USA > Illinois > Montgomery County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Montgomery County, Volume II > Part 13
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In 1896, a centennial celebration lasting two days was held at the old church in commemora- tion of its founding, at which several prominent speakers addressed the many present. Such old traditional facts and the memories that cling around them, make the meetings with these "old Snow Birds" not only interesting but highly instructive. May they enjoy the privilege of several more years among us, and may their memories ever remain bright, till they lay down to rest in death's last sleep, to awake on the Resurrection morn to the song of the birds of Paradise.
PECULIAR EVENTS AND INCIDENTS.
Every community experiences its curious and extraordinary events and episodes that are for the time being subjects of agitation and excite- ment and later become part of the historic life of the community. These events may have 110 important historic value, yet they are a part of the community's history. We here give a few of the most interesting.
WHOSE BABY?
During the year 1914 a Mrs. Thomas Watson, living near Hillsboro, was reported to have given birth by the roadside to a child, while on her way to Litchfield under very peculiar circum- stances. Some time after the reported birth of a child, a Mrs. Minnie Martinique of Schram City secured a warrant and sent an officer to the Watson home to secure the child. laying
claim to it as her own, declaring that she gave birth to it in the St. Francis Hospital, and that as she was in no condition to care for it, that, by her consent, the Sisters of the Hospital had given the child to Mrs. Watson on the day that Mrs. Watson claimed she had been delivered of it by the roadside. The child was brought into court, and in due time a trial was held to de- termine who was the rightful owner or real mother. Judge Jett heard the case which, owing to its complicated and contradictory evidence, was a long and tedious trial. The Judge after carefully weighing the evidence decided that Mrs. Martinique was the real mother, and by inference that Mrs. Watson had attempted a bold fraud, in a most extraordinary and dis- gusting manner. The people for awhile were much divided in their opinion as to who was the mother, and so close was the testimony that there are a few who even yet claim that Mrs. Watson was deprived of her offspring.
IMPEACHMENT OF JUDGE SMITH,
The trial for impeachment of Judge Smith before the State Senate in 1832 was one of the most exciting events in the early history of Montgomery County. Judge Smith was an asso- ciate judge of the supreme court of the state and a resident of Edwardsville. Rer. Larkin Craig, of this county, was an intimate friend of Judge Smith and represented this district in the State Senate at the time. The charges against Judge Smith were: "Oppressive con- duct, corruption and other high misdemeanors in office." He secured a negative acquittal, a two-thirds vote being necessary for conviction. The vote stood twelve for conviction and ten for acquittal. Four being excused from voting. of whom Larkin Craig was one. The trial lasted for several weeks and was bitterly fought on both sides, while he was not convicted he did resign soon after this event. Among the in- stances of "oppressive conduct" charged was that because John L. Dryer, of this county, the grandfather of Judge John L. Dryer of Hills- boro, after whom he was named, who was a Quaker, refused to remove his hat while the Judge was holding court, he caused him to be fined and put in jail for one hour. Another charge was that he sold the clerkship of the Edwardsville court to his son, without the au- thority of law. Judge Reynolds who held court
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in this county and General Ewing, who was well known in this county, were on the trial bench.
THE WILLED BABY.
A peculiar baby case was passed on in the circuit court by Judge Thomas M. Jett during 1916, which for peculiar interest has had few parallels. A Mrs. Edgar Westlake, who with her husband formerly lived in Nokomis, died, leaving a child only a few days old to a friend in Iowa, a Miss Humphrey, both by verbal direc- tion and by last will and testament. Some time before the birth of the child Mr. and Mrs. West- lake had become estranged and were living apart at the time of the birth of the child and its delivery into the hands of an outsider. Mr. Westlake at once applied to the Court for a mandamus to compel the surrender of the child to him as its legal custodian. The Court, after hearing the case decided that no parent has the right to convey the person of his or her offspring by will or verbal direction, so as to deprive its natural guardian of his or her right to it as the law provides.
A STORM AT SEA.
Wiley B. Smith of Walshville, this county, and a member of Captain McAdams Company in the War with Mexico in 1846, thus describes a storm while approaching Vera Cruz, Mexico: "On February 6 we left our camp and went on board the ship Importer, Newberryport, and lay in the harbor all night. On the morning oť the 7th she was towed out to sea, and was soon on the green water. The vessel rocked at a desperate rate and we could not avoid the roll- ing breakers. It was not long till every man was vomiting as though he had taken a pound of calomel. In the night the wind rose, though it was contrary to the course we wished to go, con- sequently we made little headway. On the 8th the wind was very calm; on the 9th the wind nearly ceased to blow, though we were able to see a number of masts of vessels at John's Island, forty miles from where we had entered the gulf. On the morning of the 10th, the wind had subsided and we were left to wallow in the water with no wind to move us.
"This calm continued with little change till the 14th. On the morning of that day we found our ship sailing very fast and the wind still ris-
ing. At nine o'clock the wind was so high that the top sail split in pieces. The storm increased, the waves beat desperately against the ship, and the vessel seemed as though she would be swal- lowed up in the angry flood, and again like it .would fall a 100 feet, first laying on one side and then on the other. On the morning of the 15th, it appeared as though the storm was over. The sun shone pleasantly and the wind was calm. At nine o'clock we heard the cannons roar at Vera Cruz. During the evening the clouds began to rise and the wind to increase until by dark the storm was severe as before. At dark the ship was going as fast as the wind, and we passed within thirty feet of a pile of rocks, and we had scarcely thrown our anchor, when another shipload of soldiers came on, striking the rocks squarely, and in a very short time the ship was beat to pieces. Fortunately the water was shallow and much of the dam- aged ship remained above the water, and all but two of the soldiers were saved from a watery grave. There were a number of horses on board the most of which perished."
THE BOND CASE.
Along about 1882 a Montgomery County girl who was engaged in teaching a school in Chris- tian County sent for the officers of the law and swore out a warrant against three men of the community where she was teaching, charging them with hiding in her schoolhouse attic, and after school was dismissed in the evening, of dropping down from the attic into her room and binding and gagging her and taking her to the attic, where she was forced to submit to the most brutal indignities. The community, and we may say the whole county, was so en- raged at the enormity of the crime that there was great danger to the accused, and at least one attempt made to mob the men charged with the offense. The prisoners and the case were brought to Montgomery County where in due course of time a trial was held. It was a notable trial-lasting some four or five weeks, with the best legal talent on both sides. Judge McBride was one of the defense's attorneys, and Judge Anthony Thornton, who had been on the supreme bench of the state, with others of note, were in the case. Satisfactory proof of the guilt of the accused was not found and the jury, after long deliberation, returned a ver- dict of not guilty, The verdict at the time was
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a severe jolt to the excited public sentiment of the counties of Christian and Montgomery, and talk was quite common that the jury ought to be mobbed. A second attempt was actually made to mob the accused. By the aid of friends, they managed to get away unharmed, and the accus- . ing schoolteacher also soon left the state. Public sentiment gradually quieted down, and when time allowed the people to take second thought, and little events began to unfold the facts, public sentiment began to take a turn. One prominent physician mixed up in the affair com- mitted suicide, some confessions are said to have been made, and many other items of interest were discovered, so that twenty years after the charges were made, and the men freed, there was a complete revolution of belief, and today no one can be found in either Christian or Mont- gomery counties who would entertain a thought of the guilt of the men charged with the terri- ble deed, or that any such deed ever was enacted.
IS THE DEBT COLLECTABLE ?
A certain successful farmer, who lives in Mont- gomery County, and who now has a splendid home and an interesting family, at least one of whom is now married, gave the occasion for the above question. Coming here from a for- eign country when a young man, he began farm- ing, and after a year of "baching," becoming disgusted with being "maid of all house work" as well as keeping up with his field work, he decided he wanted a wife. Not being acquainted with any of the young ladies of the community, and only able to speak a few words of our lan- guage, lie lacked the courage to approach any of them, and being on friendly terms with a certain young man, he approached the friend and offered him the sum of $10 if he would go hunt him a wife. The friend accepted the offer and in a very short time reported that a Miss - was willing to marry him and help him make a happy home of his desolate sur- roundings. The couple were brought together and in a very few days the legal authority pro- nounced them husband and wife. So far as the writer knows they are today just as happy a couple as may be ordinarily found. Here comes the rub: The friend expected the $10 for his services, and being poor and needy asked the happy groom for his compensation. The un- grateful recipient of his unselfish efforts,
laughed in his face, and persistently ignored his claim. The friend eventually took legal ad- vice and said to the writer that he surely would enter a suit for the money, if the attorney would accept the case. No suit was ever brought, and we do not know what the opinion of the attor- ney was. This story, which we know to be cor- rect, would lose much of its interest if the names of the parties were known, who today are citizens of very creditable standing in the county.
LOCATION OF THE CAPITAL.
In the session of the General Assembly of 1837, when the question of locating the state capitol came up, Hillsboro lacked just seventy- three votes of being the selection of location for the capitol. The selection of location was made by a vote of the two houses of the Legislature. There were 123 votes cast, of which Springfield received seventy-three votes and Hillsboro one. Who had the courage to cast this vote we do not know, but it is true that at that time Hills- boro was very near to the center of population and business interests of the state.
AN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD.
Between the years 1S3S and 1850, and to some extent later, there existed in Illinois and other states among those who believed in the aboli- tion of slavery, a more or less organized scheme for aiding fugitive slaves in their efforts to get to the North or into Canada, and thus escape a life of slavery, that the Southern states im- posed ou the negroes. The anti-slavery advo- cates engaged in this business wanted to stop the extension of slavery into Illinois, and other more northern states as well as aid the slaves themselves. Slavery was steadily extending its merciless hold on the Northern people. Even down in little Bond County as well as in this county it was getting a strong hold as there were at least seven or eiglit slaves in that county and several in Montgomery and the county commis- sioners passed an ordinance creating a tax of one dollar on every slave in the county of adult age. Hardy Voluntine, William Volun- tine and Martin Jones each owned one slave and H. Kirkpatrick owned four slaves, and for some time paid taxes to the county on them. Samuel Hill, also, paid taxes on one slave. All
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these men were creditable citizens, and they, with others, were spreading the sentiment favor- ' able to slavery in Illinois.
To offset this sentiment those who opposed slavery entered into a sort of "gentlemen's agreement," to receive, feed and help escaping slaves out of the danger belt, and into a place of safety. This secret scheme was known as the "Underground Railroad." The fugitive slaves that passed through our county in the main crossed the river into our state about Sparta in Randolph County, where there was a "station," and were brought northward across Bond Coun- ty into Montgomery and on to Springfield. There were several sympathizers at Reno, then known as Bethel, and in the vicinity of. Donnellson. James Wafer, who lived just north of Bethel, and Anthony Hill, just south of Donnellson, were on the line, and their homes were known to the few as "stations" and if alive they conld tell much of the operations of the "underground" line.
Thomas Water, a son of "Uncle" James Wafer, before his death published a paper in which he made this statement: "I remember about 1840 when Samuel Breath, and Charles Lippencott (who was afterward auditor of the State of Illinois, and who for a time had to get out of the state on account of killing someone), brought a slave from Sparta, to his father's, and after some days of rest Irs B. Davis of Reno and himself took him in a wagon to the home of James Stevenson, south of Springfield, and Stevenson took him on to Springfield, Davis and Thomas Wafer returning, stopping over night at the home of Butler Seward, near where But- ler was built." In 1841, he remembers another case when Charles Lippencott brought a very white slave from Sparta to Bethel, and as there was a standing reward offered by the southern states for the return of any escaping slaves, Dr. J. M. Barber, who was then located at Bethel, raised a squad to take the slave away from Lip- pencott, and others who were concealing him and return him to the south and claim the re- ward. Hearing this report, Nathaniel Douglas took him to James Wafer's residence, and Thom- as Wafer took him on to Anthony Hill's place, and as he was returning home he met the sqnad of men in search of the fugitive, but the service of the "Railroad" was too good for the search- ers, and the slave escaped. "Uncle" James B. Hutchinson and "Uncle" B. F. McLain have each told the writer incidents of similar character, which I do not remember with sufficient clear-
ness to relate. Suffice to say that the "Under- ground Railroad" was a real fact, known to many at the time, although few of old settlers could tell who were engaged in its operations, so secretly was its existence kept. Those en- gaged in the dangerous business felt that they were doing a philanthropic duty. This we know from conversation personally had with James Wafer, forty-five years ago.
A BUTLER GHOST.
During the summer of 1916 Perry William- son while working for a neighbor, a quarter of a mile away, saw what he supposed to be his daughter standing in one window of his home looking toward him apparently with an open book in her hands. Thinking she might be watching in order to get his attention for some purpose, he in turn watched the window, only to see that the woman in the window remained there during the entire time he worked with his neighbor. When he went home he asked her purpose in staying in the window all afternoon, to be informed that she had not been in the window at all. This led to an investigation re- sulting in ascertaining that from a distance of a few hundred yards from the house the appa- rition conld be seen by any one at any time dur- ing day or any other time when there was light enough to create a shadow, provided the per- son was the proper distance from the house. The ghostly apparition seemed to be a woman, with head, arms and chest in proper proportions, holding in her hands an open book, described as appearing to be a black morocco bound Bible, and the book would appear to move from time to time without the body moving, and when one approached the house the apparition would gradually disappear, becoming less distinct the nearer one came to the house. The circumstance was so remarkable, that the people began com- ing there to see it, and the local papers gave it notoriety by describing it in their columns until the people came there in vast crowds.
It was on Sundays that the crowds numbered 1,000 during a day, many coming from consider- able distances. All sorts of wild and supersti- tious reports were set in motion. and repeated by those who were ever ready to accept snch vagarious and dolerons stories. Fortunately there were a few men of practical judgment in the community and while no systematic ef- forts were made to analyse the cause of the apparition, yet various little facts became known
FRANK E. CRESS
MRS. JANE CRESS
DANIEL CRESS, JR.
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
which on being put together seemed to pretty fully explain the phenomenon. Mr. Williamson's explanation is as follows as reported : "In front of the window is a large tree which has branches and leaves extending down nearly to the ground. The woman dressed in white standing square in the window is formed by the twigs of the' tree to allow the white light from the sky to reflect into the window pane. The book or bible apparently in her hands is formed by heavy spray of leaves which hang down about the center of the opening in the foliage which forms the woman. This spray of leaves being lighter and more flexible than the heavier branches, is blown by the wind more readily, hence it. moves slightly when the heavier branches do not,' thus giving the appearance of a lady turning the leaves. When the wind moves pretty hard, the whole of the white dressed woman appears to move. To see the apparition one must be about an eighth of a mile away. When Mr. Williamson holds up a sack on a pole exactly in line and so as to exclude the rays that come through the opening in the foliage, the apparition disappears, retreating in the opposite direction from the side on which the sack comes over the opening."
That the phenomenon is a very curious one must be admitted, yet the evidence of supersti- tion aroused in the minds, and expressions of the callers is to be deplored. No one in this enlightened age would have thought that such, for the while, unexplainable sight, would have aroused such a flood of dormant superstitious impulses as this did. Some wanted to shoot at it ; some wanted to drive it away by prayer and bible reading; and some advocated burning or tearing down the house. When will the animal instincts of man give way entirely to the mental powers of mind? After three or four weeks with a constant stream of visitors actuated by curiosity and even superstitious forebodings, Mr. Williamson grew tired of the throngs about his home, and climbing into the trees that stood between his house and the point where the ghost was best seen, with his little hatchet cut away the limbs letting the light through, and dispelling the mystical woman with her black morocco bible. Fair ghost we bid thee adieu.
A NEW LINCOLN INCIDENT.
C. B. Blockburger was one of Hillsboro's most active men in its early days, while Charles
Parker, although not living here, was equally active in his county near Springfield, and well known in Montgomery County. Mr. Blockburger was several terms a member of the Legislature and was also United States marshal, while Mr. Parker lived near to the capital, and both came into close touch with the men then most promi- nent in public life, General Shields and Abraham Lincoln, the former being Blockburger's ideal, while the latter the ideal of Mr. Parker. Some trouble arose between these prominent men over some publications written by
Miss Todd, afterwards the wife of Mr. Lincoln, and then his friend, which General Shields bitterly resented, and accused Mr. Lincoln of inspiring. Mr. Shields invited Mr. Lincoln to settle the matter in a mortal duel, and Bloody Island, being neither in Missouri or Illinois but between them was supposed to be neutral ground, and was selected as the place to fight. The day was ap- pointed, and both parties went to the place. General Shields selected General Blockburger as his second, and Mr. Parker feeling it to be his duty, went as Mr. Lincoln's friend. The spot was reached by Mr. Blockburger and Mr. Parker simultaneously, and when the grounds were ap- proached they saw Mr. Lincoln down on his knees cutting away the underbrush, and in an- swer to the inquiry of Mr. Parker as to what he was doing, replied, "Oh just clearing off a spot to make the fall easy." The difficulty was fortunately adjusted by the friends of the parties by convincing Mr. Blockburger that Mr. Lincoln was in no way responsible for the article pub- lished and the duel was never fought. Mrs. Rolston who saw General Blockburger when starting for the duel grounds says he was the most imposing man that she ever laid eyes on. Mr. Parker was the grandfather of Mrs. Chat. Donnell, now dead. The coolness of Mr. Lincoln and his ability to look on the brighter side of all matters, as shown in the episode on Bloody Island, was characteristic of his conduct through all his official career, and certainly had much to do with placing his name among the list of im- mortals of the world's history.
A PECULIAR ENDOWMENT.
Many years ago, when the trustees of the Hills- boro College were endeavoring to get the insti- tution on a self-supporting basis those noble and sacrificing educators, Dr. Francis Springer, and A. A. Trimper, with the aid of their co-
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laborers and the Hillsboro public, evolved a very peculiar proposition to endow the college, so that the faculty night be assured of a living. The proposition was to raise by subscription a fund of $10,000, only responsible people being asked to subscribe, as the fund was not to be paid, but was in reality only the loaniug of the credit of the subscribers for this laudable purpose. The subscription was for scholarships, and was to be by personal notes bearing six percent in- terest. The scholarships were of three kinds, one for $125, and which entitled the subscriber to a scholarship for one pupil for twelve years instruction in the college; one for $200 which eutitled the subscriber to one scholarship for twenty-seven years, and one for $400 and with this the subscriber secured one perpetual scholar- ship in the college. The scholarship, being in- terest-bearing, the interst was paid in lieu of tuition, which the subscriber, otherwise would have to pay. The scheme was unique, and yet not materially different from that in practice in many business lines today. It is well known that many successful business schemes are today projected and carried to a finish and often much profit made out of them, without a cent of money ever being put up. That quite a number of pupils went through the Hillsboro College on these scholarships is well known and they had a market value as they were not limited to the family of the subscriber and he could sell them to others if he chose. Often their temporary use was loaned without consideration, and the poor and ueedy pupil enabled to get through college who might have failed had he to raise the cash in advance as was otherwise the rule.
THE ELLIS GLENN CASE.
One of the most exciting and interesting at- tempts at deception for frauduleut purposes ever attempted in this county was what was known as The Ellis Glenn Case. A young person pos- ing as a man, though afterward found to be a woman, came into the county, no one knows where from and began peddling sewing machines. She was of attractive appearance, sociable withi the young men, and became well acquainted with many of them. She was one of them in their ordinary pastimes, slept with them, worked with them in farm work at times, and in many ways was with the young regarded as a sociable companion and good fellow. While staying with a family iu Irving a certain young man there
was her constant bed fellow, and while staying with a family at Butler she proposed marriage to the daughter of the owner of the residence, was accepted and plans were said to have been in progress for a marriage, when the arrest was made. In her travels over the county, she, in some way became acquainted with some of the McLains of East Fork Township, and secured their signature. An attempt was made to perpetrate a fraud by forging their names to some documents. The documents were shown to some of the bankers in Hillsboro, who know- ing the McLain's close and careful manner of conducting all their business affairs, became sus- picious that something was wrong, and getting into touch with then, ascertained that these sus- picions were well founded. She was arrested, put into jail, and while in the county Bastile, the sheriff, became suspicious that she was pos- ing under false colors, and reported his sus- picions to the Judge, who ordered a physical examination before her trial was had. The ex- amination was officially made and the report was that she was a woman. The trial tor forgery was held and she was found guilty, but in the meantime she was claimed by another state, and had to be sent there, where similar charges were instituted against her and she was sent to the penitentiary. The case became widely known and many reports came from over the country, charging that she was wanted there to face similar offenses. That many of these reports were false was evident, but that she was one of the slickest scoundrels that ever imposed on a credulous public cannot be ques- tioned. She attempted to make it appear that she had a twin brother, and that she had ex- chauged places surreptitiously while under ar- rest, and we have people in Montgomery County today who think that that clever fiction was true.
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