History of Madison County, Illinois With biographical sketches, Part 35

Author: Brink, W.R. & Co
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Edwardsville, Ill. : W. R. Brink & co.
Number of Pages: 698

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138

HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

He had a majority vote at the following precincts .

Goshen, 123 votes out of 231-majority 8 9

Six Mile, 45 81

Sangamo, 21 =

Springfield, 40 "

50 30

He was left in minority at :

Ridge Prairie, 112 out of 242-18

Greenfield (Alton), 16

115-83

Wood river, 28

86-30

Piasa, 17

65-31

Bounty Land, 7 15- 1

Apple Creek

76-66.

Fork Prairie,

16 89-71

Silver Creek, 15

94-63

363

Minority of 814 votes.

SECOND BOARD, 1820-1821.

Amos Squire, James Tunnel and Abraham Prickett.

This board decided in their March term to contract for the building of a jail. The proposition of Col. Stephenson and others, to erect the county buildings at their own expense, had been ignored as heretofore stated, and in consequece a violent agitation arose in opposition to the proposed con- tracts. Meetings were held in all parts of the country, and petitions poured in from every side, praying the court not to create a county debt at so unpropitious a time, when the scarcity of current money had brought about an almost uu- bearable condition of affairs. The proceedings and resolu- tions of one of these assemblies is here introduced at length :

COUNTY CONCERNS.

At a meeting of the citizens of Ridge Prairie township, at Troy, on the 4th inst. convened for the purpose of taking into consideration the late order of the county commissioners, for the crection of a new jail-Gen. Samuel Whiteside being appointed chairman, and James Riggin, secretary, the fol- lowing resolutions were unanimously adopted :

Resolved, That it is the opinion of this meeting that it is inexpedient to build a new jail at this time in the county, at public expense, and that a few repairs on the old jail will answer every public object

Resolved, That it is the opinion of this meeting that the pressure of the times and the scarcity of money is such, that it is the duty of the county commissioners to reduce, instead of increasing, the taxes on the people at this time, and that it would now be extremely oppressive, and highly unjust, to attempt the erection of any public building, which must of necessity be paid for by levying enormous taxes on the people, who at no time, have been so entirely incapable of procuring money wherewith to pay it.

Resolved, That any public officers who will at a time like the present, go on to impose additional taxes on the people for the erection of the proposed unnecessary building, both for the size, and the manner of structure, as appears from the plan exhibited by them, and against the known wishes of the people, ought deservedly to forfeit their confidence.

Resolved, That it be recommended to the farmers in the

several townships in the county, to assemble without delay, and enter into resolutions to be presented to the com- missioners, couched in firm and respectful terms against the erection of any new jail or public building at this time. at public cost, or the imposition of any additional tax, pledging themselves to oppose such measures by every proper and necessary effort-and that they appoint delegates from their several townships to meet on the 4th Monday of July, at the court-house in Edwardsville, to present such resolutions and remonstrances.

Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting be signed by the chairman and secretary, aud published iu the Edwards- ville Spectator.

SAMUEL WHITESIDE, Chairman. JAMES RIGGIN, Secretary.

The friends of the county commissioners now came to the rescue, and called mettings for the purpose of endorsing the steps taken. We introduce here the following ;

At a respectable meeting of the farmers of the Marine Settlement, in Madison county, held at R. P. Allen's. July 16,1821, Captain George C. Allen being called to the chair and John Anderson being elected secretary, the following resolutions were adopted :

1st. Resolved, That it is the opinion of the meeting that a public jail is absolutely necessary for the insuring of the people of this county from the depredations of assassins and midnight robbers.

2d. Resolved, That it is the law of the land, as it is the duty of the county commissioners forthwith, to cause to be erected a good and substantial jail for the use of the county.

3d. Resolved, That in order to secure our persons and property from abuse, pillage and robberies we will cheerfully contribute our proportiou of taxes to defray the expenses which may be incurred in building a jail for the county.

4th. Resolved, That we approve the proceedings of the county commissioners in their late special sessions iu ordering a jail to be erected at the county seat, and that they shall have our warmest support in the execution of so laudable an undertaking.

GEORGE C. ALLEN, President. JOHN ANDERSON, Secretary.

The commissioners were determined to carry out their order. Bids for contracts were invited at once. The jail was to be built in the town of Edwardsville, on the north- west corner of the public square in said town, in the rear of the old court house, to be constructed of brick and timber, 30x24 feet, and two stories high, one cell to be com- pleted by the first Monday in December, 1821, aud the balance by the first Monday in March, 1882. $500 iu state paper were promised to be paid as soon as the work is com- pleted aud the balance the county will be good for !

The proposition found an answer in the following bids : Jeptha Lamkin, $5,000; John Blandford, 3,500; Myron Patterson, 3,500; Walter J. Seely, 2,800 ; Benjamin Stephen_ son, 2,000; T. W. Smith, 1,500; Hooper Warren, 1,200 W. H. Hopkins, 550; Ninian Edwards, 100.

The last bid was worded as follows :

199

HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

GENTLEMEN, If you are determined to persevere in build- ing the jail which you have caused to be advertised to be let to the lowest bidder, I will contraet with you to have it erected at the place and within the time and according to the plun advertised for the sum of one hundred dollars, giving you such a bond as by your order is required, according to its true literal import.

July 23, 1821, NINIAN EDWARDS. To A. Prickett, A. Squire and James Tunnell, Commissioners of Madison county, Ill.

The Senator and future governor of Illinois must have felt chagrined to have his bid rejected ; the phraseology of the bid-the true literal import-may have had something to do with the refusal. Others, however, did not fare better, as the contract was let to Walter J. Seely for $2,800. He, too, had occasion to learn the meaning of the phrase : "The county will be good for the balance ; ' for it should here be stated that the county revenue of 1821, all told, amounted to $1,646.28, and in 1822 to $2,130.22. Seely's experience is most graphically illustrated in the following letter :

EDWARDSVILLE, March 4th, 1822. To the Commissioners' Court of Madison county :-

I beg leave to lay before you a detail of my present dis- tressing and unhappy situation. I need not tell you when I bound myself in a contract and security to the court to build a public jail of certain size, to be done in a given time, also at the same time you bound and pledged yourselves to pay me five hundred dollars in state paper so soon as one cell was finished fit for use. On the good faith and on the virtue of this contract with the court I have persevered and made use of every means to perform on my part. I have made use of all the money I had appropriated for paying my small debts, believing in good faith that you would pay me accor- ding to contract, which would enable me to pay mine also ; but alas ! I am here, sick and confined, not able to attend to my business, but harrassed every day by my creditors, some pleading needs and necessity, some threatening vengeance, two executions in the hands of the constable for $80.00 or upwards, such which must be paid or my property will be sold by the officer. Not only this, but I have to furnish materials and finish the jail. The glass, spikes, iron and planks to complete the jail, costing at least $100.00 in St. Louis, cannot be had without cash in hand. Now I have only to solicit and pray the court to take into consideration my before mentioned necessity, and to deal by me, as the court may think proper in the discharge of the duties of your office in which you act. In sentiments of respect I am your humble servant, etc., WALTER J. SEELY.

The court ordered this letter to be filed, and on those files it remained until brought to light sixty years later, April. 1882.

The public square on which the first county buildings had been erected was now, August 31st, 1821, decded to the county by T. Kirkpatrick and James Mason. Mason's deed, dated July 25th, 1821, conveys for the consideration

of one cent, to the commissioners and their successors in office, the lot on which the jail and court-house stand, being one hundred and forty-six feet square and containing one- half acre, bounded on the southwest by Main street. and southeast by Cross street No. 4, being the lot selected by the commissioners appointed to locate the seat of justice for Madison county, by the legislature of the territory of Illi- nois, at their session in the winter of 1813-'14, in trust for the use of the county on which to build, erect and continue a court-house, jail and other public buildings for the use of the county, and for no other purpose whatever.

On the same day, August 13th, 1821, the court accepted the proposal of John York Sawyer and others for building a brick court-house on the public square in the town of Edwardsville as by "writing on file." (This proposal has been given at length heretofore). John T. Lusk and others gave bond for building said court-house, and " the court, for themselves and successors, agreel to accept of the said court-house when completed according to contract this day entered into." It took many years before this court- house was completed , as will appear hereafter.

The returns of the election of August, 1821, gave Emanuel J. West the seat of James Tunnell.

A tax receipt of 1820, probably the oldest document of this kind now in existence in the county, may find room here. It was handed to the writer by D. W. Collett, Esq., of Upper Alton.

Mrs. Ann Collett for taxes, Dr. for year 1820.

Town lot in Milton, valued at $1000 )

Town lot in Milton, 200

i County.

One indentured blackman and two indentured mulatto girls 1400 |

Two horses,

State tax on

1-10

Tax $15.20

North half, section 5, north half of section 4, northeast quarter and southwest quarter of section &, northwest quar- ter of section 17, the northeast quarter of section 20 the east half of the southwest quarter of section 5, and the east half of the northwest quarter of section 8, all in the town- ship, 5 north, range > west, of which 480 acres are of 1st, 400 of second and 640 of 3d quality land ; tax 822.00.

Madison county, November 8, 1820.

Received of Ann Collett thirty-seven dollars and ao in full for state and county taxes for the present year 1820, as above stated. WILLIAM B. WHITESIDE, Sheriff of Madison County.

The county tax was levied on town lots and personal pro- perty only, and the rate for the year 1820 was 50 cents on every 100 dollars' valuation, and there was also a poll tax of 50 cents on every unmarried man in the family, which will account for the odd 50 cents in the tax of $15.20. The tax on land was very light, $22.00 on 1520 acres in Fort Russell township. The lands described in the foregoing re- ceipt are now owned by Hugh Burns, Samuel Forman, E. C. Smith, J. M. Aljets, Edwin Kennedy, Daniel Schmidt,

140

HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

W. C. Flagg, heirs, H. G. Helmukamp, John Helmkamp, Nimrod Stillwell, Robert Kelsey, Thomas Jones, E. C. Bal- ster, J. F. 1Ierren and J. & W. Bitts. They are assessed at 39,730 dollars, about $26.00 per acre, and are worth at least $80,000. The taxes on said land in 1881 amounted to $743.64.

THIRD BOARD, 1821-1822.

Amos Squire, Abraham Prickett and Emanuel: J. West. The labors of this board were confined to narrow limits. The letter of Seely explains in what condition the county was financially. He had received a county order instead of the solemnly promised $500 in state paper 1822, June 3d. The court found the jail built by W. J. Seely to be strong and substantial, completed according to contract. It was received for the use of the county, and the clerk was ordered to notify the circuit court of same. The balance due Seely ; the county was to be good for it ; was paid to him in county orders of $5.00, $10.0), $15.00 and $25.00 each, aggrega- ting $2,300.

The sheriff, W. B. Whiteside, made his return as collector by paying the full amount of revenue in redeemed county orders into court. George Belsha, the county treasurer, re- ported that the fines and licenses paid to him during the year amounted to $203.50. He had also listed the personal property for the new tax levy and received $64.80. He had money enough in the treasury to pay himself, and $26 00 more. The county paid B. Stephenson $120.00 rent for the lower part of his brick house, in which the clerk's office of the circuit and commissioners' court was located during the year.

The election of August, 1822, put in new members, to wit : John Barber, Benjamin Spencer, and Hail Mason. Nathaniel Buckmaster was elected sheriff; Isaac Prickett, coroner; Theopilus W. Smith, state senator; Curtis Blake- man, George Churchill and Emanuel J. West members of the House of Representatives. Edward Coles, a most dis- tinguished citizen of the county, was elected governor of the state of Illinois at this election.

Samuel D. Lockwood, another prominent citizen of Madi- son county, Attorney-General since February 1821, was appointed Secretary of State on the 18th of December 1822. The county had been represented in Congress during terri- torial times by the following delegates: Shadrach Bond, of St Clair county until 1814 ; from then to 1816, by Col Benja- min Stephenson, who, on being appointed receiver of public moneys, resigned April 29, 1816, and made Edwardsville his residence. Stephenson was succeeded by Nathaniel Pope. Daniel P. Cook, then a resident of Randolph county, was the first representative to Congress from Illinois. He was elected in 1818, re-elected in 1820 and was in 1822 re- elected a second time.

FOURTH BOARD, 1822-'23.

John Barber, Benjamin Spencer, Hail Mason,

The county has meanwhile been reduced to almost its present limits ; the township so recently organized, had rap- idly increased in population and had been organized into

counties-Green, Pike, Sangamon and Montgomery among them The territory of the remaining county was subdivided into six political townships, which retained the familiar names of Silver Creek, Ridge Prairie, Goshen, Wood river, Greenfield and Six Mile. Alton, situated in Greenfield township, had become quite an important commercial, point, so that the board saw fit to appoint Benjamin Stedman, H. H. Gear and Abraham Prickett inspectors for the part of Alton. for the inspection of beef, pork, hemp, flour, tobacco and all other articles of export necessary to be inspected. Charles W. Hunter, then one of the leading and enterpris- ing citizens of Alton, had called the attention of the court to this matter in a letter of March 3d, 1823, in which he asked the court to appoint Samuel Slater inspector of beef and pork, Abraham Prickett of tobacco, Isaac Woodburn of lumber and staves, Benjamin Stedman of flour and H. HI. Gear of hemp.

The county had heavy pauper expenses to meet during the year, amongst which a claim of Clayton Tiffin for $202.05 for taking care of and treating a wounded man named Wells, and finally burying him. The charges were high- coffin and burying alone $10.00-however the court allowed the claim in full.

1823, March term, George Belsha, the treasurer, reported the revenue of the year 1822 to have amounted to $2247.12}, of which 2,017.12} was raised by taxes. Belsha resigned his office the same day, whereupon John T. Lusk is appoint- ed treasurer. The election of August,1823, called Thomas Lippincott in the place of Mr. Spencer.

FIFTH BOARD, 1823-'24

Hail Mason, John Barber and Thomas Lippincott.

At the December meeting the Board received the follow- ing communication in the shape of a letter. It gave the impetus to a lawsuit, bitter and of long duration, against Edward Coles, then governor of the state, a man of national reputation, known and honored by the best of the land. The letter, written by W. L. May, then a merchant of Ed- wardsville, is flowing over with eulogies on law, etc., but mean and sinister motives have assuredly dictated it. The letter follows :

EDWARDSVILLE, Sept. 17th, 1823.

To Hail Mason, John Barber and Benjamin Spencer commissioners for the county of Madison.

Gentlemen : By an act of the 30th of March, 1819, of the legislature of the state it is declared that every person who shall bring into this state, any negro or mulatto, who shall be a slave and held to service at the time ; and who shall emancipate with such negro or mulatto, shall give a bond, to the county where such slave is emancipated, in the penalty of one thousand dollars, conditioned that such person so emancipated shall not become a charge to any county in the state ; and every person neglecting or refusing to give such bond shall forfeit and pay the sum of $200.00 for every negro or mulatto so emancipated, to be recovered in any action of debt, to be sued for in the name of the county

141

HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

commissioners of the county where the same shall happen to the use of the county.

As you gentlemen are charged with the interests and rights of the county and are bound by the duties of your office to protect it from even the possibility of expenses re- sulting from negroes so emancipated, becoming chargeable to the county, I feel persuaded that you will promptly ap- ply the necessary remedy to prevent an occurence of the kind. It will doubtless be within your recollection, that a number of negroes and mulattoes were some considerable time since emancipated in this county by Edward Coles, Exq. The records kept by the clerk of your court will fur- nish you with the authentic evidence that no bond has ever been given, although more than two years have elapsed since their emancipation. The penalty declared by the act has been incurred and is now justly due to the county ; no excuse can be given for the violation of a positive statute, aud as the penalty has already clearly enured to the coun- ty, I call on you as a citizen of the county interested in its rights and prosperity to take judicial cognizance of this in- fraction of the law, and to take immediate steps for the prosecution of the offender. You are, I conceive, bound to institute a prosecution without delay and have a right to call on the Attorney-General who resides in the district to pursue the necessary measures.

I am, gentlemen, your humble servant, WILLIAM. L. MAY.

W. L. May removed from the county not many years after this epistolary effusion. He was a man of talent and a successful politician. He represented the Third Congres- sional (Springfield) District of Illinois in the Twenty-third, Twenty-fourth, and Twenty-fifth Congress-1833 to 1839.

The suit was commenced March, 1824. The reader will find the subject treated at length on a subsequent page.

Silver creek township was divided from east to west, March Term, 1824, and the southern part named Union- ville. Mr. Lusk, the treasurer, reported to have received during the year $1957.54 in tax money, and $485 25 from all other sources. All this money had been by him dis- bursed, and the county was then owing the treasurer $13.61.

SIXTH BOARD-1824 TO 1825.

In August, 1824, Hail Mason, John Howard, and Benja- min Stedman were elected county commissioners ; Nathaniel Buekmaster, sheriff; Joshua Delaplain, coroner ; Joseph Conway, state senator, vice T. W. Smith, who had resigned ; Curtis Blakemau and George Churchill, re-elected members of the General Assembly, together with William Ottwell as third member, in the place of Emanuel J. West. The agi- tation on the slavery question had grown into serious dimen- sions during the preceding session of the state legislature, and E. J. West, of Madison county, had become one of the leaders of the pro-slavery faction, whose objeet now was to call a state convention with a view of making Illinois a slave state. After a most outrageous proceeding in the house of representatives, which is a matter of state history, the pro-slavery men succeeded in passing a resolution, au-

thorizing the people of the state to vote on the proposition to call a convention to amend the constitution at a general election to be held on the first Monday of Augu-t, 1824.

Governor Reynolds, himself a pro-slavery man at the time, speaks of the action of the house in procuring a ma- jority for the resolution, in "My Own Times," thusly : "This proceeding in the General Assembly looked revolu- tionary, and was condemned by all honest and reflecting men. This outrage was a death hlow to the convention."

The anti-slavery or anti-convention of the assembly, led by Governor Coles, now published an address to the people of Illinois, to unmask the purposes of the conspirators to make a slave constitution. The address, undoubtedly penned by the governor, was an impassioned, masterly ap- peal to the people to rise up in their might and save the state from the greatest shame and disaster that could ever be visited upon any people. Speaking of slavery, it says : " What a strange spectacle wou'd be presented to the civil- ized] world, to see the people of Illinois, yet innocent of this great national sin, and in the full enjoyment of all the blessings of free government, sitting down in solemn conven- tion to deliberate and determine whether they should intro- duce among them a portion of their fellow-beings to be cut off from those blessings, to be loaded with the chains of bondage, and rendered unable to leave any other legaey to their posterity than the inheritance of their own servitude ! The wise and the good of all nations would blush at our political depravity. Our professions of republicanism and equal freedom would incur the derision of despots and the scorn and reproach of tyrants. We should write the epi- taph of free government upon its tombstone." The closing words of this address contain the following eloquent appeal : "In the name of unborn millions, who will rise up after us, and call us blessed or accursed. according to our deeds-in the name of the injured sons of Africa, whose claims to be equal with their fellow-men will plead their own cause against their usurpers before the tribunal of eternal ju-tice, we conjure you. fellow-citizens, to ponder upon these things." -E. B. Washburne's Sketch of Edward Coles.

This appeal was signed by fifteen members of the senate and the house, Blakeman and Churchill, of Madison, among them. T. W. Smith, the senator of that county ; and Ema- nuel J. West, the third representative, were convention and pro slavery men. George Cadwell, formerly of Madison, and frequently mentioned in our historical sketch, signed the appeal as senator of Pike and Grecne counties, " daughters " of Madison.

George Churchill, who had been most prominent during said session in the struggle against slavery, was, together with his friend, Risdon Moore of St. Clair, burned in etligy in his own (Madison) county, because of his labors. Never- theless, the majority of the people of Madison county saw fit to re-elect him in 1824.

The pro-slavery men were not slow in coming before the people with a public address, drawn up by a committee com- posed of the most talented men of the state,-T. W. Smith and Emanuel J. West of Madison among them. "The con- test raged in fury throughout the state. The pro-slavery

142

HISTORY OF MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

men had defiantly thrown down the gauntlet, and the anti- slavery men took it up with equal defiance. The conflict was long and bitter and no quarter was given on either side. There were not only the strong men of both parties, orators, judges, lawyers, but the rank and file of the people entered into the struggle with a violence, a zeal. and a determination alike without limit, and withont example in the state There was a perfect avalanche of personalities, threats, and denunciations, and Governor Ford well says, that, had not the people made allowance for all the exaggerations and falsehoods, the reputations of all men would have been over- whelmed and consumed. Newspapers, handbills and pamph- lets were scattered broadcast. These missive weapons of a fiery contest were scattered everywhere, and everywhere they scorched as they flew. Almost every stump in every county had its bellowing, indignant orator on one side or the other, and the whole people, for the space of months, did scarcely anything but read newspapers, handbills and pamphlets, quarrel. wrangle and argue with each other, whenever they met together to hear the violent harangues of their orators."-Ford's History.

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History of Madison County, Illinois With biographical sketches, Part 35

Author: Brink, W.R. & Co Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Edwardsville, Ill. : W. R. Brink & co. Number of Pages: 698

Author: Brink, W.R. & Co
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Edwardsville, Ill. : W. R. Brink & co.
Number of Pages: 698