USA > Illinois > Hancock County > History of Hancock County, Illinois, together with an outline history of the State, and a digest of State laws > Part 38
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child in her arms added its pitiful wail to the heart-rending scene. Mrs. Sanderson was found to be terribly bruised and mangled on every part of her body except on her bosom and arms, which were protected by the little child. The child was covered with blood, and yet, singularly enough, seems not to have been noticeably hurt. Mrs. Sanderson's right leg was crushed to a jelly between the knee and ankle. There was a deep gash near the small of her back, and one of her hips was literally impaled with splinters. Two rods distant her second little girl was found dead, with a terrible gash across her forehead. Not far off was found the little boy, aged three years, with both legs broken, one of them twice. ' The woman and children were
John Gillhano
WILCOX T.P.
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conveyed carefully to the Basco House and medical assistance sum- moned. Two or three days later Mrs. Sanderson was delivered of a still-born infant that had evidently been crushed to death in the mother's terrible ordeal with the storm.
" About one-quarter of a mile, or a little less, south and five or six rods east of Sanderson's was the two-story frame dwelling owned by Doty and Donaldson, and occupied by Robert Donaldson and wife. On the approach of the tornado Mr. Donaldson ran out into the orchard south of the house, calling to his wife to follow hin. Mrs. D. preferred, however, to take the risks in the house, and tried to close the door. In an instant the house was swept away, carrying her with it. She was shortly afterwards found some rods to the northeast of the house in the midst of a wreck of broken joist, timber, boards and pulverized household furniture. That she was not killed was a miracle. Her only serious injury was a partially fractured ankle.
" It will be remembered that the Sanderson house, some fifty rods or more to the north of Donaldson's, was blown almost directly south, while the Donaldson house was blown to the northeast-a remarkable evidence of the erratic pranks of the wind. Neverthe- less, a large and high pile of stove wood-close to Donaldson's house was apparently not in the least disturbed, although the orchard still south of it was badly torn up. North of the house a small barn and a threshing machine, were torn all to pieces and the remnants scat. tered over the fields.
" North of Donaldson's some distance, the tornado tore through a thick hedge fence, taking it out by the roots for several rods. The adjacent portions of the hedge were withered and killed as if by a flame of fire passing rapidly through it. Further on, Mr. John Elder's barn received a gentle hint that it was not in the right place; and moving it a few feet and turning it around, the tornado passed on to the Huff farm.
" Here was an excellent two-story frame house, and a good barn. Mr. Huff was absent. Mrs. Huff, her three children, and two nieces were in or about the house. Mrs. Huff says her oldest son, a lad of 14, first observed the coming storm and its threatening character, and advised his mother and the children to get into thie cellar, which all did at once except Mrs. Huff, who proceeded quickly to fasten the doors and windows. This done, she ran partly up a stairway on the west side of the house where there was a window. She saw the tornado strike the stable which was two or three rods distant, and lift it whirling in the air. She then ran into the cellar, and in an instant the kitchen and whole upper part of the house was blown away. The family escaped without injury. The wreck at this place was complete.
" Rohrer's house and barn were next assailed. The house, a brick structure, lost one of its gables and was badly wrecked. The barn was demolished. Thence taking a northerly course the tornado struck Judge Skinner's barn, a large structure, which it carried off
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the foundation and completely demolished, killing two horses and a cow, and destroying a wagon and a number of agricultural imple- ments.
"John Huff's house and barn, on the township line, were next attacked and blown to pieces. Mrs. Huff escaped with a painful hurt. A description of the devastation at other points will answer for the scene here. Nothing hardly was left but kindling wood, and that scattered up and down the road and through the adjacent fields.
" The tornado next made its appearance. a short distance north and east of Bentley, greatly damaging the respective premises of Dr. James and Mr. L. Simmons, the particulars of which were given in our last issue.
"At Basco numbers of citizens saw the approach of the tornado from the northwest. From its peculiar appearance most of them supposed it was a large fire. That notion was quickly dispelled as it approached nearer, and when the barn and dwelling of Mr. San- derson were seen to rise and whirl high up in air. The same spectators saw in a moment afterwards the Donaldson house dis- appear as if by magic. The whirlwind looked like a dense cloud of purplish-gray smoke, and seemed to be filled with innumerable objects whirling and tossing in every direction. Flames of fire were observed by many to shoot through the rolling mass of cloud; and those who were momentarily within the influence of the rush of wind, declare that the air was as hot as a furnace. Some aver that the air was strongly impregnated with the odor of burning brimstone! others that it smelled like scorched rags, and, as tending to confirm the impression of extraordinary heat, there were found pieces of shingles and boards that were scorched as if from sudden exposure to powerful heat. The hedge fence referred to elsewhere in this article, seems to have been literally roasted adjacent to the gap torn ont by the storm."
JULY 4, 1873.
The storm of the next day was also very severe all over the county. It occurred about seven and eight in the morning. At Carthage it was very disastrous, utterly ruining one wing of the public school building, and damaging the structure to the amount of 84,000. The roof of the west side of the Carthage College building was blown off, and the structure otherwise greatly dam- aged. Other buildings were blown down, and not less than 100 chimneys blown away.
At Bentley much damage was done, many chimneys demolished, and several roofs blown off.
At Bowen the fine public school edifice was demolished, and much injury done to other property.
At Augusta the steeple of the Presbyterian church was pros- trated, and the roof of the building blown off. The steeple of the
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Christian church was also demolished, and the building moved from its foundation. Lines of freight cars on the railroad track were overturned.
At Plymouth a freight car was started down the road, afterwards followed by an engine and brought back.
At West Point a large frame house owned by Dr. Cheney was blown to pieces, also the grocery store of Funks & Howerton; and other damage done. In this vicinity the residence of Mr. Henry Garner was blown down, and Mrs. Garner and child and sister killed. All over the county, in the south part particularly, much damage was done to orchards, fences and groves.
WINTER OF 1836-7.
From an old settler in the north part of the county we have the following: "The winter of 1836-7 was one of much snow. On Dec. 12 the first snow fell to the depth of about sixteen inches; three days afterward it clouded up again and continued snowing most of the time, night and day, for nearly four days, and when it quit the snow was full three feet deep. The weather moderated, the snow settled and the roads got good, and sleighing was very fine, the snow lying on till the last of February. Spring opened easy and fine."
Numerous other weather phenomena, such as rain, hail and wind storms, thunder and lightning, floods, severe winters, hot summers, etc., etc., have occurred worthy of note, but memory will not serve us as to dates, and the "oldest inhabitant" has failed to report them.
CHAPTER XI.
THE JUDICIARY.
Among the Judiciary of the Circuits to which Hancock has belonged, have been a number of ablemen,-quite as able, perhaps, as have fallen to the lot of other Circuits in the State.
Richard M. Young-Was the first Judge who occupied the Bench (the splint-bottomed chair, we should say) in the county of Hancock, as well as in perhaps a dozen other counties in the north- western part of the State. It was he who first put the wheels of justice in motion where now nearly a million of people reside. For a more extended notice of this distinguished man, see page 216.
James H. Ralston .- This gentleman succeeded Judge Young on the Circuit by Legislative election in 1837, but resigned the ensu- ing August and removed to Texas. He soon, however, returned to Quincy. In 1840 he was elected to the State Senate. In 1846 he joined the army to Mexico as Assistant Quartermaster, by appoint- ment from President Polk. After the war he settled in California, where he died, having been lost in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Peter Lott .- This gentleman was from New Jersey, was elected by the Legislature to succeed Judge Ralston, and held the position till 1841. He resided for a short time at Carthage, but removed to Quincy. After his judgeship he served as Circuit Clerk in Adams county for several years. Later he removed to California, where he was appointed Superintendent of the U. S. Mint at San Francisco. From this position he was removed in 1856 by Presi- dent Buchanan. He had served as Captain in the Mexican war, and it is stated that he died at Tehuantepec, Mexico, where he was holding the position of U. S. Consul.
Judge Lott was a well educated man, had been a class-mate at Princeton with Hon. Samuel L. Sonthard, the eminent New Jersey Senator, and studied law in his office. He is remembered as jovial, witty, companionable and fond of fun, not fond of study, and yet ' a good lawyer.
Stephen A. Douglas .- The career of this eminent man is so well known as to require a mere mention. He was elected Judge in 1841, and held the office till Aug., 1843, when he resigned to take a seat in Congress. Some of his acts while on the Bench here gave great offense to the people of this county during the troublous days of the Mormon period. He found the docket loaded with unfinished cases; but his dispatch and ability were such that he
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soon cleared it. Of Judge Douglas' career as a statesman, in the House of Representatives, in the Senate, as a candidate for the Presidency, it is unnecessary to speak. This is all well known to the reader. Senator Douglas was a man of the people, over whom he possessed an unusual magnetic influence. He became the recognized leader of a great party; and when the great Rebellion came, he at once took strong Union ground, and prepared to stand by the Government as administered by his great compeer. His influence and force of character greatly strengthened the hands of President Lincoln. His death occurred June 3, 1861.
Jesse B. Thomas .- Judge T. was a conspicuous man in the his- tory of Illinois. He was delegate in Congress as early as 1808, while Illinois and Indiana were together as one Territory. From Washington he came home with a commission as Federal Judge for the new Territory of Illinois, which position he held till it was admitted into the Union as a State in 1818. Thomas, with Gov. Ninian Edwards was then elected to the U. S. Senate, the first Senators from the State. It was while in this position that the memorable contest came up in Congress on the admission of Missouri; and Senator Thomas stands in history as the reputed author of the measure known as the Missouri Compromise, though it was taken up and strenuously advocated by Henry Clay. He was again elected to the Senate by the Legislature, which passed the Convention measure for making Illinois a slave State.
This first Judge Thomas removed to and settled in Ohio, and was still living in that State, when his namesake and nephew was on the Bench in this Circuit. Judge T., junior, succeeded Douglas in 1843 and resigned in 1845. His death occurred not long after- ward while Judge in another Circuit.
Norman H. Purple-Occupied the Bench on this Circuit from 1845 for about four years, when he resigned for the alleged reason that the salary was insufficient. He was a resident of Peoria. Judge P. was regarded as a man of high legal abilities and good executive talents.
William A. Minshall-Resided at Rushville, and was elected to the Circuit in 1849, and held the position till his death, which took place Oct., 1851. He was an emigrant from Tennessee in an early day; attained to distinction and a good practice as a lawyer, and had been a member of the Legislative, and also of the Con- stitutional Convention in 1848.
Onias C. Skinner .- This gentleman resided a number of years in this county, coming among us a little previous to the close of the Mormon war. He settled first, we believe, in Nauvoo, and after- ward resided at Carthage, where he became well known and built up a good reputation and practice. He took his seat on the Bench in 1851, occupying it till May, 1854, when he resigned and was transferred to the State Supreme Court. How long he held this position we are not advised. His death occurred at Quincy not many years ago.
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Pinckney H. Walker-Succeeded Judge Skinner as Judge in this Circuit, and afterward succeeded him on the Supreme Bench. He was a Kentuckian-emigrated in his youth to McDonough county. His present residence is Rushville.
Joseph Sibley-Held the position of Judge in this Circuit for a longer period than any other-in all over twenty years. He was an attorney at law for several years in the county previous to his election, and resided here several years afterward. He resides at present in Quincy.
Chauncey L. Higbee-Is a resident of Pittsfield, in Pike county, where he has been many years in the practice of law. He will be remembered by the old citizens of the county as one of the mem- bers of the Mormon fraternity of Nauvoo, and owners of the Expos- itor newspaper, which was destroyed in the street of that city in 1844.
S. P. Shope-Of Fulton county, and
John H. Williams-Of Adams, with Judge Higbee, are the present Judges of the Sixth Judicial District of Illinois.
CHAPTER XII.
THE HANCOCK BAR.
Among the members of the Bar of Hancock county may be ·counted a number who have acquired a wide and even national reputation. Not all of them have made the county their homes; but many, while residing in adjacent counties, have practiced more or less in our Courts, and are therefore justly entitled to notice in these pages. Probably most conspicuous among them have been those from the older counties of Adams and Schuyler. Indeed, in the earlier days of our legal history, the Rushville and Quincy Bars supplied the only legal talent we had, we believe, with one excep- tion, Robert R. Williams. If we mistake not, the county was without another attorney until 1834 or '35, when Mr. Little located at Carthage.
In 1836, when the writer of this first knew the county, there were three attorneys at the county-seat, viz: Sidney H. Little, James W. Woods, and John T. Richardson; and about that time Messrs. Calvin A. Warren and Isaac N. Morris were locating at Warsaw. We begin, then, with those who are gone from among us:
Robert R. Williams-A native of Kentucky, and brother to Wesley Williams, the first County Clerk, and to Hon. Archibald Williams, of Quincy. But little is known of Mr. Williams; he died at an early day, and consequently his acquaintance with the people was limited. He settled in the county about the date of organization.
Sidney H. Little-Was a Tennesseean by birth. But little is known of his early life. He came to Carthage about 1834 or '35, and began the practice of law, and soon took rank among the able young attorneys who frequented this Bar from abroad. Mr. L. was a man of decided talent, a good speaker, a clear reasoner and affable and urbane in his intercourse with the people. In a word, he was popular, and in the election of 1838 was chosen by the Whigs and elected to the State Senate. In this body he took a leading position as an active working member. With Secretary Douglas, he took a leading part in obtaining for the Mormons their celebrated char- ters in the Legislature-charters which, gotten up in haste and without due consideration, contained powers and conferred privi- leges the application and use of which could never have been antici- pated by him. Mr. Little's tragic death, by being thrown from his buggy by a runaway horse, occurred on the 10th of July, 1841.
James W. Woods .- This gentleman remained in the county only a year or so-long enough to acquire citizenship and run for
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the Legislature in 1836, and, although so confident of election as to bet freely on it, came out hindmost of four candidates, with a score of 1S votes! This result disgusted him with the county and he left it for Iowa Territory, where in time he became a lawyer of some prominence.
John T. Richardson-Only remained one summer in the county -that of 1836-when he went further west. He was a genial, good sort of a fellow, with no special talent for the law. Of his nativity or after career, we know nothing.
Isaac Newton Morris-This gentleman's death was recent-at Quincy, October 29, 1879. The press notices thereof furnish the following: "He was the son of Hon. Thomas Morris, of Ohio, long a Free-Soil Senator in Congress; was born in Clermont Co., O., Jan. 22. 1812, came to Illinois in 1835 and settled in Warsaw in 1836. A few years afterward, having married a Miss Robbins, of Quincy, he removed to that city, where he continued to reside till his death, engaged chiefly in the practice of the law. Mr. M. was a strong Democrat in politics, was twice elected to Congress in this district, in 1856 and in 1858. and always made an industrious and active member." He held other offices of honor and trust, both under State and national authority. The Carthage Gazette says of him: " Col. Morris was a man of strong character. He possessed fine natural ability, was a good speaker, was full of vim, a warm friend, and a bitter, unrelenting enemy."
Louis Masquerier-We had almost forgotten the learned, the eccentric, communistic Masquerier. French in his origin, he had imbibed the theories of the French philosophy, and came West to disseminate them, and practice law. In this last he met with indifferent success; in the other. had he lived on another planet where human nature was not in the ascendant (if there be such an one) he might have succeeded better. He was a theorist only; had no practical ability with which to buffet the world's selfishness. He had resided in Quincy; in 1836 he was in Carthage, but soon went back to New York.
Thomas Ford -- Of Gov. Ford we have so much to say in other chapters that little must suffice here. He was a Prosecuting Attorney for the Circuit in the early years of the county. As such there are few who remember him. He attended Court here only a few times, often enough, as he states in his History of Illinois, to conclude that the people here were a "hard set." Mr. Asbury, of Quincy, speaks of him thus kindly: " All agree that Tom Ford was a bright, conscientious and just man. In 1833, when the cholera was raging in Quincy, he was here and stood his ground and helped the sick, like a man."
Wm. A. Richardson .- Why he was always called "Dick " Rich- ardson we never knew. He resided at Rushville, and had consid- erable practice in this county. Like his friend Douglas, Col. Richardson was best known as a politician. He was at one time Prosecuting Attorney for this Circuit. He was not distinguished as
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a mere lawyer, though his sturdy, hard sense and experience, rather than study, made him successful. As an officer in the Mexican war he was brave and acquired distinction. After his return home it was that he became famous, not only in his district but in the House of Representatives and the Senate at Washington, as a poli- tician. He was born in Kentucky, and died in Quincy on Dec. 27, 1875.
Archibald Williams .- This " Nestor of the Bar " in the Military Tract was a Kentuckian, and settled in Quincy as early as 1825 or '26, where he continued to reside and practice his profession many years, acquiring a very high reputation. He had not an extensive practice in this county, but was often called to take part in cases of great magnitude; and his management was always such as to gain him a wider and more enduring fame. He was not an orator, in the common acceptation of the term; but his direct, plain and earnest reasoning always made an impression on a court or jury. He talked to convince; never aimed at rhetoric, or descended to vul- garity or abuse. He served for a short period as U. S. Attorney for the District of Illinois, and was appointed by his friend Presi- dent Lincoln, Judge of the U. S. District Court in Kansas. He died Sept. 21, 1863 (we believe in Kansas), and his remains sleep in Woodland cemetery, in the city he had so long made his home, and where he had established an enduring fame.
Charles Gilman .- Mr. Gilman was better known as a law- reporter than as a lawyer, had a good education, fine literary taste and acquirements, and industrious habits. His reports have become standard publications. His practice was limited in this county, but as a partner with Mr. Sharp, for a period, he became somewhat known to our citizens. He was from Maine, resided, and died in Quincy, of cholera, about the year 1848.
Edward D. Baker-A resident of Springfield and a compatriot with Murray McConnell, John C. Calhoun, the Edwardses, Abraham Lincoln and others, and possessed finally of a national fame, " Ned Baker," may be classed as belonging to our Bar. His appearance at our Courts was not frequent; yet when he did appear, the occa- sion was sure to be an important one. Mr. Baker may justly be ranked as among the finest orators the country has produced. His speeches made in the Carthage court-house have been among the ablest and most impressive ever made there. He possessed all the natural gifts of an orator, an easy flow of language, a good imagi- nation, an attractive and graceful manner and an earnest honesty of purpose. He went in command of a regiment to the Mexican war, and achieved distinction at Cerro Gordo, removed thence to the Pacific coast, where he became a U. S. Senator from Oregon. In the Sen- ate he stood high as a statesman and an orator. He resigned to take a position in the Union army, and laid down his life for his adopted country at Ball's Bluff. Gen. Baker was by birth an Eng- lishman, and was raised in Adams county, Illinois.
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
Nehemiah Bushnell .- Of the many attorneys who have practiced at the Hancock Bar, no one has gone to the Bar beyond, leaving a brighter fame and a purer reputation, perhaps, than Nehemiah Bushnell. To Mr. Henry Asbury's " Sketches of Bench and Bar," reference to which has been heretofore made, are we indebted for a portion of what follows, in regard to Mr. Bushnell. He came to Quincy in 1887, and entered into a law partnership with Mr. Browning, which was only terminated by the death of the former. He was a New Englander, a graduate of Yale College and a highly educated and finished gentleman. Mr. B. was fond of books. . was one of the best read men in the State and had accumulated a most valuable library. "Perhaps Illinois never held a more modest and unassuming really great man than Bushnell; and per- haps few, if any, really intellectually stronger men than he." Mr. B. was a very pleasant speaker, though not what the world calls an orator. His manner was graceful, dignified and earnest. " It has been alleged that he was too exhaustive and diffuse in' argument, and in the production of his authorities." This is true, and it was nearly the only fault that could be found with the matter or manner of his addresses to Court or jury. " Perhaps no two lawyers ever lived better suited as law partners than Browning and Bushnell;" and we state but a well-known fact when we add that, perhaps, no partner was ever remembered with a kindlier feeling. Mr. Bush- nell was an active worker in behalf of the Quincy & Galesburg railroad, the city of Bushnell, on said road, being named in his honor.
Cyrus Walker .- For ability as a lawyer, and for persistence and force in the prosecution of a case, there were no superiors at the Hancock Bar to Cyrus Walker. He had been a successful practi- tioner in Kentucky, and was a man of middle age when he settled at Macomb. He had a good deal of practice in the " hard " cases, not only in this, but in other counties in the Circuit and out of it. "He was very strong in criminal cases, both on the side of the people, and in the defense. When Cyrus Walker was thoroughly aroused, and in dead earnest, with a determination to win the verdict from the jury, he was as terrible as an army with banners."
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