Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 46

Author: Collins, William H. (William Hertzog), 1831-1910; Perry, Cicero F., 1855- [from old catalog] joint author; Tillson, John, 1825-1892. History of the city of Quincy, Illinois. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1228

USA > Illinois > Adams County > Quincy > Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois > Part 46

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Wheat. She was not related to any of the Wheats who came here a few years later and who still live among ns. She lived in a double log cabin which stood on the corner of the square on the ground now occupied by the Quincy National bank. She was the best female performer on a tin horn that I ever heard. Every day precisely at 12 o'clock. she came to her front door with her tin horn nearly as long as herself and discoursed upon it excellent music to call her boarders to dinner, and this was the noon mark of the town at the time. as the steam whistles are now. She afterwards removed to the river from near the foot of Broadway, and most of her boarders fol- lowed her there and climbed up and down the bluff for their meals rather than change to the hotels.

I am reminded of a trivial incident which oc- curred about this time. We had residing here a young man with a great fund of wit, drollery, mimiery and stories, by name John Martin Holmes. He had many attractive personal and social qualities and he was very fond of a harm- less practical joke. ITe boarded at the Widow Wheat's as did also a young Mr. Walsh, who was a clerk for Mr. MeFaddon, who then kept a store in a small frame building on the north side of the public square. At the time I am speaking of I had not made the acquaintance of either Mr. Ilolines or Mr. Walsh, who had but recently come here. One hot summer afternoon as I was writing alone in Judge Snow's office, these two young men appeared at the door and inquired if Judge Snow was in. I said that he was in the house, and they asked to see him immediately. I went

at once to call him as their business appeared to be urgent, and he came in promptly from his af- ternoon nap, without stopping to put on his coat or to tie his brogans. I noticed a very blank ex- pression of his face when he saw who was there. but he said nothing. Holmes broke the silence with. "Judge Snow. I want to introduce to you my friend Mr. Walsh. I brought him around here to you to get his legs sworn in to keep the peace. They nearly ran him into the river going down to the Widow Wheat's to dinner to-day. " The judge made no word of reply, but taking a pinch of snuff he turned around and went back to finish his nap. Ilolmes turned to Walsh and said : " If we can't get our business done here, we will have to try some other office," and went away. When I next met the judge, he said to me, "Lorenzo, when Mr. Holmes comes here again. you need not call me." This was a very unnecessary caution after I became acquainted with Mr. Holmes.

The first charivari that I ever heard or saw oc- curred under the direction of this Mr. Holmes, and it was one of the most notable that ever took place in Quincy. Charivaris were common in those days in case of the remarriage of a widow or widower and in case there was any great dis- parity of age or other peculiar circumstances. In this case. a shoemaker by the name of llenry Wood, a man about fifty years old, was married to a young girl under lawful age. He applied to Judge Snow for a license. but was refused by him, as the judge knew the girl's age. Ilis resort was to take her to Missouri where no license was required, and where 'Squire Merrill. who lived about six miles west of the river, married those who could not be legally married under the laws of Illinois. So one morning Wood borrowed a horse and buggy and crossing on a flat-boat which was then run as a ferry by Ebenezer Harkness, went over to 'Squire Merrill's to be married. In the meantime, Holmes was organizing his party for the charivari to be given in the evening. About the time Wood was expected to return to this side of the river and must of necessity come up Vermont street, which was the only passable road up the bInff at that end of the town, Holmes gathered a few of his party together and rolled a large stump in the middle of the road so that Wood could not pass with his buggy. He was obliged to get out, tie his horse, take his wife up to the house, and get help to remove the stump ne- fore he could get up with the horse and buggy. This was the first tribulation which had come to him in his married life. Ile lived on Maine street in a log cabin which stood on what was then the high bhiff between Second and Third streets. Maine street not being graded at that time. Meantime Holmes had fully organized and equipped his party for the charivari. He was clerk for Mr. Robert Tillson and he had emptied

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his store of tin horns and cowbells, of which he carried a good stock. He had taken the tavern bell down from the roof of Brown's Tavern, and the bell was carried on the shoulders of two men while he walked behind with a string to the tongue and when the procession started, he rang it incessantly. It happened that I was attending a meeting in the Congregational church on Fourth street that evening.

When the procession started for Wood's house from Brown's Tavern with a great noise of voices and instruments, it broke up the meeting in the church and everybody ran out to learn the cause of the alarm. When the company got to Wood's house, they summoned him to appear and he came out when he found that he must, barefoot and somewhat scantily clad. It was a cool November night and Wood soon began to shiver, but he was kept standing there while a long and very serious admonition was given to him on the enormity of his conduet in marrying a girl so much younger than himself, and after discoursing about the matter in all its phases until even those who were comfortably dressed were pretty well chilled, they told him that they had reached the con- clusion that his offense deserved punishment and that they were going to take him down to the publie square and switch him home with black- berry switches. "Oh, please don't do that," he said, "I'll do anything that's honorable, only don't do that. I'll give you an order on Jake Gruell's for all the liquor you want," and begged piteously to be released. After they had suf- ficiently enjoyed his unhappiness, they took his order on Jake Gruell, the only saloon keeper in the town, assuring him that if Jake Gruell didn't honor his order they would soon return. They finished up the evening at Gruell's.

Brown's hotel was pulled down in 1837, and on its site the Quincy House was built. This was in all respects a first-class hotel. Indeed, there was no city in the West of the size of Quincy that could boast of so complete and well kept a hotel as that was for years under the manage- ment of Mr. and Mrs. William Monroe. There was at that time no hotel in St. Louis which was as comfortable and pleasant and afforded so at- tractive a home to travellers and residents as did the Quincy House of that period. Mrs. Monroe was a pattern landlady and personally looked after the comfort of the guests, especially of the ladies. Iler parlors were the social head- quarters of the town, and every evening were filled with a lively company of young and middle aged persons, over which she and her three hand- some daughters presided in a graceful way which made every body feel at home. It was my good fortune to be a boarder at this hotel for several years during its most prosperous period and to enjoy its excellent fare and social privileges.

About the year 1841 or '43 a company of young men of whom I was one, formed a Thes- pian society, which afforded considerable enter- tainment not only to those who took part in the plays which were presented upon its stage, but also to those in attendance upon the perform- ances, and I refer to it here not so much on ac- count of the society itself, but because the com- pany inehided in its membership a man who af- terwards became distinguished as an officer in the I'nited States army, where he achieved con- siderable distinction while he was in command of the soldiers stationed on the Pacific coast at a time when the boundary questions between Great Britain and this country seemed likely to involve the two countries in serious dispute if not in actual war. Later, when the War of the Rebel- lion broke out, being a native of Virginia, he joined the Confederate forces and achieved great distinction as a commanding general, and was one of the principal southern leaders in the great battle at Gettysburg, and who was known at that period as General George E. Pickett. George Piekett, then a boy, was a member of our Thes- pian elnb, and as we had no young ladies in our company, he and Lloyd Milner, another young, handsome, smooth-faced boy, were relied upon to perform the female characters in the plays, and they were most successful in their parts. Mrs. McFaddon, senior, in recent years would fre- quently talk to me of the times when she used to dress George Pickett and Lloyd Milner in ladies' apparel for their parts in the performances of the Thespian club. Pickett's residence in Quincy at that time came about in this way. He was very desirons to entering West Point from his native state, but in Virginia at that time there were so many applicants that he could not secure an appointment, and he came here to gain a residence in Ilinois, from which state there were but few applications, and where he hoped to secure his appointment to West Point. He had an unele residing here, Mr. Andrew Johnson, a very prominent lawyer in this state at that period. and under his guidance and direction, he pursued his studies until he had gained a resi- dence, completed his preparations and got his appointment to West Point, from which school he graduated with credit to himself and became distinguished both in the United States army and later in the Confederate army, as I have shown. The fact that Gon. Pickett resided in Quincy has not been generally known here or remembered.

In this connection, I cannot well forbear some further reference to Mr. Andrew Johnson, to whom I have just alluded as the uncle of Gen. Pickett. Ile was for some years a practicing lawyer in this state and was associated with the Hon. Archibald Williams, another distinguished lawyer, and this firm ranked with the best law-

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yers in the state. Iconsider my association with Mr. Johnson as one of the happiest ineidents of my life. He was a man highly educated not only in the law, but in all departments of literature. He was abont ten years older than myself and in all my intercourse with him, which was very in- timate and confidential, he treated me more as a younger brother than as a mere friend. His advice and suggestions to me as to my reading and study and as to the condnet of my life were of the greatest service to me at a period when I greatly needed the suggestions and advice of an older friend of larger experience than myself. I shall never cease to be grateful to him for the kindness shown me at a time when Iwas just coming into manhood.

Yon are familiar with Leonard Springs, but not many in these days can recall the man who gave his name to that beautiful locality. Capt. Luther Leonard was an officer in the United States army during the War of 1812. Tle was here before } came, and lived in a house stand- ing on the west side of the bottom road near what is now known as Homan's Falls. He owned quite a large body of superior land partly in the bottom and partly on the bluff. How he came possessed of this land. I do not know. He built a flouring mill on the site where the foundation of a mill still stands, which mill was driven by water from Leonard's Springs. He had a family of two daughters living with him. He was a man of fine appearance and somewhat striking military carriage. He was hospitable at his home and somewhat inclined to be convivial in his habits. When he came to town, as he did fre- quently, it was usually npon horseback, and as he always rode a fine horse with military equipments. he presented a most notable figure which would attract attention anywhere. He nsnally stopped at Brown's Tavern when he came to town, which was then kept by Mr. Root. and though he com- plained mich of the fare. he could find no better accommodations in Quiney For himself and horse. On one occasion he was surprised by an un- usually good dinner. As he took his seat at the dining table. Mr. Root, who usnally did the cary- ing at a side table, ealled ont to him. "Capt. Leonard, shall I send von a piece of the turkey ?" "Turkey. did you say turkey, Mr. Root ?" "Yes, sir," said Mr. Root. "what part shall I send von ?" "Oh, never mind about the part. Mr. Root. send me a big piece anywhere."

Capt. Leonard was not a good business man- ager. His army life had not given him business experience and his affairs fell into more or less disorder and he was obliged to part with his land piece after piece, until he had little or no prop- erty of any sort left. and in his later life might have lacked the means of support, had he not re- ceived an appointment from the government as

keeper of the United States arsenal at Water- town, near Boston, Massachusetts. Here he had a comfortable home until he died some time I think in the 50's.

One of the conspicuous and eecentrie charac- ters of the early days here was old Mike Dodd. He was a farmer living seven or eight miles in the comitry, a man of some excellent qualities, a shrewd observer, an emotional man subject to religions exeitement especially in campmeeting time, but withal, a slave to whiskey. When he came to town he always rode a large horse, which he called Boleaway. an intelligent animal who seemed to be careful of the old man especially when he had drunk too much and fallen off, as he frequently did. He was sometimes very noisy, but he never did any other harm so far as I know. The Rev. Mr. Turner made an effort to reform him. He met him one day soon after he had arrived in town in the forenoon and before he had drunk much if any, invited him to go home with him to dinner. Dodd accepted the invitation and went with him. Mr. Turner did not open the subject of temperance until after dinner, when he commenced a kindly, serious talk with him, endeavoring to induce him to fore- go the use of whiskey and to change his habits of life altogether. Ile listened to Mr. Turner attentively and patiently for some time, until during a slight panse in the conversation, he drew from his pocket a pint bottle of whiskey, saying to Mr. Turner, "Parson, talking is pretty dry work. Suppose you take something." Mr. Turner made no further effort to reform him.

Upon one occasion Mr. Archibald Williams. who was then a candidate for the legislature. made a political speech which was literally a stump speech. for it was made from a stump which stood in front of the old log court house. Mr. Williams was not a very handsome man. and his large mouth was a noticeable feature. He was an impressive speaker and his arguments upon this orcasion commanded the closest at- tention of his listeners. When he had finished and stepped down from the stinp. old Mike Dodd, who had been lying on the grass in the outside circle, raised himself up and called out at the top of his voice, "Archie, Archie. I want to borrow your mouth next spring to eat lettuee with."

I went into the old log court house one morning to take there for Judge Snow's use the record books and other papers required for the day, and when I had deposited them upon the clerk's table, I observed three men sitting by the fire-place before an open fire and Iwent over and joined them. They were Indge Richard M. Young, then indge of this circuit. a farmer named Weaver Potter, who was the largest man in the connty. and old Mike Dodd. Mike Dodd was talking as

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I came up and saying to the judge: "Judge, I reckon that we three fellows are about the big- gest fellows in our way in this county." "IIow do you make that out, Mr. Dodd?" inquired the judge. "Well," said he, "You are the biggest judge, for there ain't nary other, and Potter's the biggest man, and if you don't believe it, you can weigh him, and Mike Dodd's the biggest fool."

I live in that part of the city known as Nevin's addition to Quiney. The original piece of ground now covered by that addition contained 120 acres, bounded by Twelfth street. Broadway. Eighteenth street and what was then known as New Jersey street. When I came here, this was Robert Tillson's farm. About three-quarters of it was originally prairie land, and about one- quarter of it lying along Twelfth street was heavily timbered. A few of the original trees still remain, one tree standing upon my ground is an original forest tree, and several upon the McFaddon place are original trees, and there are perhaps two or three of the old trees standing upon the publie school ground near Twelfth street.

Mr. John Tillson, Sr., a brother of Mr. Robert Tillson, the owner of this property, holding in- timate relations with the New York & Illinois Land Co., a New York organization formed for the purpose of dealing in Illinois lands, or act- ing for his brother. Robert, sold to that company this 120 acres for $30,000. This was at a time when speculation was rife and when great antici- pations were indulged in as to the future of Quiney, but this was a most extravagant priee for the times; instead of advancing in value it declined in price, and the land company was never able to sell it at near the price which they paid for it. Sometime about the year 1850, the New York company, having sold most of their lands through the state. were about to dissolve their organization : but they had this, their most valuable tract, upon their hands and could not dispose of it in bulk, so they dealt with it in this way. They had a surveyor draw a plat of it in New York, dividing it into lots of two aeres each as nearly as possible, and opening only two streets through it, Maine and Hampshire. Ver- mont street and the cross streets were opened later by the city authority. They then put the numbers on the lots in a hat and distributed them by lot to the individual stockholders of the com- pany, and then wound up the corporation. The individual stockholders to whom the lots fell de- sired to sell them at once and placed them in the hands of different land agents here for sale upon the best terms which could be obtained. The lots were large and desirable and as a rule were of- fered at very reasonable prices and soon found purchasers.

I have thought it might interest you to know how Nevin's addition came to be subdivided and sold in such large lots. Some of the lots along Twelfth street and Broadway were sub-divided by the purchasers and sold in smaller lots.

The address delivered by Col. Chauncey H. Castle was as follows :

Fpon searching, I find in the "History of Adams County." published in 1879, much con- cerning it, and from which I quote largely ; and there is to be found a great deal more upon the subject that is very interesting.

By act of the legislature of the state of Illinois, approved January 13, 1825, the county of Adams was formed by taking a part each out of Pike and Fulton counties. By the same act, commission- ers were appointed to "locate the seat of justice for the future accommodation and convenience of the people."

On April 30th, two of the three commissioners came to the "town site," as Quincy was then called, prepared to locate the county seat. They came determined to place it at the geographical center of the county. and procured Willard Keyes, who was known to be a skillful land hunter, as guide.

Mr. Keyes, from some cause not fully ex- plained, led them into the bogs and quagmires of Mill Creek, where they floundered about for a whole day and at nightfall were obliged to return to the town site for shelter.

By the following morning the commissioners had changed their minds and forming a proces- sion composed of three-fourths of the male popu- lation of the town site, proceeded to the spot now known as Washington Square, and halting near where the statue of Governor John Wood now stands, drove their stake into the ground and officially annonneed that the Northwest Quarter of Section 2, Town 2 South, Range 9 West, of the Fourth Principal Meridian, was the county seat of Adams county, and placing their hands upon the stake, named the place Quiney-seven- ty-eight years ago to-day.

At the time of the establishment of the county seat at Quiney. there were present. of the people composing the town, Willard Keyes, Jeremiah Rose and John Dronllard: John Wood, the other one-fourth of the population, being absent on a business trip to St. Louis.

During the spring of 1839, the towns of Colum- bus and Payson were incorporated and Columbus being situated near the geographical eenter of the county upon the southeastern borders of a large, fertile prairie, and numbering among its inhabitants many men of skill. ability and en- terprise, promptly began an agitation for re- moval of the county seat from Quincy to that town, upon the ground that the location at Qniney, as made, was not for "the accommoda-

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tion and convenience of the people," as contem- plated by the law under which the commissioners authorized to locate were appointed.

The principal argument used in favor of Columbus, in the bitter contest that was waged, was the geographical one.

Abram Jonas, E. Il. Buckley, Wesley D. Me- Cann, Willard Graves, (who was my uncle, and my father's business partner), and James A. Bell. were among the active men of the time, resi- dents of Columbia, who took leading parts in the interests of the town, all of whom I afterward knew well, and most of whom many of you know.

The "Columbus Advocate" was printed in Columbus at that time in aid of its contest. Abram Jonas was supposed to be the chief power behind it, although another was the editor.

Against a combination of conditions and such a group of men as I have named, backed by al- most the entire population of three-fourths of the area of the county, covering all lying east of Mill Creek, the good people of Quincy soon discerned that they were engaged in a contest that would require their most skillful and ener- getie efforts.

A district campaign was inaugurated and many speeches were made by the representatives of both parties in every school house and other available meeting place in the county.

The election upon the question of removal of the county seat was held on August 2, 1841, and Columbus triumphed, as shown by the following official certificate of two justices of the peace, one representing each contestant :

"Abstract of the poll books of an election held in the county of Adams and state of Illinois, on Monday, the 2nd day of August, in the year of our Lord. 1841. Columbus had 16,036 votes for county seat. Quincy had 1,545 votes for county seat. (Signed) Henry Asbury. (Seal) W. D. McGann. (Seal)

This, however, by no means settled the contro- versy ; a ery of fraud in the vote was raised by the Quincy people. The matter was taken to the courts and ultimately into the legislature of the state, where it remained in one form or another for nearly six years; (see "History ofAdams county," pages 285 to 295), during which time the Eastern portion of the county was separated from Adams county under the name of Marquet and, later on, the name was changed to Highland, of which in each case, Columbus was the county seat.

From the new county, E. II. Buckley was sent as representative to the state legislature, where he did valiant and efficient service in behalf of his constituents: while the Hon. Nehemiah Bush- nell was the chief counsel of the new county in the courts.

The new county never became thoroughly or- ganized under either name and in consequence of the unsettled conditions, the inhabitants for several years, between 1841 and 1847. escaped general taxation.

The "Camp Point Journal" of March 7, 1900, published a communication from my brother, HIenry A. Castle, giving an account of two news- papers recently found that were printed in Columbus in 1842.

The same issue of the Camp Point Journal publishes a communication from the Ilon. Thomas Bailey upon the "County Seat War" of 1841, wherein it is stated, that the fact that Quincy fenced Washington Park, which had been in common use as a camping ground for the people of the county for so many years, was a prime factor in favor of Columbus in the contest, and that 200 votes were lost by Quincy because of it. Also that two of the three county com- missioners favored contesting the election, while the other, Col. George Smith, of Columbus, op- posed it.

An appeal was taken to Judge Douglas of the circuit court, who decided that the act being a special act, and there no provision for contesting, it could not be done. It looked for a time as if Columbus might win.

I have asked Dr. J. F. Durant. who, at the time of the contest, was ten or twelve years of age, and living in Columbus, as to his recollection, and his reply is that he does not clearly remem- ber the many incidents of the time. He says, "I remember that Mr. Graves made all of us boys vote."

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Past and present of the city of Quincy and Adams County, Illinois, Part 46

Author: Collins, William H. (William Hertzog), 1831-1910; Perry, Cicero F., 1855- [from old catalog] joint author; Tillson, John, 1825-1892. History of the city of Quincy, Illinois. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1228

Author: Collins, William H. (William Hertzog), 1831-1910; Perry, Cicero F., 1855- [from old catalog] joint author; Tillson, John, 1825-1892. History of the city of Quincy, Illinois. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, S. J. Clarke Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1228