USA > Illinois > Knox County > History of Knox county, Illinois > Part 18
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he feared trouble ahead. Mr. Cross reassured him that his courage did not waver, as he had a good team, and could give anyone with mischievous intent a lively chase, but added suggestively-" If you feel there is danger of not getting through with a whole skin; per- haps you had better lie down in the bottom of the wagon-box, and I will throw this buffalo robe over you, so that you will be entirely un- observed, and I will in the meantime keep a sharp look-out for foes." The courageous (?) official at once profited by the prisoner's hint and deposited his heroic form in the bottom of the wagon, assuming the shape of a flounder as nearly as possible, when the robe was thrown over him, completely obscuring him from view. The road over which they had to travel for the next two miles was of that antique con- struction known as "corduroy." Mr. Cross at once began to apply the whip, and anon loudly saluted imaginary equestrians with a "Good morning!" "How do you do?" "Fine morning!" etc., etc., not failing in the intervals to tell the poor, quivering official, who was writhing under the double torture of fear and a free dose of " corduroy," to lie flat and keep quiet, at the same time urging for- ward the horses to a still more lively speed. When Rev. Cross, who was evidently a practical joker, had punished the deputy to his satis- faction, he halted and informed his tortured passenger that he thought the danger now passed, and they could proceed more leisurely without fear of interruption. They drove on to Galesburg, and Mr. Cross at once notified the court that he had brought the prisoner, and deliv- ered himself up.
The prisoner expected to have George W. Collins as attorney, but he did not come. Persons were ready to bail him. Mr. Cross under- took his own defense, saying "his attorney had failed to appear; and although 'tis said that ' he who undertakes to defend his own cause has a fool for a client,' he was forced to that resort," and signified his readiness to proceed to trial. This was an unexpected attack upon the State's attorney, and he was compelled to enter the plea that he was not ready for trial, for want of witnesses. The defense entered a nolle prosequi, which ended the case, somewhat ingloriously to the participants on the part of the prosecution.
REV. JOHN CROSS AGAIN.
The following was written by Jacob Kightlinger, an old settler of Knox county, who now resides at Yates City. It has reference to the reverend gentleman of the previous story, and is tlie "other side" of Underground Railroad life. It shows Mr. Cross to have been a persistent worker and an active member of this humane railroad, the best ever conducted on the continent.
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. About the year 1839 or 1840, Rev. Mr. John Cross came into the township of Elba, Knox county. He was a Presbyterian preacher, and an abolitionist at that. He told me to come and hear him preach, and the next Sunday I took my wife and family, and went, and he preached a very good sermon. I'llad no objections to his preaching. After the services we started for home. We got into the wagon, and seeing that Mr. Cross was afoot, I said, " Mr. Cross, you can ride in my wagon if you choose." So he got in, and we started. Very soon he commenced running down the laws of Illinois, saying they were black, and he would not obey them. He said he would harbor, feed, and convey off negroes in defiance of the black laws of Illinois. I then said, " Mr. Cross, do not let me see you violate the law." " Why, sir, what would you do?" " I would take you up for violat- ing the law." "That, sir, is just what I want to find. Some one that has the fortitude to take me up."
So that week a load of negroes passed my house, and was conveyed to Mr. Cross' house by a man named Wilson. I, with five or six neighbors, went after Wilson, and we met him coming back empty. I asked him where his negroes were. He would not tell; so we went to Mr. Cross' house, and found the negroes in a lot of corn. We took the negroes to Mr. Palmer, the constable, and told him to give them a good dinner, and I said I would pay for it. Mrs. Cross had dinner cooking for them. It was corn in the ear and potatoes with the skins on, all boiling togetlier in one pot. I said they should have a better dinner than that, for I fed my hogs in that way, on that kind of feed.
Mr. Cross had gone down South after some negroes that day, and he was afraid that I would take the negroes from him; so he sent a spy to my house-a Mr. Thomas, of Farmington .. He came to my house about midnight, and wanted to know the way to Spoon river bridge, about five miles off. Said I, " You appear to be in a hurry." " Yes," said he. "Well, sir, what is your business?" He said he did not tell his business to every person. "Well, sir, you will tell it to me, or you shall not leave here to-night," and I picked up my rifle. I saw he got some scared, and then he was ready to tell me his busi- ness. He said he was in search of some negroes. I said, " Have you lost some negroes?" "Yes." "Can you describe them?" "Yes." " Well, go at it." He commenced, and described them perfectly. Said I, " Do you own those negroes?" He said he had an interest in them, so I took him to be the owner of said negroes. I said, " I will put your horse up, and in the morning I will tell you where your negroes are." I set my rifle up and walked out, and I heard a wagon down at the bridge. Said I, "Do you know what wagon that is?"
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He said it was the Rev. Mr. Cross. "Ho, ho! you are a spy and an infernal scoundrel!" cried I. He jumped on his horse, and went to Mr. Cross, and told him that I would take his new load of negroes from lim. So Mr. Cross put the negroes in Wilson's wagon, and he drove up empty. Another man and I were mounted on horses at my gate, when Mr. Cross drove up. I called three times, "Is that you, Mr. Cross?" But instead of answering, he put whip to his horses, and they ran, and I after them about a mile and a half. I called to a man that lived there, named Mclaughlin, to stop Cross. I said, " Shoot the horses if he won't stop, for he has stolen something," but he did not shoot. There was another man further on, however, who with a pole struck down both horses.
The next day Mr. Cross went to Galesburg and swore out a warrant against me, and I went to Galesburg before an abolition squire, and he fined me $100. I then took an appeal to the Circuit Court. When all the evidence was given in, the judge (Douglas) threw it out of court-no cause for action. I then went into the grand jury room, sent for witnesses, and Cross was indicted, and three bills found against him for stealing negroes. He was put in jail. Afterwards the abolitionists of Galesburg bailed him out. This is all true.
YATES CITY.
JACOB KIGHTLINGER.
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
CHAPTER IX.
RAILROADS.
The difficulty of reaching market in early day, and the long time it required for the pioneers to "get out of the wilderness " into that re- gion of civilization where railroads and a thousand. other public con- veniences were omnipresent, need not be illustrated here, as it is sufli- ciently dwelt upon elsewhere in this volume. The simple fact that the early settlers of Knox county belonged to the Anglo-Saxon race fully accounts for their rising up betimes, equally with the civilized people of the East or elsewhere. Accordingly they were among the first in the State to make efforts for the construction of a road toward that region of the world whence they emigrated. While "paper " railroads were spread all over the rest of the State, leaving Knox county, the "garden of the West," out in the cold, the people here began to act as if they depended upon themselves, and thus they really got ahead of most of her sister counties, which depended more or less upon the promised aid of the "paper schemes." Here was a grand illustration of the moral in the fable of the " Farmer and the Lark," in our school readers.
The Legislature in 1836 and '37 enacted a system of internal im- provement without a parallel in the grandeur of its conception. They ordered the construction of 1,300 miles of railroad, crossing the State in all directions. There were a few counties not touched by rail- road, river or canal, and those were comforted and compensated by the free distribution of $200,000 among them. Knox county was among the favored few who received the money instead of the " paper" railroad. William McMurtry was in the Legislature at the time and preferred the former to the railroad.
To carry these stupendous improvements into effect, it was ordered that work should be commenced on both ends of each of the railroads and rivers, and at each river crossing, all at the same time.
The appropriations for these vast improvements were over $12,000,- 000. All this was done in the incipiency of railroading, and while the State had whole counties with scarcely a cabin, and its population was less than 400,000.
February 12, 1849, the Legislature granted a charter to the " Peoria and Oquawka Railroad Company," making the capital stock $500,000
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and the shares $100 each. A certain amount of the stock had to be subscribed by the 12th of February following before grading could commence, and other conditions were imposed which were soon after found to be burdensome, and were modified by the next Legisla- ture. The affairs of the corporation were to be managed by a board of nine directors, to be chosen annually by the stockholders from among themselves. The following persons were named as commis- sioners for receiving subscriptions to the stock : Samuel B. Ander- son, James Knox, and Daniel Meek of Knox county; Alex. Turnbull, James W. Davidson, and Wyatt B. Stapp of Warren county ; Pres- ton W. Martin, John McKinney and Robert M. Patterson of Hender- son county ; and William S. Maus, Alfred G. Curtenius and Isaac Underhill of Peoria county.
The first railroad meeting in the county of which we have any ac- count was held at the court-house in Knoxville, September 9, 1849, a short report of which is given in the first number of the Knoxville Journal. John Johnston was chairman and John G. Sanburn seere- tary. Hon. John Denny, Senator from this district, made a speech in favor of the railroad ; but the main object of the meeting was to pro- vide for an assembling of all the citizens in the county at the court- house in the evening of October 9. When the time arrived a large and enthusiastic audience was present. The same officers acted as at the preliminary meeting. R. S. Blackwell spoke in favor of general corporation laws as being preferable to special laws, and Mr. Denny spoke again in favor of the feasibility of the enterprise as contemplated by the charter. Hon. James Knox also spoke eloquently in favor of the same. A motion was made and carried in favor of the principle of voluntary taxation for funds to prosecute the work. The probable cost of construction was estimated at $500,000 to $750,000. This fact illustrates the general impression in regard to the cost of construct- ing a railroad : the company spent all their money and all .that their credit could raise in building the road from Burlington to Young America, leaving the longest part, from Young America to Peoria, yet to be built, and no money left either to build farther or equip the road already constructed. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy rail- road, when fully completed and equipped, was found to cost $48,000 per mile, while the original estimate was only $10,000 per mile, as made by our own people, who of course were not accustomed to rail- road building. A resolution was adopted requesting the commission- ers in this county to correspond with the others with a view to con- certed action.
This meeting was followed by others throughout the county, and
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the people generally became very enthusiastic. Mr. John S. Winter used the influence of his paper, the Knoxville Journal, in an intel- ligent and zealous manner for the interest of the cause. Scarcely a number was published without a lengthy and ably written editorial upon the subject. He excelled in the art of pouring oil upon troubled waters. The only opposition to the road at this time was at Mon- mouth, where the citizens were interested in another route, namely, from Quincy to Rockford.
The first meeting at Galesburg was held November 29, 1849, when Mr. Knox and several residents of the place spoke for the road. Rev. G. W. Gale took an active part in stirring up the people to action in the enterprise. At the request of the Peorians a rousing convention was held at Knoxville December 20, Norman H. Purple, Judge of the Circuit Court, presiding. Committees were appointed to collect sta- tistics relative to the cost of railroad construction, and a resolution was adopted requesting the commissioners to open the subscription books, etc. Several very eloquent addresses were delivered. Not a word of opposition was spoken, and the proceedings of this conven- tion were ratified by meetings of citizens all along the route.
About this time a Michigan man came to Knoxville, and convinced some people that a wooden railroad was about as good as an iron one, and being much cheaper it was far preferable!
At this stage of the development of the country, Knoxville did not feel herself large enough to be jealous of Peoria, for one of her arguments in favor of building the road was, it would build up Peoria and thus bring manufactories nearer home.
While the defects of the charter were causing the enterprise to drag, Peoria organized a new company, under a charter which had formerly been granted to one Andrew Gray, to build and operate at least ten miles of road in a westerly direction from Peoria, and finally go through Farmington and thence direct to Burlington, leaving Knox- ville and Galesburg to the north. It was called the "Peoria & Mis- sissippi Railroad Company." The citizens of Knoxville and vicinity favored even this road rather than have no railroad in the county at all; but February 10, 1851, the defects of the charter of the Peoria & Oquawka Company were remedied by the Legislature, permission being given to commence work with a less amount of stock paid in, the road to run through Knoxville and Monmouth, with Galesburg left to the north again-by three miles this time. Therefore, only five days subsequently, the " Central Military Tract Railroad Com- pany" was organized under the general law, at Galesburg, with the following members: Lieutenant Governor William McMurtry, C. S.
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yours Truly Attitlereout
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
Colton, James Bunce, George C. Lanphere, W. S. Gale, Alfred Brown, Silas Willard, A. C. Wiley, Edwin G. Ellet, Edward Hollister, Syl- vester Blish, Barney M. Jackson, Myrtle G. Brace, and William Maxwell. Mr. Lanphere, being the only Democrat in the ring, was sent to the Legislature. He was instructed eitlier to secure a. change in the line of the Peoria & Oquawka Railroad so as to make Gales- burg a station, or else to secure permission to organize a company under the general railroad law, to construct a railroad from Gales- burg to some point on the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad; which last was obtained, the former proposition having been refused; but June 19, 1852, the charter was so amended as to give them the right to connect with any railroad leading directly or indirectly to Chicago. Sheffield was the point they first thought of aiming for, and contracts were let in 1851-2 for building the road to that place; bnt subse- quently they determined to meet the Chicago & Aurora road at Mendota. This change was cansed by the following circumstances: While the Peoria & Oquawka road was being slowly worked up by local subscription alone, Mr. C. S. Colton chanced to meet United States Senator J. W. Grimes, of Burlington, Iowa, in Boston, Mas- sachusetts, and Mr. Wadsworth, of Chicago, President of the Chicago & Aurora Railroad, a branch of the Chicago & Galena Railroad; and after consultation they concluded that an independent ronte direct to Chicago was the most feasible. Soon after this Jaines W. Brooks, President of the Michigan Central R. R. Co., and James F. Joy, botlı of Detroit, Mich., interested themselves in the Central Military Tract road. They proposed that if the people along the route from Gales- burg to Mendota would subscribe $300,000, they would furnish enough more to complete the grading of the road and laying of the ties; and when that was done they could borrow money on the bonds of the enterprise to complete the road and set it in operation.
The company organized under the general law attempted to secure the construction of the road and to obtain subscriptions therefor; but after two years' fruitless efforts to raise money for a railroad whose rates for fares and freights should be subject to legislative action, they found it impossible, for the reason that Eastern capital- ists would not invest their money in a railroad organized under the State law then existing, which gave the Legislature the control over the rates to be charged for transportation of passengers and freight. This was made the special and distinct issne at the time. So, after two years' efforts and no success in their undertaking, the enterprise was abandoned, and a meeting was called at the office of W. Selden Gale (the "Intelligencer " office), and that gentleman drafted a special
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
charter (copied principally from the charter of the Illinois Central R. R.), which obviated the objection above referred to in regard to fix- ing rates by the Legislature. This charter gave the company entire control over their property, the same as any other personal property, with full powers to fix rates of transportation. Mr. C. S. Colton was delegated to visit Springfield and to secure the passage of this special charter through the Legislature, which he did; and this same charter was the foundation of the C., B. & Q. R. R., which is to-day the pride of this county and State; the credit of whose successful initiation, con- struction and development belongs to Knox county and to its intel- ligent and enterprising citizens.
One of the first meetings held in Galesburg, for the purpose of raising stock, was at the old Academy building, when the first three subscribers were Dr. James Bunce, James Bull and Henry Ferris. Dr. Bunce is dead, Mr. Bull never paid his subscription, and Mr. Ferris is therefore the oldest stockholder now in Galesburg.
After several months' canvassing for subscriptions to the new com- pany of the C., B. & Q. R. R., for the $300,000 required as a guar- anty for the construction of the road, it was found that there still remained $50,000 to be raised. At this juncture Messrs. Joy and Brooks came to Galesburg and gave notice that they would not promise a further extension of time on behalf of their principals, who had agreed to build the; road when $300,000 was subscribed on the line of the road. It was a vital question to be settled; for $50,000 must be raised to complete this subscription, or the whole enterprise be abandoned, and all the work of two years lost. Every precinct had been canvassed, and meetings held in every school-house to arouse the citizens along the proposed line to subscribe. In some instances only a single share would be subscribed, after an evening's presentation of the importance of the enterprise. This was the position of matters when it was found that the final $50,000 was lacking, and no hope left of raising another dollar. In this last and greatest emergency, C.S. Colton and Silas Willard, who had been the principal promoters of the enterprise, consulted together and finally determined to risk everything on the success of the undertaking. These two gentlemen subscribed each for half of the $50,000, and thereby bound all the other subscriptions, and bound also the Eastern capitalists to their contract for building the road. The subscription of the final $50,000 proved to be even more burdensome than these gentlemen anticipated, as they were compelled to borrow the entire amount at ten per cent. interest; all of their own means being fully occupied in their busi- ness. For several years they paid this interest on their $50,000 sub- scription before the road paid a cent of dividend.
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HISTORY OF KNOX COUNTY.
February 1, 1851, the Legislature granted the Northern Cross R. R. Co. power to build a branch from some point on their road in Adams county (now Camp Point) to the most eligible point at or near the southern termination of the Illinois & Michigan canal, provided they would not run east of Knoxville. June 21, 1852, they were further authorized to terminate this branch at any point connecting with any railroad extending northward to Chicago.
In 1852 a survey was made from Galesburg to Mendota, by Chief Engineer W. P. Whittle, assisted by B. B. Wentworth and Prof. George Churchill; and C. M. Carr of Galesburg was put into the field as agent to wake up the people. The road at first had been surveyed through Henderson, but afterwards it was thrown four miles to the east, to make it straight and to avoid the breaks of Henderson creek. Henderson of course did not like this, and Dr. Bunce waggishly con- soled them by suggesting that some one could take a yoke of stags and draw Henderson out to the road, to the point since called Wataga.
Keithsburg tried to get a branch from their place to connect with the Central Military Tract at Henderson. Meetings were held along the route, but' the project was soon utterly abandoned. In 1853 ;a railroad from Wataga through Henderson to Keithsburg was chartered by the Legislature as a section of the Northern Cross road, but two years afterward this provision of the charter was repealed.
By the year 1852 Knoxville was fighting Galesburg and tried to get the Northern Cross road to come to that place. Throughout 1851-2 the people between Peoria and Burlington were feverishly waiting for their road to go ahead, and wondering what was the matter. The ter- minal cities, by a corporation vote, subscribed each $75,000 stock. Burlington got ahead of Oquawka, and then Henderson county re- fused by 100 majority to take any stock in the road. June 20, 1851, the P. & O. stockholders met at Knoxville, after due notice given by the commissioners, and elected their first board of directors, namely, Charles Mason and J. W. Grimes of Burlington, Abner C. Harding and Samuel Webster of Monmouth, James Knox and Julius Manning of Knoxville, Asa D. Reed of Farmington, Rudolphus Rouse and Wash- ington Cockle of Peoria, to serve one year. Mr. Knox was elected president, Robert L. Hannaman secretary, and William Phelps of Peoria treasurer. The first contract for grading was let in October, 1851, at the Peoria end. Soon afterwards the following enthusiastic telegram was sent to Burlington:
" Peoria, Oct. 13, 1851.
The ceremony of breaking ground at the eastern terminus of the Burlington and
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Peoria railroad was commenced to-day by the persuasive eloquence of the country- men of Emmet, forty of whom are using their power in the shape of spades, picks and barrows, the only species of influence which have hitherto succeeded in building railroads."
In December of this year the citizens of Oquawka subscribed about $40.000 stock. June 7, 1852, Charles Mason was elected president. A few days previously he had bought the first two locomotives and some cars for road construction.
After a long negotiation between the managers of the Central Mil- itary Tract R. R. and the Northern Cross road (Quincy being the initial point), carried on by C. S. Colton on the part of the former and Hon. N. Bushnell for the latter, a junction of the two roads was made at Galesburg, which was subsequently ratified by an act of the Legislature. In August the Northern Cross company agreed to meet the Central Military Tract at Galesburg.
June 15, 1853, R. Rouse was chosen president of the P. & O. Co., W. Cockle secretary, J. P. Hotchkiss treasurer, and Julius Manning attorney; and the board accepted the amendment of the charter rela- tive to the "Eastern Extension" from Peoria. By September of this year all parts of the P. & O. road were under contract. Burlington organized for a western extension to the Missouri river.
October 14, 1852, the C. M. T. Company increased their stock from $100,000 to $600,000, and elected the following thirteen directors: J. W. Brooks, Henry Ledyard, J. F. Joy and G. V. N. Lothrop, of De- troit; I. H. Burch, C. G. Hammond and John H. Kinzie, of Chicago; Chauncey S. Colton, W. Selden Gale, James Bunce and Silas Willard, of Galesburg; William McMurtry, of Henderson; and John H. Bryant, of Princeton. They elected Mr. Brooks president, J. M. Berrien chief engineer, and David Sanborn, of Galesburg, secretary and treas- urer. The engineer's and treasurer's offices were to be at Galesburg, and the stock to be called in the rate of five per cent. a month. Work went ahead. September 11, 1854, the cars reached Princeton, and December 7 the first locomotive engine, the "Reindeer," moved into Galesburg, with a construction train. Exorbitant rents at Gales- burg soon caused the treasurer's office to be removed to Chicago.
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