Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume II, part 1, Part 92

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago, Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 864

USA > Illinois > Sangamon County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume II, part 1 > Part 92

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AN INFANT MURDERED .- In March, 1856, an infant was found dead near the roadside some distance from Springfield, with a handkerchief tied over its mouth, showing death to have been caused by smothering. Maria House was ar- rested for the crime, but after a full hearing before Judge Rice, the jury brought in a verdict of "not guilty," and she was discharged.

A MURDER IN CHATHAM .- A dance was held at the honse of Joseph Newland, on Lick Creek, Chatham Township, on the night of Tuesday, January 18, 1860, and George S. Pulliam, Mr. Newland and one other person were discussing a fight which was to take place the following day, Mr. Pulliam offering to het a sumn of money on his favorite. Richard R. Whitehead came into the room at this time and a dispute occurred hetween him and Mr. Pulliam, one ealling the other a liar, and they came to hlows, Whitehead striking with his fist and his opponent with a bowle kulfe. Mr. Whitehead was struck twice on the head and once on the breast, tile last stroke causing his death a few moments iater. Pulllam was arrested, lodged in jall, and on Thursday, May 10, 1860, arraigned for trial. J. B. White, Prosecuting Attorney, and W. H. Herndon and J. E. Rosette appeared for the people, while Stephen T. Logan and Matheny & Shutt appeared for the defence. After the

ease had been ably argued ou both sides, the jury were absent two hours, then bronght in a verdict of manslaughter, after which Pulliani was sentenced to States Prison for seven years, but he was subsequently pardoned by Gov. Yates.

HOMICIDE NEAR CAMP BUTLER .- On October, 1861, six soldiers from Camp Butler went to the house of a German living uear their eamp, four remaining on the outside, while two of them entered the house and, it was alleged, then attacked the person of his thirteen year oid daughter, when the father seized a hillet of wood and beat them back, killing one outright and In- juring another badly. An Inquest was held by Coroner Hopper and a verdict was returned of justifiable homicide.

FATAL QUARREL AT CAMP BUTLER .- On May 3, 1862, two rebel prisoners, who were heid at Camp Butler, uamed Dawson and Kendrick, engaged in a quarrei, aud the latter struck Dawson a heavy hiow with a large stick, from the effects of which he died about two hours iater. Kendrick was tried hy the civil authori- , tles of the county, but the jury disagreed and the case was afterwards nolle prosequed.

SPRINGFIELD CITIZEN FOUND DEAD .- A man was found dead on the sidewalk on North Sixth Street on the morning of Juiy 4, 1862, his face being terribly mangled. An unloaded single harrel pistol was found near the body and at first it was thought he had committed suicide. It was shown at the inquest that he was a German named Charles Remsey, and he was buried, but later disinterred and a more thor- ough examination held, npon which the coroner's jury returned a verdict that he came to his death by the hands of some person unknown.

ANOTHER CAMP BUTLER TRAGEDY .- On Novem- 4, 1862, Thomas Vines, who had been engaged In hauling baggage from the camp to the rail- road, and who was employed hy the United States Quartermaster Department, was killed at Camp Butler. As officer had ordered his arrest on some pretext, and his team, becoming fright- ened, began running through the eamp, and an order was given to fire npon Mr. Viues. Fif- teen or twenty shots were fired and one of them took effect Iu the neck, killing him in- stantly.

KILLING OF WESLEY PILCHER .- On Tuesday. March 17, 1863, Lieut. Emery P. Dustin, a friend being with him, was conducting two deserters to Camp Butler, and when he neared the St.

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Nicholas Hotel in Springfield, he saw Wesley Pilcher unmercifuily beating a man by the name of O'Hara, who was calling for the police. Lieut. Dustin interfered and Pilcher turned to him and began beating him, but Dustin backed out, warn- ing Pilcher to cease his attacks or he would be tempted to injure him. Piicher followed him for some distance, then Dustin drew a revolver and shot him with fatal effect. Dustin was arrested and taken before Esquires Adams and Hickman, who bound him over to the courts. The military authorities interfered, however, and Dustin was removed and tried by court martial, being then acquitted.

A SOLDIER SHOT .- While his company was camped at Camp Butler, William Keily, of Com- pauy K, Tenth Illinois, in company with a com- panion, created a disturbance in the boarding house of Mrs. Horry, on North Fifth Street, and had broken a window, when the provost guard came and arrested them. While on the north side of the square on their way to head- quarters, Keily, who had been drinking, drew his revolver and fired twice at one of the guards, one shot cutting the hair on the side of his head. Two guards fired immediately kiliing Keily instantly, as one bali passed through his breast and the other through his hips.

PAWNEE ROBBERY AND MURDER .- On Tuesday evening, March 7, 1865, a man called at the house of James Bodge, a merchant at Pawnee, saying he wished to make some purchases. While Mr. Bodge was doing up the articles John Saunders came in, purchased a can of oysters, and soon departed. He was followed by the man iu the store, who spoke to his horse as if fear- iug it might get away. At this another man stepped into the store and pointed a pistol at Mr. Bodge, telling him to surrender, receiving the reply, "I will surrender, but don't shoot me." Upon this the man took Mr. Bodge's pocketbook, which contained five hundred dollars, and de- parted, mounted his horse, and in company with another man, rode away. As they ieft the store one of them shot and instantly killed Mr. Saun- ders. While several persons were gathered around Mr. Saunders, the man who had first come into the store came near and, inquiring who did it, mounted his horse and rode after the others. A few months later a man named Barney Vanarsdale was arrested in Iowa and confessed to shooting Mr. Saunders, after which he was brought to Springfield and accused

Nathan Tayior and Hezekiah Sampley of being accomplices. The two latter were bound over to the Circuit Court for $2,000 each. James Lemon was afterwards arrested for the same crime and he and Vanarsdale were arraigned for triai at the May term, 1866, of the circuit court. Milton Hay was assigned to defend Lemon, by the court, and James H. Matheny employed by his friends to defend Vauarsdale, but in spite of the efforts of their able counsel, they were found guilty by their own confessions, and sentenced to death. On Friday, June 1, Judge Rice sentenced them to be hung on Friday, June 22, 1866, but later Lieut. Gov. Bross, in the absence of Gov. Ogiesby, granted them a reprieve until Friday, July 20, 1866, and the Sheriff made his preparations with the hope that the Governor would commute the sentence to imprisonment for life, but that officer did not see fit to interfere with the action of the court and the execution took place on the day last mentioned.

MAN FOUND DEAD .- Two boys playing near the northeast part of the city on Sunday, Jan- uary 21, 1866, found a man's pocket-book and a coat covered with blood. Their father and a friend repaired to the spot, after hearing the story of the children, and found a dog standing over a man's body which was face downward, half buried in the snow, showing it had met foul play. The man was frozen and had been killed a couple of days. Upon examination by the Coroner it was found that a bali from a navy revolver had passed through his neck, severing the jugular vein, while another had entered his back and come out through his right breast, either of which would have killed him. Three other bullets had enterel his body below his right shoulder, besides which six knife stabs were found in his back, one on his right arm, two in his breast and another in the back of his head. The wounds showed that several must have taken part in the murder, as he must have been attacked in both front and rear at the same time. It was ascertained that the mur- dered man was Henry Aholst, a member of the Second Illinois Cavalry, but his murderers were never known.

KILLED IN A DRUNKEN QUARREL .- On Novem- ber 26, 1867, Joseph Ward got iuto a quarrel with Fritz Triever, the barkeeper of a saioon on Jefferson Street. Ward having been drinking and being much excited, drew a knife but did

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not attempt to use It. Upon hearing that Ward had drawn a knife, Triever took up a club and beat him over the head so that he died from the effects the next morning and Triever was ar- rested for the crime.

WILLIAM MORTAR MURDERED .- On August 1, 1868, Zachariah Brock, who had been drinking, came to the shop of William Mortar and began a quarrel. Mortar picked up a wagon spoke, but on second thought threw it down again and trled to pacify Mr. Brock. The latter then took up the spoke and struck Mr. Mortar on the head so severely that he died within a few days.

A YOUNO DESPERADO AND HIS TRAOIC END .- In 1870, when the Northwestern Railroad Company was surveying a route through Springfield, Co- burn Bancroft became greatly excited at the idea that his mother's property would be taken for railroad purposes, and on May 27th he fired a revolver at the surveyor two or three times, but without effect, and a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was found, but backed into a corner of the room and swore to kili the first man who attempted his arrest. Re-enforcements were secured but the young man stood his ground, and not wishing to injure him the police retired, hoping to effect his arrest without in- jury to anyone. The next morning Louis South- er, editor of the Register at that time, went to the house to taik with Bancroft and secure a statement from him, but the young man threat- ened to kiii hlm if he did not leave, and Mr. Souther retreated, but was followed and wound- ed by a shot in the ieft arm. Bancroft then went out and on the street, met Aionzo McCiure and asked if he was the one who swore out the warrant ; and having ascertalned that such was the case, picked up the lead of a brick-iayer's piumb, and threw it at Mr. McCiure, who theu fired five shots at Bancroft, but without any of them taking effect. Bancroft then fired at Mc- Clure and two of the shots took effect, after which he returned home and to his room, where he loaded his pistoi. A crowd gathered and the young man sat playing a violin in front of a window, defying them all. After the Sheriff and several poilce officers had tried to induce him to surrender peaceably, D. C. Robbins, Chief of Police of Springfield, fired, and young Ban- croft died within fifteen minutes from the shot. Captain Robbins was exonerated from biame, but the Grand Jury Indicted hlm and he was later tried and acquitted.

THE SHARON' TYNDALE MURDER-On April 29, 1871, Sharon Tyndale, ex-Secretary of State, who lived on Adams between First and Second Streets, had risen about one o'clock A. M. to take a train for St. Louis, which fact was prob- ably known by those who laid In wait for him, and murdered him for the sake of the few doilars which he had upon his person. When his body was found iater in the morning, there was a deep wound upon the icft side of his head which seemed to have been made with a heavy club, and on the back of his head behind the right ear, was another wound, made by a large caliber pistol. As no traces of biood were found anywhere except on the earth underneath the wound on his head, it was supposed that death must have been Instantaneous.

KILLINO OF WILLIAM KELLY AT PLEASANT PLAINS .- While Mrs. Rhoda Elmore, Anderson Harrls and William Kelly were eating supper on the evening of September 25, 1871, a knock was heard at the door and Peter L. Harrison walked in and commenced firing upon Keily. The latter rose from the table, picked up a chair and started after Harrison, and getting him out- side locked the door. He then started toward the next room and, upon reaching the door, feli down and soon afterward expired. Harrison was arrested and indicted by the Grand Jury, but a change of venue was taken to Christian County, where he was tried and acquitted.

HENRY STAY KILLED .- Henry Stay called at the saloon of Edwin Siater on Monroe Street, Springfield, about eleven o'clock on the evening of March 23, 1872, asking the latter, who had retired for the night, to come down, as he wished to pay him some money. Slater did so and after Mr. Stay had pald him the money gave him some- thing to drink. As Stay turned to leave the place Edward Duffy, an acquaintance of his, came in and the two taiked pleasantiy for a time, after which Stay took hoid of his friend In a joking way and the two began scuffling, during which Mr. Duffy was thrown to the floor rather roughiy. Mr. Slater then suggested to Stay that he should not handie Duffy so roughiy as he was an oider man than himself, and Stay then heiped hls frlend to his feet. Duffy ap- peared to be angry, and drawing a revoiver, turned It on his friend, who toid him he had better put it up, as if he did not think Duffy intended to use the weapon. But Duffy stepped back and fired, striking the other in the ieft

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side near the heart. IIis victim fell to the floor and Duffy then fired at Slater, making a flesh wound in the latter's right shoulder. The saloon-keeper theu asked Duffy to shoot no more, and after saying he would not, the murderer fled. A coroner's inquest was held and a charge of murder rendered.

A RIOT AT ILLIOPOLIS .- As Taylor Dickerson was walking home with a young lady ou July 6, 1872, some one threw a bunch of firecrackers behind the couple, and upon learning the next day that Carlyle Cantrall was the perpetrator of the act, Mr. Dickerson started iu to thrash him. A terrible fight followed, during which the friends of both became participants, aud hoth Cantrall and his friends were hadly whipped. Personal friends took sides and the fight was the talk of the village for some time. On July 20th Cantrall brought several friends to the village, two of whom were named Kendall. The village was the scene of rioting all the af- ternoon and evening, and when the Kendalls and a cousin of theirs started for home late in the evening, Dr. J. M. Burch tried to arrest them. They tried to get away on their horses, but Dr. Burch ordered them to halt or he would shoot, repeating the command three times with no effect, then fired, the shot takiug two fingers from the hand of Kendall's cousin aud striking Kendall in the left side near the spine, aud caus- ing the latter's death a few days later. Dr. Burch was arrested hut on fiual trial acquitted.

MURDER AND SUICIDE .- Milburn Sutherland Tayleur, a man of negro and Indian blood, on June 14, 1873, shot aud killed a colored man by the name of William Brown, with whom he had quarreled. Coroner Bierce was notified and tried to arrest Tayleur, whom he saw in a field and ordered to surrender, but the latter placed his gun against his own breast, and leauing forward fired a shot Into his body near the heart. He survived long enough to make a statemeut acknowledging that he had killed Brown.

ANOTHER DOUBLE TRAGEDY .- A couple living In Loami Township, Johu H. Hudson and wife, who had been married about a year and were supposed to be living peaceably together, were both well known and had many friends. The former, who was supposed to be a quiet mau, was a bachelor at the time of his marriage; his wife being a widow with considerable property, while he was comparatively a poor man. They

had retired for the night one evening during the latter part of October, 1881, when Mr. Hudson's sister and a servant heard the crack of a re- volver. They hurried to the assistance of Mrs. Hudson and succeeded in getting the revolver away from the enraged husband, but he wrenched himself from their grasp and dragging his wife some distance from the house, took up a spade and struck her several times on the head, leav- iug the hlood flowing from three terrible wounds in her skull, then ran to his brother's home, where he related what he had done. The latter hurried to the sceue and after attending to the dying woman's needs as hest he could, returned to fiud the murderer had disappeared, hut the next morning his lifeless body was found hang- ing to an apple tree in the orchard, where it was helieved he had ended his life overcome by the thought of his terrible crime. He had horrowed a revolver of a neighbor the day hefore the mur- der, saying he was taking money with him to buy cattle aud wanted the weapon for protec- tion. The real cause of the crime was never discovered.

RACE RIOTS AND LYNCHINGS AT SPRINGFIELD .- On August 13, 1908, a white woman was as- saulted in Springfield by a negro, and shortly before this time a white man had defended his daughter from a similar attack hy a colored man -the two circumstances causing bitter race feel- ing. A moh of white men prepared to lynch George Richardson and Joe James, who were under arrest for these crimes, and the Sheriff, assisted by Mr. Loper, a restaurant keeper, took them from the jail iu au automobile and carried them to Bloomington. The mob, upon learning what had been done, demolished Mr. Loper's restaurant, hurned his automobile and then rushed to the quarter of the city occupied by the colored population, where they sacked a number of stores and hurned nearly twenty-five houses. Negroes were chased and attacked on the streets and one of them, Scott Burton, who was said to have fired at the rioters, was beaten and then hanged to' a tree. Another, George Donigan, eighty years of age, and a friend of Abraham Lincoln, and for fifty years a respected citizen of the city, although guilty of no offense, was also beaten and hanged to a tree. Although he was cut down hefore life was extinct, he died in a hospital the following day. During this time many persons were struck hy bullets fired by the mnoh, by the negroes who were trying

MR. AND MRS. HENRY ZUCKSWERTH

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HISTORY OF SANGAMON COUNTY

to defend themselves and their property, or by the soldiers who had been called out by Gov. Deneen to preserve order. It was nnsafe for the negroes to venture out of their homes until 3,500 troops had been sent from Chicago and other points, and it was estimated that about 2,000 of them left for other citles. The Grand Jury returned 107 indictments against rioters and severely condemned the police force for their cowardice and Inefficiency. The rioting took place August 14th and 15th and during this time four persons were killed, besides the two negroes who were lynched, sixty persons were injured, twenty-five negro homes had been burned, and considerable other property de- stroyed or damaged. The value of property de- stroyed has been estimated at $100,000, for which judgments have been rendered against the city aggregating about $39,000.

CHAPTER LI.

MISCELLANEOUS.

TEMPERANCE ORGANIZATIONS-FIRST TEMPERANCE SOCIETY IN CENTRAL ILLINOIS ORGANIZED IN SPRINGFIELD IN 1829-THE WASHIINGTONIANS- FIRST OFFICERS AND PROMOTERS OF THE MOVE- MENT-ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S SPEECH OF 1842- SONS OF TEMPERANCE AND WOMEN'S CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE UNION-OTHER TEMPERANCE SOCI- ETIES-THE LONG NINE-THE ILL-FATED REED AND DONNER PARTY OF 1846-DISASTROUS EXPE- RIENCE OF EARLY EMIGRANTS TO CALIFORNIA- TWELVE FORMER CITIZENS OF SANGAMON COUNTY PERISII FROM EXPOSURE AND STARVATION-A MORMON SETTLEMENT-GOLD SEEKERS OF 1849- A FUOITIVE SLAVE CASE-TIIE PORTUQUESE COLONY-ITS COMINO TO TIIE UNITED STATES IN 1849-SETTLEMENTS ESTABLISHED AT SPRING- FIELD, JACKSONVILLE AND WAVERLY.

The first Temperance Society in Central Illi- nois, If not in the entire State, was organized in Springfield In the year 1829. During that snm- mer Dr. Gershom Jayne called the attention of Rev. J. G. Bergen to the six sermons of Dr. Ly- man Beccher on intemperance, and Mr. Bergen

read one each Sunday, for six successive Sun- days, to the people assembled to hear them. The constitution of a temperance society was then pre- pared by Mr. Bergen and eleven names were at once signed to the pledge. Before long there were over fifteen indred signers in the county.

The Springfield Temperance Society was In existence in 1834, its pledge being "to abstain from the use, and use all lawful means to put a stop to vending and drinking distilled ardent spirits." A juvenile society was also formed, for the purpose of teaching the children and preventing youths from forming habits of In- temperance.

About the same time a society known as the Sangamon County Temperance Society was formed, having branches in the various town- ships and villages in the county. The local papers of the period failed to record the pro- ceedings untii the year 1837, when an annal meeting of the society was held in the city of Springfield, on February 28th.

THE WASHINOTONIANS .- This pioneer society established a branch In Springfield in December, 1841, the organizers coming from the city of Alton, and the reform movement having orig- inated the previous year in the city of Baltimore, Md. The meetings were packed and, in a very short time, the society had gained three hnn- dred and fifty members in the city of Springfield. The effect was very noticeable in the quiet and orderly manner in which nearly all spent the season of Christmas holiday. One of the pri- mary objects of this organization was to reach the intemperate class and in this it was espe- cially successful, some of its most zealous advo- cates coming from the class who had been accustomed to indulge freely In the use of ln- toxicating liqnors. The movement also spread to the townships and villages ontside Springfield, and was there also very successful.

The meeting for organization was held on the afternoon of December 12, 1841, when the following officers were elected: President, Will- lam II. Herndon; Vice Presidents, Gould But- ler, W. W. Watson and Jesse B. Thomas; Secre- tary, Willlam W. Pease. The very simple pledge of the society was this: "The undersigned, being desirons of carrying ont the principles of temp- erance, do pledge our honor that we will ab- staln from all intoxicating drinks." The high purpose of the soclety, and the fact that it was helpful and charitable to those who were unable

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to keep their pledge on their first effort, doing their best to restore the weaker brothers to their desire to keep their obligations, was a great help to the morals and general well-being of the community.

LINCOLN'S WASHINGTONIAN SPEECH .- It was on February 22, 1842, on occasion of the cele- bration of the one hundred and tenth anniver- sary of the birth of George Washington, that Mr. Lincoln, then himself just past thirty-three years of age, delivered before the Washingtonian So- ciety of Springfield, one of the most impressive addresses of his life, which went far to estab- lish his reputation for true eloquence. Of the progress being made in the cause of temperance, as illustrated in the Washingtonian movement, he declared, it "seems suddenly transformed from a cold abstract theory to a living, breathing, active and powerful chieftain, going forth 'con- quering and to conquer.' The citadels of his great adversary (intemperance) are being stormed and dismantled; his temple and his al- tars, where the rites of his idolatrous worship have long been performed, and where human sacrifices have long been wont to be made, are daily desecrated and deserted. . For this new and splendid success we heartily rejoice."

In earnest approval of the charitable and sympathetic methods adopted by the Washing- tonlans in their efforts to reach the victims of what he called the "demon of intemperance," he continued : "When one who has long been known as the victim of intemperance, bursts the fetters that have bound him and appears 'clothed and in his right mind,' a redeemed specimen of long lost hunmanity, and stands up with tears of joy trembling in his eyes, to tell the miseries en- dured, now to be endured no more forever; of his once naked and starving children, now clad and fed comfortably; of a wife long weighed down with woe, weeping and broken-hearted, now restored to health, happiness and renewed affection, and how easily it is done-how simple his language-there is a logic and an eloquence in it that few with human feelings can resist. Nor can his sincerity in any way be doubted, or hls sympathy for those he would persuade to imitate his example be denied."

Then, after referring to the political revolution of '76 as something of which "we all are justly proud," in his peroration he took this optimistic view of the future :

"Turn now to the temperance revolution. In

it we shali find a stronger bondage broken, a viler slavery manumitted, a greater tyrant de- posed; in it, more of want supplied, more disease healed, more sorrow assuaged. Even the dram- maker and the dramseller will have glided into other occupations so gradually as never to have felt the change, and will stand ready to join all others in the song of gladness. And what a noble triumph this to the cause of political freedom !

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Volume II, part 1, Part 92

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913 Publication date: 1912 Publisher: Chicago, Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 864

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Chicago, Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 864