History of St. Clair County, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 53

Author: Brink, McDonough & Co., Philadelphia
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Brink, McDonough
Number of Pages: 530

USA > Illinois > St Clair County > History of St. Clair County, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 53

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The early settlers in Belleville were principally from Virginia and other Southern States. Among the families of Southern origin who settled in the town or vicinity at an early period were those of Mitchell, West, Dennis, Gay, Cohen, Greaves, Glasgow and Heath. Most of these had large families and brought with them their negro slaves. Their right to hold these negroes in slavery was hotly contested at every term of court for four or five years, and the question was finally settled by setting the negroes free. On account of this some of the leading citizens removed to St. Louis James Mitchell was appointed justice of the peace in 1821, and filled that office and. that of postmaster for many years. John H. Dennis engaged in teaching, and for a long number of years the youth of the city received from him their principal education. His first school was on the north-east side of the public square, and he afterward taught where Judge Snyder's residence now is. About the year 1820 several brick houses were built. Gov. Ninian Ed- wards and Robert K. Mclaughlin erected one fronting on Main street, before the removal of the former to Belleville. In 1820 Samuel Crane built a brick residence on High street; a carpenter named Taft built another on the spot now occupied by the new court-house, and S. Hull on High street, south of Second South street. In 1818-19 mechanics began to make their appearance and prosecute their trades. Messrs. Smith and Small carried on the blacksmith business. With Mr. Small came Conrad Bornman, the first German to settle in Belleville. He was then recently from Germany and could scarcely speak the English language. He abandoned the blacksmith trade and learned the trade of making and laying brick. By prudent industry he accumulated wealth, and his probity and honesty gave him high standing as a citizen. He was a resident of Belleville till his death, in 1878.

In the year 1819 the town of Belleville was incorporated and Daniel Murray was its first president.

The town of Belleville in 1819 or 1820, according to the recol- lection of some of the old pioneer citizens still living, was composed of between twenty and twenty-five families residing within the pre- sent corporate limits of Belleville and West Belleville. Several of these families have already been mentioned. At that period the old house of George Blair on Illinois street was occupied by a store which was carried on by the firm of Glasgow, Porter and Nevin. The only other store was on the north side of the public square, where now stands the academy of music, the proprietor of which was Robert K. Mclaughlin. Mr. Mclaughlin was a lawyer by

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

profession, and emigrated from Kentucky. From law he turned Iris attention to the mercantile business. After a residence of four years in Belleville he removed to Vandalia. William Mears and Alphonso C. Stuart were lawyers who settled at Belleville the same year with Mr. MeLaughlin, 1816. Stuart lost his life by an un- fortunate occurrence to which reference is made elsewhere. Thomas Cohen, who was elected burgomaster about 1820 and who afterward removed to St. Louis and was elected mayor of that city, carried on the business of jewelry and silversmith on Illinois street, opposite Glasgow's store. The house which he occupied as a residence and workshop is still standing on the east side of Illinois street about fifty feet north of Second South street. It was originally a log building ; was then covered with clap boards by George Ripley, brother to William Ripley, whose family still lives south of Belle- ville ; the clap boards then gave way to weather-boarding. Cohen was a man of active mind, dressed handsomely, and wore a ruffled shirt after the fashion of those days. Beside the Tannehill tavern and the Robison hotel on Main street, a third hotel was kept by Reuben Anderson, on Illinois street, in the first building north of Glasgow's store. Beside those already mentioned, the following families lived in Belleville in 1819 and 1820: William Hook, son in law of James Tannehill, who was a millwright and carpenter by trade ; Jacob Maurer, who carried on a blacksmith shop ; Lewis W. Myers who came to Belleville from Bourbon county, Kentucky, and was a hatter by occupation ; and his brother, Jacob Myers, who had married a sister of Robert K. Mclaughlin, and who served as justice of the peace. A man named Brigham kept a grocery in the " old blue house " so called because plastered on the outside and painted blue, which stood on the site of the present Belleville House. John H. Gay and Richard Chandler were early residents of Belle- ville. Edmund P. Wilkinson was one of the first justices of the peace. One of the leading men in the vicinity was Mayor Wash- ington West, who lived a mile and a quarter south of town. He was a native of Maryland, and came to Illinois in 1818 from Botte- tourt county, Virginia.

Among the celebrated characters connected with the early history of the town, was Zachariah Stephenson, who was renowned as a pugilist, and who enjoyed the reputation of fighting at the drop of a hat. Saturday was observed as a kind of holiday ; the settlers gathered in from the surrounding country, and a fight was a frequent and usual Saturday entertainment. On these oc- casions Stephenson was in his element, and acted as master of ceremonies. He would take the crowd out doors, form a ring, act as umpire, and see that the combatants had fair play. When one of them cried "Enough," Zach. rushed in and separated the men, and brought the fight to a close. He frequently took part in these conflicts, as principal, and on one of these occasions had a piece bit out of his ear, and he carried the mark to his dying- day. He got even, however, for he bit off the nose of his oppo- nent, Jennings Gaskill. This fight happened at the corner of the public square, where the court-house now stands. The officers of the law never thought in those days of interfering with these proceedings. These fights originated from trivial causes, and after they were over, the participants shook hands and were good friends again, seldom harboring any ill-feeling or resentment.

James Affleck, now a resident of Belleville, has resided continu- ously in the town since 1820. He came to St. Clair county with his parents in the year 1817. His brother, Robert G. Affleck, was also a resident of Belleville till 1866, when he moved to Missouri. Mrs. James Mitchell, who is now living in Belleville, became a resi. dent of the town in December, 1819. She says, at that time, there were only two houses in Belleville with a shingle roof. Her first

husband, David Blackwell, was a lawyer, and represented St. Clair county in the legislature a number of terms. He was a strong anti-slavery man, and for a time published a paper at Vandalia, devoted to the anti-slavery cause. Her second husband, James Mitchell, was for a long time postmaster at Belleville.

THE STUART-BENNETT DUEL.

In February, 1819, occurred one of the most lamentable inci- dents in the history of Belleville-the killing of Alphonso C. Stuart, in a sham duel with Timothy Bennett. It appears that a horse be- longing to Bennett was accustomed to break lonse, enter the neigh- bors' fields, and make havoc among the growing corn and other crops. A field of Stuart's was a frequent object of these visits, and from this cause an ill-feeling arose between the two men. On one occasion a man in Stuart's employment shot the horse with beans, which greatly excited Bennett's anger. While in a furious pas- sion, Bennett met Jacob Short and Nathan Fike, who concluded it would be sport to have Bennett challenge Stuart, and then have a sham duel fought. The preliminaries were all arranged in the old Tannehill hotel, which stood on the corner where the National Hotel now stands. All the parties to the affair understood that the rifles were to be loaded with powder only. It is said, that just be- fore starting to the ground where the duel was to be fought, Bennett stepped into an alley and rammed a ball down his rifle. This act was witnessed by Miss Tannehill (subsequently Mrs. Rader), whose testimony afterward in the trial was of material aid in securing Bennett's conviction. The duel was fought just south of where the City Park now is. Nathan Fike and Jacob Short acted as seconds. When all had been prepared, the principals were placed forty yards apart and told to await the signal to fire. Bennett fired before the sign was given ; his aim was sure, and Stuart fell, shot through the heart, and died instantly. Stuart had not discharged his rifle. The affair was the cause of great excitement and consternation. Bennett and the two seconds, Fike and Short, were arrested. Bennett was confined in the county jail, which was built of logs. At the spring term of the circuit court all three were indicted for murder. Ben- nett, by means of an inch anger, bored his way out and escaped before the trial. Two years later he was recaptured ; brought to Belleville, tried at a special term of the circuit court, found guilty, and was hanged on the third of September, 1821, in an old field where now stands the town of West Bellville, in the presence of an immense concourse of spectators. Short and Fike, after lying for a time in jail, were brought to trial and acquitted. The trial of Bennett was perhaps the most celebrated and exciting that ever occurred in the history of St. Clair county. John Reynolds, then chief justice, sat upon the bench ; Daniel P. Cook was the prose- cuting attorney, and the defence was conducted by Col. Thomas H. Benton. The duel was fought on the 8th of February, 1819.

The following entries concerning this celebrated trial appear in the circuit court record : -

Monday, March 8th, 1819 .- Members present : Hon. John Reynolds, judge ; John Hay, sheriff; William A. Beard, clerk.

Members of Grand Inqueat .- Benjamin Watta, foreman ; Solomon Teeter, Robert Abernathy, Jacob Ogle, Jr., James Marney, William Padfield, Fran- cis Swan Robert Lemen, Henry Hutton, Joshna Oglesby, Marshal Duncan, Curtis Moore, George Prickett, Jos. Penn, William Bridges, John Leach, David Everet, Theophilus M. Nichols, John Hendricks, James Walker, Adam Castleberry, William T. Kincade, Jeremiah Hand-23, who all appeared and received their charge, and retired to consult of presentments.

Persons sworn to go before the Grand Jury .- Reuben Anderson, James Park, James Kincade, James Read, Daniel Million, Benjamin Million, Peter Sprinkle, Rachel Tannehill.

Nicholas Horner excused from serving on the traverse jury.

HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

187

The grand jurors returned from their retirement, and presented a bill of in- dictment against Timothy Bennett, Jacob Short, and Nathan Fike, for murder.

And thereupon, by order of the court, the clerk issued his process directed to the sheriff of the county, to bring forth the body of the said Timothy Ben- nett ; and thereupon the sheriff returns : " The within named Timothy Ben- "nett has made luis escape by breaking the jail of St. Clair county, therefore " I cannot bring his body in the court as I am commanded.

"WM. A. BEARD, Sheriff of St. Clair county."

Ordered that the court adjourn sine die.

[Signed.] JOHN REYNOLDS.

The case was called again at the next term, Tuesday, June 15. 1819, and the recognizances of James and Richel Tannehill, witnesses, taken in the sum of $100 each for their appearance on the following day to testify.

Wednesday, June 16 .- The case against Jacob Short and Nathan Fike called.

And thereupon comes as well the said defendants, to wit : Jacob Short and Nathan Fike. As the attorney-general and the said defen lints say, they are not guilty in manner and form as in the indictment against them is alleged, and of this they put themselves upon the country, and the attorney-general doth the like. Therefore it is commanded that a jury of twelve good and lawful men who neither is. etc., because, etc., and the jurors of the jury of which mention is within made, being called, to wit: Isaac Clark, Eli Hart, Isaac Bairey, Daniel Phillips, Henry Stout, Patrick Johnson, Divid Coons, Andrew Maurer, Peter Hill, William McNeal, Brice Virgin and John Cot- ton, who being duly elected, tried and swore the truth of and upon the pre- mises to speak.

Ordered that the court adjourn to to-morrow morning, 8 o'clock.

Thursday, June 17, 1819 .- Trial had and the following order entered np :

Upon their oaths do say that the said defen lants are not guilty in manner and form as in the said indictment against them is alleged : therefore it is considered by the court that the said defendants be acquitted and discharged of the charge aforesaid, and go thereof without a day, etc.

This acquitted Short and Fike of the charge against them. The next proceedings were had after Bennett was retaken, an I are as follows :

STATE OF ILLINOIS. 88.

At a special circuit court called and held at the court-house in Belleville for and within the county of St. Clair, on Thursday, the twenty-sixth day of July, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and twenty-one, were present :

The Hon. John Reynolds, justice, William A. Beard, Esq., sheriff, John Hay, clerk.

Names of Grand Inquest.

William Glasgow, foreman ; James Cohen, David Sparks, John Rider, Daniel Burkey, William L. Whiteside, James Marney, Hosea Rigg, Jacob Whiteside, Richard W. Chandler, Daniel Phillips, John Thomas, James Pulliam, Archibald Allen, Joseph Wilbanks, Henry Stont. Daniel Million, John Leach, Tilghman West, Thomas Gillham, George Harris, John Scott and John Glass, who all appeared and were sworn.

Thereupon the grand jury having received their charge from the bench, retired to consider of presentments.

The grand jury returned from their retirement and presented the following bill of indictment :

THE PEOPLE VA. TIMOTHY BENNETT.

Indictment for Murder.

Thereupon it was ordered that process issue to the sheriff of St. Clair county commanding him that he have the body of Timothy Bennett, a prisoner now in the gaol of the county aforesaid under safe and secure con- duct before the court here immediately to answer an indictment against him for murder.

The sheriff of St. Clair county, agreeable to process to him directed com- manding him to have the body of Timothy Bennett, a prisoner confined in the gaol of the county aforesaid, brings into court here the said Timothy Bennett accordingly, and being demanded of him whether he is guilty of the felony aforesaid, or not guilty, says he is not guilty thereof, and for his trial puts himself upon God and his country, and the attorney general in behalf of the people of the state of Illinois likewise.

And thereupon it is ordered by the court that a jury come instanter, who neither is, etc., as well, etc, and the jurors of the jury of which mention is within made, being called, to wit: Noah Matheny, John A. Mauzy, James Simmons, Burill Hill, John Cotton-

Ordered that the court adjourn until to morrow morning, 9 o'clock.

Friday the 27th of July, 1820 .- Court opened according to adjournment. Present as before. James C. Work, George W. Jack, Joel R Small, Elijah Davis, James Fox and Zachariah Stephenson, and who being duly elected, tried and sworn the truth to speak of and upon the premises, and having heard the evidence.

Ordered that the court adjourn to to morrow morning, 7 o'clock.

Saturday, 28th July, 1821 .- Court opened according to adjournment. Pre- sent as before.

The jury here returned their verdict :

Upon their oaths do say that Timothy Bennett is guilty of the felony aforesaid in manner and form as in the indictment against him is alleged, and it being demanded of him if anything for himself he had or knew to say why the court have to judgment and execution against him of and npon the premises should not proceed, he said he had nothing but what he had before said. Thereupon it is considered by the court that he be hanged by the neck until he be dead, and that the sheriff of this county do cause execution of this judgment to be done and performed upon him the said Timothy Ben- nett, on Monday the third day of September next, between the hours of ten in the forenoon and four in the afternoon, at or near the town of Belleville.

PROGRESS OF BELLEVILLE.

For several years subsequent to 1818, Belleville was stationary in its growth. Business suffered, the population of the town re- ceived no new accessions, and many of the former residents moved away. This period of hard times affected not only Belleville, but all the settlements in Illinois, and was an incident of the financial crisis which was brought on the country by the war with England. Weeds sprouted in the streets and public square. Corn sold as low as seven cents a bushel, and good cows at five dollars. Blair, dis- couraged with the prospect, sold his interests in the town to Etienne Pensoneau. Pensonean was conservative and unprogressive, and contributed little to the advancement of the town. This period of stagnation continued till abont the year 1828. Pensoneau sold his property in Belleville to Gov. Ninian Edwards, then resident of Edwardsville, and from this incident more than any other, may be dated the steady and prosperous growth of Belleville. Reynolds says that no individual in Illinois was as well calculated to start a town into existence as Gov. Edwards. " He was then a private citi- zen, and possessed wealth and talents, and a becoming ambition to increase his fortune. He permitted no honorable occasion to escape where he could make money. He was a man of fine talents, rather on the brilliant and showy order, and was au accomplished orator, and also a classical scholar. He never abandoned his literary studies till the hour of his death. Possessing a fine library, he used his books not for show in a book case, but for the intrinsic merits of the works. He was active and enterprising in politics, and had many bitter enemies, as all great men have. The men opposed to Gov. Edwards in politics never gave him the credit for talents and merit that he in my opinion deserved." While still a resident of Edwardsville, he established a store in Belleville, with a

fine stock of goods, James Mitchell acting as his agent. On his removal to Belleville a year or two afterwards, he took personal charge of the store, and Mr. Mitchell opened another on his own account. Gov. Edwards put forth every effort to promote the growth of the town. To mechanics and others he offered liberal inducements by selling them building lots at merely nominal prices, and allowing them to make their own terms as to time of payment. He advertised the town far and near, and as a consequence immi- gration began to pour in, both from the older states and from Eu- rope. Thomas Harrison bought an old tread-mill on High street,

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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY, ILLINOIS.

and began the manufacture of flour, prosecuting the business with a sound practical judgment, which was a great benefit both to the town and the surrounding country. Then coal was discovered, and attention drawn to the fact that Belleville possessed rare advan- tages for the manufacturing business. About the year 1829 the Germans began to arrive, and taking advantage of the low price at which almost everything was then held, bought mostly for cash many of the finest locations, both in the town and the surrounding country. In 1828 there were only two German families in the town ; those of Jacob Maurer and Conrad Bornmann, both engaged in the black- smith business. During the years 1832 and 1833, a large German immigration came to St. Clair county, and many enterprising, libe- ral and educated citizens of that nationality made Belleville their home. The following names of German citizens appear as found- ers of a library in July, 1836 : Edward Gilgard, Fritz Wolf, Fritz Hilgard, Fr. Th. Engelmann, Sr., Theo. Hilgard, Jr., Julius Scheve, Gustavus Koerner, Anton Schott, Hermann Wolf, George Bunsen, Wilhelm Decker, Joseph Ledergerber, Adolph Reuss, Otto Ililgard, Adolph Berchelmann, and J. C. Hildenbrandt.

Belleville became an incorporated city in 1850, and adopted the same charter as governed the city of Springfield. Theodore J. Kraft was elected the first Mayor. In 1877 the city adopted a new or- ganization under the general state law, and the number of wards was increased from four to seven. The following gentlemen have filled the office of Mayor since 1850:

1850

Theodore J. Kraft.

1851.

Edward Abend.

1852

J. W. Pulliam.

1853

Joseph B. Underwood.

1854.

William C. Davis.

1854

James W. Hughes,

(To fill out unexpired term of William C. Davis).

1855 and 1856.

James W. Hughes.

1857 and 1858.

Edward Abend.

1859 and 1860

Peter Wilding.

1860.

Frederick K. Pieper,

(To fill out unexpired term of Peter Wilding). 1861 and 1862

Henry Goedeking.

1863 and 1864.

Charles Palm.

1865

Herman Burckhardt.

1866

Joseph Kirkpatrick.

1867 and 1868

Frederich Ropiequet.

1869 and 1870.

Henry Abend.

1871 and 1872.

Peter Wilding.

1873 and 1874

H. G. Webber.

1875 and 1876

Peter Wilding.

1877 and 1878.

Henry A. Kircher.

1879 and 1880.

Peter Wilding.

1881.

Benjamin J. West, Jr.

The following are the present elective officers of the city :

Mayor.

Benjamin J. West, Jr.

Clerk

James W. Mccullough.

Treasurer.

John Winter.

Attorney

William J. Underwood.

Aldermen .- First Ward

August Scheske, Robert Rogers.

Second "

F. A. Benedict, William Albrecht.

Third

F. Kretschmer, G. F. Baumann.

Fourth "

Martin Herr, Peter Stauder.

Fifth

Joseph Leopold, C. Heinfelden.

Sixth

William Wehmeier, H. R Willmann.

Seventh "

Henry Ehret, Samuel Strohmberg.

EARLY PHYSICIANS OF BELLEVILLE.

Dr. Estes is said to have been the first physician who settled iu Belleville. He built a residence a few hundred yards south of the public square in 1815. Reynolds says of him that he had a strong

mind, but that it was not properly balanced. He was the captain of the band of regulators, organized in 1815 to protect the com- munity from horse-thieves and other criminals. It was generally believed that they dealt out justice in a very effective and summary manner. Estes afterward removed to another locality.

Dr. Schogg was a contemporary of Dr. Estes. " He was a noxious vapor, shedding light and darkness so close to each other, that he put the whole town in an uproar. He had two shooting matches, using pistols, and their targets were their own bodies. The combat arose from the same cause wherein Troy was de- stroyed.'

Dr. Joseph Green, who married the widow of Alphonso C. Stuart, was a man of quiet and peaceable disposition, and for a long time practiced his profession. He was reasonable in his charges, regu- lating his fees by his judgment of human nature and the wealth of his patients. He was remarkably humane and kind in his treat- ment of the dumb creation. He would frequently get down off his horse, and lead the animal to rest him. For many years an old sorrel horse was his companion on his visits to his patients. He would ride no other. Sometimes persons would come for him in a buggy, hoping to obtain his presence quickly, but if old sorrel was not at hand he would walk. The Dr. possessed great caution, and would always dismount from his horse before crossing a bridge. A neighbor borrowed the horse one day, and in ignorance of the Dr.'s habits, endeavored to cross a bridge without dismounting. He plied spur and whip without avail. The horse would not budge. At length getting off he secured a hickory withe, and mounting again, at length succeeded in getting the horse across. The next time the worthy Dr. traveled that road he was almost startled out of his wits by the sorrel's bolting across the bridge at a headlong gait without giving him time to get off. He had passed his early life among the Pennsylvania Germans, and he and Lewis and Jacob Myers were the first persons in Belleville who could speak the German language. He was also acquainted with the French. He was elected to the legislature in 1837. He was a warm Whig, and strong advocate of internal improvements, particularly the building of railroads. He died in 1842. He interested himself in silk culture, procured silk worms, and erected a cocoonery. His wife made the silk into thread on an ordinary spinning wheel, and then wove the thread into a kind of cloth.

Dr. William G. Goforth settled in the town in 1816 or 1817, and died in 1835. He is said to have been a singular man, both in mental characteristics and physical appearance. He looked and acted like no one else. He practiced medicine successfully, though perhaps he relied as much on his natural genius and experience as on his scientific knowledge of the profession. He felt the patient's pulse, examined his tongue, and as quick as thought adopted a course of treatment. Gov. Reynolds always went to him when sick. He was very tall, with a long and slender neck. He had the reputation of being the homeliest man in all the country round. The story was current that a man of great unattractiveness of ap- pearance once came to Belleville from an eastern state, carrying a jack-knife, which had been presented to him in consideration of being so homely a man. Meeting Dr. Goforth's brother then tem- porarily residing at Belleville, and who resembled the doctor as to looks, the stranger stopped him and wanted to hand over the jack- knife, remarking that it had been given him with the direction to carry it till he could find a homelier man, and at last he thought he had succeeded.

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History of St. Clair County, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 53

Author: Brink, McDonough & Co., Philadelphia Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia : Brink, McDonough Number of Pages: 530

Author: Brink, McDonough & Co., Philadelphia
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Brink, McDonough
Number of Pages: 530