USA > Illinois > Ford County > Historical Atlas of Ford County Illinois > Part 8
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Pells' block, a three-story brick building with fifty feet front, was completed in the summer of 1867. It was built by W. H. some farmers who held theirs over, got as much as 85 cents. Oats | Pells, and wasdestroyed by fire in the year 1874.
On the 6th of November, 1867, the citizens, legal voters of Ford County, gave an overwhelming majority in favor of taking $112,000 stock in the Lafayette, Bloomington & Mississippi Railway.
Clark's block, an elegant three-story brick building. 50x80 feet, and 45 feet in height, was finished in the fall of 1867. R. Clark, of Paxton, was and is the owner.
The fall of 1867 was remarkable for the heavy sales of real estate made by local dealers. One firm in Paxton sold 9,000 acres within thirty days. The sales of the same firm, for the five weeks ending December 5, aggregated 14,603 acres.
The number of inhabitants added to the county during the year ending July 1, 1867, was 1,750.
The first seven days of May, 1868, will long be remembered on account of the unprecedented amount of rain. The meteor- ological report shows that amount was 3.57 inches, almost as much as for any month during the preceding four months. The storms were accompanied by thunder and lightning, the pyro- technic display being most beautiful and magnificent.
A hurricane passed over Paxton Tuesday, May 26, 1868, stripping the steeple from the United Presbyterian Church. This was the finest church edifice in the city, and the spire was beauti- fully proportioned to the building. The damage resulting there- from was estimated at about 81,100.
Paxton was visited by a heavy fire on Monday, January 13, 1869. The fire broke out in a building occupied by Travis, Hall & Co., as a hardware store, the second story being occupied by L. A. Dodd as a dwelling. The losers were Travis Hall & Co., hardware dealers, $1,100; interest in building, $1,400 ; no insur- ance; L. A. Dodd, household goods, 8500, insured; interest in building, $1,000, uninsured; S. L. Day, interest in building, 81,000, uninsured; J. McCormick, druggist, loss on building, 83,000, insured for $1,500; loss on stock, 8500; N. A. Hall, restaurant, damage on stock, $200; Mrs. S. S. Lantz, daguerre- otype gallery, loss on stock, $300, insured; loss on household goods, $200; Scott & McDaniel, dry goods, loss on building, $2,000; insured for $1,500; Masonic Lodge, on furniture, 8200; C. H. Wyman, on building, 82,000, with no insurance. The origin of the fire was unknown. The advantage of brick over wood as a building material was demonstrated in the case of Polls' block, which escaped comparatively unscathed, though subjected to an intense heat.
On the 27th of March, excavations had been commenced for the foundations of five brick buildings to occupy the site of those destroyed by fire.
The engineer corps, engaged in running the line of the L., B. & M. Railroad through Paxton, arrived March 23, 1870, under charge of Col. Morgan.
The assessment returns of Ford County, for the year 1870, amount to 82,037,762. The number of acres under cultivation werc, of wheat, 8,645; corn, 50,202; other field products, 12,969.
Enterprise was the name of a village platted in Township 27 (Drummer), at the crossing of the L., B. & M. and G., C. & S. Railroads, by J. B. Lott, in November, 1870. The location was favorable as to commercial facilities and the name of the village has since been changed to Gibson City. It is now one of the most flourishing towns of the county. As its original name im- plies, Gibson City is remarkable for its enterprise and thrift. It is the second town in the county in size and population, is pro- vided with gas-light, has good sidewalks, telephone connection with Saybrook and Bloomington, and other modern improve- ments.
Following is the population of Ford County by towns as obtained by N. E. Stevens in the census of 1870 :
Paxton (corporation).
1.820
l'atton .. Button.
634
Diz ..
637
Drummer.
Sullivant
181
Peach Orchard.
883
Wall .
547
Lymen
679
Brenton ...
765
Piper (Sty (corporation)
307
Pella
645
Mona ...
342
Rogers.
681
Total
.. 9,214
A destructive storm of sleet visited Paxton and vicinity from the 12th to the 14th of January, 1871. Every building, fence and trec was encased in an icy coat of mail nearly an inch in thickness. Scarcely a building escaped damage from Icakage to a greater or less extent. The greatest loss sustained was to fruit and shade trees, some of those from four to five inches in diame- ter being either broken off entirely or stripped of their limbs.
The Paxton Flax Mill was built in the summer of 1871. The main building is 108x30 feet.
M. L. Sullivant finished husking his corn for 1871 on the 29th day of February, 1872. His crop aggregated 450,000 bushels. Mr. Sullivant was at that time proprietor of Burr Oaks farm, comprising some 42,000 acres.
The last rail of the Lake Erie & Western Railway was laid February 22, 1872.
Kirk's Station, Clarence Post Office, was established in May, 1872, on the line of the L., B. & M. Railway, about six miles east of Paxton.
A terrible railroad accident was the cause of much sorrow in Paxton and vicinity June, 1872. On the 17th of that month, a construction train ran from the track and four men were instantly killed and twenty-two injured. Two of the latter died
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1.785
soon thereafter. The Coroner's jury returned a verdict in accordance with these facts.
Independence Day, 1872, was celebrated in the Court House park. There was a large concourse of people present, and the usual oration, toasts, music, etc., were indulged in. There was a display of fireworks at night.
The first annual fair of the Ford County Agricultural Asso- ciation was held, commencing September 24, 1872. The officers were William Noel, President; M. L. Sullivant and F. T: Putt, Vice Presidents ; George Wright, Treasurer ; J. J. Simons, Re- cording Secretary ; N. E. Stevens, Corresponding Secretary ; John Bodley, Superintendent.
October 29, 1872, the Paxton Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated, the sermon being delivered by Rev. A. P. Mead. The church had been occupied for a number of years, but at this time extensive repairs and improvements had been completed.
.. $14,006 28
ASSESSMENT FOR 1800.
Kind of property.
Number.
Value
Horses.
805
$89,615
Winter wheat.
719
9,122
Cattle.
870
26,478
Mules.
12
640
Sheep
108
108
Hogs.
188
2,721
Value of domestic animals.
Indebtedness on domestic animals.
Net value of domestic animals.
$58,165
Carriages and wagons.
824
8,471
Clocks and watches
803
1,652
Pianos ....
835
Goods and merchandise.
6,716
Flax .....
6,965
Timothy meadow.
30,697
Clover meadow ...
195
Prairie meadow ...
2.873
Hungarian and millet
88:
Borgo.
44
Other crops ..
426
l'asture ....
36,665
Woodland
1.658
Uncultivated.
24.675
Acres unreported ..
41,029
Total nores in county.
... 303,694
3,619,623
Wheat
2,921
Corn ...
9,855
Other products
591
Keres reported under cultivation.
12,867
ASSESSMENT, 1888.
Kind of Property.
Number.
Value.
Horses
6,650
$211,886
Cattle.
10,992
107,637
Paxton ....
209
Gibson.
159
Melvin .
220
Roberts.
192
Kempton.
147
Cabery ...
120
Cairo, above Gulf of Mexico.
884
Cairo, below Lake Michigan.
276
STATISTICS.
809
4.921
Merchandise ...
78,860
Manufactured articles ..
2,015
State ..
$4,824 02
State School.
1,840 01
County ..
8,220 00
Special County.
920 06
Road.
462 63
Credita of banks.
4,529
Kind of Property.
Value.
Moneys not of banks.
18,439
Credits not of banks ...
86,160 '
School District 1, Town 24, Range 9 ....
98 58
Bonds and stocks ........
1.560
School District 2, Town 24, Range 9.
808 01
School District 1, Town 28, Range 10
122 79 85 08
Salonns ...
105
School District 1, Town 23, Range 14.
87 75
School District 2, Town 23, Range 14
106 43
School District 2, Town 28, Range 9 ...
158 55
Grain ....
68.026
All other personal property ..
18.863
Railroad property .....
293.325
Real estate ....
2,405,546
Town and city lots.
810,822
Total as returned by Assessors.
.$3,814,142
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS, 1882.
Farm Crops.
Areas, 1883. Bushels, 1882.
Corn .......
11,893
2,674,590
Spring wheat ....
520
Oats ..
40,832
898,05l
Ry .....
1,430
14,004
Barley ...
18
100
Buck wheat.
2
139
Beans ..
25
Irish potatoes ..
652
22,982
Apple orchard.
2,567
l'each orchard.
17
Pear orchard ..
1
Broom corn.
60
Hemp.
18
Manufactured article ..
15
Moneys and credits ....
11,663
Unimcumbered property
18.446
Total personal property ..
$105,462
Total valuation of lands.
794,066
Total valuation of town lots.
20,477
Total assessed value for 1860
$920,006
Kind of crop.
POPULATION.
1AGO
1870.
1880
Ford County ..
1,979 9,103
16,0.0
POPULATION IN 1880 BY TOWNBEIM.
Brenton (including Piper City)
1.242
Button ...
846
Dix ....
1,56€
Mules and sanes ...
855
29,00]
Sheep.
4,470
6.460
Hogs
20,508
46,810
Steam engines ..
27
4,845
Fire or burglar proof safes ...
71
1.657
Billiard tables, etc ..
160
Carriages and wagons
2.676
88,264
Watches and clocks ...
2.495
4.568
Sewing machines ..
1,561
7.815
Piano-fortes ..
97
8,712
Total.
.16,009
Population of incorporated cities and villages which are in cluded in the above table : Paxton, 1,725; Gibson City, 1,260; Piper City, 423. Since the date of said census, the following towns have been incorporated : Cabery, Kempton and Sibley. Since 1882, an unusual season of prosperity and growth has vis- ited the county, and especially in the principal towns, there has been a largo increase in population.
VALUATION OF PROPERTY FOR 1883, AND TAXES EXTENDED THEREON.
VALUATION OF PROPERTY AS ASSESSED AND EQUALIZED.
TOWNSHIPS.
State Tax.
County Tax.
Town Tax.
District School,
District Road.
Road and Bridge.
Interest on County Rail- road Bonds.
Interest on Township Railroad Bonds.
City and Vil- lage.
Dog Tax.
Back Taxes.
Total Tax.
Lands.
Lots
Personal.
Railroad.
Total.
$3,961,358 $12,713 49
$23,014 16
$8,373 09
$43,469 26
$5,922 23
$24,687 97
$9,149 35
$10,239 36
$10,094 21
$1,190 00 $2,683 91
$146,537 03
THE FORD CIRCUIT COURT. DY WEAVER WHITE.
The Legislature of the State of Illinois in the act organizing Ford County placed it in the Eighth Judicial Circuit, and pro- vided that the Judge of said circuit should hold a term of court, on the organization of the county, at a place to be designated by the County Court.
At this date, 1859, the counties of Logan, McLean, DeWitt, Champaign and Vermilion comprised the Eighth District.
February 4, 1861, an act was passed, organizing the Twenty- seventh Judicial Circuit, in which were placed the counties of Vermilion, Champaign, Douglas and Ford. Our county re- mained in this circuit until 1867, when, on January 29, by an act of the Legislature, the counties of Moultrie, Shelby, Macon, Piatt, Fayette, Champaign and Ford were united in the Seven- teenth Circuit.
In April, 1872, the Legislature again changed the circuit, placing us in the Twentieth, with the counties of Kankakee, Iro- quois and Livingston.
Under act of the Legislature approved and in force March | P. Button, Matthew Elliott, Milton Strayer, Obadiah Campbell, 28, 1873, the State was again divided into circuits, McLean and Ford constituting the Fourteenth. By act June 2, 1877, in force July 1, 1877, the State, exclusive of Cook County, was divided into thirteen circuits. The counties of McLean, Ford, Kankakee, Iroquois and Livingston forming the Eleventh.
The arrangement of counties under this act, together with the additional Judge elected under its provisions, made the num- ber of Judges in each of said circuits three.
The following Judges have held Circuit Courts in Ford County :
Hons. David Davis, Charles Emerson, O. L. Davis, James Steel, A. J. Gallagher, Charles H. Wood, Thomas F. Tipton, J. W. Cochran, O. T. Reeves, N. J. Pillsbury, Franklin Blades, the three last named being the present Judges of this circuit.
The first term of the Ford Circuit Court was held at the City Hotel in Paxton November 18, 1859.
The Hon. David Davis, of Bloomington, was the Presiding Judge, Samuel L. Day, Clerk, Howard Case, Sheriff, and Ward II. Lamon, State's Attorney. The first grand jurors were James
Sidney Morgan, Solomon Burt, John B. Buell, Leander Britt, Lindsey Corbley, John Brown, Leander Butts, John P. Day, Richard Bryan, John Dops, Sr., William Bryan, Robert Eggles- ton, Peter Van Antwerp, Robert N. Scovill and William Newlin. Petit Jurors-Charles Cloyes, Benjamin Ferris, Patrick Tor- pey, Isaac Hall, John R. Lewis, Henry Atwood, L. W. Henckle, John Swinford, Dennis Happer, Francis Meharry, John Rich- ardson, Charles Wall, Milton Wineland. Seth Y. Simons, Archi- bald Mckinney, Jacob Titus, William Reed, Harmon Strayer, Jacob Tanner, Jacob Henry, Frederick T. Putt, William Pol- lock, Paul W. Cooley and A. E. Scovill.
The court was in session four days.
John R. Lewis, Esq., member of the petit jury, in his " His- tory of the Pan Handle," speaks of this terin of court as fol- lows:
" The charge to the grand jury was made by the Judge him- self, who also administered the oaths. In his charge, the Judge urged them to do their whole duty as men and jurors, and as they were just starting in a new county to be careful and sec
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FORD COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
Kind of Tax.
School District 1, Town 28, Range 8.
Amount. 498 94
School District 2, Town 28, Range 8.
70 86
Pawnbrokers' property.
284
Property of corporations ..
4,406
Household and office furniture ...
42,738
Investments in real estate ..
183
School District 1, Town 26, Range 9.
626 97 486 64
School District 4, Town 25, Range 9 ....
686 40
Back taxes for 1869 ..
164 12
In October, 1872, a car-load of scrapers, plows, etc., was un- loaded at Paxton, to be used in grading the Paxton & Danville Railroad.
October 27, 1872, at the union services, Rev. W. M. Richie was installed as pastor of the Paxton United Presbyterian Church. The sermon was preached by Rev. J. D. Whitham, of Rankin. The resident pastors, Revs. I. Brundage, W. D. Best and J. L. McNair, assisted in the services.
The work of drilling an artesian well was begun in 1878. During the progress of the work many curious bits of wood were drawn up which were, no doubt, buried in these strata ages upon ages ago. The well proved a failure, and after boring over 2,700 feet, the work was abandoned; not, however, until it had bur- dened the city with a debt of some $18,000.
The Presbyterian Church is a frame building, 42x68 feet, with vestibule, and is of the gothic order of architecture. The main audience room is twenty-eight feet high, and frescoed in Corinth- ian style. The interior presents a very pleasing appearance. The cost of the edifice was about $7,500. The dedication took place on the 13th of July, 1873. Rev. Dr. Bailey preached the dedicatory sermon, and at the services some $2,500 was sub- scribed toward liquidating a debt of about 82,750 which rested on the building.
ELEVATIONS in FORD COUNTY.
Elevation of Lake Michigan above sea level .. Elevation above Lake Michigan :
TAXES FOR 1860.
Kind of Tax.
Amount,
Manufactured tools, etc ..
8,18
Agricultural tools, etc ..
44,688
Gold and silver plate ..
378
Diamonds and jewelry ..
800
Money of banks ..
2,482 64
109 86
4,287 61
505 56
8,420 92
986 46
130 00
13,294 28
Drummer.
808,165
78.364
93,713
120 506
600,748
1,928 95
8,491 56
967 61
7,721 19
495 70
3,607 62
1,888 36
4,332 27
2,975 55
58 00
26,965 81
l'atton ....
326,516
182,947
178,069
45,785
738,317
2,855 35
4,261 36
1,255 36
8,423 22
1,881 56
4,404 02
1 695 23
5,928 84
171 00
$2,683 91
33,059 85
Total
$2,456,656
$340,987
$792,743
$370,967
$184,916
$593 83
$1,075 30
$2,360 83
$312 38
$1,480 85
$427 39
$91 00
$6,841 58
Mona Pella ......
165,590
32,252
197,842
684 71
1,149 25
$80 74
1,616 17
204 64
1,683 00
456 97
99 00
6,924 48
Brenton .
187,895
29,406 11,823
74,014 57,952
33,485
316,580
1,015 68
1,838 65
255 69
3,258 03
595 01
1,266 74
780 80
$3,738 18
100 00
12,798 78
Wall ...
188,520
39.029
227,549
729 62
1,321 22
205 69
1,778 07
224 39
1,865 89
526 18
104 00
6,253 56
Button ...
167,655
8.159
42,570
23,942
237,326
761 44
1,878 69
154 05
2,881 94
178 72
1,568 49
547 89
71.00
6,992 22
Teach Orchard
114,740
9,289
41,846
18,320
183,695
590 38
1,068 46
112 64
1,977 51
152 78
1,837 15
435 04
2,168 91
61 00
8,403 87
Sullivant
229,860
9,351
55,239
33,639
328,089
1,051 60
1,904 68
231 45
4,761 40
1,219 26
1,969 40
746 49
650 49
90 00
12,524 77
Dix
288,670
8.873
89,620
40,892
427,655
1,371 28
1,884 24
3,280 86
128 69
846 48
749 28
8639 33
138 00
8,707 94
Lyman.
218,820
3,087
5,811
199,402
639 59
1,158 11
1,672 43
23 59
1,287 96
460 26
77 00
5,268 94
Rogers
$124,015
$5,738
$39,595 49,844
33,519
324,334
1,041 11
Drummer (including Gibeon City)
2.883
Lyman
1,235
Mons ..
744
Patton (including Paxton)
3,189
l'each Orchard.
747
Pells.
860
Rogers.
775
Sullivant.
717
Wall.
745
Organs .....
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICI.
Acres.
$69,457 11,292
School District 8, Town 28, Range 10.
School District 2, Town 26, Range 9.
Total taxes for 1860 ..
13,528
141,710
$15,568
610
16
that all depredations committed in their neighborhood were pre- sented to the jury and returned to the court. The Judge said, 'rid your neighborhood of all petty thieves and law-breakerx, and return them to this court.'
" There were not many cases on the common law docket. A
few chancery cases came up and were argued before the court.
" Hon. David Brier, of Bloomington, defended the location selected by the County Commissioners for the court house, and his arguments were so good that the writer fully believed ho would carry the day. After carefully listening to both sides, the court gave his opinion in the matter. In doing so, he compli- mented County Judge David Patton, saying he had been acquainted with him a number of years, and that his opinions as a lawyer were considered carefully made and well taken, but in this case the court must differ with him.
" One criminal case was tried at this term of court. It was on a change of venue from Vermilion County, where a man had stolen a kit of fish weighing fifty pounds from the railway depot at Dan- ville. In this trial, three of the jury were from the Pan Handle. The prisoner was very ably defended by an attorney from Dan- ville. The defense set up was that the value of the fish stolen was less than $5, and introduced witnesses to prove that this was the fact. One of these, Mr. Barnhouse, of Prairie City, swore that a kit of fish, such as the one stolen, was sold in his town for from $4.50 to $4.75. In the cross examination, State's Attorney W. II. Lamon brought out that the witness knew nothing of the value of fish in Danville, and as Danville was the place from which the fish was stolen, the Danville price must be that at which it was valued. In his charge to the jury. Judge Davis suid if they found that the prisoner was guilty, and that the fish stolen was valued at $5 or over, the penalty was not less than one nor more than five years in the penitentiary.
"After a short consultation, the jury returned a verdict of guilty, and set the penalty at one year in the penitentiary.
" The whole business of the court was carried on more like a general school of instruction to a class of students than anything else that the writer can compare it to. A local attorney, Mr. Morse, who had a client, and wished to get a continuance of his casc, had prepared an affidavit setting forth the reasons for not being ready for trial. In the affidavit there was some very strong language used in behalf of his client, to which Judge Davis lis- tened as long as he could, but, after a little, exclaimed, 'Tut, tut, tut, young man, you should never get your client to swear to any such thing as that. Never allow your clients to perjure themselves. It is the duty of an attorney to keep his client out of trouble, and not get him into it.'"
Prior to the formation of the Fourteenth Judicial Circuit, in 1874, the district had been so large that the Judges could not give the necessary time to our county to dispose of the business. Since said date, the business has been kept well in hand, it being the frequent custom when cases could not otherwise be dis- posed of, to hold night sessions.
Judge Tipton, of Bloomington, at one time, to clear the docket of long-pending cases, made a custom of holding court until near midnight, and sometimes even later, or rather earlier.
Our Judges have all been men of integrity, and filled their positions with credit to themselves and satisfaction to the people.
As an illustration of the confidence of the bar and litigants in the court, the writer recalls one term when a full week passed in the trial of causes, and in only one case was a jury called ; in all the others by agreement, jury was waived, and trial had before the court.
There have been four prominent criminal cases tried thus far in the history of our county :
People vs. Willis Conn, for the murder of Robert A. Miller. People vs. Maik Barowick, for the murder of his step-father. People vs. Gent Hendryx, change of venue from McLean County.
People vs. James Ryan for the murder of Abe Thorp.
The most aggravated murder committed thus far in the his- tory' of our county was that of Robert A. Miller. He was a farmer, well advanced in life, of quiet, kindly disposition, loved by his neighbors, respected by all and without a single enemy as far as he knew. For many years he had lived on his farm in the north part of Wall Township, some seven miles northwest of Paxton.
On the early morning of October 7, 1875, he took his cows to water to a well, some little distance from the house by the edge of a corn-field.
A nephew of Miller, Willis Conn, a single man some twenty years of age, who lived near Rantoul, had the afternoon of the day before came to Paxton and bought a revolver. After testing it, he procured a sufficient lunch for his supper and breakfast, and then went to a vacant house in the neighborhood of Robert A. Miller, where he spent the night. Very early in the morning, he had come down to his uncle's, and had concealed himself in the corn just near this well, close to where he knew his victim would pass in watering his stock. When his uncle had come ncar . enough to gratify his murderous desire, he fired the shot with deadly certainty, the ball entering the right side and penetrating near the heart.
Ilis uncle fell mortally wounded ; but not satisfied with this Conn rushed up to the fallen body, and, putting the weapon close to the head of his victim, fired the second shot, and immediately disappeared. As soon as the neighbors received the alarm, and gathered in sufficient numbers, search was at once begun for the murderer, and a messenger sent to the Sheriff at Paxton.
On receiving word of the tragedy, warrant was issued, and Sheriff Lyman started for the scene.
About a mile out of town, he met a man afoot, who told him
FORD COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
he was the party he was looking for, and that he had shot Uncle Bobby Miller, and gave himself up. Conn was at once taken in custody, put in jail, and held to await his trial.
Circuit Court sat in December, when he was indicted and his trial began December 9, 1875, and lasted four days. A. Sample, State's Attorney, was assisted by M. H. Cloud in the prosccu- tion, and the prisoner was represented by M. B. Thomson, of Urbana, Ill. No trouble was experienced in impaneling a jury. The ground of defense was insanity, which was most persistently presented by defendant's counsel. The fact and circumstances of the killing were not disputed. A number of physicians of reputation testified as to the mental condition of the prisoner. Some to the effect that he was wholly irresponsible for his acts, and others that, while at times this might be true, yet that he had the power to distinguish between right and wrong, and if so, was responsible.
The law in regard to insanity as a defense for crime was laid down by the court to the jary in two instructions, which were as follows :
" The court instructs the jury for the people that the complete possession of reason is not essential to constitute the legal ro- sponsibility of the offender, and although the jury may believe from the evidence that at the time of the act the person was not of sound mind; yet, if the jury believe from the evidence be- yond a reasonable doubt that the prisoner had the power to dis- tinguish right from wrong, and to adhere to the right and avoid the wrong as applied to the particular act charged, then he is responsible to the law for his act.
" The jury are instructed for the defendant, that if they be- lieve from the evidence in the case that at the time of the killing that said defendant was insane, and that though they may believe he had some idea of right and wrong; yet, if the jury believe from all the evidence that the defendant was driven to said act by an irresistible insane impulse which he was on account of such insanity unable to control, then, and in that case, there would be no such intent to commit crime as charged, and in that case the jury should find the defendant not guilty.'
The prisoner was found guilty and sentenced to the Peniten- tiary for twenty years. His conduct and appearance during the trial tended strongly to prove that he was not in his right mind. He sat heedless during the investigation, showing neither concern or fear, and save when the verdict was read in open court, did he seem to realize the terrible punishment before him. He was promptly sentenced and taken to Joliet, but only lived to serve about two years of his time.
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