History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part 7

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 948

USA > Illinois > Union County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 7
USA > Illinois > Pulaski County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 7
USA > Illinois > Alexander County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 7

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

" Joseph Spencer, an eminent colored divine, whose desperate character made him the terror of the community, and whose deeds of blood and acts of Christian piety gave him great emi- nence, was recently killed by a mob in Cairo under the following justifiable and bloodthirsty circumstances : Mr. Spencer, while conducting a prayer meeting on his boat, which was reek- ing in the blood of his murdered victims, was shot down by a disguised mob of well known citizens, who, withont premeditation, had assem- bled shortly after dark on the morning of the bloody day for the hellish and authorized pur- pose. These negro drivers, who had just arrived on a Mississippi steamer, then seized him while in the act of getting down to a game of " old sledge" with a distinguished Method- ist minister from Cincinnati, tied him to a convenient tree, and there burned him until the waters of the Ohio closed over him forever. His boat, upon which he remained until the last moment, was then towed to the middle of the Ohio River, where it sunk against the Ken- tucky shore, by applying the flaming torch to the cabin.

" A more diabolical and fiendish act of mer- ited punishment never disgraced a community

of incarnate fiends of high respectability more signally than has this act of damnable but richly deserved retribution disgraced all con- cerned in it, not excepting the victim himself, who was seen at Memphis recently, swearing vengeance dire against his sanctimonious mur- derers."

Thus, from Joe Spencer to Eliza Pinkston, the " bloody shirt" floated in ample folds all over the North, while the " mud-sills" and the "corner-stone of slavery," equally ripened and flourished at the South. And of a nation's throes, coming of these infinitesimal circum- stances, a Lincoln's fame was born, and the way was prepared for that " ambitious youth who fired the Ephesian dome," to assassinate Lin- coln in a theater, on Good Friday, of 1865 ; and the hanging of an innocent woman ; and the second assassination of a President, and the hanging of an insane man. These are the skele- ton, surface results, but beneath that ghastly covering who will ever know, who can ever in his wildest imaginings conceive the blighted virtue, the ruined names, the crushed hearts, the ghastly corpses, the unspeakable agony and woe, that ran over this people like a consum- ing conflagration ! It is well for the mental health of the human race that the charity of oblivion rests so deeply upon the sickening story that it may never be told. Joe Spencer was nothing but a wretched, desperate, igno- rant and brutal negro, whose life was a constant menace to all with whom he came in contact ; yet the century had been preparing the way for even this vile wretch, and it culminated in his self-sought destruction into a power for evil which may run on for yet a hundred years. Nothing is clearer than that it was the right way, the high and solemn duty of the people of Cairo to either drive off or kill the danger- ous, bad negro. They should have done this long before they did, and if it was necessary to kill him in order to get rid of him, he was en- titled to no more consideration tban a snake

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or a rabid dog. But when he could stand at bay no longer, he placed heavy irons about his neck and plungod into the river, with his dead- ly gun in his hands, and, thus prepared, he fully determined never to rise again, but his conjured ghost was impressed into the service of aiding in the bloody preparations for the carnival of death that was so soon to follow after his destruction.

In a preceding chapter, we had occasion to notice the penchant, the genius rather, of the young men of Cairo, that was so fully devel- oped in those dull years following the disper- sion of the people here in 1841. So ingrained had this become, that now, when the flush times again came to Cairo, and work and busi- ness crowded upon them from every side, they would steal these golden moments whenever opportunity presented itself to again indulge in their favorite pastime.

The Legislature had organized a Court of Common Pleas for Cairo, and appointed Isham N. Haynie, Judge. He came to Cairo to hold his first term of court, and a court room had been secured in the Springfield Block. He had not more than fairly opened the session when the " boys" opened a similar court in the other end of the block, and they had all the officials and paraphernalia of a most August court. The officer of Judge Haynie's Court would stick his head out of the window and call a juror, attorney, or witness, and so would the official at the moot court, only the bogus one would call louder, oftener, and a greater num- ber of names, and the bailiff's were flying around the streets summoning witnesses, jurors and parties to come into court instan- ter. The bogus grand jury held prolonged sessions, and as the bailiff's well understood who to summon as witnesses, and as the jurors well understood what questions to ask such witnesses, it was a roaring farce from morn till night, particularly the revelations they drew out of an old chap whose shebang was

down on the point, and who sold ice principal- ly. From day to day this immense burlesque went on, and many names of the best people began to be compromised sadly. Judge Haynie finally took notice of the matter, and a United States Marshal making his appearance with writs, frightened the "boys" seriously, and, in fact it resulted in driving several of them temporarily out of town, until the matter was finally fixed up in some way, and their thoughtless acts were excused.

A more innocent and comical joke was worked off by John Q. Harmon and Mose Harrell. They were both young fellows, and Mose was clerking in his brother's store-a place of great resort for the old fellows who delighted to loaf, and chew tobacco and "swap lies," and absorb the heat of the stove in cold weather. To move these fellows from the warm fire and clear the store-room was the project set about by these boys. Harmon had got a supply of sand and had it carefully wrapped in a good sized bundle, and seeking the time when the loafers were thickest about the store, he walked in with his package in his hand. He addressed Mose, in a tone that all could hear, telling him he was going hunting, that he had all the powder he wanted, display- ing his three or four pounds of sand, and went on to tell Harrell that he wanted some shot and would pay for it in a few days, etc.

"No sir !" said Harrell, "if you have no money, you cannot get any shot."

" Well," says Harmon, "you need not be so short about it. I'll pay you next week."

And from the first the words grew more bitter and loud, and soon the two quarrelers had the entire attention of the house. In the meantime, Harmon had wedged his way close up to the door of the red-hot stove, when, the quarrel going on still, he opened the stove door and bitterly said : "Well, if I can't get any shot, I don't want any powder !" and heaved the bundle into the stove. Such a

HISTORY OF CAIRO.

hurried exit-some of them not taking time to rise from their chairs to run, but tumbling backward and rolling to the door, and all were upon the streets in such a frightful race to get away they did not take time to look back at the building which every instant they expected would be blown sky high, until they ran so far they were fagged out. In the meantime, John and Mose were fairly rolling over the floor in explosions of laughter. It was several days before the old loafers would venture within half a mile of Harrell's store.

During the winter of 1857, the city was specially incorporated by the Legislature, and on the 9th day of March following the first Council, under the charter, met for organiza- tion and business. The following gentlemen formed the Council :

Mayor, 'S. Staats Taylor; Aldermen, Peter Stapleton, Peter Neff, Patrick Burke, Roger Finn, John Howley, Harry Whitcamp, C. Os- terloh, C. A. Whaley, William Standing, Cor- nelius Manly, Martin Eagan and T. N. Gaff- ney.

As the city officers were not elected by the people at that time, the Council elected John Q. Harmon, City Clerk ; H. H. Candee, Treas- urer ; and Thomas Wilson, Marshal.

The Board of Aldermen disapproving of the work of their predecessors, by a simple resolu- tion, wiped from the books every general and special enactment found in force, leaving no vestige of the old board's wisdom or folly in operation, save only such enactments as con- ferred rights or privileges for a specified time or special nature. The whole city government was remodeled-an entire new set of ordi- nances, relating /to every legitimate subject, being framed and adopted. They assumed all responsibility, willing to take the credit arising, or the shower of condemnation following the new order of things. The charter was broad and liberal in its provisions, and under it, with very few and immaterial amendments, the

usual work doubtless of " governing too much" has gone on smoothly ever since.

S. Staats Taylor filled the office of Mayor six times, viz. : During 1857-58-59-60 and 63.

H. Watson Webb was Mayor during 1862, being elected without opposition. J. H. Ober- ly in 1869.

In 1864, David J. Baker, one of the present Judges of the Circuit Court, was elected Mayor.

During the years 1857-58-59-60 and 61, John Q. Harmon held the office of City Clerk. He was succeeded by A. H. Irvin, who held it seven years. J. P. Fagan, elected 1868 ; Pat- rick Mockler, 1869 ; Mockler was suspended and T. Nally, appointed to fill out his term ; John Brown was then elected. N. J. Howley, in 1870, held it four terms ; 1872, W. H. Hawkins; 1875, W. K. Ackley; James W. Stewart, 1876; John B. Phillis, 1877 ; D. J. Foley, 1879 ; re- elected in 1881, and again in 1883.

The following were the City Treasurers in the order in which they are named : H. H. Candee, Louis Jorgensen, Jolin H. Brown, B. S. Harrell, A. C. Holden, Peter Stapleton, John Howley, J. B. Taylor, who held the office until 1872, and was succeeded by Robert A. Cunningham ; in 1875, B. F. Blake was elected ; then F. M. Stockfleth, and then B. F. Parke ; in 1879, E. Zezonia ; 1881, Thomas J. Curt.

The City Marshals were Thomas Wilson, D. C. Stewart, P. Corcoran, R. H. Baird, Martin Egan, John Hodges, Jr.

In addition to the City Marshals above given we may mention M. Bambrick, Andrew Kane-

City Attorneys-H. Watson Webb, who filled the office for four successive terms, and was again re-elected in 1863 and 1864. In 1871, P. H. Pope was elected, and re-elected in 1872. In 1873, H. Watson Webb was again elected. In 1875, H. H. Black, was elected, and re-elected in 1876; 1877, William Q. McGee; 1879, W. E. Hendricks, and re-elected the next term.

Police Magistrates -B. Shannessy, who held the office successively from 1857 to 1864, Fred-

HISTORY OF CAIRO.

oline Bross was elected in 1865. In 1876, two Police Magistrates were elected to this office. J. J. Bird in 1880 ; Bird resigned and George E. Olmstead was elected; in 1881, Alfred Comings was elected.

In 1863, for the first time the Council pro- vided for the office of City Surveyor, and the Board elected August F. Taylor to that posi- tion. Mr. Thrupp has filled the position almost continually.

In addition to the Mayors above enumerated, Thomas Wilson filled the office in 1870; John M. Lansden, 1871 ; re-elected in 1872 ; in 1873, John Wood ; 1874, B. F. Blake ; 1875, Henry Winters ; re-elected 1877 ; and in 1879, M. B. Thistlewood was elected and re-elected in 1881. The present officers just elected, will be found complete in another chapter.

Cairo was always "diabolically Democratic," at least until the " man and brother" from the cotton-fields and jungles of the South parted company with the swamp alligators and tooth- some possoms of that region and came upon the town like the black ants of his native .Af- rica. The town sits upon that point of land in Illinois that is wedged away down between what were the two slave States of Missouri and Kentucky. So cosmopolitan were the Cairo people that they were impatient of the bawl- ings and crockodile tears of the Abolitionists, and the equally idiotic oaths about the divine institution of slavery. And hence they were equally abused by both sides of the fanatics and fools. Among other most horrid slanders that ran their perennial course through the col- umns of many Northern papers, was the one that Cairo was ready and eager to mob and kill every " loyal " man who happened to be found in the place. One flaming story was added to the Spencer mobbing, about a little preacher named Ferree, who attempted to make an Abo- lition speech in Cairo and was odorously egged, etc. The whole thing was only one of the many slanders upon Cairo.

In the campaign of 1856, a noted negroite, from the office of the Chicago Tribune, came to Cairo to make a Fremont speech. His paper had published tomes of the Cairo slanders, and dwelt long and lovingly on the Spencer and Ferree mobs. After the distinguished orator arrived in Cairo he ran his eye over the columns of his paper, of which he carried a file that was filled with sectional slanders,and he became nerv- ons, and actually worked upon his own fears un- til he began to seriously believe many of his own published lies. He thought the people would mob him. He locked himself in his room and sent for the Republican leaders, and informed them he was afraid to attempt to speak in Cairo. These men assured him there was no danger, but he would not be satisfied until nearly every leading Democrat in the town had been sent for, and they all pledged themselves and staked their lives upon his entire safety and immunity from all danger. Then, though still nervous, he consented to go on with the meeting. When the hour for the meeting had come the hall was packed with people, although there were not a score of Republicans in the place. The speaker, with his escort, appeared upon the platform, was introduced and received with hearty cheers. He commenced his speech, and the attention of the crowd was close and respectful, and upon the speaker's slightest allusion to anything patriotic or of a spread-eagle nature, prolonged cheers would greet his words. His exordium had been splendidly pronounced and speaker and audi- ence were en rapport, and thus encouraged the orator was rising to the occasion in some of the most eloquent slanders of the South that ever greeted eager and lengthened ears, when all at once, Sam Hall, who sat nearly in the front row of benches, jumped to his fect, turned around with his back to the speaker and facing the audienec, and placing his hand significantly to his hip pocket, in a clear and distinct voice, said : " I'll shoot the first son-of-a-sea-cook that throws an egg !" These words struck the ora-

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tor's ears like the crack of doom ; his big speech, even articulation, was frightened out of him ; he was so nervous that he could no longer stand, and silence, with an exceptional here and there men elearing their throats and suppress- ing the " audible smiles " of those who knew what the inveterate wag, Sam Hall, meant, was intense, and the speaker hurriedly passed out of the rear door of the hall, and made fast time to his hotel, and was on the first train out of town, and for weeks the Chicago Tribune wrung the elianges on " Another Cairo Mob-Free Speech Suppressed," etc.

Among the early and long time institutions of Cairo was " Old Rube," the innocent ad- vanee guard of the whole "coon " tribe, that have since been inflicted upon Cairo. Old Rube was a rather quiet, well-behaved darkey, who did chores about town, acted as "mud- elerk " for most of the saloons, was always, when he could catch an audience or listener on the street, talking learnedly about the Seriptures, and had a great weakness for chicken-roosts. " Old Rube " was a more modest Ethiopian than his modern kind, at least he never at- tempted to turn the Cairo white children out of their schools, and have himself installed in their places. His extraordinary ideas, and his amusing way of putting them, made him not only tolerated by all young and old of the place, but they afforded much innocent pas- time. He was one morning doing his usual clerking in the new telegraph office, when it was run by Mose Harrell. The only telegraph instruments in those days were the old- fashioned kind, that were wound up, and used long strips of paper. In sweeping about the instrument, which was wound up, in some way he touched it, and it commenced to run down. He realized what he had done and was greatly frightened as he saw the weight slowly descend toward the floor. In some way he got it into his woolly pate that when the weight struck the floor an explosion would follow, and he thought

it would blow the whole world into smithereens. On a full run he started to hunt Mose, and when he found him, told him what was going on. Mose in apparent fright, rushed baek with Rube to the office, and just as they entered the machine had run down and stopped, of course, just before the weight touched the floor. He made Rube believe he was just there at the last moment, and confirmed the darkey's idea and enlarged them greatly by showing him how the explosion, commencing at Cairo, would have blown away entirely St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and in faet all the leading cities of the world. For the re- mainder of Rube's life he told over this thrill- ing story in which he and Mose Harrell were such conspicuous actors, always adding some embellishments to the story, and every time going a little more learnedly into the scientific intricacies of electricity. In discussing the Scriptures, he evidently believed that the story of Jonah and the whale, and Noah and his ark, were about the sum total of the whole busi- ness. He believed it a religious duty to smoke a strong pipe, because had Jonah not had his pipe and matches in his pocket, after the whale swallowed him, and was swim- ming off for a general frolic with the other whales, he would never have been east ashore. Explaining one day on the streets all about how Noah constructed the Ark, how long it took him, and how much material there was in it. The question was asked, "Where did he get his nails ?" " Why, in Pittsburgh, of course, you fool you! Whar could he get 'em if not dar?" He believed heaven a place made up exclusive- ly of chicken roosts, and where there was nothing higher for them to roost upon than a common rail fenee. Every one kindly tolerated the ignorant and innocent old man, gave him always plenty to eat, and he dressed himself year in and out with the old clothes of which he always had an immense supply. In his young days, he had been one of the innumera-

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ble servants of George Washington, at all events he had told the story until he un- doubtedly believed it, and he always respect- fully spoke of him as " Mas'r George." He was a stanch Republican from the formation of that party, and was a regular attendant upon its meetings in Cairo, yet his associates and friends were exclusively Democrats. He never expected or apparently wanted to vote, and sometimes, like perhaps a majority of the white voters, got his religion and politics so mixed up that he could not disentangle them. And often when the question was suddenly sprung upon him he could not tell " Mas'r Linkum " from the ark, nor Noah from the whale, but, to his credit be it said, this mental, political and religious confusion but rarely took pos- session of the old man, except after lie had cleaned and righted up, and purified and sweetened his usual morning round of the dog- geries. He lias long since, if his theories were all correct, had a touch of experience of those other worlds, about which while here he talked so much, and dreamed such vague and incoher- ent dreams. He rests beneath the willow tree.

1858-Cairo Inundated .- For the second time a widespread disaster overwhelmed Cairo, and under circumstances in some respects very similar to that of 1841. But this time it was water. On Saturday, June 13, 1858, at about the hour of 5 P. M., the levee gave away on the Mississippi side of the town, near its inter- section with the embankment of the Illinois Central Railroad. For several days previous it had been predicted by many who had closely watched the progress of the flood, and who were familiar with the character of the levees, that the town was in constant danger. The people were warned of the peril ; but lulled into a feeling of security by the fact that during the fifteen years past they had escaped submersion, and by assurances of the reckless that all was safe, they paid no attention whatever to the warning regarding it, only as the bugbear of

panie-makers. As a consequence, the flood came upon many of the people unexpectedly, leaving them only time to escape with their lives.

The break, it is now known, resulted from the defective construction of the works by the un- principled contractor who made the embank- ment. The water was more than a foot below the top of the levee, and up to the moment of the break gave no sign of the coming disaster. The waters rushed through with a great roar. carrying with them the embankment in great sections, and in places with such force and violence as to uproot trees and stumps in its course.

A force of 500 men were as soon as possible placed upon what is known as the " Old Cross Levee," an embankment running from the Ohio to the Mississippi in the upper portion of the city, with the hope that they would be able to fill up the openings which had been cut on the line of the streets and stop the flood of this embankment. But the waters poured in so rapidly and came with such a strong current that this attempt was reluctantly but necessa- rily abandoned.

A lady resident, still of the city of Cairo, who was here at the time, gave the writer a most graphie description of the scenes imme- diately following the break in the levee. Gen- erally the women and children only were at the houses-the men at their business, many trying to move their goods and perishable arti- cles to safe places in upper stories, where they could get these, and yet many others were out upon the levees trying in vain to stop the waters. It was after 6 o'clock when a man came galloping down the main street, horse and rider covered with mud and calling out at the top of his voice, " The levee is broken- flee for your lives !" In a few minutes the waters were seen stealing along the sewers and low places in the streets, winding about the houses and the people like an anaconda. The

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poor women and children were generally wring- ing their hands and crying in utter helplessness. She says she saw one poor woman with a piece of stove-pipe under one arm and a cheap look- ing-glass under the other, on her way to the Ohio Levee, followed by a brood of five or six children, and all weeping in the greatest dis- tress. Confusion was turned loose. and while all were in the greatest fear and apprehension, yet it was those whose houses were low, one- storied concerns and in low places, that death to them and their little dependent ones seemed staring them in the face. Generally those who were in houses of two stories concluded to stay at home and were busy moving everything into the second story.

Soon through the streets in great force came the muddy waters, carrying upon its bosom logs, fences, trees and lumber, and presenting a scene that oppressed the stoutest heart ; and night settled upon the sad scene, and in the darkness and soon in the water itself, were families mak- ing their way to the Ohio Levee. By daylight Sunday morning, there was no dry land to be seen inside the levees, and by noon of that day the waters inside were of the height of the rivers. As far as the eye could see the spec- tator behold naught but a sea of turbid water and a scene of confusion and ruin.

Some of the one-story buildings in the low grounds of the town presented only their roofs above the water ; a few light and frail ones had left their foundations, and yet a few others had careened, while every building of this character had been abandoned at an early hour by their occupants.

In every quarter of the city skiffs, canoes and floats of every kind plied industriously from house to house and were engaged in re- moving women and children, furniture, goods, etc., to the Ohio Levee. The plank walks were sawed into convenient sections and used as floats, and every imaginable species of craft were improvised for the occasion.

Altogether about 500 persons were driven from their homes, and the little strip of the Ohio Levee, the only dry spot for miles around, was crowded with men, women and children, dogs, cattle, plunder, wagons, cars, etc., from one end to the other. Every nook and corner of the warehouses were crowded to excess with the houseless and their plunder, and the cars on the railroad track were all similarly occupied. Many made their way in rafts and skiffs and also left on steamboats for the highlands, and many of these stood aloof from " health and fortune " by making their absence permanent.

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History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part 7

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 948

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 948