USA > Illinois > Grundy County > History of Grundy County, Illinois > Part 25
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Amount in the treasury $1,357.72; again was Mayor Scovill re-elected at the April election, 1876; E. T. Hopkins, marshal; T.
Mernan, treasurer; Geo. M. Jones, collector; Thomas Reynolds, assessor, and Geo. Tay- lor, street commissioner, with R. L. Scho- field, C. J. I. Murray, Henry Fey, Thomas Owen and Win. Rolley, aldermen; Mr. Prindle was re-elected clerk; Armstrong, attorney; E. Ridgeway, chief engineer of the fire department, with II. A. Cleveland and L. Irons as his assistants. Mr. Prindle pre- pared and submitted a full and detailed state- ment of the fiscal year, showing receipt for the year $17,879.86, with amount in treas- ury at close of previous year, $1,357.72, total, $19,237.58; paid ont on orders, $17,865.02; leaving on hand, $1,372.56. The saloon licenses amounted to $2,117; other licenses, $471.10. The expense of the fire depart- ment this year was $2,496.30, and for street repairs, $640.47. The city assets are given as $23,181.52, and liabilities at $19,107.09; being for city bonds, $19,000; orders out- standing, $107.09. At the next election, April, 1877, Dr. John Antis was elected mayor; Timothy Rodd, marshal; Win. Jones, treasurer; and Fred Johnson, street commissioner; with Wm. Humble, James McHoran, Dr. A. E. Palmer, O. J. Nelson, J.McCambridge and Wm. Mason,aldermen.
The fiscal report shows receipts, $18,- 198.20; with amount from former treasurer, $1,372.56; total, $19,570.82. Disburse- ments, $18,659.27, leaving a balance in treas- nry of $911.56. Total assets, $24.503.48; liabilities, $16,183.97; outstanding city bonds, $16,000. This was a discordant council. L. Irons was appointed and confirmed as chief engineer, with II. S. Reading and James W. Willard, assistants. His Honor the mayor's appointments of clerk and attorney were not concurred in, whereupon he issued a manifesto to the
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
council, whereupon the council adjourned without action. Geo. W. Lane was finally confirmed as clerk, and C. Grant as attor- ney, when matters moved along smoothly. At the November meeting a petition signed by 99 legal voters of Morris was presented to the council, praying that an election be ealled to vote for or against abandoning the special charter and organizing under Chapter 24 of the Statute entitled "Cities, Villages and Towns." The petition was granted, and an election held for that pur- pose on the 18th day of December, 1877. The vote resulted in favor of the reorgan- ization under the general law by sixty ma- jority in a light vote cast. Minority rep- resentation in the council was defeated by a larger majority.
At a special meeting of the conncil Jan'y 21, 1878, Aldermen Rolley, Humble and Fey, a committee to divide the city into wards as required by law. This committee reported to the council at their next regu- lar meeting Feb'y 11, 1878, dividing the city into four instead of five wards, when an ordinance was passed entitled "An or- dinance dividing the eity into wards," as follows: "All that part of the said eity which lies south of the south line of Main street and east of Nettle Creek shall con- stitute the First Ward.
" All that part of the said city which lies west of Liberty street, south of the Chi- eago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad, and included in the First Ward, shall constitute the Second Ward.
" All that part of the said city which lies east of Liberty street, and between the south line of Main street and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad, shall constitute the Third Ward.
" All that part of the said eity which lies north of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pa- eific railroad shall constitute the Fourth Ward."
At the regular March meeting of the council, an ordinance was passed making the marshal and superintendent of streets (as called in the statute) elective by the people annually, on the third Tuesday of April, being the time filed under the statute for city elections. By the reorgan- ization Mayor Antis held over another year while an entirely new council had to be elected. At this election, April, 1878, N. MeBride was elected police magistrate; Fred Johnson, superintendent of streets; E. T. Hopkins, marshal; and Geo. M. Jones, Francis Hall, Wm. Mason, L. W. Claypool, O. J. Nelson, IIenry Fey, T. Owen and J. O. Levitte were elected aldermen. The fiscal report of the preceding year shows receipts including amount from for- mer treasurer, $12,839.32, disbursements, $11,897.85, leaving balance in treasury $941.47. During this year there was a general revision of the ordinances mnade, so as to conform more nearly to the provis- ions of the statute.
At an adjourned meeting of the council April 21, 1879, au ordinance was passed fixing the salary of the mayor at $100 per year payable quarterly and allowing alder- men $2.50 for each meeting actually at- tended by them.
At the election April 15, 1879, John Barr was elected mayor; Geo. W. Lane, clerk; Wm. Jones, treasurer; Thomas Mur- ray, marshal; Fred Johnson, superintendent of streets; A. L. Doud, attorney, and A. E. Palmer, Wm. Mason, O. J. Nelson and Charles Canalian, aldermen. Ata meeting
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
of the council April 30, 1879, Mayor Antis read a veto of the ordinance allowing the mayor and aldermen compensation for their official services. Thereupon the vote by which said ordinance was passed at the last meeting was reconsidered, and the or- dinance again put upon its passage not- withstanding the mayor's objections. But it failed to pass, ayes 5, noes 3. Not a two- thirds vote, as required to pass an ordinance over the mayor's veto.
The receipts for the year were $13,459.15, disbursements 811,604.07, leaving $1,855.08 in the treasury. The expense of the police were unusually heavy, being 8686.25. Gco. W. Lane was re-appointed elerk, and Henry S. Reading chief of the fire department, with H. L. Miller and Wm. Gibhard assist- ants. This city council was a " go-as-you- please one." It was harmonious, though by no means orderly or dignified. At the next election Fred Johnson was re-elected superintendent of streets, Thomas Murray marshal, and Geo. M. Jones, Wm. Stephens, Henry Fey and R. M. Wing, aldermen,
the mayor holding over (under the law the mayor is clected for two years). The mayor re-appointed Mr. Lane clerk, H. S., Reading chief, and H. L. Miller and Wm. Gibhard assistants of the fire department. The receipts of the year were $9.993 59, of which spirit licenses furnished $2,258.70; billiard tables $150.00. The expenditures were $8,S80.16. Of this the police depart- ment cost $1,127.20. An amount which is startlingly large, and makes a bad showing for the peace and order of our really quiet and orderly eity.
This brings us down to the election of our present mayor, Hon. John S. R. Sco- vill in April, 1881, who is now on his ninth year's service in that capacity. We close this branch of our history with an apology for its length. Indeed, we bit off a larger slice than we intended, when we started on this subject. It was rather more than we could chew. Quite too much to be easily digested or profitably swallowed. Mr. Prindle is again the elerk, and is one of the best the city ever had.
CHAPTER VIII .*
MORRIS TOWNSHIP-ITS ORGANIZATION, BOUNDARIES AND CHANGES-THE NEW COURT HOUSE-SCHOOLS OF MORRIS-EARLY TEACHERS-THE BOARD OF EDUCATION.
TURN we now from the noise, bustle and confusion, of the city to the country. The question of adopting township organi- zation having been submitted to a vote of the people and carried by a large majority, the county court at its December term, 1849, appointed George H. Kiersted, Philip Collins and Robert Gibson, commissioners, to divide the county into towns or town- ships. This committee submitted their report in writing to said county court at its March meeting, 1850, which report was approved by said county court, March 4, 1850. Under and by virtue of this report, and its approval, the township or town of Morris embraced the following territory: "The whole of the north fraction of Con- gressional Township No. thirty-three (33) north, of Range No. seven (7) east, to- gether with that portion of Section No. six (6) in Township No. thirty-three (33) north, Range eight east, lying north of the Illinois River; also the island in said river, with the exception of that portion of Waupecan Island lying on the south half of Section No. seven (7) in Township No. thirty-three (33) northı, Range No. seven (7) east, eta. to constitute one division to be known by the name of Morris." The territory embraced in the township of Morris, as established by the commissioners, contained about
4,000 acres of land as follows: All that por- tion of Sec. 6, T. 33, R. 8, lying north of the Illinois River; also so much of Sections 1, 2, 7, 8, 9 and 10, as lie north of said river, with Sections 3, 4, 5 and 6 entire. But since then Morris has been badly shorn of her territory by taking from the Sections 5, 6, 7, and 8, and attaching or adding them to the town of Erienna, leaving Morris but a small town in point of territory. The fraction on Section 6, T. 33, R. 8, and the north fractions of Sections 1 and 2, and a part of the east half of Section three, compose, with the lands embraced in the city, our entire ter- ritory as a township. The town of Morris was fully organized by the election of town officers, on the first Tuesday in April, 1850. At this election P. A. Armstrong was elected supervisor; E. W. Hulburd, town clerk; Thomas Reynolds, assessor, etc. The first board of supervisors of the county convened at the old court house in Morris, June 12, 1850, and organized by the election of Philip Collins, chairman. At this meeting of the county board, George H. Kiersted and Robert Gibson were each paid $11.00, and Philip Collins $1.25, for their services as commissioners in dividing the county into towns. Why the services of Messrs. Kiersted and Gibson were worth so much more than those of Mr. Collins the record fails to disclose.
*By Hon. P. A. Armstrong.
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
This was a very economical board. At their November meeting they appointed a committee consisting of P. A. Armstrong, Geo. II. Kiersted and L. W. Claypool " to count the assessment rolls and carry out in appropriate columns the several amounts of taxes in dollars and cents, and also to prepare the collector's warrants for the dif- ferent towns of this county," fixing the compensation at one dollar and a half per day. Thus the board took from the county elerk, Mr. E. W. Hulburd, about the only paying work of his office. The books used by this committee for collector's books are a curiosity. They are small sized account books costing about twenty-five cents each, and are laid away among the archives as a witness to the over zealous disposition mani- fested by this first county board to be very economical. They never repeated the ex- periment. This board also attempted to make each town maintain its own paupers, and passed a resolution to that effect; but as it was diametrically opposed to the stat- nte, the resolution was " more honored in the breach than in the observance." At the November meeting, 1850, Mr. Armstrong presented a petition of Jacob and L. W. Claypool for a license to establish a ferry across the Illinois river at Morris, accom- panied with a resolution granting the same for a period of five years, upon condition that they execute a bond in $500, to keep the same in accordance with the statute, and pay into the county treasury ten dol- lars per year as tax, establishing the rates of toll at fifteen eents per team over and baek the same day, and ten cents for eross- ing one way. For man and horse over alone on the flat boat, ten cents, all owing double ferriage after 8 r. M., ete., which was,
after various attempts were made to raise the amount of tax payable to the county, adopted, without amendment, by a vote of six to three.
Fearing that the county officers might be extravagant in the purchase of stationery, on motion of Supervisor Jacob Claypool, Mr. Armstrong was appointed "special agent to purchase and provide stationery for those officers entitled to the same, and that the board would audit no bills for sta- tionery presented by any other person." Mr. Jacob Claypool, a member of the first County Board in 1841, and the first Board of Supervisors in 1850, has been d'ad sev- eral years, but his grandson, Henry C. Claypool, now wears the toga and repre- sents the town of Wauponsee so long rep- resented by his grandfather in the Board of Supervisors. What, between Jacob Claypool, L. W., his son, John and Henry, his grandsons, Wauponsee has been repre- sented in the County Board by a Claypool, the greater portion of time, for thirty-two years past. At the fall election, 1853, P. A. Armstrong was elected county elerk, and as in his judgment the old court honse had no suitable place to keep the books and papers of the office, or afford comfortable quarters, he rented the north room on the second story of a frame building standing where the Claypool block now stands, and then known as Goold's bank building, and moved the office to that room. This was a severe shock to the nerves of the economieal Solons of the County Board. There was a special meeting of the board April 17, 1854. They met at the old conrt honse instead of the county elerk's office. The clerk alone had the right to organize them. After some parleying the mountain
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
went to Mahomet, and held their meeting, as the motion was "to Mr. Armstrong's office." When the rent for the use of the office fell due, they paid it, however. At the September meeting that fall, Mr. E. Walker, supervisor of the town of Morris, offered a resolution declaring in favor of building a new court house. On the pas- sage of which, the ayes and nays were ealled, and it was adopted, ayes, 9, nays, 2. Messrs. Augustine, Walker and Renne, were appointed a committee to prepare plans, ete., who reported in favor of building a court house forty by seventy feet, at a cost not exceeding $8,000. On inotion of Supervisor Justice Renne, " the clerk of the board was appointed to pro- eure from some good architeet a plan and specifieations of a building for a court house, of nearly the dimensions of the one pro- posed by the building committee, to be presented for action at the next meeting of the board." But the elerk enlarged the plan or size of building to fifty-tour by eighty-four, and obtained from J. M. Van Osdell, of Chicago, the plan of the present court house, which was adopted by the board, April 17, 1855, and a loan of $5,000 was ordered to raise funds to help build the same. The building committee, having advertised to let the contract to build such a building of brick, found the lowest bid was over $18,000.00, and therefore was afraid to let the contract.
A special meeting of the board was called June 15, 1855, when Supervisor L. W. Claypool offered a resolution, limiting the amount to $18,000, exelusive of superin- tendence. Supervisor Walker offered an amendment to strike out $18,000 and insert $20,000, which amendment was carried by
ten to four, and the resolution of Mr. Clay- pool, as amended, was adopted by a like vote. The old court honse was ordered to be sold; the log jail had already been sold for $14. Mr. Miles Hills having resigned, as a member of the building committee, Mr. L. W. Claypool was appointed in his place, which committee consisted of Super- visors C. Grant, E. Walker, and L. W. Claypool. This committee awarded a con- tract, to build said court house of brick, to R. J. Cunningham & Co. for $19,360, who built the foundation and commenced on the brick walls. The brick were of an infe- rior quality. The clerk becoming disgusted with the appearance of the work, called a special meeting of the board Oct. 9, 1855 .*
* Mr. L. W. Claypool adds: "After various pre- liminaries, the board decided on building the court house of brick with stone trimmings; and in June, 1-55. the building committee, consisting of C. Grant, Miles Hills and E. Walker, let the contract to Cunningham, Foster and Williams for $19,360 ($20,000 being the limit).
At the September meeting, 1855, Superintendent Grant tendered the resignation of Miles Hills, and L. W. Claypool was elected to fill the vacancy.
At this time the foundations were all built to the top of the water table, and the brick were being de- livered for the main walls. Mr. Claypool at once declared that he would have nothing to do with the building if such brick were to be used, and being ably assisted by County Clerk Armstrong, Superin- tendent Watkins, E. P. Seeley, and particularly Mr. Dubreil. one of the contractors for, and then engaged in building the piers for the Morris bridge, being an expert in stone work, in computing the difference in cost between stone and brick, on a careful estimate, found that the additional cost of stone would not exceed $3,400.
The board was called together by the clerk, with the advice of the building committee, no doubt, to meet Oct. 9, 1855, when Superintendent Claypool offered the following resolution:
Resolved, That the court house building commit- tee be, and they are hereby anthorized, to change the plan of the court house with the contractors thereof, so that said building shall be built of stone on exterior walls, after the manner and of similar stone and dimensions as the Joliet court house; provid- ed, however, that the cost thereof shall not exceed $3 .- 400, the original contract price, and that any order vi
1 M. Frading
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IIISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
The record reads as follows: " Tuesday, October 9, 1855. The Board of Supervisors met at the county elerk's office this day pursuant to a call from the county clerk, for the purpose of considering the propriety and expedieney of using stone entirely in lieu of brick in the construction of the court house." Mr. L. W. Claypool offered a resolution for such change, " provided the cost should not exceed §3,400 over the orig- inal contraet priee and that any order of the board previously passed limiting the cost of the court house to $20,000 be and the same is altered to 823,400, to suit the above pro- posed change, if made by the committee"-
the board heretofore passed, limiting the entire cost of court house to $20,0 11, be, and the samo is altered to $23.400, to snit the above proposed change, it made by the committee; and if not made, the committee are hereby instructed to have the exterior walls of sand court house built of first-class common brick, such as are, or should be used, in constructing build- ings of that dimension and cost, being in accordance with plan and spec firations now on file. And should said commi. tee make such change, the con- tractors are hereby allowed until the 25th of Septem- her (next ) to complete said building." Adopted without division.
At this time no good brick were being made in or near Morris; the contractors would be obliged to ship them quite a distance, at great expense; hence were quite willing to accept the proposition of the committee, to construct ofstone at the cost of $3,400.
Nov. 19. 1855, board met. E. Walker resigned as member of the committee. and F. S. Watkins was elected to fill the vacancy. Nov. 20. Superintendent Walker moved to retire Grant from the building committee, on account of ill health, and nominated Superintendent Ronne in his place; adopted.
April 22, 1:56, Mr. Renne was retired, and L. P. Lott substituted.
The building committee, now consisting of Clay- pool. Watkins and Lott, completed the building, and March 6, 1858, made final settlement with contractors. and accepted the buikling; entire cost, $22,760; and as the contract was missing, it was stipulated in the settlement that if found at any time thereafter. all errors should be corrected, and money over-paid to Ir refunded, the committee believing that the con- tract price was $22,360. The contract was never toun.l. and no money refunded.
Miles Gordon assisted the committee as superin- tendent and his bill was $44.50."
which resolution was adopted by the board, and the building committee succeeded in effecting a change from brick to Joliet stone in the contract withont increasing the cost but three thousand four hundred dollars. Thus, by the action of the county clerk, Mr. L.W. Claypool, and a few other liberai men, did Grundy County obtain a building 54 by 84, instead of 40 by 70, and at a cost of 822,760, instead of not exceeding $8,000 and lastly, a permanent stone building, in- stead of a tun b'e-down soft brick struct- ure-for at that time no good brick had ever been made at or near Morris. We confess that it required a good deal of finessing and skill to work the country So- lons up to the liberal point required to vote for so large an appropriation at that time. An appropriation equal to $100,000, now. It was accomplished, however, and the county has a court house that will serve all the purposes required for half a century. The old court house was in the way of building the new one, hence it had to be taken away, leaving the county with no place to hold courts. The clerks of the eireuit and county courts had taken possession of the two offices of the brick jail, which had been built in the fall and winter of 1854, at a cost of $3,180. The Court House Committee had sold the old court house to Messrs. Foster & Williams (who had the contract for the carpenter work of the new court house) for $255, and they had sold it to II. L. Smith (better known as Husband Smith), who had moved it to his farm, W. 3, S. W. 4, S. 31, T. 34, R. 7, some three miles northwest from Morris, when after re-clothing and paint- ing, it presented quite a respectable ap- pearance as a farm dwelling, and where it
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HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY.
still stands as a painted ghost of former times. The building committee rented thie carpenter shop, now occupied by the Mor- ris Cutlery Company, for the purpose of holding the fall and spring terms of the circuit court, and said court was there held. The first jail of the county was ordered built by the county commissioners at their December meeting, 1845. Jacob Claypool and George H. Kiersted were ap- pointed as a special committee to prepare plans and specifications, and let the contract to build a jail to be located on the south- east corner of the court house square. They were men of genius as well as ability, with a keen sense of the ludicrous. They know that the county board expected a jail to be built which would cost not to exceed $200 when completed. Both had a strong prejudice against building a jail indc- pendent of a court house, or before building a court house. Hence they de- cided to make the thing as ridiculous as they conveniently could, and accord- ingly decided to build a jail of green logs, with the bark on. The size, as we now remember, was 14 by 16. The bottom logs were placed some ten feet be- low the surface, a hole having been first dug and the bottom covered with logs, as nearly straight as possible, so that thicy could be placed closely side by side. Then the log walls were carried up to the surface, when another log floor was laid and then extended up some ten feet above ground. A trap-door (iron lattice work) was placed in or near the center of the upper floor, hung at one side with heavy iron hinges and a heavy staple and clasp on the opposite side, to be fastened by a mammoth pad- lock. The underground compartment was
to form the cells, where the prisoners were to be put at night, and the upper part was for corridors. To put the prisoners in the cell, the jailor, after throwing back the trap- door, would cause the prisoner to let him- self down by suspending himself through the trap hole the length of his arms, and then letting go, alighting on his feet. To get them ont in the morning, the jailor, who was physically very powerful, would reach down, and taking hold of their wrists, pull them up by main strength. True, they had a ladder, which, however, was sel dom nsed. This jail was let to the lowest bidder, and our old friend, Dominic Mc- Grath, was the successful one. His bid was 8202.60, just 82.60 more than the county commissioners felt like investing in the jail business. But as it was so near to it, the committee let the contract, to be paid for in county orders. Mr. McGrath used hickory logs in the construction of the jail, and soon had it completed, but when he applied for his county order, the county board cut him down to $162.60, simply on the ground that the contract price was too high. Rather than go to litigation, "Old Dom." accepted this price and was paid in county orders, worth about 75 cents on the dollar. This jail was sold for $14 in 1855.
As a place to keep prisoners, this jail was a dead failure. Capt. Jeremiah Cottrell, who had been charged with the larceny of almost everything, from a trace chain to a threshing machine, in Cook county, took a change of venue to this county. Com- plaining of rheumatism, Sheriff Armstrong was too humane to put him down in the un- derground cell, where there was no light, save that which came through the grated trap-door, henee he was put in the corridor
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