USA > Illinois > Cass County > Beardstown > History of Beardstown and Cass County > Part 2
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"In November 1845 by the recommendation of the gover- nor of the state, the first day of public Thanksgiving was ob- served-a venerable custom in New England but of recent ob- servance in the West and South. On this occasion, invitations were sent by Mr. Beard to his friends and kindred to come and enjoy his hospitality. He had been wont to celebrate New Years Day with similar festivities. But partly out of respect to executive authority and partly to kindred, who had so re- cently inmigrated he had chosen this day to honor the former and welcome the latter. People came from all about in great numbers, but religious exercises, unlike the old Puritan Thanks-
giving were lacking. Probably not a minister in the county had ever conducted exercises on such an occasion. But it was
a wonderful feast. Turkey, everything that goes to make Tlarksgiving a happy day was to be had in plenty. Eighty
people, young and old sat down to eat together. Mr. Beard at the head of the table had Thanks offered and then bid his friends welcome to the feast. Every one was happy, old friendships were renewed, new ones made. Mr. Beard enter- tained his friends with stories of his early days in Beardstown. He told of his early struggles and his hopes and desires for the future of Beardstown.
Four years later in 1849 Mr. Beard was taken ill with ty- phus fever and died at the age of 55 years. Friends came from all over the county to attend his funeral. The Honor- able Francis Arenz, a life long friend of Mr. Beard's performed the funeral rites. He spoke of the many years of intimacy they had enjoyed as friends how Mr. Beard had always helped the unfortunate; how no new settler had ever applied to him for help and advice in vain; that his character, through an ev-
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entful life was always above reproach; that he never took ad- vantage of any one in a business transaction; that he was a man of good judgment, kindly, friendly, a worthy pioneer and founder of our city of Beardstown.
CHAPTER IV
The Illinois river has always meant so much to the life and industry of Beardstown that our history of Beardstown would not be complete without something written about it. It has already been stated that the Illinois river was first navigated by white men in 1640, twenty years after the settlement of Plymouth Colony.
In 1673 Marquette and Joliet with five followers crossed the Wisconsin in canoes to the Mississippi river. They paddled down that stream and up the Illinois to Lake Michigan, the point of their departure, the entire route being at that time and for one hundred years later navigable for canoes and a larger boat called by the French "pirogue." The route was from Green Bay, and the Wisconsin, Mississippi, Illinois, Kankakee and St. Joseph rivers. There was another navigable connec- tion during the whole of that period between the Illinois and Lake Michigan, by means of the Des Plains and Chicago rivers, which some of our very oldest settlers have traveled in pirogues all the way.
Then later we know how La Salle and his followers traveled up and down the Illinois. Every year more people navigated this river, until in 1750 forty vessels from the Illinois river landed at New Orleans loaded with every kind of commodity. From this time on, for many years the principal part of the pro- duce received at New Orleans was shipped by way of the Illinois river.
When St. Louis was founded that gave a new impetus to commerce on the Illinois river because it was a nearer market. In 1725 occurred the first of the great floods on the Illinois riv- er. 1772, 1780, 1786, 1792 were all years of very high water. In 1844 occured the greatest flood on record in this country or any country since the days of Noah, so one of the early histor- ians tells us. But every river west of the Alleghenies and north of the gulf of Mexico rose at one time and the channel of the Mississippi was unable to pass out the vast amount of water which came into it. Four hundred people and a great number of horses, cattle, and other stock lost their lives.
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Beardstown was again an island with ten feet of water be- tween it and the bluffs.
In the 1840's and 50's the finest river boats in the world floated on the waters of the Illinois. They were really float- ing palaces for travel upon the river and canal exclusively, there being no railroad convenient for first class travel.
During the high water of 1852 and 1856 these steamboats went entirely around Beardstown without any difficutly.
It is interesting to note that while the river was often very high at times it was also extremely low. In 1864 fr September 1 to October 13 with only two feet of water in the channel, navigation was suspended.
But the coming of the railroad changed all this activity on the river and fewer and fewer boats plied up and down until now two or three a week is the average number.
CHAPTER V
Great men visited our town in the early days. Most worthy pioneers lived and died here. But one great man America's greatest citizen and president, Abraham Lincoln made many visits to Beardstown.
He always stopped at a tavern on the corner of State and Second Street, where the Salon Pharmacy now stands. Many of our old residents knew and appreciated Mr. Lincoln, when he came here as early as 1844, an itinerant lawyer, gathering evidence for cases to be tried in the courts at Springfield. He was very friendly with the people who managed the tavern and this story is told of him, one time when he came in too late for dinner.
He wanted to find some way to ask for his dinner without embarrassment. Going around to the kitchen door, and par- tially opening it, he displayed a large white pebble, and asked for an old boiling pot and about a quart of water. The re- quest was granted, but he was asked what he wanted the pot and water for. Again showing his pebble, he said, "I want to make some soup, I am hungry." It is needless to say that he was invited in and served with a good meal.
The bronze tablet on our city hall once the Court House of Cass County was placed there by the Woman's Club of Beards- town in order to commemorate Lincoln's association here and the event which brought him in close touch with our people.
This was May 7, 1858 when Mr. Lincoln cleared Duff Arm- strong of the charge of murder which accorded Lincoln great-
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er fame than he gained in any other case he ever tried.
Here is the story of the trial as was told by "Bud" Arm- strong, a resident of Ashland, Illinois, who was a brother of the man defended by Lincoln and a boy of 18 years at the time of the trial.
Armstrong was the son of a man who had employed and defended Lincoln in his youth, and the charge was that he had killed a man who had unquestionably died from injuries re- ceived at a camp meeting riot where Armstrong was present. This crime was committed in 1857 at Virgin's Grove, three miles from the South of Salt Creek. These camp meetings al- ways commenced in the light of the moon and lasted about a month, and when this crime was committed, the camp meeting had been running about three weeks, so it was done, if done at all, in the dark of the moon. Near the camp meeting were the huskers wagons or whiskey wagons and the men made it a business to get drunk. The camp was in a hickory grove and on this particular night many of the men got to drinking and fighting. Press Metzger came from Petersburg that night, jumped off his horse and talked and laughed with the boys. He and Duff Armstrong were good friends. Armstrong was lying on a bench sobering up a little when Metzger turned over the bench and spit in his face. They then engaged in a fight, but it was only a tussle such as that class of people would in- dulge in, in those days. Another fellow by the name of Jim Henry Norris, also had a fight with this same Metzger that samc night. When Metzger died a few days later from in- juries received at the camp meeting, Armstrong and Norris were arrested for the crime and taken to Havana. The peo- ple and the newspapers were simply furious, and if both men had not been securely lodged in jail, they would probably have been lynched. Armstrong's father was dead, his mother old and poor, and there was no money to engage a lawyer. The boy overwhelmed by the circumstances under which he was placed fell into a melancholy condition bordering upon des- pair, while the widowed mother, looking through her tears saw no hope of earthly aid.
At this juncture, Lincoln hearing of the trouble in some way volunteered for the defense and was gladly accepted. He threw himself heart and soul into the case, and fearing that the poisoned condition of the public mind was such as to pre- vent the possibility of impanelling a fair jury in the court hav- ing jurisdiction, he secured a change of venne and a postpone- ment of the trial. Armstrong was brought to Beardstown and placed in our city jail. James A. Dick was sheriff at that time. The man, Norris, was tried in Havana and sentenced to
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eight years at Alton, because he had killed a man sometime be- fore this last trouble, but Lincoln assured Armstrong that he would be freed. They tried to get bail for him, but that being impossible, he lay in jail all winter until the spring term of court. A fellow by the name of Allen from Petersburg, was chief witness for the state, and whether he was the one who really killed this Metzger (or as some really thought he had fall- en from his horse in a drunken stupor and died from the in- juries received) we do not know.
However, Allen was sworn in as chief witness for the state. The case was finally brought for trial. The Armstrong's had taken this Allen to Virginia and had put him away in the old Virginia House so that he could not testify, but Lincoln insisted on his being brought in- to the court room. Collier, of Petersburg, was state's attor- ney. He gave his testimony and showed, what appeared to the audience, a strong proof of murder. Lincoln cross-examin- ed very little; only looking up and ascertaining a few dates and places. His own witnesses were to show comparatively good
moral character for the prisoner previous to the time of the murder. Collier feeling sure of his case made but a short and formal argument. Then Lincoln followed for the defense. He began calmly, slowly and carefuly. He struck at the very heart of the state's evidence, that of the chief witness, Allen. He followed up first one discrepancy, then another and then another, finally he came to that part of the testimony of the chief witness where he had sworn postively that by the light of the moon he had seen the prisoner deliver the fatal blow with a sling-shot. Then he asked a cousin of Armstrong's, Jake Jones, by name to go out and get him an almanac at the near- cst store. Taking this almanac, Lincoln showed that on the night sworn to and the hour sworn to, the moon had not risen, proving that the whole of this testimony was a perjury. The audience was gradually moved and changed from a feeling of hatred to that of sympathy, and so strong had Lincoln made his case that a verdict of "not guilty" could almost be read in the faces of the jury, but this was not enough for Lincoln. Thoroughly kindled now in his intensely slow but fiery wrath he held up to the view of the audience, the court and the jury, this fellow who had attempted to swear away another's life, in such a horrible picture of guilt and shame that the miserable fellow felt thoroughly confused and dumbfounded and fled from the face of the incensed lawyer out of the court room. Then Lin- coln appealed to the jury to lay aside any personal prejudice and do simple justice. He explained his own motive for being there, that of gratitude to the prisoner's father for kindness bestowed on him in his youth, and he did this in such a touch-
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ing way as to bring tears to the eyes of many. The jury went out and returned within a short time with the verdict of "not guilty." The boy was freed, his life was saved and his character restored, and so ended in triumph a case that few lawyers would lave cared to take, but Lincoln was showing his wonderful kindness to the widowed and fatherless.
CHAPTER VI CASS COUNTY
Cass County was originally a part of Morgan County, but in April of 1837 a vote was taken to divide the county and form a new county to be called Cass, with the county seat at Beards- town until the people should permanently locate the county seat by election.
On the 14th day of August 1837, the county commissioners met and organized Cass County. 6 At the first meeting of the board the new county was divided into six precincts, which were named: Beardstown, Monroe, Virginia, Sugar Grove, Richmond and Bowens.
When this county was organized there was not a house, built exclusively for religious worship, in it and not one in all Morgan County outside of Jacksonville. Physicians were scarce, and fever and ague quite common. Game was plenty. There were wolves and once in a while a panther was seen. The wolves very seldom did violence to any human being; but when the weather was stormy and cold, and the ground frozen, they were so bold and threatening that nobody cared to risk himself out alone at night. It is said that once a man was returning home from town carrying a quarter of beef on his shoulder. A gang of wolves attacked him, took the beef and ate it and it was only because he happened to be near a cabin that he himself was saved from being devoured.
There were a few large grey wolves also, and they were much feared. This is another story told about a grey wolf. One bright cold night, there was a great fuss with the dogs out- side a cabin door here in Beardstown. The man opened the door to see what was happening and his favorite little black dog pounced into the cabin, and the largest grey wolf he had ever seen was after him and tried to get in the cabin. The door was open and there was no time to get a rifle. So he grabbed a stick of fire wood and threw it at the wolf. The wolf was driven away, but in a short time a loud noise was heard over at a neighbors and crack went a rifle and then in a
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short time all was still. It was found the next morning that the wolf had been killed. He was the largest wolf ever seen around here and measured 9 feet, 9 inches from his nose to the end of his tail.
In 1836-37, old settlers tell us about what we call a sudden change in the weather. It was the most remarkable of any we had ever seen, heard or read of. On a Saturday morning there was snow on the ground. The following Sunday was a very warm day, and Monday, until about four o'clock in the afternoon was still warmer, and on both of these days there was considerable rain. The snow had melted to slush and water, which was standing in ponds on the level ground. At that hour the weather turned suddenly very cold. In four hours after the change began the slush and water was frozen solid; and in two hours from that time the men were hurried: crossing the river on ice. A vast amount of cattle, fowls, and game and many persons were frozen to death. One man who was crossing the prairie on horseback, killed his horse, took out the entrails, and crawled inside for protection and was found frozen to death.
Money was very scarce in the early days of Cass County and it was hard for farmers owning good farms to get money to pay their postage. It was not necessary then to prepay post- age. Domestic letters cost from 5 to 25 cents a piece, accord- ing to the distance they had come; and foreign letters were still higher.
What was worse they must all be paid for in silver and it often happened that a letter would lie in the post-office for weeks before its owner could get the silver to redeem it. If the farmers wished to get goods from the store, they were forc- ed to buy on credit, and pay in grain or other produce, or take butter, eggs, poultry, game, honey, wood or other articles, to exchange for skin goods.
Produce continually changed in price, even in store pay. Corn was known to sell at 6 cents often and farmers thought 10 cents in cash was probably all that corn ought to, or ever would bring and that farmers could get rich at that price. Wheat was sold in Beardstown at 35 cents per bushel and pork often at 1 1-4 cents per pound.
Cass County has many fertile lands and has always pro- spered. But the people had to develop this wealth. There were just a few farmers at first and the little town of Beards- town was all. But now it has many cultivated lands and beau- tiful farm houses . Wheat and corn are easily grown. And the sand-ridges scattered along the river bottoms are good to grow melons, sweet potatoes, beans, etc. The towns of the
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county are prosperous. We have the Illinois river for naviga- tion and several railroads.
Cass County is bounded on the north by Mason county, on the east by Menard County and on the south by Morgan and on the west by the Illinois river.
The surface of the county is for the most part gently sloop-
ing. Some pretty big hills, like the Chandlerville hill and then some broad flat prairie lands.
The soil is very productive.
Different kinds of trees, oak, hickory, elm, sugar maple, black and white walnut. Then in the bottom lands willow, soft maple, sycamore, cotton wood, pecan.
There is some coal found in the hills.
The principal towns of the county are Beardstown, the largest and oldest, Virginia, Chandlerville, Ashland, and Ar- enzville and Bluff Springs.
CHAPTER VII EARLY SETTLERS I.
In 1821 the reputation of the "Sangamo County" for wonderful fertility had reached the states of Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. And the fact too, that the Indians had sold it to the United States government and the settlers could have a clear title to it, caused a great migration into this country.
The people travelled in those days in an enormous covered wagon, called a prairie schooner. It made no pretentions to beauty, but was a most substantial wagon. It was construct- ed with four huge wheels, upon which rested a great box and this box was really a room, because there was a frame work over it and that was covered with white canvas. This great wagon with four horses or a team of oxen before it, and the driver in his saddle on the near wheel-horse jerking at a single rein looked, at a distance like a ship on the ocean, and so was called a prairie schooner.
This wagon was often the home for a large family for many months, and it held everything that a family would need, bedding, cooking utensils, provisions, ammunition, tubs and buckets. Upon the sides of the wagon hung the crow-bar, axes, spades, chisels and augurs; and underneath hung the kettles, tar-buckets, water buckets, and baskets. An extra big chain was coiled around the coupling pole under the wagon for use in emergencies which frequently happened.
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II.
One could never think of a journey in one of these wagons as a pleasure trip, but pleasant things happened on these trips too, though sometimes they met great dangers, hardships and had hair breadth escapes. Generally every member of the family would be in robust health, sickness rarely afflicting these early travellers. There were few woods and bridges in those days, and the prairies had to be crossed on Indian trails, the rivers forded where there were no ferries, and the creeks and brooks where the banks were steep were still more diffi- cult to cross. In such case sometimes a bridge was improvised or a tree was felled across it, the limbs removed, the wagons taken all apart and each separate piece and article of freight carried by hand across over the fallen tree, and set up and loaded in the other side. Sometimes one man would do all this alone. But, for convenience these immigrants travelled in companies and in that way could assist each other and thus make the journey much more pleasant, safe and expeditious. These imi- grants generally drove a few head of cattle and horses, also a coop of chickens, so that they would have something to start life with in the new country.
III.
It was very hard for the first settlers to live in this new country. They had to do without all sorts of things we have now, but they managed to get along and have a pretty good time. They did not have friends or people about them as we have now. The brave pioneer who boldly cut away from his old home and friends and turned his face toward the land of the West, after days and weeks, perhaps months of weary travelling over prairies, where there were no roads finally set- tled upon a spot where his future home was to be. At once he began to build his little cabin, then break up a small piece ( ground and plant a little corn. Soon other people come to this same spot and then a little town is formed and it grows into a bigger and bigger place until it is large like Beardstown. But at first some of our grandmothers would not see the face of a white woman for six months, and all the people they saw were Indians.
For food they had game and corn-bread with wild honor and that was their bill-of-fare every day for many years. The women made all the clothing worn both by the men and women. They used an old-fashioned spinning wheel to make their cloth. The men dressed deer skins out of which they made their pants, hunting shirts and moccasins; they made their shoes from leather that they dressed at home, of course this was a pretty
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rough shoe, but they needed good durable shoes in those days to travel about in because they had to walk through brush, briers, swamps and grass.
Everything that was not made at home was called a "store" article, as, "store" shoes, "store" hat, and any one who could afford store clothes was wealthy indeed. If any young man or girl could buy some "store" clothes they were just very much dressed up.
In those early days people got along without nails, glass, sawed lumber or brick for the reason that they could not get them.
Their houses were small, just one story high, built of logs. The cracks between the logs were filled with sticks and cover- ed with clay. The doors were made of boards fastened in place with wooden pegs and hung with wooden hinges. A wooden latch raised by a string fastened the door, the string had one end tied to the latch and the other passed through a small hole above it, and when the door was fastened, one end of the latch string was hanging out. "The latch string out" was an invitation to come in, with the early settler.
Every cabin had a wonderful fire-place because beside warming the cabin, the women did all the cooking in these fire- places. They were big 6-10 feet in width and on cold winter nights they rolled in large logs, warming the entire house-hold. On one side of these old fireplaces always stood a huge kettle, filled with "blue dye" with which the old ladies colored their yarn for weaving. The kettle when not in use was generally covered with an old barrel head or something of the kind and used as a seat. One old man told how he wooed and won his bride seated on a kettle of "blue dye" by the blazing fire of his grandfather's cabin.
On the outside of the cabins one would see a number of raccoon skins and deer skins stretched against the wall to dry and sometimes the skin of a wild cat, wolf or bear. The ends of the logs sticking out, at each corner of the cabin, served as places to hang the various utensils used on the farm, such as hoes, rakes, bridles and harness. The house generally had but one room and two doors but no windows. Usually one door of the house was left open, no matter how cold the weather was to admit light and rarely both doors were closed except when the family was about to retire or rest. So accustomed were people to open doors that they left their doors open long after the introduction of glass into the cabin for windows. It is related that on a very cold day an eastern man who was visit- ing a friend in his log cabin proposed to close the door to make the house warmer. The owner expressed his surprise at the
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request. But did not object to trying it as an experiment. After the door had been shut a few minutes he seemed much pleased with the results and said, "Well I declare I believe it does make a difference." Even beds were more accommodat- ing then than now and would hold many more occupants. There was one usually in two corners in every log cabin and under each of these was a trundel bed which pulled out at night and then there was bedding to spare in most houses and when friends called and stayed all night, which they usually did, a field bed was made that accommodated all. When meal time came a large amount of good wholesome food would be sup- plied considering the few cooking utensils that were used. Ev- en in well-to-do-families the articles for cooking consisted of a Dutch oven, in which first the bread and then the meat was cooked, a coffee pot, and a kettle to cook vegetables when they had any. But this is all past. The old land marks of the
pioneer have long since disappeared. We of today, have for- gotten about the hardships and struggles of our pioneer fore- fathers. Yet, we know that they did conquer this great wild- erness with a bravery and fortitude that is somewhat difficult for us of a newer generation to understand. And we know that they made it possible for us to live in this great and glorious land, and we are grateful to them for their spirit of adventure, for their courage and daring to open up new lands.
"Ye pioneers, it is to you The debt of gratitude is due; Ye builded wiser than ye knew The broad foundation, On which our superstructure stands;
Your strong right arms and willing hands, Your earnest efforts still command Our veneration-"
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 977.3465SCH97H
C001 HISTORY OF BEARDSTOWN AND CASS COUNTY. B
3 0112 025391738
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