USA > Arkansas > A pictorial history of Arkansas, from earliest times to the year 1890. A full and complete account, embracing the Indian tribes occupying the country; the early French and Spanish explorers and governors; the colonial period; the Louisiana purchase; the periods of the territory, the state, the civil war, and the subsequent period. Also, an extended history of each county in the order of formation, and of the principal cities and towns; together with biographical notices of distinguished and prominent citizens > Part 48
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THOMAS J. CHURCHILL. Thirteenth Governor of the State.
668
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
Lieutenant Churchill, he was on his way to Mexico in Colonel Marshall's command, he was entertained at the family man- sion of Judge Johnson during a time at which the command halted in Little Rock on its march. Now that he had be- come a resident of the city, his marriage took place in the same house.
He devoted himself to planting on a large plantation near Little Rock. In 1857 he was appointed, by President Buchanan, Postmaster of Little Rock, which office he held until 1861.
On the breaking out of the war, he was one of the first to enlist. He raised at once a splendid regiment of cavalry, called the First Arkansas Mounted Riflemen, and served with gallantry and distinction till the end of the war, rising to the rank of Major-General. A fuller account of his military career has been given in the chapters relating to the war.
In 1874, as we have seen, he was elected State Treasurer, and was re-elected in 1876 and 1878, and after a service of six years in that department, was now elevated to the high office of Governor.
By their marriage, General and Mrs. Churchill have four children living, to-wit: a son, Samuel J., and three daughters, Mrs. John B. Calef, Mrs. Langhorne, and Miss Juliette Churchill.
The twenty-third session of the State Legislature was held January 8th to March 19th, 1881. H. C. Tipton, of Fulton county, was elected President of the Senate, and John G. Holland, of Searcy, Secretary. In the House, George Thornburgh, of Powhatan, Lawrence county, was elected Speaker, and Paul M. Cobbs, of St. Francis county, Clerk.
The important Acts of this session were appropriating $150,000 to build an Asylum for the Insane; $10,000 for the establishment of a Branch Normal School at Pine Bluff ; regulating the practice of medicine and surgery ; establishing a medical department of the Arkansas Industrial University
INSANE ASYLUM, LITTLE ROCK.
670
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
at Little Rock; to enforce the payment of overdue taxes ; creating a State Board of Health; regulating railroads ; leasing out the Penitentiary, and requiring a vote on the subject of local option in the towns and counties of the State to be had at each election.
Under the Act to build an Asylum for the Insane, ground was purchased west of the city of Little Rock, where a noble asylum was erected for the care of those unfortunates. It is a handsome and commanding building, large enough for 200 patients. It is situated upon a high point, commanding a view from a long distance. It is fitted up with all modern comforts and conveniences for such institutions, and is alto- gether worthy of the purpose for which it was erected, and which the State has so long needed. The institution is under the able and efficient management of Dr. P. O. Hooper, as Superintendent, who has been at the head of it since 1885.
Out of the appropriation for the Normal School, at Pine Bluff, a suitable and substantial college building of brick, was erected in the west part of the city. This college, which is for the purpose of training teachers for the public schools for colored persons, is a branch of the State Industrial University. The building was completed in 1881. It is a handsome edifice two stories high, with slate roof and trimmings of Ala- bama granite-with improvements and furniture it cost $12,000. Prof. J. C. Corbin, a graduate of Oberlin College, Ohio, is principal, with three teachers, and an attendance of 150.
In May, 1881, a Grand Lodge of the Knights of Pythias was organized for the State of Arkansas, with the following officers : D. W. Pollock, of Damon Lodge No. 3, G. P. C; Thomas Essex, of Damon Lodge No. 3, G. C; H. G. Allis, of Juliet Lodge No. 6, G. V. C; J. M. Taylor, of Juliet Lodge No. 6, G. K. of R. and S; S. F. Hilzheim and Albert Cohen were elected Supreme Representatives. In 1882 Gen- eral Bob Newell was elected to succeed Mr. Hilzheim, and in . 1883 Colonel Thomas Essex was elected to succeed Mr. Cohen.
671
FROM 1881 TO 1885.
The Order of Knights of Pythias was established in Arkan- sas, October 20th, 1872, when Alpha Lodge No. I was insti- tuted at Fort Smith, by Colonel Bob Newell, but its charter was surrendered and the Lodge disorganized. Afterwards other Lodges were formed, until sufficient were in existence to establish a Grand Lodge. The growth of the Order in the State has been rapid and permanent, and it now numbers a large membership, having many Lodges, with handsome halls and Lodge rooms, in all the principal points in the State.
The month of July, 1881, was marked by that terrible crime in national affairs, the assassination of President Garfield by Charles J. Guiteau, a disappointed office-seeker and man of unbalanced mind. The President lived 80 days after the firing of the fatal shot, and died at Elberon, New Jersey, September 20th. Upon his decease, Vice-President Chester A. Arthur took the oath of office and became President.
In the month of July, 1881, trouble arose in Perry county, Arkansas, which resulted in Governor Churchill sending a force of militia there to preserve the peace and assist the civil authorities in executing the laws. The County Judge repre- sented to the Governor that he was unable to discharge the duties of his office, on account of a great degree of lawlessness in the county, which had manifested itself in the destruction and burning of the printing office of the "Fourche Valley Times," published at Perryville, by John L. W. Matthews, and which had compelled him to leave the county. Governor Churchill sent General Robert C. Newton to Perryville, to ascertain the state of affairs and report. General Newton went to Perryville, and after fully investigating the case, re- turned and reported to the Governor that the County Judge had become obnoxious to a number of citizens of the county, on account of his proceedings in punishing persons as for con- tempts, in which he was thought to have overstepped the author- ity of his office; that it was believed that Matthews was the instigator of these proceedings, with a view of causing
672
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
certain persons of the county to be arrested and incarcerated, and recommending that the Circuit Judge, Jabez M. Smith, should hold at once a special term of court there, and the Prosecuting Attorney secure the arrest, and bring to trial the persons guilty of the burning of the printing office. This suggestion was adopted by the Governor, and he desired the court should be held, and endeavored to secure such by cor- respondence with Judge Smith, but before it could be accom- plished, Matthews was assassinated, being shot down while standing on his doorstep. Upon this, the Sheriff of the county wrote to the Governor from Morrillton, asking that the military arm of the State should be extended to aid him in arresting the parties believed to be guilty of the assassina- tion of Matthews.
On this request, Governor Churchill sent General Newton with the Quapaw Guards, to Perryville, to assist in executing the laws, and employed Hon. W. L. Terry as Special Counsel to assist the Prosecuting Attorney in the discharge of his duties. Mr. Terry had warrants issued for certain parties implicated, who were examined and bound over to answer to the court or grand jury. The troops arrived at Perryville, August Ist, 1881, and remained about three weeks, in which time it appearing that all was quiet and the civil law able to be peaceably executed by the officers, the militia was with- drawn. The visit of the militia was unaccompanied by any- thing in the way of either bloodshed, violence, or the molesta- tion of citizens.
A matter arising during the administration of Governor Churchill, which occupied much public attention, was a deficit appearing in his accounts as late Treasurer. Upon the matter being called to the attention of the Legislature of 1881, that Body appointed a Special Committee to go over the books and report thereon. After a long session, running through many months, the Committee made a report setting forth that the accounts showed a deficit of $233,616 during the three
673
FROM 1881 TO 1885.
terms of office. Governor Churchill at once placed the re- port in the hands of the Attorney-General, for such action as he might think necessary in the discharge of his duties. On the 30th of May, 1883, the Attorney-General brought suit in the Pulaski Chancery Court against T. J. Churchill, late Treasurer, and the sureties on his several official bonds.
The case was referred in a Master in Chancery to state an account of the matter. Thomas H. Simms, of Washington, Hempstead county, was appointed Master, and proceeded to state the account. After a full and exhaustive examination of the books, papers and accounts, in the course of which Gover- nor Churchill established a number of credits against the amount as found by the Committee, the Master presented his report, stating the amount of the deficiency at $80,522. 00, being $23,973.00 in currency, $56,438.00 in State scrip, and $110.00 in swamp land scrip, and for this amount the Chancellor rendered a decree. The defend- ant contended that the entire deficit was due to errors of book-keeping, and a failure to inscribe proper credits, and that as to the missing scrips, that the same had been burned by mistake by the State Debt Board, and for which he was entitled to have credit. This position seems to be sustained by the fact that the scrip has never been presented for payment or cancellation. The case was appealed to the Supreme Court, where the decree of the Chancellor was af- firmed, and the amount officially fixed at the sum stated by the Master, decreeing against Churchill, as principal, and his sureties. The amount of the currency deficit was paid up by the defendants, and the claim of the State thereasto fully satisfied.
In the month of September, 1882, occurred the regular biennial election for State officers. Hon. James H. Berry was the candidate of the Democrats; W. D. Slack, Land Commissioner of the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad,
43
674
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
was the candidate of the Republicans, and Rufus K. Garland, of Hempstead county, a brother of Senator A. H. Garland, was the candidate of the Greenback party.
The vote was : For Berry, 87,625 ; for Slack, 49,354; for Garland, 10, 142. Total vote, 147,121; majority for Berry, 28,129.
The other State officers elected at the same time were : Jacob Frolich, re-elected Secretary of State; A. W. Files, of Hamburg, Auditor; William E. Woodruff, re-elected Treas- urer; C. B. Moore, re-elected Attorney-General; W. P. Campbell, of Augusta, Commissioner of State Lands; W. W. Smith, of Helena, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court ; D. W. Carroll, re-elected Chancellor ; J. W. Calla- way, Chancery Clerk; Woodville E. Thompson, Superintend- ent of Public Instruction.
At the Congressional election in November of the year, for Representatives in the Forty-eighth Congress, from 1883 to 1885, Colonel Poindexter Dunn was re-elected for the First District ; James K. Jones, re-elected for the Second District ; John H. Rogers, of Fort Smith, for the Third District ; Sam. W. Peel, for the Fourth District, and from the State at large- Clifton R. Breckinridge, of Pine Bluff, son of Vice-President John C. Breckinridge, the first time the State of Arkansas ever had five Representatives in the lower House.
Governor Berry was inaugurated January 13th, 1883. He chose for his Private Secretary James F. Read, of Fort Smith.
James H. Berry, the fourteenth Governor of Arkansas, was born in Jackson county, Alabama, May 15th, 1841. In 1848 his father moved to Carroll county, Arkansas, with the family, and settled at what is now the town of Berryville, named after him. Here James H. Berry received such edu- cation as the schools of the country afforded. On the break- ing out of the war, he enlisted in Company "E," of the Sixteenth Arkansas Regiment, and became Second Lieutenant of it. At the battle of Corinth, October 4th, 1862, he was
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JAMES H. BERRY. Fourteenth Governor of the State.
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HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
wounded, losing a leg. After the war he taught school and read law, and was admitted to the bar in 1866, by Judge Thomas Boles. In August, 1866, he was elected to the Leg- islature from Carroll county, and after serving there began the practice of law in the county. In December, 1869, he moved to Bentonville, Benton county, and formed a law partnership with his brother-in-law, Hon. Sam. W. Peel. In 1872 he was elected to the Legislature from Benton county, and again in 1874; and at the session of the Body of the latter year, was elected Speaker. In 1878 he was
elected Judge of the Fourth Circuit, and served for four years. In 1882 he was elected Governor, and served for two years, at the end of which time, in March, 1885, he was elected United States Senator for the remainder of the term of Sena- tor A. H. Garland, who had resigned, being appointed At- torney-General of the United States, his term ending March, 1889. In October, 1865 he married a daughter of James F. Quaill, of Ozark.
The twenty-fourth session of the Legislature was held from January 8th to March 28th, 1883. J. B. Judkins was elected President of the Senate, and John G. Holland, Sec- retary. In the House, W. C. Brady, of Washington county, was elected Speaker, and Thomas W. Newton, Clerk.
The important Acts of the session were: Creating the county of Cleburne; dissolving the Finance Board, the State being on a solid financial basis, and the existence of the Board being no longer necessary ; for the revision and digest- ing of the State laws; for the protection of the timber inter- ests of the State; making appropriations for the Deaf, Mute Blind and Insane Asylums ; regulating the labor system ; dis- tricting the State into five districts for Congressional purposes ; and Joint Resolutions re-submitting to the vote of the people the Fishback Amendment, and praying Congress to grant pensions to the survivors of the Mexican War,
677
FROM 1881 TO 1885.
Under the Joint Resolution re-submitting the Fishback Amendment, the question was a second time voted on by the people at the general election of 1884, and this time was adopted by a large majority of the vote cast, and is now a part of the State Constitution.
Under the Act for the revision and digesting of the State laws, Governor Berry appointed Judge W. W. Mansfield, of Ozark, as Digester, and Judge U. M. Rose, of Little Rock, as Examiner for the new Digest of Laws contemplated by the Act. Judge Mansfield addressed himself to the great task, and completed it during the latter part of 1884. It was examined by Judge Rose, and certified to by him January 27th, 1885. It is the sixth digest that has been issued of Arkansas laws. Steele's was first ; Ball and Roane's, second ; English's, third; Gould's, fourth; Gantt's, fifth, and Mans- field's is sixth.
On the Ist of September, 1884, Judge Elbert Hartwell English, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, died at Ashe- ville, North Carolina, in the 69th year of his age. His health had been declining for some time. He had literally worn himself out in his labors, and had gone to Asheville during the summer in the hope of recuperating. His remains were brought to Little Rock, and were deposited in the Senate Chamber, where they lay in state until Sunday afternoon, September 7th, when they were buried in Mount Holly Cemetery. Every possible public respect was shown to his memory. The State officials, and the State and Federal judiciary attended the funeral in a body ; many local societies took part in the procession, and the attendance of citizens, many of whom had come from long distances to be present, made the occasion one of the largest funeral concourses ever seen in the city. A funeral discourse of unusual eloquence and power was delivered at the residence by Rev. A. R. Winfield, after which the body was borne to its last resting place in Mount Holly Cemetery.
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ELBERT H. ENGLISH. Chief Justice Supreme Court for twenty-one years.
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679
FROM 1881 TO 1885.
Judge English was born at the foot of Capshaw's Moun- tain, in Madison county, Alabama, March 6th, 1816. When he was two years old, his father moved and settled near Athens, Alabama. Here E. H. English grew to manhood ; studied law ; was a member of the Legislature, and practiced law till 1844, when he came to Arkansas to live. In the autumn of that year he was appointed Reporter of the Supreme Court, and in 1854 was appointed Chief Justice, which position he held until ousted during the Re-construction period, as we have seen. He was re-appointed to the position by Governor Baxter in 1874, and was re-elected at the election in that year, and subsequently. He was twice married. In Athens, Alabama, he married Julia A. Fisher, who died in 1871. By this marriage there was a daughter, Elberta, who was Mrs. W. D. Blocher ; and a son, Peyton D. English. In July, 1872, he married Mrs. Susan A. Wheless, at Nashville, Tennessee.
To supply the vacancy on the Supreme Bench caused by his death, a Democratic Convention was held in Little Rock to nominate his successor. At this convention, Sterling R. Cockrill, of Little Rock, was nominated for the position. He was elected thereto at the following election, and is the pres- ent incumbent.
The Democratic State Convention was held in the month of June. The two prominent candidates for Governor were General Simon P. Hughes, of Monroe county, and Captain John G. Fletcher, of Little Rock. A spirited canvass for the nomination had previously been made, and now, at the session of the convention, the interest was intense. A close race occurred until the 36th ballot, when S. P. Hughes was nom- inated. The Republican Convention, which was held in July, placed in nomination a full State ticket, headed by Judge Thomas F. Boles, of Dardanelle.
At the election which occurred in September, General Hughes was elected, and with him the remainder of the State
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680
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
ticket. The vote was as follows: Whole number of votes cast, 156,310; number of votes for Hughes, 100,773 ; number of votes for Boles, 55,537. Majority for Hughes, 45,236.
The remaining State ticket elected at the same time was E. B. Moore, Secretary of State; A. W. Files, re-elected Auditor ; William E. Woodruff, re-elected Treasurer ; Dan. W. Jones, of Washington, Hempstead county, Attorney- General; D. W. Carroll, re-elected Chancellor ; J. W. Cal- laway, Clerk of Chancery Court ; Paul M. Cobbs, State Land Commissioner ; and Wood E. Thompson, Superintendent of Public Instruction.
The year 1884 was the occasion of a Presidential election. The Republican National Convention was held in Chicago, June 3d, and nominated James G. Blaine, of Maine, for President, and General John A. Logan, of Illinois, for Vice- President.
The Democratic National Convention was held in Chicago, July 8th, and nominated Grover Cleveland, Governor of New York, for President, and Thomas A. Hendricks, of Indiana, for Vice-President.
In the election which occurred November 4th, Cleveland and Hendricks were elected, and the Democratic party was thereby returned to political supremacy, after having been out of power for 24 years. The successful candidates received a popular vote of 4,911,017, and an electoral vote of 219. The Republican candidates received a popular vote of 4,848,- 334, and an electorial vote of 182. The vote of Arkansas was given for the successful candidates.
On making up his Cabinet, President Cleveland appointed Senator A. H. Garland, Attorney-General of the United States. Senator Garland resigned his Senatorship and entered the Cabinet, in which he served to March, 1889. Governor James H. Berry was elected his successor in the Sen- ate for the unexpired portion of the term from 1885 to 1889.
68 1
FROM 1881 TO 1885.
At the same election in which the President was voted for, the following Congressmen were also elected for the session of the Forty-ninth Congress, from 1885 to 1887.
Hon. Poindexter Dunn, re-elected for the First District ; C. R. Breckinridge for the Second District ; James K. Jones for the Third District ; John H. Rogers for the Fourth District, and Samuel W. Peel for the Fifth District. Hon. James K. Jones being elected United States Senator, Thomas C. Mc- Rae, of Prescott, Nevada county, was elected for the Third District in his place.
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CHAPTER XXXI.
FROM 1885 TO 1889.
THE ADMINISTRATION OF GOVERNOR SIMON P. HUGHES-TWO TERMS.
GOVERNOR SIMON P. HUGHES, the fifteenth Governor of Arkansas, was born in Smith county, Tennessee, April 14th, 1830. He lived there until 1844, when his father, with his family, moved to Arkansas, and settled in Pulaski county. He returned to Tennessee in 1846 to go to school, and was there during 1846-7 at Sylvan Academy, under Peter Hub- bard, and in 1848-9 was a student at Clinton College. His education was not completed, as at an early age he was thrown on his own resources. In 1849 he settled in Monroe county, Arkansas, and ultimately engaged in farming and practicing law. In 1854 he began the study of law, and in 1857 was admitted to the bar at Clarendon, and practiced law there from 1857 to 1874, when he became Attorney- General, and moved to Little Rock. In Clarendon he was associated in the practice of law with Judge W. W. Smith, who was afterwards Justice of the Supreme Court. The firm was Hughes & Smith. He was sheriff of Monroe county from 1854 to 1856, and Representative of the county for the Leg- islature of 1866-7, and Delegate to the Constitutional Con- vention of 1874. He served as Attorney-General until 1876, after which he resumed the practice of law in Little Rock, and continued therein until his elevation to the Governorship. On the 2d of April, 1889, he was elected a Justice of the Supreme Court, the number of Judges having been increased to five.
682
2.
SIMON P. HUGHES. Fifteenth Governor of the State.
684
HISTORY OF ARKANSAS.
On the breaking out of the war, Governor Hughes enlisted in the Infantry Regiment of Colonel Charles W. Adams, the Twenty-third Arkansas, and was a Captain of a company, and afterwards Lieutenant-Colonel of the regiment, but after the re-organization of the regiment he entered the cavalry service in Morgan's Texas Battalion as a private, and served therein to the close of the war.
In 1857, June 2d, Governor Hughes married Miss Ann E. Blakemore, in Monroe county. By this marriage Governor and Mrs. Hughes have six children living, to-wit : four sons, Dr. William B., Robert, George and John ; and two daugh- ters, Misses Sallie and Lillian Hughes.
The twenty-fifth session of the State Legislature was held January 12th to March 28th, 1885. In the Senate, R. B. Weaver was elected President, and John G. Holland, Secre- tary. In the House, James P. Eagle, of Lonoke county, was elected Speaker, and Thomas W. Newton, of Little Rock, Clerk.
The Acts of importance of the session were: appropriating $5,000 for a proper representation of the State in the New Orleans Exposition ; enacting a game law; for the govern- ment of cities and towns; for the improvement of the capitol building; changing the jurisdiction of the Pulaski Chancery Court from a general jurisdiction over the entire State to that of a district composed of the counties of Pulaski, Faulkner and Lonoke, called the First Chancery District ; and to call in and register all outstanding State bonds.
On this Legislature was devolved the election of two United States Senators ; one for the regular term from 1885 to 1891, and the other to fill the unexpired term of Senator A. H. Garland, appointed Attorney-General of the United States. Hon. James K. Jones, of Washington, Member of Congress from the Third District, was elected to the first of these, and Governor James H. Berry to the second. Hon. Thomas C. McRae, of Prescott, Nevada county, was elected
685
FROM 1885 TO 1889.
to fill the vacancy caused by the advancement of Colonel Jones. These gentlemen are the present incumbents of those offices, and are engaged in the able and acceptable discharge of the duties of their high positions.
The New Orleans Exposition, which was formally opened December 16th, 1884, was by this date in full and successful operation. The exhibit made by the State of Arkansas, under the superintendency of General Dandridge McRae, State Commissioner, General James F. Fagan, and other officers appointed for the purpose, was highly creditable to the State, and very satisfactory. Among the awards made on the occa- sion, a good number of them fell to the State of Arkansas. Her grass and grain exhibit competed favorably with the best, and in the matter of fruits she was of the first. The award was made to her display for the best collective exhibit of fruit. 19 awards were made to her for apples, and 109 diplomas were awarded for exhibits of fruits and general products. Boone county was awarded first premium for best display of apples, peaches and pears, and carried off thirteen first premi- ums on individual specimens. The award for the best single apple was given to the Shannon apple, a variety which was propagated in Washington county in 1833, and from which county the specimen had been sent. At the time of the award there were 22,000 plates of apples on exhibition.
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