USA > Illinois > Henry County > Bishop Hill > A history of Bishop Hill, Illinois : also biographical sketches of many early pioneers in Illinois, 100 years > Part 8
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But while the Norns were weaving the fabric of history, the Jansonists were building their village and improving the re- sources of the wilderness. In 1850 they owned in fee simple or possessed an equitable interest in about fourteen hundred acres of land, which were partially under cultivation for wheat, flax and corn, and partly set aside for the pasturage of large herds of horses and cattle. The village of Bishop Hill, named after Biskopskulla, the birthplace of Eric Janson, consisted of several large brick houses, all of which, with the exception of one, were of adobe, a number of log and frame buldings, and seventeen dug-outs, together with storehouses, barns and outhouses of every description. It contained at least the nuclei of a store, a blacksmith shop, and all the other appurtenances of a modern Western city. At the head of the community-at the head of the industrial army of one thousand busy workmen-was one
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supreme director. Eric Janson was the temporal as well as the spiritual ruler. He appointed the superintendents of depart- ments and the foremen of gangs. Nothing was undertaken with- out his sanction. He represented the community in business on the markets in Chicago and St. Louis. Property was bought and sold in his name or in the name of agents appointed by him. The society was, indeed, still struggling with poverty and debt, but the primary conditions of prosperity were nevertheless manifestly present.
IV-The Adventurer John Root and the Murder of Eric Janson
In the autumn of 1848 there arrived in Bishop Hill an ad- venturer by the name of John Root. He was the son of well-to-do parents in Stockholm, and a man of education, refinement of manners and pleasing address. For some unknown reason he had emigrated from Sweden. As a soldier in the United States army he had taken part in the Mexican campaign. After re- ceiving his discharge at the close of the war he found his way to Bishop Hill. He was received with open arms by Eric Jan- son and the society, and was presently admitted as a member. He soon fell in love with a cousin of Eric Janson and applied to him for her hand in marriage. The request was granted, it being stipulated, however, that if Root should ever wish to leave the society, it was to be optional with his wife whether to accompany him or not. A written document to this effect was drawn up and duly signed by the contracting parties. It soon became apparent that the new member was not fitted for a re- ligious communistic society. He was opposed to serious labor, and spent his time in the chase, with his gun on his shoulder and his bowie-knife in his belt. But tiring even of this employ- ment, he sought new adventures as interpreter and guide to a Hebrew peddler. The Jew was never heard of again; but a few years after the decomposed body of a murdered man was dis- covered under the floor of a deserted cabin some miles from Bishop Hill. After an absence of several months, during which time his wife gave birth to a child, John Root returned. Very soon he proposed to his wife that they leave the society, to which she strenuously objected. Eric Janson supported Mrs. Root in her determination to remain, which exasperated Root
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to such an extent that he threatened the lives of both Mrs. Root and Eric Janson. Perceiving that he could neither persuade nor frighten his wife into submission, he determined to carry her away by force. Obtaining the aid of a young man by the name of Stanley, he drove into Bishop Hill one day while the members of the community were at dinner, and, rushing into his wife's apartment, caught her up in his arms and carried her to the vehicle in waiting. The alarm was given, however, and the fugitives were hotly pursued. Two miles from the village they were overtaken by a dozen sturdy Jansonists on horseback and compelled to halt. The rescuers explained that if Mrs. Root wished to leave the community she was at liberty to do so; but if she desired to remain they proposed to take her back, by force, if need be. Meanwhile Root and Stanley, being both armed, kept the rescuing party at bay. But at this juncture, Mrs. Root, who, together with her child, had been placed in the bottom of the wagon, made a desperate effort to release herself. In the struggle to prevent her from so doing, Root laid his revolver on the seat behind him, where it was immediately snatched by one of the rescuing party. Stanley promptly surrendered, and Mrs. Root was brought back to the village in triumph. Thwarted in his purpose of forcible abduction, Root had recourse to the law, and swore out a warrant for the arrest of Eric Janson and others, on the charge of restraining the liberty of his wife. Mrs. Root was subpoenaed as a witness. The officer who was charged with the summons insisted upon her accompanying him at once. He took her to Cambridge, where she was illegally confined in a room and denied communication with her friends. Here Root got possession of his wife a second time, and spirited her away to the Rock River settlement. Thence he took her to Davenport, and finally to Chicago, where he had a sister living. The sister, disapproving of Root's conduct, communicated with the Jan- sonists at Bishop Hill, and Eric Janson sent a delegation to Chicago to offer Mrs. Root safc-conduct to the community. A place was designated where at a given time she might meet her friends. Knowing the desperate character of Root and anticipat- ing a hot pursuit, men had been stationed with relays of horses at intervals along the road from Chicago to Bishop Hill, and the distance of one hundred and fifty miles was accomplished without a single stop.
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When Root found that his wife had escaped, his rage knew no bounds. Baffled in his attempt to overtake her, he proceeded to the Rock River settlement, whence he returned to Bishop Hill, at the head of a mob. The mob terrorized the village for a few days, but finding neither Mrs. Root nor the principal agents in her abduction, presently dispersed. This was in the latter part of March, 1850. In the following week, on the even- ing of April 1, Root returned at the head of a second mob, an- grier and more formidable than the first. A veteran of the Mexican war had been robbed of his wife, who was held in duress by a set of communists, for what vile purpose no one knew. It was only six years since the hateful Mormons had been expelled and their city and temple well-nigh razed to the ground ; what was to hinder that this new Nauvoo should likewise be wiped off from the face of the earth? The rough, but justice- loving frontiersmen poured into the encampment at Buck Grove, half a mile from Bishop Hill, until the mob grew to the proportion of an army. The village was surrounded and com- munication with the outside world was shut off. For three days the Regulators hesitated to begin the work of destruction. Jan- son was hid in an artificial cave out on the prairie, Olson was absent on business in Andover-all the principal participants in the affair between Root and his wife had been spirited away. When the attempt was finally made to burn the village, the mob was met by an armed posse of the neighboring settlers, who had come to the relief of the community. The mob seeing that it would have to encounter a desperate resistance, allowed itself to be persuaded of the innocent character of the society, and dis- perzed without having done any serious injury.
During these critical times the Jansonists bore themselves with fortitude, as befitted a religious people. Indeed, splendid displays of heroism were not wanting. Thus, Nils Hellbom com- mitted an act of deliberate and premeditated bravery which might easily have cost him his life. The story of it is told as follows: "The mob had surreptitiously introduced a tall Indian into the woods. It is the Indian custom to remove the hair to- gether with the scalp from an enemy's head, thus suffering him to die a lingering death in great pain. The Indian in question had been secretly instructed to destroy Jonas Olson in this man- ner, for Jonas Olson had been the chief agent in assisting Root's
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wife to escape. Nils Hellbom, who is a fearless boatswain, large and strong, weight two hundred and twenty-five pounds, hear- ing of this, dressed himself in a Swedish sheepskin greatcoat, having the woolly side out, so that only his rolling eyeballs were visible. Then going out to where the Indian was, edged up to him and said in Swedish, 'What do you want ? Do you want my scalp, too?'" The Indian's ignorance of the Swedish language alone prevented the shedding of blood.
While the mob was raging at Bishop Hill, Eric Janson had succeeded in making good his escape to St. Louis, being ac- companied by his wife, Mrs. John Root and others. In St. Louis he remained until all danger was past, when he returned to Bishop Hill. His trial was to come off at the May term of the Henry County Circuit Court in Cambridge. He seems to have had a presentiment that he should never return from that trial. In the last sermon that he preached in Bishop Hill he told his followers that he should die a martyr to religion. It was the most powerful sermon that he had ever preached. Strong men wept and the community was full of evil foreboding. The last public act of his life was to distribute the Lord's Supper, and in so doing he repeated these words of the Holy Writ, "I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new in my father's kingdom." On Monday morning, Mr. Maskel, an employe of the community, called at Janson's dwelling-place with a horse and buggy to take him to Cambridge. On coming down the steps Janson said, "Well, Mr. Maskel, will you stop the bullet for me to-day ?"-which the latter cheerfully agreed to do. It was the 13th of May, 1850. The court had adjourned for the noon recess. Janson was stand- ing by a window in the court-room, while his counsel was sitting at a table engaged in writing. Suddenly John Root appeared in the doorway, calling Eric Janson by name. As Janson turned round, his eye met the gleam of a pistol barrel, and a bullet struck him full in the heart; as he fell, a second bullet grazed his shoulder. It is impossible now to ascertain the further par- ticulars of the murder. Root's friends maintain that he and Janson had been conversing through the open window, and that Janson had uttered some insulting remark which exasperated Root; while Janson's friends claim that the two men had not spoken to each other that day, but that Root came directly from
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a target practice in which he had been engaged the greater part of the forenoon.
When Eric Janson was brought home a corpse who can describe the consternation? The representative of Christ, sent to rebuild the city of God, dead! His work was but just begun ! It was beyond human comprehension. But the ways of God are wonderful. Might He not recall His servant to life? Men and women wept, and waited for the resurrection which did not come. All work, except of a merely perfunctory nature, ceased. The industrial army was demoralized, the leader was gone. Then it was that a womon stepped forward and called new life into the community.
Eric Janson's second wife was a remarkable women. Left an orphan at an early age, she was adopted by a well-to-do family in Göteborg, who brought her with them to New York at the age of fifteen. Her first husband was a sailor, who went out to sea and never returned. Her second husband gave her an education, and she, in return, assisted him as teacher in a private school, of which he was the principal. As Mrs. Pollock, she became acquainted with Olaf Olson in 1845, through her pastor, the Rev. Mr. Hedström. When the main body of the Jansonists arrived in 1848 she met for the first time Eric Jan- son, who had come to receive them. She became converted, and followed the Jansonists to Bishop Hill, for Janson preached that there was no salvation outside the New Jerusalem. Her husband, who loved her as he did his life, went with her and tried to persuade her to return. But for the sake of her soul she dared not, and her husband died of a broken heart in Victoria. Mrs. Pollock lost her reason over her husband's death, but shortly recovered. Marrying again, she became Mrs. Gabrielson. Gabrielson died of the cholera, leaving one son, who grew to be a young man. During a large part of her stay in the community she had taught in the community's school, and her knowledge of English had frequently been of service to the Jansonists. She was still an exceedingly handsome woman, composed and digni- fied in speech and deportment. Having in the meantime be- come a widower, Eric Janson took her to wife. As Mrs. Janson she superintended the work of the women, and. moreover, acted as her husband's secretary. She had been married but a few months at the time of Janson's death, but neverthless she knew
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more about the affairs of the community than any other person in it. So, the rightful heir to Janson's authority, namely, his son by his first wife, being but a mere boy, Mrs. Janson took the reins of government into her own hands. But among the Jansonists women were not allowed to speak in public. Andreas Berglund was therefore appointed to be the nominal guardian of Eric Janson's son. In spiritual matters his authority was absolute, but in matters pertaining to business no important step was taken without the knowledge and consent of Mrs. Janson.
For three days Janson's body lay in state. On the day of the funeral the Old Colony Church was crowded to suffocation. Janson had gained many friends outside the community among those with whom he had had business relations. Strangers, too, there were who came to satisfy a wanton curiosity. The ser- vices were opened with song and prayer. Then Mrs. Janson stepped forward, and, in the presence of the congregation, placed her hand upon Berglund's bowed head, creating him guardian of the heir to the leadership of God's chosen people until such time when the boy should have reaced te age of majority. After the funeral sermon, which was preached by Andreas Berglund, an oration in the English language, together with several other addresses, the body was escorted to the com- munity's burying-ground. There was no muffled music, no dis- play of shining uniforms, no pomp of funeral trappings. The body was laid to rest in a plain wooden coffin, and a plain wooden slab marked the grave of Eric Janson, the prophet, the representative of Christ.
The death of Eric Janson may be said to have occurred at an opportune moment. He was at the height of his power. In obedience to his word, eleven hundred people had abandoned their homes in a prosperous country, to found new ones in an American wilderness. They had given up their property, had braved unknown dangers and suffered untold hardships. His power over them was extraordinary. In the terrible days of the cholera, when any of their number were stricken with the dread disease, they sought his blessing, "Go, die in peace," and, contented, dragged themselves away to their fate. But his work was accomplished. It was his to call the community into exis- tence in spite of seemingly insurmountable difficulties; but he
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did not possess the administrative ability to lead it along the quiet paths of industry to economic success. As it was, he died under heroic circumstances and while the memory of his achievements was still fresh in the minds of friends and foes alike.
In person Eric Janson was tall and angular, while his face was disfigured by a deep scar across the forehead and by the abnormal prominence of his upper incisor teeth. But these de- fects were lost sight of in the charm of his private conversation and in the eloquence of his public address. He was a man of large social affections and, where religion did not interfere with the dictates of nature, of quick and ready sympathies. He was a man of splendid parts, and had his mind been less untrained he might possibly have become the pride and admiration of his native country, instead of ending his life before an assissin's bullet as an exile in a strange land.
V-Jonas Olson and the Incorporation of the Bishop Hill Colony
When the murder of Eric Janson took place in the court- room in Cambridge, Jonas Olson was on his way to California. Being an indifferent man of business, Eric Janson had, by in- judicious management, involved the community in serious fin- ancial difficulties. It was at the time when the California gold discoveries were filling the world with wonder. Their fame penetrated even to the quiet little village of Bishop Hill, and Eric Janson was carried away by the prospect of wealth easily acquired. For the immediate purpose of obtaining relief from the financial pressure restin upon the community, he dispatched, March 18, 1850, Jonas Olson with a party of eight men to Cal- ifornia in quest of gold.
Jonas Olson was then a man past the meridian of life. He possessed no faith in the mission upon which he was sent; but although he had pleaded hard with Eric Janson to be allowed to remain at home, he was, nevertheless, obliged to go, for he was considered the man best fitted for the undertaking, and, more- over, his life was threatened at home by John Root, for his con- nection with the affair between the latter and his wife. After passing through innumerable hardships, as a result of which one of their number died soon after reaching California, the
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gold-seekers arrived in Hanktown on the eleventh day of August, 1850. Here the news reached them of Eric Janson's death. Jonas Olson did not hesitate what course of action to adopt. Next to Eric Janson he had been the principal member of the community. Among the Devotionalists in Helsingland, from whose ranks the great majority of the Jansonst converts were gained, he had been the recognized leader previous to the com- ing of Eric Janson. During the troublous times of religious persecution his extensive knowledge of men and affairs had more than once rescued the sinking cause of Jansonism. After the flight of their leader he had been the chief agent in effecting the emigration of the Jansonists. Now his gifts and attainments, which latter were not inconsiderable in a peasant, would once more be of service. In this conviction he immediately set out upon his return to Bishop Hill, taking with him a couple of his com- panions, leaving the rest to follow at their leisure. He arrived in Bishop Hill on the 8th of February, 1851.
Jonas Olson found the community under the control of Mrs. Janson and Andreas Berglund, who acted as the guardians of Eric Janson's son. During Eric Janson's lifetime no one had ventured to dispute the hereditary character of his office as spiritual and temporal leader of the community. The office was so described in the accepted doctrinal books, namely, in the hymn-book and catechism, both of which were composed by Eric Janson. During the storm and stress period of the Jansonist movement, when a strong and masterful hand was needed to bring matters to a successful issue, it is altogether probable that the question of who was to succeed Eric Janson in office had not occupied the serious attention of his followers. Every one had, as a matter of fact, submitted to the absolute authority which he assumed. On the one hand, his personality was such as to admit of no mediocre opposition. On the other, his ad- herents' attitude of mind predisposed them to accept any claims which he might make either for himself or for his family. He was regarded as the representative of Christ. His decisions were considered infallible, for the divine will was thought to be dis- closed to him by special revalation. Upon his death, however, circumstances were greatly altered. There was very little of the dignity of divinely sanctioned authority attaching to the childish prattle before the congregation of the future official
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mouthpiece of God. The evil results of Janson's infallible busi- ness policy were beginning fully to manifest themselves. The guardians of Janson's son could not claim infallibility of judg- ment, and many of the community were dissatisfied to be gov- erned by a woman. A respectable minority of the community, while admitting Eric Janson's other claims, were not disposed to recognize those in behalf of his heir. It was this growing sentiment of dissatisfaction which Jonas Olson voiced, when, shortly after his arrival, he denounced Andreas Berglund as a usurper and demanded his abdication. He held that Eric Jan- son's had been a special commission, and hence the extraordinary powers and authority incident thereto could not be inheritable. The community should not, he said, recognize any formal leader whatever, but each individual member should serve the whole according to the measure of his ability and in that capacity for which he was best fitted by nature and training. Jonas Olson's standing in the iommunity added weight to his words, and ere- long the democratic lement which he represented prevailed. The movement also gained strength from the operation of another circumstance. The affairs of the community were in such a condition that a strong and able man was needed to conduct it through the impending crisis. Jonas Olson was such a man, and the community instinctively looked to him for guidance. Thus it happened that, although no formal election or transfer of power took place, the leadership quickly passed from the guard- ians of Eric Janson's son into the hands of Jonas Olson. With his advent into power the claims of the family of Janson retreat into the background, until upon the adoption of the charter in 1853 they practically disappear.
At the time of Janson's death the debt of the community was eight thousand dollars, which had been contracted prin- cipally in the purchase of unnecessary lands. In the summer of 1850, horses, cattle, wagons, even the crops were levied upon to satisfy the demands of the creditors. In the autumn of the year, however, the society received from various sources an ac- cession of about eight or ten thousand dollars. A part of this money was expended in completeing the brick steam flour mill, which had been begun in 1849 under the direction of Eric Jan- son. Soon, also, the community was able to make other improve- ments. An addition of one hundred feet was made to the large
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four-story brick tenement house. A commodious brick brewery, with a capacity of ten barrels a day, was erected for the prepara- tion of small beer, the community's favorite beverage. Orchards were planted, and an attempt was made to raise broom-corn, which attempt succeeded so well that a contract was made to furnish Peoria dealer with a large quantity of the remuner- ative price of fifty dollars a ton. The manufacture of brooms was also begun, which henceforth became a staple industry.
Under Jonas Olson's skilful management the circumstances of the community underwent a rapid and permanent improve- ment. But as the real and other property of the society in- creased, the disadvantages of not having a legal organization became apparent. It was necessary to hold property in the names of individual members, but in case of bad faith on the part of the natural heirs, complications concerning the succes- sion might, upon the death of such members, arise in the pro- bate courts. Hence, for the better conservation of its proprietary interests, the society decided to apply to the State Legislature for a charter. Accordingly, on January 17, 1853, by an act of Legislature, a corporation was created to be known as the Bishop Hill Colony.
The charter provided for a board of seven trustees, who were to hold office for life or during good behavior, but who were liable to be removed for good reasons by a majority of the male members of the colony. Vacancies in the office of trustee were to be filed in such manner as should be provided for in the by-laws. The powers of the trustees were of a most com- prehensive character, enabling them generally to promote and carry out the objects and interests of the corporation, and to transact any business consistent with the benefit, support and profit of the members of the same. The business of the corpora- tion should be manufacturing, milling, all kinds of mechanical business, agriculture, and merchandising. Furthermore, the col- ony might pass such by-laws concerning the government and management of its property and business, the admission, with- drawal, and expulsion of members, and the regulation of its in- ternal policy, as it might deem proper, not inconsistent with the constitution and laws of the State.
The by-laws were adopted May 6, 1854. According to these,
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any person sustaining a good moral character might become a member by transferring the absolute ownership of his property to the board of trustees and subscribing to the by-laws. The trustees were empowered to decide upon the moral fitness of candidates. They might, however, in their discretion, refer the question to a vote of the adult male members. On withdrawal of membership, or expulsion from the society, a person was en- titled to no compensation whatever, either for the loss of prop- erty or for time spent in the service of the community. The trustees might, however, in special cases make such recompense as they should deem proper. Any person guilty of disturbing the peace and harmony of the community, or of preaching and disseminating religious doctrines contrary to those of the Bible, might be expelled. It was to be the duty of the trustees to direct the various industrial pursuits, and generally to superintend the affairs of the community, either in person or through such agents and foremen as they might see fit to appoint. Annually, on the second Monday of January, a meeting of the adult male members was to take place for the general transaction of busi- ness. At this meeting the trustees were required to make a full and complete report of the financial condition and affairs of the society for the year ending on the Saturday next previous. Special meetings might be called by the trustess whenever the interests of the society required it. Special meetings could also be called by a majority of the adult male members, provided they signified their request to the trustees in writing five days in advance. Vacancies in the board of trustees were to be filled at an election held specially for the purpose, the person receiv- ing the highest number of votes being elected. These by-laws might be revised, altered or amended at any regular or called meeting, by a majority of the votes cast.
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