120 Indiana Magazine of History

men may get together to read or to talk over their problems of special
interest. They are not so liable to come under the control of the
political boss and adopt plans which will bring him gain today,
tomorrow or next day, but they are content to sit down and dis-
cuss economic questions from an ethical standpoint.

While it is too much to claim that the party prevents crime in
its present state, the criminal class do not care for the party. Mr.
R. T. Ely says of the criminal, "He adheres to a party which is
able to help him at once. He desires what is called in American
politics a pull."^^ The chaplain of Indiana State Prison said, "In
all my personal contact with individual prisoners for eight years I
do not think I have found ten who belonged to the Socialist
party." *^

Ministers throughout the State in general, while not coming out
and out for Socialism, recognize the class struggle. College profes-
sors treat the subject seriously.

Socialists are well united and grounded on the fundamental prin-
ciples but they find enough difference in methods of work to form
controversies that appear to be a serious menace to the ultimate aim
of the party. Foremost in the conflict may be found The Indus-
trial Workers of the World, who were organized in 1905 with a
constitution and a division into units called locals but they differ
from the Socialists in the collective ownership, management and dis-
tribution of the means of life, but they do not believe in political
action but direct. By direct action they do not mean violence but
they will achieve their purpose by simply refusing to deliver coal,
bread, clothing, etc.

They have a library in Indianapolis, of one thousand volumes
on Sociahst literature. Their cards announce : Visit the Free
Socialist Library and Reading Room, 31 Mansur Building, Alabama
and Washington streets. Many of the I. W. Ws belong to the
regular Socialist party. In 1908 there were sufficient numbers of
them in the State convention to dominate it. No platform was
made, the faction in control claimed that all the platform that was
needed could be put upon a button in these words : "We want the
earth now." The regular campaign speakers used the old platform
as a basis for their remarks and ignored the "direct actionists" and
gradually the party came into its own in the next convention and

« Richard T. Ely, Socialism and Social Reform, pp. 41-2.
*• Letter from L. L>. Kiplinger, July 20, 1914.

Co.r: Socialist Party 121

the Industrial Workers of the World have little influence in
the movement.

A controversy which seems likely to divide the party has arisen
in Anderson. One -faction known as the Critchley-McDonald-
Hunter, organized as Socialists, renounced the dues-paying system
of the party as a violation of the Corrupt Practices Act, held a con-
vention for the nomination of municipal offices to which all persons
in sympathy with reform in Anderson were invited to take part,
claiming that the "dues-paying" party is in the minority and does
not represent the Socialist vote. They nominated Mr. Critchley for
Mayor. He had never belonged to the Red-card Socialist party.
This faction captured the Anderson Critic, a supposed Socialist
paper. '^'^ They had the support of some of the ministers. They
also succeeded in securing the recognition of the election commis-
sioners of the city so that the local had to go on the ballot in the
city election under another party name and party emblem. ^^ The
local protested for the rights and secured an attorney to represent
them in the court but they were not sustained. The national office
sent Mr. Carl D. Thompson to the scene of conflict, October 13,
1913. He spent nearly a week in hearing the testimony on both
sides and after going over the evidence submitted vindicated the
local. The State convention sustained the local and refused to seat
any delegate from the faction.

The Grievance Committee reported at the State convention
February 14, 15, 1914, that Ira Tilton of Valparaiso Local was
guilty of charges of slander and anarchy against a member of the
party. The convention sustained the committee after hearing the
evidence on both sides and recommended that Valparaiso Local
expel said member. The local refused to do this and he has since
been nominated for Congress from his district. The State organi-
zation can not expel an individual but it can expel a local or a
district, so the district is now under the ban.

Mr. Debs thinks that these differences of opinion are disciplinary
and tests of mettle and will eventually result in good for the strength
of the party.

When Indiana came into the Union it was preeminently an
agricultural State. When its present constitution was adopted in
1851 sixty-four per cent, of the people were engaged in farming

" Indiana Socialist Bulletin, December 1912.

** Annual Report of the Secretary-Treasurer, 1913.

122 Indiana Magazine of History

but with the opening of the coal fields and the discovery of gas
and oil, conditions have changed rapidly.

The coal fields are centers for workingmen grouped either in
the county seats or in villages made up of miners. The Socialist
party finds this region its most fertile soil. The miners are almost
all foreigners, among which Germans and Jews predominate.

Of the cities employing the greatest number of wage earners
Indianapolis made the greatest gain for 1904 to 1909, increasing
21.3%. The other cities in rank are South Bend, Ft. Wayne,
Evansville and Terre Haute. These manufacturing cities are centers
for Socialist organizations.

Socialism does not appeal to the prosperous farmer living in
river bottoms or near the great manufacturing centers where he
finds a ready market but in the southern part of the State where
the soil is naturally not very fertile and conditions in general not
favorable there is much discontent with existing affairs and this
finds a chance for expression in the Socialist party. Propaganda
first and organization afterward has always been the plan of the
Socialists.

Before the battles of freedom there have always appeared the
writers, the orators, the artists, and the singers. Rousseau defying
"Logic of Liberty," Tom Paine, calling for freedom from the king ;
and Patrick Henry, as large as his times, fearlessly announcing new
doctrines to take the place of decadent ideals ; Lincoln and others
pleading for the chattel slave, and in our time, multiplying voices
crying aloud for complete freedom from wage slavery, subtlest and
meanest of all forms of human slavery.

Chief among the editors stands Julius A. Wayland, born in
Versailles, Indiana, in 1854. His father died when he was three
months old. He was intimately acquainted with poverty but he
gradually rose from "devil" to editor, removed to Pueblo, Colorado,
where he prospered and through investments in real estate he found
himself a rich man.

The tide turned in 1890, as he says :

I accidentally fell into a conversation about some strike on a railroad
with Mr. Bradfield, an English shoemaker, who had a little shop on Union
Avenue, and he gave me a pamphlet to read on the subject of the economic
or Socialist view point. To be brief, he landed me good and hard. I saw a
new light and found what I never before knew existed. I went into the
financial study so thoroughly that the result was, I closed up my real

Cox: Socialist Party 123

estate business and devoted my whole energies to the work of trying to
get my neighbors to see truths as I ha dlearned them.49

This conviction led him to return to newspaper business and he
removed to his native State and selected Greensburg, Indiana, for
his enterprise because of its being near the center of population in
the United States. He had plenty of money to run a paper for sev-
eral years even if the subscribers were not forthcoming. His paper
called the Coming Nation was the first propaganda Socialist paper
to be published wholly in the interests of the party. The sub-
scription list ran up to 65,000, but the unexpected happened. His
paper circulated chiefly in California and among the Populists of
the West and his being near the center of population was of no
avail. The proceeds of the paper were to be used for founding
a colony, which purpose was carried out in Ruskin, Tenn., but un-
successfully, so he removed to Girard and started the Appeal to
Reason, which he successfully edited until his death, November 10,
1912. After nearly two years it seems that the vow that was made
by the acting editor — namely : "The Appeal will continue its work
until the dreams of our departed comrade have been realized" —
may come true, for it is still the widest circulated of any Socialist
paper. ^^ Mr. Wayland said, "Our lives are but atoms — remem-
ber millions are to follow us. What we now enjoy others gave their
lives for. They did not shirk because they did not realize results." ^^

The newspaper as a means of State-party influence has not
met with much success. Efforts were made when the party was
organized to publish a State paper but did not receive sufficient
approval to warrant its publication. ^2 Some fear that if there is
a recognized official organ that there would be danger of capitalist
control. The Toiler, published in Terre Haute by the Social Demo-
cratic party, came out for Socialism after the Unity Convention
and published the party news until about 1905, when The Socialist
published in Evansville became the semi-official organ. An attempt
to make The Register published in Indianapolis the party paper
resulted in the paper's being endorsed for news. ^^ Papers are
published throughout the State with no thought of making them
permanent but of strengthening the party by spreading the party

" Leaves of Life, J. A. Wayland^ 24.

"> The Appeal to Reason, November 12, 1912.

" Leaves of Life, J. A. Wayland, 67.

" The Toiler, Terre Haute, 1901, Sept. 20.

" Convention Report of 1905, Exhibit III.

124 Indiana Magazine of History

principles and making new members. Mr. Debs and Mr. Reynolds
as well as other writers in the party are willing contributors of these
papers.

The Social Advance, published in Terre Haute by an editorial
committee composed of James Oneal, M. F. Hatfield, A. G. Siem-
ens, James Heenen and S. M. Reynolds, appeared on February 11,
1911, and lasted until May 3, 1912. The ownership and control
was vested in Local Vigo County. It distributed 15,000 copies in
Terre Haute and West Terre Haute. It came to its end through
lack of funds.

A new enterprise in the newspaper business started in the sum-
mer of 1910. A Socialist toured western Ohio and eastern Indiana
in the interest of the Finley Publishing Company of Finley, O.
The Socialists in that city had purchased a complete printing outfit
and were endeavoring to establish a chain of Socialist newspapers
in the above mentioned district. Each Socialist Local was solicited
to take twenty shares at $10 per share. This entitled them to a
paper. The whole chain of papers was printed alike, leaving from
two to four columns for Local's news, which was to be filled in by
the organization supporting it. The papers were to be locally named.
Many Locals took stock in the concern which seemed in a fair way
to solve the problem when the flood washed away the printing
establishment in Finley.

Marion has been the most active town in the State in late years
in trying to run a paper. It was in the Finley affair and called
the local paper Freedom's Banner, but the proposition was soon
abandoned. Their next attempt was The Marion Socialist, which
was printed occasionally when the Socialists felt that they had some-
thing to say of more than ordinary importance. The SociaHsts
pledged to distribute 5,000 copies and on the strength of this pledge
sufficient money was received from advertisements to pay the printer.
About eight copies of the paper were published.

The Economic Intelligencer sprang up as a result of the tre-
mendous vote cast by the party in 1912 in Grant county. After
the election a temporary organization was formed looking towards
the establishment of a company for the publishing of a Socialist
and Trade Union paper in Marion. The company was incorporated
under the laws of the State with an authorized capital stock of
$10,000. The paper lasted from May 8, 1913, to December of the
same year, when it went into the hands of a receiver. All the

Cox: Socialist Party 125

affairs were adjusted satisfactorily by April of 1914 and the com-
pany again came into the control of the paper. The management
was changed when the receiver was released and a new manage-
ment was appointed and is now publishing the same paper under
a new name, the Labor Sentinel, with Wilbur Sheron as editor
and publisher.

The history of the Socialist papers in Marion is typical of what
is going on in all the largest towns in the State. Anderson has
had at three different times small papers in the field, but hardly
dignified enough to be called newspapers. One of these papers
was called The Issue and its circulation was about four thousand
per week, by free distribution. It was used in campaigns, mostly,
but was kept going through the winter of 1910-11. "The devotion
of our members who voluntarily tramped through the snows of an
unusually severe winter to deliver the paper from house to house
was merely another instance of the indomitable spirit which has
kept the working class press alive in the face of almost insurmount-
able obstacles."

There is a plan to revive The Issue and make it a permanent
paper. They have a society called "The Workers' Publishing So-
ciety," which is engaged at present in collecting the necessary funds
to enable them to purchase the equipment. The paper will be owned
by the society, and the work of editing, printing, etc., will be per-
formed entirely by volunteer labor at first. They hope to have
the paper ready for propaganda in the fall elections.

Indianapolis has published the Indiana Socialist and the Indian-
apolis Register. The last named paper started in May, 1907, and
ran four years. It was published from the headquarters of Marion
county Local by J. Frank Essex, managing editor. South Bend
Socialists published for a short time the Free Press. The Social
Educator, printed by Ira C. Tilton at his home in Valparaiso since
October, 1911, is a monthly paper, the object of which is to empha-
size equally industrial and economic organization and political ac-
tion." ^4 This paper is privately owned,

The Social Kingdom, published at South Bend in the interests
of Christian Socialism in the Episcopalian Church, is not strictly
Socialist but with Socialistic tendencies.

The American Socialist, published under the control of the Na-
tional Office, hopes to solve the newspaper problem for the State

^* The Social Educator, February. 1914.

126 Indiana Magazine of History

by allowing the party a limited space in the paper for State news
upon condition that a certain number of subscribers may be secured
in the State.

The newspaper work of the party is a reminder of that of the
Abolitionists in methods and crudeness of machinery. An editor
and one helper running a hand printing press often constitute the
office force. The papers are distributed by members of the party
after their day's work is done, often tramping through snow to
perform this labor of love but thoroughly intelligent on the subjects
of the struggles of the working class and not loath to stop and
discuss them when an interested listener is found.

It is estimated that sixty per cent, of the converts to Socialism
have been won by the printed word. The National Office maintains a
hterature department and publishes books that will have a propa-
ganda influence rather than commercial. The copyright is held by
the party. It does not fohow that all books must be published by
this office, for an author is at liberty to have his work done in any
manner that he chooses.

Indiana has an unusually large number of writers on Socialism
that deserve special mention. Robert Wiles Hunter, born in Terre
Haute in 1874, has international reputation for work in Social prob-
lems in Chicago, London and New York. Some of his best books
on Socialism are as follows: Violence and the Labor Movement,
Poverty, The Crisis, and Socialists at Work. The last named book
is recommended "For those who want an accurate and fairly com-
plete knowledge of the subject suitable for the ordinary man. It
is the best single book on the practical side of Socialism, setting
forth actual achievements and construction work of the party in
all countries of the world." ^^ The Crisis is a compilation of edi-
torials written for the Chicago Daily Socialist on the subject of
strikes. Mr. Hunter is the author of a booklet entitled Should
Socialism Be Crushed? This is written especially for the wage
worker.

William James Ghent was born in Frankfort. His main scene
of activity has been New York City, where he was one of the
founders of the Social Reform School and for a time president of
the Rand School of Social Science. His best known books are
Our Benevolent Feudalism, Socialism and Success, and Mass and
Class. The last is considered "one of the best books on the

" What to Read on Socialism, 7.

Cox: Socialist Party 127

class struggle and is recommended to those who want a complete
course in the subject of SociaHsm."

William English Walling, a nephew of the late W. H. English,
graduated from the University of Chicago in 1897 and after doing
graduate work in economics and sociology established himself in
the University settlement work in New York City. He writes for
several popular magazines. His fame as a Socialist writer is based
upon these books : Russia's Message, The Larger Aspects of Social-
ism, and Socialism As It Is.

George Davis Herron was born in Montezuma, Indiana, begin-
ning life as a Congregationalist minister, but was soon deposed
because he was not considered orthdox. He has been a voluminous
writer, putting out a book every year or two. Among his best
known ones are : Why I Am a Socialist, From Revolution to Revo-
lution, and War and Peace Under Socialism. He is well known
for his articles on Socialism, published in the Metropolitan a few
years ago. He is now living in Florence, Italy, and is engaged in
writing articles for European magazines.

The late Wallace D. Wattles of Kokomo was the author of
many books principally New Thought subject. He is the author
of one piece of work which is Socialistic, The Military Ideal. This
was written in his usual straight-out-of-the-heart style, published
in the Chicago Daily Socialist, and except in the minds of Socialists,
was almost forgotten until the war agitation began along the Mexi-
can border. An anti-war leaflet was circulated containing The
Military Ideal but credited to Jack London.

James Oneal, born and reared in Terre Haute, was one of the
charter members of the party and the first State secretary. Mr.
Oneal was for two years in New York working upon a weekly
paper, but the greater part of his activity has been in his native
State. He is the author of The Workers in American History,
Militant Socialism, and A History of All Political Parties and Their
Relation to the Working Class.

Living near Griffith, Indiana, is Mr. Bruce Calvert, a fairly
obscure man in his own State, but he was discovered by the board
of education in New York City last year and secured to lecture in
the public schools. While Mr. Calvert is not a Socialist writer he
is a member of the party and his Ratiofial Education, and Open
Road are full of Socialist theory — e. g. : "He who works only
because compelled to do so for his food and shelter and he who

128 Indiana Magazine of History

takes no part in the world's work because he is physically beyond
the necessity for it are alike miserable unfortunates." ^^

Robert Alexander Wason, living in Delphi, Indiana, is a Socialist
and author of several novels and plays. His most characteristically
Socialist writing is Wolf — A Fable with a Purpose, illustrated by
G. Weiser, a house-painter of Delphi. Mr. Wason claims the illus-
trations are better than in any other of his books. In The Steering
Wheel, pubhshed by Bobbs-Merrill, there is some humor based on
genuine Socialism but the author had to resort to farce in an at-
tempt to make it clear to non-Socialistic readers.

Stephen Marion Reynolds of Terre Haute was a member of the
Social Democratic party and its State treasurer when the Socialist
party was organized. He is at present the party's candidate for
United States senator. In 1912 he was the candidate for governor.
"Where the fight is thickest there you will find Steve, with his
genial smile and rare good humor." ^'^ His claims to be listed with
the Indiana authors rests upon his book, Eugene V. Debs, His
Life, Writings and Speeches.

Foremost among the writers and speakers is Eugene V. Debs,
born in Terre Haute, November 5, 1855. James Whitcomb Riley
said, "God was feeling mighty good when he created 'Gene Debs
and he didn't have anything else to do all day." Mr. Debs was a
member of a large family. He quit school and went to work at the
age of fifteen and became a locomotive engineer. He says of this
period, "I mastered the curriculum and graduated with the degree
D. D., not as the lexicons interpret the letters. Doctor of Divinity,
but the better signification, Do and Dare." ^^ It was in the capacity
of a railroader that Mr. Debs became interested in the problem of
the working people. "Separate him from the revolutionary working
class movement and you lose Eugene V. Debs. He is bone of its
bone, flesh of its flesh. His very life, his hopes and aims, are inter-
woven into the very mesh of the labor movement." ^^ He joined
the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and became the secretary
and treasurer. He organized the American Railway Union in 1894.
This was the first organization which took in all laborers. He arbi-
trated the Great Northern strike and received this commenda-
tion from President Hill, "You have fought a good fight and I

=» The Open Road, 23.

" Appeal to Reason, Nov. 12, 1912.

58 Eugene V. Debs, His Letters, Writings and Speeches.

=9 Pamphlet by Charles H. Kerr.

Cox: Socialist Party 129

respect you."^^ He was not so fortunate in helping to conduct the
strike for the Pullman employees and their sympathizers. President
Cleveland intervened and with the Federal troops and courts put
an end to the strike. Mr. Debs and his associates were put in Wood-
stock Jail for six months for contempt of court. Mr. Debs while
in Woodstock read books on Socialism with the result that he came
to the conclusion that political action was the best solution of the
labor problem. His imprisonment added fuel to the flame of dis-
satisfaction among the working classes. He has a large personal
following at home and over the entire United States. He is the only
man of any party to be nominated for President four times in suc-
cession. His home is located on North Eighth street in Terre Haute.
The house is a comfortable two-story frame one. Those who think
that a leader of the laboring people should not live in surroundings
better than their own should be reminded that Mr. Debs owns but
one piece of property and that this is but a pittance in comparison
with what he has given away, and that he resigned from a position
that was paying him four thousand a year and that he has paid the
last bit of a debt of forty thousand dollars deficit left when the A.
R. U. disbanded. The debt was simply a moral obhgation. He has
written scores of pamphlets, some have been extended to book size.
Some of his best known works are: The American Movement,
Liberty, Industrial Unionism, Unionism' and Socialism, Danger
Ahead, Revolutionary Unionism, The Growth of Socialism, The
Socialist Party and the Working Class, and Prison Labor.

Every one in Terre Haute from the street waif to the college
president knows Mr. Debs and loves to talk to him and about him.
There are few who cannot relate some kindness received at his
hand. Mr. Riley expresses the esteem in which he is held in his
poem "Terre Haute" :

And there's Gene Debs — a man 'et stands
And jest liolds out his two hands;
As warm a heart as ever beat
Betwixt here and the Judgment Seat.

He was given an ovation when he returned from his campaign
in November of 1912. The Terre Haute Tribune said the following :

It is entirely apropos that a congratulatory word be expressed to E. V.
Debs. Here in Terre Haute we admire the man. The outside world is

^Pierson's Magazine, August 12, 1912. "The Socialist Candidates."

130 Indiana Magazine of History

impressed with tlie tremendous following whicli lias gathered about him
in the cause he represents. The demonstration here Monday night, when
men, women and children marched in procession to the number of thousands
and then constituted a tremendous political meeting, told in a measure the
esteem of the people whose political belief he represents. May Mr. Debs
long survive to direct his flock.

Who Was Our Sieur de Vincennes?

Jacob P. Dunn, Controller of Indianapolis

Most of the puzzles in Indiana history have been very satisfac-
torily solved, but there remains one that has baffled the most dili-
gent students of the United States and Canada — Who was the Sieur
de Vincennes who established our ancient post on the Wabash? In
the seventeenth century, the kings of France established an inferior
order of nobility in Canada, and among the seigneuries or fiefs then
established was that of Vincennes, which was granted to Francois
Bissot, in 1672. This estate is situated on the south side of the
St. Lawrence river below Quebec, opposite the eastern end of the
Isle of Orleans.

In propriety nobody could be called Sieur de Vincennes except
a holder of this fief, for there was no other estate of this name in
Canada or France. After the death of Francois Bissot, his son Jean
Baptiste Bissot succeeded to the title. That he was still Sieur de
Vincennes on July 9, 1717, has been conclusively demonstrated by
Mr. Edmond Mallet, of Washington, the author of the most ex-
tensive research on this subject. (Ind. Hist. Soc. Pubs., Vol. 3,
No. 2.) It is therefore practically certain that he was the man of
whom De Vaudreuil wrote, on Oct. 28, 1719: "I learn from the last
letters that have arrived from the Miamis, that Sieur de Vincennes
having died in their village, these Indians had resolved not to move
to the River St. Joseph." (N. Y. Col. Docs. Vol. 9, p. 894.) That
this village was Kikakon (later corrupted to Ke-ki-un-gi — site of
Ft. Wayne) is established by the fact that in 1749, Captain Celeron
appealed to La Demoiselle's Miamis, who had deserted the French
for the English, to return to Kikakon, "the place where repose the
bones of your fathers, and those of Sieur de Vincennes, whom you
loved so well, and who always governed you so that everything was
well." (Margry, Vol. 6, p. 718.)

No record has been found in Canada of any succession to the
fief of Vincennes after 1719, until 1749, when it passed to Joseph

132 Indiana Magazine of History

Roy, by judicial decree. (Acte de Foy et Homage, Vol. 4, p. 348.)
But from at least as early as 1722 to 1736, when he was killed in
battle with the Chickasaws, there was a man in the French service
universally known, in all official and other correspondence, as Sieur
de Vincennes, and this man was the founder of our Indiana post.
The local clues to his identity were practically exhausted by Judge
John Law in his history of Vincennes in the following passages :

Francois Morgan de Vinsenne ("Vinsenne," for so he spelled his
name) was an officer In the service of the King of France, and served in
Canada probably as early as 1720, in the regiment "de Carignan." At
any rate, as we are infoi-med, he w;is engaged in some service with another
officer on the lakes towards Sault St. Marie, for the Governor of Canada,
M. de Vaudreuil, in 1725. At what time he tooli possession here is not
exactly known, probably somewhere about the year 1732. There is nothing
on our records to show, but an act of sale made by him and Madame Vin-
senne, the daughter of Monsieur Philip Longprie of Kaskaskia, and re-
corded there. The act of sale, dated 5th January, 1735, styles him "an
officer of the troops of the King," and "commandant an poste du Oua-
bache;" the same deed expressing that Madame Vinsenne was absent at
the Post. Her signature being necessary to the deed, she sent her mark,
or cross, which is testified to as hers, "X the mark of Madame Vinsenne,"
and showing that the good lady was not very far advanced in the rudi-
ments, though her husband was commandant, and her father the wealth-
iest citizen of Kaskaskia. The will of Monsieur Longprie, his father-in-
law, dated the 10th of March, 1735, gives to him, among other things, 408
lbs. of pork, which he wishes "kept safe until the arrival of Mons. Vin-
senne,' who was then at the Post. There are other documents there signed
by him as a witness, in 1733-4; among them one of a receipt for 100 pis-
toles, received from his father-in-law, on his marriage. From all these
proofs, I think it evident that he was here previous to 1733, and left with
his command, on an expedition against the Chickasaws, in 17.30, by orders
from his superior officer at New Orleans. On looking at the register of
the Catholic church, it will be found that the change of name from Vin-
senne to Vincennes, its present appellation, was made as early as 1749.
"Why or wherefore I do not know. I wish the original orthography had
been observed, and the name spelled after its founder, with the "s" instead
of the "c," as it should be.

A few weeks ago, in view of the centennial interest in Indiana
history, I wrote to Mr. Arthur Doughty, Dominion Archivist, at
Ottawa, and inquired whether recent research had unearthed any-
thing farther as to the identity of our Sieur de Vincennes. He
courteously forwarded to me the following document, under date of
January 17, 1916:

Dunn: Sieiir de 'Vincennes 133

MEMORANDA CONCEENING THE SIEUR DE VINCENNES IN AN-
SWER TO MR. J. P. DUNN'S LETTER OF THE 4th
DECEMBER, 1915

1. Lettre du Conseil de Marine a Messrs. Beauharuois et Dupuy du
14 Mai 1726: "Les 6 Euseignes en second out ete accordes aux Srs. Desgly,
Lorimier, de Vincennes, Mouchy, d'Hocquincourt, Delage et Malespine."
— Serie B, Vol. 42, partie 2, p. 376). Registres Poste de Vincennes, 1749-
1786.

2. Copie d' uue lettre ecrite par M. de Vaudreuil a M. de Boisbrillant
de Montreal le 17 Aoult, 1724 : "Je suis bien aise de ravancemeut des Srs.
Sr. de Vincennes de mon gouvernement et que vous ayes entrepris de lui
faire quitter un poste ou il est tres necessaire par le credit qu'il a
ches les nations sauvages de ce poste que vous scaves ne dependre en aucune
fagon du gouvernement du Mississipy. Je serois tres fasche destre oblige
d'en porter mes plaiutes a la cour, ce que je feray cependant si on con-
tinue a Ten detacher. Je me flatte Monsieur que vous y feres attention et
que vous reflechires sur les inconvenances qui en pourroient arriver. J'ai
ecript I'annee derniere pour I'avancement du Sr. de Vincennes. J'espere
que la Cour aura fait attention a mes representations et qu'il aura de
I'employ cette annee." — (Serie F, Vol. 56, p. 147.)

3. Messrs. Beauharuois et Hoequart au Ministre, 15 Oct. 1730 :
"Les Vinatanous (Ouiatanons) out este emmenes dans le Gouvernement de
la Louisaine par le Sr. de Vincennes." — (Series F, Vol. 52. p. 27.)

4. Liste des Officiers qui servent dans les Compagnies en Canada.
avec I'extrait des troupes qui les composent, 1729 : "Enseigue en second
Vincennes. Fait a Quebec le 15 Oct. 1729. Silly."— (Serie F, Vol. 51, p.
237 bis).

5. Messrs de Beauharuois et Hoequart, 12 Oct. 1732 : '"Le Sr. de \\n-
cennes qui est aux Ousatanous a este informe des dernieres conditions
faites pour le transport des boeufs illinois au Canada et a ecrit a Mr.
de Beauharuois que si Sa Majeste lui accordoit la mesme gratification
qu'au Sr. Gatineau, c'est-a-dire 1000 livres, il parviendroit a en envoyer
de vivants en Canada ; comme elles ne sont que conditionnelles nous lui
avons repondu qu'il serait traitte comme I'auroit este le Sr. Gatineau." —
(Sgrie F, Vol. 57, p. 73.)

6. Memoire sur les Sauvages du Canada : "Au surplus Mrs. de Beau-
harnois et Hoequart agiront de concert autant que I'eloignement le peut
permettre avec Mr. Perier et Salmon sur tout ce qui pourra procurer
I'avantage des colonies. lis ont deja commence a se mettre en relation
avec eux et M. de Beauharuois a ecrit en consequence au Sr. de Vincennes
qui commande aux Ouitanons et lui a recommande de donner toute son
attention ix)ur rompre les mesures que les Anglois pourroient prendre pour
empecher le commerce entre les deux colonies et de disposer ces Sauvages a
seconder M. Perier, &c."— (Serie F, Vol. 58, p. 129).

7. AlphaJjet Larffilard, Vol. II, p. 319: "Vincennes — Enseigue en sec-
ond Canada 23 Avril 1726: Lt. reforme Canada 1 Avril 1733."

134 Indiana Magazine of History

"ViNCENNES — Enseigne reforme Louisiane 20 Mai 1722 ; Lieut, reforme
Louisiane 19 Xbre 1722 ; Confirme Louisiane 4 Avril 1730 ; Commaudant aux
Ouabaches; Tue aux Ouabaches 25 Mars 1736; Remplace aux Ouabaches
15 Sbre 1736."

8. Description et Historique de la Louisiane, 1680-1755, Moreau St.
Mery. (Serie B3, Vol. 24, p. 452) : "1739. Relation que fait le Sr. Drouet
de Eicbarville de I'engagement que M. D'Artaguette eut avec les Cbicachas
au mois de Mai-s 1736, par la voie du fort St. Frederic. II rapporte qu'en
cette circonstance trois de ces freres fureut tues, que lui-meme regut 2
Coups de feu, au bras gaucbe et au bas ventre, et un coup de flecbe au
poignet, qu'il fut pris les armes a la main par 3 Chicacbas et amene au
village avec 22 Frangais dont 20 ont ete brules, entr'autres : le Pere
Senat, Jesuite, M. M. Dartaguette, de Vincennes, de Coulanges, de St. Auge
fils, Du Tisne, D'Esgly, de Tonty le Cadet. Ces messieurs furent brules
avec le Pere Senat le jour meme de Taction depuis 3 heures de I'apres-midi
jusqu a minuit. Les autres Frangais brules etaient des Officiers et mili-
ciens. Le Sr. de Courselas ou Coustillas, officier, briile 3 jours apres, au
grand village avec un iroquois du Sault St. Louis ; le Sr. de Courselas avait
ete nomme a la garde des poudres avec 35 bommes, S'etant egare 11 se
rendit au village des Cbicachas sans savoir ou il allait. N'a pu savoir ce que
sont devenus les 35 Frangais qui etaient avec lui. Fut conduit dans la
cabane du chef du village de Joutalla. au il a ete garde a vue pendant 6
mois par les jeunes gens, apres quoi il a vecu en pleine liberte et a cbasse
avec les Cbicachas."

Translation of Above

1. Letter of the Council of Marine to Messrs. Beauharnois and Dupuy,
May 14, 1726 : ''The six positions of Enseigne en second have been ac-
corded to Sieurs Desgly, Lorimier, de Vincennes, Mouchy, d'Hocqulucourt,
Delage and MalesiDine."

2. Copy of a letter written by M. de Vaudreuil to M. de Boisbriant,
of Montreal, Aug. 17, 1724 : ''I am well pleased at the advancement of
the Srs. St. Ange, father and son, but I am surprised that you should
think of detaching Sieur de Vincennes from my jurisdiction, and that you
have agreed to have him quit a post when he is most necessary on account
of the credit he has with the Indians of this post, which, as you know,
does not depend in any way on the government of Mississippi. I should be
very sorry to carry my complaints to the court, which I shall do, never-
theless, if he is detached. I flatter myself. Monsieur, that you will give
heed, and that you will reflect on the inconvenience which might arise.
I wrote last year for the advancement of Sieur de Vincennes. I hope that
the Court has given attention to my representations and that he will have
the position this year."

8. [Report of] Messrs. Beauharnois and Hocquart to the Minister,
October 15, 1730 : "The Ouiatanons have been led away into the jurisdic-
tion of Louisiana by Sieur de Vincennes."

4. List of the officers who serve in the companies in Canada, with

Dunn: Sieur de Vincennes 135

an abstract of the troops that compose them, 1729: "Second Ensign. Vin-
cennes. Made at Quebec, Oct. 15, 1729."

5. [Report of] Messrs. Beauharnois and Hocquart, Oct. 12, 1733 :
"Sieur de Vincennes, who is at the Ouiatanons, has been informed of the
last conditions made for the transport of Illinois cattle to Canada, and has
written to M. Beauharnois that if His Majesty will accord him the same
allowance as to Sieur Gatineau, that is to say 1,000 livres, he will succeed
in sending live cattle to Canada; as it is only conditional we have replied
to him that he will be treated as Sieur Gatineau was."

6. Memoir on the Indians of Canada : "In addition, Messrs. Beau-
harnois and Hocquart will act in concert, so far as their separation per-
mits, with Messrs. Perier and Salmon on all that can promote the advantage
of the colonies. They have already commenced to put themselves in rela-
tion with them, and in consequence M. Beauharnois has written to Sieur
de Vincennes who commands at the Ouiatanons, and has recommended him
to give all his attention to foil the measures which the English may be able
to take to impede the commerce between the two colonies, and to direct
his Indians to second M. Perier."

7. Alphahet Laffilard, Vol. II. p. 319: "Vincennes — Second Ensign,
Canada, April 23, 1726; Half-pay Lieutenant. Canada, April 1, 1833."

"Vincennes — Half-pay Ensign, Louisiana, May 20, 1722; half-pay
Lieutenant, Louisiana, Dec. 19, 1877; Confirmed, Louisiana, April 4, 1730;
Commandant at Ouabaches, (i. e. Wabash Indians) ; killed March 25, 1736;
replaced October 15, 1736."

8. Description and History of Louisiana, 1680-1755, Moreau St. Mery :
"1739. Relation made by Sieur Drouet de Richardville of the engagement
which M. de Artaguette had with the Chickasaws in the month of March,
1736, on the way to Fort St. Frederic. He reports that in this engagement
three of his brothers were killed ; that he himself received two gunshot
wounds, one in the left arm and one at the base of the stomach, and an
arrow wound in his wrist; that he was taken arms in hand by three
Chickasaws and brought to a village with 22 French, of whom 20 were
burned at the stake, among others: Father Senat, Jesuit; Messrs.
d' Artaguette, de Vincennes, de Coulanges, de St. Ange fils, Du Tisne, d'Esgly,
de Tonty the younger. These gentlemen were burned with Father Senat
on the day of the fight, from 3 o'clock in the afternoon to midnight.
The other ofiicers who were burned were oflicers and militiamen. Sieur
Courselas, or Coustillas, ofiicer, was burned three days later at the large
village, with an Iroquois from the Sault St. Louis; Sieur Courselas had
been detailed with 35 men to guard the ammunition. Being misled he came
to the village of the Chickasaws without knowing where he was going.
He was not able to learn what became of the 35 Frenchmen who were
with Courselas. He was conducted to the cabin of the chief of the village
of Joutalla, where he was guarded for six months by the young men, after
which he was given full liberty, and hunted with the Chickasaws."

It seems certain to me that the two extracts from the Al-
phabet Laffilard, title "Vincennes," refer to the same man. The

136 Indimta Magazine of History

second one unquestionably refers to the founder of our post ; but it
is equally certain that he was an officer in both Canada and Louisiana
at the same time. This is evident from several documents, but per-
haps the letter of the Louisiana Company to Perier, of September
30, 1726, is most explicit. I quote: "The Company has ordered
the establishment of a post on the river Ouabache, and has requested
M. the Governor of Canada, on his part, to direct Sieur de Vin-
cennes, who commands at the home of the Ouyatanons-Miamis,
established towards the head of the Ouabache, to come to an under-
standing with the commandant of the new post to bring this nation
nearer. M. de Boisbriant writes that he thinks it necessary to give
command of it to M. de Vincennes, who is already a half-pay lieu-
tenant of the Louisiana infantry, and who can do more with the
Miamis than anyone else. To induce Sieur de Vincennes to attach
himself to the colony of Louisiana, M. Perier will advise him that
he has obtained for him from the company an annuity of three
hundred livres, which will be paid to him with his salary as half-
pay lientenant." (Margry, Vol. 6, pp. 659-60.;

It strikes me that there is an important lead in the statement
of the Abbe Tanguay to Mr. Mallet: "I would observe, however,
that it is not Francois married to Angelique Guyon — ^but Pierre
Francois Margane, Sieur des Forests." {Ind. Hist. Soc. Pubs., Vol.
3, p. 53.) I have not been able to find any trace of this Pierre
Francois Margane in Tanguay's Genealogical Dictionary. There
cannot be any question of Judge Law's statement that our Com-
mandant wrote his name "Francois Morgan de Vinsenne." Law had
no opportunity to get the name except from an actual signature.

Mr. Doughty also included with this an interesting study of the
problem by M. Phileas Gagnan, of which the following is a
translation :

JEAN BISSOT DE VINCENNES

The following are a few notes supplementary to those already pub-
lished by our friend Edmond Mallet, of Washington, on the Canadian
voyagenr and explorer, who has, it is said, given his name to the capital of
Indiana :

1G6S — The twenty-first of the month of January sixteen hundred and
sixty-eight, has been baptised by me, Henry de Bernieres, cure of this par-
ish, Jean Baptiste Byssot, son of Fraueois Byssot and of Marie Couillard,
his wife, born the nineteenth of the same month and year. The godfather
was M. Jean Talon, Intendant for the king of this country, and the god-
mother Guillemette-Marie Hebert, wife of the late Guillaume Couillard,
of this parish. — H. de Bebniebes.

Dunn: Sieur de Vincennes 137

1687 — The 20tli ol' October, 16S7, Jeau Bissot de Vincennes, sou of the
deceased Frangois Bissot and of Marie Couillard, presents his request to
the Sovereign Council, representing that having reached the age of twenty
years, or thereabout, and being on the point of going to France for an
employment, there should be accorded to him letters of privilege of ma-
turity, which will aid him in the management of his estate. — Judgments
and Deliherations, Vol. Ill, p. 189.

1694— The 25th of October, 1694 (Record Office of Chambalon), Jean
Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes, living at Quebec, sells to Louis Marchand, also
of Quebec, all the rights which he may have or claim in the Seigneury of
Mingan, and the unincumbered half of an estate in the Seigneury of Lauzou,
adjoining Beaumont, for the sum of 2,500 livres. This land has been
granted to him, jointly with his brother Charles, by his godfather, the In-
tendant Talon. He signed at that time as follows:

.pi^J

1709— The 10th of July, 1709 (Record Office of Le Pallieur), Jean
Baptiste Bissot, Sieur de Vincennes, living at Quebec, is at Montreal, and
sells for a second time his portion of the seigneury of Mingan, to Frangois
Brissonet, merchant wig-maker of Montreal.

1736 — Extracts from a letter of Toussaint Loizel, found in the Record
Office of Comparet, notary at Montreal :

"La Pertuite,

"My Dear Brother : I cannot neglect before closing to set down a
word to you on the subject of the war which has been made on the Chick-
asaws, in which we have lost forty Frenchmen. M. D'Artaguette, com-
mandant of the said iwst, has been killed with seven officers of the troops,
four of militia, all men of family (who) had part in this unfortunate
action. It is a mortal desolation to us poor people of Illinois to see our-
selves deprived of so many brave men. I conclude, my dear brother, assur-
ing you that nobody has more of attachment and good will.

Your dear brother,

TOUSSIN LOIZEL."

"At Ste. Anne, the 13th of April, 1736.

"In regard to the persons who have perished in this unhappy war,
there are Messrs. De St.-Ange, the son, Coulonge, Leville, the young
Duclaude, Vincenne, LaGraviere with M. Belcoue and another of his
brothers, and the fourth with a broken shoulder. M. de Tonty, D'Esgly
and the elder Lalonde and Antoine Carriere, Louis Langlois, M. Dutilly,
the son. The others are French of from Quebec, whom we do not know."

1746 — On the 24th of January, 1656, the vestry-board of the parish
of Notre Dame de Quebec conceded to Frangois Bissot, Sieur de la Riviere,
a pew of six feet in length by three and one-half feet in depth in the

138 Indiana Magazine of History

said church, to possess for himself aud his heirs in perpetuity, In con-
sideration of one hundred livres once paid, and the ordinary dues of said
parish at each replacing. Originally this pew was below the railing
and seats of the choristers; in 1729 it was the second in the middle row
on the left-hand side of the altar.

At the death of Bissot, in 1678, his son-in-law, Louis Jolliet, on account
of his wife, Claire Frangoise Bissot, and also, it is alleged, on account of
services rendered as organist of the parish of Quebec, had the possession
of this pew until his decease, in 1700 and thereafter his wife Claire, Bissot,
also to her decease in 1710.

Then succeeded to the wife of Jolliet, as occupant of the pew of Bissot,
her daughter Claire Jolliet, who had married Joseph de Fleury, Sieur de la
Gorgendiere, Seigneur D'Eschambault. The 13th of March, 1720, the ves-
try-board of Quebec accorded regularly the possession of the pew of Bissot
to Sieur de la Gorgendiere, aforesaid.

On the 8th of April, 1729, Frangois Bissot, the son, citizen of Quebec,
by the agency of Jacques Delafontaine Balcour, his son-in-law, brought
action against the vestry-board of Quebec to compel it to put him in posses-
sion of the pew of his father, occupied by the Sieur de la Gorgendiere,
offering to pay all the expense of the replacement.

The vestry-board answered that it was not able to avoid conceding
the pew in question to Sieur La Gorgendiere, as having married Claire
Jolliet, grand-daughter of Bissot, there being then present no other persons
claiming as heirs of the late Sieur Bissot.

Francois Bissot, who never took the title "De Vincennes" in this pro-
cedure, replied that if he had not previously claimed the possession of his
father's pew, it was because he came to this city only once a year, and
that he had not been called to the hearing of the vestry-board because he
would have opposed it; but that it had never taken away from him the
right which accrued to him by the title of concession to the said deceased
Sieur Bissot, his father. The vestry-board contested this action before the
Provost, and on May 3 following judgment was rendered in favor of
Fi'angois Bissot, who possessed it until his death; likewise his wife also
until her death in 1745.

In 1746 still another contest arose concerning the possession of this
pew. Nicolas Boisseau, Secretary Judge of the King, and Chief Clerk of
the Council, in his capacity of husband of Louise Bissot, and of represen-
tative of Marguerite Forestier, widow of Jean Bissot de Vincennes, his
mother-in-law, claimed possession of the said pew against Jacques de la
Fontaine, counsellor, who had married Charlotte Bissot, daughter and
heiress of Frangois Bissot, the son, who had continued to possess this pew
since the death of his mother-in-law.

The heirs of Frangois Bissot represented, among other things, that
Sieur Frangois Bissot, the son, was put in possession of the pew of his
father only in 1729, that is to say after the death of his elder brother, the
Sieur de Vincennes; and that if there was any right of primogeniture in
this matter, it did not belong to the Sieur de Vincennes, who had never
taken possession ; moreover the wife of Sieur Boisseau well knew that the

Dunn: Sieur de Vincennes 139

ancestors who would have been able to contest this were dead, and that
she ought not to ignore that she had a brother married with all the cere-
monies of the church to an Illinois or Miami woman, who had left male
children to whom the right of primogeniture belonged in preference to her.

The brief of Boisseau representing the widow Bissot de Vincennes is
not present in the package of papers which has come to our hands; but
one can see, from the reply of the adverse party, that the chief argument
of his brief was the right which Jean-Baptiste Bissot de Vincennes had,
r.s eldest son, to succeed to his father in the possession of the pew. One
sees that, in response to the brief of Delafontaine, Boisseau declares:
"That it is unquestionable that the late Sieur de Vincennes, the sou, of
whom the said Delafontaine speaks in his writing, did not leave any male
heir." It was finally ordered that the widow of the late Sieur de Vin-
cennes, as well as the Sieurs Delafontaine and Boisseau, in their names,
possess in common, each one-third of the pew in question ; and that after
the death of the widow Vincennes, Boisseriu and Delafontaine both possess
in equal parts. On the occasion of this procedure, I note that the wife
of the late Jean Bissot de Vincennes signed her name as follows: "Mar-
guerite Forrestier, veuve Vencene."

From all this it follows that Jean Baptiste Bissot de Vincennes, who
gave his name to the capital of Indiana, had for godfather the celebrated
Intenant Talon; that in 1687 he was about to depart to France; and that
finally, in 1694, he signed, "Bissot Vensenne."

It appears also clearly established that Jean Bissot de Vincennes was
dead in 1729, and in consequence it was his son who was burned by the
Chickasaws in 1736; that this son was married to an Indian woman, that
he had no male child, and that he was dead in 1746 at the time of the
last contest for the pew of his ancestor.

The letter of Toussaint Loizel appears to contradict the writers who
have spoken of this famous battle with the Chickasaws in 1736, when they
claim that it occured in May, whereas it could not have taken place after
the 14th of April, the date on which Loizel wrote, who furnished a descrip-
tion with such detail that it cannot be mistaken.

Phileas Gagnan.

After receiving these documents, I suggested to Mr. Doughty
that possibly some Hght might be thrown on the subject by the
record of the passage of the fief to the Roy family; and he kindly
sent me, under date of February 14, 1916, the following copy of
the record :

Herewith is a copy of the Foy et Homage for the Seigniory of Vin-
cennes, which Mr. Dunn mentions in his letter. As to the Register of the
Post of Vincennes, it contains all the marriages, births and burials that
were made between the years 1749-1786.

Archives PuNiques, Scrie M, Actes De Foy et Hommafjc, Vol. 4, p. 348.

140 Indiana Magazine of History

"LE SIEUR JOSEPH ROT SEIGNEUR ET PROPRIETAIRE DE LA
SEIGNEURIE DE VINCENNES

"En procedant a la confection du papier terrier du Domaine du Roy
en la province de Quebec est comparu au chateau St. Louis de Quebec
par devant nous Frederic Haldimand capitaine general et gouverneur en
cbef de la province de Quebec et territoires en dependans en Amerique,
Vice amiral et garde du grand sceau d'icelle, general et commandant en
chef des troupes de Sa Majeste en la dite province et froutieres &.&.&.
le sieur Joseph Roy seigneur et proprietaire du fief et seigneurie de Vin-
cennes sis et situe dans le district de Quebec, lequel comparant nous a
dit qu'il vient par devant nous pour rendre et porter au chateau St. Louis
de Quebec la foy et hommage lige qu'il est tenu de rendre et porter a Sa
Tres Excellente Majeste Georges Trois a cause du dit fief et seigneurie ci
apres explique et nous a represente pour titres de sa propriete ; Primo, une
copie autentique d'une concession donnee et accordee par M. Talon ci-devant
intendant en la Nouvelle France le trois novembre 1672, au sieur Bissot
de soixante dix arpens de terre de front sur une lieue de profondeur a
prendre sur le fleuve St. Laurent depuis les terres apartenantes au sieur
de la Citiere jusqu'aux terres non concedees pour par lui ses hoirs et ayans
cause jouir de la dite terre en fief et seigneurie sans justice a la charge
de la foy et hommage a porter au chateau St. Louis de Quebec duquel il
relevera aux droits et redevances accoutumes suivant la coutume, de tenir
ou faire tenir feu et lieu sur la dite seigneurie, de conserver et faire con-
server les bois de chene qui se trouveront propres a la construction des
vaisseaux, de donner avis au Roy des mines, minieres ou mineraux si
aucuns se trouvent dans I'etendue du dit flef et de laisser les chemins et
passages necessaires; Secundo, sentence d'adjudication par decret rendu en
la prevote de Quebec le dix neuf aoust 1749, au sieur Joseph Roy pere du
dit comparant du dit fief et seigneurie de Vincennes et dependances pour
et moyennant le prix et somme de cinq mille six cents livres, au bas de
laquelle sentence est la quittance de Monsieur Maitre Fran^-ois Etienne
Cugnet Directeur du Domaine du Roy au dit sieur Joseph Roy de la somme
de huit cent quarante livres pour droit de quint le quart deduit du prix
principal de la dite adjudication, en date du vingt-un aoust 1749; Tertio,
un acte passe devant Panet et son confrere notaires a Quebec le vingt-cinq
mars 1759, portant partage entre Jean Copron et Marie Roy son epouse
tant au dit nom que comme tuteur des enfans mineurs de feu Pierre Reval
et Charlotte Roy son epouse, le comparant et Marie Gabriel Sarrault son
epouse, et Charles Lecours et Marguerit Roy son epouse de la succession
de feu sieur Joseph Roy et de Marie Jeanne Couture, par lequel il apert
que les dits Corpron et Lecours ont cede au dit comparant et son epouse
le dit fief et seigneurie de Vincennes en entier pour et moyennant une
rente viagere de cinq cent vingt cinq livres a la veuve de feu Joseph Roy,
leur pere et beau-pere et en outre la somme de trois mille livres de Soulte
et retour ; qui sont tons les titres que le dit comparant a dit avoir a nous
representer nous supliaut qu'il nous plaise le recevoir a la foy et hommage
lige qu'il est tenu de rendre du dit fief et seigneurie de Vincennes relevant

Dunn: Sieur de Vincennes 141

en plein fief de Sa Majeste, et a I'instant s'etaut mis en devoir de Vassal,
tete nue, epee et eperons et un genouil en terre aura it dit a liaute et in-
telligible voix qu'il rendait et portait nos mains la foy hommage qu'il est
tenu de readre et porter au Roy au chateau St. Louis de Quebec a cause
du dit fief et seigueurie, a la quelle foy et hommage nous I'avons regu
et recevons par ces presentes sauf les droits du Roy en autre chose et de
I'autruy en toutes, et le dit comparant a fait et souscrit entre nos mains
le serment de bien et fidelement servir Sa Majeste et de nous avertir et nos
successeurs s'il aprend qu'il se fasse quelque chose centre son service, et
s'est oblige de fournir son aveu et denombremeut dans le temps preserit
par les lois coutumes et usages de cette province; Dont et du tout il nous
a requis acte que nous lui avons accorde et a signe avec nous.

"Feed Haldimand.

"J. Roy,

''J. Monk, Attorney general.

'Tar ordre de Son Excellence, F. J. Cugnet, G. P. T."
^Archives PuNique, Serie M. Actes de Foy et Hommage, Vol. IV, p. 348.

Translation of Above

Sieur Joseph Roy, Seigneur and Proprietor of the Seignory of
Vincennes

In proceeding for the completion of the court-roll record of the estate
of Roy in the Province of Quebec, has appeared at the Castle of St. Louis
of Quebec before us, Frederic Haldimand, captain-general and governor-
in-chief of the Province of Quebec and territories and dependencies in
America, vice-admiral and keeper of the great seal of the same, general and
commandant-in-chief of the troops of His Majesty in the said province
and frontiers, etc, Sieur Joseph Roy, seigneur and proprietor of the fief
and seignory of Vincennes, situate in the district of Quebec, which appli-
cant has said to us that he comes before us to render and bring to the
Castle of St. Louis of Quebec the liege fealty and homage vrhich he is
held to render and bring to his Very Excellent Majesty George III on ac-
count of said fief and seignory as hereunder set forth and has shewn us
as titles of his ownership : First, an authentic copy of a concession given
and accorded by M. Talon, former Intendant in New France, November
3, 1672, to Sieur Bissot of seventy arpents of land front by a league in
depth to be taken on the River St. Lawrence from the lands belonging to
Sieur de la Citiere to the lands not conceded, for him, his heirs and assigns
to enjoy the said laud in fief and seignory, irrevocably, charged with ren-
dering faith and homage at the Castle of St. Louis of Quebec, by which he
will discharge the accustomed dues and rents according to custom, to keep
or cause to be kept domicile and residence on the said seignory, to con-
serve or cause to be conserved the oak trees suitable for the construction
of vessels; to inform the King of any mines, minerals or ores, if any are
found within the said fief, and to permit all necessary roads and ways.
Second, writ of adjudication by decree given in the office of the Provost

142 Indiana Magazine of History

of Quebec, August 19, 1741), to Sieur Joseph Koj', the father of said appli-
cant, of said fief and seignory of Vincennes and dependencies, on paying
the sum of 5,600 livres, on the back of which writ is the receipt of M. Master
Francois Etienue Cugnet, Director of the Domains of the King, to the said
Sieur Joseph Itoy, for the sums of 840 livres for the right to a fifth part,
one fourth being deducted from the principal of the said adjudication, dated
August 21, 174!). Third, a deed passed before Pauet and his associate
notaries at Quebec March 25, 1759, making partition between Jean Corprou
and Marie Roy, his wife, both in said name and as guardian of the minor
children of the late Pierre Reval and Charlotte Roy, his wife, the plaintiff
and Marie Gabriel Sarrault, his wife and Charles Lecours and Marguerite
Roy, his wife, of the estate of the late Joseph Roy and Marie Jeanne
Couture; by which it appears that the said Corpron and Lecours have
ceded to the said plaintiff and his wife the said fief and seignory of Vin-
cennes in entirety for the compensation of a life-rent of 525 livres to the
widow of the late Joseph Roy, their father and father-in-law, and in addi-
tion the sum of 3,000 livres, balance in partition : Which are all the titles
the said plaintiff has stated he had to present to us, asking that it may
please us to receive the fealty and liege homage which he is bound to
render for the said fief and seignory of Vincennes, renewing in full fief
of His Majesty ; and at the time, putting himself in the attitude of a vassal,
with uncovered head, without sword or spurs, and with one knee on the
ground he declared in a loud and intelligible voice that he rendered and
brought to our hands the fealty and homage which he is bound to render
and bring to the King at the Castle of St. Louis of Quebec, on account
of said fief and seignory'; the which fealty and homage we have received,
and do receive by these presents, saving the rights of the King in one thing
and another in all respects; and the said plaintiff has made and sub-
scribed the oath at our hands to well and faithfully serve His Majesty, and
to inform us and our successors if he apprehends that anything works
against his service, and he is obliged to furnish his acknowledgement and
enumeration in the time prescribed by the laws and customs and usages of
this province. Of which and of all he has prayed of us a deed, which we
h:ive accorded, and he has signed with us.

Fbed Haldimand.

J. Roy,

J. Monk, Attorney general.

By order of His Excellency,
F. J. Ctjgnet, G. p. T.

While these documents do not solve the problem, they eliminate
Jean-Baptiste Bissot, who evidently died at Fort Wayne in 1719.
They also make more clear the circumstances accompanying the
founding of Post Vincennes, and slightly advance the date of that
occurrence by the statement in 1730 that Sieur de Vincennes has
led the Piankeshaws into the jurisdiction of Louisiana. The objec-
tions of the Governor of Canada explain why the establishment of

Dunn: Sieur de Vincennes 143

the post was delayed, after the orders for it in 1726. But probably
the greatest interest will be found in the revelation by these docu-
ments of the extent to which the feudal system was in force in
Canada, and the serious issues involved in the title to a pew in the
cathedral at Quebec.

Some Features of the History of Parke County

By Maurice Murphy, Rockville, Indiana.

Parke county, possibly because its history possesses no intensely
dramatic phases, has never figured prominently in the writing of
Indiana history. Its settlers were attracted principally by the op-
portunity to be found in territory newly opened to settlers, and
somewhat by the facilities for trade and communication offered by
the Wabash river, Sugar and Caccoon creeks. Its history is simply
that of the transition of a mighty forest into a prosperous agricul-
tural region, full of interest, but almost entirely devoid of thrills
or sensation. Only one complete history of the county has been
written, that of the late John H. Beadle, published in 1880. It is a
scholarly, well-written book, though now somewhat out of date.
Gen. W. H. H. Beadle and Capt. John T. Campbell, of Rockville,
have contributed to newspapers many valuable articles dealing with
various subjects of Parke county history; and the writer has drawn
frequently from material used in articles he himself has written,
published in the Rockville Tribune. This material was gathered
almost exclusively from interviews with old settlers. Some of the
material which they furnished him is here used for the first time.

Parke county is primarily an agricultural county. The broad
Wabash valley and the valleys of Sugar creek, Big Raccoon and
their tributaries contain land of great fertility, and splendid graz-
ing facilities are offered by the parts of the county still timbered.
Coal is the only mineral resource of the county. Its Indian in-
habitants were the Wea, Miami and Piankeshaw tribes, while some
French pioneers, principally coureurs de bois, settled along the
Wabash and along Sugar creek. In the Jesuit Relations for 1718
appears an account of the visit of a young Frenchman to a village
on Pun-ge-se-co-ne, (Sugar creek, literally translated Water-of-
many-sugar-trees.) These early French settlers acquired a pros-
perous trade from the abundance of fur-bearing animals in the
county, and many of them married squaws. The "ten o'clock line"
south of which, according to treaty, the whites should be allowed to

Murphy: Parke County 145

settle, ran from the mouth of Big Raccoon, along the line of the
ten o'clock sun, to the corner of the old reservation on White river.
More Indian troubles followed, and the battle of Tippecanoe fol-
lowed, November 5, 1811.

Harrison's army marched through what is now Parke county.
It crossed Big Raccoon where the town of Armiesburg now stands,
and the Wabash at the present site of Montezuma. No settlements
were made in the county until about 1817, and none that resulted in
the formation of a town until the settlement of Roseville in 1819.
Chauncey Rose was the most prominent citizen of this town. Its
industries were three — a store, a grist-mill, and a distillery. Within
six years, four other towns had been established, Armiesburg
(1820), Portland Mills (1825), both on Big Raccoon, Montezuma
(1823), on the Wabash river, and Rockville (1822), the county
seat, on the high land in the center of the county.

As the spread of cotton culture and the plantation system in
Kentucky, Virginia and the Carolinas about 1820-30, forced many
of the smaller planters and non-slaveholding whites to seek new
homes, the majority of the Parke county pioneers can thus be ac-
counted for. However, many came from Ohio and Pennsylvania
along with the westward movement of population. Most of the
southerners came by way of the Charlestown, Bloomington and
Greencastle trail. The settlers from the east came later by the
National Road, and through the woods to their new homes. Parke
county was incorporated as a county in 1824, being named after
Benjamin Parke.

The early settlers entered large claims at the Crawfordsville land
office. Settlement at first followed the streams, and practically the
whole county was settled by 1845. John H. Beadle records that the
last time an Indian was ever seen wild in Parke county was in 1856.

Though they naturally suffered hardships, the Parke county pio-
neers never suffered from cold or hunger. Game abounded in the
county and the abundance of fur-bearing animals and wood made
any suffering from the cold unnecessary. The pioneers raised
chiefly corn, and this they took on horseback, in ox carts or row
boats to the most convenient grist-mill. They lived far apart, but
came together at social or religious meetings.

Rattlesnakes and sickness were the chief woes in early times.
The former were exterminated when the thickets were cleared, but
the latter continued till recent years. Parke county is very rough

146 Indiana Magazine of History

and broken, and in pioneer times contained many stagnant ponds
and swamps. "By following the windings of the low-land in some
seasons," says John H. Beadle, "a goose could swim across a town-
ship." Malaria, chills and fever were common, and six doctors
were kept busy during the malaria season in one small community.
Travelers of eighty years ago tell of going along Big Raccoon for
miles, and not finding a family free from sickness. Dr. B. E.
Hudson, of Montezuma, who has been practicing medicine there for
fifty-seven years, recalls very vividly his experiences. "A man was
not a good citizen in those days," he says, "who did not have the
chills and fever. I have come home from a hard day's work among
people afflicted with it only to find my wife and daughter affllicted
with it also."

The old theory was that a kind of poisonous gas was exhaled
from the first turning up of the virgin soil, which contaminated the
air. Not until about forty years ago was the trouble located in the
swamps and ponds, and when these were drained, the annual epi-
demics almost entirely disappeared.

The Wabash river and its tributaries were the earhest means of
communication and commercial intercourse between Parke county
and other sections. Pioneers hauled wheat to Chicago, Lafayette,
Cincinnati or Louisville, sold it for 60 cents a bushel, and hauled
back merchandise. Flatboats were sent to New Orleans loaded
with farm products. Pork packing was probably the chief industry
of the pioneer river towns, and later of the canal towns. Prices
were quite different eighty years ago from now. "About 1830,
Patterson, Silliman and Company established a store at Armiesburg,
and on the original price list we find salt $7 per barrel and calico
35 to 40 cents per yard. But pork was sold for $1.50 a hundred,
and two sleek, appetizing 200-pound porkers might be purchased
for $6."

With the building of the Wabash and Erie canal, 1844-47, and
the building of the old east and west plank road about the same time,
business in the county took a boom. The canal went through Lodi
(Waterman), Montezuma and Armiesburg, and Howard, West
Union and Clinton Lock (Lyford) grew up on its banks. All
did a thriving business in packing, shipping and importing. Most
of the goods for Putnam, as well as Parke county, came to these
towns. Passenger boats, as well as freight boats, were run on the
vcanal, and much traveling was done in this way. Various social

Murphy: Parke County 147

gatherings, especially dances, were given on canal boats, as they
went up and down the canal. It began to decline about 1855, when
it failed to meet the competition of the railroads. Most of the canal
bed and the remains of the aqueducts across Big Raccoon and Sugar
creek are still visible, and a section of the old tow path forms part of
the gravel road between Montezuma and West Union.

The first railroad ever built through Parke county was the old
Evansville, Terre Haute and Rockville, in 1856. The line was built
to Crawfordsville in 1873, and later to Logansport and South Bend,
and is now a part of the Vandalia system. The Indianapolis, Dan-
ville and Southwestern was surveyed through the county in 1853,
though when the road was built, in 1873, a different route was fol-
lowed.

About forty years ago coal companies were organized and the
industry was well on its feet in a few years. The town of Nyes-
ville, northeast of Rockville, has grown up entirely through coal
mining, though it was formerly much larger than now. This is also
true of the once flourishing town of Minshall, in Raccoon township.
Among active mining towns of the county are Rosedale, Roseville
and Lyford, in Florida township, Mecca, in Wabash township, and
Diamond, in Raccoon township. The Parke County Coal Company
was incorporated at Rosedale about twenty years ago, and has de-
veloped the coal industry in Florida township and in Otter Creek
township, Vigo county. This company has operated twelve mines
in all, and the man to whom chief credit for its success is due is
the late Joseph Martin, of Rosedale, for years its president and larg-
est stockholder.

Factories in the county have never been numerous, and such as
have existed have not been of gigantic proportions. A woolen mill
was run from 1864 to 1875 in Rockville by J. M. Nichols and W.
M. Thompson, a stave factory from 1870 to 1872 by William Ten
Brook, and a carding mill in the days before the war. A series of
disastrous fires consumed the stave factory and most of the busi-
ness houses of Rockville in the years 1870-74, but the town long
ago recovered from the loss. However, the financial stringency
following these fires had much to do with keeping away factories.
The abundance of wheat and timber in Parke county support a large
number of flouring and saw mills, and several grain elevators. A
large factory for the manufacture of pottery, established at Ann-
apolis more than forty years ago, is run today by R. G. Atcheson,

148 Indiana Magazine of History

son of its founder. McCune and Batman had a woolen mill at
Mecca in the ante-bellum days, and at one time paid 90 cents a
pound for wool. Among later industries are the Marion Brick and
Tile works, near Montezuma, the Dee clay works at Mecca, the glass
factory near Roseville, the canning factory at Bloomingdale, and
the tile factory of R. R. Lee at Bellmore.

Catholic missionaries visited Parke county in the days of the
French regime. The first Protestant preacher was Rev. Isaac Mc-
Coy, who founded an Indian school, but met strong opposition from
the Catholic half-breeds of the county. The first organized church
in the county was old Shiloh (Presbyterian) about four miles north-
east of Rockville. This church was founded in 1822 by Rev. Charles
Beatty, and grew so rapidly that in 1832 there were enough members
living in Rockville to form a church, so they withdrew in that year.
The church they founded at Rockville still exists, though separated
into two congregations from 1839 to 1869 on account of doctrinal
differences. Revs. William Cravens and William Smith preached
Methodism in the county from the earliest times, and a church
was organized at Rockville about 1826. The Indiana conference
met in Rockville in 1838, presided over by Bishop Soule. Over
one hundred preachers came, by river, stage or on horseback, minis-
ters and horses being cared for free of charge during their stay.
Lorenzo Dow and Robert R. Roberts were among the eminent
Methodist preachers who visited pioneer Rockville. In later years.
Dr. Lyman Abbott, then a pastor at Terre Haute, frequently
preached at the Presbyterian church.

The Friends settled in the northwestern part of the county and
established a church at Bloomingdale in 1826. The Baptists also
appeared at an early day and built a brick church in Rockville. Some
smaller sects took root in the county, such as Associate Presbyte-
rians (Seceders), Christians, United Brethren, Cumberland Presby-
terians and Lutherans. Among pioneer preachers of these sects,
Doctor Dixon, of the Seceders, and Doctor Rudisill, of the Luther-
ans, were noted over Indiana for their learning. The Roman
Catholics founded a church at Rockville in 1854, where Bishop H.
J. Alerding, of Fort Wayne, was one-time parish priest.

The Parke county pioneers were usually religious, and revivals,
camp meetings, and meetings for doctrinal debates were very com-
mon. In spite of the high degree of fervor aroused, these services
seldom witnessed any abnormal religious manifestations.

Murphy: Parke County 149

Log schools were established in the county in the earliest times,
and a brick school house was built in Rockville about 1830. The
teachers knew the rudiments of the three R's and nothing more.
School government was an athletocracy. The school code was as
complex as the law of contracts and as rigid as that of Draco. An
unsuccessful effort was made to get Asbury College (now DePauw
University) located at Rockville in 1837. Though this resulted in
failure it caused an educational awakening in Rockville. For the
next twenty years many select schools and a female seminary flour-
ished. The Parke county seminary was founded in 1839. This
became Rockville high school in 1872 and was commissioned a few
years ago. The Friends were zealous for education, and founded
the Western Manual Labor Institute at Bloomingdale in 1846; it
soon became Bloomingdale academy and still exists in a prosperous
condition. It was famous under the superintendency of the late
Barnabas C. Hobbs, who also did much to develop the common
schools of the county by his normal training classes.

Few counties in Indiana experienced more stormy times during
the Civil War than did Parke. The Peace Democrats were very
strong and at times menacing. They were led by Hon. John C.
Davis and other men of marked ability. Many trivial events gave
rise to shooting aft'rays, and in the northern part of the county, civil
war was threatened. Even today we hear of the "Battle of McCoy's
Bluffs," or the "charge on Thompson's hen-roosts." One company
from Parke county, was sent out under the first call for troops, serv-
ing in the 11th Indiana. Parke county furnished the first company to
the first three year regiments sent out from the state — Company A,
14th Indiana. The county also furnished companies to the 31st, 21st,
43rd and 85th Infantry, the 6th and 11th Cavalry and the 9th Bat-
tery, of the three year service; and to five short term regiments,
the 78th, 115th, 133rd, 137th, and 149th. The county sent out about
2,000 soldiers in all — about one-eighth of the entire population of a
county in which a large portion of the inhabitants were actively or
passively opposed to the subjugation of the South. Ladies' Aid
societies existed in every township, and regularly furnished their
contributions to the soldiers.

Parke county has produced a number of noted people, among
them Gen. Tilghman A. Howard, congressman and minister to
Texas ; E. W. McGaughey, lawyer and statesman ; Joseph A. Wright,
U. S. senator and minister to Germany ; Thomas H. Nelson, minister

150 Indiana Magazine of History

to Mexico and Chile ; Barnabas C. Hobbs, churchman and educator ;
Robert L. Kelly, now president of Earlham ; John H. Beadle, author
and journalist; W. H. H. Beadle, educator; Juliet V. Strauss,
writer; Horace G. Burt, railroad magnate; James Harlan, U. S.
senator and cabinet officer; James T. Johnson, congressman; and
Joseph G. Cannon, ex-speaker of the national house of representa-
tives.

Parke county was created by act of the legislature, approved
January 9, 1821, and the governor appointed the following officers
to serve until an election could be held : Captain Andrew Brooks,
sheriff; James Blair, coroner; Wallace Rea, clerk and recorder;
Dempsey Seybold and Joseph Ralston, justices, and Stephen Collett,
surveyor. The election was held the first Monday in August, 1821,
the poll being at the home of Richard Henry, just north of the
Vigo county line. The Jackson men cast a majority of the votes,
of which there were seventy ; drinking and a fight between two of
the election officials followed. It was then considered dishonorable
to complain of a man and have him fined for fighting on election
day or muster day; so all the accumulated quarrels of a year or
two were then and there settled, and the books squared.

In its early period, Parke county, like most frontier localities
of that day, was strong for Andrew Jackson and his faction. Most
of the few Clay men in the county were settlers from Pennsylvania
and New England. However, about 1826-'30 came a great migra-
tion of Quakers and small plantation owners from the Carolinas,
most of whom were Whigs. This addition to the Whig vote gave
them a fair majority over the Democrats, and Parke county most
of the time since has returned Whig or Republican majorities.
The strength of parties in various localities of the county is very
much as it was in pioneer days. Liberty and Penn townships have
always returned great Whig and Republican majorities. Only once,
in 1906, did a Democrat carry Penn township. Reserve and Jackson
townships, largely settled by Kentuckians and Virginians, who
favored low tariff and opposed the United States bank, have been
strongly Democratic from earliest times. The early Whig and
Republican domination was so strong that no Democratic news-
paper ever succeeded in the county until after the Civil War, though
the Rockville Republican, under various names, has been in exis-
tence since 1827. After the war the Montezuma Era was founded
and became the Democratic organ, but gave way to the Rockville

Murphy: Parke County 151

Tribune a few years later, now the only Democratic paper published
in the county.

As originally constituted, Parke county contained eleven town-
ships, Adams, Washington, Sugar Creek, Liberty, Reserve, Wa-
bash, Florida, Raccoon, Jackson, Union and Greene. Scott town-
ship was formed from parts of Liberty, Sugar Creek and Reserve
townships in 1854, but its name was changed shortly to Penn town-
ship. Sugar Creek township was divided in 1855, and the eastern
portion was called Howard township. These thirteen townships
compose the county as it is at present.

The county seat was finally established at Rockville in 1824, but
not until after court had been held at Roseville, Armiesburg and
Montezuma. The regular circuit judge usually presided part of
the time at court and the rest of the time court was in charge of
associate judges, who generally were respected men of the com-
munity, but who usually knew little of the law. Few of the county
officials prior to 1850 were men of education. For years it was
the custom to elect a coroner from among the stalwart blacksmiths
of the county, and Randall H. Burks, Solomon Pinegar and Johnson
S. White were among the pioneer blacksmiths to hold this office.
The office of sheriff was considered very desirable, and among ante-
bellum political leaders and men of ability who served as sheriff we
find William T. Noel, Austin M. (Montana) Puett, James W.
Beadle, and David Kirkpatrick. The first cases tried in the county
were for petit larceny, gambling and selling liquor without a
license. No famous trial occurred until that of Noah Beauchamp
for murder in 1841. Beauchamp was a blacksmith of Vigo county,
a good citizen, but a man of hot temper and a family pride that was
almost a mania. As a result of a charge that his daughter had
stolen some goods from a neighbor's family, Beauchamp became
almost insanely angry, and the result was a quarrel and a murder.
The case was venued to Parke county, and a memorable trial fol-
lowed, in which "Ned" McGaughey prosecuted and Tilghman A.
Howard represented Beauchamp, and the result was conviction with
a death penalty. An appeal to the supreme court and even to the
governor failed, and Beauchamp was hanged in November, 1841,
on a hill-side about a mile east of Rockville. Only one other man
has ever been hanged in the county, "Buck" Stout, who committed
a murder in Montgomery county in 1884, and whose case was venued
to Parke county.

152 Indiana Magazine of History

Parke was originally paired with Vigo county in the election of
a representative, but in 1826 was created an independent district.
This continued until this present year, when Parke and Fountain
counties were paired. The county early was joined with Vermillion
as a member of the 47th judicial circuit of Indiana, and this con-
tinued until the present year, when, by act of legislature, the coun-
ties were given separate circuits.

From 1825-50 was an age of extensive internal improvements
all over the county, and Parke county became involved in the gen-
eral plan. When the national road was surveyed in 1827, one set
of surveyors reported a route across Parke county, crossing the
Wabash at Clinton. However, Terre Haute had a representative
in Congress, and he succeeded in having the route built through
the Prairie City. As early as 1825 the Wabash and Erie canal was
a local issue in the county, and in that year Joseph M. Hayes, of
Montezuma, announced himself for the legislature, making the canal
his chief issue. It continued a vital issue in the county until it was
finally built. The county was well enough settled to feel the effects
of the panic of 1837, and from thenceforward national issues are
most prominent in campaigns of the county. The Whigs used their
"log cabin and hard cider" propaganda with complete success, so
far as Parke county was concerned, in the campaign of 1840.

The campaign of 1844 was one of the most bitter and strenuous
ever waged in the county. Political activity began in 1843 with
the gubernatorial and senatorial elections. E. W. McGaughey,
Whig, and Joseph A. Wright, Democrat, both of Rockville, were
the opposing candidates for congress, and both made stump speeches
at almost every town, cross roads and school house in the county.
The Olive Branch, the Whig organ, was a typical pioneer political
"sheet," more noted for calumny and rabid partisanship than for
news sense and correct use of the King's English. During the cam-
paign it abounded in such expressions as these : "Infidel dog, who
thus dares to open his God-defying lips," "locofoco," "sneak,"
"wily Joe (Joseph A. Wright)" and "tricky Austin (Austin M.
Puett)". The Whigs carried Parke county, but the State went
Democratic, and Wright carried the district by just three votes —
this was especially humiliating to the Parke county Whigs, as
"Little Ned" ran far below his ticket in the county. (He was
elected two years later.) The editor of the Olive Branch offered
excuses, and announced : "No paper will be issued from this office

Murphy: Parke County 153

for three or four weeks, as the editor must go out and collect what
is due him." Clay clubs sprang up all over the county early in 1844,
the Democrats soon manifested similar activity, and by fall politics
had transcended business in importance. Citizens of Rockville re-
member a wagon and team of oxen coming to town from the north-
ern part of the county, the wagon and horns of the oxen being
adorned with polk berries. Polk-stalks and roosters were Demo-
cratic, and 'coon skins and poplar boughs Republican emblems.
"Argument was completely abandoned. In its stead was abuse of
the opposing party, vile caricatures of its candidates, obscene and
foolish song, with sarcasm, clamor and confusion."

Campaigns continued to be heated, but the issue gradually
changed from "finance" to "slavery," and on this issue the Whigs
maintained a strong plurality in the county. The "underground
railroad" ran through Parke county, and a "station" was established
in a barn about a mile east of Annapolis.

Many of the Carolina settlers of Parke county were Democrats
and many of them carried the southern viewpoint with them to
the north. Other Democrats believed that the war was wrong on
principle, and that it was wrong to subdue the South. These two
refractory elements of population, quite numerous for a county the
size of Parke, were always threatening and at times turbulent, until
the end of the war. The bitter feeling engendered by this conflict
figured strongly in the political campaigns of the next twenty-five
years, and has not died out entirely even today. The Knights of the
Golden Circle, later called the Sons of Liberty, had a very large
organization in Rockville, at the head of which were Hon. John
G. Davis and Dr. H. J. Rice. Both were speakers of ability, and
made many speeches denouncing this "unholy, fratricidal strife."
Mr. Davis spoke in all parts of the county in behalf of the Peace
Democracy. The Parke County Republican viciously attacked him ;
its editor, Madison Keeney, was a man of undoubted courage, much
ability and zealous patriotism, but his attacks were as vicious as they
were fearless. Plis aptitude for strong language and acrid repartee
especially angered the Peace Democracy. Mr. Davis called the Re-
publican a "smut machine," and Mr. Keeney replied: "Smut ma-
chines has two definitions — agricultural, a machine for separating
the grains of wheat from the dirt, the chafif and the cheat ; political,
a paper for separating the good and true men from ditto. We accept
the designation." The editor's life and property were threatened.

154 Indiana Magazine of History

but he refused to retract anything he had said, "even though all
the people of Parke county were against him." Local speakers,
notably Thomas N. Rice, a prominent attorney, spoke vigorously
against the Peace Democracy upon various occasions, and in August,
1861, Governor Morton spoke in Rockville. Contemporary esti-
mates of the crowd that heard him, doubtless greatly exaggerated,
place it at 5,000 people. He discussed the issues of the war and
then turned to the "Copperheads" :

"Let them beware, vigilant men watch them, and the moment
they transgress the limits of the law, they will be summarily pun-
ished." This warning became perverted, as was to be expected in
such strenuous times, and John G. Davis, in subsequent speeches,
spoke of the "sneaking administration that sets a vigilance com-
mittee secretly to watch men who merely express their honest con-
victions."

John G. Davis, once one of the most popular and esteemed men
in Rockville, became the most hated, at least so far as the Union
people were concerned. Things continued in this state for many
months, and a Union mass meeting was called. The meeting unani-
mously decided that John G. Davis should be killed, but one man,
a little more far-sighted than the others, asked, "Whom shall we
appoint to kill him?" Thereupon the meeting got "cold feet." No
one wanted the task, and Mr. Davis continued to live and make
speeches. Daniel W. Voorhees spoke several times in Rockville
during the war; the Peace Democracy considered his speeches ex-
amples of almost infallible logic, while the succeeding issues of the
Republican gave him a severe grilling.

The smoldering hatred of the two factions resulted in a shoot-
ing affray in Rockville in the summer of 1862. The Puetts were a
family prominent among the Peace Democracy, having been natives
of North Carolina, and an apparently harmless remark made by one
of them about Marshal James K. Meacham, a loyal Union man, was
enlarged upon and carried to Mr, Meacham in the form of a chal-
lenge. The result was that the marshal and his supposed challenger
started a fight with pistols on the public square of Rockville, and
were joined by others, so that the affair became a miniature battle.
However, the heat of the conflict was in inverse proportion to the
accuracy of the firing, for no one was killed or seriously wounded.

The anti-war party was successful in the elections of 1862, but
was defeated in those of 1863. Accordingly, while affairs were com-

Murphy: Parke County 155

paratively quiet during 1863, trouble was started again in 1864. The
Butternut building, referred to elsewhere, became an object of strong
suspicion, and it was said with more or less truth that the Peace
Democrats were drilling in this building. All kinds of insurrection
rumors were afloat, and some Union men even went so far as to
threaten Dr. Rice's life and property in case of open violence. The
Republican became full of talk about "traitors," "suspicious looking
characters," "secret drillings," "hundreds of desperate, villainous
looking strangers" and the like. "It were a wearisome task," says
John H. Beadle, "to recount all the rumors of trouble, the neighbor-
hood quarrels, the fist fights, threats and recriminations." Only in
Sugar Creek and Howard townships, however, was there any organ-
ized attempt at violence. These townships contain many hills and
hollows and were still in the rude, pioneer state at the outbreak of
the war. Sentiment was about evenly divided on the question of the
Union.

A general raid was made, late in 1864, on the Union men of
Howard township, with the intention of disarming them. George
Lay, an aged engineer who had served on the Baltimore & Ohio
thirty years before and who later settled on a farm in Howard town-
ship, proved the La Tour d'Auvergne of the locality. When about
thirty anti-war men raided his home at night, he rose and met them
undauntedly with a corn cutter. He wounded two of them, one
mortally, and his wife blew a blast on the dinner horn to arouse the
neighbors, and the raiders fled, one accidently shooting himself
fatally while climbing a fence in haste. Mr. Lay himself was
wounded, but not seriously. The home guards, consisting of a com-
pany from nearly every township in the county, all under the com-
mand of Col. Caspar Budd, of Howard, was called out, and the hills
and vales of Sugar Creek and Howard townships were raided. Much
excitement was aroused, but the Peace Democracy had subsided,
and no fighting occurred.

A great sensation was aroused in Rockville the same summer by
what may be called the Beaubien incident. Rev. J. C. B. Beaubien
was pastor of the First, or Old School, Presbyterian church of Rock-
ville, at the time, and made an apparently professional visit to In-
dianapolis. After his return a letter was found, purporting to be
from prominent Knights of the Golden Circle in Rockville to their
brethren in Indianapolis. The missive gave instructions for the
sending of arms and ammunition to the Rockville branch of the

156 Indiana Magazine of History

order, in care of Mr. Beaubien. The letter was printed in the Parke
County Republican, and made the subject of long and venomous
editorial comment in several issues. Whether or not the letter was
authentic, it was taken at full value in Rockville; Mr. Beaubien,
though known previously as a man of high character and consider-
able ability, found himself deserted in wrath by most of his congre-
gation, and publicly denounced by men who had been his most
active members. He professed no connection with the K. G. C, and
avowed his loyalty to the Union, but the people refused to believe
in his sincerity, and he finally resigned in November, 1864.

By the campaign of 1864, the Republicans and War Democrats
had been fused into the Union party, and carried Parke county that
year by a large majority. Candidates for the Union nomination for
office were numerous, and there were no less than nine for sheriff.
The convention nominated principally ex-Union soldiers, and the
War Democrats were greatly peeved over the nomination of a young
Union soldier for commissioner, over Judge Walter Danaldson, one
of the most prominent citizens of Montezuma. They had the fol-
lowing notice published in the Republican, and carried it out, though
without success and against the protest of Judge Danaldson himself :
"We, the War Democrats of Parke county, intend to run Judge
Danaldson as our candidate for county commissioner, whether he is
willing or not."

One unfortunate class living in Rockville during the Civil War
was the class of people who came from the South, and who, although
they believed in the righteousness of the Union cause, were too de-
voted "to the home of their childhood and the traditions of their
people" to support it actively. Their practical neutrality was re-
garded as an evidence of treason, and they were called "traitors"
and "Copperheads" by the radical Unionists, and socially ostracised.
Notable among these people was the Rev. Samuel H. McNutt, a
Presbyterian minister of talent and most lovable character. Some
Virginia and Carolina families were looked upon with suspicion be-
cause of their Southern origin, even though their sons fought with
gallantry in the Union army.

The antipathy for the men who opposed the war or actually sym-
pathised with the South remained very bitter for years after the
war, and has not yet completely subsided. "Copperhead," "traitor,"
"rebel," "Knight of the Golden Circle," were employed for years by
the Republicans in campaigns. This was especially true in the bitter

Murphy: Parke County 157

campaign of 1876. As a typical incident, a highly respected Reserve
township Democrat had been selected as the party's choice for repre-
sentative, and his prospects were seriously hurt by a communication
to the Republican to the effect that during the war he had refused a
Union soldier refreshment. According to the communication, he
said that he cared nothing for the soldiers or the cause for which
they were fighting. He replied with a communication, professing
esteem for the soldiers of the Union, and speaking of various rela-
tives who had served in the Civil War. However, as he and several
brothers were of military age during the war, and none served in the
army, the first communication was generally believed, and the can-
didate failed of election. In the deadlock following the election of
1876, feeling was exceedingly tense. Democratic meetings de-
nounced in severest terms Senator Morton, as well as "Republican
treachery," and "narrow, unreasonable war prejudices."

The Terre Haute Company

By a. R. Markle, Terre Haute, Indiana.

On the twelfth and thirteenth of September, 1816, Joseph Kit-
chell, of Jackson county, Indiana, entered at the Vincennes land
office the east fractional sections of twenty-one and twenty-eight in
township twelve north and range nine west, with eleven other parcels
of land in what afterward became Vigo county. This was a part of
the Harrison Purchase of September 30, 1809, at Fort Wayne, and
was formally opened to entry and settlement by the proclamation
of President Madison of May 1, 1816, which provided for sales to be
held at Vincennes on the second Monday in September following
and for three succeeding weeks.

Another proclamation of the same date allowed entries by the
Canadian Volunteers, under the Act of March 5, 1816, to be made
on and after the first Monday in June, and there were over 23,000
acres entered under that act, beginning with the entry of Major
Abraham Markle of 800 acres on June 3, this being the first entry
in the tract, and his being land Warrant number one under the act.

Kitchell disposed of his entries by an assignment to Cuthbert and
Thomas Bullitt, of Louisville, Kentucky; Jonathan Lindley, of
Orange county, Indiana; Abraham Markle, of Fort Harrison, and
Hyacinth Laselle, of Vincennes, who entered into an agreement
dated September 19, 1816, whereby the thirteen tracts were appor-
tioned into twelve equal and undivided shares of which the Bullitts
were the owners of two, Lindley four, Markle three and Laselle
three. Further, in order that the payments for the land might be
regularly made, they agreed that immediately on the execution of
the agreement they would pay one-fourth of the purchase money,
to wit : the sum of $7,594.07 into the office of the receiver of public
monies at Vincennes,— $1,265.90 by the Bullitts, $2,531.81 by Lind-
ley, $1,898.85 by Markle and $1,898.85 by Laselle. A like amount
was to be paid on or before the first of August in 1818, 1819 and
1820, and a default by any of the parties should forfeit his interest
in the venture. They further agreed to make such disposition of

Markle: The Terre Haute Company 159

the lands as they might deem most advisable as soon as they con-
veniently could, arranged for a division of the profits on the first of
June, 1818, and on the first of October of each year thereafter, and
that any remaining unsold lands should be advertised July 1, 1821,
and sold on the first of the following October with a final settlement
of the proceeds in money, notes, bonds, dues and demands following
such sale.

On this same date a power of attorney was given "our trusty
friend, Joseph Kitchell, authorizing him to take possession of the
lands and to lay out in town lots, in and out, such part thereof" as
they or any three of them might direct. In accord with this plan
Kitchell filed for record at Vincennes October 25, 1816, the plan of
the future town, comprising 268 lots, a public square and two
double-sized lots which were reserved for a church and school.

On the day following this agreement Major Markle sold to
Eliakim Crosby, Eleazar Aspinwall and Harlow & Trimble three-
quarters of his interest; September 25, Lindley sold seven-eighths
of his interest to Joseph Kitchell, David Raymond, Henry Speed,
William Hoggatt, Jonathan Lyons, John DePauw, and John Owens,
while three days later, September 28, Laselle partitioned his three
shares into twenty parts and sold portions to Truman Blackman,
John Goodwin, Joseph Warner, Caleb Crawford, Andrew Himrod,
M. and H. Recherville, Michel Broulliette, Pierre Broulliette,
Modeset & Shields, John Dunn, Robert Harrison, John Carr, John
R. Holloway, Charles Thompson, John Andrews, Pierre Laplante
and John Long. Here we have, within ten days of the agreement of
the five men, and before a stake had been driven on the plat, thirty-
five part owners.

The first sale of lots took place October 31, 1816, and the
Western Sun, of Vincennes, said, November 9, that upwards of
twenty-one thousand dollars worth were sold the first day. Many
of these sales, if not all of them, were on credit, the larger part of
them did not stay sold and for some time to come the stakes of the
surveyor were the only evidences of the town of Terre Haute. It is
true that six houses were built that fall and winter but at the time of
the location of the county seat, in the spring of 1818, the owners
were still able to donate forty-eight of the lots to the county as part
payment for the location. We may be sure, too, that they did not
give away all the lots that they owned at this time.

B. Johnson, sheriff of Sullivan county, advertised to be sold for

160 Indiana Magazine of History

taxes sixty lots that were not highly valued, in the Western Sun of
November 22, 1817, which would look like quick action on his part,
for the patent was not yet issued for the land.

Within the company, many sales took place, for on April 16,
1817, John Holloway sold to Wilson and Pocock, Wilson assigning
his interest to Pocock but acquiring. May 23, the interest of John
Long; Eliakim Crosby sold to William Harlow, October 31 ; Henry
Speed sold to the Bullitts, July 3, 1818; July 13, John Carr sold to
Charles Smith ; the next day Smith bought of John Dunn ; October
3, Abraham Markle sold his remaining interest to Eleazar Aspin-
wall, this sale later confusing affairs for the company; October 15,
John Owens sold to the Bullitts; June 28, 1819, Joseph Kitchell sold
to Jonathan Lindley; October 23, Harlow sold his half interest in
Harlow & Trimble's purchase to John Sheets. December 22, Thomas
BuUitt sold to his brother Cuthbert the portion they had bought of
Henry Speed and John Owens. June 6, 1820, Harlow sold his inter-
est as the surviving partner of Harlow & Trimble to Gorham A.
Worth of the Bank of the United States, this being a deed of trust to
secure the payment of a note for $6,300.00, which was evidently paid,
for he again sold this share to John Sheets, January 30, 1821.

Meantime John Badollet, register of the land ofhce at Vincennes,
issued October 17, 1820, his certificate showing payment in full to
have been made for the land on which the town was located.

Eleazar Aspinwall, who had bought out Abraham Markle, died
in November of 1820, and, as his estate was believed to be insolvent
and the company was in doubt to whom his interest was payable, his
heirs gave a power of attorney to William C. Linton, August 31,
1821, under which he made a trust deed April 16, 1822, to Moses
Hoggatt and Robert Sturgus, trustees under a deed of September
29, 1821, whereupon the trustees proceeded to execute deeds to the
purchasers, many of whom had long before paid for their lots and
had erected thereon houses, shops and stores in which the social and
business life of the future city was beginning to be manifest. ^

1 The references for this paper are to the Deed Records of Knox and Vigo
counties. The records of the Canadian Volunteers are from the county Plat
Books. The author has in his possession many of the old personal papers, in-
cluding land patents.

Tecumseh's Confederacy

By Elmore Barce, Fowler, Indiana.
Results of the Treaty of Fort Wayne.

The Treaty of Fort Wayne having been consummated and cer
tain disputes relative to horse-stealing and other depredations having
been arranged between the two races, the governor, on the fourth of
October, 1809, set out on his return to Vincennes. He traveled on
horse-back, accompanied by his secretary and interpreter, passing
through the Indian villages at the forks of the Wabash and striking
the towns of the Miamis at the mouth of the Mississinewa. Here
dwelt John B. Richardville, or Peshewah, a celebrated chief of that
tribe, who was later chosen as principal sachem on the death of Little
Turtle. Richardville had not been personally present at Fort Wayne,
but he now received the governor cordially, and gave his unqualified
approval to the previous proceedings.

The day before his arrival at Peshewah's town, the governor met
with a singular experience, which not only served to illustrate the
advancing ravages of liquor among the tribes, but Harrison's inti-
mate knowledge of Indian laws, customs and usages. On coming
into the camp of Pucan, a Mississinewa chieftain, he discovered that
one of the warriors had received a mortal wound during a "drunken
frolic" of the preceding evening. The chiefs informed him that the
slayer had not been apprehended, whereupon the governor recom-
mended that if the act "should appear to have proceeded from pre-
vious malice," that the offender should be punished, "but if it should
appear to be altogether accident to let him know it and he would
assist to make up the matter with the friends of the deceased."^
This payment of wergild or "blood-money" among the Indian tribes
in compensation of the loss of Hfe or limb, is strongly in accord with
the ancient Saxon law, yet it seems to have prevailed as far back at
least as the time of William Penn, for in one of his letters describing
the aborigines of America, he says: "The justice they (the Indians)

1 Treaty of 1809. Official Proceedings. State Library, 23-24.

162 Indiana Magazine of History

have is pecuniary; in case of any wrong or evil fact, be it murder
itself, they atone by feasts and presents of their wampum, which is
proportioned to the offense, or person injured, or of the sex they
are of; for, in case they kill a woman, they pay double, and the
reason they render, is that she can raise children, which men can-
not do."2 Later on, at Vincennes, the governor had another and
similar experience which affords additional proof that the custom
above mentioned was still prevalent. A Pottawattomie chieftain
from the prairies came in attended by some young men. He found
there about one hundred and fifty of the Kickapoos, who were re-
ceiving their annuity, and he immediately made complaint to the
governor as follows : "My father," said he, "it is now twelve moons
since these people, the Kickapoos, killed my brother; I have never
revenged it, but they have promised to cover up his blood, but they
have not done it. I wish you to tell them, my father, to pay me for
my brother, or some of them will lose their hair before they go from
this." The governor accordingly advised the chief of the Kickapoos
to satisfy the Pottawattomie. On the following day the latter again
called upon the governor, and said : "See there, my father," showing
three blankets and some other articles, "see what these people have
offered me for my brother, but my brother was not a hog that I
should take three blankets for him," and he declared his intention of
killing some of them unless they would satisfy him in the way he
proposed. The governor, upon inquiry, finding that the goods of
the Kickapoos were all distributed, directed, on account of the
United States, a small addition to be made to what he had received."^
At the villages on Eel river the governor met with certain of
the Weas of the lower river region, and dispatched them to summon
their chiefs to meet with him at Vincennes and ratify the treaty. He
arrived at the latter place on the twelfth of October, having been
absent for a period of about six weeks, and found that the complete
success of his mission had restored in large measure that popularity
which he had beforetime lost on account of his advocacy of slavery.
The acquisition was heralded far and wide as a measure calculated
in all respects to forward the interests of the Territory. Not only
was the total domain acquired, vast in extent and acreage, (being
computed at about 2,600,000 acres), but it was considered extremely

' History of the Shawnee Indians, by Henry Harvey, a member of the So-
ciety of Friends. Cincinnati, 1855. 20.

•^ Dawson's Harrison — Appendix. Note VI.

Barce: Tecumseh's Confederacy 163

fertile, well watered, and as containing salt springs and valuable
mines> Once the Weas and other tribes were removed from close
proximity to the settlements, it was confidently expected that the
old clashes would cease and that the new territory would be speedily
surveyed and opened up for entry and purchase to within twelve
miles of the mouth of the Vermillion. The Indians also, seemed
well satisfied. The Pottawattomie had been urgent ; Richardville,
Little Turtle and all the Miamis had given their consent ; the Weas
and Kickapoos were about to ratify. Nothing was then heard of the
pretensions of the Shawnee Prophet or his abler brother. In a
message to the territorial legislature in 1810, reviewing the events
of this period, Harrison said :

It was not until eight months after the conclusion of the treaty, and
after his design of forming a combination against the United States had
been discovered and defeated, that the pretensions of the Prophet, in
regard to the land in question, were made known. A furious clamor was
then I'aised by the foreign agents among us, and other disaffected persons,
against the policy which had excluded from the treaty this great and in-
fluential character, as he is termed, and the doing so expressly attributed
to the pei-sonal ill-will on the part of the negotiator. No such ill-will did
in fact exist. I accuse myself, indeed, of an error in the patronage and
support which I afforded him on his arrival on the Wabash, before his
hostility to the United States had been developed. But on no principle of
propriety or policy could he have been made a party to the treaty. The
personage, called the Prophet, is not a chief of the tribe to which he belongs,
but an outcast from it, rejected and hated by the real chiefs, the prin-
cipal of whom was present at the treaty, and not only disclaimed on the
part of his tribe any title to the lands ceded, but used his personal influence
with the chiefs of other tribes to affect the cessiou.s

The "principal chief" of the Shawnees above alluded to was
undoubtedly Black Hoof, or Catahecassa who at this time lived in
the first town of that tribe, at Wapakonetta, Ohio. Being near to
Fort Wayne he had no doubt attended the great council at that place.
He had been a renowned warrior, having been present at Braddock's
Defeat, at Point Pleasant, and at St. Clair's disaster. But when
Anthony Wayne conquered the Indians at Falling Timbers, Black
Hoof had given up, and he had afterward remained steadfast in his
allegiance to the United States government. When Tecumseh after-
wards attempted to form his confederacy, he met with a firm and
steady resistance from Black Hoof, and his influence was such that

* Vincennes Western Sun, Oct. 21, 1809.

5 Dawson's Harrison, 166; Vincennes Western Sun, Dec. 8, 1810.

164 Indiana Magazine of History

no considerable body of the Shawnees every joined the Prophet's
camp. Black Hoof died in 1831 at the advanced age of one hundred
and ten years, and tradition says that like Moses, "his eye was not
dim; nor his natural force abated." The fact that Black Hoof, who
was of great fame among his tribe, as both orator and statesman,
made no claim to any of the lands sold below the Vermillion, is
strong accumulative proof of the assertion afterwards made by
Harrison to Tecumseh, that any claims of his tribe to the lands on
the Wabash were without foundation.^

The personal admirers and intimate associates of Harrison, were,
of course, overjoyed. They were no doubt influenced to some extent
by the fact that another long lease of power was in sight. Their
leader's victory would inure to their own benefit. Still, there were
no cravens among them. A banquet followed, participated in by a
number of the leading citizens of the town and adjacent country.
Judge Henry Vanderburgh, of the Territorial Court, presided, and
toasts were drunk to the treaty. Governor Harrison, his secretary
Peter Jones, and "the honest interpreter," Joseph Barron. Of
those present on that occasion, some were afterwards officers at
Tippecanoe, and one, Thomas Randolph, fell at the side of his chief. '^

There were those, however, who were not to be silenced by the
governor's triumph. The political battles of that time were ex-
tremely vitriolic, and the fights over territorial politics had been
filled with hate. Certain foes of the governor not only appeared in
Knox county, but eventually in the halls of the National Congress,
and there were those who did not hesitate to question the governor's
integrity. Among those who bitterly opposed Harrison was one
WiUiam Mcintosh, " a Scotchman of large property at Vincennes,
who had been for many years hostile to the governor, and who was
not believed to be very partial to the government of the United
States." One John Small made an affidavit before Judge Benjamin
Parke that prior to the year 1805, Mcintosh had been upon good
terms with Harrison, but that Harrison's advocacy of a representa-
tive government for the Territory, or its advancement to the second
grade, had turned him into an enemy. However this may be, Har-
rison and his friends, in order to vindicate his fame at home and
abroad, now resolved to bring an action for damages in the terri-

' Report of American Ethnology. Handbook of American Indians. Part I.
212.

' Vincennes Western Sun, Oct. 21, 1S09.

Barce: Tecumseh's Confederacy 165

torial courts against Mcintosh "for having asserted that he had
cheated the Indians, in the last treaty which had been made with
them at Fort Wayne." The suit being brought to issue, it was
found that of the territorial judges then on the bench, one, prob-
ably Judge Vanderburgh, was a personal friend of the governor's,
and one a personal friend of Mcintosh. These gentlemen, there-
fore, both retired, and the Honorable Waller Taylor, who had re-
cently come into the territory, assumed the ermine. A jury was
selected by the court naming two elisors, who in turn selected a
panel of forty-eight persons, from which the plaintiff and defendant
each struck twelve, and from the remaining twenty-four the jury
was drawn by lot. With this "struck jury" the cause proceeded to a
hearing. The following account, given in Daivson's Harrison, will
prove of interest :

Before a crowded audience, tliis interesting trial was continued from
10 a. m. till one o'clock at night. Every person concerned in the Indian
Department, or who could know anything of the circumstances of the late
treaty at Fort Wayne, was examined, and every latitude that was asked
for, or attempted by the defendant, in the examination permitted. Find-
ing that the testimony of all the witnesses went to prove the justice and
integrity of the governor's conduct in relation to everything connected with
the Indian Department, the defendant began to ask questions relating
to some points of his civil administration. To this the jury as well as
the court objected, the latter observing that it was necessary that the
examination should be confined to the matter at issue. But at the earnest
request of the governor the defendant was pei'mitted to pursue his own
course and examine the witnesses upon every point which he might think
proper. The defendant's counsel abandoning all idea of justification, pleaded
only for a mitigation of damages. After a retirement of one hour the
jury returned a verdict of $4,000 damages. To pay this sum, a large
amount of the defendant's lands were exposed for sale, and in the gover-
nor's absence in the command of the army the ensuing year, was bought
in by his agent. Two-thirds of his property has since been returned to
Mcintosh and the remaining part given to some of of the orphan children
of those distinguished citizens who fell a sacrifice to their patriotism in
the last war.8

The head chief of the Weas at this time was Lapoussier, whose
name would indicate that he was of French extraction. He arrived
at Vincennes on the fifteenth day of October with fifteen warriors
and was later followed by Negro Legs, Little Eyes and Shawanoe,
who came in with other companies of the tribe. On the twenty-
fourth the governor assembled them for the purpose, as he stated, of

* Dawson's Harrison, 176.

166 Indiana Magazine of History

ascertaining whether they "were in a situation to understand the
important business he had to lay before them." He said that he had
shut up the Hquor casks, but that he found that his proclamation pro-
hibiting the sale of liquor had been disobeyed. He was glad to find,
however, that they were sober, and expressed a wish that they would
not drink any more while the deliberations were in progress. On
the twenty-fifth he explained fully all the provisions of the Treaty of
Fort Wayne, the benefit the Weas would derive from an increase in
their annuities, and their removal from the vicinity of the settle-
ments to the neighborhood of their brothers, the Miamis, who lived
farther up the river. He also told them that they would be granted
the same amount of goods in hand received by the larger tribes, on
account of the inconvenience they would suffer by moving from their
present habitations. The governor's conduct in refusing to negotiate
while any evidences of liquor were manifest was in strict keeping
with his attitude at Fort Wayne, and his generous treatment of a
smaller and weaker tribe certainly redounds to his credit. The
Treaty of Fort Wayne was duly ratified and approved on the twenty-
sixth of October, 1809, and the convention was signed by Lapoussier
and all the Wea chieftains without a single dissent.^

Only one tribe now remained who had any manner of claim to
any of the lands in the Wabash Valley. This tribe was the Kicka-
poos, who lived at the mouth of the Vermillion river and in that
part of Indiana now comprising practically all of Vermillion county
and parts of Warren and Parke. Accordingly a treaty was con-
cluded with them at Vincennes on the ninth of December, 1809,
whereby they fully ratified all the proceedings at Fort Wayne, and
further ceded to the United States "all that tract of land which lies
above the tract above ceded (the north line of which was Raccoon
creek), the Wabash, the Vermillion river, and a line to be drawn
from the north corner of said ceded tract, so as to strike the Ver-
million river at the distance of twenty miles in a direct line from its
mouth." Among the interesting names attached as witnesses to the
articles is that of Hyacinthe Lasselle.

The Prophet and the Religious Movement.

The confederacy then, was established upon a priesthood. Let
us regard the priest. He was a character remarkable enough to

» Treaty of 1809. Official Proceedings (State Library), 23-24; also United
States Statute at Large — Indian Treaties, Boston, 1856, 116.

Barce: Tecumseh's Confederacy 167

invite the attention of all the leading men of that day, including
Jefferson. He was subtle and crafty enough to delude Harrison
into the belief that he might be a friend instead of a foe.

The account related by Simon Kenton, and vouched for by John
Johnston and Anthony Shane, is that Tecumseh, Laulewasikaw, the
Prophet, and a third brother, Kumskaukau, were triplets; that
Tecumseh was the youngest or last born of the three; that "this
event so extraordinary among the Indian tribes, with whom a double
birth is quite uncommon, struck the mind of the people as super-
natural, and marked him and his brothers with the prestige of
future greatness — that the Great Spirit would direct them to the
achievement of something great." The date of this extraordinary
event is given by most authors as 1768, making Tecumseh and the
Prophet some five years the seniors of General Harrison. "They
were born in a cabin or hut, constructed of round saplings chinked
with sticks and clay, near the mouth of Stillwater, on the upper part
of its junction with the Great Miami, then a pleasant plateau of land,
with a field of corn not subject to overflow."^^

Of the early life of the Prophet not much is known. "Accord-
ing to one account he was noted in his earlier years for stupidity
and intoxication; but one day, while lighting his pipe in his cabin,
he fell back apparently lifeless and remained in that condition until
his friends had assembled for the funeral, when he revived from his
trance, quieted their alarm, and announced that he had been con-
ducted to the spirit world. "^^ As an orator, he is said to have been
even more powerful than Tecumseh himself, and his great influence
in after years among the various tribes would seem to bear that
statement out. However, he was boastful, arrogant, at times cruel,
and never enjoyed the reputation for honesty and integrity that his
more distinguished brother did. In personal appearance he was not
prepossessing. He had lost one eye, "which defect he concealed by
wearing a dark veil or handkerchief over the disfigured organ."
It has been related that he was dominated to some extent by his
wife, who was regarded by the Squaws at the Prophet's Town as
a queen.^2

Whole nations are at times moved with a sort of religious
fervor or frenzy which extends to all ranks and stations. During

i» A Chapter from History of the War of 1812, Col. William Stanley Hatch,
'^ Report of Bureau of American Ethnology. Handbook of American In~
dians, II, 729.

^Archives of Aboriginal Knowledge. H. R. Schoolcraft, 353.

168 Indiana Magazine of History

these periods strange mental phenomena are at time apparent, great
social and political movements are inaugurated, and the whole com-
plexion of affairs seems to undergo a rapid and sometimes radical
change. Such a movement occurred among the Indian tribes of
Ohio and those along the Wabash about the beginning of the year
1806. At this time a part of the scattered and broken remnants of
the Shawnee tribe had been gathered together under the Prophet and
Tecumseh at Greenville, Ohio. In November of the year before the
Prophet had "assembled a considerable number of Shawnees, Wyan-
dots, Ottawaws and Senecas, at Wapakoneta, on the Auglaize river,
when he unfolded to them the new character with which he was
clothed, and made his first public effort in that career of religious
imposition, which in a few years was felt by the remote tribes of
the upper lakes, and on the broad plains which stretch beyond the
Mississippi."^^ The appearance of the Prophet was not only highly
dramatic but extremely well-timed. The savage mind was filled with
gloomy forebodings. The ravages of "fire-water," the intermixture
of the races, the trespassing of the white settlers on the Indian
domain, and the rapid disappearance of many of the old hunting
grounds, all betokened a sad destiny for the red man. Naturally
superstitious, he was prepared for the advent of some divine agency
to help him in his distress. No one understood this better than the
Prophet. He may have been the dupe of his own imposture, but im-
posters are generally formidable. He was no longer Laulewasikaw,
but Tenskwatawa, "The Open Door." "He affected great sanctity;
did not engage in the secular duties of war or hunting; was seldom
in public ; devoted most of his time to fasting, the interpretation of
dreams, and offering sacrifices to spiritual powers ; pretended to see
into futurity and to foretell events, and announced himself to be the
mouth-piece of God."^^

The first assemblage at Wapakoneta, was later followed by a
series of pilgrimages to Greenville, which shortly spread alarm
among the white settlers. Hundreds of savages flocked around the
new seer from the rivers and lakes of the Northwest and even from
beyond the Mississippi. In May of 1807 great numbers passed and
repassed through Fort Wayne. To all these gatherings the Prophet
preached the new propaganda. He denounced drunkenness, and said
that he had gone up into the clouds and had seen the abode of the

" Drake's Life of Tecumseh, 86.

" Archives of Aboriginal Knowledge. H. R. Schoolcraft, 353-355.

Barce: Tecumseh's Confederacy 169

Devil; that there he saw all the drunkards and that flames of fire
continually issued from their mouths, and that all who used Hquor in
this world would suffer eternal torment in the next; he advocated
a return to pristine habits and customs, counseling the tribes "to
throw away their flints and steels, and resort to their original mode of
obtaining fire by percussion. He denounced the woolen stuffs as not
equal to skins for clothing; he commended the use of the bow and
arrow. As to intermarriage between the races, all this was pro-
hibited. The two races were distinct and must remain so. Neither
could there be any separate or individual ownership of any of the
Indian lands ; these were the common heritage of all. The weak,
aged and infirm were to be cherished and protected; parental au-
thority was to be obeyed. In conclusion, he never failed to proclaim
that the Great Spirit had gifted him with the divine power to "cure
all diseases and to arrest the hand of death, in sickness, or on the
battlefield."

The fame of the Prophet soon aroused the jealousy of many of
the neighboring chiefs and medicine men. They saw their power
dwindling away and their authority diminishing. They took steps
to check the advancing tide of fanaticism, but were at once adroitly
met by the introduction of an inquisition into witchcraft, which had
been almost universally believed in by the tribes, but against which,
the Prophet now hurled the most direful anathemas. He declared
that any one who dealt in magic or "medicine juggleries" should
never taste of future happiness, and must be instantly put to death.
His deluded and awe-struck followers promptly began a systematic
searching out and persecution of "witches," and all under his per-
sonal direction. The finger of the seer often pointed at a prominent
warrior or chieftain, or some member of their household. The Pro-
phet's mere denunciation was proof enough. The victim went to the
torture of death by fire, or some other fate equally revolting. Among
the Delawares, especially, the most shocking cruelty ensued, and
finally these things came to the ears of the governor at Vincenncb.
He immediately sent a "speech" by special messenger to the heads-
men and chiefs of the Delaware tribe, beseeching them to cast aside
all fallacious doctrines, to denounce the Prophet and to drive him
out of their midst. In the course of this "speech" he said : "Demand
of him some proofs at least of his being the messenger of the Deity.
If God has really employed him. He has doubtless authorized him to
perform miracles that he may be known and received as a prophet.

170 Indiana Magazine of History

If he is really a prophet, ask of him to cause the sun to stand still,
the moon to alter its course, the rivers to cease to flow, or the dead
to rise from their graves. "^^

The language of the Governor proved to be unfortunate. On
June 16, 1806, there was a total eclipse of the sun in northern lati-
tudes for a period of about five minutes, at about a half an hour be-
fore midday, arid this event had long been heralded by the astrono-
mers of that time, and had come to the ears of the Prophet through
intercourse with some white friends. The crafty savage was not
slow to act. He told his followers that on a certain fixed day, and at
a time when the sun was at the height of its power, he would place
the same under his feet, and cause darkness to come over the face of
the earth. On the day announced the Prophet stood among his fear-
ful band awaiting the hour. The day was wholly clear and without
clouds, but at the appointed time the terrified savages saw a disc of
blackness gradually pass over the face of the sun ; the birds became
agitated and flew to cover ; the skulking dogs drew near their mas-
ters ; almost absolute darkness fell on all about ; the stars of heaven
appeared in the zenith, and in the midst of it all, the Prophet ex-
claimed : "Did I not testify truly? Behold ! Darkness has shrouded
the sun. "10 The account of that day, faithfully set forth by J. Fenni-
more Cooper, then a youth, is filled with strange relations of the un-
natural appearance of all earthly things ; of the sudden awe and fear
that came into the minds of all ; how women stood near their hus-
bands in silence and children clung to their mothers in terror, and if
these were the emotions experienced in a civilized community, made
fully aware of the coming event, what must have been the impression
produced on the superstitious mind of the savage, wholly unenlight-
ened in the ways of science? From that day, the power of the savage
Prophet was siecure until the spell of his magic was forever broken
by Harrison's soldiers at Tippecanoe.

It is not certain at what period in his career the Prophet was
tempted by British gold and British overtures. President Jefferson
once wrote to John Adams as follows : "I thought there was little
danger in his making proselytes from the habits and comforts they
had learned from the whites, to the hardships and privations of sav-
agism, and no great harm if he did. But his followers increased un-
til the British thought him worth corrupting, and found him cor-

^■' Eggleston's Tecumseh, 119.
1" Eggleston's Tecumseh, 121.

Barce: Teciimseh's Confederacy 171

ruptible."^^ Neither is it certain at what precise period Tecumseh
put his brother-priest behind him and assumed the lead. That he
had cunningly pretended to have great respect and reverence while
the Prophet was practicing on the superstition of the tribes ; that he
took no steps to stop the inquisitions which were destroying the in-
fluence of the chiefs and medicine men ; that he stood ready at the
opportune moment to push the brother-priest into the back-ground
and form a confederacy with himself as the recognized head, will not
now admit of controversy.

In 1806 Tecumseh was about thirty-eight years of age, a finished
athlete, a renowned hunter, and of great reputation as a bold and
fearless orator. Probably no red man ever born had a better knowl-
edge of the various treaties that had been consummated between the
races. "For all those qualities which elevate man far above his
race; for talent, tact, skill, bravery as a warrior; for high-minded,
honorable and chivalrous bearing as a man ; in fine, for all those
elements of greatness which place hin a long way above his fellows
in savage life, the name and fame oi Tecumseh will go down to
posterity in the West, as one of the most celebrated of the aborigines
of this continent." This is the estimate of Judge Law.^^

In his youth he had been under the tutelage of his elder brother
Cheeseekau, who taught him "a love for the truth, a contempt of
everything mean and sordid and the practice of those cardinal In-
dian virtues, courage in battle and fortitude in suffering." In one
of the early Shawnee raids along the Ohio he had witnessed the
burning of a white man at the stake ; the scene was so horrifying to
him that he made his associates promise never to torture another
prisoner. The spoils of the hunt he divided with the aged and un-
fortunate. At the time of the Prophet's rise he had already matched
his prowess in battle against such men as Simon Kenton and his
associates and had proven both his skill as a tactician and his cour-
age as a fighter.

An illustration of Tecumseh's chivalry toward his foes is pleas-
ingly set forth in Smith's Historical Sketches of Old Vincennes:

Early in the year 1811, Governor Harrison, with a view to ascertaining
the cause of the dissatisfaction of the Prophet, and, if possible, pacify him,
deputed one of his most sagacious and trusty advi.sers with a competent
interpreter to hold a council with him and his chiefs, embracing his

" Eggleston's Tecumseh, 114-115.

" John Law, History of Old Vincennes^ 75.

172 Indiana Magazine of History

brother warrior chief, Tecumseh. It is learned from history that these
geutlemeu arrived at the village one evening and were received in an ap-
parently friendly manner by the Prophet and assigned a tent for the
night with an agreed appointment for a council the next morning. It is
said the Prophet's wife was considered a queen among the Indian women,
as well as by her husband. Before retiring for the night the interpreter
observed an unusual stir among the squaws, and motions made toward their
tent, and caught menacing glances and gestures toward them, and so told
the ambassador, but he made light of the matter and the interpreter's
suspicions that treachery was intended, and when night came on he was
soon asleep in peace and quiet. But not so with the vigilant interpreter
who kept awake and had his guns near at hand. About midnight a tap
was heard at the door and his name, in a Shawnee language, was called.
He found Tecumseh at the door. He had called to warn him of impending
assassination by the Queen and squaws, who had held a council and de-
termined on their death in spite of the protests of himself and others who
told them it would be base treachery to kill messengers of peace who were
their visitors. He told the visitors to rise and go with him. They went
silently through the village and down into a wooded ravine near the river,
where a noise was made as if to call wild turkeys, sounds well recognized
by all hunters in early days ; an answer was returned, and soon two men
appeared with the ambassador's horses which they speedily mounted and
rode swiftly away, accompanied by the two guides furnished by Tecumseh,
and were soon well on their return trip to Vincennes.19

No true portrait of this celebrated Indian is in existence. The
following graphic description of him, however, is given by Stanley
Hatch, who had a personal acquaintance with him in times of peace :

The general appearance of this remarkable man was uncommonly
fine. His height was about five feet nine inches, judging him by my own
height when standing close to him, and corroborated by the late Col. John
Johnston, for many years Indian agent at Piqua. His face oval rather
than angular; his nose handsome and straight; his mouth beautifully
formed, like that of Napoleon I, as represented in his portraits; his eyes
clear, transparent hazel, with a mild, pleasant expression when in repose,
or in conversation ; but when excited in his orations or by the enthusiasm
of a conllict, or when in anger, they appeared like balls of fire; his teeth
beautifully white, and his complexion more of a light brown or tan than
red; his whole tribe as well as their kindred the Ottawaws had light com-
plexions; his arms and hands were finely formed; his limbs straight; he
always stood very erect and walked with a brisk, elastic, vigorous step; in-
variably dressed in Indian tanned buckskin ; a perfectly well fitting hunting
frock descending to the knee, and over his under clothes of the same ma-
terial ; the usual cape and finish of yellow fringe about the neck ; cape,
edges of the front opening and bottom of the frock; a belt of the same
material in which were his side arms (an elegant silver-mounted toma-

i» H. M. Smith, Historical Sketches of Old Vincennes, 264-265.

Barce: Tecumseh's Confederacy 173

hawk iiud a kuife in a strong leather case) ; short pantaloons connected
with neatly fitting leggins and moccasins with a mantle of the same
material thrown over his left shoulder, used as a blanket in camp and as
a protection in storms. Such was his dress when I last saw him, on the
17th of August, 1812, on the streets of Detroit ; mutually exchanging tokens
of recognition with former acquaintances in years of peace, and passing
on, he, to see that his Indians had all crossed to Maiden, as commanded,
and to counsel with his white allies in regard to the next movement
of the now really commenced War of 1S12. He was then in the prime
of life, and presented in his appearance and noble bearing one of the finest
looking men I have ever seen.20

The striking circumstances of his birth, the ascendency of his
brother, the Prophet ; his burning hatred of the white race ; his skill
as a hunter and valor as a warrior ; above all his wonderful eloquence
and thorough knowledge of all the Indian treaties of the past, gave
Teumseh an influence and authority among the tribes far beyond
that of any of the braves or sachems of that day. If at the first his
imagination had not dared to scale the heights of power, he later
boldly threw aside all disguise, and by his powerful advocacy of a
communistic ownership of all the Indian lands by the tribes in com-
mon, he aimed a blow both at the ancient authority claimed by the
Indian chieftains, and at the validity of every treaty ever negotiated
between the two races of men. The sum and substance of Tecum-
seh's doctrine is thus succinctly stated by Judge Law :

That the Great Spirit had given the Indians all their lands in common
to be held by them as such and not by the various tribes who had settled
on portions of it — cliiiming it as their own. That they were mere squatters
having no ''pre-emption right," but holding even that on which they lived as
mere "tenants in common" with all the other tribes. That this mere
possession gave them no title to convey the land without the consent of all.
That no single tribe had the right to sell, that the power to sell was not
vested in their chief, but must be the act of the warriors in council assem-
of all the tribes, as the laud belonged to all — no portion of it to any
single tribe. 21

If these tenets were to hold, it was clear that any authority
claimed by the chiefs to represent their respective tribes in the sale
or barter of any of the Indian domain was without foundation ; that
any treaty not negotiated and ratified by a common council of all the
warriors of all the tribes, was null and void; that Wayne's Treaty
of 1795 was nullum pactum; that the claim of the white settlers to

=0 Wm. Stanley Hatch, A Chapter of the History of the War of 1S12, 113-115.
^1 John Law, History of Vincennes, 81.

174 Indiana Magazine of History

any of the lands north of the Ohio was without force, and that they
were trespassers and mere Hcensees from the beginning. The doc-
trine thus enunciated was not entirely new. Tarhe, or the Crane,
Chief of the Wyandots, had announced at Greenville: "I now tell
you, that no one in particular can justly claim this ground; it be-
longs, in common, to us all ; no earthly being has an exclusive right
to it."22 But the plausible eloquence of Tecumseh, coming at a time
when the star of the red man was setting; when every passing day
witnessed the encroachment of the white settlers, gave a new ray of
hope to the fainting tribes. The warriors, carried away by the
dreams and incantations of the Prophet, and sustained by the burn-
ing words of a new leader, who promised them a restoration of their
former glory, cast aside with contempt all the articles and solemn
agreements of the past, and were ready to take up the tomahawk in
patriotic defense of their lands and homes. Thus did Tecumseh
look forward to the establishment of "a great and permanent con-
federation — an empire of red men, of which he should be the leader
and emperor."

22 John Dillon, History of Indiana, 361.

Reviews and Notes

The Scotch-Irish in America. By Henry Jones Ford. Princeton
University Press. 1915. pp. 607.

In this single volume Professor Ford gives a good estimate and
summary account of that racial strain in the American population
known as the "Scotch-Irish." It is the stock that has produced in
the South such men as the Calhouns, the Houstons, the Jacksons, and
Johnstons, and the Clarks, and in the North and West such men as
the McKinleys, the Logans, the McClellans, the Kirkwoods, and the
McDonalds and a host of others whose ancestors, through their
fighting and pioneer spirit, helped to win the frontier for civilization.
The story of the life of these people is told from the time of the
Scotch plantation in Ulster in 1609 to the influences they are now
exerting on current American life.

It is only toward the end of his volume that the author notices
the controversy over the definition of the term "Scotch-Irish." He
quotes the distinctions of John Fiske and Henry Cabot Lodge be-
tween the Scotch-Irish and the Irish pure and simple ; and he makes
his text refer to that "indisputable breed of people in the north of
Ireland introduced there by the Ulster Plantation." They were of
the Scottish people who had been living in Ireland. When they came
to America they were called "Irish," but they claimed to be Scotch.
While the Ulster Plantation was designed for an English settlement,
the English settlers there were soon absorbed by the Scottish ele-
ment. So the author holds the use of the term "Scotch-Irish" to be
not only justifiable but required by accuracy as a description of a
distinct race stock.* The English and Scotch settlers in North Ire-
land treated the native Irish a good deal as our American frontier
settlers treated the Indians. They felt that they had to "defend the
borders and fortresses and suppress the Irish." Professor Ford
gives us a brief account of the lands and life of these people and of
their conflicts and customs in Ulster. He then proceeds to discuss in
interesting and effective pages the religious and moral customs of
the Scotch-Irish ; their relations to the English government, the
causes of their migration to America ; the centers where they set-

176 Indiana Magasine of History

tied ; their relation to the Indians, their influence on American inde-
pendence and American education and of their importance as a
factor in American history. They were the first to stand up in the
cause of American independence, as shown in their Mecklenburg
resolutions in North Carolina; and their ministry and people were
always foremost and active in promoting the cause of education.
The volume shows the Scotch-Irish to be largely the source of
American Presbyterianism ; among the boldest in extending the west-
ern confines of civiHzation; among the bravest and most effective
fighters in the Indian wars ; and among the militant patriots in the
building of the nation and in the Revolutionary and other wars of
the Republic. Pennsylvania, as the Scotch-Irish center is given due
prominence but the expansion of the stock "South and West" relates
too exclusively to Virginia. The work deals chiefly with the work
of Presbyterian ministers and the planting of Presbyterian churches
and schools, and the descriptive accounts relate largely to persons
and localities as types of character and influence. The Reformed and
Seceding Presbyterian bodies appear to go unnoticed and the great
part played by Scotch-Irish influences and settlements in the Pied-
mont and up-land regions of the Carolinas and their migrations and
settlements beyond the Alleghanies by neighborhoods and congrega-
tions are almost entirely neglected. So noticeable is this that the
work might not unfairly be entitled "The Scotch-Irish in America
on the Middle and North Atlantic Sea Board."

The subject of the volume is not easy for comprehensive treat-
ment. Within its scope it is a valuable and desirable study, of in-
terest to all who care for American history and especially to all
Americans of Scotch-Irish stock. The Appendix of the volume con-
tains a full list of authorities, a list of the "Scottish Undertakers" in
Ulster, the "Mecklenburg Resolves" and other material of value.
The author has placed thousands of Americans under obligations to
him for this work. J. A. W.

^ The Scotch-Irish in Ireland usually speak of themselves as "Ulster Scots."
They are usually of the Presbyterian faith. The fullest and best account of
the history and achievements of the Scotch-Irish in their Irish home is to be
found in Rev. James B. Woodburn's volume on The Ulster Scot (1913?). Mr.
Woodburn is a scholarly Presbyterian Minister in Castle Rock, Ireland. See
also James A. Woodburn's Scotch-Irish Presbyterians in Monroe County, Indiana,
for a tracing of the connection between the Scotch-Irish in Ulster to one of
their typical frontier settlements in western America.

Reviews and Notes 177

Circuit Rider Days in Indiana. By William Warren Sweet, Pro-
fessor of History in Depauw University. W. K. Stewart Co.,
Indianapolis, pp. 344.

Some years ago Dr. Sweet came into possession of the official
records of the old Indiana Conference. The first session of this
conference met at New Albany, October 17, 1832, with eighteen
circuit riders present and Bishop Joshua Soule in the chair. The
last session was held at Crawfordsville, October 18, 1843, with
Bishop James O. Andrew presiding and Matthew Simpson secretary.
There were ninety-three preachers ready to answer the first roll call.
The minutes published by Dr. Sweet thus cover a period of eleven
years. The great problem of the church during this period was
organization. As the settlements spread to the north the church
had to gather its adherents into classes, circuits, and districts. In
the first conference there were five districts, one being missionary.
Eleven years later there were sixteen districts. This period of re-
markable growth is covered by the book under review. Besides the
ordinary work of the church its principal activities during the
period were the organization of Sunday schools, furnishing Bibles to
the settlers, publishing tracts and newspapers and missionary work.
It was an endless task to finance the work. Not only must the
working circuit riders be supplied but money had to be raised for
missions, suppression of vice, negro colonization, aid of superan-
nuated preachers and widows, and various other purposes, not the
least of which was education. Covering this period as it does, these
minutes furnish one of the best sources for early Indiana history.
In publishing them Dr. Sweet has put all the people of Indiana in his
debt and especially is this true of the Methodists.

The first ninety pages of the book are occupied with a historical
introduction in which the history of the church is brought down to
1832. In the preparation of this Dr. Sweet has had the advantage
of the large collection of material in Depauw University Library
including a complete file of the Western Christian Advocate. The
history of the pioneer Methodist church in Indiana is the story of a
valiant struggle. Preparing this has been a labor of love for Dr.
Sweet. He has done it well.

178 Indiana Magazine of History

History of the Illinois Central Railroad to 1870. By Howard Gray
Brownson^ Ph.D., sometime fellow in economics, University
of Illinois. University of Illinois Studies in the Social Sci-
ence, Vol IV, Nos. 3 and 4. Urbana: University of Illinois,
1915. 182 p. $1.25.

One of the most promising tendencies in the study of history
in the American colleges is the devotion of more and more time to
local topics, especially the history of those events or institutions
whose influences are still with us. The Illinois Central Railroad has
played a leading part in the material and political, and perhaps in the
social, development of Illinois. Dr. Brownson has performed a
work of permanent social and political value in thus historically
acquainting the people of Illinois with their greatest railway. The
Illinois Central is the first of the land-grant railroads and when the
history of the railroads of the United States is written the author
will find ready to hand an adequate history of this one.

Dr. Brownson has divided his thesis into six chapters. The first
deals with "Illinois in 1850" in which he gives an economic review
of the State ; the second chapter deals with "The Land Grant and the
Charter." The State was confronted at the time with a peculiar
situation. It had wasted considerable resources in attempting to
carry out a system of Internal Improvements by the State. There
was a strong party demanding that the State also use this land grant
itself in building a State road, but it was decided to turn the grant
over to a private corporation which successfully built the road. The
third chapter describes the building of the charter Hues ; the fourth
chapter deals with the "Development of the System;" the fifth
chapter takes up the question of "Traffic, 1857-1870." This chapter
forms an excellent economic history of the period. When the road
was projected most of the produce was marketed at New Orleans,
hence it was intended to make the main terminal at Cairo. The road
soon had to face about and prepare to carry its freight to Chicago.
The last chapter deals with the "Finances and Financing of the
Road." The subject is thus far more than merely local. The author
has used the official reports and other contemporary sources. It is a
very valuable and readable contribution. I-. E.

Reviews and Notes 179

Indiana, A Social and Economic Survey. By Frances Doan
Streightoff, a. M., and Frank Hatch Streightoff,
Ph.D., Professor of Economics in Depauw University. With
a Chapter on Charities and Correction by Cecil Clare
North, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology in Depauw Univer-
sity. IndianapoHs: W. K. Stewart Company, 1916, pp. 261.

The following from the preface indicates the nature of the
volume : "In these pages there will be found a concise description
of Indiana as she is and of the problems she faces." The twelve
chapter headings are as follows : Physical Basis ; Trees ; Agricul-
ture; Manufactures; Transportation; Labor; Labor Legislation;
Government ; Finances ; Constitution ; Charities and Correction ;
Education. These topics are treated from the standpoint of the
economist and not from that of history or literature. The authors
tell their story pointedly and without praise or blame. Enough of
the history of each subject is given to show the attitude of the people
and the present situation. The authors have depended for their
data almost exclusively on official documents of the State and United
States, using the United States Census very freely. There are eight
State maps showing the distribution of various products. The book
furnishes a valuable complement to the many State histories now
being put on the market.

Centennial History of Indiana for Schools and for Teachers' Insti-
tutes. By Hubert M. Skinner, Ph.D. Former Assistant
Superintendent of Public Instruction of Indiana, Founder of
Lincoln Day Observances by Schools and Clubs. Chicago:
Atkinson, Mentzer and Company, 1916, pp. 102.

This is a brief summary of the State's history. The author
divides his subject into six parts or, as he calls them, periods. These
are the "Aboriginal," "French Colonial," "British Colonial,"
"Revolutionary," "Territorial," and "Statehood" periods. These
periods are not considered as of equal importance. The last one
occupies one third of the book. The book opens with the poem,
"Song of the Old Sac Trail," by the author, and closes with a
"School Song of Indiana," by the author. The volume is necessarily
a brief summary of the main features of our State history. Too
large a portion, sixty-three out of one hundred pages, is devoted to
the period before 1816. The last half century is disposed of in six

180 Indiana Magazine of History

pages. Aside from the inclusion of several questionable incidents,
such as the bravado of Captain Helm at Vincennes and the ruse of
displaying flags and counter-marching by which Clark is said to have
deceived Colonel Hamilton, a careful critical treatment has been pre-
served. The general tone of the book is, as it should be, one of
praise for the men and women who have made our State. It is a
readable book and should meet with a hearty reception by Indian-

Forms of City Government. By Frank G. Bates, Ph.D. Associate
Professor of Political Science, Indiana University, Indiana
Bureau of Legislative Information, Bulletin No. 5. Indian-
apohs, 1916, pp. 27.

This is a pamphlet on the problems of city government. The
Federal, Commission, and Commission-Manager plans are described.
The author is not interested in any propaganda and does not speci-
fically advocate any plan of city government. His object is to set
forth plainly and accurately the features of each plan and so far
as possible how each has succeeded where tried. Cities are named
where each plan is in operation so that any one interested may secure
further information. A select bibliography is given.

Indiana Centennial Patriotic Arbor and Bird Day Manual. By
Elijah A. Gladden, Secretary Indiana State Board of For-
estry. Indianapolis, 1916, p. 52.

This is a contribution of the State Board of Forestry toward the
celebration of the Centennial. The proclamations of the governor,
a number of selections from Woodrow Wilson, Lincoln, Jefferson,
Hale, Patrick Henry, Webster, Scott, and others, are included. A
list of the native trees of the State is given, a chapter on the care
of trees, one on the appreciation of forests, and a number of poems
such as the "Old Apple Tree," "When the Green Gits Back in the
Trees." It is a beautiful little pamphlet, well illustrated.

History of Education in Iowa. By Clarence Ray Aurner, Ph.D.,
Iowa State Historical Society. Iowa City, 1916. Vols. Ill
and IV. pp. xii+464; xi+471.

In volume III Dr. Aurner takes up the secondary schools. In
this field there was a noticeable lack of unity or system. This fact

Reviews and Notes 181

makes it impossible to unify the volume as was done in the preceding
and succeeding volumes. The author was fortunate in having prac-
tically all the source material for his work in the library of the State
Historical Society. A glance at the chapter headings will give one
the best idea of the scope of the volume. Part I deals with the in-
corporated academies. The earliest of these was at Dubuque in
1838. These were separately incorporated and each pursued its inde-
pendent course. The author singles out as the best example of these
the "Denmark Academy." Part II deals with the unincorporated
academies. These were generally private ventures. There were
separate schools for boys and girls. In the later period of the un-
incorporated academies, towns and other communities organized
public schools similar to the private ones. Part III deals with the
special schools, the private normals and business colleges. These
seem to have been the forerunners of the professional schools. Part

IV deals with secondary schools under sectarian domination. Part

V is devoted to the public high school. The different phases of this
movement are discussed under the county high school, the township
high school, and the district high school. There are eight chapters
to this part and it is perhaps the most satisfactory division of the
volume. Part VI is devoted entirely to a historical discussion of
the courses of study.

Volume IV takes up the history of the three State institutions
for higher learning; the State University at Iowa City, the State
College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts at Ames and the State
Teachers College at Cedar Falls. The volume contains a brief his-
tory of each of these institutions and offers little ground for com-
ment by the reviewer. The problems of the schools are indicated
but for the most part the author has been content to trace the growth
of the institutions entirely from the historical standpoint. The State.
is to be congratulated on the character of the work so far published.

My Story of the Civil War and Underground Railroad. By M. B.
Butler, First Lieutenant Co. A, 44th Indiana. The United
Brethren Publishing Company, Huntington, Ind. pp. 390.

This is a simple straightforward story, full of conversation and
color. The writer experienced the usual vicissitudes of the soldier's
life and has attempted to tell them in detail. The author was a
native of Vermont, born February 15, 1834. Practically all of his
life was spent at his farm home in Salem township, Steuben county,

182 Indiana Magazine of History

where he died June 17, 1914. His book was not published until after
his death.

The New Regime, 1765-1767. Collections of the Illinois State His-
torical Society, Volume XI; British Series, Volume II.
Edited with Introduction and notes by Clarence Walworth
Alvord, University of Illinois, and Clarence Edwin Carter,
Miami University. Illinois State Historical Library, Spring-,
field, pp. xxviii+700.

This is a companion volume to the Critical Period which ap-
peared last year. The present volume contains documents covering
the period from February, 1765, to July, 1767. The same general
plan of the series has been preserved. A twenty-eight page Intro-
duction gives the historical setting after which follow without indi-
vidual introduction the various papers. Ample footnotes explain
the text. The papers are divided into ten chapters as follows:
"George Croghan's Journal, Feb. 28-Oct. 8, 1865 ;" "Occupation of
Fort de Chartres, July 24-Nov. 16, 1765 ;" "The Completion of the
Occupation, Dec. 13, 1765-April 6, 1766;" "Plans for a Colony,
March 9-May 10, 1766;" "Conflicting Plans, May 10-June 15, 1766;"
"The Rendezvous at the Illinois, June 18- July 18, 1766 ;" "The Trade
and Colonial Plans Progress, July 30-Oct. 11, 1766;" "The Value of
the Illinois Country, Nov. 21, 1766-Feb. 24, 1767;" "Discussion of
the Indian Trade, March 1-July 15, 1767." The documents relate
principally to the transfer of government at Fort Chartres, the pro-
jected colony at the Illinois, and the trade of the country. They
include journals of such men as George Croghan, correspondence of
Sir William Johnson, William Frankhn, Gage, Shelburne, Haldi-
mand, Conway, and the traders Baynton, Wharton and Morgan,
official proclamations and instructions, plans for a colony, petitions
for land grants, and official records. As with the other volumes the
work seems to be carefully and accurately done, though, of course,
the reviewer has not the means at hand to test their accuracy.

Centennial History of Washington County, Indiana, Its People, In-
dustries and Institutiom. By Warder W. Stevens. B. F.
Bowen and Company, Indianapolis, 1916, pp. 1060.

Mr. Stevens was editor of the Salem Democrat for many years,
during which time he took an especial interest in collecting material

Reviews and Notes 183

on the county history. During those years many stories and much
biographical data were pubHshed in his paper. He also got together
one of the best collections of pioneer relics in the State. Mr. Ste-
vens is a graduate of Indiana University, class of 1867, a pioneer
by instinct, and in sympathy with pioneer customs and characteris-
tics. All these qualities have enabled him to prepare a good history.
This is especially true of those parts of the book which treat of the
lives of the early settlers. This part of his work and that which
deals with pioneer biography are better than those which deal with
institutional development. Whatever may be its historical value, the
traditional or personal side of history will doubtless always remain
most interesting and in this field Mr. Stevens is best. Altogether
it is a good resume of the county history.

Perry County, A History. By Thomas James de la Hunt. The
W. K. Stewart Company, Indianapolis, 1916, pp. 359.

This is not an ordinary county history, prepared by a publishing
house and sold on subscription. It has no subscribers and conse-
quently no formal biographies. The author's father, mother, and
his maternal grandparents were for two-thirds of a century in the
front rank of Perry county citizens. Perhaps no one in his day had
a wider circle of friends and acquaintances than the author's grand-
father, Joshua Huckaby. Mr. De la Hunt, the author, is a gradu-
ate of the University of the South, a man of wide culture and fine
literary ability. Writing this history has been a pleasant pastime
with him for perhaps a score of years. He is acquainted with the
old folks and the young folks ; every old house, old farm, and old
church in the county, especially in the southern half, has a personal
relation. Mr. De la Hunt has not stopped with the artistic side of
his work, nor yet with the personal. Both these have been held
firlmy in hand by the demands of history. No clue has been too
difficult nor too slight to prevent his making an effort to reach the
truth at the end, and when he fails, as all investigators must at
times, he frankly says so. The traditions of our people have been
handled in a friendly way, but when historical proof failed we are
told so and exactly at what point. The story of Robert Fulton's
residence in the county, the shipwreck of Lafayette, the Lincoln
tradition, are all treated satisfactorily. The author had collected
a large amount of historical material relating to his county, among

184 Indiana Magazine of History

this being a file of newspapers reaching back to the middle of the
last century. Perry county offered an attractive field for the his-
torian. Its early settlers along the river from Rono to Troy were
of the picturesque squatter type from Kentucky interspersed with
frequent scions of the good old Virginia families. Among these
came adventurers from New England interested in the natural re-
sources, coal, clay, etc., and bringing with them the thrift and genius
of the Yankees ; then came capitalists with visions of wealth through
a union of the cotton of the south and the fuel and labor of the
north by means of the noble river as the highway between. Later,
just in time to feel the shock of the Civil War, came the Swiss and
established Tell City. The French located at Leopold in the heart
of the county. In the north central part was a colony straight from
Erin, all good honest folk. The county sent men to the War of
1812, the Mexican War and the Civil War. During the latter war
armed enemies were not unknown in its border. All these incidents
liave given the author an opportunity to write an interesting volume.
No one who reads all or any chapter of Mr. De la Hunt's book will
fail to reaHze that he has done his work satisfactorily.

Early Negro Deportation Projects. By H. N. Sherwood, Ph. D.
Reprinted from the Mississippi Valley Historical Review II,
March, 1916.

This is a part of Dr. Sherwood's doctorate thesis. The author
discusses the different colonial associations organized to assist the
early freed or emancipated negroes. There were plans to colonize
them in the Northwest, others such as Ferdinando Fairfax proposed
founding a foreign colony under the protection of the United States.
The sentiment finally culminated in the colony of Liberia. It is an
interesting monograph though entirely without the field of Indiana
History.

The Tipton County Centennial Committee as a part of its
celebration has issued a small booklet giving a biography of General
John Tipton. Besides this the booklet contains a brief account of
the settling of Tipton county. It was prepared by Ebert Allison,
for use in the schools. It is a commendable way to set the main
facts of local history before the school children. The Tipton county
committee is rightly laying most stress on the dissemination of local
history among the citizens of the county.

Revieivs and Notes 185

James W. Sansberry, of Madison county, has issued a beautiful
little pamphlet entitled Pioneer Recollections of Early Indiana. It
is a mere sketch of nine pages devoted to the daily life of the pio-
neers of early Madison county. It is very well written, and a worthy
tribute.

The National Highways Commission of Washington, D. C,
has recently prepared a series of maps showing the roads which it is
interested in. Several of these roads cross Indiana. The "Na-
tional Parks Transcontinental" crosses the State by way of Fort
Wayne, South Bend and Hammond; the "Dixie" by way of South
Bend, IndianapoHs, and New Albany and from Covington through
Indianapolis to Richmond; the "International Pavedway" from
Detroit to Laredo crosses Indiana by Fort Wayne, Bluffton, Ma-
rion, Kokomo and Lafayette, with a branch from South Bend to
Lafayette ; the "Pike's Peak" crosses by way of Richmond, Indian-
apolis and Montezuma ; the "Old Trails Road" crosses by the Na-
tional Road from Richmond to Terre Haute; the "Midland" uses
the old Vincennes-New Albany pike; the "Lincoln Highway" fol-
lows the "National Parks" road from Fort Wayne to Valparaiso,
then leaves the state by way of Chicago Heights. The Commission
also sends out a colored map, showing the improved roads in Indiana.

A series of postcards with pictures of persons and places noted
in Indiana has recently been issued by Max Hyman, of IndianapoHs.
Some of the cards contain rare maps. They are printed on a good
grade of paper and make an excellent appearance. They would be
especially helpful to teachers.

The Catholic Historical Review commenced its second volume
with the April number. The articles of most interest to Indiana
readers are "The Lost Province of Quivira" and "The Attitude of
Spain During the American Revolution." Neither deals directly
with any phase of State history.

The Tennessee Historical Magazine for March, 1916, has as its
leading article a discussion of the "Public School System of Ten-
nessee from 1834 to 1860," by A. P. Whitaker. The larger part of
the number is occupied with the "Diaries of S. H. Loughlin," 1840-
1843.

186 Indiana Magazine of History

The lozva Journal of History and Politics for April contains an
article by Thomas Teakle on "The Romance of Iowa History," a
biography of Samuel R. Thurston, by Hiram F. White. Miss Ruth
Gallaher continues her article on "Indian Agents."

The Indiana University Alumni Quarterly for April is book
size. Dr. Woodburn's "Sketches from the University's History"
is the leading article. All alumni enjoy these, but few realize when
reading the professor's fluent English the amount of hard "digging"
he has to do to furnish the data used. The bulk of the magazine is
made of Foundation Day reports.

The White County Democrat of May 5, 1916, has a brief but
accurate biography of Gen. Robert H. Milroy, the fifth circuit judge
to preside of the circuit court of White county. This biography
is one of a series including all the judges who have served in that
capacity. These biographies have been prepared by Attorney W. H.
Hamelle, of Monticello. Mr. Hamelle has recently written a his-
tory of White county and is now county manager of the centennial
celebration.

The Columbus Evening Journal, March 22, 1916, has a page
map of Indiana showing the improved roads. The map was copy-
righted by the B. F. Goodrich Company.

The ninth annual meeting of the Mississippi Valley Historical
Association was held April 27, 28, 29, at Nashville, Tennessee.

The following members were elected at the meeting of the ex-
ecutive committee of Indiana Historical Society, April 15, 1916:
J. A. Abell, A. D. Babcock, Mary C. Burhans, Mary E. Cox, Mrs.
Elizabeth Mackenzie Fletcher (Mrs. Horace Hines Fletcher), Simp-
son A. Frazier, A. F. Knotts, Mrs. M. Levering, W. S. McMasters,
John Overmyer, E. H. Richardson, Archibald Shaw, E. W. Swarth-
out, George R. Wilson. At same meeting the resignation was re-
ported and accepted of Mrs. Roscoe O. Hawkins.

Louisiana Records

There has been some hope among Indiana historians that records
at New Orleans might throw some light on the early settlements in

Reviews and Notes 187

Indiana. The following quotation from a letter from William Beer,
librarian of the Howard Memorial Library of New Orleans, will
give some idea of the possibility of aid in that direction :

I can offer you little hope from desceuclants of the early French pioneers
who may live in New Orleans, the source from which something is to be
had, is in a wonderful collection of documents now in the Cabildo, the
property of the State, which has lain for 150 years only imperfectly
examined. The pioneer examiner stated that they were only notarial
records; the next examiner found some family documents, but said they
were not of much account any way. They were in such disorder that it
was not even detected that the boxes bore inscriptions which it has been
discovered gives the dates approximately of the documents contained
therein.

About IS months ago there came to the city a Mr. Price, a man whose
education had fitted him marvelously to calendar these documents. He
had been engaged with Thwaites editing the Jesuit Relations. The Loui-
siana Historical Society had very small funds, but it managed with the
assistance of some wealthy friends to scrape up $50.00 a month which,
while not adequate remuneration for such exceptional work, was at all
events far more than Mr. Price had been earning for some time. Unfor-
tunately the society was unable to increase the remuneration, and Mr.
Price, considering it undiguiiied to do the work for the sum available,
gave it up and left the city. He had fortunately thoroughly examined at
least 20 of the boxes at an average cost, I think, of $70.00 a box, and there
are about 100. The resources of the society unassisted would provide a
maximum of $400 a year for the purpose, so it is evident that the work
had to come to a standstill. These twenty boxes may be seen through
his calendaring to consist largely of papers used before the Conseil General
as a judicial body. They run from about 1702 before its creation to 1780
after its development in the Cabildo.

The Tippecanoe River chapter of the D. A. R. at Bourbon cele-
brated the centennial by gathering together at the home of Charles
W. Keller an assortment of rehcs and other articles of the com-
munity, over a century old. The exhibit filled the large house. The
list of articles covered the whole range of property and is vastly
too long to be mentioned in detail here. A full account appears in
the Bourbon Indiana News-Mirror of March 9, 1916.

Dabney Family

The following letter from Dr. E. B. Dabney, of Atlanta, Mo., is
printed in the hope that it will reach other members of the family
in Indiana:

188 Indiana Magazine of History

Dear Sir:

Yours of 23rd received and beg to state that I am unable to give the
county of or exact date that William or Benjamin or Samuel Dabney
located in Indiana. It has been handed down to our family that all the
Dabneys in the United States are descendants of three brothers who emi-
grated from France and settled in this country about 16S5, one in the East,
the other two in Virginia. My great grandfather, Nathan Dabney, Sr.,
left Bedford county, Virginia, about ISIO and emigrated to southern Ken-
tucky, later on, about 1830, moving to Macon county, Missouri. It is said
he had two brothers, William and Benjamin, who moved to Indiana about
the time he left Virginia. If we can find any Dabneys in Indiana they
are liable to be closely related to our fam'ily. Thanking you for favors
extended, I remain.

Yours fraternally,

E. B. Dabney,
Atlanta, Macon county, Missouri.
February 24, 1916.

Minor Notices

The Game of Gander Pulling.
(By an Octogenarian.)

[Descriptions of this same amusement may be found in previous numbers
of the Indiana Magazine of History, This description comes from Spencer
county and its significance lies in that it showa the game was widespread in
early Indiana. — Ed.]

Among the amusements in which our ancestors of a hundred
years or more ago indulged occasionally was one called "Gander
Pulling," which, though it may be called cruel, was not such as in-
volved human beings, as only a poor gander lost his life. The
game consisted in the effort to pull off the gander's head, the win-
ner to get a small sum of money, put up for the occasion. The
gander's neck was stripped of feathers and thoroughly greased.
Then the poor bird was tied by his feet to the lower limb of a
tree, just high enough to be reached by a man on horseback. The
judges, or umpires, were selected from among the bystanders, to
make the award, and to see that the game was played fairly. The
branch to which the bird was hung had to be as long, strong and
springy as possible, and every contestant had to ride without a
saddle, with his horse at a gallop. Some twenty or thirty feet
from the bird, a man was stationed on each side of the track, armed
with a long switch, whose business it was to see that no rider
should check the speed of his horse as he came near the bird.
Imagine the frightened gander swinging wildly, and fanning his
wings in mid-air in his efforts to escape, and one can easily see
that a rider would have cjuite as many chances to miss the bird's
neck entirely, as to grasp it. Every such failure, of course, pro-
voked the merriment of the bystanders. Sometimes, too, a rider
would lose his balance and fall from his horse because he hung
to the gander too long, and thus in addition to some bruises, he lost
his place in the game, which was mirth provoking, also for the
crowd. Finally some tall fellow with one hand holding to the
horse's mane and leaning forward as far as possible, would seize

190 Indiana Magazine of History

the poor bird's head, giving it a sudden twist would break its
neck, and then probably the man who followed would be able to take
off the bird's head. It was not so much a contest for the purse,
as for the rollicking fun that resulted, and as to cruelty, it was
innocence itself, compared to a modern game of football.

The foregoing sketch is made up from descriptions given by
ancestors and their friends during the writer's boyhood days [in
Spencer county], and is new to the younger generation, in most
particulars.

IssAC McCoy

The following letter concerning Rev. Isaac McCoy, a pioneer
missionary among Indiana Indians, is of interest :

"I am a grand-daughter of Rev. Isaac ]\IcCoy and great-grand-
daughter of Mrs. Charles Polk, who was captured by Indians at
Kinchelo Station, Kentucky.

"My grandfather McCoy died when I was six years old, but I
remember him, especially his dignity and his gentleness. We, his
descendants here, regard him as a truly great man. I have only
one of his books, The History of Indiana Missions. His other
works are in a vault in the State Capitol of Kansas, which vault
was built especially to preserve them. He was never a resident of
Kansas, only sojourning there for a brief period while establish-
ing a mission for the Indians, but the State Historical Society
asked for the privilege of keeping the books and my father con-
sented.

"Did you know that my grandfather, Isaac McCoy, named a
stream near Elkhart, Indiana, 'Christiana,' for his wife? and
that a lake, mills, launch and a club all bear this name ? He wrote
when he called this hitherto unnamed stream for his wife, that the
clear, placid, cheery little brook made him think of her, so he deemed
it a fitting title." Nellie McCoy Harris,

3000A Olive Street, Kansas City, Mo.

Gen. William Henry Harrison Beadle

General Beadle died at Los Angeles, California, Nov. 13,
1915. He was a member of a large pioneer family of Parke
county. He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1861.
He entered the war as a private in the 31st Indiana and came out a
brigadier general in the Ninth Corps. After the war he studied

Minor Notices 191

law. Gen. Grant appointed him surveyor general of Dakota, and
four years later superintendent of schools. He served in the legis-
lature of South Dakota, where he was instrumental in adopting the
Indiana school system for that state. For twenty years he was
president of the South Dakota Normal School at Madison. Four
years ago he resigned and retired from active work. There is a
good biography of him in the Rockville Republican of Nov. 17,
1915.

Thad Butler.

Thad Butler, "dean of Wabash Valley Editors," died at his
home in Huntington, Dec. 7, 1915. He was born at Lagrange, In-
diana, Nov. 19, 1846. His mother was a teacher and gave her
son a good education. He spent his life from boyhood in news-
paper offices. He set the first line of type for the Kendallville
Standard in 1863. Later he worked on, edited or owned papers
at Wabash, Lafayette, Fort Wayne, Cleveland, Andrews, and Hunt-
ington. An excellent biography of Mr. Butler, prepared by him-
self some years ago, is given in the Huntington Press, December
8, 1915.

Daniel McDonald

Daniel McDonald, who was the oldest hving past grand master
of Indiana Masons, for thirty years editor of the Plymouth Demo-
crat and an author of note on Masonic subjects, died January 10
in Chicago, where for the past two years he had been living with
his son Louis. He was 83 years old. Mr. McDonald was the
thirtieth Grand Master of the Indiana Grand Lodge of Masons,
serving at the head of the body in 1875-76. He was twice in
the State Legislature, once in 1869 and again in 1905. He was a
delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1876 and in
1884, and was the Democratic candidate for Congress in his district
in 1880. He sold his interest in the Plymouth Democrat in 1902
and retired from active business. Mr. McDonald wrote a history of
Freemasonry in Indiana. He also was one of the editors of a com-
pendium of Masonic history in the United States. He was born
near Connersville, Ind., May 6, 1833.

192 Indiana Magazine of History

Charles T. Akin

Charles T. Akin, age sixty- seven, formerly state senator from
Sullivan county and a banker, died December 16, 1915, in Car-
lisle. Mr. Akin w^as born at Carlisle on October 27, 1848. His
parents were Ransom W. and Sarah R. Sedgwick Akin. His edu-
cation was obtained in the Carlisle public schools and at the Union
Christian College at Merom, Ind. He began clerking in his father's
general merchandise store when he was fifteen years old, after-
ward becoming a partner with his father and a brother, J. T. Akin.
He owned the business at his death and also was a large land
owner. In politics, Mr. Akin was a Democrat. He formerly was
a member of the Carlisle school board and was elected to the
Indiana house of representatives for the sessions 1880-1882. In
1891-1893 he was state senator, representing Sullivan and Greene
counties. Mr. Akin was a member of the special committee which
framed the first salary bill for the payment of county officers.
He also was on the finance committee for the State Tax Bill.

ICAL SOCIETY

Organized December 11, 1830

of this society shall be the collection and
all materials calculated to shed light on the
and political history of Indiana."

This society was organized by the leading men of our State.
The following were the first officers:

Benjamin Parke, president; Isaac Blackford, fiirst vice-
president; Jesse L. Holman, second vice-president; James
Scott, third vice-president; John Famham, corresponding sec-
retary; Bethuel F. Morris, recording secretary; James Blake,
George H. Dunn, Isaac Howk, James Whitcomb and John Law,
executive committee.

In the early days its annual meetings were one of the
great occasions of the winter at the State capital. Among its
early members were eight governors, all the judges of the
supreme and federal courts, most of the circuit judges, a
majority of the U. S. senators and congressmen and other
leading men of the State. The annual address was usually
given by one of the great men of the nation.

jl'ifeft- s ociety has never had a building to house its coUec-
adequate funds to publish its papers. Its member-
^ las been one dollar per year until quite recently when
iised to two. One dollar of this fee goes to the Indiana
Magazine of History which is sent free to all members. A
small donation is made annually by the State. It has never
received but one gift or endowment. This was made by Hon.
WiUiam H. English, its former president and one of the distin-
guished historians of the State.

The Society should have an income of $5,000 per year.
Indiana has at least 5,000 men and women who are interested
in the State's history; and it is thought that if the matter
were brought to their attention they would help in the work.
The membership fee is not a gift. The Society sends its pub-
lications free to its members. These v/ill cost on an average
$1 per year. It also sends the Indiana Magazine of History, of
which it is a joint publisher, free. The price of the Magazine
itself is the same as the entire membership fee.

For further information address

CHARLES E. COFFIN, Secretary,
Star Buildihg, Indianapolis ; or
INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY,
Bloomingt<m, Indiana.

Historical Societ

OONTBNTS OF tOU I

»<?cbbdjNOb oy THS SOOJWTT, 1880-1886.
fOBTHWJSST TBRBn-OBT.

Lietter of Nathaa Dane concerning the Ordtoance of ] ;

Governor Patrick Hemy'a Secret Letter of Instructiorj to'I
Clark.
Th-k Uses or Histchit, By President Andrew Wylie, D. D.
The National Dbclinbi op thb Miami INDIA^s. By John B. Dlllor

JBARI/Y HISTOHT of iNDIAKAPOtIS AND CSNTKAI. InX>1ANA Bv Nathanf^

JOBBPH G. Marshall. By Prof. John L Campbell.

Jvoas John Law. By Charles Denby. ; "

A9CHAEOLOGT or Indiana, By Prof. B. i:. CQ^i.

Tbb Bablt Sbtixbmbnt or tiib Miami' Countpt. By Dr. Ezia Ferris.

CONTENTS OP VOU H
TBJB Laws and Couhts of Nobthwbst aNd Indiana TaBRiioRiEB. Bv Daniel

Walt Howe.
Thb Lifb and Shrvicm op John B. Dillon. By Qm, John Coburn and Judge

Horace P. Blddle.
The Acquisition of LouisiANA. By Judge Thomas M. Cooley.
XKJUGHERy's Defeat and Pigeon Roost Massacre. By Charles Martindalo.
A DBSCRBPTrvB Catalogue of the Official Publications of thb Tbrritobt

AND State of Indiana fbom 1800 to 1890. By Daniel Walt Howe.
The Rank of Chabubb Osboen as an Anti-S^avebt Pionbek. By George

W. Julian,
The Man in Histobt. By John Clark Rldpath.
OuiATANON. By Oscar J. Craig,

REMINISCENCES OF A JOUBNET TO INDIANAPOLIS IN 1836. By C. P. Ferguson.
XiiFB OF ZiBA Foots. By Samuel MorrlsoiL
"Ou) Settlers." By Robert P. Duncan.

French Sbttlbmbnts on the Wabash. By Jacob Piatt Dunn.
Slavery PBTiriONS and Pafebs. By Jacob Piatt Dunn.

CONTENTS OP VOL. HI

A HiSTORl OF BAKLY INDIANAPOLIS MASONBT AND OP CSNTEai LODGE By Will

E. English.
SlEUR DB VlNONNES^ THB POUNDBB OF INDIANA'S OLDEST TOWN. By Edxnond

Mallet
THE ExBCUTiTB JOURNAL OF INDIANA Tebritobt. Edited and annoUted by

William Wesley Woollen, Daniel Walt Howe, and Jacob Piatt Dunn.
The Mission to tjbcb Ouabachb. By Jacob Piatt Dunn. pp. 78.
FIFTY Tears in Phahmacy. By George W. Sloan, pp. 27.
Caleb Muuls. By Chaa W. Moores, pp. 280.

CONTENTS OP VOL. IV
Dulbt of Wm. Oweh. Edited by Joel W. Hlatt.
The Wohd ''Hoosiek." By Jacob Piatt Dunn.
John Pinlby. By Mrs. Sarah A. Wrlgley.
William HEiTOY Habbison's Administration of Indiana Territi rt. By

Homer J. Webster, A. M., Ph. M.
Making a Capital in thb Wilderness. By Daniel Wait Howe.
Names of Persons Enumbbathd in Mabion County> Indiana, at the Fifth

Census, 1830.
Some Elements of Indiana's Popui4.tion; ob Roads West, and Their Eablt

Thavblkrs. By W. E. Henry.
LoCKEREEB's ASSESSMENT LIST OF INDIANAPOLIS, 1835. Edited by Ellza Q.

Browning.
The Scotch-Irish Prbsbttekians In Monrob County, Indiana. By James

Albert Woodburn.
] >.t)iAHAP0Li6 AND THB CiViL WaB. By John H. HolUday.

CONTENTS OP VOL. V
Lincoln's Body Guard, with Some Personaj. RbcolMsctions of Abraham

Lincoln. By Robert McBrida
Inthi<nal 1 vpkovements in Early Indiana, By IjOgan Esarey.

Tin -i- ANA Disaster. By Jos^h Taylor JSlllott.

Ar 1 ' ' Village (New Harmony). By John fi. HolUday.

Ti V. ' h.)> !s or Morgan County ;MEMom6 of Noah J. Major. Edited by
Logati Esarey.
?;o, 6. The Lifk and Skrvices of Gen. Robert S. Fostbb. BJr Charles W. Smith.

Uniform volaraes, 8vo clotli. uncut, with continuous paging and complete Index. The
earlier numtkers have been reset in the same style as the later ones and the volumes are
now uniform throughout Volume $1.50. Number BOc.

i No.
f' No.

^- ' No.
?■■ No.

S
4

6
6

7
8

No.

1
2

^ No.

3.
4.
6.

|; No.

i. No.

. No.

f No.

•: No.

10.

I No.
I • ■ N0.

11.
18.

No,

No.

No.
No.

No.

4.
6.

No.

(■ No,

1.
2.

No.

; No.

^ JSTo.

4.
6.

No.

No,

No.

No.
No.
No.

No.

THE ?M>BBS MERRILL .

INDIANAPOLIS

Vol. XII

SEPTEMBER, 1916

No. 3

INDIANA
MAGAZINE
OF HISTORY

CONTENTS

Page

Development op the City School System

OF Indiana Harold Littell 193

The Pioneers op Jefferson County 214

Terre Haute in 1850 John J. Schleicher 245

Indiana in 1816 MerriU Moores 271

Reviews and Notes 281

Published Quarterly

SUB8CRIPTI01V PRICE, $2.00 PER YEAR

SINGLE COPY, 50 CBMTS

entered aa second-clasa matter September 16, 1918, at the postoffloe at
Bloomlngton, Indiana, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

INDIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Organized December 11, 1830

"The objects of this society shall be the collection and
preservation of all materials calculated to shed light on the
natural, civil, and political history of Indiana."

This society wsj^'C xanized by the leading men of our State.
The following were thv 'irst officers:

Benjamin Parke, president; Isaac Blackford, first vice-
president; Jesse L. Holman, second vice-president; James
Scott, third vice-president; John Famham, corresponding sec-
retary; Bethuel F. Morris, recording secretary; James Blake,
George H. Dunn, Isaac Howk, James Whitcomb and John Law,
executive committee.

The society has never had a building to house its collec-
tions nor adequate funds to publish its papers. Its member-
ship fee has been one dollar per year until quite recently when
it was raised to two. One dollar of this fee goes to the Indiana
Magazine of History which is sent free to all members. A
small donation is made annually by the State. It has never
received but one gift or endowment. This was made by Hon.
William H. EngHsh, its former president and one of the distin-
guished historians of the State.

The Society should have an income of $5,000 per year.
Indiana has at least 5,000 men and women who are interested
in the State's history; and it is thought that if the matter
were brought to their attention they would help in the work.
The membership fee is not a gift. The Society sends its pub-
lications free to its members. These will cost on an average
$1 per year. It also sends the Indiana Magazine of History, of
which it is a joint publisher, free. The price of the Magazine
itself is the same as the entire membership fee.

For further information address

CHARLES E. COFFIN, Secretary,
Star Building, Indianapolis ; or
INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY,

Bloomington, Indiana.

INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY

published quarterly by
The Department of History of Indiana University

WITH the cooperation OP

The Indiana Historical Society The Indiana State Library

BOARD OF EDITORS

James A. Woodburn, Ph.D., Professor of American History and
Politics, Indiana University

Samuel B. Harding, Ph.D., Professor of European History, In-
diana University

George S. Cottman, Former Editor, Indianapolis

Christopher B. Coleman, Ph.D., Professor of History, Butler
College

William O. Lynch, A.M., Professor of History, Indiana State
Normal School

Harlow Lindley, A.M., State Archivist, Professor of History,
Earlham College

Jacob P. Dunn, LL.B., Secretary Indiana Historical Society

Demarchus C. Brown, A.M., State Librarian

Logan Esarey, Ph.D., Managing Editor,
Instructor in Western History, Indiana University

Max Hyman, Circulation Manager

Subscription Price, $2.00 per year. Single Number, 50 Cents.

Address all communications to the Managing Editor, Bloomington, Ind.

INDIANA
MAGAZINE OF HISTORY

Vol. XII SEPTEMBER, 1916 No. 3

Development of the City School System
of Indiana— 1851-1880 *

By Harold Littell, A.B., Logansport, Ind.
The Early City Schools

Our present system of public education had its legal
foundation in the constitution of 1851. Previous to this,
schools were almost wholly private enterprises. In a sense,
there were some schools which approached our present system
in form, but not in practice. Such schools were kept up by
private subscriptions from those who had children to send.
And, indeed, that day has not yet entirely passed, as far as
secondary training is concerned. Our private normals and
colleges of today are nothing more than the outgrowth of
the old system of "no taxes, but a tuition for those who
attend."

This old idea of maintaining schools took firm root. It
was very difficult in some portions of the State to break away
from the old and take up the new method by taxation. At
Greencastle, for example, in 1856 the people sent to Asbury
University and the Female Seminary. The public schools
amounted to nothing. Corydon, the old State capital, was in
the same condition, as the following statement will show:

"The free scliool system is accomplishing very little for this place.
The amount of school fund is so small, that it really does no good. Citi-
zens are in favor of good schools, but prefer — the prominent ones — sup-

*The footnotes have been omitted in printing .this paper. The study is
based almost entirely on the official reports of the State superintendent, the
files of the Indiana School Journal, and current newspapers. — Ed.

194 Indiana Magazine of History

porting private seliools, to paying tax that instruction may be free. There
is a large and flourishing Seminary in operation, under the charge of Mr.
Bone, an experienced and efficient teacher."

The attitude of the people was further exemplified in the
case of Rockport, another southern county seat.

"Eockport is a pretty, thriving town of 1,800 inhabitants. The ma-
jority of inhabitants are opposed to a tax necessary to erection of a good
school house. Still, Rockport sustains schools and good ones, too. Mr.
Smith taught the High School — a private establishment — aided by Miss
Turgison. Rockport expended nearly $2,000 during that year for private
tuition."

In 1857 Princeton had two schools in operation — Prince-
ton Academy under H. T. Martin, and another under Mr.
Bird, both private enterprises. Citizens supported these
schools liberally. No free s.chools yet existed. In 1857 Ander-
son had no free schools. Said the State Superintendent in
regard to Peru in 1857: "A courthouse costing $5,000, and
not a school house in the place." At Ladoga public schools
were in bad condition. An old log house, and a poor school,
was the best they had for a free school.

While this cond'ition existed in many places, others were
making feeble efforts even though unsuccessful. Such cities
would levy the taxes but were burdened to collect them. The
report of the State Superintendent for 1856 gives us an idea
of this :

"We have the statistics from one city in this State, in which $6,000
was assessed, and about $600 of it was taken according to law by the
county officers for fees, and it is the same all over the State where taxes
are levied for school purposes."

Again, in other places it seems that the general school
interest was lacking. For example, Sullivan, a county seat,
had (1857) but a small amount of educational spirit. This
was manifested by the condition of the schools and the school
building. Of the latter there was nothing deserving the
name. The schools were kept in a miserable, dilapidated
old building which had formerly been the County Seminary.
It was illy suited to the purposes of teaching, and was un-
comfortable in the last degree. It was really a disgrace to
the place, and, most fortunately for its reputation, stood in
the rear of the town so that it was not likely to be seen unless

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 195

especially inquired for. Mr. G. Anderson was the teacher
in charge, and seemed disposed to do his duty if the house
and its furnishings had only let him.

Madison, too, once the pioneer city in the State in the free
school cause, had for two years (1855-1856) pursued so
illiberal a policy, that she had literally starved out her schools.
Her former fine high school had been gradually reduced to
the grade of a grammar school; the appropriations were re-
duced, until finally the schools were stopped.

In 1857 educational conditions at Muncie were deplorable.
There had been two public schools supported three months,
but they were only a farce. Not on account of the fault of
the teachers, but because all the children in the town, of every
grade, were crowded into the small school houses, rendering
it impossible for any teacher to effect an organization that
would work harmoniously. The State Superintendent spoke
of the Terre Haute schools as follows:

"Terre Haute, one of the largest pities in tlie State, presents the least
hopeful prospects in regard to public education. The shortsighted policy
which has marlied the course of this city in regard to schools, does and
will continue to affect unfavorably her prosperity. At this day (1857) a
city of eight or ten thousand inhabitants, without public spirit enough to
support free schools, has little prospect of growth or pecuniary prosperity."

Another Wabash city seemed to be affected similarly.
Vincennes had some 2,000 inhabitants. In educational mat-
ters there was generally a great delinquency. Public schools
were kept open three or four months, until the school funds
were exhausted, when numerous private enterprises sprang
up during the summer, to give way again in turn for the
annual dispensation of a few dollars from the general school
fund. At Crawfordsville free schools were in session.

"We had a fine opportunity to see how things are done up there. Two
of the 'City Fathers' visited schools with us, and seemed much edified but
not proud of their schools. A few notes taken on the spot when filled
out by the reader's imagination, will give an idea of what we saw; First
room, size 14 x 16, benches, broken chairs, and boards laid from one chair
to another, constituted seats. Stands, tables, and boards poorly nailed
together, constituted desks. No order but disorder — class in a huddle for
want of room ; floor dirty ; classes disorderly ; recite and read badly ;
thump ! thump ! goes the stick, with most positive orders to behave, every
half-minute; one boy putting a stick into another's ears; children seem

196 Indiana Magazine of History

to enjoy themselves well — think it's all right. The second room was an
old paint shop, deserted by workmen, hence made a good school room.
Room large, but floor covered with mud."

Notwithstanding all this, several of the more progressive
towns were able to get their schools under way from the
very beginning. In such towns were invariably found city
officials greatly interested in the public school work. The
leaders were able to unify and lead the people, and results
followed.

In 1856 the public schools of Indianapolis had a May
festival at the State fair grounds. Parents and others were
invited. Between 1,500 and 1,600 children from the public
schools were present. Governor Wright and Mayor West
made addresses. There were children from twenty schools.
The mayor, in his address, alluded to the first establishment
of free schools in the city. This had been five years before,
and there had been in them only 100 scholars. The city was
increasing its school house accommodations as rapidly as
possible, but its means hardly enabled it to keep pace with the
demand. In January of the same year a new house had been
erected which would accommodate over 300 children, with
room for six teachers. This was already filled and another
house of the same size was begun, to be finished for Septem-
ber. They had at that time 25 teachers employed, and the
new house would require several more. In their schools were
five grades, primary, secondary, intermediate, grammar and
high school.

The first report of the school trustees of the city of
Lafayette, July, 1856, has this:

"The first effort made towards the establishment of a common school
in our city was the building of school house No. 1 in the northeast part
of town, under the old district system. The citizens of district No. 1 vol-
untarily levied a tax of 50 cents on the $100 to accomplish that object.
In 1852 a general law was passed, giving the control of all school matters
to townships and incorporated cities. Under that act, the trustees ap-
pointed by the city council took possession of this property, completed and
furnished the building and rented it for school purposes. This property
with improvements cost about $5,000.

In October, 1852, the trustees levied a tax of 50 cents on the $100 upon
the real and personal property of the city, for the purchase of lots and
the building of school houses, and subsequently allowed the citizens of

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 197

districts No. 7 and 9 to apply in payment of this assessment tlie tax they
had paid in the district levy of 1851. The revenue derived from this as-
sessment with our proportion of the State Common School funds, was ap-
propriated to the purchase of the lot on which school house No. 2 is situ-
ated, and in the building of the commodious school houses Nos. 2 and 3,
the latter having been erected on ground leased from Solomon Romig.
The lot, with the building and furni^ing of both houses, has cost not less
than $14,000. In June, 1854, the schools were first opened, free to all
entitled to their benefits, and were continued in operation until July, 1855.
Trustees value all property now (1856) under their charge for educational
purposes, at $20,000. The three school houses can accommodate 800. This
is their full capacity. The trustees hope that the public spirit and parental
affection of our citizens will ere long demand the establishment of a high
school endowed with every faculty for an advanced or collegiate educa-
tion, so that children of our city may be kept under the influence of good
examples and just restraints of home until prepared to take their part in
the active duties of life. What should be, can be done, and when accom-
plished no one would desire to return to the old paths."

Here we see a very sensible method which was used to
good effect in the formation of a public school system.

Richmond had met with equally good success. The first
year of the city school closed June 27, 1852. Their school
was commenced amidst embarrassments from want of expe-
rience as to what was actually needed. Although a fine house
was opened for the first time, it was found entirely too small
to accommodate all the scholars. The board determined to
engage none but professional teachers, and the result abund-
antly showed the wisdom of the resolution. Their school was
classified and graded. The school excited much interest, both
in town and country. Many visitors came from far and near.
The high school was composed of young men and women,
many of whom had attended academies and colleges. The
normal class was composed of some sixty pupils, many of
whom had taught during the summer. The success attained
by the Richmond system could be largely attributed to Supt.
J. Hurty, who came there as a professional supervisor from
Ohio.

While not so successful from the beginning, no city used
better judgment than Evansville. It, at the beginning, laid
the basis of the splendid system which it has maintained for
many years. From the third annual report (July, 1856) is
the following:

198 Indiana Magazine of History

"Three years ago there were 1,200 children in the city and 300 en-
rolled. Now there are 1,800, with an enrollment of 900. For the first two
years there were no school rooms, furniture nor apparatus. The city of
Evansville did not own a school house nor a school room. The basements
of churches, the upper rooms of engine houses, and also private dwellings
constituted the only building appliances for school purposes. From such a
beginning, if beginning it can be called, Evansville took a new start and
went vigorously to work, until she has educational facilities which will
not be disparaged by a comparison with those of any other place in the
state. The past year it has built one of the best school houses in the State.
It will accommodate from 800 to 900 pupils and has six large rooms with
recitation rooms attached to each. Cost $10,000. The ground cost $4,000.
John S. Hopkins, mayor of the city, was the great aid in its erection.

The schools are classiBed and divided into four grades — high school,
grammar, intermediate and primary. There are 13 teachers, 3 males, 10
females. The high school is under the charge of B. P. Snow, a graduate
of Bowdoin college. There were 51 admitted to the high school during
the past year.

Evansville is justly proud of its schools, and they are cherished with
a feeling which might well be imitated in many other places in Indiana.
Though burdened with very heavy taxes, it cheerfully pays the amount
necessary to maintain its schools free and when men are proposed for
municipal officers, they are required to pledge themselves to the hearty
support of these, its dearest interests. The watchword of the trustees is,
'Which shall Evansville have, Schools or Poorhouses and Prisons.' "

An equally successful town and one which continued to
hold its own was Shelbyville. In 1857 Shelbyville had a good
graded free school, a fine building, well furnished; a neat
yard, well fenced; and a good corps of teachers. The people
of Shelbyville were proud of their school and deservedly so.

The same year (1857) graded schools were established
for the first time at Fort Wayne. Geo. A. Irvin, an expe-
rienced teacher, was appointed superintendent. A fine union
school house had been constructed, with accommodations for
three or four hundred pupils. The school gave promise of
success.

At Connorsville, as at Richmond, a neat, thriving town
of 2,000 inhabitants, was another of Ohio's sons laboring
under very unfavorable circumstances. His school was well
patronized, notwithstanding the wretched condition of the
school room, a damp, dark basement. However, the true
spirit had been awakened here. The Board of Directors,
Messrs. Burk and Hall, had almost completed a fine school

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 199

building about 70x70, three stories high, which was com-
pleted during the year, and a true free school opened.

Tracing the growth and development of the early schools,
one finds the educational centers widely distributed. The
places where success came were the wide-awake localities that
were nourished by a continuous stream of new emigrant
blood. Indianapolis, Evansville, Fort Wayne and Richmond
are typical examples. On the other hand is found a class of
towns which, seemingly filled with the "old stock", per-
sistently held to their ancient ideals. The public school, with
them, was a problem which had to be left for a future genera-
tion to solve. A third class, the medium between the two
extremes, was composed of those who carried the work along
with only partial success. They were not yet able to
cope with the situation, either in a financial way or in ad-
ministrative power. To a majority of localities the State had
given powers to which the time for utilization had not yet
arrived. In those which were successful, the following table
will show the steady growth, as to enumeration, made from
the year 1853 to 1858, inclusive :

Name. 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858

Indliauapolis 3,053 3,901 4,504 4,338 4,739

Evansville 1,658 2,313 2,559 2,921 3,2SS 3,560

New Albany 3,102 3,450 3,706 3,887 3,914 3,450

Madison 3,240 3,738 2,970 2,954 2,904 2,581

Fort Wayne 1,233 1,403 1,732 2,060 2,203 3,398

Lafayette 1,716 2,125 2,125 1,787 1,967

Richmond 1,086 1,187 1,614 1,682 1,659 1,757

Terre Haute 1,766 1,331 1,744 1,746

Laporte 935 937 1,279 1,392 1,353

Vincennes 851 870 867 877 927 1,085

There is no evidence to prove otherwise than that the
steady progress being made by our city systems at that time
would have resulted in a more perfected system at a much
earlier date, had not the awful calamity which simply tore
the city schools from their base, come to pass, namely, the
Supreme Court decision of 1857, in "Jenners vs the City of
Lafayette."

200 Indiana Magazine of History

The Decision of 1857

Progress of the city schools in Indiana met its "Waterloo"
in the year 1857. For the next few years following, one
might truthfully say that (as far as these schools were con-
cerned) they were in their "Dark Ages."

This important decision of the Supreme Court, which
for several years brought to a standstill all progress in the
city public school work, was entitled "Jenners vs City of
Lafayette." This case, quoting from the Indiana School
Jowmal, "involved the right of cities and other school cor-
porations to tax themselves to support public schools, and was
decided in the plaintiff's favor." By this decision all the
annual schools (as the public schools were then called) in
the State of Indiana, were crushed at once, with the single
exception of those in the city of Evansville. That city, having
retained its former charter, escaped the general wreck. Of
the correctness of the decision there is nothing to say. One
cannot presume to question the wisdom and uprightness of
our Supreme Court, but one thing is certain, the decision, or
the section of the constitution on which the decision was
based, was most outrageous. If it was the intention of the
framers of the constitution to prevent the establishment and
the maintenance of free schools, then the constitution was an
outrage upon the people — an outrage which could hardly
find a precedent or parallel in any State in the Union. The
decision was based upon Section 22 of Article IV of the In-
diana constitution, which reads as follows:

"The General Assembly shall not pass local or special laws * * *
providing for supporting common schools."

The whole facts in the case may be stated in a few words.
The constitution of Indiana, or the interpretation of it by her
highest judicial tribunal, forbade the people of any city or
corporate place in the State, to tax themselves to support free
schools, till the whole State should consent to tax itself for
the same purpose.

One can readily see the effect of such a decision where
the social and economic differences between the rural and
urban communities must play such an important part. The
decision paralyzed the city schools from one end of the State

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 201

to the other. Many cities and towns tried to continue their
well established systems by private donations after the State
fund was used up. Others gave up in despair and disbanded
their schools altogether.

In New Albany, where schools were firmly established,
and where they had been in successful progress for the past
three years, the corps of teachers, 27 in number, was dis-
banded and the free schools closed. In Richmond, committees
were appointed to solicit payment of the tax which had been
assessed, and it was decided that if two-thirds of the amount
assessed could be realized the schools would be kept open till
April. For the succeeding year this city tried the following
scheme : The school trustees of the city announced that they
had made arrangement with the superitnendent, W. D. Henkle,
for the establishment of schools upon individual tuition, in
accordance with the graded system of the public schools. The
public school houses, or so many as would be sufficient to
accommodate all who wished to send, should be granted free
of rent. This plan failed utterly, and private schools began
to come to the front once more.

In Fort Wayne, where for the two years preceding this
decision the willing school workers had labored to remove
from their city the disgrace of being at least one of the dark
corners of Indiana by building two large, three-story school
buildings, the effect was disastrous. Just at this crisis, when
the good influence of the school was beginning to be felt and
appreciated, the fiat came from the Supreme Court that the
city might educate the children of the wealthy in private
schools, but the children of the poor were to be turned out
upon the streets to grow up in ignorance and crime.

Shelbyville made an effort to raise, by voluntary payment
of taxes and by subscription, sufficient means to continue in
operation the fine graded schools in that place. It was not
successful. They tried to preserve a remnant of the public
system by dismissing all but four teachers, and admitting only
such students as were willing to pay.

As soon as the schools closed, the prominent educators
who had cast their lot with Indiana's educational institutions
began to leave. Among the most prominent were G. B. Stone
and W. T. Webster, superintendent and principal, respectively.

202 Indiana Magazine of History

of the Indianapolis high school. The former went to Minne-
apolis as superintendent, the latter to Lewiston, Maine.
Indianapolis suffered severely. More than two-thirds of the
school children were out of school in 1858. A great number
of poor private schools sprang up after the ruin of the public
schools. Here, too, the plan of voluntary contribution was
tried, but without success. A nucleus of a public system was
maintained in the city by having a few teachers carry on
school in the ward buildings. It was a meagre attempt, but
it kept the spark of public school spirit alive.

While the effects of the decision of the Supreme Court
were sv/eeping over the State like a pestilence, crushing the
graded schools in all the incorporated towns and cities, and
causing anguish of heart to the inhabitants everywhere, the
schools of Evansville alone escaped the general destruction.
This was in consequence of their holding on to their old city
charter.

At the very time the decision was published that closed
the schools in New Albany, Lafayette, Indianapolis and other
places, the citizens of Evansville were considering the pro-
priety of giving up their old charter and incorporating under
the general law for incorporating cities. The question was
submitted to a vote of the people, and was made a test whether
they would adopt the new charter, and thereby destroy their
schools, or hold on to their old charter and save them. The
question was hotly contested by the friends and enemies of
the schools, and the result was that the new charter party
was defeated by a vote of more than two to one.

As an evidence of public sentiment upon the question of
taxation to support the schools in the city of Evansville, it
is worth noting that the individuals who had announced their
names as candidates to fill the various city offices were very
careful to add that they were in favor of sustaining the public
schools. That was a better index of the public feeling in re-
gard to the value of these schools than anything else they
could have offered. In 1858 there were twenty-four teachers
employed in these schools. The schools themselves were well
graded and compared favorably with any system of graded
schools in the West.

With the exception of the last named place, no town or

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 203

city of the State escaped. Schools everywhere were either
closed or maintained during a short session only, with the
tax for which the state law provided. In the course of the
next two years, by 1860, several cities began again to start
their schools. The unjust decision, resembling in infamy the
famous Dred Scott decision of national fame, which was
handed down almost at the same time, was by this time be-
ginning to be ignored.

In 1860 the city free schools of Indianapolis opened, to
continue six months. They had not been in operation since
the law of 1855 relating to incorporated towns v/as pro-
nounced unconstitutional, but the city jail had been at all
times full of boys who had violated the laws of the State, while
others v/ent to swell the number in the State penitentiary.
The Rev. James Green was the new superintendnt, and Messrs.
Culley, Beaty and Love, trustees. These men were heavy
taxpayers, but they favored free schools, and took a deep and
active interest in education. Perhaps no city had a more loyal
set of trustees. But one only of all its flourishing schools was
sustained during the crisis in financial matters. In spite of
all adverse influence, this school was conducted successfully
by G. W. Bronson, who kept up the various grades, hired
teachers and paid them, pocketed the losses from bad school
bills, and held himself accountable for a heavy rent which
should have been given him as a present by the city. This
school was k«pt in excellent condition for entering upon the
free term which was taught the latter part of each school
year.

At Columbus a new building was completed in 1860, at a
cost of nearly $10,000. It was built entirely by taxation, and,
wonderful to tell, this tax, though quite heavy, was most
cheerfully paid.

Princeton, too, in 1860, came to again. D. Eckley Hunter
resigned his position as principal of the academy at Bain-
bridge, Putnam county, and took up the principalship of
the academic department in its graded schools. The school
opened for ten months, with six teachers in charge. William
Kuntz, Andrew Lewis, and Rev. J. McMaster were the trus-
tees. They worked faithfully, without compensation. The
extra money was raised by donation.

204 Indiaim Magazine of History

In the same year New Castle erected a large building.
The school there was again put on a firm basis by two very
willing instructors, T. Sharp and James R. Smith.

At Lafayette, the former superintendent, A. J. Vawter,
was again persuaded to take the place. With the co-operation
of the trustees and earnest citizens, who felt the loss of a
public system, Mr. Vawter again began the struggle which
he had gone through once before, namely, the organization of
a graded system of schools. In 1862 there were 2,203 pupils
in the city, with an enrollment of 1,089. There were seven-
teen teachers, the average salary of the male teachers being
$45.00 per month and that of the female teachers $22.67 per
month. The quarterly expense of each pupil was $1.72, which
was paid by tuition, tax, and contribution. As stated by
Superintendent Vawter, this amount was less than half the
cost per pupil in the private schools. This was a fair rep-
resentation of public schools generally, and was a strong
point against public school killers.

Vincennes, by 1862, had erected one of the finest school
buildings in the State. Teachers began the organization of
a graded system, although handicapped by difficulties which
had arisen on account of previous short terms.

Muncie, by 1862, had a well-organized graded system.
Under Mr. Richards, the schools were fast becoming among
the best in the State.

The most peculiar condition existed in the city of Logans-
port. Here the people taxed themselves and were, in turn,
given complete control over their schools. With an excellent
board of trustees and a large revenue existed most indifferent
schools. This resulted from the decision of the local trus-
tees, that cities, like townships, were made up of districts,
and that the people should have the power to select their
schools and to elect their teachers. Here was a case where
plenty of money was wasted because of a lack of organization.

Greenfield, like Logansport, seemed indifferent. While
schools were maintained, they did not prosper. As late as
1864 this town had not a public school building. It relied on
public halls and rented buildings. Teachers were hired and
soon dismissed. Very few remained longer than one year.
Such a condition prevented development. Greencastle, at

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 205

the same time, was in the same condition. Not a single build-
ing did it own, and, although a system of schools was main-
tained despite the Supreme Court decision, they were kept
in rented property.

By 1864 Terre Haute began to assume her former position
in school affairs. This year the schools were highly pros-
perous. The board of trustees were liberal and progressive
men. The salaries of the teachers were raised during the
year, from 20 to 30 per cent. A fine ward building was com-
pleted during this year, and plans laid for a $50,000 high
school building. The schools were under the leadership of
Superintendent Olcott, one of the prominent educators of the
State at that time. During the school year of 1864-1865 there
were 2,420 pupils enrolled in the schools, with twenty-three
teachers, who received as salary $8,727.50. The curriculum
was full, and included many subjects which were later dis-
pensed with, such as Greek, philosophy and normal instruc-
tion.

By 1865 the schools of New Albany had become estab-
lished on a firm basis again. The teachers were well selected.
The only deviation from the former system was the loss of a
superintendent. The board tried an experiment in running
the schools without a supervisory head, in order to keep down
expenses. The principals were given the power of super-
vision over their buildings, and the official duties of an ordi-
nary superintendent were done by the president of the school
board, who sacrificed his time for $300 per year. This plan
failed afterwards, but it served its purpose. It was a means
to provide ten months' school at a time when it could have
been accomplished in no other way. In New Albany at that
time there were twenty-seven teachers and five school build-
ings.

Madison, at the same time, woke up to her situation, and
for the first time since 1857 taxed herself for a full school
year, regardless of the Supreme Court decision.

In conclusion, we may state that this era was unfavorable
to educational development. One of the pioneer educational
centers, Lawrenceburg, suffered equally with the rest. Seem-
ingly impregnable against such a force, the taxes here were
not paid, just as in cities far less devoted to their schools.

206 Indiana Magazine of History

Not until 1865 did this town begin to recover. In that year,
while other towns were redeeming themselves in educational
matters, Lawrenceburg began to take its position among those
affording the best educational facilities for its youth. A few
enterprising citizens assumed the responsibility of engaging
teachers by the year and paying them first-class salaries.
An entirely new set of hot air furnaces was put into their
large and well-fitted school house. Over $2,000 was spent
during that year alone to fit up the building and furnish it
with necessary appliances. The school was opened under the
supervision of J. Hurty, assisted by a corps of able teachers.
The school was thoroughly classified and put in fine working
order. A school yard of four acres was provided, and a jani-
tor employed who did much in providing physical comfort for
the children. The citizens became deeply interested in the
reform in school matters in their city, and offered every assist-
ance to the superintendent and teachers. Although this place
had for some time been behind others in the character of
its schools, it soon grew to stand among the best. Female
teachers were paid from $30 to $50 per month, male teachers
from $60 to $120 per month. As in other places, the citizens
had seen the situation with and without schools. Law or no
law, education was essential to progress. To obey the law
meant ruin; to provide schools meant growth. Future suc-
cess depended upon having intelligent citizens.

The Superintendent

Along with the struggle of the schools themselves came
embarrassments as to their management. Several problems
presented themselves at the beginning. First, what should be
the duties of a superintendent? Secondly, was his office es-
sential, or could it be dispensed with altogether and the sys-
tem run just as eflJiciently without it? Third, what relation
should exist between him and the teachers on the one hand,
and the board together with the people on the other?

The public schools followed in many ways the customs of
the private institutions. One of these customs was in the
duty of the superintendent. At first this oflfice in the free
schools was filled by a man who taught, by an expert teacher,

\ Littell: Development of Indiana School System 207

we might say. Later a great many official duties devolved
upoR him, and gradually the superintendent became more of
a secretary to the school board. At the same time, in the best
systems, the superintendent became an expert supervisor, his
tendency being to lean toward the teachers under him.

The historical outgrowth of the public superintendent from
that of the principal of private institutions as well as his
duties, may be considered a factor as to why the superinten-
dent at the beginning was a teacher. The fact that in the
early years many of the schools were partly sustained by
public money and partly by private tuition, makes the ques-
tion of supervision more complex still.

A study of the school development at Rockport will show
us the close relationship which existed between the public and
private institutions at that time. Rockport in 1856 sus-
tained good schools. Mr. 0. H. Smith, as superintendent,
taught the high school, and Mr. Partridge the other. The
elementary grades were taught by Mrs. Partridge and Mrs.
Moseby. This shows a close likeness to the public schools
elsewhere.

At Salem, in 1857, Mr. H. D. Wilson had a fine school,
and built up for himself an excellent and well-deserved repu-
tation. He was aided by Mrs. Wilson, Miss Morrow and Miss
Hopkins. The latter taught music. At that time the people
opposed the graded system.

Connorsville, in 1857, had at the head of its schools a
Mr. Jenkins from Ohio. It devolved upon him to develop the
systems of schools. Although laboring under unfavorable
circumstances, such as teaching in basements, rented rooms,
etc., this man was able to put the schools on their feet.

George B. Stone, the man who first organized the Indian-
apolis schools, devoted his whole time, with the exception of
one and one-half hours daily, which time was devoted to
hearing classes in the high school, to visiting the different
grades, examining the classes, giving directions to the teach-
ers and instructions to the pupils and attending to all the
exterior and interior arrangements of the schools.

At Shelbyville, in 1857, Supt. W. A. Boles supplied all
the needed maps, blackboard, apparatus, etc., of his own
making. This was a fine thing for the school but hard on

208 Indiana Magazine of History

his time and purse. But it showed the prevailing educational
interest.

South Bend went so far in the educational phase of super-
vision, that in 1875 it had two superintendents. One was
to supervise the elementary grades, the other the high school.
Mr. D. A. Ewing was at that time superintendent of the ele-
mentary grades, Mr. Benjamin Wilcox of the high school
work. This plan worked splendidly at South Bend, but its
success was largely attributed to the great ability of Mr.
Ewing.

At Evansville, in 1865, Professor Rice was elected super-
intendent of the schools. Mr. Rice was a teacher of experience
and known ability, which guaranteed to the people that he
would succeed in his new and larger field of work. He was
chosen because of his superior educational or teaching ability.

In 1870 Professor Edward Clark, superintendent of the
Aurora schools, started an "Educational Column" in the
People's Advocate published at that place. Professor Clark
came to Indiana from Ohio, where he had been engaged for
several years previous as a teacher in the Lebanon normal
school.

New Castle, in 1875, under the supervision of George W.
Hufford, maintained very good schools. Mr. Hufford was one
of Indiana's most scholarly teachers, as well as one of the
most sensible superintendents. His chief delight was to put
out strong students. To this end he maintained a rigid four-
year course of study.

The schools at Logansport, in 1867, were placed under
the supervision of Sheridan Cox. In the matter of education,
he had a great task before him, which he accomplished with
success. Mr. Cox spent half his time superintending, and the
remainder in teaching.

In the same year (1867) the schools of Lawrenceburg
came under J. C. Ridpath, a graduate of Asbury (now De
Pauw) University. He was a man who put great interest
into his work. His superior scolarship dominated the whole
system.

In 1869 Columbus maintained a well-graded system of
schools under a man who was thoroughly devoted to his work.

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 209

This man, David Graham, was another example of the
scholarship type of superintendent.

At Union City, in 1869, E. Tucker came to the head of the
school system, from a position in Liber college. He was one
of the few men at that time who held State certificates. His
ability, from the standpoint of scholarship, dominated his
policies.

All this is offered as evidence that for the first twenty
years of city school life, the worth of a superintendent was
measured largely by his ability as an instructor, as a scholar.

An interesting plan for solving the problem of a superin-
tendent was the double principal system. This proved success-
ful for a while, but later gave way to the single supervisor,
the principals putting in their time teaching. Several cities
tried this scheme at first.

The schools at New Castle, in 1860, were successfully
conducted by Mr. T. Sharp and Mr. James R. Smith, as joint
principals. Similarly, at Muncie, as late as 1864, the schools
were conducted jointly by E. J. Rice and James S. Ferris,
aided by a full and competent corps of teachers. At Rising
Sun, in 1865, the schools were supervised by two associate
principals, Messrs. Matson and McFee. Likewise, at New
Castle, again in 1866, the schools were conducted by two
independent principals.

Another complexity which entered in was that of county
examiners, acting in the capacity of supervisory officials of
city or town schools in their respective counties. Usually the
salary (which was paid by the day with only a limited num-
ber of days allotted them during each year) was too small to
support them, and consequently they engaged in some other
work part of the time to meet their needs. It was a saving
proposition for the corporations themselves.

At Vevay, in 1870, the schools were conducted by R. F.
Brewington, the county examiner. In the same year the
graded schools of Spencer were conducted by the county ex-
aminer of Owen county. Robert Andrews, county examiner,
conducted the schools at Shoals. He was a very efficient
school man, and built up a good graded school. This plan
was tried out in several places, but gradually weakened and
finally gave way to the independent supervisor.

210 Indiana Magazine of History

Lack of funds, coupled with the idea that the superin-
tendent was a useless official, caused an experiment in many-
cities which proved to the fullest degree that such an official
could not be dispensed with. Many towns and cities tried
the plan of carrying on their schools without a supervisory
head.

A very successful system of this kind was that found in
Evansviile in 1858. H. Q. Wheeler, president of the board of
trustees, acted as superintendent. Mr. Wheeler had been con-
nected with these schools ever since they had been organized.
To him the people of Evansviile were indebted more than to
any other man for the efficiency of their system. He took a
great interest in its success, and made personal sacrifices to
build up and sustain it. In addition to rendering his service,
Mr. Wheeler gave to the school certain laboratory apparatus
worth $350.00.

Another type of this system was at New Albany, in 1870.
New Albany had always been famous for its system of city
schools. In this year it had for its superintendent one of the
school trustees. Dr. E. Newland. This official believed that
one of the school trustees ought always to act as the superin-
tendent. Fortunately Dr. Newland was a splendid official.
Their system, under him, was very creditable as to scholar-
ship, order, and educational interest. But in 1872 the school
officials were on the lookout for a new head. Dr. Newland
could not afford to devote his whole time to school business
for $300.00 per year — the salary allotted him. No other
trustee was capable of filling the place had he chosen to do
so. The whole matter ended in the hiring of a superintendent.

In 1869 the school board of Terre Haute abolished the
office of superintendent. The reason assigned was economy.
In so doing, the board authorized W. H. Wiley, principal of
the high school, to give part of his time to superintending the
other schools in the city. One year later (1870) Mr. Wiley
was elected superintendent, and in 1871 he was re-elected for
a period of two years, at a salary of $2,000 per annum.

This plan of having a member of the board act as superin-
tendent was tried at Madison, Vincennes, South Bend and
other places in the State, but was found to be unsuccessful.
The whole difficulty lay in the fact that those trustees compe-

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 211

tent to carry on the business end of school affairs could not
afford to do so on a meagre salary, and the purpose of the
scheme was to save money.

The early years of trial and experiment proved two things.
First, that a superintendent was essential, and, second, that
such an office was best vested in a single person. By 1875
all the city schools in the State, of any importance, had
superintendents. When once settled that they were a neces-
sity, their true function was then questioned.

As the school systems grew, the teaching function of the
superintendent gradually disappeared. He then became either
a professional supervisor, allowing the interested board to
assume much of the business end of the system, or, with the
decrease of interest on the part of the boards, he became the
business manager of the system. Later the man was looked
for who, it was thought, could do both successfully.

In 1867 the Superintendent of the Shelbyville schools, D.
Eckley Hunter, devoted his whole time to superintending. He
had no regular classes. This was considered quite a step for-
ward, at that time, owing to the small size of the city. Here
is found a transition from the teaching superintendent of
1866 to the supervising superintendent of 1867. Under such
conditions the trustees worked in complete harmony with the
system.

Such division of labor did well in other cities. At Logans-
port, for example, in 1869, they were able for the first time
to run the schools ten months. They advanced more that
year than any previous year.

Lafayette succeeded well in her school system, also, for
the same reason. Their superintendent, J. W. Molier, in his
report, spoke in strong terms of the efficiency and liberality
of the board of trustees.

Tell City, in Perry county, some years earlier (1864), had
organized a good system of graded schools. The superin-
tendent, Jacob Bollinger, attributed much of the success to the
untiring efforts of the trustees.

Another phase of the direct interest of school trustees in
the matter of supervision, is shown as follows :

"In September, 1869, the trustees of the Bloomington schools seut
their teachers to spend a week in the Indianapolis schools. They believed
that teachers learned how to teach by seeing others teach."

212 Indiana Magazine of History

In 1870 Superintendent A. C. Shortridge, of Indianapolis,
with eight or ten of his teachers, visited the St. Louis schools.
Several of the others visited the Cincinnati schools at the
same time.

To show the importance of the trustees as a factor in the
early school supervision, the following is quoted from the
Rules and Regulations for the Public Schools of Indianapolis
for 1866.

"SUPEEINTENDENT AND HIS DUTIES

The Superintendent of Public Schools shall act under the advice and
direction of the Board of Educa^tion, and shall have the superintendence
of all public schools, school houses, books, and apparatus. He shall devote
himself exclusively to the duties of his office. He shall keep reguar office
hours other than school hours, at a place to be provided for that purpose,
which shall be the depository of the books and papers belonging to the
board of education."

From 1871 up to the end of this period (1880), cities, as
a rule, began to rely upon the superintendent for the complete
guidance of their schools. This was due to two things, viz :
(1) the increasing complexity of the system, (2) the gradual
loss of interest on the part of boards. In 1873 the schools of
Elkhart were largely dominated by Superintendent J. K.
Walts. The citizens measured their schools largely through
the work of the superintendent.

Huntington, in 1874, was completely carried away with
the work of Superintendent James Baldwin. In addition to
the ordinary work, he arranged a course of lectures for the
benefit of the high school.

Fort Wayne's policies, in 1874, were well carried out by
Superintendent James H. Smart. He had the schools well
systematized. Evansville (1874) allowed her superintendent,
Mr. A. M. Gow, great liberties in the management of school
.affairs. At Indianapolis, Superintendent A. C. Shortridge
was considered, by board and patrons, the efficient leader of
his system. The Terre Haute board (1871), in speaking of
Superintendent Wiley, said :

"The schools were never in a more prosperous condition than they are
today.. Too much praise can not be bestowed upon Professor W. H. Wiley,
our superintendent, for the able and satisfactory manner in which he has

LitUll: Development of Indiana School System 213

managed the schools, and the able and energetic corps of teachers who
have aided in all his efforts to advance the interest and prosperity of our
public schools."

In conclusion, we may sum up the development of super-
vision as follows:

The supervisor at first was considered worth while only
in so far as he was a teacher. Later his duty was that of
an expert supervisor. At the same time, some boards hired
him for a business manager. Finally, the ideal superin-
tendent was regarded as the man who could perform both the
managerial duties and professional service.

(To be concluded)

The Pioneers of Jefferson County

I Reminiscences
By James B. Lewis

My grandfather, John Lewis, came to this country from
Wales about 1750 and lost his life when my father was about
five years old, in the battle at the fort opposite New London,
Connecticut, at the close of the Revolutionary war. He left
two sons, John and Oliver. The latter, my father, moved to
Trumbull county, Ohio, in 1804. His family then consisted of
my mother now residing on Walnut street, aged ninety-four,
one daughter and one son, Chauncey B. Lewis, father of Dr.
James R. Lewis. In Ohio, his family increased to three daugh-
ters and three sons. He resided in Ohio during the war of
1812, and was a soldier under Gen. William H. Harrison.
Was at the battle of Niagara Falls, Black Rock and River
Raisin. My father was sent with others as an escort with
an officer to supersede General Croghan at Lower Sandusky
fort, and got so near that they heard the gun (a six-pounder)
that was so well handled by our men. As fast as the British
soldiers filled the ditch leading to the fort, the point of the
six-pounder was run out and fired with such effect that it
drove them out, leaving the ditch nearly full with their dead.

While my father was in the army, mother would weave
cloth for the other soldiers' wives, while they would tend her
garden in turn. I remember, as young as I was, seeing the
old, gray-headed men come round to see that all was v/ell,
for every able-bodied man had gone to the front to prevent
the Indians coming into our neighborhood. When my father
returned, it was about daylight. He had lost a thumb in the
last battle and it was very painful. That fall he lost his
second crop of corn by early frost, and the next fall, 1815,
he lost his third. I remember the latter. The whole country
was a stench in our nostrils and we could taste it in our
mouths. My father was a Methodist, and his Circuit Rider
advised him to go to Indiana Territory.

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 215

On his recommendation he started in the fall of 1815, in
company with Baldwin Clark and family. They purchased
a flatboat at Weaver, twelve miles below Pittsburgh, on the
Ohio, and, when all was ready, we were marched down to the
boat. My father and others united in singing and prayer,
committing themselves and their families to their kind
heavenly father's care while on the river, and journeying to
their new home.

On our way down the river we stopped at several places.
At Cincinnati we stopped over the Sabbath. There was no
wharf there then. Under the high bank was a steam saw-mill,
and when running the steam would escape, it looked to me,
twenty-five feet high, and would whistle like one of the old
fashioned hunter's horns. From Cincinnati down we stopped
at Fort Williams, now Carrolton. There George Short took
passage with his "kit" of tools. He was a wheelwright and
all our old farmers will testify to his good spinning wheels.
He settled up on Walnut street, out of town, and ever after
it was called "Georgetown."

There was no landing then made at Madison. The original
sycamore, cottonwood and willow trees were standing under
and on the high bank ; these grew out into the river, especially
the cottonwoods. Col. John Paul had cut the trees from the
front of his house, now belonging to the heirs of Mr. Abram
Todd. Our first citizens erected houses on the second, or high
river bank, and when Walnut, Main, Mulberry and West
streets were graded it left the houses above the street and'
nearly worthless, for instance, Robert Craig's and Alois
Bachman's.

Navigation on the river at this time was of the rudest
kind. There were no steamboats for several years. Broad-
horns could float down, but to go up-stream the keelboat was
used, a craft somewhat similar to the present canal boat, but
very rude ; the guards were about a foot wide and had cleets
nailed to the floor, and two or three men on each side with
long poles would push it against the current with their shoul-
ders. When the water was deep or rapid, the men looked as
though they were all lying down. Six miles were considered
a good day's run.

The original plat of Madison was laid off from East to

216 Indiana Magazine of History

West streets. These streets were the eastern and western
boundaries of the then "town" of Madison. The streets were
in their original state, and as that winter, 1815-16, was warm,
they were wet with plenty of mud and misery. There were
three ponds in the old town, one on Walnut street, running
south under the market space nearly to the present jail, and
to Jonathan Fitch's comer. Another where A. J. Fisher's
stables now stand on Second street. The other opposite the
Madison hotel, on Mulberry and Second streets. On the north
end of this pond, on the alley between Main Cross and Second
streets, was the only barber shop in the place. The sign over
the door was hard for boys to read. It ran thus : "SAM-
DUNNBARBER." At the intersection of Main and Main
Cross streets, and for some space around, there was a marsh,
and the old corduroy is still buried about four feet under the
present streets.

There was a large number of Indians about. They had
a camp at the north end of Walnut street, opposite Johnson
& Clements' old starch factory. John Ritchie's store was
opposite Rolla Doolittle's residence. The Indians used to
trade with him. The Indians seldom used saddles or bridles
on their ponies. If they got drunk — and they would always
do so if they could get the fire-water — one or two would re-
main sober to take care of the others.

Robert Craig opened a grocery on Second street shortly
after, near where Mr. Dickson now has his newspaper depot ;
Jacob G. Doyle was nearby, and Linas R. Leonard where the
mayor's office now stands.

When John Paul laid off the addition below West street,
where the angle is made, there was considerable indignation
about "that bend." It was originally intended for Main Cross
to run to the river, so when on the street you could see the
point below town on the Kentucky shore. There were written
and published in the papers four chapters of "Chronicles"
in which Colonel Paul was called "John the Nabob" and "John
Paul, Jr.," "Jack Hoecake," etc., for altering the original
design.

The old Methodist church was built this year on John
Mclntyre's land on the east of East street on the back end
of the lot, where St. John's church now stands. The seats

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 217

were of the rudest sort, split logs with a block under each
end. Dr. Oglesby, Dr. Bigelow and a Mr. Brown (James E.
Bacon's father-in-law) were the original preachers. Shortly
after, Allen Wiley was put on this circuit.

Rev. William Robinson was the Presbyterian minister.
He lived in a frame house on the ground where Isaac Wagoner
now has a livery stable (my father first lived in a log house
opposite). Mr. Robinson was in the habit of drinking, and
at times to excess. He was an enterprising man, however,
and erected a carding machine on the lot on Walnut street,
where my mother now lives. After him, Mr. Searles was
pastor, and, after his death. Rev. Joseph Trimble. Both are
buried in the old cemetery on Third street. In 1825 Rev.
James H. Johnston, now of Crawfordsville, became pastor.
After Rev. Mr. Robinson was sold out John M. Watson carded
wool for the farms and he used to advertise in the old Indiana
Republican. The heading was:

"The tariff need not distress us
If we have wool enough to dress us."

In 1817 John Paul gave the ground on Third street for
a burying ground. The first person buried there was a Miss
Old. Up to that time the burying ground was up in Fulton,
above Greiner's brewery.

In 1817 my father farmed all the land in Scott's garden
and lived in the old log house back of John Ross's tan-yard.
A man by the namq of William Cole had a tan-yard where
Ross now lives. There was a large spring at the foot of the
hills on East street. That was when I was a boy, and it used
to make quite a creek across Walnut street. There was a
public well in the front of the courthouse. OM Fathers
Thomas and Kirk used to draw water by the day and children
were sent to them and they would fill their buckets and send
them home. There was another well at Stapp and Branham's
hotel, near Dr. Cornett's back store door on Mulberry street.
Another well was dug in 1834 or '35 near the alley by the
postoffice. It did not last long. There was another well
in the rear of Mr. Albert Scheik's grocery. It was called
"Oldfield's Well." Another was under the present wall on
Poplar Lane at Judge J. Y. Allison's residence. This was

218 Indiana Magazine of History

called "Talbott Well," as Richard C. Talbott, in 1820, was
clerk of the county and lived in that house and kept his office
in the comer room. There was another well near the middle
of J. F. D. Lanier's ground, where Alex. Lanier now lives.
This was called "Lanier's Well." They were all open to the
public.

Up to 1828 there was no such thing known as a cast stove.
John Sheets brought a seven-plate stove from the east to
town for his stove, but there were no cook stoves until 1835
or '36. It was stipulated when I got my wife that I was to
furnish a "cooking stove" for our kitchen.

In 1825 there was no such thing as a wood-saw. We boys
had to chop our wood with an axe. And another great trouble
was, such things as matches were unknown until about 1835,
and then they were of the rudest kind. First you had to have
a vial with some kind of a preparation in it and a stick with
sulphur on the end and when poked into this vial it would
ignite. At last, some man invented our present match. At
first they had to have a piece of black sand paper, and when
rubbed on this paper it would ignite. These were called
Locofoco matches and they gave the name to the old Demo-
cratic party in this wise: The Tammany party was divided
on some questions in New York City, and when one party
found they were in the minority, blew out the lights ; the other
party was not to be outgeneraled and immediately struck a
light and proceeded with their meeting, and Prentice of the
Louisville Journal ever after called it the "Locofoco" party.
Before these matches were invented, while living in the
country, I was careful not to let the fire go out, and, if I did,
the next morning, wet or cold, I would have to post off to
the nearest neighbor to "borrow" a little fire.

Father Logan was mistaken about Daniel Lyle's store
being the oldest house. It was built in 1838 or 1840. But the
brick house across the alley was built in 1818. Andrew Col-
lins' store was in the front and he lived in the frame part.
The house Mr. Schooley pulled down this summer was built
in 1823, and was a sample of all the houses then in town.
The house on the corner of Third and Poplar Lane with a
porch on the east side was built by Josiah Meade in 1818;
also the house on the alley adjoining David Wilson's old resi-

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 219

dence on Second street. The house where Mrs. J. G. Marshall
now lives was built by Felix Brandt in 1818 ; in the east room
he had a watch-maker's shop. Mr. William Robinson, father
of Mrs. Crane, had a store in the front room of Mr. Verry's
residence. The oldest house now standing in the city is on
the alley (east side) on the south side of High street between
Main and Walnut streets. Peter Hemphill resided there and
was ferryman from this side of the river and Abram King
from the Kentucky side. The other house is the little red
front on the river bank just above William Phibbs'. The
front frame in the house where John Marsh now lives is
sixty years old.

The old market house was west of the big pond between
Mr. Bering's residence and the courthouse. It was built by
setting four posts with forks in the upper ends and poles laid
in them and then covered with clapboards and logs to hold
them on. The house used as a courthouse stood where V.
Firth's house now stands. The court was held in the upper
room. The stairs were on the outside and west end. The jail,
"Old Buckeye," was hard to beat. It was a house with a
house built on the outside so close that nothing could be moved,
as the outside held everything in its place. David Kent was
jailer.

It was hard to make change in these times, as money was
scarce. The old Spanish dollar was universally used, to-
gether with half dollars and twenty-five-cent pieces, bits
(I21/2 cents), and fips (614 cents) ; the ten-cent pieces passed
for 121/2 cents, or eight for a dollar. In 1831 or 1832, when
Jesse Whitehead opened store, he used to bring out a keg full
of ten and five-cent pieces and make change for anyone want-
ing it, and gave eight dimes and sixteen five-cents for a dollar.
So they were soon called "Jesses" and "Half -Jesses."

Before this, they used to cut the money and so get change.
For instance, if I owed a man 614 cents, I would cut a 25-
cent piece into four pieces, and a half dollar to eight, or a half
for a quarter dollar and cut the other half into four parts, so
on with the dollar, etc. This cut money was called "Sharp-
shins."

The first Sabbath school was in the old Presbyterian church
on West street in front of what is now called Presbyterian

220 Indiana Magazine of History

avenue. I preferred this school to the private schools because
they gave us books to read, besides the red and blue tickets.
Mrs. Mclntyre had a private school in 1816.

In 1817 a Catholic priest came to town, and he said mass,
preached, administered the sacraments and baptized several
children, some of them large girls and boys. But to me the
most singular part of the service was that he married four or
five old couples who had children grown. This service was
held in the house where Joel Dickey now resides. John Paul
built this house and offered the whole square to the county if
they would make it the courthouse. Beaumont Park for many
years taught the higher branches of education there. Many
of our old citizens could neither read nor write. Deal charit-
ably with them, and remember that many had to go two and
three miles to school and nearly all the way through the
woods, with blazes on the trees to prevent them from wan-
dering out of the way and getting lost. And such school
houses! One log left out to light the house and this in cold
winter, for all had to work on the farm during the summer.
Another thing will amuse our young people : Whenever there
was a night meeting, it was held at "early candle light." At
the appointed time, the heads of each family would take one
or two candles in hand; some with a lantern, and as they
arrived would light the house, and if but few came, they would
of course have poor lights.

Ephriam Kennedy (Old John Brown) and O. B. Lewis
went down to the mouth of Crooked creek to fish about this
time. Soon they heard a noise like the firing of a gun below
the point on the Kentucky shore. About the same time a
strange looking craft rounded the point; one mentioned that
it was Indians. They immediately dropped all and made for
the town. They ran until out of breath, and then hid under
the logs for a time, but becoming more alarmed, ran through
the woods, greatly excited, into town. They ran until out of
breath and reported the Indians coming, and the citizens went
to the river to see the first steamboat that came and landed at
Madison.

Scape pipes in those days were made very small and great
force was necessary to drive the steam through them. For
that reason, a noise was made of a very peculiar kind. It

The Pioneer's of Jefferson County 221

would shriek and then bang away like the report of a gun or
horn.

In 1824, Abram Wilson's smith shop, on the ground where
Wesley Chapel now stands, was burned down. His brother
mechanics turned out to rebuild his shop. They went up the
river bank where the Mammoth Cave pork house now stands
and were cutting down and hewing the cottonwood trees into
logs for the purpose of rebuilding said shop. This was tres-
passing on John Mclntyre's land (it was under the high
bank) . Mclntyre went around asking them their names. One
of them was Jacob Harbaugh, but passed under the name of
Jake Hoboy. Mclntyre went around asking the men "What's
Ja»ke Hoboy's first name?"

The first Monday of August in each year was election day
for State officers. On the present courthouse corner, and
near the public well would be two or three barrels on end,
heads out, full of whiskey, with tin cups hung on them. Each
party would chalk its name on the outside of the barrel. By
evening they would be nearly empty and the men full.

At one of these elections, John Paul, Jr., and Brook Ben-
nett were candidates. Paul's friends were voting and shout-
ing "Hurrah for Paul." Young John Bennett became indig-
nant and jumped on a stump and hurrahed for daddy.

General Tipton, of Logansport, about 1826 made a treaty
with the Indians, and induced them to give lands enough to
make a road one hundred feet wide, from Michigan City to
some point on the Ohio river. Congress left it to the Indiana
legislature to locate said road. All the river towns in the
State wanted it, and for two years our legislature was in con-
tinual excitement. A few years before this, the Wabash
Canal was asking for an appropriation, and they wanted one
vote in the Senate and two in the House to pass it through.
Jefferson county could do just what it wanted and our repre-
sentatives were promised that if they would do so when Jef-
ferson county would come to the legislature and say "Wabash
Canal" every man would go for them. They did so and it was
their political death. But this road was to come before the
legislature the next winter. Cincinnati money was freely
spent to take it to Lawrenceburg, and had so far succeeded
as to get it to Napoleon. Now James R. Wallace stepped

222 Indiana Magazine of History

forth from Jefferson county, and reminded the Wabash Val-
ley men of their promises. In a moment a member of the
valley moved to strike out Lawrenceburg and insert Madison.
On this he moved the previous question, and Madison got
the Michigan road. This is what was called "Log Rolling" in
our legislature.

The country round Madison was settled before Madison.
The name of Madison was at first "Wakefield." This county
and Scott were taken from Clark county and were the same
for a time. Jefferson county was named for Jefferson, then
President, and Madison was named for President Madison in
1809 or '10 for he held that office at this time. The above is
from momory of what my father used to tell men who came
into the county to settle.

The first newspaper published in Madison was the Western
Eagle, by Seth M. Leavenworth and William Hendricks. Col.
John Vawter told me in Morgantown that it was printed in
his kitchen while he lived in Madison. After the V/estern
Eagle, John Lodge started the Indianxi Republican. Under
the caption was this sentiment: "Where Liberty dwelleth,
there is my country. — Franklin." About 1831 the Banner at
Salem was merged into it and it was called Republican and
Banner.

Dawson Blackmore was not born in the tov/n of Madison,
I think, for Blackmore moved from Madison up into Eagle
Hollow in 1810 or '11 and Dawson was not born until 1812
or '13. He is of age, let him answer. Judge Blackmore lived
there at that time and made and sold hats. David G. Bright,
father of Jessie Bright, made hats at the same time, in Dut-
ton's corner, Main Cross and Mulberry streets.

Eagle Hollow got its name from this circumstance. No
steam-boats were running, and the large travel to the Jeffer-
sonville land office was by land, and every few miles a tavern.
John Troxall put a neat sign with a large spread eagle on it,
and after that it was called Eagle Hollow. All the hollov/s
above that were Bee Camp hollows, for every tree that was
hollow near the top was sure to have bees, and I have seen a
barrel of honey taken out of one tree, while I was living up
there from 1818 to 1821.

More about the Indian Camp up Walnut street on Crooked

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 223

creek. The Indian squaw in camp did not look like the pic-
tures we have seen of them in books, but quite the reverse.
They were as to appearance, larger than the men, but short
and slovenly. The young squaw has bright, black eyes, but
otherwise is not prepossessing. They examined my coat and
how it was made very closely. I saw an old squaw hold up
the chin and pinch her little papoose's lips together. I, boy-
like asked her why she did so. She answered in substance, it
would not take cold if it breathed through its nose while sleep-
ing. All the papooses were strapped to boards of bark and
set up against trees. About one hundred yards above the
point of the hill nearest Walnut street there was a dam of
logs, filling the bed of the creek from bank to bank. Jack
Hunt told me it was a beaver's dam. And for ten years after-
ward, there was occasionally seen beavers playing in the
water.

John Paul took advantage of this beaver dam and built a
saw mill there. Parts of the mill were there as late as 1830.
He also built a grist mill on the north side of the creek, a
short distance above the old burying ground on Third street,
and grinding was done as late as 1828 and 1830, until Alex-
ander Washer built a mill where the present Star Mills stand.

George Logan was the first white man, as far as the writ-
ten record goes, to put his foot upon Jefferson county soil,
though hundreds trod it before. Doubtless Daniel Boone, who
followed the Kentucky river to its mouth, and the Ohio to
the Falls was on our soil. Also Simon Kenton and many
hunters, trappers and scouts, and the soldiers, settlers, hunt-
ers, trappers and government agents who were constantly
going up and down the river.

Mr. Logan climbed the hilltop at what is known as Logan's
Point March 1, 1801. In 1815, he purchased the land. In
1863, he discovered the beech trees he had marked in 1801.
James Vawter built a cabin on the site of the Round House
at North Madison in 1806-07. Elder Jesse Vawter removed
his family to a residence he had prepared for them at Fair-
mount in 1806, which he named Mount Glad. Mr. Graham
MacFarlane now owns the property. George Richey settled
on Cliffy creek in 1806; James Underwood on Crooked creek
the same year. The settlers previous to 1808 had all located

224 Indiana Magazine of History

on the hilltops. In 1808, William Hall squatted on the ground
where the engine and pumphouse of our city water works are
now located. John H. Wagner landed at the foot of Jefferson
street in 1808 and built a cabin on the northeast corner of
Mulberry and First streets. This was the first cabin built in
the corporate limits of Madison. Mr. Wagner was also our
first blacksmith and the father of our late mayor, Isaac Wag-
ner.

In 1808, Col. John Paul bought the land on which Madison
stands from the government. He removed to Madison with
his family in 1809. Lewis Davis and Jonathan Lyons, part-
ners and associates of Col. Paul, came to Madison in 1809, but
remained only a few years. John Ryker, Christopher Harri-
son, William Robbins, Rafe Griffin, Bazeleel Maxwell, Archi-
bald, Dinwiddie, Joseph Lane, Thomas and David Hughes,
Alex. Chambers, Williamson Dunn, father of Gen. William
McKee Dunn, Thomas Jameson, father of Elder Love Jame-
son, Alexander McNutt, John Booth, Samuel Burnett, Robert
Trotter, Joshua Wilkinson, John Sering, William Ramsey,
Dawson Blackmore, Gen. Alexander Meek, Dr. Robert Crav-
ens, Dr. S. M. Goode, William Hendricks, Arnold Custer and
Thomas Roseberry were among the earliest settlers.

The Jenny Lind Pork House was built and run by Messrs.
George W. Phillips and son. It was so called because the
famous songstress, Jenny Lind, who had been engaged by Mr.
Billy Wilson to sing in Madison, found on her arrival that she
had to sing there or forfeit the ticket money, and her agent,
Mr. P. T. Barnum, was beaten for once. It was a new frame
building, very large and stood where Jager's stone yard was
on Mulberry street. The house was filled at five dollars a
ticket. Captain David White bid a large amount for the
premium ticket at auction. The management had guaranteed
Barnum $5,000 and the receipts were $3,700. They were out
$1,300. From 1847 to 1857, pork packing was a large item
of business in Madison. The number of hogs slaughtered one
year was 152,000. The flour mills were large and flourishing
during this period. On the site of the old pork house, was
one run by Capt. David Wliite, who made large quantities of
kiln dried corn meal which was shipped to Ireland during the
great Irish famine.

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 225

Iron foundries were flourishing at this time. Mr. William
Clough built and carried on an enterprising business, making
railroad cars. The manufacture of starch was now in its be-
ginning and afterwards became a large item of business. The
Madison Marine Railway and Shipyard was built about 1850
by a stock company of spirited citizens. It is almost impos-
sible to overestimate the benefit the shipyard has been to Mad-
ison. The Madison & Indianapolis Railroad Company was one
of the earliest built in the west and Madison was for years
the only outlet for this portion of the State, thus enabling
Madison to do a large forwarding commission and jobbing
trade.

In 1839 when Daniel Webster visited Madison, the recep-
tion speech was made by Joseph G. Marshall, who was very
similar to Webster in the force and grandeur of his oratory.
Webster replied as only the god-like Daniel could. George
Robinson (orator, editor and lawyer), after hearing them,
went to his office and wrote out both speeches from memory
and submitted them and they were both pronounced exact,
word for word. This is the only off-hand speech of Webster
published, as there were no short-hand reporters in those
days.

William Robinson, father of George, came to Madison from
Baltimore. He persuaded his friend. Rev. Gamaliel Taylor, to
move to Madison as their families could make their long jour-
ney together. In 1819 they came from Baltimore to Wheeling
in wagons and from Wheeling to Madison in a keel boat down
the Ohio river. George Robinson, when 14 years of age, rode
horseback from Pittsburg to Madison. When he was 18 years
of age, his father sent him on horseback to Baltimore to get
the plans drawn for the Methodist church. He returned with
plans from which Wesley Chapel was built.

Madison had the first railroad into the interior. This con-
nected with the Ohio river and it at that time, 1842-1852, was
the great highway between the south and west to the east and
the route by rail and water connecting them gave Madison a
name and importance far and wide and made it by far the
liveliest of all Indiana towns. It was then a point to and
through which the tide of travel swelled daily and nightly in
large volume. The steamers which bore this travel were pal-

226 Indiana Magazine of History

atial. Busses rattled through the streets. The hotels were
hustling caravansaries. The Madison Hotel was a growth and
necessity of the conditions then existing and typified activity
and vitalities that survive only in memory. Those whose
recollections do not reach back to our golden days, can not
realize the comparative life, animation, city airs, and cheer
of that time. Madison was the business emporium, after Cin-
cinnati and Louisville, and before a pig was ever packed for
shipment at Chicago, it was the noted pork mart. Its bank-
ing transactions were the heaviest in the State. It was in
its Branch Bank that James F. D. Lanier trained and matured
himself to become one of the greatest, most successful and
noted financiers of Wall Street and of the Nation.

Richard Carson Meldrum, in his recollections, dated 1879,
tells of making the first clothes pins used here. He made them
at the bank for his mother. A number of his mother's friends,
learning of the "new things," wanted them, so he went to
work and made them and took them tied up in half dozens in
a basket and sold them to the ladies at twenty-five cents per
dozen. Mr. Meldrum says he thinks these were the first
clothes pins made or used west of the mountains.

Meldrum remembered living in Columbus and going to
Madison by stage on the first opening of the Madison and In-
dianapolis road, of the ride behind the locomotive, the "Elk
Horn," borrowed at Louisville and taken by oxen to North
Madison up the Michigan Road ; also about Mr. W. G. Whar-
ton going to Indianapolis on horseback with money collected
as county treasurer ($1,500 in a pair of saddle bags) ; of
meeting a second and third treasurer on the same mission, and
of the heavy rains and high creeks, and on reaching Clifty
creek, near Columbus, it was found bank full and after hol-
lowing several times, a man came in sight on the opposite
bank and told them to wait and he would see what could be
done. He went to a stable, got a trough, rolled it down to
the water, bailed it out, got a paddle and started across just
above the mill dam. Over he paddled and Mr. Wharton was
induced to take the seat first and then take the saddle bags.
He then went on his way.

On the northwest corner of Second and Central avenue,
stands a house that long ago and for many years was the home

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 227

of the Leonard family. George M. Leonard built the house
which in its day was one of no mean pretensions. Mr. Leon-
ard was an honest and successful merchant. He was a man
of more than ordinary modesty and dignity of character. He
was of New England origin and a native of Massachusetts.
In early life, before the use of steamboats on our western
waters, he purchased in Boston and New York a small stock
of goods which he wagoned to Pittsburg, there providing him-
self with a flat-boat, floated his entire fortune to New Orleans.
Disposing of his goods at fair prices, he took the proceeds and
converting them into notes of the bank of the United States,
placed them in a leather belt, which for safety he buckled
around his person and returned to Boston with his gains.

As there were neither boats nor stage routes in those days,
Mr. Leonard concluded he would not invest his earnings in
horseflesh nor in expensive passage by sea, to reach his home,
so he adopted the more economical mode of making the trip
on foot, which he successfully accomplished. Who is there
of today who can parallel such an adventure or who possesses
the will or pluck to undertake the passage alone and on foot
from New Orleans to Boston, a large portion of the way
through forests and uninhabited regions ? But our early Mad-
isonians were men of rugged will, sturdy pioneers whom hard-
ship and danger never daunted; with whom to conceive an
enterprise was only esteemed the preliminary step necessary
to its accomplishment.

II. Early History of Madison

By John Vawter, April 13, 1850

Father, with six or eight other Kentuckians from Franklin
and Scott counties, visited what was then called the New Pur-
chase at a very early date. A part journeyed by land and a
part by water. The land party crossed the Ohio River at
Port William (Carrolton), the others descended the Ken-
tucky and Ohio rivers in a pirogue to a point opposite Milton.
The pirogue answered the double purpose of carrying forward
the provisions of the company and enabling the men to pass
from one bank to another, swimming their horses alongside.
The company made their headquarters in the river bottom in

228 Indiana Magazine of History

the western extremity of the city limits of Madison. In the
day, the company divided into two parties, exploring the ad-
jacent highlands to the head of Crooked creek and the neigh-
boring lands of Clifty. They met at night and reported their
discoveries. To Crooked creek, they gave the name of Mill
creek ; to Clifty, Hard Scrabble ; but subsequently on learning
the name of each stream, the red man's name prevailed with
the settlers.

At that time, December, 1805, Elder Jesse Vawter selected
the spot where Judge S. C. Stevens now resides on the hill.
(This place is now, 1915, occupied by Dr. William R. David-
son.) He returned home and made every arrangement for
taking possession of his new home early in the spring of 1806.
He, with others, made the first settlement in and about Madi-
son. Nearly all the settlements made in that year and the two
or three succeeding years were made on the highlands.
Among the first settlers in the county were Elder Jesse Vaw-
ter, James Underwood, Joshua Jockson, Colby Underwood and
James Edward, all of the Baptist denomination. East of
Crooked creek were Col. John Ryker, Paul Froman, Ralph
Grifiin, Joseph Lane and others, the last two families being
Baptists. West and southwest were Col. Samuel Smock,
James Arbuckle, Michael and Felix Monroe, Isaiah Blanken-
ship, Amos Chitwood and others. The first corn was raised in
Jeft^erson county in the year 1806, most of it being planted as
late as June.

The first settlement made in the river bottom near Madi-
son was by William and John Hall in 1806 or 1807, a little
above Isom Ross's tan-yard (purchased by Johnathan Lyon in
1808). The second was made by John H. Wagoner on the
high bank a little west of Main street, in Madison. (Main
street, as it was then called, is now known as Jefferson street) .
Wagoner unloaded his boat on the tenth day of May, 1808,
and immediately commenced building a house to live in. The
third person who settled in the limits of the present city was
Robert M. Trotter, afterwards a justice of the peace. The
fourth was Joshua Wilkinson, a single man. The fifth was
Joseph Strickland, afterwards justice of the peace, and with
Strickland came a man by the name of Schofield, and perhaps
others not recollected. Next came John Booth, the first inn-

The Pioneers of Jefferson CounUj 229

keeper; then John Sering, Samuel Burnet, the second inn-
keeper; then Charles Easton with a number of others, which
brings us down to the time of the first sale of lots in Madison
in February, 1811. During all the above time, all the preach-
ing for twenty or thirty-five miles up and down the river and
through the county was of the Baptist order. The first ser-
mon ever delivered within the chartered limits of Madison
was by Elder Jesse Vawter, among the cottonwoods on the
river beach, a little above the stone mill. The text was the
first verse, first chapter of the gospel of St. John. It was a
funeral occasion, the death of Widow Slack. Mrs. Jonathan
Lyon, mother of Philemon Vawter, closed the service. This
was the first death and funeral preached in the vicinity of
Madison.

After the land sales in May, 1808, and the sale of lots in
Madison in 1811, the town and country commenced filling up
pretty rapidly with settlers.

I was first justice of the peace within the vicinity of Mad-
ison while it was in Clark county. My commission bears the
date of the sixteenth of July, 1808. The first judges for Jef-
ferson county were Gen. William MacFarland, president of
the court of common pleas, Samuel Smock and John Paul,
second clerk, Richard C. Talbott, first sheriff, John Vawter.
I am not certain but that Basil Bently was second sheriff in
Jefferson county but very soon retired from office. The third
sheriff was Thomas T. Stribling. The first court ever held in
Jefferson county was held in a log cabin owned by John H.
Wagoner, in February, 1811. The sale of the first lots in
Madison (old town) was in the same month; the first pro-
prietors. Col. John Paul, Jonathan Lyon and Louis Davis.
The first addition west was surveyed by me for Col. John
Paul. The first courthouse, called the Buckeye House, was
built by myself for the proprietors. The first jail was a
square log house, builder's name not recollected. First public
house was kept by John Booth, second by Samuel Burnett,
third by Major Henry Ristine.

The first store was owned by John Sering & Co., a drug
store was started about the same time by Dr. Drake & Co.,
the third store was opened by S. C. Stevens, the fourth by
myself, fifth by J. & N. Hunt, sixth by McCabe and Co., sev-

230 Indiana Magazine of History

enth by Mr. Clarkston, eighth by John Mclntyre. The first
physician was of the name of Fiske, second, James Hicks,
third John Howes, fourth David H. Maxwell. The first
attorney-general, Alex A. Meek, second a man by the name
of Oulds, third. Gen. William Hendricks. The first dray ever
used in Madison was owned by Simeon Reynolds, and man-
aged by his most excellent son, William W. Reynolds.

I was personally acquainted with the first proprietors of
the town. A more excellent or upright man than Colonel Paul
was hard to find. He was one of Gen. George Rogers Clark's
bold adventurous soldiers, who aided in the capture of Kas-
kaskia and Vincennes. He was elected one of the representa-
tives from Clark county in the year 1810. This was previous
to the formation of Jefferson county and Colonel Paul then
resided at Madison.

I was crier of the first sale of lots in Madison, but had
nothing to do with the surveying or laying out of the same.
I laid out the first addition west of Broadway for Colonel
Paul in the winter of 1814-15. Had nothing to do with any
addition to the town.

My second visit to Indiana was in May 1806. I came in a
pirogue and landed a little above the stone mill opposite Mil-
ton, visited the highlands east and west of Crooked creek,
continued at my father's half faced shanty until near the
middle of June in order to assist him in getting his corn
planted, returned in the same craft with my mother and other
relatives to Frankfort, Kentucky. In September, 1806, my
father moved his family from Kentucky to Mount Glad, the
place where Judge S. C. Stevens now resides. In December,
1806, I made my third visit to Indiana in company of John
Branham. He aided in driving my father's cattle and fat-
tened and stock hogs from his Kentucky residence to his new
home in what was then a wilderness. At this time, I made a
selection of a place to move my family to in the spring. It
was the identical spot where the depot and machine shops of
the railroad company are now on the hill. In March, 1807, I
arrived with my family, wife and one child at my originally
selected site in the woods. In 1808, I built a house on the hill

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 231

(Michigan) nearly opposite Godman's creek and resided there
until 1812. In this year, I purchased property in Madison and
moved to it. The property purchased by me was two lots on
Main Cross street, east of Polley & Butler's iron store and
west of Mulberry street. In 1814, I sold both lots to Mr.
David McClure. In the winter of 1815, I purchased of Colonel
Paul the corner now owned by George M. Phelps, and built a
large farm-house, large for the size of Madison. Had the
water conveyed by pipes, in connection with Colonel Paul,
from the hill at Kites. In the same year, I sold it also to
David McClure, moved to Vernon in November, 1849, with
my family. Since November, 1849, I have resided in Morgan-
town, Morgan county, Indiana.

III. Adventures of Early Settlers
By Robert and Alexander Miller

It is said that when an Indian story-teller relates the his-
tory and the folk-lore legends of his tribe, he always begins
by saying : "This is what my grandfather told me when I was
a little boy."

Now, I am not an Indian nor much of a story-teller, but
I am going to write a few homely incidents of pioneer life
and I am going to begin just as though I were a Cherokee In-
dian historian, and will say before I begin that the incidents
of which I write were related to me, from his own personal
knowledge, by my grandfather, as we sat before the wood
fire in the wide old fire place, years and years ago.

"This is what my grandfather told me when I was a little
boy."

His father came, with his wife and one child, from Bun-
combe county, North Carolina, in the early years of the nine-
teenth century. They came, with other settlers, by way of the
old Indian trace (warrior's trace), a footpath used by the
Indians, leading from the mountains of the southern states to
the wilderness and Great Lakes of the north. The journey
was made on horseback, the few household goods packed on
one horse, the wife and child on another, while the husband
and father walked alongside, with his trusty rifle ready for
immediate business.

232 Indiana Magazine of History

The little company settled in the western part of Jefferson
county, along Neil's creek and my grandfather was born in
a block-house where the village of Kent now stands, and which
was then called Dobbinsville. Neil's creek was named for a
man of that name who was lost in the woods while hunting
cattle, and having no means of kindling a fire, crept into a
hollow log to spend the night and was frozen to death.

The settlement was soon cleared, the land was new and
strong and good crops were almost a certainty. But the set-
tlers were compelled, much against their will, to share with
the original denizens of the forests. Bears, deer, squirrels and
wild turkeys made sad inroads on grain fields and the deer
helped the settlers to dispose of the tobacco crop, eating the
green leaves, to the last vestige, they being, curiously enough,
the only animal that will eat "the weed."

Squirrels were by far the most troublesome animals, and
late in summer and fall, they collected in the field in hordes.
Three or four times each day, all the men and boys, and often
the women and girls, went through the fields with some noise-
making instrument, usually a "horse-fiddle," and frightened
them out. Usually the frightening was done by one member
of the family, while the others patrolled the fences and with
the aid of the dogs, of which there was always from one to a
dozen, slew the little rodents by dozens as they left the fields.
Tlie hams of the squirrels were preserved, salted and smoked
in the wide mouthed chimneys, while the dogs fell heir to the
remainder.

The woods abounded with deer and there was little trouble
in supplying even the largest families with fresh venison.
One of the favorite means of securing fine deer was to kill
them after nightfall about the "licks or sulphur springs,"
where they came to drink in the darkness. This feat was ac-
complished by placing on the bank near the springs and on
the windward side, a bit of spongy, rotton root of the sugar
maple or beech tree, known as "fox-fire," (probably a corrup-
tion or phosphor), which shone with a phosphorescent glow
in the darkness, on the opposite side of the Lick, a rifle placed
on two crotched sticks was trained on the fox-fire, and a blind
of green boughs thrust into the ground concealed the hunter.
When the deer came to drink, the hunter waited until he came

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 233

in range and when the fox-fire was hidden from view, he knew
the deer was where he wanted him. Then a touch on the
trigger, a flash, a report, and nine times out of ten the deer
was his.

My great-grandfather was an adept at this mode of hunt-
ing and on one occasion he met with an adventure which, but
for the watchful presence of his dog, might have been serious.
He had gone to a "lick" not far from home, had fixed his para-
phernalia before dark and settled down to wait for the com-
ing of a deer. He waited for three hours with the dog at his
side but no deer rewarded his patience. The dog was uneasy
and several times started up with a growl at a rustling in the
leaves near at hand, but at a word from his master lay down
again. Finally the old man's patience was exhausted and tak-
ing up his gun, he arose to return home. The dog growled
and raised his bristles, scenting an unseen enemy. His master
gave him permission to go and he needed no second bidding.
He darted into the shadows and in a twinkling was mixed up
in a terrific combat with a hidden foe, while the amazed
hunter stood with his gun ready to shoot, but afraid to do so
for fear of killing his dog. Finally, after a desperate struggle,
the combatants drew apart for a moment and the hunter
stepped forward, and with the muzzle of his rifle almost touch-
ing the animal fired. Dragged into the light, the animal
proved to be an enormous wildcat which had also been deer
hunting, and, meeting with no success, had started man-hunt-
ing instead, and except for the presence of the faithful dog,
would undoubtedly have attacked him in the screen of boughs.

Panthers or "painters" as they were called in those days
were also numerous and committed many depredations on
live stock and poultry and would even attack a human when
hungry. One summer afternoon my great-grandfather took
his rifle and strolled out into the woods, seeking some stray
calves. Passing along a path in the edge of the woods, he
experienced that indefinable feeling we all have when under
the fixed steady gaze of another's eye. Lifting his eyes, he met
those of a huge panther crouched on the top of a sapling which
had been broken down about twelve feet from the ground,
resting on the stub. The animal was ready for a spring, but

234 Indiana Magazine of History

the hunter was too quick for him and a rifle ball brought him
to mother ea,rth.

A record of pioneer life without a bear hunt would be in-
complete so I will tell you of two in which my own grand-
father took part, hila-hi-yu (long ago), as the Indian story
teller would say. Two young ladies returning late in the
afternoon from a visit to a neighbor, saw a bear come out
of the cornfield just ahead of them, cross the path and shamble
into the woods. There had been much complaint in the neigh-
borhood concerning the depredations of a bear which had
stolen pigs, chickens and other things good for a bear's appe-
tite, but whose lair could not be located. Here was a chance
to track the robber home and the girls instantly took advan-
tage of it. Keeping themselves hidden from the bear, they
followed him through the woods for half a mile until he dis-
appeared in the hollow top of a huge leaning maple tree.
Then, knowing that he was safe for a time, the girls hastened
home and informed their fathers. No time was lost. The
neighbors were summoned and in a short time a dozen men
armed with guns and axes and guided by the two girls, sur-
rounded the tree. A huge fire was kindled to light up the
scene, for it was now dark in the forest, and while two sturdy
axe-men fell to chopping at the base of the trees, the others
disposed themselves near where the top of the tree would
strike the ground, expecting to make an easy conquest of
bruin when he appeared, stunned by the shock of the falling
tree. In half an hour the tree came crashing down, splitting
open from end to end, but no bear appeared. The hunters
stared in surprise until a yell from one of the axe men called
their attention and the clumsy beast appeared climbing out
of the stump. With one accord, the riflemen ran toward the
butt of the tree and as the high animal shambled away amid
the treacherous shadows, every gun in the party was dis-
charged in his direction, but so far as could be learned, not a
bullet touched him and he disappeared in the darkness.

One Sunday afternoon, late in the summer, my grand-
father, who was then about grown, with another young man
about the same age, went home from church or Sabbath school
with a neighbor's son to take supper and remain until time
for evening services. After supper, the man and his wife

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 235

left the three boys to "do the chores," and started to church.
After completing the chores, the boys started off just before
dark. The path led through a "windfall," a tangled mass of
logs and brush overgrown with blackberry briars, grape
vines, whipsedge and bushes. About the middle of this de-
lightful place, they stumbled on to a small black bear which
had killed a pig and was making a meal of him. Wlien the
boys appeared, the bear left his quarry and darted into the
thicket, but knowing that he would not go far, two of the
boys remained on guard while the third returned to the house
for a gun. When he returned, the three boys endeavored to
get a shot at bruin, but he was too shy to venture into the
open. He could be heard sniffing, grunting and crashing
through the tangle but was too wary to venture into view. At
last the boys lost their patience and started through the jungle
in pursuit and for two hours they played hide-and-seek with
bruin in the moonlight, until the man and his wife returned
from church, when the boys learned that the gun they carried
was empty. When they realized the risk they had taken in
chasing a hungry bear for three hours with an empty gun,
their only consolation was in knowing that it was a cowardly
little black bear and not a war-like grizzly.

One more incident and I am done. A lady returning from
a visit to a sick neighbor, just before dark one evening, dis-
covered that she was being followed by a panther. She quick-
ened her pace and the animal did the same. When she slack-
ened her footsteps, the panther did likewise. Knowing that
the brute would overtake her, she took refuge in a deserted
cabin in a small clearing, hoping to outwit him. Instead of
passing, however, he came up and clawed at the door. The
woman climbed into the loft and the panther soon clambered
to the roof and began tearing at the boards. Fearing that
the panther would gain an entrance, she descended and the
animal did the same. All night long the game of hide-and-
seek went on until daylight appeared, when the panther was
frightened away by a passing hunter and the woman released.
The strain and horror of that terrible night in the lonely
cabin, besieged by the savage beast was too much for her
nerves and she died a few days later from the effects of sheer
fright. This lady's name, if I remember rightly, was
Gowans.

236 Indiana Magazine of History

IV. The Madison and Indianapolis Railroad
By C. G. Sappington

One of the first railroads built west of the Alleghenies
was the Madison and Indianapolis railroad, now a part of the
Louisville Division of the Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago and
St. Louis road. The actual work of building the road was
commenced in the year 1836, at which time the Ohio river was
one of the great highways of Madison, one of the gateways of
commerce. Her citizens had every reason to believe she would
become one of the chief cities of the west ; great pork houses
were built, and other industries established. She then man-
aged a trade over hundreds of miles of territory and it was
to increase this trade that a railroad was projected and built.
The very thing that men sixty years ago expected to advance
the interest of Madison, only had a tendency to turn the tide
backwards.

Mr. Milton Stapp, a lawyer of prominence in those days,
argued for the building of the road before several sessions of
the legislature, but without success until the Internal Im-
provement Act was passed, January 27, 1836, and work on
the Madison and Indianapolis railroad was commenced by
the State soon after. The following composed the engineering
corps that surveyed the road from Madison to Indianapolis:
Jesse F. Williams, chief engineer; Gen. Thomas R. Morris,
resident engineer; John Woodbum, acting State commission-
er ; Edward W. Beckwith, resident engineer ; R. M. Patterson,
J. H. Sprague, J. B. Bacon, John Mitchell and William Clyde,
assistant engineers. James Tilden, John G. Sering, William
V. Utter and W. Hoyt, rodmen ; Richard J. Cox, J. T. Burns,
William Spann and J. Vanosdol, axmen. William Stough and
A. W. Flint were the contractors who built the first section
of the Madison hill (or plane), beginning at the foot of the
plane, including the Crooked creek culvert and trestle at Third
street to the upper end of Big Cut. Joseph Henderson built
the second section, commencing at the upper end of first cut
to upper end of second (or Big) cut. James Giddings built
the third section to the top of the plane, David C. Branham
and F. W. Monroe the first section beyond North Madison,
Robert Cresswell the next, and Danville Branham the next.

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 237

which reached Wirt station, six miles from Madison. The
contractors who built the remaining portion to Vernon (22
miles from Madison) were David Pallertine, Samuel Lefever,
J. D. Fanel, Edward Fanel, John Camahan, Thomas Hays,
Adam Eichelberger, A. Hallom & Co., Rundell Bird & Co.,
Cochran & Douchett, William McKenzie, Overhaltz & Good-
hue, William Griffith and John Carboy. Other contractors
completed the road beyond Vernon.

The road was completed to the different points on the line
as follows :

Graham, 17 miles from Madison, Nov. 29, 1838.
VernoD, 22 miles from Madison, June 6, 1839.
Queensville, 27.8 miles from Madison, June 1, 1841.
Scipio, 30.3 miles from Madison, June 1, 1843.
Eliza betlitown, 37.3 miles from Madison, September, 1843.
Columbus, 44.9 miles from Madison, July, 1844.
Edinburg, 55.4 miles from Madison, Sept. 8, 1845.
Franklin, 65.5 miles from Madison, Sept. 1, 1846.
Indianapolis, 86 miles from Madison, Oct. 1, 1847.

When it was opened for business as far as Graham, the
State leased it on the last of April, 1839, to Robert Branham,
Elias Stapp, D. C. Branham and W. H. Branham, who con-
tinued in charge until June, 1840. Under the terms of the
lease the State was to receive 40% of the gross receipts, the
lessees to bear all the expenses of operating. The expense
was not very great as Mr. R. J. Elvin, who was connected
with the road for over fifty years but is now dead, did all the
clerical work for the road and Mr. Bartholomew Tierney all
the blacksmithing and repair work necessary in those days.
Mr. John G. Sering, State agent, was on all trains to look
after the interests of the State. The trains would leave North
Madison in the morning and run to Graham, returning in the
evening. The gross receipts the first month were $849.38, and
for the first fifteen months were $15,702.00, which was a good
showing in that period. The next lessees were John G. Ser-
ing and William Bust, from June, 1840, to June, 1841, when
the State again took charge.

The road was completed to Queensville at this time and
the State was out of money, so the work was delayed for some
months. John Woodburn, Victor King and George W. Leon-

238 Indiana Magazine of History

ard, of Madison, started a bank in 1841, issued bills (called
Woodburn's bank bills) and assisted the State in building the
road to Scipio, three miles farther north. On February 21,
1843, the State sold the road to the Madison & Indianapolis
Railroad Co., N. B. Barber, president, for $600,000.00, who
gave mortgage to the State for the full amount, but by manip-
ulation the company got it from the legislature for $75,000.00
in 5% State bonds worth on the market about fifty cents on
the dollar, making the net cost $37,500.00. It was considered
a clear case of thieving from start to finish. The State paid
out for the building and equipment of the line to Queensville
$1,624,291.93, of which $62,493.21 was from tolls. The own-
ers of the road then completed it to Indianapolis.

The inclined plane between Madison and North Madison
was commenced in 1836 and completed in 1841. It is 7,012
feet long, with a total elevation of 413 feet or 311 feet to the
mile. There are two cuts on the plane, one 65 feet and the
other 100 feet deep, cut through the solid rock. Previous to
the completion of the plane, passengers were transferred be-
tween Madison and North Madison by omnibus. An old resi-
dent of Madison, Mr. William Stapp, brother of one of the
first lessees of the road, says: "The omnibus did not always
leave on time. When the driver would hear that the mayor or
some other dignitary was to leave on that train, he would
wait an hour for the great man's arrival." When the plane
was completed, the cars were let down the incline by gravity
and hauled back with eight horses driven tandem to each
car. The stables were located at the foot of the plane and
Joshua McCauley and Robert Hackney were the drivers.
Ht)rses were used from 1841 to November 1848, when Andrew
Cathcart's improved engine with two sets of cylinders and a
pinion working in a rack in the center of the track was put
in use and gave good satisfaction until Reuben Wells built the
engine "Reuben Wells" (634) in July, 1868. Andrew Cath-
cart was master mechanic of the Madison & Indianapolis Rail-
road Company, and drew plans for the improved (or cog)
engine as it was called, went to Baldwin's works in Philadel-
phia, Pennsylvania, and superintended the building of it.

The following are the wrecks occurring on the plane:
Nov. 4, 1845, a passenger car was being let down the hill,

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 239

when a wood car following became unmanagable and crashed
into the coach, killing John Lodge, the first railroad conduc-
tor in the State, and several others. Engine "M. G. BRIGHT"
(635) blew up at the foot of the plane in 1877, killing engineer
Lindley and a citizen of North Madison named Hassfurder.
The above are the only fatalities occurring on the plane.

The practice of letting all freight and passenger cars down
the incline by gravity was continued until 1880, at which time.
Col. J. R. Shaler, superintendent of the Jeffersonville, Madi-
son and Indianapolis railroad issued orders requiring the hill
engine to be attached in the rear of all cars coming down and
going up the incline. This order is still effective.

That portion of the road built by the State was laid with
English iron rails rolled at Wales, England, weighing 45
pounds to the yard and in three different lengths — 15 feet, 18
feet and 15 feet 9 inches. They were shipped by vessel to New
Orleans and by boat up the Mississippi and Ohio rivers to
Madison and cost $75.00 per ton delivered. They were laid on
cedar ties which were fastened to a sill by a locust pin twelve
inches in length. The sills were 10 x 10 and cost eight cents
per lineal foot. Cedar ties cost twenty-five cents each, but
proved too soft to hold spikes and were taken up within five
years and sold for fence ppsts at I21/2 cents. Locust ties
proved too hard, so oak was substituted which cost the same
as cedar.

The first iron was laid, August, 1838. Some of the old
rails were taken up in 1893 and sent to the Chicago exposi-
tion. When the rails were received, they were marked by
cutting a square hole half an inch in diameter in each end.
Two of them are now in service at North Madison just oppo-
site the door of the old blacksmith shop. Many of them were
taken up and mixed with other iron for the building of the
Louisville bridge.

In an interview with Mr. Elvin recently, he said John
Lodge was the first conductor on the Madison & Indianapolis
railroad. He also had the title of superintendent from June 1,
1841, to March, 1842. W. J. McClure was the first agent, ap-
pointed March 1, 1842, and served until February 18, 1843.
Samuel Thomas was the first master mechanic and general
manager, Henry Jackson the first engineer, F. Fleming the

240 Indiana Magazine of History

second and F. Lunger the third. The first three firemen were
Jacob Bitterman, William Copeland, and William Baugh.
They ran the three locomotives owned by the company. The
first passenger coach was built by Thomas L. Paine and Son,
of Madison, in the fall of 1838, but not used until March, 1839.
It was very plain with small windows near the top of the car,
lever brakes, and was about thirty feet long. The freight
cars came from the east, via New Orleans, had four wheels
and a capacity of twenty-five or thirty hogs, or 10,000 pounds.
When the first seventeen miles of road were completed from
North Madison to Graham (17 miles) an arrangement for a
grand excursion was made as the first locomotive was ex-
pected to arrive from Baldwin & Co.'s works at Philadelphia.
It had been shipped on a vessel around by New Orleans. Dur-
ing the passage, the ship was caught in a storm and the loco-
motive was thrown overboard along with other freight in
order to save the ship. The governor. State officials, members
of the legislature, and a number of other prominent men
from various places having been invited to participate in the
festivities of the occasion, the management determined not
to disappoint them. As it had been given out that on Tues-
day, November 29, 1838, they would be treated to a real
"steam car" ride, arrangements were made to borrow the loco-
motive "Elkhorn" from the Louisville & Portland Railroad
Company, at Louisville, Kentucky, for the occasion, on ac-
count of the loss of the new one expected from Philadelphia.
The locomotive was hauled from the east end of the track at
Louisville and placed on a boat which was used in transport-
ing stone from the quarries east of Madison to be used in the
construction of the courthouse at Louisville and the boat was
then towed to Madison where the locomotive was unloaded and
then taken up the hill to North Madison by a man named Mar-
tin. It required five yoke of oxen to haul it up the dirt road
and it was done amid great excitement. On Sunday after-
noon following the arrival of the first "steam car" that ever
turned a wheel in Indiana, it was understood that the engi-
neer would raise steam and see that it was in good order for
the grand excursion, and nearly everybody in Madison and
vicinity tramped to North Madison to see the wonderful
machine work. It proved to be in good order but to the dis-

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 241

appointment of the people there assembled, an exhibition of
its locomotive power was reserved for the grand blow-out in
presence of the governor on Tuesday, November 29. Great
preparations were made for the reception of the distinguished
guests. A banquet was spread in an old frame building on
the river front in Madison and the Hon. Jesse D. Bright was
master of ceremonies on this auspicious occasion, and as he
never did anything by halves, you can judge of the magni-
tude of the demonstration.

The day for the grand "steam car ride" arrived and all the
people of the surrounding country turned out to see the sight.
The governor and distinguished guests were on hand and after
the cars were filled with passengers, the "Elkhorn" with a full
head of steam moved off like a thing of life to the astonish-
ment of the assembled multitude. After running to Graham
and back, the governor and party took carriages for the city,
where they partook of the banquet awaiting them. There
was more noise and excitement made over the seventeen mile
ride than there would be now over a trip to California in a
balloon. During the trip one of the guests remarked that
they had actually attained a speed of eight miles per hour and
he really believed that some day they would be able to make
fifteen miles per hour.

The borrowed locomotive was returned to Louisville and
safely delivered to the Louisville & Portland Railroad Com-
pany. The expense of bringing it to Madison and returning
it again amounted to $1,052. This stroke of enterprise was
commended by the entire State and was heralded abroad, but
not by telegraph as such a thing was unknown in those days.

After the loss of the first locomotive, a duplicate order
was sent to Baldwin & Company and the first locomotive
owned by the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad Company ar-
rived safely in Madison the first week in March, 1839, and on
the sixteenth of that month, a trial trip was made over the
finished portion of the road. From November 29, 1838, until
the arrival of the first locomotive in March, 1839, the con-
struction train was operated by horses, one passenger car
passing over the road daily. The road was formally opened
for public traffic, April 1, 1839, as far as Graham. While
John Brough was president of the Madison and Indianapolis

242 Indiana Magazine of History

Railroad Company, he spent over $100,000.00 of the com-
pany's money trying to get a charter from the State of Illi-
nois for a road to St. Louis, Missouri, but failed. He also
attempted to build a road between Madison and North Madi-
son to avoid the steep incline plane and after spending
$309,000, the work was abandoned on account of the company
being out of funds. The old road bed, tunnels and abutments
for bridges can be plainly seen to this day. Brough was a
smart man but a poor manager. He induced the directors to
purchase two steamboats, the "Alvin Adams" and the "David
White," at a cost of $70,000. They proved a bad investment
and almost a total loss.

The first freight depot owned by the company was an old
pork house at Madison, purchased in 1849 from a man named
Flint, and cost, including repairs, $8,416.09. The passenger
station was built in 1850 at a cost of $4,094.32. It had a
cupola and bell which was rung for five minutes one-half hour
before the departure of each train. The ringing of this bell
was continued until 1888, when it was cracked. The company
tried to discontinue the old-time practice of ringing the half-
hour bell several times, but the old residents protested to such
an extent that it was continued as long as the bell lasted.

Things were run pretty loose on the road in those early
days, and no check was kept on any of the employees handling
the company's funds. The favored ones remitted what and
when they pleased. Previous to the use of tickets on trains,
the conductor would fill out a blank with name of passenger,
starting and stopping point and amount of fare collected.
This was sent to the president, who kept the record in his
office. Madison was the second pork-packing city in the west
and the road did a big business hauling hogs during the win-
ter months. In the year 1852 they handled 124,000 hogs.

V Pioneer Days of the Madison & Indianapolis Railroad
Company

By John R. Cravens, February 27, 1896

John Brough was president of the Madison and Indianapo-
lis railroad at a salary of $3,000 and I was vice-president at a
salary of $1,500 per annum. Brough was an educated man

The Pioneers of Jefferson County 243

and a splendid speaker, but not a railroad manager. When
we leased the Muncie road in 1852, we arranged for an excur-
sion to Muncie. A few days before the day set, Brough
wanted to back out as he was afraid we would lose money
and not get the cars back in time to load hogs for Madison
the next days. The hog trade was our main traffic and as we
had so few coaches, we were often forced to use the hog cars
for passengers by making seats in them of clean lumber. I
persuaded him to run the train and greatly to our surprise,
we could not carry the people — turning away hundreds. We
cleared over $1,000.

Our road was run in connection with a line of steamboats,
the "David White," "Alvin Adams" and "Jacob Strader." We
had our own wharfboat and sometimes received three and
four hundred people per day from the boats. This would
necessitate extra trains, which were often delayed awaiting
the arrival of hog trains from the north in order to get cars
to load the passengers in. I would have to act in the capacity
of conductor in emergencies and had some strange experi-
ences.

I was bringing a hog train from Indianapolis one day
when the engineer wanted to get off at his home out on the
road and he asked me to act as engineer, to which I readily
assented and got along all right until I attempted to back the
engine into the roundhouse at North Madison and went clear
through the brick wall.

Our new engine and cars were shipped from the east
as far as they could be by rail and we would send ox teams to
meet them and haul them to our track. We afterward re-
ceived them by lake and rail to Cincinnati, thence by boat
to Madison. Brough was very independent and made the
directors of his road believe they had the greatest monopoly
of the age. We had leased the Belfountaine & Muncie roads
and newly projected lines were anxious for us to take hold of
their schemes and push them to completion. When the Ohio
and Mississippi railroad was building they wanted to come via
Madison and at a meeting of the directors of the two roads,
Brough in his positive way declined to have anything to do
with them, saying: "The Madison & Indianapolis can not
father all the paupers in the country." He made the same

244 Indiana Magazine of History

remark in 1853 when Chauncey Rose, of the Terre Haute road
wanted to lease his line to the Madison & Indianapolis and Mr.
Rose replied in a forcible manner: "By God, gentlemen, you
don't have to and we will see who will be the paupers within
two years," and he did. Brough ruined the Madison & Indi-
anapolis trying to build a road to avoid the steep incline plane
at Madison, called "Brough's Folly."

In 1853, the Rev. Henry Ward Beecher was preaching in
Madison and being anxious to visit our shops on the hill, I
took him up in my carriage and suggested to him that we
go down the incline in the "buggy," (a four-wheeled handcar
with a seat on each end and lever brakes). We were going
pretty fast and I ased him if I should check up. He replied
in the negative, saying it was the first opportunity of his life
to ride fast and I let her go until the reverend gentleman
with a wave of his hand said "too fast." He spoke of it after-
wards as the fastest travel of his life.

Years ago it was said that the reason such an incline was
built at Madison was that State Commissioner John Woodburn
owned the ground through which the first cut was built and
conceived the idea that the railroad running through his place
would enhance its value, and arranged to have his prospective
son-in-law, Edward Beckwith, appointed engineer in charge,
otherwise the grade might have been longer, but of less mag-
nitude. Beckwith afterward turned out bad and had to flee
the country.

Terre Haute in 1850 ^

By Dr. John J. Schlicher, Professor of Latin in the Indiana
State Normal School

As originally laid out in 1816, the site of Terre Haute was
a rectangular piece of ground, seven blocks north and south
by five blocks east and west. The land was on the east bank
of the Wabash river, which there rises some thirty to fifty
feet above the water at the point where it is crossed by the
National road. One block, exactly in the center, was reserved
for a public square, and here, a few years later, the court-
house was built. Besides this, two further sites, each one-
fourth of a block in extent, were set apart, one for a seminary
and the other for a church. These were located an equal dis-
tance, respectively, east and northeast of the courthouse
square.- The former is today still occupied by one of the city
schools, while on the latter was erected the church building
known as the old Asbury Chapel, now used as a livery barn.
When Vigo became a separate county in 1818, and Terre Haute
was made the county seat, an additional tier of blocks was
added on the south, making forty blocks in all, and extending
from the river east to Fifth street, and from Eagle street
on the north to Oak street on the south. It was within this
space that, with very few exceptions, the 4,605 inhabitants
of Terre Haute in 1850 still lived.s

Mr. J. R. Beste, an English gentleman who stopped at the
Prairie House, at Seventh and Main, in the summer of 1851,
speaks of going to town from there across the commons.*
The picture in his book which is intended to present the view
which he had of the town from the hotel, shows no houses

^A paper read before the Terre Haute Literary Club, Feb. 5, 1916.

- At the corner of Fourth and Mulberry and Fourth and Poplar streets.

3 Even in 1S5S, when the first city directory was issued, and the population
had grown to nearly twice what it was in 1850, there were only scattered dwell-
ings as far north as Locust street, and along the roads leading into the country.
Outside of these and a small settlement in the neighborhood of Twelfth and
Chestnut, the population then lived south and west of the old canal, i. e., the
Vandalia and C. and E. B. R. R.

*A regular bus ran from the hotel to down, Wabash Courier, Dec. 2, 1850.

246 Indiana Magazine of History

along Sixth street, except the Congregational church and a
few near the crossing of Sixth and Main.^ His description of
the town in 1851 is interesting as a contemporary document.

Prairie House was situated at the entrance of the town
and on one side of the National road, and was separated
from the town by a common. It did not stand alone, how-
ever, as Dr. Ezra Read's house was very near on the opposite
side of the road and of a little green. There was also a cluster
of other houses or villas in the neighborhood that belonged
to the more wealthy of the inhabitants. But from the hotel
to the town there was a very disagreeable hot walk in the
sun, for it was not bordered by trees. At the end of it began
the High street of the town, which was lined on each side by
stores. There was a square on the left hand side, where
trees shaded the pavement all around from the boiling sun
above. On one side of the square was the other hotel of the
town, "Browne's House," It was considered to be more noisy
and frequented than the Prairie House,*^

The courthouse of 1850, which stood where the present
one stands, is shown by an old illustration to have been a
square, two-story building, similar to the old statehouse at
Corydon, with a hijp-roof surmounted by a slender tower
which terminated in a small, round dome.'^ In 1849 the build-
ing and its surroundings moved one of the newspapers^ to
say that it was a "handsome piece of architecture surrounded
by locusts and enclosed with good palings."^ The north and
west sides of the square were lit up, according to the account,
"so as to amount almost to an illumination." That the aver-
age citizen also took pride in the square appears from the
following editorial of the previous year:

"We cannot answer inquiries of XYZ about tlie courthouse yard. How
mucti the county gets for pasturing horses, hogs and cows, we know not.
Whether the young trees have been skinned as a matter of embellishment
we cannot answer. Whether the gates are of patent swing and always
closed, is one great proposition which others must answer, and not us." "

^ Beste, The Wabash, 2 vols, in which he describes his travels and his stay
in Terre Haute.

'Beste, The Wahash, II, 136-7.

' Condit, The History of Early Terre Haute, 67.

8 Wabash Courier, Nov. 24, '49.

» The locust was the common ornamental tree in Terre Haute at the time,
Terre Haute Express, May 17, 1848.

w Wabash Courier, Jan. 29, '48.

Schlicher: Terre Haute in 1850 247

In response to a petition that same year, the courthouse
bell was rung at noon and at 9 p. m., for which services $80
a year was allowed. ^^ Three years later the ringing of the
evening bell was abolished, and the bell-ringer's salary was
cut in two.

In 1850 this courthouse was already an old building, as
buildings went in those days. For seven years it had not been
considered adequate to accommodate all of the county's busi-
ness, part of which was housed in a second building, known
as the Town Hall, which had been put up jointly by the
county and the city, near the northeast corner of Third and
Ohio. 12 One can imagine that the city's business was not
very great in 1850. At least in 1843, when the actual town
hall was built, the total income of the city from taxes was
$1,089.14. The tax rate of the previous year had been ten
cents on the $100.^3 The rate for 1850 was fourteen cents.^*

Some years before the date of our account, the block west
of the courthouse square had burned down, and the present
brick building had been put up.^^ They give a good idea
of the business buildings of the time before 1850, with their
long, sloping roofs divided into sections by low brick walls,
from which the chimneys rise. A Catholic building, which
still stands on the south side of the square, is the old State
Bank, with its massive Doric portico, erected in 1834. ^'^ Fires
often led to improvements in those days, and it was one of
these in December, 1850^^ which cleared the ground for some
of the brick blocks which are still standing northeast of the
square. IS The newspapers speak of the handsome appear-
ance of these buildings and comment especially on the row

"April 3, '48. Council records in Oakey, Greater Terre Haute and Vigo
County, 115.

12 This latter building, which had been erected, as we read, to furnish fire
proof quarters for the public records, burned down in 1864, whereupon the
present building on that corner was put up, by the county. Bradsby, History of
Vigo County, 302.

1^ Bradsby, History of Vigo County, 435.

" Wabash Courier, May 11, '50

1^ In Dec. '41 according to Oakey, Greater Terre Haute and Vigo County,
145.

"Now used as a museum.

" Wabash Courier, Dec. 9.

Inconsiderable building activity in this quarter is mentioned in 1850.
Wabash Courier, Feb. 23 and Sept. 23, '50, May 3 and 31, '51.

248 Indiana Magazine of History

of small, square windows in the place of those along the
north side of Wabash avenue.^^

The fire department was one of the most interesting fea-
tures of Terre Haute in 1850. Each of the five wards had a
fire warden, it appears, appointed for five years.^o To obtain
a quick and sufficient supply of water, the common council
originally allowed $3.00 for the first hogshead delivered at a
fire, $2.00 for the second, and $1.00 for the third, and 25
cents for each succeeding hogshead till the fire was extin-
guished. 21 This liberal allowance was cut down, however,
in 1847, to about half.22

Most of the business in 1850 was done on the streets
bounding the square. What is Wabash avenue, or Main
street, now, was then often spoken of as National Road
street, and the present Third street was always called Mar-
ket street. This street was well suited for the purposes of
a market, being one hundred feet wide. In the latter part
of 1849 we read of a new brick market house being erected
near the canal, which had just been opened, to accommodate
the north side of town. 2 s An ordinance of the next year
fixes the market hours from November till April at twelve
to two o'clock, and for the rest of the year at from forty
minutes before sunrise to an hour and a half after sunrise. 2*

New city ordinances were rather common in those years.
One provided that hereafter no person or persons shall be
permitted to feed horses, cows, hogs and other domestic ani-
mals upon any of the sidewalks of the tovm of Terre Haute,
under a penalty of one dollar with costs of suit for each and
every offense.^^ Soon after this the sign boards hanging
across the streets were ordered taken down. It must have
been a serious state of things whose abatement moved the
editor of the Courier to the following effusion: "We can
now see daylight from one end of the street to the other.
Before it was a hard matter to look through canvas, plank,
tin and sheet iron, not to say anything about the danger of

13 Wabash Courier^ June 28, '51.

2" Bradsby, History of Vigo County, 450.

21 Bradsby, History of Vigo County, 450.

22 Terre Haute Express, Mar. 3, '47.
2» Wabash Courier, Nov. 24, '49.

^ Terre Haute Express, Mar. 3, '47.
® Wabash Courier, May 8, 50'.

Schlicher: Terre Haute in 1850 249

becoming cross-eyed from the inequality of the posts and
lettering."26 Another ordinance that same summer was to
remove the hitching posts from the north side of the square.^^
This was followed promptly by still another against letting
horses or cattle stand on the sidewalks, and against hitching
them to the paling of the courthouse fence. ^s

There seems to have been an ordinance also against let-
ting your team run away in town. At least we read of two
men being fined $10.00 apiece for that offense, which was
later reduced to $5.00 by the city council, "owing to exten-
uating circumstances."-^ On August 30, 1848, the Express
says that frightened horses in harness "split past the office
like lightning once a week on the average."

The extent of the city's business is roughly apparent from
the fact that in 1843 there were one hundred and twelve
establishments carrying on forty-three kinds of business, which
ranged, as our informant says, "from gunsmiths to plowers."^^
The great variety of different kinds of business in such a
small town is remarkable, but it was part of the necessary
condition of things before the time of railroads, when each
community had to be more or less self-sufficing. Some kinds
of business found in 1850 are extinct, or nearly so, in Terre
Haute today. The directory of 1858 still has the following:
Boat builder, brass founder, cooper, dealer in cooper's tools,
coppersmith, fur and skin dealer, gunsmith, rope maker, soap
and candle manufacturer, and a woolen factory. Photogra-
phers were just coming in in 1850, but they were usually
called Daguerreau artists.

The most extensive business in 1850 was pork-packing,
not only in Terre Haute, but at all the towns, large and small,
up and down the Wabash river. The meat was packed in
barrels, usually, and shipped to New Orleans and other towns
on the rivers in flatboats. Altogether, nearly 10,000,000
pounds of pork and lard were said to have been shipped down

-^ May 5, '51.

^ Wabash Courier, Aug. 23, '51.

28 Wabash Courier, Aug. 30, '51.

29 Terre Haute Express, July 12, '48.

^^Bradsby, History of Vigo County, 484. The information is from a memo-
randum deposited in the corner-stone of the town hall, by S. P. Crawford, the
treasurer of the town from 1832-1852.

250 Indiana Magazine of History

the Wabash in a year.^i The number of hogs packed in the
various towns nearby in the year of 1850-1 is given as follows :

Terre Haute "" 66,600 Montezuma 5,000

Graysville 13,000 Durkee's Ferry 5,000

Vincennes 11,000 Hutsonville 4,400

Clinton , 10,000 Merom 1,700

Newport 5,000 Darwin'' 1,200

The only other town on the Wabash which packed over
10,000 hogs was Lafayette, with 38,600. Nearly 24,000 of
the hogs killed in Terre Haute were, according to the toll-
keepers of the wagon bridge, driven across the river in the
last seven months of 1850, along with over 13,000 beef cat-
tle.34 The pork-packing establishments in the city were
located on the river front, north and south of the bridge,
which at that time crossed the river from the foot of Ohio
street. The cooperage business was located just east of the
slaughter houses. In 1848 the coopers had formed a union
here to maintain a uniform price for barrels.^-^

The advertisements of the time give a somewhat vivid
picture of the city's business life. A distinct feature was
the amount of space taken by firms in wholesale centers, like
Louisville, Cincinnati, New Orleans and others, where the
merchants of Terre Haute went from time to time to re-
plenish their stock. These advertisements were surpassed
in size and impressiveness only by those of patent medicines.
But the art of advertising, as we understand it, was not yet
highly developed. Only a few as yet used large type, and the
illustrations, as a rule, were stecco-typed — a settee and a few
chairs with curved legs for furniture, a five-story playhouse
for a hotel, a phoenix rising out of the flames for fire insur-
ance, etc. But what the advertisements lacked in typo-
graphical display, they often made up in other ways, and, on
the whole, they surpassed those of today as a steady diet for
reading. The language of the ordinary advertisement strikes

^^ Wabash Courier, June 29, '50.

32 A few years later It was over 100,000, Oakey, Greater Terre Haute and
Vigo County, 202.

33 Wabash Courier, Feb. 1, '51.
3* Wabash Courier, Jan. 4, '51.

3= Terre Haute Express, Jan. 12, '48. Their example was followed by the
carpenters with an agreement not to work for less than $1.25 a day. Terre Haute
Express, May 10, '48.

Schlicher: Terre Haute in 1850 251

one at present as unnecessarily formal and dignified. It is as
if a southern grandee were inviting his friends to a social
function or apprising them of a birth or a wedding. It must
have been a time curiously distant from ours, if not in years,
at least in tone, when a man might hope to get more pur-
chasers for his groceries by beginning them with a Latin
quotation. Suppose he had candles made of lard which he
wanted people to know were better than those made of tallow.
He began in Latin: "Ex porko dare lucem," and continued,
seriously enough, without a suspicion that he might be putting
forth that which was hog-Latin on at least two counts.^^
Another, appealing to more dignified motives, begins with
"Quod contemnitur, saepe utilissimum est," and proceeds to
say that "Thos. H. Heam takes pleasure in notifying his
customers that he has just received a large and well-selected
stock of confectionery, etc., candies — extracts — fish — toys."
He also offers to furnish "bread and bait." His bakery is a
place "where wedding cake may be obtained from that kind
which suits the most luxurious to the humble sort with which
'love in a cottage' is content."^^ We read in another place:

"The undersigned, thankful for the liberal patronage which he has re-
ceived, and anxious to merit and receive further favors, would say that
he is still manufacturing wagons, carts, drays, and all kinds of heavy
vehicles on short notice and of the very best materials the country can
furnish . . . Having been raised to the business of blacksmithing and de-
pending on it for a support, I am always willing to work for anything. I
agree to take produce in pay, whether calicoes or ribbons or otherwise,
and my work shall be equal to that of the biggest blower in the state."

Still another wants "any quantity of otter, deer, mink,
wildcat, house cat, fox, coon, wolf, lynx, opossum, martin,
and rabbit skins."

It would be a mistake to think that the inhabitants of
Terre Haute in 1850 had to go without most of the luxuries
of the present age. Here is what one of the merchants has
just brought from Cincinnati:

"Domestic and imported candies, nuts in all their variety, mushroom,
walnut, John Bull, and lemon sauces; sardines, lobsters, mackerel, cod,
salmon, clams, pigeon, oysters, fresh and hermetically sealed; foreign and

^^ Wabash Courier, Nov. 29, '51.
" Wabash Courier, May 26, '49.
38 Terre Haute Express, Dec. 30, '46.

252 Indiana Magazine of History

domestic pickles of every kind; Ohio, Kentucky, Baltimore and Boston
mustard; Western Reserve, Cream Durham and Pine Apple cheese; per-
fumery, a complete stock; and figs, raisins, citrons, Zante currants and
dates— all fresh etc., etc.,'""

A detailed statement of how many dozens or hundreds
of each article a man had on hand was also a common ad-
vertisement — 200 dozen thimbles, 20 dozen pocket knives, 50
dozen horn combs, 30 gross suspender buttons, 200 dozen
bars of shaving soap, and so on, through a list of some thirty
articles. One drug store, in its advertisement, claims to give
the exact amount in stock of all different articles it has for
sale.40 This statement of the amount of an article in stock
was especially common in the case of the various brands of
cigars, or "segars," as they usually called them at that time.

There were at least nine churches in Terre Haute in 1850,
and thirteen in 1858, at the time of the first directory.^! They
tried to raise money much as they do now. We read of per-
mission given the ladies of the Baptist church to have a
"strawberry feast" in the town hall. A little later another
church obtained the hall for a "raspberry doings."^^ if jn
this respect the churches were like our own, they were differ-
ent in their insistence on dogma. Sometimes a regular debate
occurred, such as that between E. M. Knapp and Elder W. Begg
in the Universalist church (comer Fourth and Ohio), which
was to begin on Monday evening and, presumably, to con-
tinue through the week.^^ The great question was, "Do the
Scriptures of the Old and New Testament Teach the Ultimate
Happiness of All Mankind?" Revivals were common. In
December, 1850, we read that "an excitement in the shape of
religious inquiry has been going on for many nights at Uni-
versalist Jewett's, Universalist Cheever's and the Methodist
Churches."44

The ministers were called upon to perform the function
of public speakers and lecturers to a larger extent than now.

39 Wahash Courier, Jan. 26, '50.

^'> Terre Haute Express, May 21, '48.

"The memorandum of S. P. Crawford for 1843 says there were nine in that
year.

*2 Council records for May, '51, in Oakey, Greater Terre Haute and Vigo
County, 111.

« Wahash Courier, Mar. 3, '49.

« Wabash Courier, May 20, '48.

Schlicher: Terre Haute in 1850 253

Some like half of the lectures in the courses given in Terre
Haute at the time were by the ministers of the city and nearby
towns. When a minister left his charge to go elsewhere, he
sometimes preached two farewell sermons, one to the citizens
as a whole, and the other to his congregation. Ministers
were also called upon to deliver commemorative addresses of
one kind and another. For example, upon the request of the
city council. Rev. M. A. Jewett delivered a eulogy on J. Q.
Adams, which was said by the paper to have been "in his
usual style^ — grand and imposing" and to have "enlisted the
profoundest attention of the whole audience."^^

This Mr. Jewett, who served the Congregational church
for twenty-six years, was the immediate predecessor of Lyman
Abbott, who came to Terre Haute in 1860. Mr. Jewett was
in the habit of handing in his resignation from time to time.
This, as his successor explains, was his way of asking for a
vote of confidence.^^ He did so in 1849, but the reason was
not by all believed to be the one given by Mr. Abbott. The
more worldly-minded editor of one of the papers, who may
not have known much about parliamentary government, says
"the reason was suspicioned to be not money enough".^^ How-
ever that may be, Mr. Jewett remained in Terre Haute for
another eleven years He filled a large place in the early
church life of the city, among other things conducting a
revival here in 1847 with Henry Ward Beecher, who came
over from his Indianapolis pulpit to assist him.^^

The schools of Terre Haute in 1850 would be perhaps
harder to recognize than anything else. It seems almost in-
credible that it was only in 1860 that schools supported by
taxation came to Terre Haute to stay.^^. There had been such
schools for one year, 1853-4, but the venture was obstructed
by injunctions and the like. The city had bought the old
seminary building, which stood on the site of the present
State normal school, and had rented two houses besides. But
the trustees evidently grew sick of their thankless job and
gave it up after a year's trial.^o

*= Wabash Courner, Dec. 21, '50.

*« Lyman Abbott, "Reminiscences," Outlook, Sept. 23, 1914, 207.

« Wabash Courier, Nov. 12, '49.

*8 Lyman Abbott, "Reminiscences," Outlook, Sept. 23, 1914, 207.

^''Bradsby, History of Vigo County, 528.

=">Bradsby, History of Vigo County, 528.

254 Indiana Magazine of History

In 1850 education was still on a par with selling soap and
bacon. Anyone with the price of an advertisement in his
pocket might set up to teach. Sometimes a committee of
some sort undertook to establish a school and hired the
teachers, or, at least, encouraged them, to embark on the
undertaking themselves. The work was carried on much as
that of music teachers and business colleges is now. It should
be stated that the city provided school buildings which were
rented to teachers before it hired the teachers themselves.
The seminary building just mentioned is a case in point. This
building was nearly completed on September 1, 1847, and in
an advertisement of that date is offered for the use of teachers
free of charge.^^ Most of the teachers, to judge from the
advertisements, seem to have held their classes in the base-
ments of churches.

One of the most ambitious ventures of the kind was the
Vigo Collegiate Institute, which was advertised to open on
January 10, 1848.^2 The tuition was $16.00 a term (22 weeks)
for elementary pupils. A female department was opened a
few weeks alter, with a Professor Saule as a preceptor. This
gentleman continued as a teacher in Terre Haute for a num-
ber of years, and his entry upon his new position was heralded
in the advertisement as follows:

"The distinguished reputation which Professor Saule has acquired in
this community as a gentleman of literary, scientific and classical attain-
ments will secure for this appointment the cordial approval of an intelli-
gent public."53

One month later still, the complete faculty of the institute
appears in the advertising columns as follows:

E. Thompson Baird, Esq., president and professor of
classical literature, mental and moral philosophy and physical
science. John B. L. Saule, professor of belles letters, English,
literature, and general history. William L. Baird, professor
of mathematics.

In another three weeks a tutor of German was added and
in two months more a tutor in English and an instructor in
music.

'"^ In the Terre Haute Express.
^- Wabash Courner, Jan. 8, '48.
^^ Wabash Courner, Jan. 29, '48.

Schlicher: Terre Haute in 1850 255

The first catalogue, issued after six months, showed the
following students:

Male College 33

Male Preparatory 20

Female College 24

Female Preparatory 12

8954

One term after the opening of the institute they were all
to put up a commencement with the usual string of orations
and essays. The subjects of these were: Ambition as con-
nected with Vice, Liberty, Genius, America, The Progress of
the West.

There were in existence in Terre Haute about the same
time a Vigo Female Seminary, a Wabash Female Seminary, a
Terre Haute Select School, a select Female School, and a St.
Vincent's Academy for young ladies. The last named gave
instruction in the elementary branches, German, piano, draw-
ing, oil painting, oriental painting and the making of artificial
fiowers. The tuition ranged from $3.00 a quarter for the last
named accomplishment to $8.00 for piano and drawing.-^^

There were a number of individual teachers, also, who
offered instruction in various specialties. Whatever the value
of their instruction, their ability to advertise their wares was
considerable. One Mr. De Grand Val, who obtained the town
hall in May, 1848, for instruction in dancing, offered to put
the capsheaf on his benefactions in August by bringing a
museum to Terre Haute''^ Another, who offered instruction
in small sword exercises, conceived of his art broadly, offer-
ing "to teach juvenile class in this exercise, connected with
oratorical and poetical actions, gestures and positions."^^
Still another offered a course in penmanship with a gold ring
as a premium "for the most improvement."^^ A course in
English grammar was also offered ($3.00 for 30 lessons) in
the same year by one who had previously advertised an im-
provement in teaching as follows:

^* Wabash Courner, July 15, '4S.
^^Wahash Courier, Jan. 20, '49.
»6 Terre Haute Express, Aug. 23, '48.
" Wabash Courner, Mar. 10, '49.
« Wabash Courier, Mar. 9, '49.

256 Indiana Magazine of History

"Mnemonical Seminary. Great Improvement in the Art of Teacliing.
The undersigned, having recently made several important improvements in
his system of teaching English grammar, geography and natural philoso-
phy, such as singing, which enables the pupil to commit to memory with
great facility, reading and reciting in concert, by which stammering and
incorrect pronunciation are prevented ; and the science of mnemonics which
strengthens the memory, so as to enable him to collect with ease the most
important dates of history and the oifices of the different parts of speech,
would respectfully inform the ladies and gentlemen of this place and
vicinity that he will commence a course of lectures on the above sciences
on Monday next and continue them for three months. Terms, $2.00 per
month."59

In May, 1850, Mrs. Leggett's school for girls was ad-
vertised to open in the basement of the Baptist church. This
had expanded by August into Mr. and Mrs. Leggett's school
for young ladies and gentlemen, as well as for misses and
boys, which offered to teach geography, arithmetic and
grammar for $3.00 a quarter and history and natural science
for $4.00, and Latin, Greek or French for $5.00 a quarter in
addition. A Terre Haute Institute for Young Ladies was
started in 1851, which offered to give them physical instruc-
tion and maternal care. St. Mary's of the Woods, now an
important institution on the other side of the river, was al-
ready well established in 1850, and a long list of the prizes
given by it in the different branches was regularly published
in the newspapers.

Institutions on the outside also advertised a good deal,
among others the Western Military Institute of Georgetown,
Ky., and the Memphis Institute, which had a medical and a
law department. It is noteworthy that both of these were
in the south.

In December, 1851, James Hook, trustee of District num-
ber 5, advertised the opening of school for the benefit of that
district in the basement of the Baptist church. The instruc-
tion was put in charge of a Mr. Tilly and a Miss Young, and
"McGuffy's Works" were to be used.^*^ This last item seemed
like the beginning of a new order.

The old order had, to judge from the evidence, been dom-
inated to a degree by the idea of accomplishments, especially
feminine accomplishments. It was, in other words, truly

09 re^re Haute Express, Sept. 1, '47.
«• Wabash, Courier, Dec. 27, '51.

Schlicher: Terre Haute in 1850 257

southern. In spite of current opinion to the contrary, one is
inclined to think that in 1850 the women bulked larger in
Terre Haute than they do now — there had been a lecture on
"Woman's Rights," by a Miss Hunt, as early as 1847 — and
it is no wonder that we find comments in the papers like the
following: "Why is a lady like a locomotive ?*5i The answer
is : Because she emits sparks, draws a train, transports the
males (mails) and says to the tender :Pine (k)not."<52

The conundrum business had quite a run at the time.
There is an advertisement in the Wabash Courier for Febru-
ary 12, 1848, offering "a splendid gold pencil" to the author
of the best original conundrum. The offer was made by the
agent for the Lable Harmonicas, who was giving entertain-
ments at the Stewart House (Second and Main). All the
conundrums were to be read at the evening performance.
Of the entertainment, the paper says, a week later:

"Our people have bad their laugh, spent their money and learned to
make conundrums. Nearly everything is turned into a conundrum, and
like many other things in this world, we suppose conundrums will have
their day."

The paper was not mistaken. They did have their day.
The following, among others, bears internal evidence of the
date of its origin : "Why is a lawyer like a sawyer? Because
whichever way he goes, down must come the dust." Some-
times one of these questions excited an interest which was
nation-wide. In 1849 a request ran through the papers ask-
ing for an explanation of the passage of Genesis (19,11),
where it says that "Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his
voice and wept." The information sought was why he should
have done such an unreasonable thing on such an occasion.
The Wabash Courier of June 9, 1849, published thirteen
reasons which had been given by as many newspapers over
the country, each answer being based on the preceding and
showing why it must be wrong and its own answer right.

The temperance movement seems to have been strong in
Terre Haute about that time also. There were local branches
of both the "Sons of Temperance" and the "Cadets of Tem-
perance," each of which had a hall for its meetings. They

61 Terre Haute Express, Feb. 17, '47.
^ Wabash Courier, April 15, '48.

258 Indiana Magazine of History

received considerable attention as organizations, especially
the latter. We read of their being especially invited to Sunday
school anniversaries,^^ of having Professor Saule read his
temperance poem to them, and of voting their thanks for a
dinner given them at the Eagle hotel (Third and Mul-
berry) .^^ It is even on record that Harrison township (in
which Terre Haute is located) voted against licenses in
1848.^^ In 1843, we are informed by a contemporary, in a
document deposited in the corner stone of the old town hall,
the saloons, or "coffee-houses," as he calls them, had been re-
duced to three, "which were scarcely able to pay expenses."
A "Washington" temperance society, which had been started
the year before, had 500 members in a few days. "Liquor,
as a beverage," he says, "is almost unknown."^^

Among the organizations of Terre Haute in 1850 should
be mentioned one called the "Atalantian Litterate." They
had well-furnished club-rooms and a library, and maintained
a course of lectures during the winter.^^ The course begin-
ning January, 1849, was to contain "six to ten lectures on
literary, philosophical and historical subjects," to be given
in the society's hall at 7 :30 o'clock, and was to cost $1.00 for
a gentleman or a family.^s Whether single females were
admitted free or excluded, is not stated. But, no doubt, they
went in with the family, for a boarder always counted as one
of the family where he stayed.

The subjects of these lectures and of others given about
that time, are of some interest as showing what people wanted
or were willing to hear in those days. Among them are
"California," "The Mission of America," "Pythagoras," "The
History of Epidemics," "The Siege of Troy," "The Age of
Chivalry," "The Statesman," "Rome," "The Vision of Daniel,"
"The Bright and Morning Star," "The Early History of the
Wabash Valley," "Poetry: Its Nature and Influence," "Hun-
gary and Kossuth," "The Influence of Discoveries in Physical
Science on Civilization." Other societies also maintained

«' Wabash Courier, May IS, '50.
^ Wabash Courier, Mar. 3, '49.
^ Terre Haute Express, June 7, '48.

«6 Memorandum of S. P. Crawford, from Bradsby, History of Vigo County,
434.

07 Terre Haute Express, Nov. 1, '47.
^s Wabash Courier, Jan. 20, '49.

Schlicher: Terre Haute in 1850 259

courses, as for example, the "Mechanic's Historical Society."
Many of the lectures were by local men, ministers, teachers,
doctors, and others.

Other entertainments, somewhat less academic, were also
frequent. In 1849 a Mr. Jackson gave a series of entertain-
ments at the courthouse consisting of invitations of prominent
actors and orators, both political and ecclesiastic. They were
reported to be considered "first class" by those who knew the
originals, and to have given "great satisfaction to persons who
appreciate that class of entertainment."^^

There was also an exhibition of an oxyhydrogen micro-
scope in the town hall, and a vocal concert by the Higgins
family for two nights. These performers were said to have
"conducted themselves with great modesty." "It would be
good," says the reporter, "to have a conscience as clear as
Mrs. Higgins' voice."'^*^ Then there was a panoramic exhi-
bition of the Hudson river and scenes from Virginia — with
9,400 yards of canvas, which was said to have been "pro-
nounced by artists and critics to be the best work of art ever
presented to the public."^ ^ It was the time when people were
interested in phrenology, also, and a certain Anton gave lec-
trues "for a small fee" in Terre Haute on the subject. He
also gave charts and examined heads at Browns hotel (on
the square) , presumably for a larger fee. Of four entertain-
ments about the same time, the lectures on phrenology, a
lecture on phonetics, the exhibition of paintings and a com-
pany of minstrels, the lectures on phrenology were pronounced
the most interesting. ^2

There were a number of concerts, and finally a "Grand
Concert," to be given by one Okah Tubbee, an Indian, who
was heralded as "the greatest natural musician in the known
world." He put up at the Prairie House and was charged 25
cents, and, as the paper puts it, "goes it strong on natural
principles and plays exquisitely on several instruments." Nor
was this all. He had, in addition, real Indian medicine for
sale, which would cure some two dozen of the major ailments
of mankind, from bronchitis to cancer and from white swell-

88 Wabash Courier, Mar. 17, '49.
"> Wabash Courier, Nov. 24, '49.
" Wabash Courier, Mar. 8, '51.
« Wabash Courier, May 10, '51.

260 Indiana Magazine of History

ing and toothache to fitsJ^ Though he threatened to stay
but a few days, his advertisement appeared in the Wahash
Courier for several months.

The desire of the people to be humbugged was further
satisfied by the circus, the barbecue, the camp-meeting, and
last but not least, by patent medicines. There were two or
three circuses in Tere Haute each year, and, to judge from
their names alone, they must have surpassed each other and
everything else. One of them, for example, was Mabel's
Grand Olympic Arena and United States Circus. As for
political meetings, one was held at Fort Harrison, a short
distance north of town in 1848, during the Taylor campaign,
at which a crowd was present estimated at from 15,000 to
30,000 people. They were all fed on the grounds, and it took
three speakers, addressing them simultaneously, to give them
all a chance to hear.^^ General Taylor himself, who had been
in command during the "battle" of Fort Harrison in 1812,
had been invited to come, but had sent his regrets.'''^

The Fourth of July celebrations usually consisted of pro-
cessions of the Sunday school children, beginning in some
cases as early as seven in the morning, a meeting at which
there were songs, the reading of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, an oration and prayer, and then a dinner spread
in the basements of the churches or in the courthouse yard.
There was often a second meeting with speeches later in the
day, and even a third, on one occasion at least, in the green-
wood north of town, with still another collation. Verily, eat-
ing and listening to speeches was the order of the day. The
event was usually planned by a meeting of the young men
at the town hall several weeks beforehand.^^

Yet the stimulus furnished by these occasions was, after
all, but temporary. They still left some 350 days of the year
unprovided for. And with the incredible success of the Laws
of Temperance and their like in making Terre Haute a place
where "liquor as a beverage is almost unknown" it might
have gone hard with the population if they had not had a
substitute. But they had, and they had it in amazing abund-

'3 Wahash Courier, May 17, '51.
7'' Terre Haute Express, Sept. 6, '48.
" Wahash Courier, Aug. 19, '48.
''^ Wabash Courier, Aug. 19, '48.

Schlicher: Terre Haute in 1850 261

ance and variety. The only big advertisers of 1850 were
the makers of patent medicine. They were the only ones,
apparently, who could afford a whole column of space, year
in and year out. Their name was liquor, they could cure
anything, and they spoke with authority. '^'^ Other quacks
appeared in person and offered to "cure all diseases left un-
cured by the modern and more fashionable practice" and to
guarantee satisfaction for $10.00.'^^

One gets the feeling in reading the papers of the period
that the regular practitioner existed largely by sufferance.
He did not have the good sense to collect his pay while the
patient was still exhilarated, as the patent medicine man did,
and so, frequently, he got none. The papers are full of re-
quests for the payment of doctor's bills. One of them even
seems to have thought that he could escape the general fate
by foreign travel, at least this is what he put in the paper :

"Fair Warning. Having determined to travel during tlie next two
or three years, tliose indebted will find it to their advantage to call
on me within ten days and pay, or make such arrangements as reason
may dictate. All seven or eight year old demands must be attended to
without delay."

Yet, in spite of these drawbacks, many of the doctors were
men of good education and high character. A fine specimen
of this class was Dr. Ezra Read, who is said to have been a
classical scholar, who carried the Iliad about in his pocket,
and a generally well-read man, to whom both French and
English authors were familiar. It was he who had been
recommended as the city's best physician to the English
gentleman already referred to, who fell ill at the Prairie
House in 1851 and who speaks of him as a bright and intelli-
gent companion and devoted to his profession and his pa-
tients. It was, to be sure, rather hard for an English gentle-
man to become accustomed to the doctor's keeping his hat on
when he entered the patient's room and to several other pe-
culiarities which he shared with the professional men of the
frontier. Of one of these we shall let him give his own
account :

" Terre Haute Express, June 16 and July 7, '47, June 28, '48.
'« See, for instance, the statement of the Graefenburg Company in the
Wabash Courier, Jan. 15, '48, which Is only a sample of many.

262 Indiana Magazine of History

"Poor Dr. Read ! lie was a thorough American, and proud of being so.
Lying in bed with the door of my room open, owing to the heat of the
weather, I used to hear his well-known step and the sounds which denoted
that he was clearing his throat and spitting on the stairs before he entered
my room. He had found out that we did not like the process to be carried
on before us; and after this preparation he was not often obliged to have
recourse to it in our presence."'''9

Assuming the attitdue of the critical investigator, we are
obliged to say that this account is not entirely free from flaws.
For what tobacco-chewer ever had to clear his throat in order
to spit on the stairs?

Of the hotels of Terre Haute, at least to judge from an
old illustration, one is still standing in the same condition as
in 1850. This is the one on the east side of South Third
street, between Walnut and Ohio, then known as the City
hotel and later as Buntin's. In the 50s it was perhaps the
most important hotel in town, being the starting point of
the stage coaches.^o The Prairie House at Seventh and Main
was, to judge from an illustration, a four-story building with
a flat, straight front. In 1850, as we have seen, it stood at a
distance from the town. Its location so far away, was no
doubt due to the fact that Chauncey Rose, who had, in 1837,
bought the half section of land between Seventh and Thir-
teenth, wanted to draw the town in that direction. ^^ What
sort of accommodations might be obtained here in 1851
is vividly described in Mr. Beste's book:

"Mr. Bunting, our fat landlord, dressed in the height of fashion, and
with carving knife and fork in hand, politely guided us to our places, and
then took his own stand at the side-table, which groaned under a profusion
of apparently well-cooked joints. Our respectable-looking negro waiter
was in the room; and ten or a dozen lads (white) of ages varying from 12
to 15 years, and dressed in white jackets, but without shoes or stockings,
ran about the room, and tumbled over one another in their eagerness,
looking more like school-boys playing at leap-frog than like waiters at a
worshipful dinner table. Immediately one of the smallest of the boys
sprang to me and exclaimed in my ear, as fast as he could articulate the
words: What will you take? Roast mutton, boiled beef, roast lamb, veal

'9Beste, The Wabash, 11, 123.

80 Of Clark's Hotel (First and Ohio) the lower story Is still standing, and
now is used as a blacksmith shop.

" He had built the hotel soon after the purchase. After a years trial, how-
ever, it was obliged to stand vacant for eight years, and was not opened again
till 1849. Condit, History of Early Terre Haute, 75. An account of its re-
opening is found in the Wabash Courier, May 12, '49.

Schlicher: Terre Haute in 1850 263

pie, chicken pie, roast fowls or pigeons? I made my selection out of the
few of the words of his gabble that I could then understand and he fetched
me something as different as possible from that which I had asked for."82

"There was a chambermaid, who, without assistance, made all the beds
in the house, and did all the work of a chambermaid; she was a Dutch-
woman and went about the house without shoes or stockings. One woman
was kept to make all the pastry, pancakes, etc., and another to wash the
dishes and cups and saucers. One constant laundress was kept; and on
washing days two others were hired to help her. All these, except Mrs.
Bunting's own maid, were barefooted. Then here was Anthony, the black
cook, the black steward who had charge of the six waiter boys, an Irish-
man whose only work seemed to be sleeping in the bar and taking charge
of the ice, and answering with rudeness when spoken to, and another
Irishman, who had to bring wood into the kitchen." s?

"Every other day when they took the inventory of the hotel plate, a
dirty waiterboy rapped at my door and popped his head in, exclaiming :
'Got any spoons?' and if the amount was not easily found below he would
venture again and again with the same demand, insisting that we must
have two or one, or whatever was the number missing. I never succeeded
in catching this little blackguard by the ear, though I often tried to do
so and a regular war on the subject of these spoons was established be-
tween us."84

What did the people of Terre Haute think and talk about,
and how did they behave and amuse themselves in 1850?
This has been partly answered already, for they think and
talk largely about what they see and hear from day to day,
and what comes in the way of their business. The highest
culture of the people, if we may call it so, was essentially
southern. Nearly all of Terre Haute's early commercial deal-
ings and a large number of her people had come from there.
In a general way this crops out at many points. For instance,
we read a little piece in the paper about the etiquette of the
umbrella :

"If you meet a lady in the rain without an umbrella, you should not
give her yours, but escort her home. If you meet two, give them your
umbrella, but let them go alone. This holds whether you know them
or not."

"Christmas Day," we read in another place, "passed off
very agreeable. The weather was fine, enabling all to go out
who felt inclined. Some went to church and some took eggnog.

s^Beste, The Wabash, II, 3.
s^Beste, The Wabash, II, 74.
«*Beste, The Wabash, II, 67.

264 Indiana Magazine of History

Altogether, we believe it was a merry Christmas''.^^ Most
characteristic are the ever-recurring editorials on spring.

"Spring is coming, spring with her lap full of flowers and her lips
ruddy with the enjoyment of maple molasses; spring with warbling birds,
frisking lambs and bawling calves; spring with her swelling buds and
verdant fields; spring which arouses the husbandman from his winter's
lethargy; spring which weakens the joints of the loafer; spring with the
house-cleaning, scouring and brushing. This veritable spring is coming,
yea, is now here."86

Sometimes the editor's exuberance carried him so far that
he had to be called down by his rival on the other paper, as in
the following editorial, entitled "Sleighing:"

"Mr. Euggles of the Pavillion Stables had some fine teams. He drives
them six-iu-hand with great skill. For several days during the snow Mr.
Euggles' big sleigh and six were seen flying through our streets loaded
with ladies and gentlemen. On Saturday last we were politely invited to
a seat with a dozen of the real some, and had a delightful time riding two
miles out the National road and back. It was capital, and the ease with
which the six were turned, just at the driver's will, was admirable." *'

We do not know just what his rival said to this, but he
must have said something, for one week later the writer of
the editorial on "Sleighing" had to take part of it back, while
at the same time countering handsomely at his apparent
rival :

"Well, we acknowledge the six-horse sleigh, but the editor of the
Journal was in first. We took him for Martin Van Buren with his whiskers
shaved off. just starting on a Free Soil expedition. But the gravity of
Martin was soon lost in the frolic. The fact is we never saw a day so
brim full of sleigh-poetry. From the rocks of the Canal to Congress Corner
it was all one blaze of glory."

Such was editorial amenity in 1850. Or was it all only a
brave way of getting over a loss of dignity brought upon them
both alike by the redoubtable Mr. Ruggles?

In more ways than one, 1850 was the end of one period
and the beginning of another. The time when gentlemen
wore stocks and dickeys and strapped their pantaloons under
their boots, when "girls on skates would have been a phenom-
enon," when all men chewed fine-cut and the spittoon stood
in the family pew, and where red-nosed deacons were not un-

s= Waiasn Courier, April 21, '49.
8« Wabash Courier, February 23, '50.
«> Wabash Courier, December 28, '50.

Schlicher: Terre Haute in 1850 265

common, was about to pass away. Quite naturally, in such
a time of breaking-up, some extremes of behavior were in-
dulged in. Quite a stir was made at the time, among other
things, by a certain Miss Webber's advocacy of male attire
for women. Female dress, she said, had been invented by
man as part of his tyranny. She advocated that trousers
should be worn by women till marriage and by widows till
married again.^^ This was evidently an extreme form of the
bloomer agitation, which filled the papers of the time. Mr.
Beste, surely our most incorruptible witness, says that he
actually saw two women wearing bloomers on the streets of
New York, but nowhere else. But with the help of his friend
and physician, Dr. Read, he is able to give us the following
authentic account of the ravages of the epidemic in Terre
Haute.

"Now it seems that the ladies of Terre Haute were as anxious as
any editor among them to see themselves in the new costume and to decide
whether it was as becoming as it was represented to be. About a score
of them agreed to have dresses made according to the new pattern ; and
these were privately sent to Mrs. Read's house, that they might dress
themselves there, and together judge of one another's charms. The ar-
rangements were made with much mystery. Mrs. Read was to give a party,
but the initiated ladies alone were to be invited. On no account was a
pair of male trousers to be admitted.

"The ladies met. Twenty pair of feet cased in the smallest possible
shoes, attached to twenty ankles decked in the finest possible silk stocking,
peeped from under twenty pair of the largest possible Turkish trousers;
twenty parti-colored polkas, waistcoats and jackets, got in twenty as small
waists and as swelling busts as Terre Haute could furnish. They were
all in high glee, and pirouetted and turned one another about admiringly,
half regretting that they had so rigorously excluded anyone of the male
sex. The door opened and Dr. Read walked in. Twenty screams uprose
from twenty blushing throats.

" 'Ladies', said the doctor sententiously, 'It is impossible that you
should be judges in your own cause. Surely gentlemen should be admitted
to say how the new dress affects them? The screams and pirouettes re-
doubled. The forty shoes, the forty stockings, the twenty Turkish trousers,
ran and skipped about the room — some hiding themselves behind window
curtains ,some crouching behind sofas — till Mrs. Read kindly pointed the
way into her own room. They all betook themselves there and double-
locked the door, while the doctor came over to the hotel and told us what
sport he had had." **

88 Wabash Courier, Sept. 7, '50.
s:* Beste, The Wabash, II, 144ff.

266 Indiana Magazine of History

In spite of such temporary aberrations, however, life in
Terre Haute must on the whole have been eminently proper.
In the winter of 1850-51 it was thought worth recording that
a new species of entertainment was coming in, that of "hap-
pening in," which was beginning to supersede the old-fashioned
parties. '^o Such parties as we read of were extreme in their
innocence. One occurred, for instance, at Judge S. B. Gookins'
place on Strawberry Hill.^i This was far outside of town
at the time, so that when the judge moved there he had been
obliged to resign his seat in the city council. The party was
for the Sunday school children of Mr. Jewett's church, to-
gether with a number of "more adult folk." There were
strawberries, ice cream and cake, a promenade on the lawn,
and music. The naughtiness came a little later, and, as the
paper hints, surreptitiously. "Perhaps," we read, "in the
absence of Mrs. Gookins, and after the stars arose, there
may have been a little of the 'light fantastic toe' on the grass.
But all was retired and quiet by early bed-time."

Of Mrs. Read and her family we have the following pic-
ture by the somewhat prejudiced daughters of the English
gentleman whom we have already referred to.

"Mrs. Read was a very good sample of an American lady. She was very
languishing, indolent and affected in her way of speaking. She spent
most of the day in her white dressing gown and slippers. She spoilt her
children dreadfully, and was often ashamed that we should see how little
they obeyed her. She was, however, well educated, and played the piano
very well, and she was a really kind-hearted, good-natured person, who
meant to do everything for the best when she could make up her mind to
leave the sofa or the rocking chair, where she spent most of her time. Her
daughter was a clever girl. She, too, played and sang very well for her
age, and she danced nicely. In the more solid parts of her education her
mother used to complain that she was sadly wanting."92

This picture is considerably relieved by the fact that
another one of the English girls tell us that Mrs. Read had
to wash and mend all the clothes of the five children of her
husband and of his brother, who was visiting them.

"These two, she said, insisted on having a clean shirt every day.
Her help never assisted her in anything except in ironing and in taking
the entire charge of the kitchen."93

"" Waiash Courier, Feb. 1, '51.
^1 Wahash Courier, May 31, '51.
si'Beste, The Wabash, II, 97.
»3Beste, The 'Wa})ash, II, 98.

Schlicher: Terre Haute in 1850 267

Gum-chewing among the girls was already very common
in 1850, and this naturally struck the English girls quite as
much as the habit of the men to sit with their chairs tilted
back and their feet on the window sill or the table. "All the
young ladies at Terre Haute," one of them writes, "and, I sup-
pose, all over America, chew Burgundy pitch, as the gentlemen
chew tobacco. "9^

Crime was not common in 1850, to judge from what got
into the local papers. We read of several murders, but al-
ways out in the country or in adjoining counties. The worst
that the papers offered in town is suspected incendarism and,
once, in 1849, the Wabash Courier has this editorial :

"We hear of some alarm about town on account of recent attempts
to break into dwellings after dark. It is very possible that some fooling
is going on, which will lead to the death or disgrace of some one. Fire-
arms are prepared, and it may be well not to carry this matter of house-
breaking too far, just at this particular time."95

The "matter" was really more serious than that, as ap-
pears from the fact that the council offered a reward of $50
for the arrest and conviction of every offender. '^^

As we have said, the old times were beginning to pass
away. In 1851, two of the Terre Haute papers, the Wabash
Courier and the Express, started daily editions. '^'^ It was
inevitable that the latter should soon consume most of the
editor's time, and the carefully selected clippings with all
sorts of odds and ends of information, which had filled the
front page of the weekly edition, must soon have largely dis-
appeared. With them, no doubt, went the custom which the
Courier, at least, practiced consistently, and the Express at
intervals, of publishing from two to four poems in the first
column of each issue. Instead of an isntitution and a friend,
the paper became a convenience, and, while subscriptions
were then no doubt more promptly paid, it no longer had a
flavor about it which reminded you that there was a common
standard of behavior which did not need to be enforced.^^

s^Beste, The WabasJi, II, 92.

!i5Aug. 25.

88 Council records in Oakey, Greater Terre Haute and Vigo County, 116.

^''Wabash Courier, Dec. 6, '51; Condit, History of Early Terre Haute, 136.

°8 In the Wabash Courier for Jan. 8, '48 the terms of subscription are given
as $2.00 a year if paid within three months of the receipt of the first number,
$2.50 if paid within the year, and $3.00 if payment is delayed until the year
expired.

268 Indiana Magazine of History

Nor was it possible, in all probability, for the editor to write
and publish novels in his spare moments, as the editor of the
Courier is reported to have done, while he was in Terre
Haute.99

The temper of the old regime is still seen undiluted in the
following editorial on the "telegraph," which had just reached
Terre Haute.ioo

"Tlie telegraph wires, as they pass through the ghiss of each pole dis-
course very jjretty music. We do not know that this rausic is resolvable
into notes, but it is nevertheless very sweet. On the Wabash bridge par-
ticularly are these sounds remarkable. On a clear night the wires stretch-
ing across give music closely resembling the Aeolian harp. What a splen-
did place for young lovers under these wires, any time before midnight,
with or without a bright moon."ioi

That which most inevitably changed things in Terre
Haute was first, the opening of the Wabash and Erie canal,
to the north in 1849, and to Evansville in 1852, and even more,
the telegraph in 1850, and the opening of the railroads, east,
north, south and west, which followed in quick succession
from 1852 on.io^

The first of these, the opening of the canal to the north,
was naturally a time of some rejoicing. The Wabash Courier
of September 8, 1849, says that the water has been let into it
and has come to within a mile and a half of the city. In the
issue of October 27 we read that boats are now operating,
two having started to load with corn at Otter creek, a few
miles north. One of the two first boats to reach town gave
a crowd of people an excursion a mile and a half up the canal
and back, accompanied by a "band and music" from town.
When they returned we are told that they were greeted by
the "roaring of cannon." At three o'clock a fine dinner was
given at the Prairie House, to which the proprietors of the
boat and the other excursionists were invited. There were

"3 The editor's name was Jesse Conard, and the novels were Stephen Move-
land and Mount Echo, Condit, History of Early Terre Haute, 135.
I"" TFa&asft Courier, Dec. 21, '50.

101 r^YiQ items of most constant interest in the papers of the time were the
newly discovered gold in California, together with ways and means of getting
there, the cholera epidemic, the trial of Professor Webster in Boston for the
murder of Dr. Parkman, and the concert tour of Jenny Lind under the man-
agement of P. T. Barnum.

102 The first station in Terre Haute was at Tenth and Main, where the Van-
dalia freight office is now.

Schlicher: Terre Haute in 1850 269

addresses and toasts, and the boats both returned north on
the same day.

There were several breaks in the canal soon after that,
one of which delayed traffic for some time. Low water also
interfered with the movements of the boats, so that altogether
it was not strange that the railroads, with their greater speed
and certainty and their direct time to the eastern markets,
soon made the canal unprofitable. Nevertheless, for a
leisurely trip, there might have been something to say for
the canal boat. The arrival of the packet "Ohio," Captain
Davis, in May, 1850, was the occasion for the following in
the Courier:

"The Ohio is a fine boat and has one of nature's noblemen for com-
mander. Everything appears to be in fine order on board, and the signifi-
cant proportions of the captain strongly indicate the good cheer of the
pantry. A number of gentlemen had more satisfactory evidence on this
sub.1ect yesterday in the shape of an elegant dinner, to which they were
invited, in the cabin. At four o'clock the Ohio took the party a few miles
up the canal. "103

A description of one of the canal boats is given by Mr.
Beste on the occasion of his departure from Terre Haute in
August, 1851:

"The construction of the canal boat was — in miniature — much the
same as that of the lake and river steamers. There was no hold or under-
deck, but on the deck, at the stern, were raised the kitchen, steward's room
and oflices. In the center of the boat was the large saloon — the sitting
room of all by day the sleeping-room of the male passengers by night.
Adjoining it was the ladies' saloon, beyond which again, was a small cabin
containing only four berths. This cabin was separated by a curtain from
the ladies saloon, and on the other side opened upon the bow of the vessel.
In it was a looking glass, a hand basin, two towels, a comb and a brush,
for the use of the

The starting of the boat is thus described:

"At five o'clock in the afternoon, we stepped from the little quay at
Terre Haute on board the boat. Three horses were harnessed to a rope,
about fifty yards ahead of the boat. They started at a moderate trot, and
the town where we had tarried so long was soon lost to sight."i04

103 May 25.
^"•'Aug. 12, '51.

270 Indiana Magazine of History

According to the map in the directory of 1858, the course
of the canal through the city was as follows : It entered from
the north close to the river bank, at the eastern end of the
present Big Four bridge. From here it went straight south
along the river bank, where part of its course can still be
followed, to the basin on Water street, just south of Eagle
street. In its course it passed through the west end of an old
cemetery, just south of the Vandalia bridge, where a few
badly broken tombstones may still be seen. From the north
end of the basin just mentioned it then went northeast to a
point near the corner of Third and Chestnut, then straight
north, on the west side of Third street, to Canal street, thence
straight east, where the Vandalia tracks are at present. In
front of where the union station is now it curved around and
went south between Ninth and Tenth streets to Livan street,
then southeast out of the city, toward Riley (then called Lock-
port). The basin and docks at Terre Haute were said to be
the finest on the whole canal, having steps leading down to the
landing, and a railing. ^^s Of all this only a few posts and
beams in the ground may now be seen near the river bank.

i"5 Wahash Courier, May 10, '51.

Indiana In 1816

By Merrill Moores, Member of Congress from the Seventh
District of Indiana

Today we are here in response to the call of the greatest of
our poets, uttered years ago, but urgent today:

"Le's go a-visitin' back to Grigsby's Station —
Back where the latch-string's a-hangin' from the door,

And ever' neighbor round the place is dear as a relation —
Back where we ust to be so happy and so pore.

Le's go a-visitin' back to Grigsby's Station —

Back where there's nothin' aggervatin' any more.

Shet away safe in the woods around the old location —
Back where we ust to be so happy and so pore

What's in all this grand life and high situation,
And nary pink nor holly-hock a-bloomin' at the door?

Le's go a-visitin' back to Grigsby's Station —

Back where we ust to be so happy and so pore."

Today the people of Indiana go a-visitin' back to Grigsby's
Station and the sovereign State sings with another, but not a
greater, poet:

"Dost thou look back on what hath been,

As some divinely gifted man,

Whose life in low estate began
And on a simple village green :

Who breaks his birth's invidious bar,

And grasps the skirts of happy chance.

And breasts the blows of circumstance,
And grapples with his evil star:

Who makes by force his merit known.

And lives to clutch the golden keys.

To mould a mighty state's decrees.
And shape the whisper of the throne:

And moving up from high to higher,

Becomes on Fortune's crowning slope

The pillar of a people's hope.
The center of a world's desire."

•An address delivered at the Corydon pageant, June 2.

272 Indiana Magazine of History

In becoming modesty, forgetful of what our State ac-
complished in a brief century of life, laying aside all thought
of what Indiana is today in the great sisterhood of States,
let us reverently approach the cradle of her babyhood, that
we may do fitting honor to the pioneers, to whose labors and
the sufferings our three million citizens are indebted for what
Indiana is today.

Civilized Indiana was not conquered from the wilderness
without bloodshed, in addition to toil and privation. The first
European settlement within its borders was effected by men
of Norman blood at Vincennes early in the eighteenth century
and about two centuries ago. Eighty years before the con-
stitutional convention met at Corydon, on Palm Sunday, 1736,
as we are told, the commandant at Vincennes (a nephew of
Louis Joliet, who, with Father Marquette, explored the
Mississippi in 1673) was, in company with his general,
D'Artaguette, and his faithful chaplain. Father Senat, mis-
sionary priest at Vincennes, burned at the stake by hostile
Chickasaws, who had raided the post.

The story of Pontiac's conspiracy and war tells of fierce
fighting in and across the Indiana territory as long ago as
1763. A party of Indians, under an English captain named
Henry Bird, guided by the renegade, Simon Girty, in 1780,
crossed Indiana, and raided the Kentucky settlements along
the Licking, killing and scalping every white hunter and
trapper encountered. One need only recall the massacres
from Lochry's Creek in 1780 and Vincennes in 1785 to those
at Pigeon Roost and around Vallonia in 1812 ; Clark's expedi-
tion in 1786 and Wilkinson's later, the successive defeats of
Josiah Harmar and Arthur St. Clair, followed by Wayne's
victory in 1794, and the final conquest of the hostile Indians
in the battles of Tippecanoe and Fort Wayne to realize the
risk of fortune and liberty and life taken by the pioneers of
Indiana.

In 1800 the census gave Indiana 5,506 people. In 1810
the population had grown to 24,000, divided between four
counties, Harrison, 3,595; Knox, 7,945; Clark, 5,670, and
Dearborn, 7,310.

In December, 1815, by a territorial census, the territory
had grown so rapidly, since the cessation of hostilities with

Moores: Indiana in 1816 273

the Indians, that the population was only a hundred short
of 68,000; and of the thirteen counties, Harrison was fifth
with 6,975.

That the new State was growing with tremendous rapidity-
is shown by the fact that in the next four years the popula-
tion more than doubled ; it increased 116 per cent and became
146,988.

The life of the Indiana pioneer cannot be better told than
it has been in the verse of the greatest of our poets, from
whom I quote again;

"And musing thus today, the pioneer

Whose brawny arm hath grubbed a pathway here,
Stands raptly with his vision backward turned

To where the log-heap of the past was burned,
And sees again as in some shadowy dream.
Or sniffing, with his antlers lifted high.

The wild deer bending o'er the hidden stream,

The gawky crane, as he comes trailing by
And drops in shallow tides below to wade

On tilting legs, thro' dusky depths of shade.
While, just across, the glossy otter slips

Like some wet shadow 'neath the ripples' tips
As drifting from the thicket-hid bayou,

The wild duck paddles past his rendevous."

In picturing the log cabin home of early times, the poet
said:

"And o'er the vision, like a mirage, falls

The old log cabin with its dingy walls.
And crippled chimney with the crutch-like prop

Beneath a sagging shoulder at the top;
The coon skin battened fast on either side;

The wisps of leaf tobacco — cut and dried;
The yellow strands of quartered apples hung

In rich festoons that tangle in among
The morning-glory vines that clamber o'er

The little clapboard roof above the door;
The old well sweep that drops a courtesy

To eveiy thirsty soul so graciously;
The stranger, as he drains the dripping gourd,

Intuitively murmurs, "Thank the Lord."

274 IndiaTia Magazine of History

The interior of the cabin was pictured with:

Bough-filled fireplace and the mantel wide,

Its fire-scorched ankles stretched on either side,
Where, perched upon its shoulders, 'neath the joist

The old clock hiccoughed, harsh and husky-voiced;
Tomatoes, red and yellow, in a row

Reserved not then for diet, but for show,
Like rare and precious; jewels in the rough,

Whose worth was not appraised at half enough.
The jars of jelly, with their dusty tops;

The bunch of pennyroyal, the cordial drops;
The flask of camphor and the vial of squills;

The box of buttons, garden seeds and pills.
And ending all the mantel's bric-a-brac.

The old, time-honored family almanac."

We are fortunate today to have before our eyes the mas-
sive building in which met the men who laid the strong
foundations of our statehood, the Capitol Hotel, where many
of them boarded during the brief session of the convention,
the elm tree to whose grateful shade they adjourned their
session on the hottest days, the houses where lived Governor
Posey and other territorial officers, and others where some
of the members are still remembered to have boarded. Many
of the great men of 1816 are passing from our memory, but
the solid masonry erected by the sturdiest of them all, Dennis
Pennington, still stands, let us hope, as a perpetual monument
to them and their work.

When the convention met the governor's mansion was
occupied by a gallant soldier of the American revolution.
Colonel Thomas Posey, with whose handsome features we
are all familiar from the well-known portrait which adorns
the State library at Indianapolis. Governor Posey was a
Virginian who had fought in the battle of Point Pleasant, in
Lord Dunmore's war in 1774. As a captain of Virginia con-
tinentals, he had assisted in the defeat of his old commander,
the same Lord Dunmore, at Gwynn's Island in 1776. His
company was transferred to Morgan's renowned rifle corps,
and he served with distinction and great gallantry at Pis-
cataquay, Bemis Heights, Stillwater, Stony Point and at
Yorktown. He had served in Indian campaigns under
Anthony Wayne, in Georgia, and, in the Northwest Territory,

Moores: Indiana in 1816 275

had been lieutenant-goveror of Kentucky and United States
senator from Louisiana, and was governor of Indiana Terri-
tory from 1812 to 1816, succeeding in that office three other
eminent soldiers, Arthur St. Clair (of the Northwest Terri-
tory) , William Henry Harrison and John Gibson.

The secretary of the territory was, and for sixteen years
had been, John Gibson, a man of rare force, character and
judgment. A college-bred men, he was taken prisoner in an
expedition against the Indians before Lord Dunmore's war
and was saved from the stake in the same manner that Poca-
hontas saved the gallant Virginia captain. He later married
a sister of Logan, the celebrated Indian chief and orator ; and
it was our John Gibson who heard and reported the famous
speech of Logan, which every school boy will remember, made
after his entire family had been massacred by drunken whites :
"There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living
creature. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his
heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan? Not
one." Gibson had been vdth Lord Dunmore and Colonel
Posey at Point Pleasant in 1774 and, like Posey, had com-
manded a regiment during the revolution.

Thomas Randolph had been attorney general, but was
killed in action in the battle of Tippecanoe and the office had
not been filled. He was a Virginian, a descendant of Poca-
hontas, a gentleman of education, cultivation and refinement.
His wife was a daughter of General Arthur St. Clair.

Davis Floyd was auditor of public accounts, a Virginian
who had served in the Revolution, and had been imprisoned
for a brief period for association with Aaron Burr, for whom
he had procured in 1805 a territorial charter for a water
power company at the falls of the Ohio. Henry Vanderburgh,
one of the justices of the Supreme Court, had served as a
soldier in the Revolution, as had the fathers of John De Pauw,
Robert A. New, William and Charles Polke, Joseph Holman,
John Dumont, Benjamin Chambers, the Beggs brothers,
Samuel Merrill, and many others active in the organization
of the new State.

The convention met here in Corydon, June 10, 1816, con-
sisting of forty-three members chosen from the thirteen or-
ganized counties. The members were magnificently repre-

276 Indiana Magazine of History

sentative of the Indiana pioneers. Nearly all of them seem
to us astonishingly young ; but it requires youth to supply the
strength, vigor and ambition needed to conquer a wilderness.
Among them were many destined to future greatness, Jonathan
Jennings, William Hendricks, Benjamin Parke, William
Polke, James Noble, Robert Hanna and D. H. Maxwell. And
no less eminent was to be the modest squire, John Tipton, who
was to be chosen the first sheriff of Harrison county under
the new constitution and to be a great leader in the Senate
of the United States from middle life clear down to its end.

Members of the convention, like the pioneers they repre-
sented, came from all the original colonies north and south,
as well as from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, and
from French, Flemish, German and Indian ancestors. Many
were college-bred, but most of them could write only their
names. They had inherited widely diverse traditions and
beliefs as to political and religious matters, but they stood
unitedly for education, religious freedom, and, almost as one
man, against slavery.

It was a Frenchman from Vincennes, and, I think, a
Catholic, who, as chairman of the committee on a bill of
rights, reported this provision, which was unanimously in-
corporated :

"All men liave a natural and indefea sable right to worship Almighty
God according to the dictates of their own consciences. No man shall be
compelled to attend, erect or support any place of worship, or to maintain
any ministry against his consent. No human authority ought in any case
whatever to control or interfere with the rights of conscience. No prefer-
ence shall ever be given by law to any religious societies or modes of wor-
ship, and no religious test shall be required as a qualification to any office
of trust or profifi

The same Frenchman, as a member of the committee on
education, consisting, beside himself, of a future judge
(James Scott) of the Supreme Court of college training, and
three members,^ whose letters still in existence prove that
they could neither spell conventionally nor express themselves
grammatically, reported the following provision, also unani-
mously adopted:

iJohn Badollet, referred to here, was a native of Geneva, son of a Lutheran
minister. — Ed.

''William Polke, Dan Ljmn, John Boone.

Moores : Indiana in 1816 277

"Knowledge and learning generally diffused through a community, be-
ing essential to the preservation of a free government, and spreading the
opportunities and advantages of education through the various parts of the
country being highly conducive to this end, it shall be the duty of the
General Assembly to provide by law, for the improvement of such lands as
are or hereafter may be granted by the United States to this State, for the
use of schools, and to apply any funds which may be raised from such
lands, or from any other quarter, to the accomplishment of the grand ob-
ject for which they are or may be intended. But no lands granted for the
use of schools, shall be sold by the authority of this State, prior to the
year 1820, and the monies which may be raised out of the sale of any such
lands, or otherwise obtained, for the purpose aforesaid, shall be and re-
main a fund, for the exclusive purpose of promoting the interest of litera-
ture and the sciences, and for the support of seminaries and public schools.
The General Assembly shall, from time to time, pass such laws as shall be
calculated to encourage intellectual, scientifical and agricultural improve-
ment, by allowing rewards and immunities for the promotion and improve-
ment of arts, sciences, commerce, manufacturers, and natural history, and
to countenance and encourage the principles of humanity, honesty, industry
and morality."

Notwithstanding the fact that human slavery had been
permitted in the territory and that slaves were recognized
as property by territorial law, and the further fact that most
of the members of the convention had emigrated from slave
states, the convention, without even the formality of a vote,
put this provision in the constitution :

"There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in this state,
otherwise than for the punishment of crimes, whereof the party shall have
been duly convicted. Nor shall any indenture of any negro or mulatto
hereafter made and executed out of the bounds of this state be of any
validity within the state."

The convention was in session three weeks and did not
sit on Sunday. In that time its members builded for us a con-
stitution in my opinion in many respects better than the one
we have today.

Its members met here in Corydon in this noble building,
and on hot days under the spreading elm we know and love
so well. Let us in grateful reverence thank God for their
labors.

It takes but little imagination to fancy we can see presid-
ing in that hall today the courteous and suave Jonathan Jen-
nings, beside the no less accomplished secretary, William

278 Indiana Magazine of History

Hendricks, and about them gathered the learned and ambi-
tious Isaac Blackford^ so recently from Princeton; sturdy,
honest, and strenuous Dennis Pennington, backed by the
nephew of Daniel Boone, the Irish Patrick Shields, progenitor
of famous men, the shrewd and crafty Davis Floyd and the
capable [Daniel C] Lane. I see Frederick Rapp from New
Harmony dreaming of a social millennium. And I see the
Polke brothers, representing different counties [Perry and
Knox] , politicians and fighters, cousins of one then living who
was to become President [James K. Polk] ; a cousin who was
to succeed, in that high office, the great soldier who had for
twelve years been governor of the territory and was himself
to be grandfather of another President yet unborn, whom
we knew and whose memory we delight to honor.

I like to think that in that month of June a hundred years
ago Thomas Lincoln came across the river from Hodgenville
with his seven-year-old boy looking for better land in Indiana
and, stopping with his brother Joseph on Big Blue river in
Harrison county, brought the slim, big-eyed boy to get, in
Corydon, his first glimpse of statesmanship and to go home
to tell the loved Nancy and little Sarah of the promised land
beyond the beautiful river, where, in the county named for
the gallant captain [Spier Spencer] of the Yellow Jackets,
they had chosen their future home.

I can see, too, the man [John Tipton] who succeeded at
Spencer's death to the command of Corydon's Yellow Jackets,
a hero of Tippecanoe, turned modest magistrate the same
year, but who led the Yellow Jackets again at the battle of
Tipton's Island in 1813. I see him crossing the street to the
courthouse to talk with Floyd, Pennington and Boone about
his candidacy for sheriff, and, as I look, the picture fades,
and I see the founder of Logansport and the locator of Indi-
anapolis standing in the Senate of the United States, as he did
on February 5, 1836, and I can almost hear what he is saying:

"I do not wish to be considered an alarmist : my fears have not been
operated upon by the rumors of war so frequently heard. I do not expect
to raise recruits in time to terminate the war now raging between us and
the Seminole Indians, nor am I influenced in the course I have taken by

3 Blackford was not a member. The speaker must have had Benjamin
Parke in mind.

Moores: Indiana in 1816 279

anything that has been said here or elsewhere on the subject of any other
war ; but purely by a desire to put our peace establishment upon a respec-
table footing, and to prevent the recurrence of these conflicts with the
Indians on our borders.

I am unable to see any just cause for war, unless it arise from unfor-
tunate collisions, which will occasionally occur. / am convinced, that
the sure way to prevent war is to be well prepared for it. I am awaj-e
that the people of this country look with a jealous eye upon every step
taken to augment our military force. The people, when rightly informed,
will do what is right. The army is their army ; the money to support it is
theirs; the government is theirs; and I feel assured that they desire to
see the army sufliciently numerous to answer all the purposes for which it
was created."

The next paragraph of his speech reads like a report made
yesterday by the Secretary of War to our Senate.

"It is shown by these statements that, in the Eastern Department,
on the lakes and along the seaboard, there are 33 military posts, 14 of
which are now without troops to garrison them, and of course liable very
soon to go to destruction.

In the Western Department there are 22 posts, 9 of them unoccupied
by troops. The number of the rank and file of our army is so small that
it is impossible for the troops to occupy all the forts. The companies, now
consisting of about 50 men should be increased, so as to enable them to
render all the service required to be performed by an army.

"The unsettled state of affairs in Mexico, and the actual war in Texas
will cause a restiveness among the Indian tribes in the southwest border of
the United States, which should not be unprovided for.

"The presence of a respectable force at Forts Armstrong and Snelling,
in 1831-2, would have prevented the war (Blackhawk's) with the Soukees
(Sacs), which cost us $2,500,000; and a similar array of troops, if stationed
at Fort King and Tampa, would certainly have prevented the war now
going on in Florida — a war which will certainly end in the annihilation of
the poor deluded Seminoles."

His words of warning fell on deaf ears. Would that today
his ringing voice directing the way to lasting peace might be
again heard in the Senate speaking for Indiana.

Richly indeed has this our old capital endowed the State
with great men from among her sons. Much do we owe to
you, Corydon, our ancient civic center. Today, we bring you
just tribute, bride of Indiana's youth. I scorn to credit the
tale so often told that an early governor named you from a
silly, sentimental, dolorous song. Rather would I believe that
in the golden days, when Spencer was captain of the Yellow

280 Indiana Magazine of History

Jackets, as well as genial landlord of the tavern near where
the courthouse was to be built in the, as yet, nameless village,
viewing with delight the fair prospect of hills green with pas-
ture and valleys rich with the promise of future production,
in memory of the Faery Queen of the great poet, whose name
he bore, our captain named the rustic village for the simple
shepherd, Corydon, who, unrequited, wooed the fair shep-
herdess Pastorella; and, in his christening, consecrated the
village forever to innocence, simplicity and beauty.

Fair Corydon, may another century's passing find you as
simple, innocent, lovable and homelike as we have found
you this day.

Reviews and Notes

Indiana Pageants

The distinguishing feature of the Centennial Celebration
in Indiana is the pageant. The State Historical Commission
employed a pageant master, William Chauncey Langdon, to
lead in this work. This pageant master has already written
and directed the performance of pageants at Bloomingtton
and Corydon. In the first instance the history of the town
was joined with the development of the State University to
form the theme of the pageant. At Corydon most of the
episodes were based on the history of the town while it was
the capital of the territory and State. Dr. Charles D. Camp-
bell, professor of Music in the State University, wrote the
music for both these pageants and directed the orchestra dur-
ing its performance. Mr. Langdon and Dr. Campbell are now
preparing for the State pageant to be given at Indianapolis.

The Fort Wayne Pageant was given June 6, 7 and 8. Don-
ald Robertson was the pageant master, John L. Verwire pre-
pared the music and David Fuller was stage manager. The
six episodes dealt with the Indians, French, English, Wayne's
Campaign, War of 1812, the Indian Agency, and the Civil
War.

The Vincennes pageant was presented May 19. The pag-
eant writer was George S. Cottman, who chose from the
wealth of Vincennes history the Indians, Founding of Vin-
cennes, its capture by Clark, and Vincennes the capital, as the
basis of his episodes.

The Earlham Pageant at Richmond was written by Walter
Carleton Woodward, Edna Johnson and Mary H. Flanner.
This pageant celebrates the migration of the Quakers to the
Whitewater Valley, the establishment of Earlham College and
the development of their society in Indiana.

282 Indiana Magazine of History

History of Indixina. By Dr. James Albert Woodburn, Pro-
fessor of American History in Indiana and Dr.
Thomas F. Moran, Professor of History in Purdue.
Longmans, Green & Co., 1916 ; pp. 63.

In this brief pamphlet Professors Woodburn and Moran
have brought together a short, pointed discussion of the
leading topics in the State's history. It is intended as a man-
ual for Indiana history work in the seventh and eighth grades.
Most of the teachers of Indiana are acquainted with the
authors' work, as teachers for over a quarter of a century,
and they do not have to be told of their abilities either as
scholars or writers. The pamphlet is illustrated and other-
wise made attractive to young readers. It will be found a
very useful little book in the hands of both teachers and pu-
pils in our schools.

The Great Revival in the West 1797-1805. By Catharine
Cleveland. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago,
pp. 215. Price $1.00.

This is a doctoral dissertation written under the direction
of Profs. J. F. Jamison and William E. Dodd in the History
Seminar of Chicago University. The subject is one of the
most attractive in the whole field of historical study in the
Ohio valley. It is infinitely more important to account for
the moral development of a community than its economical.
It is a relief to find a piece of historical research that is not
concerned entirely with economic conditions. The general
field of Miss Cleveland's investigation is the settlements in
Kentucky and Tennessee from 1797 to 1805. The people are
the Scotch-Irish who had come to America about half a cen-
tury earlier, had crowded to the foothills of the Alleghanies
where they had remained during the Revolution. After that
event they had spent some twenty-five years crossing over
and establishing themselves in Kentucky. Into this frontier
community came a number of powerful preachers belonging
to the Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist churches. For
lack of church buildings they were compelled to hold their
services in the grove and so began the famous camp-meetings.
The revival which began about 1800 lasted with varying in-

Reviews and Notes 283

tensity for about five years. The history of this revival is
the subject of Miss Cleveland's thesis. A list of the chapter
heads will give the reader a better idea of the method of
treatment. They are (1) The Religious Condition of the
West Prior to 1800; (2) The Revival Leaders; Their Teach-
ings and Methods; (3) The Spread of the Revival and its
Culmination; (4) Phenomena of the Revival; (5) Results of
the Revival. The appendices contain about thirty pages of
documentary material. An excellent ten-page bibliography
follows. The study is based on primary sources. The writ-
ing is clear, concrete and simple. The story is so interesting
that it is only necessary to tell it in the simplest way. It is
a neat little volume which can be read after dinner.

Historic Indiana; Centennial Edition Revised and Enlarged;
Illustrated. By Julia Henderson Levering. G. P.
Putnam's Sons, New York, 1916 pp. 565. Price $2.25.

This book has been on the market since 1909 and its con-
tinued popularity indicates its approval by the public. It is
a most difficult book to review. It is neither history, histor-
ical romance, nor yet literature in the narrow sense of that
term, but a well written entertaining, gossipy (in the good
sense of the word) discussion of our State and the Hoosier
folks. It is neither critical nor unduly laudatory of our
achievements. Very few of the facts of our history are given
but the larger movements and tendencies are pointed out and
discussed with an accuracy that proves the author has a good
grip on the State's history. Perhaps the most accurate de-
scription of Historic Indiana is to say it consists of twenty-
two essays on as many phases of the State's history. The
following reference to page four concerning LaSalle will show
how far the book wanders from scientific history: "The emi-
nent historian Parkman tells us, that by the loss of old re-
cords which have disappeared since 1756, we are deprived of
the account of LaSalle's movements during the two years fol-
lowing his departure from Canada on the first mission of ad-
venture. The memorandum that is preserved says that, after
leaving Lake Erie six or seven miles distant he finally came
to a stream which proved to be a branch of the river we call
the Ohio; and that descending it for a long distance he joined

284 Indiana Magazine of History

that river. Some have maintained that he went beyond the
confluence of the Ohio with the Mississippi. As the source
of the Wabash is near the west end of Lake Erie, a voyage
down that river would naturally lead to the discovery of the
Ohio. Doubtless, then, the Wabash country was approached
from Lake Erie and the Maumee river, as this route was fol-
lowed in later journeyings of the French. After crossing the
broad lakes in their slight boats and paddling up the Maumee
to its source, they probably made a short portage of their
canoes and camp luggage to the headwaters of the Wabash
only a few miles distant."

In the next sentence all this is taken for established fact
and the author goes on in her lively style to say, "No incident
could appeal more to the imagination than this advent of
those birch-bark canoes, filled with the denizens of countries
overseas, paddling down the newly-discovered stream whose
rippling waters had flowed for centuries through the vast
forest all undreamed of by white men."

That is a beautiful sentence yet we do not know whether
there was such an incident, whether there were any birch
bark canoes, nor whether they were filled by denizens of any
country. We may presume the "rippling waters", "vast for-
est" but whether "all undreamed of by white men" is an open
question. This is pointed out merely to show that the volume
is not to be tested by the rules of historical criticism. The
passage quoted will also serve to show the literary excellence
of the book.

Such chapters as "The Pioneers", "The Trail", "In the
Forties and Fifties", "Letters and Art in Indiana", "Educa-
tion in Indiana" are real literature. As a readable account
of the development of our State, and an appreciation of the
State and its folks Mrs. Levering has given us perhaps the
best that we have.

L. E.

History of Indiana. By Oscar H. Williams, Assistant Pro-
fessor of Education in Indiana. D. C. Heath & Co.,
1916; pp. 72.

This is a brief history of the state for the use of schools
devoting only a limited amount of time to the subject. It was

Reviews and Notes 285

written for the seventh and eighth grades. Necessarily only
the important topics in the subject are noticed. It is divided
into topics and each chapter has a list of suggestive questions
and it is well illustrated. Professor Williams is a teacher of
experience and it goes without proof that the subject is well
handled in the brief space used. It should be found a most
helpful little book for those teachers of the State who want a
brief manual of the State's history.

The Memorial to the Pioneer Mother of Indiana is the
title of a small, thirty page pamphlet issued by a Ways and
Means Committee of the Pioneer Mother Memorial Associa-
tion and edited by Miss Charity Dye of the Indiana Historical
Commission. It consists of a number of sentiments expressed
by various Indiana authors. Its purpose is to aid in the col-
lection of money to secure some kind of memorial to the pion-
eer mothers of the State. For sale by the W. K. Stewart Co.,
Indianapolis. Price 25 cents.

The Minnesota History Bulletin, May 1916, has a detailed
description of the new Minnesota Historical Society Building
now in process of construction. The State of Minnesota ap-
propriated $500,000 for this building which, when completed,
will hold about 50,000 volumes. The Society paid $75,000 for
the site. It is being built of granite and marble and is to be
dedicated to the pioneers of the State whose historical re-
mains it will house.

The Liberty Express of June 15, 1916, is a Centennial
number. It contains a number of valuable historical articles
by Ellis Searles treating of the schools, agriculture, politics,
statesmen, authors, transportation and various other phases
of the State history. The edition is of 24 pages and printed
in colors and interestingly illustrated.

The Commonwealth Review of the University of Oregon,
the second number of which was issued by the University,
April, 1916, is a quarterly devoted to the discussion of State
government and politics. It is non-political and most of its
articles are written by State officers and members of the

286 Indiana Magazine of History

faculties of colleges. Several attempts at this kind of thing
have been made in Indiana but all have shipwrecked on pol-
itics. The general tone of the Oregon quarterly is not pol-
emic or propagandist, but explanatory and historical. F. G.
Young is editor.

The Mississippi Valley Historical Review for June 1916,
has four important articles. The first by Verner W. Crane is
entitled, "The Tennessee River as the Road to Carolina".
This is a study of early explorations and fur trade. The
second article entitled "Virginia and the West; An Interpre-
tation", is by Professor C. W. Alvord; the third is a discus-
sion of the history of agriculture as a field of study. This is
by Louis B. Schmidt. The fourth and most valuable for
workers in the field of history is "Historical Activities in the
Old Northwest" by Arthur C. Cole.

The Qimrterly of the Oregon Historical Society for March
1916, has a valuable study of the Indians as they were when
the explorers first found them. The writer, Mr. 0. B. Sperlin,
has examined over one hundred records of the first visits of
white men to Indian tribes. His conclusion is quite favorable
to the Indians. Another article is by Harrison C. Dale, in
which he maintains that the noted scout Ramsay Crooks dis-
covered the South Pass long before John C. Fremont did.

m'm^iS4£^fWS?

Indiana Historical Society Publications

CONTENTS OF VOL.. I

Peockedinqb of thb SocniTT, 1830-1886.
Northwest Tbrritobt.

Letter of Nathan Dane concerning the Ordinance of 1787.

Governor Patrick Henry's Secret Letter of Instruction to George Rogers
Clark,
The Uses of Hibtort. By President Andrew Wylle, D. D.
The National Decline of the Miami Indians. By John B. Dillon.
Early History of Indianapolis and Central Indiana. By Nathaniel Bolton.
Joseph G. Marshall. By Prof. John L. Campbell.
Judge John Law. By Charles Denby.
Archaeology of Indiana. By Prof. E. T. Cox.
The Early Settlement of the Miami Country. By Dr. Ezra Ferris.

CONTENTS OF VOL. n
The Laws and Courts of Northwest and Indiana Territories. By Daniel

Walt Howe.
The Life and Services of John B. Dillon. By Gen. John Coburn and Judge

Horace P. Biddle.
The Acquisition of Louisiana. By Judge Thomas M. Cooley.
Loughery's Defeat and Pigeon Roost Massacre. By Charles Martlndale.
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Official Publications of the Territory

AND State of Indiana from 1800 to 1890. By Daniel "Wait Howe.
The Rank of Charles Osborn as an Anti-Slavery Pioneer. By George

W. Julian.
The Man in History. By John Clark Rldpath,
Ouiatanon. By Oscar J. Craig.

Reminiscences of a Journey to Indianapolis in 1836. By C. P. Ferguson.
Life of Ziba Foots. By Samuel Morrison.
"Old Settlers." By Robert P. Duncan.

French Settlements on the Wabash. By Jacob Piatt Dunn.
Slavery PwrriONS and Papers. By Jacob Piatt Dunn.

CONTENTS OF VOL. HI
A History of Early Indianapolis Masonry and of Center Lodge. By Will
E. English.

SIEUR DE VINCBNNES, THH FOUNDER OF INDLANA'S OLDEST TOWN. By Edmond

Mallet
The ExECUTivB Journal of Indiana Territory. Edited and annotated by

William Wesley Woollen, Daniel Wait Howe, and Jacob Piatt Dunn.
The Mission to the Ouabachb. By Jacob Piatt Dunn, pp. 78.
F^TY Years in Pharmacy. By George W. Sloan, pp. ?.7.
Caleb Mills. By Chas. W. Moores, pp. 280.

CONTENTS OF VOL. IV
Diary of Wm. Owek. Edited by Joel W. Hiatt.
The Word "Hoosibr." By Jacob Piatt Dunn.
John Finley. By Mrs. Sarah A. Wrigley.
William Henry Harrison's Administration of Indiana Territ« ry. By

Homer J. Webster, A. M., Ph. M.
Making a Capital in the Wilderness. By Daniel Wait Howe.
Names of Persons Enumerated in Marion County, Indiana, at the Fipth

Census, 1830.
Some Elements of Indiana's Population; or Roads West, and Their Early

Travelers. By W. B. Henry.
Lockerbie's Assessment List of Indianapolis, 1835. Edited by Eliza G.

Browning.
The Scotch-Irish Presbyterians in Monroe County, Indiana. By James

Albert Woodbum.
Indianapolis and the Ctvil War. By John H. Holllday.

CONTENTS OF VOL. V
Lincoln's Body Guard, with Some Personal Recollections of Abraham

Lincoln. By Robert McBrlde.
Internal Improvements in Early Indiana. By Logan Esarey.
The Sultana Disaster. By Joseph Taylor Elliott.
An Indiana Village (New Harmony). By John H. Holllday.
The Pioneers of Morgan County : Memoirs of Noah J. Major. Edited by

Logan Esarey. _ _. . ^ .^^

No. 6. The Life and Services op Gen. Robert S. Foster. By Charles W. Smith.

Uniform volumes, 8vo cloth, uncut, with contlnuoua paging and complete index. The
earlier numbers have been reset In the same style as the later ones and the volumes are
now uniform throughout. Volume |1.60. Number 60c.

THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY

PuhU*her» for the Society INDIANAPOLIS

No.
No.

1.
2.

No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.

No.

No.
No.
No.

No.

No.
No.
No.
No.

10.

No.
No.

11.
12.

No.

No.
No.
No.

5.
6.

No.
No.

1.
2.

No.

No,

No.

No.
No.
No.

No.

2.
3.
4.

A HISTORY OF INDIANA

LOGAN ESAREY, Ph.D.

All in all, Mr. Esarey has made a distinct contribution to the history of
Indiana, and in so doing to the history of the nation.
The American Historical Review ^ October. 1915,

Opinions of the Reviewers:

The work bears the stamp of true scholarship. The author's method of
treatment is topical, and hence this book ought to form a convenient reference
work for the student of American History.

The Catholic Historical Review, October, 1915.

It is perhaps no exaggeration to say that this is the most scholarly and
satisfactory volume on the history of Indiana that has thus far been written.
Iowa Jotirnal of History and Politics, July, 1915.

The statements throughout the book are very clear, the English is good, and
nowhere is there any straining after effect. The aim has been to state the
facts without prejudice or bias, and this has been accomplished to a surpris-
ing degree. The matter presented is well organized.

Professor W. O. Lynch in the Indiana University Ahimni Quarterly, July,
1915.

Mr. Esarey has cultivated a field only partially developed by prior his-
torians. In the portion of his volume which tells the story of the State from
1816-1851, his care and industry and his merits as an historian are conspicu-
ous. In his preparation of it he has rendered a great sei-vice to the State and
his work will be highly appreciated by all who are interested in preserving
its history.

Judge Daniel Wait Howe, president of Indiana Historical Society, in the
Indiana Magazine of History, June, 1915.

Mr. Bsarey's volume is one of the best examples of State history as it
ought to be written.

The Nation, October 21, 1915.

As one of the best discussions of the subject we have ever read, we espe-
cially recommend the chapter entitled, "Pioneers and Their Social Life.' This
is a plain, dignified, matter-of-fact account of early life and conditions in
Indiana, free from speculation and theory, and, on that account, doubly valuable.
However, as much could be said of other chapters of the work. It is, in short,
admirable from beginning to end — so commendable, in fact, that the reader
is led to hopQ that the author will prepare a companion volume and treat of
Indiana's history from 1850 onward.

The Indianapolis News, March 22, 1915.

While Professor Esarey gives due attention to wars and politics and
governments, he fully describes the life of the people, their habits, customs and
social institutions. The book is admirable throughout. It is highly creditable
to the author, the university and the State.

PYom the Evansville Courier, April 21, 1915.

Dr. Esarey's volume is a distinct addition to the history of the State, and
it is fortunate that the work was in the hands of a real investigator. The
volume brings the history to the) adoption of the present Constitution in 1851,
and it is to be hoped that the author will soon give us one or more volumes
that will complete the history to the present time.

Bloomington World, April 29, 1915.

Price $3.00, postpaid.

Address all communications to LOGAN ESAREY, Bloom-
ington, Indiana.

Vol. XII DECEMBER, 1916 No. 4

I ND I AN A
MAGAZINE
OF HISTORY

CONTENTS

Page

Monroe County in the Mexican War,__-H. C. Duncan 287

DEVEl!bPMENT OF THE CiTY SCHOOL SYSTEM OF INDIANA

(concluded) ^ : Harold LitteU 299

Social Effects of the Monon Railway in Indiana. _

^^_^^ _ John Poucher 326

Catholic Education in Indiana Elizabeth Denehie 337

Grand Prairie. Harmonical Institute tian^j Evans 351

Reviews and Notes 353

Published Quarterly

SUBSCRIPTION PRICE, $2.00 PER Y:gAR SINGLE COPY, 50 CKMTS

Entered aa second-class matter September 16, 1913, at the postofflo* at
Bloomington, Indiana, under the Xct of March 3, 1879.

DIANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Organized December 11, 1830

"The objects of this society shall be the collection and
preservation of all materials calculated to shed light on the
natural, civil, and political history of Indiana."

This society was organized by the leading men of our State.
The following were the first officers :

The society has never had a building to house its collec-
tions nor adequate funds to publish its papers. Its member-
ship fee has been one dollar per year until quite recently when
it was raised to two. One dollar of this fee goes to the Indiana
Magazine of History which is sent free to all members. A
small donation is made annually by the State. It has never
received but one gift or endowment. This was made by Hon.
William H. EngHsh, its former president and one of the distin-
guished historians of the State.

The Society should have an income of $5,000 per year.
Indiana has at least 5,000 men and women who are interested
in the State's history; and it is thought that if the matter
were brought to their attention they would help in the work.
The membership fee is not a gift. The Society sends its pub-
lications free to its members. These will cost on an average
$1 per year. It also sends the Indiana Magazine of History, of
which it is a joint publisher, free. The price of the Magazine
itself is the same as the entire membership fee.

For further information address

CHARLES E. COFFIN, Secretary,
Star Building, Indianapolis ; or
INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY,

Bloomington, Indiana.

INDIANA MAGAZINE OF HISTORY

published quarterly by
The Department of History of Indiana University

AVITH the cooperation OP

The Indiana Historical Society The Indiana State Library

BOARD OF EDITORS

James A. Woodburn, Ph.D., Professor of American History and
Politics, Indiana University

Samuel B. Harding, Ph.D., Professor of European History, In-
diana University

George S. Cottman, Former Editor, Indianapolis

Christopher B. Coleman, Ph.D., Professor of History, Butler
College

William O. Lynch, A.M., Professor of History, Indiana State
Normal School

Harlow Lindley, A.M., State Archivist, Professor of History,
Earlham College

Jacob P. Dunn, LL.B., Secretary Indiana Historical Society

Demarciius C. Brown, A.M., State Librarian

Logan Esarey, Ph.D., Managing Editor,
Instructor in Western History, Indiana University

Subscription Price, $2.00 per year. Single Number, 50 Cents.

Address all communications to the Managing Editor, Bloomington, Ind.

INDIANA
MAGAZINE OF HISTORY

Vol. XII DECEMBER, 1916 No. 4

Monroe County in the Mexican War

By H. C. Duncan

This paper will not discuss the war with Mexico, the
cause of the war, its campaigns and results. That is all
history and can be found in the many histories of that short
but decisive conflict.

By reason of pressing demands on my time I have not
been able to give the subject the time and attention I desired
and its importance demanded. I was compelled to depend
largely upon the memories of persons then living in which
two persons rarely agreed. Time had either obliterated the
early impressions or had left them so blurred that the infor-
mation sought was at least of doubtful authenticity. With-
in the past few years General Oran Perry, a late adjutant
general of the State, has compiled a work on Indiana in the
Mexican War which has the general orders, proclamations,
etc., of the governor and adjutant general of the State cov-
ering that period, together with extracts from the news-
papers of the time, giving copies of private letters written
from the front to individuals and published in the papers,
and from letters written to the papers, but nearly all of
these were local, referring only to the particular com-
pany and concluding with lengthy contemporaneous letters
discussing the conduct of the Second Indiana Regiment at
the battle of Buena Vista. It has also the roster of the five

' Read before the Monroe County Historical Society, Jan. 13, 1911. Judge
Duncan died Jan. .30, 1911. See Indiana IMagazine of History VII, 31.

288 Indiana Magazine of History

regiments furnished by Indiana to the Mexican War, to-
gether with the mounted riflemen. There is but little in
these except to show the time of muster in and out, deaths,
discharges and desertions, and nothing showing the resi-
dence of the individual soldier.^ In fact, the opportunities
for getting information with reference to the particular part
played by Monroe county men in that campaign with all it
accomplished, with what it added in wealth and numbers
to United States, are indeed meagre. At that time the spe-
cial correspondent had not been discovered, the modern news-
paper had not been developed and there is nothing to which
we can go except the ill-kept records and the memories of
old people. The former is never of interest, the latter un-
certain.

On May 13, 1846, President Polk approved the Act of
Congress declaring war with Mexico and calling for 50,000
volunteers to serve for one year, or during the war, and
appropriating $10,000,000 for defraying its expenses. On
May 16, 1846, the secretary of war called on the governor
of Indiana for three regiments of infantry or riflemen, prac-
tically 3,000 men, as its quota. On the 22nd of May Governor
James Whitcomb issued his proclamation calling for com-
panies to be raised, each company to report its organization
to him as soon as filled and the officers selected, to march to
New Albany preparatory to organizing into regiments and
to moving on to Mexico, saying the communication from
Washington, calling for the volunteers was dated "the 16th
and was received late last evening." This you will see was
before the days of telegraph or fast mail and required five
days to reach Indianapolis from Washington, and then got
there "late in the evening."

The order of the adjutant general, accompanying the
governor's message goes into very great details of the organ-
ization of the troops. It limited each company to eighty
privates, four corporals, four sergeants, two lieutenants and
one captain. It did not authorize anyone to raise a company,
but promised that after a company was filled there should
be an election for all of the officers from captain down which

- It would be a valuable contribution to State History if some competent
person in each county which sent soldiers to the Mexican War would do what
the author has done in this paper. — Ed.

Duncan: Monroe County in Mexican War 289

should be certified to the governor who would issue com-
missions to the commissioned officers.

At that time Indiana was without any military organiza-
tion. There had been no war since that of 1812. The coun-
try was new, everybody was engaged in subduing the wilder-
ness and in other peaceful pursuits. Peace reigned through-
out the country. The old days of militia muster had passecf
and there was no military establishment from which to draw
or around which the military spirit could concentrate. So
far as Indiana was concerned the military organization must
be built from the ground up. As soon as the governor's
proclamation calling for troops was received at Bloomington,
recruiting began. Lieutenant Governor Paris Dunning, James
S. Hester, Willis A. Gorman and John M. Sluss all had mili-
tary aspirations and entered into the work of recruiting with
energy and enthusiasm. By the 15th of June the full com-
pany had been recruited ; an election of officers was held and
John M. Sluss was elected captain, John Eller, first lieuten-
ant; Aquiila Rogers, second lieutenant, and Thomas Rogers,
third leiutenant. The regulation made no provision for a
third lieutenant, but nearly all the companies elected one
and I have not been able to learn their duties or what be-
came of them. The company was recruited and organized,
reported to the governor and commissions received, and the
company was ready to march in twenty-four days from the
time the governor's proclamation was issued. When it is
considered there was no telegraph nor telephone, that mail
came only by stage which took a whole day from Blooming-
ton to Indianapolis ; that the stage made only about two trips
a week, it will be understood that the company was recruited
and organized in a remarkably short space of time. On the
15th of June, 1846, the company started to the front. While
the company was being recruited the ladies of Bloomington
bought the silk and with their own hands made a flag for
presentation. This was presented to the company by Miss
Sarah E. Markle, late the wife of our honored and esteemed
fellow-townsman, William F. Browning. Fortunately the
speech of presentation has been preserved and is as follows :

"Gentlemen of the Monroe Guards : On behalf of the ladies of Mon-
roe County, I present to you this flag, and with it their warmest applause

290 Indiana Magazine of History

for the choice you have made. You are about to sacrifice the comforts to
which you have been accustomed, to imdergo and endure the privations
of a soldiers' life, and to exchange your peaceful and happy homes with
their cheerful firesides for the field of battle and camp life. Yet in this
there is no cause for regret. You make the sacrifice not at the call of a
(lesijot nor to satisfy a criminal ambition, but in the name of that beloved
liberty which is dearer to you and to us than life. Your choice is that of
liatriotie, brave men, and as such we honor it and you. And while you are
fighting the battles of our beloved country for liberty, thereby endanger-
ing your lives, we shall wait with impatience for the glad tidings of your
welfare and success. A portion of the glory achieved by you will be re-
flected upon the thousands who are here today to say goodbye and to bid
you Godspeed and to pledge you our prayers and good wishes for the
glorious triumph of this flag and of our country.

"Take this flag as the emblem of liberty and union and may its
l)resence ever be the true emblem of the downfall of the enemies of
American freedom."

It is not certain just where the presentation took place.
One who was present says that it was in front of the Butler
Corner, now the Bowles Hotel. Another who was also pres-
ent, says that it was on the common just east of the Chris-
tian church. Mr. Markle, the father of Miss Markle, lived
in the two story, hewed log house in which Elias Able died,
at the southeast corner of Rogers and Seventh streets. The
depaii:ure of this company was a sad day for Bloomington.
Many of the best young men were going to a foreign land,
to an inhospitable climate, to endure the hardships of a mili-
tary campaign. They were to go to New Albany where they
would be organized in regiments. There was no railroad and
the farmers of the community gave a lift with wagons and
teams. Our old friend, Esquire William L. Adams, was
then a young man of seventeen and at the time was working
for Isaac Buskirk, who lived near Mt. Gilead church on the
Unionville road. He had two boys in the company and sent a
wagon which Esquire Adams drove. John Whisenand, Isaac
Whisenand, James Storms, David Rader and Joseph Dear-
man all sent wagons. The line of march was down Walnut
street on to the Salem road, past Fairfax, where the com-
pany camped the first night, on through Heltonsville, Lees-
ville and Salem to New Albany which was reached on the
third day. The company went into camp there and became
Company A of the Third regiment, commanded by Colonel

Duncan: Monroe County in Mexican War 291

James H. Lane of Lawrenceburg, afterwards a major gen-
eral in the Civil War and a United States senator from the
State of Kansas. At that time the science of war had not
advanced to its present efficiency. The volunteer army of
this State was organized on a decidedly democratic basis.
Both the field and line officers were elected by the men of
the regiment, the staff officers were appointed by the Presi-
dent and the non-commissioned staff by the colonel of the
regiment. While the company was the actual unit in the
Mexican war, it was designated by name. Each company
had a name and carried it with it into history. The men
were not knov\^n as members of a regiment or brigade, but
of a certain named company. Thus Captain Sluss's company
was the "Monroe Guards," the company from Lawrence
county, the "Lawrence Grays," the Brown county company,
"Brown County Blues," the Greene county company, "Greene
County Volunteers," etc.

The men furnished their own clothing, although subse-
quently they were reimbursed by the government. This com-
pany got its uniforms at New Albany, which consisted of a
gray cashmere sack coat with black velvet stripes up the
front, pants of the same material with black velvet stripes
up the legs, broad brim, gray hat with the brim turned up at
the side. By an order from the ordinance office at Wash-
ington, the Indiana troops were to be supplied at Baton
Rouge with musketry and accoutrements, forty cartridges and
two flints for each musket. The old muskets issued were
pretty crude. They were smooth bored with flint locks and
muzzle loaders. The cartridges were hand made and con-
sisted of one large ball and three buck shot.

Of course there was great enthusiasm manifested during
the organization of the company. The military spirit was
thoroughly aroused. A desire to march into the enemy's
country and to resent the insults to the flag were manifested
on all sides. Some of the volunteers in their fiery zeal while
on the streets of Bloomington delighted to shoot down imag-
inary Mexicans who might be straying into the interior.
Two of these blood-thirsty ones, who delighted in this harm-
less but appalling pastime, after marching to New Albany
and seeing the probabilities of war, remembered the helpless

292 Indiana Magazine of History

condition of loved ones at home, cried and begged so piteously
to be returned that Captain Sluss permitted them to go.

This company was mustered into the United States serv-
ice by Colonel Churchill of the regular army on June 22,
1846, and on the 8th or 9th of July took a steamboat for New
Orleans, where it landed on the battlefield just below the
city on the 15th, and was immediately transferred to ocean
vessels and started to Point Isabella at the mouth of the
Rio Grande, at which point the boat arrived in three days,
when a storm came up which blew the vessel out to sea
where it remained eight days, buffeting the waves. Nearly
everybody on board suffered from sea-sickness, but the vessel
finally landed in safety, I have not been able to get the name
of this ship. The regiment was in Taylor's army, partici-
pated in the battle of Buena Vista and companies A and B
under the direct command of Major Gorman brought on and
closed the battle.

After the expiration of its term of enlistment the com-
pany came home by steamboat to Madison, then by the old
Madison and Indianapolis road to Columbus and from there
marched to Bloomington. On its return a big barbecue was
given in Dunn's Woods, now the College Campus. Speeches
were made. Every man was made a hero and a general
glorious time was had. Long trenches were dug in which
great quantities of wood were placed which was fired. Cat-
tle and sheep, furnished by the farmers of the community,
were butchered and barbecued over the roasting coals.

The members of this company were: John M. Sluss
captain, Henry R. Seall first Jieutenant, Allen Crocker
second lieutenant, Isaac S. Buskirk first sergeant, William C.
Foster sergeant, James Frits sergeant, Edward J. Pullen ser-
geant, Robert K. Nelson corporal, Daniel Iseminger corporal,
Dudley Rogers corporal, Richard Radcliff corporal, William
B. Crocker musician, E. F. Harney musician. Privates :
Owen Adkins, Oliver Adkins, John M. Armstrong, W. G.
Applegate, Benjamin Bruner, William Boyd, William Camp-
bell, James A. Dale, James I. Davis, Christopher C. Fleener,
Garlin F. Fleener, James Fleener, John B. Givens, Robert W.
Graham, William H. Harvey, Adam Hunter, William L. Har-
desty, Samuel G. Jamison, William Johnson, John Knight, John

Duncan: Monroe County in Mexican War- 293

B. Langewell, Thomas Langewell, Isaac S. Leabo, James Little,
William Lamkins, William J. Lake, John Martin, Elijah Mor-
gan, Thomas McNaught, Trayless Mize, James Matlock, John
Nuckles, John Osborne, Joseph W. Pullen, John Phillips, Wil-
liam Rowe, Addison C. Smith, Sylvester Stongar, Strother
Stongar, Robert Strong, Leonidas P. Skirvin, Simpson S.
Skirvin, John H. Strain, L. R, Thompson, Austin Truit,
Samuel S. Taylor, Solon O. Whitson, Numa M. Whitson,
Richard G. Walker, Morris L. Baker, George A. Buskirk.
Privates discharged: Joseph Thomas, Solomon Langewell,
Solomon May, John A. Dale, William McPhetridge, Phillip H.
Smith, William Cox, Samuel Sexton,

In the organization there was considerable rivalry for
position. Governor Dunning, Captain John M. Sluss, Colonel
James S. Hester and Captain Frank Ottwell all wanted to
be captain. Sluss was elected. Governor Dunning got an
appointment as sutler and none of the others went. Willis
A. Gorman was a popular young Democratic politician, who
had been a member of the legislature, enlisted among the
first, was accused of military aspirations which he denied,
took the position of orderly sergeant and in the organization
of the regiment was elected major. He served with great
distinction, before the expiration of his term came home and
was elected colonel of the Fourth regiment. He afterwards
was elected to Congress, was appointed governor of Minne-
sota territory by President Buchanan, was colonel of the First
Minnesota regiment in the Civil War and got to be a brigadier
general.

Captain John M. Sluss was a large man, a Kentuckian,
who had moved here from the Blue Grass part of the State,
was an exceedingly popular man, returned and lived to a
good old age, honored and respected by everybody as an
honest, conscientious. Christian gentleman and a good sol-
dier.

Lieutenant John Eller was a brother of Henry and George
Eller, and an uncle of John T. Eller, a very popular man and
sheriff of the county at the time he enlisted. He died October
4, 1846. The boat on which his body was being brought home
sank in the Mississippi river July 29, 1847, just below Baton
Rouge and his body was never recovered, Henry R. Seal

294 Indiana Magazine of History

was promoted to first lieutenant from the ranks. He was
subsequently a merchant at Ellettsville. Aquilla Rogers was
a second lieutenant but resigned. Thomas Rogers was pro-
moted from third lieutenant, died May, 1847, and Allen
Crocker was promoted to second lieutenant.

A great, many of this company subsequently acquired
considerable distinction both in military and civil life. Isaac
Buskirk, who succeeded Colonel Gorman as orderly sergeant,
was a captain in the Tenth Indiana cavalry. Edward J.
Pullen, a duty sergeant, was a colonel in the Confederate
army. Daniel Iseminger, a corporal, was a captain in an
Iowa regiment and was killed at the Battle of Shiloh in com-
mand of the regiment.

Private John M. Armstrong was a captain of Company K
of the Fourteenth Indiana and served during the Civil War.
James I. Davis, a private, was the first man wounded at the
Battle of Buena Vista. He lived south of town near Smith-
ville and was the father of Mrs. John P. Foster and died
within the last few years. Private E. E. Heney was a colonel
of an Iowa regiment in the Civil War. Private Thomas Mc-
Naught was colonel of the Fifty-ninth Indiana in the Civil
War, was breveted brigadier general and now lives in Spen-
cer, a hale and hearty octogenarian. Austin Truitt at the
Battle of Buena Vista, tore the flag which had been presented
to the company by Miss Markle, from the staff, stuffed it in
his bosom and carried it back seven miles to Saltillo. George
A. Buskirk was a prominent man in this community, was
common pleas judge, state agent, member of the legislature,
founded the First National Bank of Bloomington, acquired
the greatest fortune of any man in the county at that time
and died at the age of forty-five. Private Morris L. Baker
was captain of Company A of the Third Iowa cavalry in the
Civil War, serving over two years. At the Battle of Pea
Ridge in Arkansas he was ordered to charge with his own
and another company, went into ambush by which his com-
mand suffered terribly. Captain Baker and General Mc-
Naught are the only living members of the Monroe Guards,
who left Bloomington for Mexico on June 15, 1846. John
Service, Israel Winkler, Robert Black, John Turner, Lieut.
John Eller, John Moore, Robert A. Givens, Benjamin Adkins,

Duncan: Monroe County in Mexican War 295

Lieut. Thomas Rogers, and Randolph Sloan died of disease,
William B. Holland, James M. Buskirk and David I, Stout
were killed at the Battle of Buena Vista.

On the 19th of April, 1847, the secretary of war called
for additional volunteers "to serve during the War with
Mexico unless sooner discharged," of which one regiment
was assigned to Indiana. On the 24th of the same month
Governor Whitcomb issued his call "to the brave, enterpris-
ing and patriotic citizens of our State to respond to the call."
By instructions of the adjutant general the companies, as
soon as organized were to report to "Old Fort Clark" near
Jeffersonville. Immediately upon receipt of the governor's
call the organization of another company was begun in this
county which was completed and reported to the governor
on May 30, 1847. The company was named the "Rough and
Ready Guards," was officered by Captain Daniel Lunderman,
William McPhetridge, first lieutenant, Barton Acuff and
Thomas A. Reynolds, second lieutenants, and became Company
G of the Fourth Indiana, commanded by Colonel Willis A. Gor-
man. I can find very little of the details of the organization
of this company. It was presented with a flag by the ladies
of Bloomington, but who made the presentation speech, I am
unable to say. The company, after being organized, marched
to Columbus, took a train there to Madison and presumably
went from there by boat to Jeffersonville. On the 28th of
June, 1847, the Fourth Indiana left Jeffersonville for New
Orleans on three steamboats. Captain Lunderman's company
going on the steamboat "Franklin." The regiment went from
New Orleans to the mouth of the Rio Grande and was a part
of General Scott's army and with him went to the City of
Mexico. The regiment returned to Madison, was mustered
out July 16, 1848, came by rail to Columbus and then marched
home on foot. A list of the men in this company is as fol-
lows: Daniel Lunderman captain, William McPhetridge first
lieutenant, Barton Acuff second lieutenant, Thomas A. Rey-
nolds second lieutenant, David Skillman first sergeant, James
Eson sergeant, Charles G. Corr sergeant, Archibald F, Ump-
staddt sergeant, Truman Buckles corporal, Henry Baugh
corporal, John W. Day corporal, John Sullivan corporal, Co-
lumbus C. Mershon drummer, Robert Laudrum fifer. Pri-

296 Indiana Magazine of History

vates: Edward Armstrong, George Armstrong, Henry A.
Bailey, Jackson Bales, James Bales, Stephen Bales, John
Baugh, James Bean, George H. Butler, Morgan Carter, John
Chaffee, Lewis Crarey, Robert Daniels, James R. Dearmin,
Joel Deckard, Jonas Devenport, Jesse Elsett, John A. Garrett,
John Glessner, Abraham Goodnight, Elijah Havvons, Silas B.
Hovions, William Hovions, Valentine Heans, William Hunt,
Daniel Jacobs, John Jones, Wiley Jackson, Stephen Lindley,
George Marshall, William Mattock, John McWaught, Andrew
J. Mefford, John Miller, Alexander Moberly, Thomas Pickle,
James Richardson, Young I. Robinson, Harmon I. Rockett,
Hamilton Slough, Daniel Spencer, Lawson Summitt, George
Smith, Caleb H. Stone, James Thompson, William H. Virt,
James M. York, David Wooster, John McClure, Samuel Bon-
sall, C. S. Chipman, John Neal, Jonathan Bruison, Benjamin
F. Welts.

No man of this company was killed in battle although
several died of disease. The deaths were William Dawson,
Isaac Peterson, William Blair, Hiram Carter, Solomon M.
Grunt, Joel Hancock and Henry B. Wilson.

Captain Lunderman was a brother-in-law of Colonel Gor-
man. Both married daughters of Ellis Stone, a pioneer of
Monroe county, who lived in a brick house just south of the
Indianapolis Southern Railroad about two miles west of the
city. He there owned a large body of land and raised a
large family. Caleb H. Stone, a private of Lunderman's com-
pany, was a son of Ellis Stone and a brother-in-law of both
Colonel Gorman and Captain Lunderman. In the early fifties
Captain Lunderman took a body of men from this vicinity
and went overland to California, taking with him a drove
of cattle. He was a captain of the Twenty-second Indiana
regiment in the Civil War, for years a justice of the peace in
this city, living on College avenue just north of Third street.

William McPhetridge, first lieutenant, had been a private
in Captain Sluss's company, was discharged, came home and
assisted Lunderman in raising his company. Barton AcufF
lived and died in Ellettsville. Charles G. Corr, a duty ser-
geant, was for a long time a prominent citizen of Washington
township and lived and died a few years ago in this city.
George H. Butler, a private, was a captain in the Civil War.

Duncan: Monroe County in Mexican War 297

I have not been able to learn of a single man of this com-
pany now living. After making very exhaustive investiga-
tion and making many inquiries of the old citizens, I have
been unable to learn anything with reference to the circum-
stances of the organization or anything pertaining to the
company, except what I find in print.

In the spring of 1847 Congress authorized the organiza-
tion of the 16th Regulars which was almost wholly recruited
in this State and in Kentucky. It was largely a political
organization commanded and officered almost wholly by Demo-
cratic adherents of President Polk's administration. Com-
pany D was recruited largely from this county. James
Hughes, afterwards judge of the circuit court, a member of
Congress, a judge of the court of claims, and an all around
Democratic politician, was first lieutenant, and the officer
who did most of the recruiting. Colonel Richard Owen after-
wards colonel of the Sixtieth Indiana and from 1863 to 1879
a professor in the State University, was captain of the com-
pany. While the company was being recruited, the men
boarded at "Bob Farmers" on the south side of the Public
Square where the Allen Block now stands. At one time in
order to stimulate recruiting Judge Hughes marched the men
to Finley's Mill in Brown county, where they remained about
ten days being boarded by the farmers in that locality. The
men would be formed in a line, the flag unfurled, the drum
beat, the fife played, the men marched and counter-marched,
but the military spirit was not rampant and but few recruits
were obtained in that locality.

The company was filled in about a month, was marched
to Columbus, then taken by rail to Madison, then by a boat
to Newport, Kentucky, where on May 12, 1847, they started
to Mexico, going by boat to New Orleans, then by sailing
vessel to the mouth of the Rio Grande and by boat from there
to Monterey. Their campaigning was not hard, the most of
the time being on detached duty, guarding prisoners. They
returned home August 12, 1848. I have not been able to get
a list of the men in this command. I have been able to get
the names of the following, who, nearly all, lived in Salt
Creek and Polk townships: Coleman A. Carter, Jack Wam-
pler, Silas D. Chandler, Robert Rutherford, William Ruther-

298 Indiana Magazine of History

ford, Elisha Maples, Benjamin McFarland, Calvin McFar-
land, Noah Cox, Hiram T. Sherrall, Solomon C. Payne and
Jesse Devers ; the last was drowned in the Rio Grande. Solo-
mon C. Payne of Paynetown and Hiram T. Sherrall of Bloom-
ington, both veterans of the Civil War, are the only members
belonging to that company now known to be living. Dr. Jerry
Wooden of Gosport was in the same regiment but in another
company.

Of almost three hundred men who went from Monroe
county to the Mexican War, I now know of but five men liv-
ing. General McNaught, Captain M. L. Baker, Solomon C.
Payne, Hiram T. Sherrall and Granville Jackson.

To me it is sad that these men who left their homes and
their firesides to go into a foreign country to an inhospitable
climate, to the burning sands of the Rio Grande and Mexico
to fight the battles of their country, to maintain the dignity
of their flag, whose bravery, sufferings, and fortitude added
so much to the material wealth of the country, who by their
valor and patriotism added an empire, should almost wholly
be forgotten. What would this country have been without
the eff"ects of the Mexican War? Gold taken in a single year
from the territory acquired by this conflict would many times
pay the expense of the short and decisive campaigns.

It cannot be charged to these men that they went with a
mercenary spirit. Their compensation was $7.00 per month.
At the time of enlistment they were required to furnish their
own clothing with the promise that it would subsequently
be repaid. Much has been written of the glories and achieve-
ments of the soldiers in the War with Mexico. O'Harra, a
Mexican soldier from Kentucky, wrote the immortal lines
which will be found in enduring form in every national ceme-
teiy throughout the Union:

On fame's eterual battlefield

Their silent tents are spread,
While glory guards with solemn round

The bivouac of the dead.

Development of the City School System of
Indiana— 1851-1880 (Concluded)

By Harold Littell, A.B., Logansport, Ind.

The Problem of Grading

Primarily the thing which differentiated a majority of
the city or town systems of schools from the rural schools
was that the former were graded while the latter were not.
Although all advantages existed in grading pupils, and there
was no argument against it, yet this system, in several places,
had its struggle along with the other phases of educational
development. People looked upon it as a fad; they would
not hear to such a thing being instituted in their buildings.
Another class considered it expensive. Where two or three
teachers had previously handled eighty or ninety pupils with-
out gradation, it would take six or eight teachers to handle
the same number after they were classified. The first objec-
tion was easy to overcome. It was only a question of educat-
ing the people up to it. The second was a more diffcult
problem, the solving of which took time. Many places de-
sired graded schools long before they were able to finance
them.

The nongraded school, which has been referred to several
times, needs but a word of explanation. In such a school
was usually, though not always, but one or perhaps two
teachers. The rooms contained all classes of pupils, from the
entering age of six, or even lower, to those who had passed
twenty-one. There was no division line that marked one
grade from another, the big boys and girls going into the
class which suited their size and age. In some cases, the
parent dictated the class to which his child should belong
by sending the latter to school with a book and telling the
teacher to let his child use it. This was done regardless of
whether the child could master it or not. It was the way of
promotion. The school situation presented a problem which
the teacher had to work out the best he could vdth the mate-

300 Indiana Magazine of History

rial he had to work with. As a rule very little was done. A
child on leaving school at the end of the year did not know
where he would belong the following year. A change of
teachers might demote him or promote him, just as the teacher
felt about the matter. If a teacher was sufficiently well edu-
cated to draw any line of distinction between his pupils on
that basis, the subject considered first of all was "figuring."
The power to use numbers was considered about all that was
worth while among the patrons.

In schools of earlier origin, the instruction was given to
each individual separately. Usually there were as many text
books as pupils, if each was fortunate enough to own one.
Spelling was given out to all the school at the same time,
standing in a row, but the words were selected to suit the
ability of the child.

Such schools were largely dominated by the influential
patrons, whose children, as a rule, received most of the teach-
er's attention, and consequently progressed fairly well. The
others had to get along the best way they could.

In Salem, in 1857, a school was organized under H. D.
Wilson. This school was not graded, and there was no pros-
pect of the inauguration of such a system. A majority of
the people strongly oposed it. At Muncie, the same year,
conditions were even worse. There were two public schools
in the city, both failures, not on account of any fault of the
teachers, but because all the children in the town, of every
grade, were crowded into the small school houses, rendering
it impossible for any teacher to effect an organization that
would work to advantage.

As late as 1867, Crawfordsville, with two school buildings,
had not yet instituted the graded system. It was during the
fall of that year that the trustees decided to place their
schools on that basis. In the same year, the following report
came from Bluffton :

"The schools of this place have never been grailetl. the citizens claim-
ing the inestimable right to send to the school which they prefer. As a
consequence of this there are as many separate schools as houses, namely,
three."

In Rochester (1867) with two hundred and fifty pupils
the schools had not yet been graded. It was during that year

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 301

that the trustees, examiners, and patrons, after a consulta-
tion, decided to introduce the system the following year.
Logansport, in 1867, was another city which had as many
separate schools as it had houses. Each was independent of
the other, and no system of grading was maintained any-
where. Two years later (1869) the schools were all graded
and put in a systematic form. Worthington, in 1870, had
not yet been incorporated, hence a town school system had
not been instituted. The citizens began a movement that
year to incorporate, whereby they might be able to levy a
local school tax and organize a graded school system. In
the same year (1870) Washington still contented herself
with ungraded schools. At that time there were three separ-
ate schools working individually and without any system.
These drew on the public funds while they lasted, then for
the remainder of the year were supported by a few patrons.
Tipton made a start toward gradation in 1870. A movement
was started all at once for the betterment of educational con-
ditions in that place. Special taxation, a graded system of
schools, uniform textbooks all over the city, and a new school
building, all marked a change for the better, Lebanon, in
1872, had not yet perfected a graded system. Sullivan, in the
same year, made provisions for gradation by building a fine
school building. It had to do this in order to cope with its
neighbors, Carlisle and Paxton, in the same county, where
there were good graded schools. Danville (1872) had a very
poor system of schools. There was no careful grading and
no supervision. These latter usually went hand in hand. Up
to 1874, Jeffersonville had a very imperfect system of grad-
ing in its schools. An attempt was made to separate the
sexes, from the lowest grade up to the high school. In so
doing two or three grades of boys, with two teachers, were
in one room, and in another room were duplicated grades of
girls. This worked very badly. In 1874 this custom was
abolished, and new ones set up as follows: (1) All pupils
were to be graded according to age and advancement, regard-
less of sex. (2) One grade to each room, (3) One teacher
to a grade. Considerable opposition was manifested by the
parents, especially in regard to the mixing of sexes, but they
soon became perfectly satisfied with the new system. At

302 Indiana Magazine of History

Winchester, in 1873, each teacher had from two to three
grades. The superintendent, Mr. Ault, did his best to keep
the work systematic, and was supported by an earnest corps
of teachers. He laid out the month's work for each teacher,
and required much oral work done in the primary grades.

It is seen that in some sections of the State graded schools
were several years getting a start. Lack of funds, as has
just been pointed out, was the principal reason. Yet, al-
though this condition existed in many places, there were
numerous cities and towns which got their schools graded in
a very short time after their organization. Such cities had
profited by the experience of the private, individual schools
before the law gave them the power to establish public insti-
tutions. In such places, too, the superintendent was a man
of experience and knew the advantages to be gained from a
centralized, graded system of schools. In fact this was his
business.

At Evansville, as early as 1856, the schools were graded
closely. The chain of gradation extended from the primary
to the high school. At that time the schools were classified
into four grades, high school, grammar, intermediate, and
primary. By 1860, with the erection of a large building, the
system was still further extended. Lafayette, in 1856, had
a similar system of gradation, the primary, secondary, inter-
mediate, and grammar departments constituting their com-
plete cycle at that time. Richmond, under the superintend-
ency of J. Hurty, had, by 1856, a good graded system of
schools, although the buildings were crowded. As early as
that date the school board hired no teacher who had not had
some professional training. The schools were all classified
and graded, and a careful system of discipline and instruc-
tion was maintained.

By 1857 the schools of Indianapolis had assumed a place
among the best in the State. The grading was as perfect
as the time would permit, and the course of study laid down
in each department was pursued to the letter. Superintend-
ent George B. Stone devoted almost his entire time to the
matter of supervising his teachers. The people were proud
of their graded system. There were five departments, pri-
mary, secondary, intermediate, grammar, and high school.
Shelbyville, in 1859, had a unique system of gradation in its

Littell: Developynent of Indiana School System 303

schools. Superintendent W. T. Hatch gave out the following
statement in February of that year :

"Our Grjimiuar School has just closed its tirst session for 1858-59.
We have had on our register over 400 pupils iu the English department,
which consists of seven grades, and about .50 pupils in the German depart-
ment under a native German teacher. Over 50, also, of our English pupils
have been studying German. Our school is in a more tiourishing condi-
tion now than ever before."

By 1862, Muncie, under the leadership of Superintendent
Richards, had its schools systematically graded. The State
superintendent at that time reported the schools among the
best arranged in the State. Fort Wayne, in 1866, had 2,050
pupils enrolled in its schools. They were classified under the
head of primary, secondary, intermediate, grammar, and
high school. The following table taken from the city superin-
tendent's report for December, 1865, will give an idea of the
systematic arrangement of grades maintained:

Schools Number Average Daily Number of
West Division-
Grammar

Intermediate

Senior Secondary

•Junior Secondary

Senior Primary

Junior Primary

Boys' Primary 134

Girls' Primary 111

East Division —

Grammar

Intermediate

Senior Secondary

•Junior Secondary 103

Boys' Primary

Girls' Primary

Another table from the same school gives one further
evidence that they kept relatively close watch over the sub-
jects themselves. Numbers engaged in the various studies
were reported as follows :

Reading 1580 Geography 809

Spelling 1426 Grammar 158

Writing 1426 Drawing 16

Arithmetic 917 Composition 587

Dec-la mations, 1747 (included High School).

Enrolled

Attendance

Seats

S.3

1^»2

.54

105

134

111

. 103

. 116

102

304

Indiana Magazine of History

Attica, in 1872, had developed a system of gradation. The
children of the first and second primary grades had their
work so arranged that they were kept in school but three
hours daily. This is quite in harmony with the plan of today,
1912. Elkhart, in 1871, had a very good system of organized
schools. The grades below the high school were divided into
two classes of four grades each. Grammar, A, B, C, and D ;
primary, A, B, C, and D. The system of grading at Cam-
bridge City in 1874 marked another deviation from those al-
ready given. The course of study for the schools of this city
comprised nine grades, exclusive of a three-year course in the
high school. This was a year more than the other cities al-
lotted to grade work.

In order to get an idea of what the cities did in develop-
ing their systems, the following table is given for 1871. The
data is for the month of September of that year :

Number

Aver;ijie I'er Number Neitlier

No. Average Daily t-ent. of Cases Tardy

Num1)er Days No. Be- Attend- Attend- of Tar- Nor

Name Enrolled School longing ance ahce diness Absent

Indianapolis __-5ao0* 18 4S74 4001 02.2 G13 2751

Muucie «.j2 -- 5S5 olO S8.T ___ 127

Kiclimond l.")4 IXi 1.391 1315 04. 170 509

Seymour 404 20 408 370 02. 110 110

Wabash 555 ]8 480 4.53 04.3 12 244

Attica 4(M( 17 337 300 01. 18 109

Evansville 3577 20 3453 2320 <k:).1 710 1974

Eawrenceburg _ 575 18 490 473 05.2 21 394

Elkhart 500 20 .517 401 05. 41 214

Franklin 004 20 .540 531 00.4 35 358

Noblesville 370 K) 301 340 07. 49 275

Princeton 445 17 401 377 1>4. 207 100

ICdinburg 412 __ 390 380 08.2 52 251

Frankfort 30! > 20 3-53 310 01. 171 100

""Includes high school pupils.

In conclusion, it is seen that the matter of organizing a
graded school was not an easy matter, for the following rea-
sons :

(1) The people had to be educated up to it.

(2) The graded system was more expensive than the un-
graded system.

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 305

(3) It required a skillful superintendent to make grading
worth while.

(4) Grading was not uniform.

Yet the system was begun and well worked out in some
places. It was the graded system that paved the way for
the success of a more advanced school, which is discussed in
the following chapter. This was the high school.

The High School

After the adoption of the graded systems in the town and
city schools, the next step was the high school. In some
places the latter was organized along with the graded ele-
mentary school, so that the two went hand in hand. In other
localities the high school had to come later.

The questions naturally arise, why did the people want
the high school at that time? What was its function? Did
it serve its purpose? The answer to the first question can
best be answered by a statement from the report of the board
of trustees of the Lafayette public schools in 1856:

"Tlie trustees hope that the public spirit iind parental affection of
our citizens will ere long demand the establishment of a high school
endowed with every faculty for an advanced or collegiate education, so
that the children of our city may be kept under the influence of good
examples and just restraints of home until prepared to take their parts
in the active duties of life. What should be, can be done, and when
accomplished no one would desire to return to the old paths."

Had this ambition been realized the high school would have
become the "People's College" in reality and not in name
only.

For the first few years of its existence the high school
course was directed toward the training of teachers. To do
this a normal course was instituted and work along that line
given, as will be shown later. From this one would judge
that the age of the average high school pupil was much
higher than today (1912). This was true.

Richmond started her public high school in 1856, amidst
embarrassments of every kind, the chief of which was in not
knowing just what to do. The high school at that time was
composed of young men and women, many of whom had at-
tended academies and colleges previously. The normal class

306 Indiana Magazine of History

was composed of fifty-six pupils, many of whom had taught
during the summer. These students were taught matters
pertaining to practical teaching. The whole enrollment for
the high school was 124. This was rather large when com-
pared with Indianapolis for the same year. The latter had
a high school enrollment of 98, but their high school system
was placed on a firm basis from the very beginning. Hence
what it lacked in quantity it made up in quality. The Su-
preme Court decision of 1857 completely disorganized the
Indianapolis high school, which was progressing nicely under
Principal W. T. Webster. There being no financial support,
Mr. Webster left the State. It was not until 1864, when
W. A. Bell, formerly of the second ward grammar school of
the city, was elected principal, that this phase of educational
work was offered in Indianapolis. Yet Mr. Bell took up the
work as systematically as Mr. Webster had left it. The en-
trance examinations to the high school were made effective,
and in so doing the standard of the school was kept up.

It is interesting to note that as early as 1875 some cities
were alive to present day situations and tried then to correct
the existing evils. For example, in Indianapolis, during that
year it was found that less than fifty per cent of those enter-
ing high school continued until the third year. To correct
this evil a two year course was organized. The purpose was
to fit the pupil for future life work as well as they possibly
could. This two year course was as follows:

ElBST Yeak : iUgebra. Arithmetic (reviewed), Euglisli, Geography (re-
viewed), General History. Free Hand Drawing, Morals. Elocution and
Music.

Second Yeak : Plane Geometry, Commercial Arithmetic, Physical
Geography, Natural Philosophy, General History, Bookkeeping, Mechanical
Drawing, Zoology, and lectures on Commercial Law.

Evansville, by 1856, had its high school organized under
B. P. Snow, a graduate of Bowdoin college. During the year
1855-1856 fifty-one pupils were admitted into the high school.
It had an average attendance of 40. Ten years later (1866)
the high school was large in numbers, and the course broad,
requiring four years for its completion. The course of study
offered at that time included among other subjects, algebra,
geometry, trigonometry, surveying, Latin through Cicero's

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 307

orations, Greek through the reader, chemistry and mental
and moral philosophy. In 1868 Evansville completed a new
high school building at a cost of $45,000. The high schools
of this city progressed steadily.

In 1860 Anderson had a high school, organized under
I. N. Terwilliger as principal. Mr. Terwilliger was a master
of his profession, being especially adapted to the teaching
of elocution and mental arithmetic. He had also under his
care a promising normal class. This was a sort of a semi-
private institution, however, and did not last. It was several
years after this before Anderson had a substantial public
system.

Madison, from the beginning of 1852, had a good high
school, but in trying to be economical as well as educational
it starved out its high school work, and by 1857 offered no
work above the grammar grade. This, coupled with the
"Decision of '57", made a reorganization impossible for sev-
eral years. All cities suffered the loss of their high schools
during this period. They did well to keep a semblance of
the grades going. It was not until the early and middle 60's
that the high school in general began to take firm root and
work on a permanent basis. The following will give an idea
of how the school situation was looked upon by the people :

•'We are justly proud of our new high seliool building and are grati-
fied to be able to chronicle this element of advancement in the material
interest of our schools. Though Madison has not, within the last few
years, moved as vigorously as some other cities in the State, it deserves
credit for early vigor. It moved vigorously when it was not so popular
to be vigorous. It opened its public school in 1852, immediately after the
adoption of the new constitution providing for the present system. Under
the able superintendency of Charles Barnes, it, for several years, has
stood among the first cities in the State, in point of buildings and general
efiieiency."

Laporte, in 1867, with a population of 8,000, had devel-
oped a high school. That year the city had under construc-
tion a $50,000 high school building, which was one of the
finest in the State. To insure a greater degree of success
in their schools, all applicants to teach in them were required
to pass a special examination independent of the regular State
examinations.

Peru, in 1869, had a well organized high school under the

308 Indiana Magazine of History

direction of Superintendent D. Eckley Hunter. The import-
ant phase of their high school work at that time was the
"normal class," whose members were preparing themselve:^
to teach. At that time there were thirteen ladies and four
gentlemen taking this work.

Lawrenceburg, in 1869, maintained a high school course
which covered a period of three years. At that time there
were enrolled in this department 42 boys and 41 girls. Three
years later, 1872, four girls and one boy constituted the first
class to graduate from this high school. The occasion of
their graduation was one of great interest. The same year
five young ladies were graduated from the high school of
Greensburg. The schools here had been developed under
Superintendent C. W. Harvey, to a stage where they compared
favorably with the best at that time.

The practice of co-education was not carried out in all
the high schools of the State. This caused an added expense,
for in such places two separate schools were maintained,
one for the boys and another for the girls. Knightstown,
although only a small place, had the double system in 1872.
The State superintendent in commenting upon the situation
at the time, said that it was decidedly "old fogy" and with
proper supervision these schools could be brought together
with mutual benefit and with half the cost.

New Albany, too, maintained separate high schools for
girls and boys. In 1874 there were enrolled in the female
high school 110 pupils; in the male high school 76. Seven-
teen girls and two boys graduated that year. The reason
that only two boys graduated was that the junior class was
graduated the year before from a three year course. There
were 40 girls and 22 boys admitted to the high schools upon
examination at the close of the term. The average age of
those admitted was 14^ years.

Jeffersonville, the sister city to New Albany, had worked
up a good system of schools by 1875. At that time there
were twenty-four teachers in its schools, besides the superin-
tendent. There were two German and three colored teachers.
There were eight grades below the high school, and a four year
course in that. In 1875, sixty-three were enrolled in the high
school. Latin and German were required, with Greek elective.

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 309

The early high school did much to foster interest and bring
the people in touch with the school situation.

Franklin, in 1873, had a high school lecture course for
the benefit of the library fund. The following lecturers were
engaged: Robert Collyer, H. A. Ford, W. H. Milbum, Mrs.
Mary Livermore, Daniel Hough, Hon. William Parsons,
Thomas Nast, and E. B. Fairfield. It was a success in every
way. Franklin demanded the best of teachers. Out of a corps
of nine teachers in their system, four were graduates of the
Oswego Normal School, three were graduates of the Indiana
State Normal School, and the other two had attended normal
schools but had not graduated. This city had one of the best
school buildings in the State.

Lawrenceburg, in 1875, had a course of lectures during the
term at the rate of two each month. They were very suc-
cessful. The first three lectures paid for the whole list, ten In
number. This insured success to the enterprise and showed
what could be done when the proper effort was made. The
pupils of this high school during the same year gave a public
concert which was quite creditable. Under the direction of Su-
perintendent R. G. Boone, a course of lectures was given at
Frankfort in 1876, for the purpose of raising money with
which to purchase a reference library for the school. New
Castle graduated her first class from high school in 1875. One
feature of this school was the completeness of the course of
study. Mrs. Lois G. Huflford, the principal, held her pupils to
a four year course, with Latin and Greek as electives.

Another feature which existed in the early high school was
the training school. It compared very favorably with the
"cadet" system employed in some of our cities today (1912).

Logansport had such a system in 1875. At that time Miss
Fannie C. Kimber was principal and teacher of methods. Miss
Ella Miller was critic teacher. Both were graduates of the
Oswego Normal School. Eight pupil teachers were admitted.
There were four practice rooms. One-half of the class took
methods, while the other half taught under the critic teacher.
These pupil teachers received no salary. It was economical for
the city as well as advantageous. The amount paid the princi-
pal and critic amounted to the same as the salary of the four
regular teachers would have been. This allowed them a princi-

310

Indiana Magazine of History

pal, in the person of the teacher of methods, without extra
compensation.

By 1874, the high schools of several places had assumed
a respectful place in the State system. Most of them had
begun to graduate classes at this time. The following table
may give an idea as to what the schools were doing :

Number in

Graduates

the High

City Male Fema

le School

Principal Superintendent

T. Harrison,

Slielbyville

1 4

C. Jenkins, Asst.W. A. Boles

New Albany __
Franklin

•7 17

None

Mrs. E. W.

Thompson__E. W. Thompson

Jeffersonville _

1 5

O. H. Smith

Fort Wayne —

2 3

J. H. Smart

Greensburg

2 9

C. W. Harvey

T^gausport —
Yiucennes

2 13

110

R. A. Townsend_T. J. Charleton

Lafayette

Terre Haute—

3 5

3 6

W. H. Wiley

Wabash

Total, 6

D. W. Thomas

Evausville —

4 5

J. A. Leller A. M. Gow

I'rinceton

2 4

D. E. Hunter

Kokonio

None

Sheridan Cox

Huntington —
Indianapolis __

None

2 7

375

Mrs. J. G.

Richmond

2 4

Holcombe

Seymour

Total, 5

In summing up this chapter, one notices likenesses and
differences in the various high schools. Most of them at the
close had the four year course. In the early period the train-
ing of teachers predominated in practically all these schools.
The difference existing was the way in which the schools went
about it. Some gave practice work, others merely gave the
theory. In the beginning also, several places took almost any-
one they could get into their high school, age being the prin-
cipal entrance requirement. Others, like Indianapolis, had a
very strict examination, hence their number of students was
below that of Terre Haute and Richmond for several years.
Among other interesting facts to be noted is the fullness of
the curricula. This had its cause and its effect. The next

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 311

chapter on the "Curriculum" will deal with this phase more
extensively.

The Curriculum

What shall we teach and how? has always been a question
confronting school men from the very beginning of educational
institutions. It is a question which school men thought they
had solved in the early times. Yet it has changed from year
to year with advancing civilization, until the thing which was
so fundamental then is only a minor part in the educative proc-
ess today (1912). As one traces the curriculum in Indiana
schools from 1856 up till 1880, he notices this change. The
question then arises, what caused such a change? Was it the
influence of eastern schools? Was it due to social pressure?
Or, was it the development of the teacher?

As far as the early elementary schools were concerned,
there is no question but that the subjects taught were in-
fluenced by all three of the above. As has been pointed out,
many of our early teachers were imported from Ohio, Massa-
chusetts, and elsewhere. They taught what was taught in
their States, since they dominated their own systems.

Again, manj^ of the inhabitants of that time (1852-1860)
were born and reared in the East. Their ideas were brought
with them as to what should be taught their pupils. It was
not an uncommon saying in those days for a parent to tell
his boy "What w^as good enough for me is good enough for
you."

The three R's — reading, writing, and arithmetic — formed
the backbone of the graded systems. Arithmetic was consid-
ered tlie most fundamental subject taught. To be able to
"figure" was considered worth much in the early days. Each
edition of the Indiana School Journal for several years after
its foundation in 1856, gave from two to six pages discussing
and working out certain problems in this subject. Historical-
ly, the next subject which received the most attention from
the educators, was spelling. There had been method after
method devised for the correct teaching of this subject, but
none would work. In 1856 the Phonic method of spelling was
brought before the teachers of the State and discussed from
all angles. In that year the Indiana State Teachers' Associa-

312 Indiana Magazine of History

tion passed a resolution favoring this method and recommend-
ed its adoption in the schools of the State. All schools did not
adopt it, however, at that time, and it was some years before
they did. Muncie, for example, did not consider it before
1864. Strange to say, the teaching of reading did not take
any systematic form until a much later date. It was thought,
at that time, to be easy to teach, hence no method was needed.

German received more attention at this time than English.
Some cities maintained both an English and a German depart-
ment in their schools. One can readily see that this was due
to the early German settlements, the inhabitants of which
could not speak any other language. Shelbyville, in 1859,
had a German department in her schools, with a native Ger-
man teacher at the head. Fifty pupils were enrolled in this
department. Many in the English department also took Ger-
man.

Nevertheless the larger schools began to enrich their course
of study for the grades. Terre Haute by 1865 gave the follow-
ing courses below the high school :

(The figures show the number of pupils taking each subject.)

Orthography (includes high school) 2420

Heading 2340

Mental Arithmetic 1105

Written Arithmetic 813

I'enmanship 1059

Geography 945

English Grammar 314

Ignited States History 51

Vocal Music 2420

(xerman for Children 123

Composition and Declamation 70

With the exception of manual training, one sees a close
resemblance between the two last courses above given and
those given in the same cities today (1912). It all goes to
prove that the elementary phase of education had been fairly
well worked out by this time. Mental arithmetic, a few years
later, was considered useless and dropped. It was, however,
revived, and now holds an important place in the teaching of
numbers. The elementary schools of the State varied widely,
however. The advantages of the larger cities were lacking in

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 313

the smaller, where the grade teaching consisted mainly in the
teaching of Reading, Spelling, Writing, Arithmetic, Geography,
and United States History,

One finds the high school in the same position, the size of
the school determining to a large extent its course of study.
As we have seen above, many of the early high schools had
what they termed the "normal class." This was influenced as
you may see, by social pressure. In Richmond a third of the
pupils constituted this normal class. In other cities it has
been shown that there were many pursuing this line of work.
But there was another phase of the high school curriculum
which is of more interest to us still, since it was the beginning
of what we term a high school today.

The subjects taught in the normal courses at Richmond
were the common branches, viz : Arithmetic, Reading, Spell-
ing, etc., with some of the theories of teaching at that time.
Much stress was laid upon Elocution, Writing and Rhetoric.
These schools compared favorably with our summer normals
found in every locality, before the high school requirement
was enacted by the legislature. Much of the training was to
prepare the pupil to make a license rather than to increase
his professional strength.

The subjects taught in the early high schools were many.
There is distinctly an imitation of the eastern schools, copied
by the old academies, seminaries, and at last taken over by
the public high school. The following list taken from the
report of the superintendent of the Fort Wayne schools (1865)
will give an idea of what constituted the high school course of
study at that time, together with the number of pupils taking
each subject :

Nunilier enrolled in lii,i;li school 74

Physical Geography 40 j Lessons ^

Algebra 33 (ireek-| Testament f G

f Lessons 1 Anabasis '

J Caesar [ Chemistrv 6

Latni_.i „. ., r 30

1 Virgil f French 4

t Cicero J Composition 5S7i

Philosophy 18 Declamation 17471

Drawing 16

German 10

1 Includes grade pupils.

;14

Indiana Magazine of History

A table from the same school the year following adds
Rhetoric, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Instrumental Music.

Terre Haute, in 1865, accordingto her superintendent's re-
port, gave the following for the high school :

Geiier;\l History 9

French 5

German 27

Latin 23

Greek 3

Normal Class 9

Rhetoric 13

Algebra 65

Geometry 3

Trigonometry 3

Bookkeeping 7

Physiology 14

Physical Geography 15

In 1869, W. A. Bell, principal of the high school at Indian-
apolis, worked out a course of study, setting forth his reasons
for so doing, Mr. Bell said :

"A course of study is not a matter of little conse(.iuence. A real
advancement, the actual mental growth of the pupil, depends not a little
upon the character of his studies and the order of their succession.

The great problems now to be solved by educators are: (1) How
does mind grow? What is the natural order of the development of the
faculties? (2) What are the studies best adapted to this development
and how shall they be presented? The second proposition involves neces-
sarily a course of study. The following course for high schools has been
arrived at with difficulty, and it is not entirely satisfactory. It is. how-
ever, the result of some years experience, much thought, and close study,
and the examination and comparison of the courses of many of the best
high schools in the country.

FIRST YEAR

Second Term

(1) Same

(2) Same

First Term

(1) Algebra

(2) Latin, German, or
the Science of Com-
mon Things

(3) Aids to Comi)osi-
tion

(4) Reading and Spell-
ing

First Term

(1) Arithmetic

(2) Latin, German, or
Analysis of English
Words

(3) History

(4) Reading and Spell-
ing

Third Term

(1) Same

(2) Same

(3) English Grammai

(4) Same

SECOND YEAR

Second Term

(1) Same

(2) Same

(3) Same

(4) Same

(3) Same

(4) Same

Third Term

(1) Geometry

(2) Latin, German, or
Bookkeeping

(3) Natural History

(4) Reading and
Spelling

Littell: Development of Indiana School System

115

First Term

(1) Geometry

(2) Physiology

(3) Lcitin, Germau, or
Universal History

(4) Natural Philosophy

First Terui

(1) Physical Geography

(2) Botany

(3) Chemistry

(4) Latin, French, or
Ck)nstitution of the
United States

In addition weekly
should lie required throuj

TIIIKI) YEAR

Second Term

(1) Trigonometi-y

(2) Same

(3) Same

(4) Same

FOURTH YEAR

Second Term

(1) Astronomy

(2) Latin, French, or (2) Latin, French, or
Chemistry Geology

(3) Rhetoric (3) Chemistry

(4) (4) English Litera-

ture

exercises in Composition. Declamations, etc.,
;hout the entire course.

Third Term

(1) English Gram-
mar

(2) Latin, German, or
Universjil History

(3) Botany

(4) I'hysical Geog-
raphy

Third Term
(1) Moral Philosophy

Evansville, in 1866, had a very extensive course requiring
four years for its completion. Among the subjects taught were
Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Surveying, Latin through
Cicero's Orations, Greek through the Reader, Chemistry, and
Mental and Moral Arithmetic.

To meet the demands of the times (the social pressure ele-
ment), Indianapolis in 1875 followed Chicago's plan and
adopted a two year course in her high school. This was done
because more than fifty per cent quit school before reaching
the third year of high school. This course consisted of the
follo"wang :

First Year: Algebra. Arithmetic (reviewed). English. Geography (re-
viewed), General History, Free Hand Drawing, Morals. Elocution, and
Music.

Second Year: Plane Geometry. Commercial Arithmetic. Physical Geog-
raphy, Natural Philosophy, General History. Bookkeeping. Mechanical
Drawing. Zoology, and lectures on Commercial Law.

Since our early high schools were very much like the east-
ern schools, one is not surprised to find Greek and Latin, as
well as French and German, all in the course of study. All
the larger schools — Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Terre Haute,

31G Indiana Magazine of History

Evansville, New Albany — had these. Such schools were the
offshoots of the original "classical" institutions of learning.
The teaching of science was poorly done in the early schools.
As the course of study will show, they tried to give a little
of all the sciences instead of one or two in a thorough man-
ner. Notwithstanding this, Evansville and Fort Wayne both
had installed in their schools very good apparatus for teach-
ing physics and beginning chemistry. They were exceptions.
As the languages took such an important place in the course,
English took a lower place. English, at first, was taught by
the mechanical method, rather than by any method looking
toward appreciation. Moral philosophy was taught at first
in the high school, but later was deferred until the pupil had
entered a college.

In many ways the early course was a good one, and com-
pared favorably with ours of today. As stated above, the
poor teaching of English and the fragmentary presentation
of the sciences were a detriment to the early course. While
the high schools have always been designated as the "people's
colleges," the main factor in making up their curricula was
not the people. It was pure imitation of the older schools in
which university and college requirements dominated the
course. Strange to say, the old time-worn paths are still fol-
lowed today (1912), Schools have tried to meet the needs
of the people, as Indianapolis tried it in her two-year course,
but soon they found themselves back in the classical atmos-
phere. Usually those v/ho attended the high school in the
earlier period v/ere those who were better off financially than
the average elementary school pupil. They were sent to school
for one thing. There was but one aim in view. It was cul-
ture. This phase of education has always dominated the
course of study in the high school.

Summarizing the influences which affected the growth of
the curriculum, it is found that the greatest factor was the
influence of the eastern schools. Teachers from the eastern
section of the country brought to the early schools of Indiana
the ideas which they had learned in the East.

Financial conditions of communities conditioned to a large
extent what was taught. This was especially true of the high
school. As the school grew, the course of study grew. Social

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 317

pressure was effective in another way, viz : the determina-
tion of certain courses for special purposes. This was shown
very well in the case of the two-year course at Indianapolis.
It is very difficult to show just where the influence of the
teacher leaves off and that of the community begins. They
have always been very closely connected.

Professional Training of Teachers

Another factor which entered into city supervision was
the matter of professional training of teachers. The com-
plexity of the graded systems, together with the ever-increas-
ing curriculum, made it necessary that the teacher as well
as the supervisor have more than a mere knowledge of the
subject-matter. The question during the early period was
how and where should this training be given. At that time
Indiana possessed no State normal school. But it was at this
early period that a need for one was felt, especially by city
superintendents. It was during the infancy of Indiana's
school system that these school officials began a movement
whereby professional instruction might be given those who
wished to teach, by means of State aid. Until that time came,
when the legislature saw fit to establish such an institution,
each corporation had to provide in the best way it could for
the training of teachers.

Since many of our early teachers, especially the superin-
tendents, high school principals, and the high school teachers in
general, were imported, this problem was partially solved in
this respect. Almost all of them had training in the normal
schools of Massachusetts, New York and Ohio, the States from
which they usually came.

But, as stated above, graded teaching became more diffi-
cult. The teacher could no longer systematize her six or eight
classes of students as she wished. It was necessary that her
work fit in with the work of the teacher a grade above or a
grade below her own. It was a question of making a whole
out of many, instead of having a whole in itself, as in the
case where the single teacher had all grades under her care.

The problems of the graded school presented themselves
in great numbers. It was the matter of overcoming these
problems with which the trained superintendent had to deal.

318 Indiana Magazine of History

Teachers had to be trained some way, somehow. It was,
then, with the earliest graded system that the idea of pro-
fessional training of teachers came. It was at this time that
the superintendent took upon himself the duty of training
his own teachers. This was conducted in many ways. It
was during this period also that memorial after memorial
was presented to each succeeding legislature for the estab-
lishment of a State institution whereby grade teachers might
be trained at the cost of the State; and this pressure upon
our law-making body did not cease until the work was accom-
plished by an act for the establishment of a State Normal
School, December 20, 1865. The object of such a school was
"the preparation of teachers for teaching in the common
schools of Indiana."

As early as 1856 Richmond had established a normal de-
partment in her high school, where students were regularly
taught matters pertaining to practical teaching. This work
was largely done by Superintendent Josiah Hurty. Mr. Hurty
was from Ohio, and was one of the originators of the Ohio
State Teachers' Association. This fact of training teachers
was made more imperative by an order of the school board
that none but professionally trained teachers should be en-
gaged in the city schools of Richmond.

Normal training classes were conducted in other cities
also, with the same purpose in mind. Terre Haute, Evans-
ville, Indianapolis and other places offered this instruction
to those who cared to become teachers. This work was con-
ducted in some cities long after the establishment of a normal
school at Terre Haute, and still exists in some cities today
(1912).

Taking into consideration the traveling facilities at that
time, one can well judge the number who could or would go
away from home to take professional work. City superin-
tendents, after they had worked so hard getting an institu-
tion established, could not get their teachers to attend it.
Teachers were not yet able to cope with the new duties which
their far-sighted supervisors had planned for them to do. The
fact was plain that the teachers had to be educated up to
this standard as well as the citizens to the graded schools.

In 1866 the school trustees of Indianapolis established at

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 319

that place a training school for teachers, planned after the
Oswego system. This was carried forward for a while and
later dropped. In 1871, however, the board of school com-
missioners directed the superintendent to reorganize the
training school for teachers in connection with the public
schools of the city. It was a great step in the matter of
training better teachers for the schools.

In 1871 the Indianapolis school board also had the super-
intendent organize a Saturday Teachers' Institute, to be held
on each alternate Saturday during the year. The object was
to afford teachers all possible facilities to fit themselves for
their work, and to assist them in the preparation of obtain-
ing the higher grades of certificates which would be required
after that year. The board appropriated $300.00 to pay com-
petent instructors for this institute work. As early as 1873,
Indianapolis had two supervising principals, two lady super-
intendents of primary schools, a Writing teacher, and a
teacher of Elocution, all of whom were directly associated
in the training of the grade teachers. To keep the standard
high and insure the best possible work from each teacher,
the following resolution was adopted this year:

■•That thofe teachers in the imblic schools who are required to teai-h
Arithmetic, (Trauuiuir, I*hyslok)gy, Geography, and History, together -with
the higher branches, shall not be permitted to use text-books during reci-
tations in these several branches. The teacher may. however, be allowed
to prepare an abstract of the lesson, if desired, to be used during the
exercises.'"

In 1873 E. H. Butler, superintendent of the Lawrence-
burg schools, laid out a regular course of study for his teach-
ers at their semi-monthly meetings. It was as follows : "An
exhaustive treatise of intellectual science. A course of oral
instruction, embracing language lessons, object lessons, nat-
ural history and physics." The above was their regular work.
They also had to make special preparation for each recitation.
In addition they were compelled to formulate lessons on
"home geography," including maps of their own city, county
and State. Teachers were required to learn and teach the
townships in the county; the counties, county seats, etc., in
the State. They were also required to learn methods of
teaching the common school branches. All this goes to show

320 Indiana Magazine of History

the professional work done in the cities themselves. The
teachers were really trained after they were in the service.

Logansport, on the other hand, maintained a critic school,
both for practice teaching and instruction in the theoretical
part of the work. Two competent instructors, graduates of
the Oswego Normal School, conducted this work. Here the
students were taken out of high school and taught matters
pertaining to practical teaching. Eight pupils a year were
taken, four teaching and four taking theory. This was a
movement ahead of its time.

Some cities did not seem to take the matter of profes-
sional training of teachers very seriously. As a rule their
schools showed a lack of harmony.

For this reason, Vincennes in 1870 had a very poorly
organized system. Three of their teachers at that time were
licensed and employed \vithout a legal examination. The
school in no way met any requirements or standards set by
other schools at that time. Very few of the smaller corpora-
tions required any professional training.

Much of this good work was done under the direction of
men who had been trained in other States. Superintendent
Hurty of Richmond came from Ohio, where he had been en-
gaged in school work. In 1869 Union City secured the serv-
ices of Professor E. Tucker, formerly of Liber College.
Leavenworth, in 1866, secured the services of Mr. Odell from
New Hampshire, who conducted a prosperous school at that
place. Seymour, the same year, secured Mr. Taylor, from
Ohio. Indianapolis had W. T. Webster, of Maine, as principal
of her high school in 1858. Aurora in 1870 secured the serv-
ices of Edward Clark as her superintendent. Mr. Clark
came from Ohio, where he had been for several years a suc-
cessful teacher in the Lebanon Normal School. Evansville
secured as her first high school principal B. P. Snow, a grad-
uate of Bowdoin College.

The influence of such men as these was very marked, since
they brought into the new system of schools the ideas which
had been worked out in older systems of the East.

Another scheme which the early superintendent worked
out was the professional skill gained by teachers in visiting
good schools. In 1870 Superintendent A. C. Shortridge, of

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 321

Indianapolis, with eight or ten of his teachers, visited the
St. Louis schools. Six or eight other teachers visited the
Cincinnati schools at the same time. In 1872 Superintendent
H. H. Boyce did still better by taking all his teachers to Cin-
cinnati for observation, where they spent a week visiting
the Cincinnati schools. This same year (1872), Superintend-
ent J. J. Miles, of Wabash, visited the Indianapolis schools
with several of his teachers. It was such work as this that
inspired many teachers with the desire for more training.
Some cities were fortunate in having their teachers attend
normal schools. Franklin, for example, had, out of a corps
of nine teachers, seven who were graduates of normal schools,
and the other two had been in attendance but had not grad-
uated.

From this it is seen that professional training of teachers
was not looked upon as something unnecessary. From the
earliest period it was deemed a necessity. The transition
from the old single-room building to the new many-roomed
structure, put the ordinary teacher in a new teaching world.
No longer did the single teacher rule over all he surveyed.
He was only a part in a machine. The future of the system
depended upon how well he fitted into this complex mech-
anism. New methods were employed, new ideals set forth.
It was the one who succeeded in working out these methods
and ideals that served as a factor in making the city school
system of Indiana a success.

The Centralizing Tendency

Throughout this discussion of the early city schools of
Indiana, among the other facts to be taken into consideration
is the tendency toward centralized organization. This organ-
ization had its beginning in the single building itself. After-
wards, an organization was effected in the city or town by
a centralization of power in the hands of a superintendent.
The third step was the gradual growth toward centralization
of all the city schools into a State unit. It might be well
to state here that State organization has never yet been fully
worked out (1912).

Taking the early school as an example of the first type,
it is seen that organization was fairly well worked out. The

322 Indiana Magazine of History

purpose of the school was merely to give a limited knowledge
of the three R's. The teacher was the master of the situation
in all respects, and depended upon no one for advice as to
how the school should or should not be graded. If there was
any problem or organization, it was the teacher's problem as
an individual.

But the system of gradation came into prominence. With
gradation came several teachers in the place of one or two.
Instead of being a simple unit, as it formerly was, it now
became a complex organization. It was this change to com-
plexity which brought forth new problems to both teachers
and patrons. Such towns as Salem, Bedford, Rockport and
Anderson were unable to adjust themselves to this new move-
ment, hence graded schools lagged.

With the employment of several teachers in one building,
it became necessary for the whole school to be organized into
a unit, instead of having each room a unit in itself. It was
the situation here which necessitated the introduction of the
principal. This official was designated as high school princi-
pal, or grade principal, depending upon the grade of work
which was given. Here new duties arose. Each teacher
was but a part of a highly centralized unit. It was neces-
sary that this individual's work be in harmony with all the
other units in the building. It was the principal who was
the head of this organization, who kept the work in line. As
the towns grew in size, the single building was not sufficient.
Expense and distance both became factors of organization,
especially the latter. Many cities of the early period at-
tempted to meet the demands of the school population by
erecting very large buildings which would serve the whole
city. These structures varied in size from fourteen to twenty
rooms. Vincennes, Logansport, Valparaiso, Madison and
many other cities constructed such buildings in the early '70s,
hoping to escape the complexity as well as the expense of
running their schools in two or more separate buildings.

The growth of the cities in population and area demanded
a change. The single structure no longer sufficed, and build-
ings had to be located in all parts of the city, to meet the
demands of the times.

This change was not made in all cities at the same time.

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 323

As early as 1852, Indianapolis had several structures in use,
and more being built. Evansville, at the early period of 1856,
was conducting her schools in separate buildings, while some
of the smaller cities, such as those named above, Logansport,
Vincennes, etc., had the single school plant in operation. This
condition existed as late as 1880.

The use of several buildings was another step in the tend-
ency toward centralization. Not only was it necessary for
one building to be a unit in itself, but it was now essential
that each building be an organized part of the whole system.
It was not an easy matter for such organization to be brought
about. In an earlier chapter it was shown how, in several
cities, each building worked along independently of the others.
Different text-books were used, different methods of teaching,
and, in fact, each individual building was a unit itself.

In Indianapolis we found in 1856 a well-organized system.
By 1875 there was a superintendent, two assistant superin-
tendents, three special supervisors, and principals at all build-
ings. Here the third step toward centralization had been
effected nicely. Evansville also had her whole system organ-
ized, as did New Albany, Fort Wayne, and Terre Haute.

But there was another factor in centralization which had
to be worked out with great care, on account of its great im-
portance to the State as a whole. The matter of unifying
the building and the group of buildings was very easy when
compared with a State organization. It is well to state that
such a centralization has not been worked out satisfactorily
to the State school authorities (the State board of education)
to this date (1912).

For several reasons State centralization has not been
effective in all respects. First, the size of the State, embrac-
ing geographical conditions which were vastly different. The
rich, level land of the north and central portion was far more
valuable than the hilly land of the south. Second, the people
of different sections of the State were of different characters,
and demanded varied local institutions of different types,
schools being among the others. The two foregoing factors,
wealth and inherited traits of the people, made State central-
ization of schools a very difficult problem. Notwithstanding

324 Indiana Magazine of History

these barriers, certain attempts were made to get the schools
of the State working on some definite plan.

First was the organization of the State Teachers' Associa-
tion, in 1854. While this covered the rural schools directly,
city systems and their teachers were well represented. The
methods and ways of teaching were discussed at length. The
subject-matter to be taught in the schools was arranged and
plans laid for unity in that line.

Perhaps the organization which stood nearest the city
school system, and the one which did most to promote unity
as far as it was concerned, was the City and Town Superin-
tendents' Association, which was organized at Shelbyville,
July 30, 1863. This organization was only the beginning
of a permanent organization which was effected at Richmond
December 29 of the same year. The following resolution was
adopted at Shelbyville :

"Resolved, That for the purpose of discussing from time to time the
various subjects connected with the management of city and town schools,
and for the further purpose of discussing questions of a scientific and
literary character, we make a permanent organization of school superin-
tendents for the State, to meet annually."

In 1873 another organization of the same kind and for
the same purpose was organized at Seymour. The organiza-
tion was known as the Convention of Public School Superin-
tendents of Southern Indiana.

These organizations did much in standardizing certain
parts of the school systems. In conjunction with the State
Teachers Association, they worked out very definitely a com-
mon school course of study. But they each and all failed on
the high school proposition. Since these schools were planned
and carried on in different towns and cities, for different pur-
poses, it was hard to bring about a compromise as to what
should be taught. However, by general imitation, as well as
by argument, the course was more definite in 1880 than it
was in 1860. The requirements for entrance were practically
the same all over the State, and the four-year course prevailed
with but few exceptions.

The cities had much in their favor for centralization that
the rural districts at that time could not hope to have. The
principal factor was the length of term. Where the district

Littell: Development of Indiana School System 325

schools varied in length from two and one-half to ten months,
the city schools only varied from eight to ten months. The
majority had the latter length of term. This made unity all
the more possible.

Another factor in State centralization was the State Board
of Education. This body, when first organized in 1852, did
very little toward organizing the school systems of the State.
What little was done mostly concerned the non-urban schools,
since the law gave the latter much power as to their own
control. Later its power became of great importance.

In conclusion, it is seen that there have been three steps
toward centralization, as follows:

(1) From the nuii:riuletl room to the y;racle(l buikliDg.

(2) From the sintrle gnided building to a number of buildings, all in
a single system.

(3) From the city system to a State centralization of systems.

While it is difficult to pass from one to the other, the mat-
ter of unity was well accomplished until State centralization
was attempted. The latter has only met with partial success,
and its problems remain for the future educators of the State
to solve.

Social Effects of the Monon Railway in Indiana

By Dr. John Poucher, Orleans, Indiana

This treatise is undertaken to portray some of the com-
ponent factors in our social life, to indicate what part thor-
oughfares like the river, canals and the old-fashioned "pike"
as well as railroads take in molding the domestic, economic
and civic affairs of the people. The Monon railway is chosen
as an example because for many years it was the longest
stretch of line under one management in the State of Indiana.
It largely determined the direction taken by a broad stream
of emigration, and in traversing the State from south to north
contributed in a marked degree to the commingling of the
diverse elements of people arriving from the South and East.
Other roads followed routes where the citizens were likely
to be more nearly homogeneous in their antecedents. The
Monon has been a good mixing machine.

This, one of the earliest ironways constructed in the State,
was first known as the New Albany and Salem Railroad,
designed ultimately to connect Louisville and Chicago. At
the time when the work was begun waterways were the chief
and most important means of general communication in the
United States, and Louisville figured about as prominently as
Chicago, which has since become our interior metropolis. The
Ohio river, then and always destined to be one of the prin-
cipal arteries of commerce, was the main channel from the
northeast section of the country to the dominant South. Pop-
ulation, with Louisville as one of the gateways, was moving
in a northwesterly direction from the Carolinas, East Ten-
nessee, Georgia and Kentucky. Indiana has always contained
a relatively large element of population from the Southern
States, visibly affecting the political complexion of its citizen-
ship, quite noticeably in Washington, Putnam and Montgom-
ery counties, with a decisive bearing on national policies. A
very considerable contribution of intelligent and thrifty people
came down the river from Virginia, Maryland and the farther
East, taking passage on the steamboats at Pittsburgh and

Poucher: Social Effects of Monon Railway 327

stopping at the Falls, where they were met by alien and native
emigrants at what was then an insurmountable barrier in
navigation. In the intermingling a vigorous, intellectual and
warm-hearted race has been produced which has figured en-
viably in the social life of the whole country.

While the Monon railway has become an important factor
in the development of the region through which it passes, it
encountered many embarrassments in management, and did
not at first offer the means of rapid and convenient travel
toward the coming emporium on Lake Michigan, The trip
could not be completed in one day. Patrons stayed overnight
at Lafayette. The projectors of the enterprise were seem-
ingly influenced in selecting their routes by the promise of
ease and cheapness in construction. Saving of time for run-
ning gear was apparently a secondary consideration. The
lengthening of the line served the same purpose which nature
accomplishes in its winding streams, which increase the terri-
tory that reaps special benefits from the thoroughfare. The
steam-grader was not then in use. It was no easy matter to
make a fill or blast through hard, unyielding rock to overcome
precipitous ascents or bridge wide or capricious streams.

When the east fork of White river was reached four or
five miles south of Bedford the trains could go no further,
and some of the State maps of that date marked the line as
the "New Albany and Juliet Railroad." A wooden bridge
built by Thomas Grant, an Englishman, later of Evansville,
after much delay spanned the river, and the extension con-
tinued until in 1852 the road was completed between New
Albany and Michigan City, a junction deviating considerably
from a direct line but connecting with the Michigan Central
for the desired terminus. The event was celebrated at New
Albany with a famous Fourth of July barbecue, then a very
popular festivity, at which Governors Joseph A. Wright of
Indiana and Lazarus W. Powell of Kentucky were speakers.
Lafayette was practically the most important station at the
north end of the route. Here trains were reversed. The
time schedule was arranged for daylight service. Strap iron
spiked on wooden beams laid longitudinally across the ties
constituted the first tracks, and later the "T" rail was sub-
stituted without angle-couplers, occasioning a peculiar thud-

328 Indiana Magazine of History

ding sound as the wheels passed over the joints. An attempt
was afterward made to remedy the jar by bolting pieces of
timber about three feet long on the outside of the rails. Trav-
elers accepted the meager conveniences whereby they might
reach a distant place with so little expenditure of muscular
energy. Time was not a very important consideration with a
class leisurely by antecedents and unoppressed with nervous
ambition to secure food so abundantly supplied from the for-
ests and clearings, or to meet the social demands, which were
simple and inexpensive.

The scenery was romantic and suggestive. Trains skirted
along at the foot of The Knobs until they arrived at New
Providence — now called Borden — eighteen miles from New
Albany. Here speed was somewhat checked until the long
steep grade could be surmounted, leading in devious lines
aside the watercourses, passing through cuts of very hard
limestone and sweeping unaccountably along low swags. The
road for private vehicles between Pekin and Salem is three
or four miles shorter than the iron route. The mention of
Pekin gives occasion to call attention to the concurrent nam-
ing of contiguous villages in that section of Washington
county for large cities — Pekin, Canton, South Boston, New
Philadelphia and Little York. A great horseshoe bend formed
apparently with little cause is one of the picturesque features
of the railroad three miles north of Bedford. It is related
that as late as 1868 a man alighted from the southbound train
at Salem, went north two blocks to the "public square," en-
gaged in an altercation in which he killed his antagonist,
loosed one of the horses tied at the courthouse hitchrack, and
rode to Harristown, now Norris, arriving there before the
train, which stopped on the road to take wood for fuel, and
reboarding the cars, he disappeared and escaped from justice.
An amusing anecdote is also told concerning one of the officers
of the company while on a tour of inspection that, when he
was asked what he thought of the road, he said he saw one
straight stretch where a curve might have been made. Such
jests in regard to any public utility are quite common, though
the perpetrators are often among its best friends.

Evidently the projectors aimed to reach as many points
of local importance as possible for feeders to the line on its

Poucher: Social Effects of Monon Railway 329

way to the principal marts. As a result of this survey there
are many way stations that owe an incalculable debt in their
prosperity. While the course of the route is generally north-
ward, it leads through Salem and Campbellsburg almost due
west, and fresh-comers are usually much confused in fixing
the points of the compass in those towns. Trains from the
south come from a northeasterly direction to Orleans, an im-
portant station now the junction for the branch to the West
Baden and French Lick country. The spur that reaches the
famous watering resorts, and forms prorating connections with
the Southern Railway was constructed about 1887. It is laid
over the "dry bed" of Lost river, and before touching the
terminus it skirts the banks of that queer stream that emerges
from the earth at the hamlet of Orangeville. This territory
for eighteen miles is fraught with much historic interest, and
owes greatly to the railroad for its progressive spirit as well
as adventitious prosperity.

Though the stock invested for construction brought no
dividends, these investments after seventy years have brought
abundant return to the public at large in the increased assets
of the community. The patronizing zone was very slow in
coming to its own. Wild blackberries was an appreciable
item of shipment as late as the seventies. Now the straw-
berry crop employs growers as far as twenty miles from the
road. The renowned oolitic stone did not begin to move for
several years. The writer remembers when the sole freight
service for a day would consist of an engine, caboose and
one car. The management in those days was often incompe-
tent and invariably provincial. No field had yet been discov-
ered for railroad magnates or experts; at least they did not
feel invited here, though James Brooks, the first president,
was a noble man and highly influential citizen with whom
modem officials can scarcely vie in capacity for civic service.
John B. Anderson, the first general superintendent, was after-
wards president of a fashionable college for young women.
Once on a train that had stopped for water where a blind
man with bucksaw was cutting cordwood for the company a
person remarked to the roadmaster, who was in the caboose,
"That is a strange way of doing." The officer replied, "Poor
folks have poor ways." Some years later I recognized the

330 Indiana Magazine of History

same roadmaster so far reduced in circumstances as with hoe
in hand to be cleaning the streets of a nearby city. The
merging of the line with connecting links at Chicago, Louis-
ville and Indianapolis may have swollen the dividends, in fact
became a necessity, but gone forever is the sense of a resi-
dential partnership in the possession and management of the
road. New Albany, the original starting point, especially, was
in a state of pathetic mourning when the words "New Al-
bany" were dropped from the monogram title. The over-
shadowing of the terminal cities was inevitable.

Facilities in travel were few and limited. Often the morn-
ing train out from New Albany had to wait for the bus that
brought the passengers on an uncertain ferry boat schedule
from Louisville, five miles away, and its arrival was signal
for some extra scurrying on the platforms. There was little
catering to the whims of appetite, though one peanut boy is
now a large capitalist in Indianapolis. Passengers never
dreamed of chair or sleeping coaches, and very few of the
patrons could have afforded the luxury. Just after the me-
morable cold New Year of 1864 the writer had occasion to
travel from New Albany to Greencastle, a distance of one
hundred and forty miles. He boarded the train at 2 :20 p. m.
on Monday and alighted at Greencastle at 5:25 a. m. on
Wednesday. A truck under one of the coaches flew the track
in Salt Creek Bottoms at 8 o'clock Tuesday morning, and by
the methods then employed could not be replaced until after
dark. Trainmen and passengers alike had to shift for them-
selves in getting food or drink, but all took it without com-
plaint. People off as well as on the road were used to dis-
comforts now regarded as unbearable.

Officers in those times were on terms of familiar inter-
course with patrons. The employees wore no uniforms, noth-
ing to distinguish them except the title of their several posi-
tions laid over the hatband. Conductors were allowed great lati-
tude of discretion in the transaction of business, and they
were nearly always agreeable and accommodating. A com-
pany of hilarious Methodist preachers were on their way to
annual conference. Among them was a dark-skinned wag
with sunken eyes, of whom the conductor asked his fare,
oftener purchased on the train than by ticket. Clergymen's

Pouciier: Social Effects of Monon Railway 331

certificates for reduced rates were not then considered neces-
sary. The passenger asked, "How much?" with an answer
calling for the regular fare. "But," said he, "you charge
me more than the other fellows ; I am a preacher, too." "You,
a preacher!" said the conductor; "you don't look like one."
Determined to have a little fun, the minister parried payment
until the conductor left him to attend to one of their frequent
stoppings. On returning the officer again solicited the pas-
senger, who in apparent amazement, said, "Are you the con-
ductor?" "Yes, sir," was the reply. "You the conductor!
You don't look like one." To which he good-naturedly re-
joined, "Oh, go along!" and he charged no pay at all in return
for the joke. Conductors had to be men of courage and ready
presence of mind in those days. One of these, Thomas Han-
Ion, though palsied in one arm, was invariably master of the
situation, and after a long, sensational and successful career
beginning in 1854, still lives, and is now in the United States
government employ in Washington at nearly four-score.
William F. Sears, a far-advanced octogenarian, highly re-
spected and now residing at Orleans, served as baggage-
master when the road reached no farther than Bedford. A
round trip was made daily.

Much of the passenger traffic being local and the trains
moving slowly with frequent and protracted stops, oppor-
tunity was afforded for friendly conversation in the cars.
There was little reserve of intercourse among the travelers,
even with strangers. No one hesitated to address himself
to his neighbor on any subject. Talk took a wide range on
theological questions, politics, the markets, local occurrences,
etc. A considerable sensation would be produced in the coach,
seldom crowded, by the advent of some distinguished civil
officer, or of a college dignitary at Bloomington, Greencastle,
or Crawfordsville. The presidents of the college institutions
enjoyed the courtesy of a free pass. Much valuable informa-
tion and culture would be gained in the interviewing of intelli-
gent citizens when nev/spapers were comparatively scarce,
high-priced, and restricted in their news columns. A scene
of thrilling interest included the crowds that gathered each
day at the depot in Bloomington, students in great number,
though a catalogue rule actually forbade the same class at

332 Indiana Magazine of History

Greencastle, farmers for miles away, freeholders and com-
mon loafers, it would seem as if the whole region had turned
out just to see the train and its passengers and one another,
the chief event of the day. Though the platform alongside
of which the cars stopped was elevated and narrow, very few
accidents occurred.

The rough and ready folks of that period were expected
to take care of themselves, though not without instructions.
On the green oilcloth lining of the car walls between all the
windows was stencil-stamped a long list of warnings against
putting head, arm or limbs out of opened windows, or chang-
ing coaches, a very risky proceeding, while the train was in
motion. On account of numerous obstacles on the unfenced
track, cattle, pigs, horses, landslides, fallen trees, there was
constant peril for life or limb with few suits for damages.
Professor Miles J. Fletcher, on the way to the Shiloh battle-
field in 1862, riding in the same seat with Governor Morton
on an Evansville and Terre Haute train which was suddenly
jolted at Sullivan, lost his life by putting his head out of a
window to see what was the matter, being struck by a freight
car which lifted the crown off his skull.

Large sums of money were used in the erection of depots
designed to be depots indeed, for the sidetrack generally led
right through the middle of the house, where it had been ex-
pected great lots of freight would be stored for considerable
time. These were expensive brick structures which it was
soon found were wholly unnecessary. ^ When one would be
destroyed a smaller and more suitable building would be
erected.

While patronage in those times was not so extensive as
on some other thoroughfares, especially those lying in an east
and west direction, the old road became a very influential
agency in connection with the sociological development of the
country. At almost every little station there was located
some private educational institution, like that of the Mays at
Salem. Three of the chief colleges in the State were seated
at points now become more accessible by the building of the
road — Indiana University (State), Indiana Asbury University

1 Several of these old depots are still standing, notably at Gosport, Orleans,
etc. — Ed.

Poucher: Social Effects of Moyion Raihvay 333

(Methodist), and Wabash College (Presb5i;erian) . Doubt-
less more college students have taken passage on the Monon
than on any other route in Indiana. Dr. Cyrus Nutt, after-
wards president of Indiana University, in his autobiograph-
ical sketch relates how in 1837, when he became the first
preceptor at Greencastle, he rode part of the way on a hay
wagon from Putnamville, reached by a National Road stage,
and walked the rest of the distance. In the more modern
period Purdue University was established at Lafayette, also
Borden Institute, the Southern Indiana Normal College at
Mitchell, Bedford Male and Female College, Ladoga Academy,
and no doubt several others. Occasion has been taken for the
sportive remark that though there are five colleges on the line,
it leads to the State Reformatory at one end and to the State
Prison at the other.

A palpable effect of the railroad's contribution to civiliza-
tion is shown in the distinctive character of the population
collected on either side of the route. Their ancestors were
emigrants from the Southern States, a region on account of
slavery and local situation somewhat behind the times. The
people were slow in discovering themselves. To the sprightly
Yan]<:ee who must move briskly in a more frigid climate, the
backwoods Hoosier was a common butt of ridicule from which
the native was inclined rather sullenly to withdraw himself,
and thus to fall still further in the rear. He was not yet
conscious of his inherent powers. His parents had not con-
cerned themselves about their Scotch-Irish ancestry, were not
aware that it was worth mentioning. Pride of pedigree was
rather discountenanced, as is likely in every newly settled
country. It was mistakenly supposed that we in America
must do nothing to pamper a blood aristocracy, though now
beginning to be recognized in scientific eugenics. The rail-
road introduced teachers who cultivated the innate faculties
of ingenuous fellows from whom have developed so many
preachers, statesmen, orators, pedagogues and financial mag-
nates who have astonished the inhabitants of other regions
possessed of greater natural advantages.

Another social effect of the Monon is evident in the theo-
logical bias of the population. Simultaneous with the phenom-
enal growth of the Church of the Disciples under Alexander

334 Indiaiia Magazine of History

Campbell and like-minded spirits in West Virginia and Ken-
tucky, the railway made a wide and long scope of territory
accessible in which this denomination of Christians is unusu-
ally thrifty and strong. The Baptists from Georgia and Ten-
nessee continue to be well represented in their descendants.
While Methodists are numerous all along the line, and pre-
dominated, according to Mr. Hanlon, in employee service, their
relative prosperity, like that of some other church organiza-
tions, is due chiefly to causes inherent in themselves.

The modernizing of railway management which took place
about the time when this company extended its valuable
branch line to Indianapolis and the busy spur to West Baden
and French Lick has also affected the contributory regions
both in the make-up of its inhabitants and their character,
customs and tastes. The oolitic stone quarries extending
along the tracks for thirty-five miles have called the world's
attention to this section. Immense capital has been invested,
requiring a prodigious number of laborers, skilled and un-
skilled, being worth much more to the country than mines
of the precious metals that employ no further labor when the
original product is obtained. While palatial car service
may not remunerate the management, it has attracted well-
to-do travelers, of whom some have seen enough to induce
them to settle there, and a new atmosphere has been created,
especially at the junctions or other more frequent stopping
points. Exterior initiative, combined with indigenous poten-
tiality, has tended to effect a new social order, a steady and
reliable progress in genuine and desirable civilization. The
advance is recognized with much satisfaction by those who,
knowing the country sixty-five years ago, take broad views
of community welfare.

The following letter from Mr. Hanlon to Dr. Boucher is
worth preserving in this connection :

House of Kt:PRESKNTATiVES, AVashington. D. C. July 21. 1010.

I have received your letter of July 17. which I appreciate very much,
asking for information of what I know and remember of myself and other
friends connected with the New Albany and .Salem Railroad. I remember
well when the New Albany and Salem Itailroad was controlled and man-
ajred by the employees and a large majority of them members of that
(Methodist) church.

.John K. Daniels was agent at New Albany; Col. McCi'ay. division

Poucher: Social Effects of Monon Railway 335

siiiteriutencleat from Blooiuiugton to Lafayette; William Foster, from
Lafayette to Michigan City ; John B. Anderson was the first superintendent
and general manager of the whole line from New Albany to Michigan City.
The agent at Providence was a man by the name of Shaw. John Mc-
Kinney superseded him in those days as agent and was a Methodist (Error.
I think — J. P.). At Harristown a man by the name of Norris was agent,
and a Methodist, and I believe his daughter is still agent there. At Salem
John Parker was agent ; at Campbellsburg a man by the name of Brown ;
at Lancaster a man by the name of Henry Monyhan was agent; at Orleans
a man by the name of Walker was agent and John D. Carter took his place.
At Mitchell a man by the name of Captain Budd was agent when he went
into the army, and a man by the name of Humston took his place. At
Bedford a man by the name of Peter Vestal was agent; at Bloomington a
man by the name of Carter; at Gosport a man by the name of Johns who
was murdered in the ticket office; at Quincy, Arnold: at Greenca.stle a man
l»y the name of Arp was agent. I give you this list, and could give you
the names of all the engines and those that manufactured them.

Tom Burch, an old Englishman, was for fifty years in the baggage
room in New Albany, a member of your church and everybody knew him.
-John Donaldson ran the old "New Albany", an Englishman. Mr. Bennett,
the father of Rev. Bennett, who is now pastor of the DePauw church at
New Albany, was the head l)lacksmith. Tom Lanahau was the boss car-
])enter and repairer in the car department.

W. W. Wellman was one of the old conductors, born and raised in
Orange county. He married J. K. Woodward's daughter in New Albany.
Abe Haynes was one of the old conductors, Sam Boruif another. E. W.
Blunk, Charlie Maynard and Blain Marshall were the old line conductors
who had charge of passenger trains in those days. Marshall went south
and was superintendent of the rx)uisville and Nashville Railroad during
the war.

Now as to my.self : I started on the New Albany and Salem lioad car-
rying water on a gravel train for three summers, washing out coaches and
cleaning windows in the winter months in the Lafayette yards. From there
I was promoted to a peanut boy on Mr. Compton's train from New Albany
to Ijafayette. His son is now the general manager of the Louisville and
Nashville sj^stem south of the Ohio river, and it contains nine thousand
miles of railroad. From being a peanut boy they gave me a job as brake-
man on a freight train which I held for four years; from there on to the
Mitchell night train, and was promoted from there to conduct the same
train on which I had many ups and downs.

Oh, those were days !

Travel just after the war was mild only in .spots and in between the
conductor had something besides fares and stations to attract his attention.
Between New Albany and Michigan City, Ind., there are points still on the
map that rise to memory dear and painful. But fast followed the days
marked only by schedule risks of life on the rail, and my bones grew back
in original grooves. A bunch of drummers that beat me up at Ladoga sub-
se<]uently sent me a leather medal with a box of cigars tied to it, and a

336 Indiana Magazine of History

baseball crowd that tried to break car windows with me at Orawfordsville
elected me an honorary umpire of the Athens league. They declared that
my 'responding' powers were too highly cultivated to be wasted. But I
buried the coupling pin along in '83 and kept the brakeman in training.

At those times soldiers lay around the depots awaiting to go to the
army or coming back. All depots had convenient saloons, and will say at
Orleans without exception one at one end of the platform.

I was promoted to the day train No. 3 and 4 between New Albany and
Lafayette, and this I held until I was elected auditor of Floyd county, and
then at the request of the company I ran it three months in the winter and
at the same time was auditor of the county. I served sixteen years and
two months as auditor of that county, was appointed by Cleveland collector
of internal revenue, was elected to the legislature, and was chairman of
the Railroad Committee. I have been elected twice as delegate to the
National (Democratic) Convention, and have served two terms as chair-
man of the district committee and four for the county. I am here now
at Washington as doorkeeper of the Members' Families' gallery. I always
had a great aspiration to go up, and I certainly did go as far as my educa-
tion would permit me to go. It was my great fortune to land right under
the dome of the Capitol, my office being located there.

Bishop Bowman (then President of Asbury, now Depauw, University)
I will ever remember as being my best adviser when joung. I love his
memory today, and when he went down to the Five-Mile Lane ( below New
Albany) and dedicated lOmbury church, I made a little talk to those old
farmers and said it was a shame we could not dedicate that church. I
surprised them all by giving fifty dollars because I was a guest of Bishop
Bowman. I remember the old presiding elder days, and it would take them
two days to come from French Lick when they came in frozen and muddy
through a week or two weeks' hard labor attending to their ministerial
work, such as your father (Error; Perhaps Talbott — .J. P.), Welker and
Kiger. Those were days when they had to labor in the performance of
the duty they were called to.

In the days of your going to school at Greeucastle the conductors were
John Bently, Dan Bonsall, Billy Garrett, Tom Hanlon, Henry Williams,
and Andy Mcintosh, who married DePauw's daughter. Jame.s Brooks was
president of the old New Albany road. There is a stone a mile and a half
south of Smithville, it lies on the left hand side of the track. It was
blown out there by Brook's management on placing sixteen kegs of powder.
In those days if anything happened in the Smithville hill, the boys would
refer it to the distance from Brook's monument. Lots of accidents and
deaths which I could state to you happened on the line of this road that
I know of and they would make an interesting book.

Your friend,

Thomas Hanlon.

Catholic Education in Indiana; Past and Present

By Mrs. Elizabeth Denehie, Terre Haute

From the earliest beginnings the Catholics have main-
tained that education and religion must go hand in hand ; that
morality is best taught when based on religion, and finally
that education cannot be severed from religion without an
intrinsic loss to the former.

All students are wont to quote Spenser, who defines edu-
cation as the "preparation for complete living." If we accept
this definition, which is very praiseworthy, shall we not say
then that the Catholics are building their system of education
on a firm foundation? Who will deny that "complete living"
necessitates a thorough knowledge of religion, ethics and
morality, as well as the purely secular training offered in our
public schools?

Because of this Catholic idea of education, it seems but
logical that we first turn our attention to the work of the
Catholic missionaries as an educational force in Indiana. The
first invaders of a new coutnry are generally hunters, traders
and missionaries, and this of course is true of the country
that came in time to be Indiana. When we think of Indiana
as still a component part of that splendid stretch of country
called the Northwest Territory, we can get our first glimpse
of the Catholics at work as the pioneers in education in Indi-
ana. The country adjacent to the Great Lakes and Canada is
still rich in cherished memories of a great work done by
Jesuit priests, who early traversed the paths that were to
open the gateway to civilization in the Hoosier State.

These priests from across the sea, from homes of refine-
ment and culture, renouncing all earthly ties of affection and
duty, and entering into this unknown land upon a field of
spiritual work, lived lowly lives in close communion with their
swarthy flocks, which were scattered over a wide expanse of
territory. They associated intimately with them, and hence
could help them in various ways.

338 Indiana Magazine of History

Perhaps we have a vague notion that these Jesuits came,
talked religion, built churches here and there, but accom-
plished nothing of real value to us living here now. However,
this idea must be rectified, for is it not a lasting honor to any
man or woman who has the courage of his convictions to
take the initiative in any great work that will raise humanity
to a higher plane? These missionaries were not seeking man-
made glory, nor ascendancy of power, nor material wealth;
they followed the dictates of their consciences and became
the means by which this new country was opened and made
more habitable and promising to those less fearless than them-
selves.

We must keep in mind that the Jesuits, as our priests to-
day, must engage in and complete a systematic course of col-
lege as well as theologic training. Between 1611 and 1791
there came three hundred and twenty of these Jesuits, who
taught many of the people who were the forbears of much of
Indiana's population today, and we will give them the credit
for having done a good work.

At this juncture in the story, it seems well to mention
that in the Treaty of 1763, when France ceded to England
all the territory east of the Mississippi as well as Canada,
she inserted a provision bearing on the religious rights of
the people. The proviso was that all Roman Catholics might
continue in the worship of that church without being molested.

Bearing more directly upon the history of Indiana was
the work of Father Pierre Gibault. It was he who, in 1778,
enthused the people of Vincennes, Indiana, to take the oath
of allegiance to the government of the United States. He
actually administered the oath himself to these French fol-
lowers of his faith, in the rude little church of St. Xavier's
in that village. Father Gibault had paved the way for the
Americans by teaching to the people of his missions the issues
and their significance, which caused the war between Eng-
land and America. In his kind but masterful way he was
able to present this subject of democracy, its aims and hopes,
to his people so that he induced them to declare for the United
States as against England. Without education on his own
part and an ability to dispense it to his followers, there might
have been a different story to tell about Indiana. Father

Denehie: Catholic Education in Indiana 339

Gibault worked in harmony with George Rogers Clark, and
indeed shares the honors for having accomplished the con-
quest of the Northwest Territory. The late Hon. William H.
English of Indianapolis in iiis history says, "During the long
period between Father Gibault's arrival in the Illinois Coun-
try and the capture of Kaskaskia, he was a leading character
in everything pertaining to the spiritual, social, educational
and material prosperity of the ancient French villages."

History records that the first known regular school in the
State of Indiana was that of the Catholic priests, Father
Rivet, at Vincennes in 1793.

Alongside that honor belongs the credit to the Catholics
of inaugurating and establishing free school education in
Indiana, the first free school in the State being that of the
Right Reverend William G. Brute, the first bishop of the
old Diocese of Vincennes, in 1834, Among the most discour-
aging surroundings and also against the expressed judgment
of his non-Catholic neighbors and acquaintances, besides the
remonstrance of his gww. flock, he practically gave rise to
the system by making, in 1834, the schools which he had just
established at Vincennes free to all, whether Catholic or non-
Catholic, without any reservation whatsoever. This start for
free education, it must be remembered, was made twenty
years before the present system of free public schools was
established in Indiana.

There is an erroneous opinion among some people that
about all the parochial schools teach is religion. This belief
also needs to have a little light shine upon it. Always, as today,
the Catholic parochial schools have interwoven religious and
secular training; but Catholics are not opposed to universal
education, or to taxation for schools, or to compulsory edu-
cation. Neither do they oppose any methods or contrivances
of whatever kind which may assist in the diffusion of knowl-
edge to the masses. But parochial schools do insist, moreover,
that a knowledge of religion is the primal and most essential
element of true human culture.

For the most part the regular work in our Indiana pa-
rochial schools begins at 8 :30 in the morning, when one regu-
lar period is given over to catechism instruction. Once or
twice a week the time of another recitation unit is given over

340 Indiana Magazine of History

to Bible history. These are about the only directly religious
subjects taught in our parochial schools. However, in some of
the grades, more frequently in the lower, when the mind is
in its best stage of plasticity, Catholic readers and some other
distinctively Catholic text-books are used. For the remaining
grades many of the text-books are those approved by the State
and hence do not diifer from those of the public school.

At present there are in the State of Indiana two hundred
nineteen parochial schools presided over by about thirty-eight
hundred teachers.

All Catholics must pay double taxation for the mainte-
nance of schools because for the greater part all parochial
schools are kept up by tuition paid by the parents to the head
of the school. Wherever a parish is able, there are schools
maintained by a special fund, and such schools are free. Fre-
quently it happens that a wealthy individual dies and leaves
an endov^rment to maintain free Catholic schools. But gen-
erally speaking, Catholics are required to pay taxes into the
public school fund as well as to maintain their own schools.

While this work is a hardship on some, still the Catholics
are alive to the needs of their children and bear the burden
as graciously as possible. In Catholic parochial schools the
tuition is ordinarily fifty cents per month. In cases of people
too poor to meet this obligation arrangements are made with
the pastor to remit even this small amount.

A rather remarkable state of affairs prevails at Jasper, In-
diana. In this little town of some four or five thousand in-
habitants all are Catholics save about four hundred. Here all
schools are presided over by Catholic sisters, but State text-
hooks are used by the pupils the same as in public schools. For
the Catholic pupils instruction in catechism is given from 8 :30
to 9 a. m. The small minority of Protestants do not have to
come until 9 o'clock, at which hour regular school work be-
gins. These sisters take the regular State examination and
receive their salaries from the public school fund. I am told
that this arrangement in Jasper is quite harmonious and
agreeable to everybody.

While we do not hear of the Catholic teachers taking the
teachers' examination on the last Saturdays of the month,

Denehie: Catholic Educatioyi in Indiana 341

nevertheless they attend a school and take a normal course
of three years, and many complete college courses before
teaching in the parochial schools. They then must pass a
satisfactory examination before receiving their appoint-
ments. Every Catholic sister in the school is constantly urged
to fit herself to teach the higher grades, and so they are not al-
lowed to get into that blissful stage of a "finished education."
Promotions come with the capabilities displayed by the sisters.
When we consider for a moment that the majority of the
Catholic high schools are now commissioned and certificates
from the eighth grades accepted without entrance examina-
tion, we must concede the fact that parochial schools are doing
a high standard of work. All over the State of Indiana
parochial schools are working towards standardization and
are endeavoring to keep up with the best that is offered in
education. Many of these schools have introduced courses
in domestic science and manual training wherever funds per-
mit, but of course these courses are more or less limited by
finances.

The parochial school system is diocesan in its organization.
The supreme educational authority is the bishop, who admin-
isters and governs the schools of his diocese through the assist-
ance of a school board. The immediate authority is vested
in the pastor, whose task it is to provide a building, salaries,
teachers, etc. The principal of the school is usually appointed
by the religious community to which she belongs. There is
a strong tendency and much has already been done towards
unifying and systematizing our parochial schools. During the
summer different institutes are held similar to public school
normal sessions, only lasting a shorter time, usually about
six weeks. Our local sisters attend St. Mary's of the Woods
to avail themselves of this summer training. In 1911 the
Sisters' College, under the auspices of the Catholic University
of America, was opened in Washington, D. C, and there
Catholic sisters may attend courses in professional training

The sisters in the parochial schools do not mingle with the
world in a large sense, but rather isolate themselves, keep-
ing in mind the training of the children entrusted to their
care and little else. They have no ties calling for the expend-

342 Indiana Magazine of History

iture of time outside of their religious and professional worlds
and hence can indulge in careful, quiet, thoughtful study,
which is indeed a fruitful field for the teacher who would
succeed.

The salaries of parochial teachers range from about two
hundred to three hundred dollars per year, this being about
one-half the amount paid to public school teachers for the
same grades. Catholic sisters are far removed from entering
the profession for utilitarian purposes. Other fields are open
to them, but they choose teaching because it appeals to them
as conducive to the greatest good to the greatest number. The
teachers are Catholic nuns in all parochial schools, except per-
haps in some outlying country districts where it is preferable
to have a man instructor.

Not only did the Catholics blaze the way for education in
the State of Indiana, but they have also remained at their
post, pursuing higher education as well. As evidence of their
earnestness in this field, Indiana now has twenty-four Catholic
colleges and academies, all in good financial standing as well
as being accredited with the colleges maintained by the State.

As types of Catholic schools for higher education, I will
recount briefly the history of four of these. Our attention
is first drawn to St. Mary's of the Woods, for this is the pio-
neer conventual school, established in Indiana in 1840. On
October 22, 1840, six sisters belonging to the Order of Provi-
dence arrived from Ruille Sur Loir, France, to begin a
great tssk.

Primarily, they purposed to teach their students right con-
duct, and to teach them culture and the value of sestheticism
through the medium of art, languages and literature. Music
and philosophy were also to aid in the process of developing
refinement and all the fine ideals that the world regards as
more purely womanly. The sisters thought and proposed to
inculcate their ideas in the minds of their students by con-
stant vigilance, and by zealously guarding them against any
influences that might hinder such development. By their com-
panionship with the girls and by emphasizing always the high-
est ideals of womanhood, they sought so to mold their char-
acters that they would possess minds well equipped to enter

Denehie: Catholic Education in Indiana 343

and influence human society and institutional life. Later in
the history of St. Mary's of the Woods science and other
branches were added to the curriculum, to meet the ever-
growing demand of a well-rounded education.

The illustrious but unassuming leader of the six who first
came to St. Mary's of the Woods was Mother Theresa Guerin,
widely celebrated for her beneficent and religious activities.
Today at St. Mary's are the highly prized gold medals Mother
Guerin earned at the French Academy in Paris. These had
been given her with the plaudits of the court and religious
authorities.

To be able to image clearly the conditions encountered by
Mother Guerin upon her arrival, I quote her words:

■■Suddenly we stopped in the midst of a dense forest. It was growinjr
dark. Father Beteux briefly announced tliat we had arrived. We were
l)erfectly silent; the gravity of the moment excluded any loquacity.
Imagine our astonishment upon finding ourselves still in the midst of the
forest, no village, not even a house in sight. Walking a short distance
down the hill, we beheld through the trees on the other side of the ravine
a log house with a shed in the rear. 'There' said the good priest, 'is the
farm house, where the postulants awaiting you have a room in which
you u)ay lodge until your house is completed.' "i

To many people the Catholic nuns are a quiet, shy, retir-
ing set of women with no interest outside a narrow little
sphere; but such notable examples as the saintly Mother
Guerin and her little band prove the depth of character, the
nobility of a fearless life and a sustaining courage not usually
accredited to womankind.

The great advocates of woman suff'rage are unearthing
all the examples of heroines who have influenced the world's
history. Frequently we hear of the women who have been
factors in the reformation of slum and tenement districts, or
of workers on the child labor question and many other mo-
mentous questions. These ideals are all praiseworthy, but it
were well not to forget the grandeur of the work, exemplified
in Mother Guerin, who, modestly and unnoticed by the world,
has established a monument that will be handed down to pos-
terity as a means for great good to a vast number of people.

Arriving October 22, 1840, Mother Guerin found three or

1 Life of Mother Guerin-Betuex.

344 Indiana Magazine of History

four little log huts scattered among the woods, one of which
was used as a chapel. A short distance farther were the half-
finished walls of what was to be St. Mary's Academy. At
last they were domiciled in Indiana, a place they had come
far to find. At once they went to work to learn the language
of their newly adopted country. They also rolled logs and
assisted in the clearing of one hundred thirteen acres that
the bishop had bought to be the site of the school. Despite
most delicate health, Mother Guerin was the life and soul of
every endeavor, keeping up the spirit of these exiles and
directing their hopes to the future. Growth was slow, but
four months after their arrival sixteen persons had assumed
the training of postulants in their religious life. In short
trips to Louisville and Cincinnati, Mother Guerin took occa-
sion to visit schools and consult with the missionaries in
regard to the best manner of conducting her work. She had
taught seventeen years as superior in one of the largest estab-
lishments in France before coming over.

In 1841, a year after her arrival. Sister Guerin was ready
to open a boarding school in their now finished six-room brick
school. Displaying her absolute faith in the Maker, she said:
''We must make a beginning and trust to Providence. If it
is God's work it will not fail." On July the fourth the first
pupil presented herself, and on the next day four more came.
At last the new work was launched — an American school
opened for American girls, with classes both in French and
English. From the very inception of St. Mary's Institute, as
it was then called, the higher education of women was its
prime object. In 1846 the charter granted by the Indiana
legislature empowered the sisters to confer degrees when time
and progress would authorize it. Mother Guerin was not
satisfied to conduct a boarding school only, but was indeed
blessed with the capacity of vision. Her great desire to ex-
tend her good work in Indiana materialized in a number of
missions scattered throughout the State and all were under
her supervision.

In 1889 St. Mary's of the Woods was visited by a very
disastrous fire, which caused about $18,000 damage. Much of
it, however, was covered by insurance. The fire came when

Denehie: Catholic Education in Indiana 345

the men who worked about the school were two miles distant
cutting ice, so the work of fighting the fire devolved upon the
sisters and pupils. A message to Terre Haute resulted in the
dispatch of eight hundred feet of hose. This arrived at St..
Mary's over the old wagon road, consuming about three-quar-
ters of an hour. Through many vicissitudes and trials, St.
Mary's of the Woods has risen from the most meager begin-
ning to one of the finest and most up-to-date academies and
colleges in the United States. The whole keynote of this
marvelous growth is found in one of Mother Guerin's maxims,
I think. She said, "Let us make no account of our personal
feelings except to sacrifice them." This was what she did in
very truth.

From the time of alighting from the train and going up
to the entrance of the college one has ample time to think
about the vastness of the undertaking of the founder of St.
Mary's of the Woods. The approach to the college as it now
stands is a very long driveway, perhaps equal in length to
several city blocks. There, away from all noise, sequestered
among sturdy old trees of early Indiana history the magnifi-
cent buildings, stands the work of the good Sisters of Provi-
dence. During the last twenty-five years the institution has
shown remarkable growth. From a poor frame building St.
Mary's of the Woods has expanded to an array of buildings
massive, elegant and adapted to all the growing needs of a
first-class college. It encloses within its precincts a six hun-
dred-acre plot and is a little v/orld in itself. It is self-gov-
erning, self-sustaining and presents all the charm of sylvan
environment, yet possessing all modern conveniences. The
principal buildings are arranged in a semi-circle with a front-
age of eleven hundred feet. A beautiful white stone church
occupies the center of the group. To the east is the convent
and to the north is the normal training school for those who
aspire to become members of the community. A dormitory
to house the students, a conservatory of music, a gymnasium
and natatorium are all elegant structures and form a part
of the whole, to say nothing of the pharmacy, laundry, bakery,
power house, kitchen and other buildings. Every summer the
sisters return to this mother house at St. Mary's of the Woods

346 hiclmna Magazine of History

from the cities in which they have been engaged during the
scholastic year. A regular normal institute is conducted
there, during which lecture courses and studio work by emi-
nent educators, professors and artists are given. A new col-
lege hail known as the Ann Therese Guerin hall now houses
the college students who desire professional training. Normal
courses of three years are also maintained with special courses
along all lines for those who care to specialize. The work
being done at St. Mary's of the Woods is now up to the stand-
ard of the best colleges in the United States. First chartered,
as has been said, to confer degrees in the college work, the
power was confirmed and extended in 1908 by the legislature
of Indiana. St. Mary's of the Woods is accredited as a stand-
ard college by the Indiana State Department of Education and
is affiliated with the Catholic University of America, Wash-
ington, D. C.

In the crypt beneath the main altar of the church now
repose the hallowed remains of Sister Guerin, founder and
leader in this great work. With a little stretch of the im-
agination one could imagine himself in the Catacombs under-
lying Rome as he slowly follows the winding passages to this
little tomb of so noble a woman. The air of quiet reverence
and sanctity pervaded the whole atmosphere and for a few
minutes one loses himself in thought of the power that enabled
Sister Guerin to undertake such a great work, so far away
from her home, in an alien land, among unknown people.

During the last scholastic year there were about two hun-
dred students at St. Mary's of the Woods. These Sisters of
Providence now have twenty-nine missions. Aside from the
school work the Sisters of Providence are engaged through-
out the country in hospitals, where as nurses they are devot-
ing their lives to nursing the sick back to health. Many are
also engaged in charity work of one kind or another while
many are caring for the orphans in Catholic asylums, scat-
tered here and there.

On the whole the Sisters of Providence are exercising a
far-reaching influence, doing noble work along educational,
religious, and charitable lines in many different communities
and, while their accomplishments are not heralded abroad,

Denehie: Catholic Education in Indiana 347

nevertheless results prove their courage, self-sacrifice, and
perseverance.

The University of Notre Dame traces its humble origin
back to 1842. Father Sorin with seven brothers of The Holy
Cross set out for a new location of their school. For a year
previous the Holy Cross Community was located at St. Peter's
about twenty-seven miles from Vincennes in Daviess county.
It had been in contemplation to erect a college at this point
but as there was already a Catholic college at Vincennes,
the bishop demurred and offered the community a tract of
land he owned on the St. Joseph river, provided a college
should be erected there within two years. After considera-
tion the brothers accepted and set out for the new place.
After travelling through the wilderness in bitterly cold
v%'eather they stood on the ice-bound shore of lake St. Mary,
November 26, enchanted with the marvelous beauties of the
scene of their future labors. The total amount of money at
the command of the young community on its arrival at the
lakes, was $1,500. Material and labor were volunteered and
a log structure, 24 x 46 feet, was erected in December, but
was not dedicated until March 19, 1843. But this building
was needed for other purposes than a chapel and a second
story was added as a dormitory for the sisters, who were
expected to arrive from France the same spring to take
charge of the domestic department of the university and a
little Indian chapel, erected by Father Badin about 1830, was
utilized as a dormitory for the brothers. The exchequer was
exhausted and 1842 passed without the erection of the con-
templated building. A square house, now known as the fami
house was erected at the edge of the lake, in 1843. This
served for collegiate purposes for nearly a year, the first
pupil being Alexis Coquillard, afterward the wealthy wagon-
maker of South Bend. The terms per quarter for students
were fixed at eighteen dollars for tuition, board, washing
and mending. Like all other institutions, the growth was
gradual and in 1844 the legislature gave Notre Dame uni-
versity power to grant degrees. Literature and oratory have
been cultivated from the very beginning at Notre Dame,
dramatic and debating clubs were formed and many were the

348 IndiavM Magazine of History

orations heard even in its early days. Father Sorin (1842-
1865) was the first president of Notre Dame and Father
Patrick Dillon the second (1865-1866). The present presi-
dent is Father Cavanaugh. There are now six distinct col-
leges at Notre Dame offering twenty-two different courses.
It is making great progress in arts, letters, science, engineer-
ing, architecture and law, and possesses the latest and most
complete equipment. The main library has 75,000 volumes
and 16,000 manuscripts. In the general museum the his-
torical collection is especially noteworthy and valuable. Notre
Dame is doing for the American youth what St. Mary's of
the Woods is doing for American girls ; to give them a thor-
ough understanding of secular training added to an apprecia-
tion for the religious side, which makes for the broadest pos-
sible culture.

Located one mile west of Notre Dame is St. Mary's Acad-
emy conducted by sisters of the Holy Cross. It was estab-
lished by Father Sorin also in 1844, in Bertram, Michigan.
In 1855 the community moved from Bertram to St. Mary's
in St. Joseph county, Indiana, the present site of the mother-
house of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. In 1857, the union
of temporal interests between Notre Dame and St. Mary's
was severed and a separate administration has been main-
tained ever since, though by special privilege Rev. E. Sorin
was allowed to act as ecclesiastical superior over both con-
gregations, that composed of the priests and brothers and
that of the Sisters of the Holy Cross. About this time Mother
M. Angela, a woman imbued with the highest religious as-
pirations and endowed with rare mental gifts was elected
provincial and until her death in 1887, she held the office.
Today St. Mary's Academy is a city in itself including a
system of buildings, connected yet distinct, embodying college,
academy, music hall, convent, loretto, presbytery, infirmary,
laundry, etc. It is built in the form of a T and every room is
' an outside room v/ith an abundance of daylight and fresh
air. The course of studies is as extensive, long and thor-
ough as long experience in teaching and a large and capable
staff can make it. The degree of excellence attained at St.

Denehie: Catholic Education in Indiana 349

Mary's in the musical and art departments has long been
recognized by people all over the country. While special
attention is given to the fine arts, they are not cultivated to
the neglect of the practical sciences, as a visit to the classes
of Natural Philosophy and Chemistry would fully demon-
strate, no pains having been spared to secure a physical cabi-
net worthy the name and as a result, the academy at St.
Mary's has a collection of instruments from the best manu-
facturing establishments of Europe for illustrating the laws
of sound, light, electricity, heat and magnetism as well as
the principles of mechanics. The Sisters of the Holy Cross
at St. Mary's have three objects: education, the care of the
sick, and the care of the orphans. St. Mary's is constantly
growing and bids fair to become one of the largest Catholic
institutions in the United States.

The convent of the Franciscan Fathers at Oldenburg came
into being under its present name August 7, 1866. It is
located in Franklin county, Indiana, and in 1868 a class of
clerics belonging to the same province took up their residence
here in order to pursue their studies in preparation for the
holy priesthood. The convent of the Sisters of St. Francis, at
Oldenburg was established in 1850 by Rev. F. J. Rudolph. On
January 6, 1851, the first steps were taken towards the found-
ing of a teaching community with the auspicious aid of
Sister M. Theresa. She became its first superior general
under the title of Mother. The old convent was reconstructed
in 1899-1901. The community has advanced steadily, though
under great difficulties. The mother-house at Oldenburg con-
sists of the convent proper, the novitiate, the infirmary, the
academy and other buildings. At present (1916) Oldenburg
numbers seventy-three mission schools in which 13,500 chil-
dren are educated. These schools are located mainly in In-
diana, Illinois, Ohio, Kentucky and Kansas. The mother gen-
eral always has been and still is its president with the di-
rectoress as vice-president. In 1876 the conservatory of
music was added to the academy building.

The grounds at Oldenburg comprise 400 acres and the
church which was built at a cost of $80,000 is one of the

350 Indiana Magazine of History

finest structures in the State. In 1900 a new convent was
completed and dedicated; the same year the community of
St. Francis Sisters celebrated their golden jubilee. The effi-
ciency of this school has been recognized by the Indiana State
Board of Education and its normal department has been ac-
credited by the State Teachers' Training Board.

Grand Prairie Harmonical Institute

By Harry Evans, Superintendent of Warren County Schools

In 1851 a company of people who felt that their best
interests could be better served by a community form of
living, organized the "Grand Prairie Harmonical Institute,"
or, as it was more generally known, "The Community Farm."
This was located in Prairie township, Warren county, Indiana,
where Wiliam Goodacre now lives. This farm at one time
comprised about 350 acres. It was the intention of the foun-
ders of the institution to teach handicraft, especially black-
smithing, carpentry and allied trades, and to allow students
to work their way through the school.

The country was entirely new, much of the soil was still
covered with the native verdure; game was plentiful, deer,
geese, ducks, cranes and prairie chickens could be seen in
great numbers at almost any season of the year. Their at-
tempt, at this distance, seems unique. An unimproved country
where there was little need of skilled labor was to become
the seat of an institution of learning where the pupils were
to be taught various trades. To us it seems that such an
attempt was the limit of the visionary. The Transcendental-
ists at the Brook Farm in Massachusetts and the Owen
experiment at New Harmony seem now to have been as vague
as this little colony set down in the midst of a vast prairie
country with no neighbors and no demand for their work.

The first president and one of the moving spirits in the
enterprise was John 0. Wattles, a man who had a more than
ordinary education and who had spent some time at New
Harmony, where he may have imbided some of the com-
munistic ideas of the Owens's. The Wattles family consisted
of Mr. and Mrs. Wattles and their three daughters, Lucretia
Celestia, Harmonia and Pheano (or Theanna, as it is spelled
in a deed). Lucretia Celestia was born at "Fryback Hall,"
an institution similar to the Harmonical Institute and located
in Pine township, a few miles east of the "Community Farm."
She had a right to such a name, for her mother had travelled

352 Indiana Magazine of History

all day in the rough conveyance of that time and had reached
Fryback Hall in the evening. That night, during a most
severe storm, the little one made her entrance into the world
about two o'clock in the morning.

Horace Greeley was said to have been a silent member
of the Grand Prairie Harmonical Institute company, one deed
showing him to be a trustee. John Gass, father of Will Gass,
of Attica, was another prominent member and at one time
the treasurer. Alvin High, Cyrus Romine and a number of
others were connected with the movement. The school was
managed by a board of trustees, of whom Ida Greeley,
Thomas Truesdale, Alvin High and John Gass were the last
to hold office. For a time a number of families seemed to
have lived the common life, but, like all such experiments, it
failed. While the race is gregarious, there must be a certain
amount of rivalry to make life a success. We seem to need
the stimulus of competition to spur us on to do the best that
is in us. Whatever the cause of failure in this particular
experiment of community living, it lasted little more than a
year.

The property remained in the hands of the trustees for
nearly twenty years, when an order from the United States
District Court for Indiana gave possession of the land to Mrs.
Wattles. The family had been away for some time, going to
Kansas, where Mr. Wattles had tried to carry out his favorite
idea of common living. After his death, which occurred about
the beginning of the Civil War, his widow, desiring to educate
her children, moved to Oberlin, Ohio, where she placed them
in the college at that place. Later she sold to Isaac C. Ander-
son and James McDaniel the land the court had decreed to
her and thus ended another altruistic experiment.

For years the "Community House" was a noted landmark.
Its site on the top of what was the highest ridge of land any-
where near made it conspicuous. Then there is always a
sort of charm and at least a little air of mystery about such
a place. Fancy may build golden dreams of higher forms of
life where competition shall be forever banished, rivalry un-
known and the Golden Rule the measure of our actions.

Reviews and Notes

Centennial Pageants

During September and October a number of successful
Centennial Pageants were given in the State. At Hunting-
burg, September 22, the Dubois County Pageant was given
under the direction of Genevieve MacDonald Williams, George
R. Wilson acting as historian. The five episodes were "The
French and Indians at Vincennes," "The Pioneers," "Captain
Dubois," "County History," "Union Soldiers." The Hunting-
burg papers have published a large amount of local history,
and a number of historical markers have been erected at
historical spots in the county by local societies, assisted by
Mr. Wilson.

September 7, at Cannelton, the Perry County Pageant
was held. Thomas J. de la Hunt was county chairman, wrote
the pageant and staged it, city and county supporting him
loyally. The episodes were: "Arrival of Pioneer Settlers,"
"News from the War of 1812," "Landing of Lincoln Family
at Troy," "Lafayette's Steamboat Wreck at Rock Island,"
"Training Day," "Cannelton Cotton Mills," "Swiss Coloniza-
tion Society," "Confederate Invasion," "Celebration at End
of War." The county papers, especially the Cannelton Tele-
phone, published a number of good historical articles, and the
Women's Club of Cannelton dedicated a marker at Lafayette
Springs in honor of Lafayette.

September 21, New Albany celebrated the Centennial in
a Pageant on the banks of Silver Creek. The Pageant was
written and directed by Prin. Charles B. McLinn. The epi-
sodes were, "The Indians and Lasalle," "Clark at Corn
Island," "The Pioneers," "The Wedding," "Passing of the
Settlers," "The Indian Attack," the "Circuit Rider," and the
"Governor's Ball."

October 5, 6, and 7, White county celebrated with a Page-
ant in a beautiful, natural amphitheatre on the banks of the
Tippecanoe at Monticello. Supt. James M. Leffel was chair-
man of the centennial association. Miss Emma B. Shealey

354 Indiana Magazine of History

was pageant master and W. H. Hamelle, historian. The epi-
sodes were, "The Indian," "The Pioneer," "The State," and
"The Civil War." The display of relics was most surprising
and interesting. The Monticello papers aided by publishing
a goodly number of historical articles prepared by Mr.
Hamelle.

The New Purchase or Seven and a Half Years in the Far
West. By Robert Carlton, (Baynard R. Hall)
edited by James Albert Woodburn, Professor of
American History, Indiana University, 1916; Prince-
ton, Princeton University Press, pp. 522 ($2.00).

Baynard Hall, the writer of the volume, was the first and
only principal of the Indiana Seminary which from 1824 to
1829 preceded Indiana College. The volume describes his trip
to, and work in and around Bloomington from the spring of
1823 to the fall of 1830. The title of the book. The New
Purchase, is misleading, since he only made two brief jour-
neys into that part of the State. The towns named and re-
ferred to, Bloomington, Gosport, Palestine, Salem, Fairplay,
Spencer and Vincennes, are not in the New Purchase. There
is only one sufficient argument for a new edition of the story,
but that argument is enough. As a picture of pioneer life in
Indiana it is unequalled, and must necessarily always remain
so. Mr. Hall qualified for writing the story by entering fully
into the pioneer life around him. He saw and was broad-
minded enough to appreciate the sterling character of the
settlers. He was also frank enough to point out the unat-
tractive features. The picture is not a burst of sunlight on
the snow but a mixture of light and shadow, the light tem-
pered with humor and the shadow tempered with sympathy.
The history and geography of the story are so carefully veiled
mth fictitious names that one can only be sure of his location
after careful comparisons. Hoosier character, customs, poli-
tics, churches, schools, and home life all come in turn, before
the camera. The style of the author is not uniform. At times
he is poetic, at times he approaches the humor of Twain but
through it all, shows the life training of the man, he cannot
help but point a moral. The editorial work consists of an

Revieivs and Notes 355

historical introduction and a few notes. One must admire the
restraint of the editor, for almost every sentence of Hall is a
fit text for a lecture. The book has always been a great favor-
ite with the editor and it can easily be believed then that the
editorial work was a pleasure. However, it is unfortunate
that, by oversight, the author's notes were not distinguished
from the editor's. Altogether the book is one of the most
valuable sources on Indiana history, the more valuable be-
cause of the character of the writer and his remarkable op-
portunity for observation. Every library and school in
Indiana should have a copy of this rare old book. (For a
fuller description of this book see an article entitled "Local
Life and Color in the New Purchase" in this magazine, De-
cember, 1913, by Professor James Albert Woodburn.)

Mou7it Vernon, Washington's Home and the Nation's Shrine.
By Paul Wilstach, 1916. New York, Doubleday,
Page and Company, pp. 301.

This volume might be termed a personal biography of
Washington, as distinguished from that class of biographies
which, under title of a personal name, give the history of an
era. From Mr. Wilstach's pages one gets the impression of
a more than ordinarily beneficent and public spirited farmer
but still only what one might expect as the highest type of
the Virginia planter. It is fortunate that Mr. Wilstach has
not felt himself called upon the besmirch his portrait in order
to make it human. There is a deeper significance in this
volume. It is a detailed story of the building up of a great
home. Washington farmed largely for enjoyment. Mount
Vernon was built up as a place where one would wish to live.
In a very emphatic way it shows what is possible in greater
or less degree on every farm. Finally this volume should
increase the regard Americans have for their first President.
A little more sentiment of the kind will not be apt to hurt
most Americans. The volume is beautifully illustrated —
there being fifty cuts, many of them full page. On the front
cover is a picture of the Mount Vernon mansion in white, on
a blue color, surrounded with gilt.

356 Indiana Magazine of History

N 07-1)1 Carolina Schools and Academies, 1790-18^.0 — A Docii-
mentarij History. By Charles L. Coon. 1915. Ra-
leigh, The State, pp. 846.

In 1908 Mr. Coon published a two-volume documentary
history of the Beginnings of Public Education in North Caro-
lina. The present volume is supplementary to the former. In
his first volumes the author treated especially of the support
of schools in the public opinion of the times, while the last
volume contains materials illustrating their management and
every-day conduct. A few of the division heads will show
the nature of the material and also how similar conditions
there were to those in Indiana a generation or two later:
Documents concerning the State Univeristy, its Relations and
Influence; Physical Equipment of the Schools; Qualifications
of Teachers; Course of Study; Religious Instruction; Meth-
ods, Lancastrian Schools; Closing School; Military Schools;
Lotteries for the Benefit of Schools; Salaries; Law Schools;
and Beginnings of Colleges. An introduction of forty-five
pages gives the reader a connected idea of the whole. The
documents are collected from various sources but chiefly from
the newspapers, a very large proportion being from the Ra-
leigh Register. The editorial work and the printing are good,
showing the value of having such work done by one who un-
derstands the subject.

The Hoosier

The Writers' Club conceived the idea of this magazine
last spring. The members of the club felt that if a magazine
were to be started at Indiana University it ought to have the
backing of an organization. Theirs was the logical organiza-
tion. The Writers' Club has been social as well as literary
in its nature, but this fall it began the policy of electing new
members on the basis of literary merit alone. The student
who will send in three articles worthy of being published in
The Hoosier is eligible to membership. On this basis it has
already elected three new members : Miss Ethel Knapp, Rich-
ard George Scribner, and Lawrence Wheeler. If at some later
time the Writers' Club wishes to resume its social character
it will turn the management of the magazine over to an edi-

Reviews and Notes 357

torial board. At present it is a working literary organization,
and its motto is, as 0. Henry would say, "Strictly Business."
The criticism that it is a closed shop is utterly unfounded.
The Hoosier is published at the University Press at Blooming-
ton, Indiana, on the first of each month during the college
year, by the Writers' Club of Indiana University. The aim of
The Hoosier is to furnish a medium of expression for the
literary life of the University, and its columns are open to
undergraduates, alumni, and members of the faculty. The
subscription price is one dollar per year; single copies are
fifteen cents each.

CouHs and Laivyers of Indiana. By Leander J. MONKS.
Editor in Chief ; Logan Esarey and Ernest V. Shock-
ley, Assistant Editors. Indianapolis, Federal Publish-
ing Company, 1916. Three vols., pp. Ixxv -f 384, 527,
526. Illustrated.

The volumes are continuously paged. The first 535 pages
contain a connected history of the State and territorial judi-
ciary, divided into 22 chapters. These chapters deal with
such topics as Courts of the Northwest Territory; Courts of
Indiana Territory ; The Old Circuit Courts ; The Circuit Rid-
ers; Juries, Prosecutors and Witnesses; Minor Courts; Inci-
dents and Anecdotes of Pioneer Courts; The Old Supreme
Court, etc. The second division of the work contains detailed
accounts of the organization of the county courts, lists of
judges and prosecutors, circuits, attorney-generals, federal
judges and United States Attorneys, with dates for each.
This part occupies 600 pages. The third division contains
the biographies of the leading lawyers of the State, living and
dead. These biographies, about 1,000 in number, have been
reduced to the briefest possible form. The aim throughout
has been to show the part the courts have played in the devel-
opment of the State and the relation the lawyers have sus-
tained to society in general. The writers have covered the
field fairly well. The editor-in-chief is a lawyer of over a half
century's experience, having served 18 years on the supreme
bench. His assistants are both college trained men, all
Hoosiers, and all alumni of Indiana University. The work

358 Indiayia Magazine of History

has been as carefully done as time would permit. Documen-
tary records have been used freely both for State and county
courts. The statistical tables have been compiled in every
case directly from the manuscript records. Some errors in
the tables are due to hasty proofreading ; for example on page
306 George W. Self is credited with preparing 68 volumes of
the Supreme Court Reports instead of 14; on page 384 the
same reporter should be credited with volumes 34 to 48 instead
of 34 to 58 ; page 222 of the Supreme Court docket is printed
upside down. On the whole it seems few mistakes of this
kind have been made. The authors have not hesitated to
criticise where it seemed merited nor to praise where it was
deserved. An instance of the former is given by way of
example on page 526 seq.; of the latter, chapter IV is a worthy
tribute to the old Circuit Riders. The general tone of the
book is modest. In most instances the writers have been con-
tent to let the record speak for itself. The volumes are neatly
printed on good paper, tastefully bound in half leather and
are provided with an excellent index which renders the vast
amount of details easily accessible.

French Policy and the American Alliance. By Edward S.
CORWIN, Princeton University. Princeton, 1916. 430 pp.

This book is a history of our first and perhaps only entang-
ling alliance. The first six chapters are devoted to a treatment
of motives, underlying conditions and preliminaries of the
alliance. The other ten chapters are devoted to an anlysis of
the treaty itself, to the attempts of the Americans and French
to bring Spain into the alliance, to the French-Spanish alliance
of the following year and its conflicts with the French-Amer-
ican treaty, and finally to the relations of the latter treaty to
the treaties of peace of 1782-1783. The author does not deal
with the attempts made by France at times during the first
decade of our national government to argue that the treaty of
alliance was still in force, but treats it as ending with the
event of American Independence.

While perhaps every statment of fact and every conclusion
set forth in the present book has appeared before in secondary
works, no single author has attempted to cover precisely the

Revietus and Notes 359

same field or would agree with all the statements and conclu-
sions of the present author. The present work is, however,
no mere bringing together of facts already ascertained by
other historians. Everything has been verified and the sources
cited. Controverted topics, such as the French desire for ulti-
mate recovery of her possession on the American continent,
French desire for American commerce, French desire to make
secure her possessions in the West Indies and Vergennes'
degree of unfaithfulness to his treaty obligations are all judi-
ciously discussed as controverted subjects, so that the reader
may know whenever he is reading of things substantially
agreed upon by all or otherwise. At such times other view-
points are explained, evidences weighed and liberal quotations
given from the principal actors in the game.

In comparison to some other treatments of phases of this
subject, the author might be said to take his view from Paris,
making Vergennes the center or clue to the plot. This effect
is in some respects the most valuable contribution that the
author has brought. Without attempting to show his learned-
ness by leading the reader through too much of the maze of
Eighteenth century diplomacy, he shows an understanding of
the relations of the different countries of the world in the
Eighteenth century and to that thing that the diplomats called
the balance of power. The author succeeds in getting himself
sufficiently up above his subject to get a survey of world
movements and relations. He thus gets the American end of
this whole thing in its proper perspective and proportion. The
part played by American statesmen in drawing France into
the alliance and in determining its interpretation and observ-
ance is shown to be distinctly limited, and dependent upon
other interests and considerations of European statesmen.
French diplomats believed that France was entitled to be the
pivot upon which the balance of power should turn. This
balance was somewhat upset at the Peace of Paris and could
be restored by reducing England's relative position. This
could be done by helping to deprive her of her colonies — her
source of wealth and power. This must, however, not be done
at the expense of disturbing the balance in some other way
in Europe, as for instance neglecting or weakening the Family
Compact with Spain. Hence all the bidding for Spanish favor

360 Indiana Magazine of History

and support. Hence the French-American treaty at times ap-
parently becomes secondary to the French-Spanish alliance.

The work has been scientifically done. There are not only
references to writers who disagree from the author's view-
point, as well as to writings of the chief diplomats and agents
concerned, but there is an attempt to get at the motives of
the latter for writing particular things — realizing that a dip-
lomat may sometimes be writing or talking to mislead. The
references to Doniol alone make a pretty good guide to that
work. There is a brief, critical bibliographical note, an ap-
pendix of twenty-eight pages containing copies of the treaties
of 1778 and 1782 as well as four other interesting documents.
The index is adequate.

The Magazine is glad to publish the following letter from
the author of Historic Indiana, that it may correct any false
impression obtained from the review in the last number of
the magazine in which the reviewer spoke of the explorations
of Lasalle in Indiana:

"Before the second edition of the booli was issued, followinfr the
implied suggestion of ]dr. Parlvman, I entered into the subject [Lasalle's
expedition] with Canadian authorities, but they ended by regretting the
loss of the explorer's papers. When I was in France the last time I hoped
to be able to avail myself of the promised help of the department of
research, to examine the archives of State, for light on this period of La-
salle's life, and possible data regarding the discovery of the Wabash.
Unfortunately, serious illness in my family prevented my research at that
time, and I have not been in Paris since.

Is there not enough probability in Mr. Parlvman's impressions of a
"possible lead" to an important historical fact for some of you younger
historians to keep it in mind, and make the investigation.s. on which I
had started, whenever the future may open up an opportunity/ It was
to incite some one to this search that the paragraph referred to by the
reviewer was included in the chapter.

No (me has a more i)rofound regard for exact scholarship than the
writer. When the old Librarian at New Orleans wrote to me. several
years ago, to say that he had found the book entirely reliable and the
story based on exact data, that voluntary approval from a stranger who
was such an old student of Northwestern history was very encouraging
as is your recognition of the same fact that the author has not neglected
to avail herself of the authorities, and I may add, the original srnu-ces of
the State's history.

As stated in the preface to the first edition, the book was written \o

Reviews and Notes 361

enlist the interest of those who might not read the histories, and yet
should know the story of their State's development, hence facts and dates
were not insisted upon. But the author had a conscience regarding the
foundation facts assumed, that they must be accurate. I hope you may
keep the question of Lasalle's first years of journeying in mind, and find
what the archives of France, and his native village, have to reveal."

This Magazine is in receipt of three souvenir post cards
by Emma Carleton, each containing two stanzas of poetry
which are worth preserving. Each card bears an illustration
suitable to the sentiment.

HOME OF MY HEART

Where the broad river shining flows
Through the wide valley's rich repose,
'Neath the green hills — oh — fair to see!
Dear busy town — New Albany !

In Time's far distance — brighter still —
'Neath bluer skies and greener hill —
Ble.st quiet ways, fond memory's haze —
New Albany of other days !

ON SILVER HILLS

Up the green valley, break-of-day
Bids the night shadows fly away :
Fair the fields glisten — born anew
To life and beauty— song and dew.

Down the green valley sunset dies —
The full moon glows — a late bird flies —
Peace, like a pure thought, broods afar :
O'er the sweet hill-top hangs a star.

INDIANA

Indiana, to mine eyes thou art a star:
Long years ago my kinsmen followed thee afar:

Through wilds and woods they toiled to seek in thee a home;
For thee they fought, and helped to rear thy beauteous dome.

Ti'ue daughter would I be, and honor thee, my State;

1 kneel before thee; thou art good and thou art great;
Thy deeds are noble and thy aims are all divine,

O Indiana, to my soul thou art a shrine.

362 Indiana Magazine of History

St. Joseph's College, as a part of its quarter centennial
celebration, has issued a neat little pamphlet of sixty-five
pages, giving an account of the founding and remarkable
growth of the college. Twenty-five years ago the campus of
the college was an unattractive swamp ; now it is one of the
most beautiful campuses in the State, comprising about nine
hundred and fifty acres. The pamphlet is illustrated with cuts
of the various buildings and portraits of the presidents of the
college.

hi^h Pioneers in Kentucky is the title of a pamphlet of
sixty pages composed of fourteen articles written by Michael
J. O'Brien, originally appearing in the Gaelic American
of New York. The whole problem which Mr. O'Brien attacks
is one of great difficulty. The Germans, English, Irish and
Scotch were so intermingled by the time they reached the
Ohio Valley, there was so much mixture by marriage,
such a confusion in the changing and misspelling of names,
so much carelessness among the pioneers themselves concern-
ing their family history, that nothing short of expert investi-
gation of the official records (which are very scanty) will
ever throw much light on the question. There has been a
tendency for the Scotch-Irish and Germans to preempt this
field, but the fact certainly remains that a large number of
the pioneers of the Ohio Valley were Irish. It is possible that
they equalled or outnumbered the Scotch or Germans. At
any rate, Mr. O'Brien has brought together a large array of
evidence to support his contention.

The Transactions of the Forty-First Annual Reunion of
the Oregon Pioneer Association for 1913 contains an account
of the trip to Oregon in 1852 by Jane D. Kellogg and her hus-
band. The party started from Elkhart, Indiana, March 17,
1852, and reached Portland, October 22, 1852. It is one of
the best brief stories of an Oregon trip that has come to my
notice.

Joseph H. Newby of Randolph, Kansas, is at work on a
genealogy of the Newby Folks. Many of the members of the
family live in Indiana. His old home is in Hamilton county.

Reviews and Notes 363

Reminiscences of Thomas T. Newby is the title of a fifty-
page pamphlet recently published by Mr. Newby at Carthage.
The author's father, Henry Newby, came to the neighborhood
of Carthage almost a century ago and his descendants still
live there. The Remitiiscences are full of pioneer flavor and
incident. Such chapters as "Tharp's Barn," "Clearing Land,"
"Keeping Fire," "Cider Mills," "The Latch String," "Sugar
Making," and "The Tanyard" are both valuable as history
and interesting as literature. The writer makes no pretense
to fine writing but nevertheless draws his pictures with a
firm, accurate hand.

A Brief History of Sivitzerland County is the title of a
twenty-page pamphlet prepared by the senior class of 1913
of the Vevay High school, Miss Julia Leclerq Knox, principal.
The frontispiece is a full page portrait of Aunt Julia Detraz
(1806-1903), said to be the first white child born in the
county. Other illustrations are of the courthouse, school-
house, bank, steamer "City of Louisville," Eggleston's home,
and "Horeshoe Bend," a picturesque place near Vevay. The
pamphlet contains a great deal of information concerning this
quaint city and county, one of the most attractive spots in the
State.

Pioneer Recollections of Early Indiana is the title of a
much too brief pamphlet by James W. Sansbury. "My recol-
lection," says the writer, "goes back to 1830. I then lived
between Knightstown and Carthage and used to ride 'Old Jin'
to Hill's Mill where Carthage now is. Mush and milk was
the daily and healthy diet. When cooked instead of taking
it up in dishes, the mush pot was set out in the middle of the
floor and with tin cup and spoons the family gathered around,
each one helping himself by dipping his spoon into the pot
and taking out his mush and placing it in his cup of milk;"
so runs the ten pages of the brief pamphlet.

The Minutes of the Eighty-Fifth Amiual Session of the
Indiana Conference of the Methodist Church for 1916 con-
tains an unusual amount of historical data. Two maps facing
each other show the circuits and districts of 1816 and 1916.
The circuits and stations have grown from seven to two hun-

364 Indiana Magazine of History

dred and ninety-nine during the century. Among the well-
known ministers who have died the past year are William M.
Zaring of Indianapolis and Dr. J. P. D. John of Greencastle.
The State University Library has been trying for a num-
ber of years to secure a set of Conference Minutes but so far
has failed. The editor has learned of several sets sold re-
cently as waste paper. The library would very much appre-
ciate any and all material of this character.

The Survey is in receipt of some valuable historical ma-
terials from Mrs. Fannie Knowlton Baker of Indianapolis.
Her father, Judge Knowlton, was prominent in Indiana dur-
ing and after the War and the materials are from his papers
and collections.

This Magazine is in receipt of four pamphlets from the
librarian of the Henry Henly Public Library of Carthage.
Two of them are school reports, one for 1886, the other for
1906; the third is a souvenir of the Methodist Church con-
taining not only a history of the church but much valuable
data on the early history of the city. The fourth, a History]
of the First Fifty Years of Carthage and Vicinity, by Mrs.
Caroline A Clark, is a twenty-page pamphlet full of the de-
tails of the early settlement and progress of the town and
neighborhood. It is written in commemoration of the cen-
tennial and it is hoped enough were printed to furnish at least
each school child of Carthage with a copy.

The Home and School Visitor is offering a good assortment
of Hoosier stories this year. The October number has an
article by Prof. F. S. Bogardus on "The Lost Nation"; one
on "Indiana" by W. S. Goble ; one on "One Hundred Years of
Indiana" by George S. Cottman ; one on "Maids and Mothers
of the Revolution" by Sarah R. Cristy; one on "Johnny Ap-
pleseed" by Vida T. Cottman; and one on "Down to New
Orleans" by Logan Esarey.

The History Teacher's Magazine for September contains
an article by J. W. Oliver of the State Library. It was first
read to the Mississippi Valley Historical Association at Nash-

Reviews and Notes 365

ville. Mr. Oliver's subject is "Position of the Historian in
Statehood Centennials."

Persons interested in Northwestern History will appre-
ciate the article on Peter de Smet, the famous missionary in
the September Records of the American Catholic Historical
Society.

The Catholic Historical Review for October contains an
interesting account of the original owners of the grounds on
which the Capital at Washington is built. The writer, Mar-
garet Brent Downing, calls it the American Capitoline.

The American Historical Revieiv for October contains
three articles of interest to Indiana readers: "Swiss Emi-
gration to the American Colonies in the Eighteenth Century"
by A. B. Faust; "The Influence of Manufactures Upon Politi-
cal Sentiment in the United States from 1820 to 1860" by
Victor Clark ; and "The Cow Country" by Frederic L. Paxton.

The Register of the Kentucky State Historical Society
for September, among other interesting articles, concludes the
one on the life of Gen. Benjamin Logan and one on the famous
Blair family. In the latter article is a history of President
Jackson's famous address to South Carolina.

The two important articles in the Iowa Jour-nal of His-
tory and Politics are "The Opening of the Des Moines Valley
to Settlement," by Jacob Van der Zee, and the second install-
ment of Ruth Gallaher's "Indian Agents of Iowa."

The Mississippi Valley Historical Review for September
has an article on "Verendrye" by Orin G. Libby; one on the
"Function of Military History," by A. L. Conger; "The Or-
ganization of the British Fur Trade," by Wayne Stevens ; and
the annual review of "Historical Activities in Canada," by
L. J. Burpee.

In the Minnesota History Bulletin for August is an ac-
count of the Michigan exhibit at the Crystal Palace Exhibi-
tion, New York, 1853, written by William G. Le Due.

366 Indiana Magazine of History

Bulletin Five, Michigan Historical Commission, is a tour-
ist's guide to Macinac Island. On a well-made map all the
historic spots are located and in the accompanying text de-
scribed. Most of these places have appropriate markers.

The Maryland HistoHcal Magazine for September con-
tinues the publication of the "Journal of the Committee of
Observation of the Middle District of Frederick County,
Maryland." This was an executive committee of the county
during the Revolution. It was in close communication with
the Continental Congress.

The Pennsylvania Magazine of History for July continues
the "Journal of John Sharpe." Under the heading "Letters
of More Than Local Interest" are letters to Wayne, from
Washington to General Hand, from Washington to Bushrod
Washington, some of which are quite valuable.

Three articles of general interest in the 1916 Proceedings
of the New Jersey Historical Society are "The Old Barracks
at Princeton," by E. R. Walker; "Beginnings of the Morris
and Essex Railroad," by J. F. Folsom, and "Caspar Steinmetz
and His Descendants," by P. H. Hoffman.

The October North Carolina Booklet has, under the head-
ing "Historic Homes," a description of The Fountain, the
home of Col. William Davenport. It was such homes as this
that many pioneer Indianians tried to create. The Colonel
himself is an ideal of the old-fashioned Hoosier farmer.

The William and Mary College Quarterly for October is
taken up largely with genealogical material concerning the
Rowland, Tatham, Tanner, Downing, Branch, Armistead,
Thornton, Alexander and Randolph families.

The Virginia Magazine of History for October continues
the publication of the "Minutes of the Council and General
Court for 1622-1629." These papers are from the Library of
Congress. It is also beginning the publication of the letters
of William Byrd, a fairly well-known character in early west-
ern history.

Reviews and Notes 367

The Southwestern Historical Quarterly for October con-
tains "Stockton's Proclamation to the San Diego Insurgents,"
by Thomas M. Marshall, and an article on "Sam Houston and
Williamson Oldham," by E. W. Winkler.

Volume I, No, 2, Richmond College Historical Papers for
1916 contains accounts of the elections of 1855 and 1860 in
Virginia, the former by Constance Mary Gay, the latter by
Margaret Kean Monteiro. "The Virginia Loyalists, 1775-
1783," is the title of an article by John Alonza George.

The Tennessee Historical Magazine for September con-
tains an excellent article by Archibald Henderson on "Rich-
ard Henderson: The Authorship of the Cumberland Compact
and the Founding of Nashville."

The most interesting paper for Indiana readers in the
October number of The Essex Institute HistoHcal Collections
is by Francis B. C. Bradlee on "The Eastern Railroad." This
was one of the pioneer railroads of the United States.

Index

The names of contributors are printed in small capitals, the titles of
books in italics, and the titles of articles in quotation marks.

Abbott, James, 68.
Academy, Point Commerce, 73.
Adams, William L., 290.
-Adventures of Early Settlers,"

article by Robert and Alexandeb

Miller, 231-236.
Adv rtisements in lS.jO, 251.
Akin, Charles T., death of, 192.
Allison, Dr. David E., 74.
Allison, George F., 74.
Allison, John F., 66, 73.
Allison, J. M. H., 66, 73.
Americus, 42.
American, HociaUist, 125.
Anderson, Lydia Jane, 56.
Andrews, Mrs. Josephine, 79.
Andrews, Squire, 75.
Andrews, W. C.,' 67, 79.
Appeal to Reason, 96.
Applegate, Julia Ann, 74.
Archer, John, 65.
Archer, Thomas, 75.
Archer, Tom., 75.
Armiesburg, 145.
Armstrong, Rev. James, 78.'
Arney, Celia, 69.
Artaguette, 135.

liaber. George, 72.

Kail, Mary, 70.

Barce, Elmore, article by, 161-174.

Harekman, John, 68, 75.

Karnes, Rev. Hugh, 69, 78.

Karron. Joseph, 20, 164.

Kaubien, J. C. B., 155.

Kavs, AVilliam, 68.

r.each, John, 68.

Keadle. Gen. W. H. H.. 144, 190.

P.eadle, John H., 144.

Kear Hunt, 234.

KeJiuharnois, 135.

Kekler, Dale, article by, 34-52.

Ke.ste. J. K.. quoted, 245 %eq.

Kissot, Francois, 131.

Kissot. Jean Baptiste, 131.

Black Hoof, 163.

Klanchard, John, 55.

Bloomfield, 64,

Bloomington pageant, 281.

Boisbriant, 136.
Bradford, Thomas, 63.
Bradshaw, William, 68.
Brashears, Jonathan, 65.
Bray, William, 72.
Brazier, Jesse, 68.
Brooks, Capt. Andrew, 150.
Brookville, 10.
Brown County Blues, 291.
Brown, Ross, 111.
Brown, William J., 43.
Browning, William F., 289.
Buck, John, 73.
Buckingham, R., 14.
Buckner, James, 75.
Buckner, Jerry, 75.
Buffalo Trace, 13.
Bullitt, Thomas, 1.58.
Burlington, 63.
Burt, Horace G., 150.
Buskirk, John L., 63.
Butler, Thad.. death of, 191.
Byson. Mary, 68.

(^alvert. Bruce, 127.

Campaign Songs, 45.

Campbell. Capt. John T., 144.

('anal in Parke County, 146.

('anal, Terre Haute, 269.

Canadian Volunteers, 158.

('annon, James G., 150.

Capitol Hotel, Corydon, 274.

(^ARLETON, Emma, verses by, 361.

Carlisle, 63.

C^^u•roll, Israel. 68.

Case, Abraham, 64.

"Catholic Education in Indiana :

Past and Present," an article by

Elizabeth Denehie, 337-350.
Catholic Missionaries in Parke

County, 148.
Celoron, Captain, 131.
Centralizing of the city schools.

321 seq.
Chamberlain, E. M., 46.
Chaney, Samuel, 75.
Chickasaws, defeat French, 135.
Chippewa Clubs, 41.

INDEX

369

Cholera at Point Commerce, 1851,

79.
Churches, early, in Parke county.

148.
Circuit Rider Days in Indiana, re-
view of, 177.
City Schools, early, 193-200; article

on, 299-325.
Civil War times in Parke county,

149.
Clark's Grant, 13, 10.
t'lark, Thomas, 61.
Clark, William, 69.
Clay, Henry, death of, 36.
tUinton lock, 146.
< 'olonization Society, 59.
Commerce in Greene coxmty, 07.
Community Farm, 351.
Condo, S. S., 111.
(Conscience Whigs, 52.
Copper Mine, 32.
Corydon, 56, 57; pageant, 281.
Coupee, Point, 1.
Courselas, 135.
Courts! and \Lawycr.s of Indiana.

review of, 357.
Cox, Oka Ellen, article by, 95-130.
( 'i*a ig, Aaron, 68.
Craig, John, 61.
(Jraig, Martha, 69.
Craig, Patsy, 69.
Crantz, Howard. 75.
CRAVEN'S. .ToHN K., article l)y, 242-

244.
(!urriculum of city schools, 311.
Ciu-ry, John, 73.

Danley. Ira, 69. 71.

Davis, John C, 149.

Davis, John G., 46, 154.

Debs, Eugene V., 96.

Debs, Theodore, 96.

Decision of 1857, against a tuition
tax. 200-206'.

Deer himt, 233.

De la Hunt, Thomas J., pageant
master at Cannelton, 353.

Delaware Indians, 20.

Delegates to Unity Convention, 99.

Dknehie, Elizabeth, article bv,
337-3.50.

"Development of City School Sys-
tem of Indiana, 1850-1880" (con-
cluded), article by Harold Lit-
TELL, 299-325.

Devil's Chair, 72.

Devil's Tea Table, 72.

Diamond, 147.

Dickson. Eli, 61.

Doughty, Arthur, 1.32, .

Douglas, Stephen A., 43.

Drovers, SI.

Duderstade, Robert, 111.

Duncan, Eli, 69.

Duncan. Hanna, 70.

Duncan, H. C. article by, 2S7-299,

Duncan, Joshua, 70.

Dunham, Cyrus L., 46,

Dunmore, Lord John, 2.

Dunn, Jacob P., article by, 131-143.

Dunning, Paris, Lieut.-Gov., 289,

293.
Dyer, Edward, 61.
Dyer, Elizabeth, 69.
Dyer, Mary, 69.
Dyer, Samuel, 61, 69.

E. & T. H. It. R. in Park county,

147.
Eclipse of Sua and the Prophet,

170.
Eddy. Norman, 46.
Edinburg, political meeting, 39.
•'Education, Catholic in Indiana,"

article, 337-350.
Eel river explored, 60.
"Election of 1852." by Dale

Beeler, .34-52.
i;iler, John, 289, 293.
English, W. H., 40.
Era, Montezuma, 150.
Evans, Harry, article by, 351-353.

Factories in early Parke county,

147.
Fairplay, 63.
Farmer, Rev. Eli, 68, 75.
Farmer, John, 75.
Farmer, W. W., 111.
Fires, John, 69.

Flatboats at Point Commerce, 75.
Flater, Nicholas, 63.
Floyd, Davis, 275.
Foley, William, 69.
Fort Clark, 295.
Fort Recovery, 11.
Fort Wayne pageant, 281; Treaty.

9, 17.
Freeman, Thomas, 1.
Freeman's Lines and Comers, L
Free Press, 125.
Freesoilers, 39.
I'^rench Lick, 24.
French Policif and the American

Alliance, 358.
Fulton, Robert, 75.

370

INDEX

Gagnan, Phileas, letter by, 137-139.

Game, 71 ; in earlv Jefferson coun-
ty, 232-236.

Gander Pulling, 189.

Garrison, S. C, 111.

(rcorge Washington, Fanner, by
Paul Haworth, reviewed, 89.

Gibson, John, 19, 275.

Glover, William, 73.

Gooden, Ky., 75.

Gooley, Fount, 68.

(Gorman, Willis A.. 289, 293.

Grading schools, 299 seq.

Graham, W. E., 111.

"Grand Prairie Harmonical Insti-
tute," article by Harry Evans.
351-353.

Granite Clubs, 43.

Greeley, Horace, 352.

Greene county settled, 60; organ-
ized, 63; township of, 64.

Greene County Volunteers, 291.

Griffith, Elizabeth, 69.

Griffith, Fletcher, 73.

Griffith, George, 61.

Griffith, Rachel, 69.

Grouseland, 9; Treaty, 24.

Guerin, Theresa, founder of St.
Mary's of the Woods, 343 seq.

Haldimand, Fred, letter by, 140-141.

Hall, O. B., 111.

Hanlon, Thomas, letter on Monon

railway, 334-336.
Harlan, Andrew J., 46.
Harlan, James, 150.
Hamed, Eev. W. F.. 75.
Harriman, Job, 98.
Harrison Army in Parke county.

145.
Harrison, William H., 9, 18.
Harvey, Anderson. 75.
Harvey, James, 75.
Hatch, Stanley, describes Tecum-

seh, 172.
Haton, G. W., 65.
Haworth, Paul, author of George

Washington, Farmer, 89.
Haxton farm, 71.
Hays, Marcus, 79.
Helms, Wilson, 68.
Hendricks, Thomas A., 39, 46.
Henri, Arthur, surveyor, 9.
Henry, E. E., Prof., 73.
Henry, Edward, 111.
Henry, William, 111.
Herron. George Davis, 127.
Hester. James S., 289, 293.
Hicks, Hiram, 61.

High School, origin and organiza-
tion, .305 seq.
Hippeau, Celestin, 84.
Hobbs, Barnabas C. 150.
Hollingsworth, J. H., 111.
Hood & Noble, bookstore, 57.
Hoosier, The, notice, 356.
Houston, William, 111.
Howard. Tilghman, 149.
Howe. Robert, 75.
PIud.son, Dr. B. E.. 146.
Huey, Joseph, 75.
Huey, Thomas, 70.
Huey, William, 69.
Hutchinson. Jasper, 73.

I. & V. Railroad, 77.

Illinois Land Company, 2.

Illinois Whigs, by Charles M.
Thompson, reviewed. 90.

Indiana, a Social and Economic
Survey, reviewed, 179.

"Indiana in 1816." article by Mer-
rill MooBEs, 271-280.

Indiana Socialist. 125.

Indian Ford, 67.

Indians at Worthington. 69.

Ingersoll, Daniel, 71.

Ingersoll, Peter, 71.

Irish Pioneers in Kentucky, notice
of. 362.

Issue. The. 125.

Jackson. Isaac, 69.

Jacksonian Democracy, .52.

Jasper public and parochial schools

united, .340.
Jean, Edmund, 61.
"Jefferson Couutv. Pioneer Stori's

of." 214-244.
Jefferson, Thomas, 20.
Jessup. Caleb, 61.
Jessup, Jessie, 69.
.lessup, John, 61.
Jessup, Olive, 69.
Jessup. Sallie, 69.
Johnson, James T., 150.
Jones. John Rice, 20.
.Tout;illa. 135.
Junction House, 66, 73.

Kekiouga, 131.
Kelly, John W.. 96, 111.
Kelly. Robert L., 1-50.
Kelsey. Carlos, 73.
Kelshaw. John B., 69.
Kelshaw. Sam, 73.
Kent. Phineas M„ 39.
Kesterson, William, 75.

INDEX

371

Kickapoos, Treaty, 31.

Kikakon, 131.

Kitchen. Joseph, 158.

Kuig:hts of the Golden Circle, 153.

Korngold. Janet F.. 111.

Labor Sentinel, 125.

Lafillard, 133.

"Land, Public, Surveys in Indiana,"

1-33.
liane. Henry S., 41.
Lane. .Tames H., 46, 29L
Lapoussier, 165.
I^asselle, Hyacinthe, 158.
l^athrop. Rev. John, 75.
Laverty, Rev. John, 73.
Law, John, 132.
I^awrence Grays, 291.
I^ay, George, 155.
Leach, Bob, 68.
Leach, William, 73.
Lehnert, Rosa, 104.
Lemons, William, 61.
Lkvkbing, Julia Henderson, letter

from, 360.
Lkwis, James B., article by, 214-

217.
Ijindley, Jonathan, 158.
Lindley, Sarah, 69.
Linton, 65.

Linton, William C, 160.
LiTTELL, Harold, article by. 193-

213; article by, 299-325.
Little Eyes, 165.
Little Turtle, 163.
Littlejohn, Henry, 61, 65.
Lodi, 146.
Logan, George, first white man in

.left'ersou county, 223.
T^udlow, Israel, 12.
Lunderman, Capt. Daniel, 295.
Lyford, 147.

jSIcCarty, Nicholas, 34 seq.
McCoy, Isaac, 190.
McCoy's Bluffs, battle of, 149.
McDonald, Daniel, death of, 191.
McGaughey, E. W., 149.
Mcintosh, William, 164.
McKee, Mary, 70.
iNIcKown, William, 111.
McLinn, Charles B., pageant master
at New Albany, 353.

Mace, Daniel, 46.

"Madison, Early History of," by

John Vawter, 227-231.
Madison railroad, 58.

"Madison and Indianapolis Rail-
road Company," article by John

R. Cravens. 242-244.
"Madison and Indianapolis Rail-
road," article by C. G. Sapping-

TON, 236-242.
Mail, 72.

Mallett, Edmund, 131.
^lap, Indian Land Cessions, 5.
Markle, Abraham, 158.
Markle, a. R., article by, 158-160.
Markle, Sarah E., 289; presents

flag. 289 ; speech of, 290.
Martin, Lilith, 104.
Mayson, Rev. William, 75.
Mecca, 147.
Merchants of Old Point Commerce,

68.
Merrill, Catherine, article by, 52-

59.
"Merrill, Samuel, Indiana's Second

State Treasurer," .52-59.
Messick, T., 68.
Mexican War, president's call, 288;

governor's call, 288; militia at

time of, 289; organization of

troops for. 289 seq.
'•Mexican War, Monroe county in,"

article by H. C. Duncan, 287-299.
Michigan Historical Collections, vol.

XXXLX, reviewed, 90.
Miller. Edward. 111.
Miller, Hugo, 100.
Miller, Joseph. 68.
Miller, Robert and Alexander,

article by, 231-236.
Miller, Samuel, 67.
Miller. Smith, 46.
Mills, at Point Commerce, 71 seq.
Minshall, 147.

Missionaries, Catholic, 337 seq.
Money, a barrel of, 81.
Monon Railroad, building, 326;

course of, 328; promoters, 328;

scenery along, 328; freight, 329;

early travel on, 330; speed, 330;

depots, 332; colleges on, 333; let-
ter about, 334.
"Monroe County in the Mexican

War," article bv H. C. Duncan,

287-299.
:\Ionroe Guards, officers, 290. 291;

trip to New Albany. 292 ; service.

292; return. 292; barbeque, 292;

roster, 292 ; survivors, 294.
Montezuma, 145.
Moores, Merrill, article by, 271-

280.
Morris, Maria. 70.

372

INDEX

Mount Venion, Washington's Home
and the Nation's Shrine, re-
viewed, 355.

MuBPHY, Maubici:. article bv. 144-
157.

Neff, Mike, 64.

Negi-o Legs, 165.

Nelson. Thomas H., 149.

Nesmith, L. M.. 111.

Newberry, 64.

Newby, Joseph H.. .362.

New Jerusalem, 65.

yew Purchase, review, 354.

Newspapers, early, at Madison, 222 ;

of Terre Haute, 1S50, 267.
Norman, John, 39.
Notre Dame University, 347-348.

Oldenburg Convent. 349-350.
Oneal, James, 96, 111.
Oneal, Judson, 111.
Orleans, 9.
(^).sbom, Jane, 69.
Osborn, Jonathan, 61.
Osborn, Joseph, 75.
Osborn, Tip, 73.
Owen, Amos, 71.
Owen, Ephraim, 72.
Owen, John, 63.
Owen, Peyton, 69.
Owen, Robert, 95.

Pageants, 281: Huntingburg, 353;
rannelton, 353 : New Albany. 353 :
Monticello, 353.

I'anthers, 235.

Parke, Judge Benjamin. 20, 164.

"I'arke County, Some Features of
the History of." article by Mau-
rice Murphy, 144-157.

Parker, Samuel W., 46.

I'arochial, Catholic, schools, 340.

Paul, Col. John. 215.

Payne, Julia Ann. 74.

Peace Democrats, 149.

I'earce, Norman W., 63.

Perry County, A History, reviewed,
183.

I'erry, Gen. Oran, 287.

I'eyton, Jonathan, 75.

Philbert, Luke, 72.

I'iankeshaw deed, 2, 20.

Pierce, Franklin, 41.

Pilots, flatboat, 75.

'•Pioneers of Jefferson county, Rem-
iniscences of," by James B, Lew-
is, 214-227.

Pioneer Life, 61-62.

Pleasant Run, 59.

Point Commerce, settlement of, 60-

83.
Politics of Early Parke County. 150.
Polk. Charles, 64.
Polk. President James K., 288.
Pork-packing, 66, 249.
Pork Business at Point Commerce,

81.
"Porter, J. B.," steamboat, 74.
Portland Mills. 145.
Posey. Capt. Thomas. 274.
PoucHER. Dr. John, article bv. 326-

.337.
Prairie House, 245.
Prophet. The, life of, 166; his

preaching. 168 seg.
"Public Land Surveys in Indiana,"

by George It. Wilson, 1-33.
Pucan, 161.

Quarterly Meeting. First at Point
Commerce, 78.

Raccoon Creek, 144.

Railroad, first in Indiana. 2.36-242.

Randolph. John, 275.

Randolph, Sam L., 108.

Randolph. Thomas, 164.

Read, Dr. Ezra, 246.

Rector, William, 13.

Regulars for Mexican War Organ-
ized in Monroe County, organized.
297.

Reminiscences of Thomas T. Neuby,
noticed, 363.

Republican. Roekville, 1.50.

Rej-nolds. Stephen Marion, 111 ; 128.

Rhinehard, George, 75.

Richardville, Drouet de, 1.35.

Richardville. John B., 161.

Richmond Pageant. 281.

Rip 8a n\ 106.

Risher, W. W., 111.

Ritter, John, 64.

Roark, Amos, 73.

Robinson, Andrew L.. 40.

Roekville, 144.

Rogers, Amos, 64.

Rogers, Aquilla, 289.

Rogers. Thomas, 289.

Rosedale, 147.

Roseville, 147.

Rough and Ready Guards, 295 ; offi-
cers, 295; to New Albany, 295;
roster, 295: survivors, 296.

Rov, Joseph, 132.

INDEX

373

Siibin, E. H., G7.
Saddle, Joseph, 72.

Siindei-s, Herbert, C". ; (;<».

Sanders, John. 61.

SAPPiNiiTON, C (A., article bv, 2o(;-
242.

Sargent, Henry, 72.

ScHLiCHEB, Dr. John J., article bv.
245-270.

Schools, Green county, 72 ; city, ar-
ticle on, 2();)-825; early Catholic
in Indiana, 33! I; early in Parke
county. 141).

'School System of Indiana, Devel-
opment of," article by Harold
LrrxELL. 103-213.

Scotch-lrifiJi ill America . review of,
17r».

Scotland, 65.

Scott, Gen Wintield, 40 seq.

Seaman. John, 63.

Senat. Father, 135.

Settlement of Terre Haute, 158-160.

"Settlement of Worthmgton and
Old Point Commerce," by Robert
Weems. 60-83.

Settlers, list of early Madison, 224.

Shawanoe, 165.

Shelley, Emma B.. pageant master
at Monticello, 353.

Shepherd, Dr. David, 73.

Shoemaker, Abram, 70.

Shoemaker, Benjamin, 61.

Shoemaker, Maria, 70.

Shroyer, George, 63.

Silver. Philip, 69.

Skinner, Hueert M.. article l)y. 84.

Slave, fugitive, 65.

Sluss, John M., 289: 293.

Small, John, 164.

Smith, David, 69.

Smith, Henry. 65.

Smith, Joseph, 69.

Smith, O. H., 42.

Smith, Thomas, 61.

Smith, William, 70.

Social Advance. 124.

Social Educator. 125.

"So<ial Effects of JMonon Railway
in Indiana." article by Dr. John
I'oucHER, 326-337.

Sorinl Kingdom, 125.

•'Socialist Party in Indiana," article
by Ora Ellen Cox, 92-130.

Socialist Votes, table of, 116-118.

Sons of Liberty, 153.

S|R>oner, Fretl, 73.

St. Mary's Academy, 34S.

St. Mary's of the Woods, 342-347.

Stanley, John, 61 : 68 ; 70.

Stanley, Sallie, 70.

Stalcnp, James, 61.

Stalcup, Thomas, 61.

Stevens. Thaddeus, 55.

Stevenson, Rebecca, 69.

Steward, Vasta, 70.

Strickland. Frederick. 111.

Stroops, Adam. 75.

Sugar Creek. 144.

Superintendent of Schools, develop-
ment of, 206-213.

"Surveys, Public Lands in Indiana,"
1-33.

Talley, Green, 71.

"Tassements, An Echo from the Era
of," by Hubert M. Skinner. 84.

Taverns at AVorthington, 65.

Taylor, Robert, 73.

Teachers, list of, 77: training of,
317.

Tecumseh, 32: sketch, 17L

"Tecumseh's Confederacy." article
by Elmore Barce. 161-174.

Temperance Society, 59.

"Terre Haute in 1850," an article
by Dr. John J. Schlicher, 245-
270.

"Terre Haute Company," article by
A. R. Markle, 158-160.

Terre Haute, population, 245; ex-
ports, 249; churches, 252; schools,
253; lyceums. 258: hotels. 262;
fashions. 264.

Third Regiment, 291.

Thompson's Hen Roost. 149.

Tiltou, Ira, 111.

Training of Teachers, 317.

Treaty of Fort Wayne, 161.

Tribune. Rockville, 151.

Tupper & Stone, surveyors, 9.

T'nity Convention, 96.

A'anderburg, Judge Henry, 164.

Vandreuil. de. 131.

Vawter, John, article by, 227-231.

A'awters. settled at Madison, 223.

Vevay, 55.

"Vincenues, Who Was Our Sieur

de," article In' Jacob P. Dunn,

131-143.
A'incennes, Jean Bissot de, 136,
A'incennes Pageant. 281.
A'incennes Tract. 2.
Mncennes Treaty. 19.
Viviat, Louis, 2.
\'oorhees. Daniel W., 154.
Votes, table of, 1852, 48.

374

INDEX

Wulnish Collej,'e, 59.

AViibtish Land Company, 1.

Wagoners, names of, 75.

Walker. Aquilla, 69.

Wall, Ilicliard, tjl ; 69.

Walling, William English, 127.

Warnich, Thomas, 63.

Wasliingtonians, 76.

AVason. Robert Alexander, 128.

Watson, Alexander, 65.

Wattles, Florence, 111.

Weems, Robert, article by, 60-83.

Wells, William, 19.

Wesley Chapel, 78.

West Union, 146.

AVhitcomb, Gov. .Tames, 288.

White, William, 64.
Wiley. :Marion, 112.
Williams, Genevieve McDonald, pa-
geant master at Hmitingburg, 353.
Williams. Rev. .John, 75.
Willy, Alf, 68.
Willy, Sam, 68.
Wilsher. Joab, 61.

Wilson, George R., article by, 1-.33.
Winters, Rev. Obediah, 70; 75.
Winters. William, 61.
Wooden, William. 68.
Wright, Joseph A., .34 scq.; 149.

Yomig, Elizabeth D., 56.

Zlnunerman, .J.. 111.

I '^Circuit Rider Days in Indiana'' |

I WILLIAM WARREN SWEET. PH.D., |

I I'rofcsKf/r of Hixionj in DcPauir Unirerftiti/. M

I Being a History of Indiana Methodism from earliest times m

g to 1844. written from the sonrces. It is printed in clear type and g

= on the best qnality of paper. g

M The American Historical Review, speaking of this volnme. g

g says: "The student of the early history of Indiana will find no g

g more interesting material than that relating to religious in- g

g fluences. Indiana's obligation to these influences in the develop- |

g ment of the state cannot be calculated." g

g Three full page maps, with complete Bibliography and Index. g

1 a44 pp. $1.50. I

g The e<Iitioii is almost exhausted and no further copies will M

I be printed. g

M Address at once |

I W. K. STEWART CO., Indianapolis |

g for a copy. g

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^
piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiy^

B "THE OITTSTANIJING BIOGRAPHY OF THE YEAR" m

I Albert J. Beveridge's |

I "LIFE OF JOHN MARSHALL" |

= Lindsay Swift, in The Boston Transcript, says: ^

g "John Marshall stands in the foremost rank with Washing- g

m ton, Lincoln, Jefferson. Hamilton, Franklin, and at last we have ^

g an adequate, a monumental, study of his great career. ... If ^

g there is, since the publication of Nicolay and Hay's Lincoln, a =

g sounder piece of political biographjs we do not at this moment ^

= recall it. . . . For breadth of conception and brilliance of =

m description it has hardly its equal in American historical writ- ^

= ing. . . . It is written with extreme care, and, as far we can g

^ see, with great accuracy. The language is elevated, of distinc- ^

M tion, and at times thrilling. The assemblage of authorities and g

= the use made of them are marvelous. One scholar has already m

m said that it is the 'best documentated work of American history ^

= yet issued." And above all things, it is readable. The print is ^

= fair to look upon, and easy to read; the illustrations and facsimiles ^

g are the best work of their kind. Altogether an agreeable pasture ^

^ in which to browse as the winter's winds howl outside and the m

g fire glows within." g

g Profusely illustrated in color and black and white. g

g Two vols. $8.00 net. g

g We solicit your order. =

44 E. WASH. ST.
INDIANAPOLIS

60 Years of Iiiiliana Bookselling

I W. K. Stewart & Co.

m 60 Years of Iiiiltana Bookselli

ifillllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllilllllli

UlilliiilillilllllillitllllillllillllliliilllililllllllMillliliillilMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIillllii:

A New

I Indiana State Atlas

The last State Atlas was issued iu 1876, forty years ago, and it
seems particularly appropriate that a new and strictly up-to-date
Atlas should be issued at the close of Indiana's one hundredth
yea r.

This Atlas will contain a map of each county in the state, show-
iuj; rivers and lakes: township, section and range lines; civil
rowuship boundaries iu color; all highways, those improvetl being
in color; steam and electric roads; cities, incorporated towns and
uniucoiijorated villages; churches, schoolhouses and cemeteries;
large maps of the state, of the United States, and of the world.

A brief historiciil and statistical summary of each county will
acc-ompany each county map.

A series of maps .showing the county development of the state,
with accompanying sketches, is a very valuable feature.

Population, agricultural, meteorological and other statistics of
a general nature are incorporated.

A BOOK WHICH SHOULD BE IN EVERY LIBRARY IN THE
STATE.

Ready for distribution in March, 1917,

B. F. BOWEN & CO. |

711-16 Occidental BIdg. Indianapolis, Indiana =

hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin

No.
No.

No.

No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.

No.

No.
No.
No.

No.

No. 7
No. 8

No. 9

No. 10

No. 11.

No. 12.

No. 1.

No. 2.

No. 3.

No. 4.

No. 5.

No. 6.

No. 1.
No. 2.

No.
No.

No.

No. 3.

No. 4.

No. 5.

No. 6.

Indiana Historical Society Publications

CONTENTS OF VOL.. I
Procjeedinqs of th» Society, 1830-1886.

NOBTHWEST TERRITORT.

Letter of Nathan Dane concerning the Ordinance of 1787.

Gk)vernor Patrick Henry'a Secret Lietter of Instruction to George Rogers
Clark.
The Uses or Hibtort. By President Andrew Wylie, D, D.
The National Decline of the Miami Indians. By John B. Dillon.
Eahlt History of Indianapolis and Central Indiana. By Nathaniel Belton.
Joseph G. Marshall. By Prof. John L. Campbell.
Judge John Ljiw. By Charles Denby.
Archaeology of Indiana. By Prof. E. T. Cox.
The Early Settlement of the Miami Country. By Dr. Ezra Ferris.

CONTENTS OF VOL. II
The Laws and Courts of Northwest and Indlana Territories. By Daniel

Wait Howe.
The Life and Services of John B. Dillon. By Gen. John Coburn and Judge

Horace P. Biddle.
The Acquisition or Louisiana. By Judge Thomas M. Cooley.
Loughery's Defeat and Pigeon Roost Massacre. By Charles Martindale.
A Descriptive Catalogue of the Official Publications of the Territory

AND State of Indiana from 1800 to 1890. By Daniel Wait Howe.
The Rank of Charles Osborn as an Anti-Slavery Pioneer. By George

W. Julian.
The Man in Histoey. By John Clark RldpaUi.
OuiATANON. By Oscar J. Craig.

Reminiscences of a Journey to Indianapolis in 1836. By C. P. Ferguson.
Life of Ziba Footb. By Samuel Morrison.
'•Old Settlers.-" By Robert P. Duncan.

French Settlements on the Wabash. By Jacob Piatt Dunn.
Slavery Petitions and Papers. By Jacob Piatt Dunn.

CONTENTS OF VOL. Ill
A History of Early Indianapolis Masonry and of Center Lodge. By Will
E. English.

SIBUR DB ViNCBNNBSj THB FOUNDER OF INDIANA'S OLDEST TOWN. By Bdmond

Mallet.
THE ExECUTrvB Journal of Indiana Territory. Edited and annotated by

William Wesley Woollen, Daniel Wait Howe, and Jacob Piatt Dunn.
The Mission to thb Ouabachb. By Jacob Piatt Dunn, pp. 78.
Fifty Teaks in Pharmacy. By George W. Sloan, pp. ^"i.
Caleb Mills. By Chas. W. Moores, pp. 280.

CONTENTS OF VOL. IV
Diary of Wm. Owe?*. Edited by Joel W. Hiatt.
The Word "Hoosier." By Jacob Piatt Dunn.
John Finley. By Mrs. Sarah A. Wrigley.
William Henry Harrison's Administration of Indiana Tkrrit> rt. By

Homer J. Webster, A. M., Ph. M.
Making a Capital in the Wilderness. By Daniel Wait Howe.
Names of Persons Enumerated in Marion County, Indiana, at the Fifth

Census, 1830.
Somb Elements of Indiana's Population/ or Roads West, and Their Early

Travelers. By W, E. Henry.
Lockerbie's Assessment List of Indianapolis, 1835. Edited by Eliza G.

Browning.
The Scotch-Irish Presbyterians in Monroe County, Indiana. By Jamoa

Albert Woodbum,
Indianapolis and the Civil War. By John H. Holllday.

CONTENTS OF VOL. V
Lincoln's Body Guard, with Some Personal Recollections of Abraham

Lincoln, By Robert McBrlde.
Internal Improvements in Early Indiana. By Logan. Esarey.
The Sultana Disaster. By Joseph Taylor Elliott.
An Indiana Village (New Harmony). By John H. Holllday.
The Pioneers of Morgan County -.Memoirs of Noah J. Major. Edited by

Logan Esarey.
The Life and Services of Gen. Robert S. Foster. By Charles W. Smith.

THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY

Puhliahara for the Society INDIANAPOLIS

HISTORY OF INDIANA

LOGAN ESAREY, Ph.D.

all, Mr. Esarey has made a distinct contribution to the history of
id in so doing to the history of the nation.
Jkmerican Historical Revieiv, October, 1015.

IS of the Reviewers :
7ork bears the stamp of true scholar.ship. The author's method of
is topical, and hence this book ought to form a convenient reference
work for the student of American History.

The Catholic Historical Revietv, October, 1915.

It is perhaps no exaggeration to say that this is the most scholarly and
satisfactory volume on the history of Indiana tliat has thus far been written.
Iowa Jom~)%al of History and Politics, Jtily, 1915.

The statements throughout the book are very clear, the English is good, and
nowhere is there an.y straining after effect. The aim has been to state the
facts without prejudice or bias, and this lias bec-n accomplished to a surpris-
ing degree. The matter presented is well organized.

Professor W. O. Lvnch in the Indiana University Alumni Quarterly, July,
1915.

Mr. Esarey has cultivated a field only partial^' developed by prior his-
torians. In the portion of his volume which tells the story of the State from
1816-1851, his care and industry and his merits as an historian are conspicu-
ous. In his preparation of it he has rendered a great service to the State and
his work will be highly appreciated by all who are interested in preserving
its history.

Judge Daniel Wait Howe, president of Indiana Historical Society, in the
Indiana Magazine of History, June, 1915.

Mr. Bsarey's volume is one of the V)
ought to be written.

The Nation, October 21, 1915.

<(; I'xamplo.s of State history a.s it

As one of tlie best discussions of the subject we have ever read, we espe-
cially recommend the chapter entitled, "Pioneers and Their Social Life.' This
is a plain, dignified, matter-of-fact account of early life and conditions in
Indiana, free from speculation and theorj% and, on that account, doubly valuable.
However, as much could be said of other chapters of the work. It is, in short,
admirable from beginning to end — so commendable, in fact, that the reader
is led to hope that the author will prepare a companion volume and treat of
Indiana's history from 1850 onward.

The Indianapolis News, March 22, 1915.

While Professor Esarey gives due attention to wars and politics and
governments, he fully describes the life of the people, their habits, customs and
social institutions. The hook is admirable throughout. It is highly creditable
to the author, the university and the State.

From the EvansviUe Cotirier, April 21, 1915.

Dr. Esarey's volume is a distinct addition to the history of the State, and
it is fortunate that the work was in the hands of a real investigator. The
volume brings the history to thet adoption of the present Constitution in 1851,
and it is to be hoped that the author will soon give us one or more \'olumos
that will complete the history to the present time.

Bloomington World, April 29, 1915.

Price $3.00, postpaid.

Address all communications to LOGAN ESAREY, Bloom-
ington, Indiana.

%7R