USA > Illinois > Cook County > Chicago > Stories and sketches of Chicago; an interesting, entertaining, and instructive sketch history of the wonderful city "by the sea" > Part 5
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"TAKEN."
[8.4]
AMUSING AND OTHERWISE.
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Love Letters in the Early Days of Chicago .--- How Some of Them were "Franked" by the Aid of Mr. Wentworth .--- A Laughable Story.
Soon after my election to Con- gress-says Mr. Wentworth, who tells this story- a young man who had rendered me material service made me a call, and observed that postage was very high; in which sentiment I con- curred, and prom- ised to labor to reduceit. He then remarked that I would have the franking privil- ege; to which I assented, and promised to labor
to abolish it.
But all this did not seem to interest the young man, and 85]
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I was perplexed to know the drift of his conversation. Finally, with great embarrassment, he observed that he was engaged to a young lady at the East, and wanted to know if I could not frank his letters.
I explained that there was but one way to avoid the re- sponsibilities of the law; and that was for him to write his letters to me, and then I could write a letter to her, calling her attention to his; and she could have the same privilege. The correspondence took this form until the Congressman from her district asked me if, at the close of the session, I was going home by the way of his district.
I did not comprehend him until he stated that he was well acquainted in the family of the lady with whom I had been corresponding, and suggested that if I was going to be married before the next session, it would be pleasant tor us to board at the same house!
This put a new phase upon my way of dodging an abuse of the franking privilege, and I wrote to my constituent that he must bring his courtship to a close, and he did so.
Four letters from him and three from her covered the transaction, and I stand indebted to this day to the " con- science fund" of the Post-office Department for $1.75. But this was a very insignificant sum to pay for the se- curing of a good Yankee girl to the West in those days.
But every time anyone speaks to me about the corrup- tions and defalcations among public men of the present day, I see " Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin " written on the wall! I think of that $1.75, and say nothing.
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AMUSING AND OTHERWISE.
How the Yankee Clock-Peddlers Flanked an Early Chicago Law which Re- quired only One Man to Break, but Two to Keep.
Ex-Lieut. Gov. Bross is responsible for the following amusing incident in connection with " the law " and. " clock- peddlers:"
It must be borne in mind that the first settlements were made in the southern parts of the State, by immigrants prin- cipally from Virginia, Kentucky. and some of the other Southern States. Many of them had a sort of "holy hor- ror " for that ubiquitous, ever-trading sharper, "the live Yankee."
To guard against his depredations, a law was passed February 14th, 1823, duly enacting that " No person shall bring in and peddle or sell wooden clocks in this State, unless they first take out an extra license;" for which the price was $50.
The penalty for violating the law was fixed at the same sum. This "said sum " would make a sad inroad upon Jonathan's profits, and hence, under the impulses of his " higher law " notions of the value of money, he pursued his " chosen calling," without any regard to the majesty of the law in " such case made and provided."
He was of course arrested, and in due form arraigned be- fore the court of Fayette County.
The fact of " selling " was not denied, but it appeared in evidence that one Yankee brought them "in" across the river at St. Louis -- and another " sold " them.
The counsel for the prisoner-Wm. H. Brown, Esq .- contended that it must be shown that the prisoner did both " bring in and peddle or sell."
Jonathan, as usual, escaped and went on his way " ped- dling " and " selling" his wooden wares. We believe his " Yankeeship" has always, since the failure of that law to " head him off," been permitted to exercise his peculiar habits without "let or hindrance."
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Getting on in the World Without Money .--- An Amusing Story of a Scrip-ticket, "Good for a Drink " that Got Into a Contribution-box.
Mr. Wentworth is responsible for the following: In early days nearly every man in Chicago doing business was issuing his individual scrip, and the city abounded with little tickets, such as, " Good at our store for ten cents," " Good for a loaf of bread," "Good for a shave," "Good for a drink," etc., etc. When you went to trade, the trader would look over your tickets and select such as he could use to the best advantage.
The times for a while seemed very prosperous. We had a currency that was interchangeable, and for a time we suf- fered no inconvenience from it, except when we wanted some specie to pay for our postage. In those days it took twenty- five cents to send a letter east.
But after a while it was found out that men were over- issuing. The barber had outstanding too many shaves; the baker too many loaves of bread; the saloon-keeper too many drinks, etc.
Want of confidence became general. Each man became afraid to take the tickets of another. Some declined to redeem their tickets in any way, and some absconded. And people found out, as is always the case where there is a re- dundancy of paper money, that they had been extravagant, had bought things they did not need, and had run in debt for a larger amount than they were able to pay. Of course nearly every one failed and charged his failure upon Presi- dent Jackson's specie circular.
In after times I asked an old settler, who was a great growler in those days, what effect time had had upon his views of Gen. Jackson's circular. His reply was that Gen. Jackson had spoiled his being a great man. Said he, “I came to Chicago with nothing, failed for $100,000, and
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could have failed for a million if he had let the bubble burst in the natural way."
A single instance will illustrate to what various purposes those little tickets of indebtedness could be put. A boy had a ticket "Good for a drink." He dropped it into the church contribution box, and heard no more of it.
He told another boy, who did the same thing, with the same result. That boy told his sister, who told her mother, who told her husband, who deemed it his duty to tell the deacon!
Meanwhile the boys were putting in the tickets "Good for a drink," and telling the other boys to do the same.
The deacon, alive to all the responsibilities of his posi- tion, for the first time in his life entered a saloon; called the barkeeper one side and asked him to change a $1 scrip, well knowing he could not do so unless it were in liquor tickets.
The saloon-keeper was afraid to offer such tickets, and de- clined to make the change, until the deacon gave him a hint that although he did not stimulate himself he thought he could use the tickets.
" Then," said the deacon, "I have a curiosity to know the extent of the circulation of these tickets, and really wish you would put a private mark upon them and notify me when one returns."
Think of a deacon putting such currency into a contri- bution box! But he did it. and the boys put in some more.
On Monday afternoon the deacon was notified that one of his tickets had been redeemed. Oh, what a chance for a scandal case! Imagine that such a thing had happened in our day! Think of our enterprising news-gatherers calling upon a deacon and asking him what was the average time of a liquor-ticket's going from his church contribution box to a saloon!
With solemn tread the deacon made his way to his pastor's
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residence, and asked him what disposition he made of the various tickets taken from the contribution box.
The reply was that his wife assorted them, strung them upon the different strings, entered them upon a book, and gave the church credit as she used any of them.
" And do you say, my dear brother," asked the deacon, " that you have no knowledge of the particular uses to which these tickets have been put?"
" I do say so." said the pastor.
The deacon breathed freer. He had cleared his pastor, but I have no doubt he prayed, " May the Lord have mercy on his poor wife!"
The wife was called and her husband said, " The deacon wishes us to give an account of the proceeds of the contri- bution box." .
"Not exactly so, my dear sister," said the deacon, " but I wish to know for what purposes the liquor-tickets have been used."
She comprehended the matter at once and promptly re- plied. " Why. Deacon, did you want them? I never thought you were a drinking man! Now, as you didn't have the tickets. will you share with us the proceeds? Let us all take a drink!"
She rushed to her pantry, brought out a pitcher, with tumblers, and it was filled with-milk!
In making the change with the milkman his eyes had fallen upon these tickets, and he said he could use them. Thus throwing the liquor-tickets into the contribution box was but a repetition of the old adage, "Evil be thou my good." They had discharged all the functions of the modern greenback, even to furnishing a poorly-paid clergyman's children with milk.
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AMUSING AND OTHERWISE.
Chicago's Early Fiddler, Mark Beaubien.
One of the noted men who formed an essential factor in the extemporized enjoyments of early Chicago was Mr. Mark Beaubien. He was born in Detroit, Mich., in 1800, and was an eye-witness of Gen. Hull's surrender of the American army in 1812. He came to Chicago in 1826.
Judge Caton says of him: " He used to play the fiddle at our dances, and he played it in such a way as to set every heel and toe in the room in active motion. He would lift the sluggard from his seat and set him whirling over the floor like mad! If his playing was less artistic than that of Ole Bull, it was a thousand times more inspiring to those who are not educated up to a full appreciation of what would now create a furor in Chicago; but I will ven- ture the assertion that Mark's old fiddle would bring ten young men and women to their feet and send them through the mazes of the dance, while they would sit quietly through Ole Bull's best performance-pleased, no doubt, but not enthused so that they could not retain their seats."
Ex-Lieut. Gov. Bross, in alluding to old times, gets off the following on " Mark ": "Not satisfied with being al- ready chief ferryman, as well as a merchant, or with having experienced the clemency of the court, in the shape of a remittance of a fine of ten dollars, "assessed to him for a fracas " with John G. Hall, he also applied for and received a license to " keep a tavern," being charged therefor the moderate sum of six dollars. As an offset to these various evidences of favor, he well-nigh met with a worse fate than old Charon, for he was " ordered " to ferry the citizens of Cook County " from daylight in the morning until dark, without stopping." The reason for this stringent order, as given by Dr. Kimberly, was that Mark at the time kept two race horses, and he had such a passion for the sports of
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the turf that he would every day, if possible, get up a race with some of the Indian " bloods," and sadly neglect his duty to ferry the good citizens of Cook County free, accord- ing to the law in such case made and provided.
Mark Beaubien still lives, and at the recent " Old Set- tlers' Reception," it is said, fiddled the tunes of earler days while many of the "boys " of ye olden times danced as of yore.
Judge Caton's Chicago Bear Story.
Late in 1833 (says Judge Caton) a bear was reported in the skirt of timber along the South Branch, when George White's loud voice and bell-he was as black as night in a cavern, and his voice had the volume of a fog-horn. and he was recognized as the town-crier-summoned all to the chase. All the curs and hounds of high and low degree were mustered, with abundance of fire-arms of the best quality in the hands of those who knew well how to use them. Soon bruin was treed and despatched very near to where the Rock Island Depot now stands.
Then was the time when we chased the wolf over the prairies now within the city limits, and I know some that were of the party who pursued one right through the little hamlet and onto the floating ice near old Fort Dearborn. O, those were glorious times, when warm blood flowed rapidly no matter how low stood the mercury. Then in winter the Chicago River was our skating-rink and our race-course.
In those days young Caton and John Bates would oc- casionally skate up the south branch to "Hardscrabble," where Bridgeport is now located.
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The First Irishman in Chicago-His Picture as Painted by " Long John,"
The names of the voters in 1830, says Mr. Wentworth, indicate a large influx of the Anglo-Saxon race; but among them was one Irishman, probably the first who ever trod Chicago soil.
The first thought that occurred to me was, What could bring an Irishman out here all alone? Who was to help him celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Who was to attend his wake? His name was Michael Welch. What have our Irish Aldermen been thinking of, that they have never given us, in honor of their first settler, a Welch avenue, a Welch street, a Welch school-house, or a Welch fire-engine?
The next thought that occurred to me me was, What could he be doing out here all by himself? Now, what would an Irishman naturally do when he found himself here all all alone, hundreds of miles distant from any other Irishman ?
He was a bugler. He blew his horn. He was a dis- charged soldier, and, having faithfully served out his time, he stopped long enough to vote the straight Jackson ticket, and then joined Captain Jesse Brown's Rangers, and marched on to clear the Indians out of the way of his coming countrymen, who were already aroused by his bugle's blast, as his patron St. Patrick, centuries before, had cleared the snakes out of his way in the land of his na- tivity.
Captain Jesse Brown was a brother of the late Judge Thomas C. Brown, of our Supreme Court, and was author- ized by President Jackson to raise a company of men, who were called " Brown's Rangers," and was ordered to report to Gen. Stephen W. Kearney, on the Western frontier.
There is a prevailing impression that Irishmen never go anywhere except in squads. But the history of the Ameri- can Continent will prove that Irishmen have ventured as
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far alone upon hazardous explorations as any other men. But he dislikes to stay alone. Like the honey-bee, when he finds a good thing, he wants some others to come and help him enjoy it.
My original Congressional district extended north to the Wisconsin line, west to the Rock River Valley, south so as to embrace Princeton, LaSalle, Bloomington, Urbana, and Danville. I had to travel all over this district with a horse and buggy, and visit the sparse settlements. I often found an Irishman cultivating the soil alone. But when I made a second visit I found some more Irishmen there, or else the original one had gone.
Gov. Winthrop, of Boston, in his journal under date of 1642, tells us of one Darby Field, an Irishman, who could not rest contented after his landing in America until he had climbed to the top of the White Mountains. He was the first man to ascend Mount Washington, and when asked why he went, replied, "Merely to take a look at the coun- try!"
The official dispatches of one of the battles of the Mexi- can War commended the conduct of Private Sullivan, of one of our Chicago regiments. In the battle he had ad- vanced before his company, engaged in single combat with a Mexican officer, and killed him. I called President Polk's attention to the report, and asked for Sullivan's promotion. He referred the matter to the Adjutant General. Time passed along, and no appointment was sent to the Senate.
I called upon the Adjutant General, and he read me a letter from Sullivan's superior officer, commending his courage and general good conduct, but strongly protesting against his appointment as Lieutenant in the regular army, on account of his deficiency in West Point education.
I appealed to the President, and it did not take long to satisfy him that good fighting in war-time would counter-
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balance all deficiencies in education, and Sullivan was pro- moted. .
Some time after the close of the war, his father called upon me, said he had not heard from his son for a long time, and wanted me to find him.
I wrote to Washington, and received for answer that Sul- livan resigned his Lieutenancy at the close of the war. In- side the official letter was a note marked "private and un- official." "Tell Sullivan's father to read the news from Mexico. I inclose some scraps from a New Orleans news- paper, and the Col. Sullivan therein mentioned is reported to be the late Lieut. Sullivan of the regular army."
Some time afterward an officer of the army gave me the following account:
After the close of the war with Mexico, some of the officers were tarrying late at dinner, when Lieut. Sullivan entered and was saluted with " Will yon join us, Lieut. Sullivan ?"
"Col Sullivan, if you please, gentlemen," was the reply.
Whereupon one of the officers said: "It will not surprise us at all if you are Col. Sullivan. If your killing that Mexican was of so much account as to put you on an equality with us who have studied four years at West Point, and have seen considerable active service, a little personal favoritism might carry you still higher, and make you a Colonel. Why, Lieut. Sullivan, if you should kill another Mexican, those politicians at Washington would make you Commander-in-Chief!"
" Gentlemen," said Sullivan, " It is business that brings me here. Here is my commission as Colonel in the Mexican revolutionary army, and now you know my authority. And now, here's my business in this paper, which I will read." He then read a paper authorizing and requesting him to employ a competent engineer upon his staff.
The officers reminded him that they knew nothing of the face of the Mexican country, had no maps, knew not his route, and in- sisted that they could be of no service to him.
" You do not understand me, gentlemen," replied Sullivan; "it is not for what I am going to do that I want any of your assist- ance. I only want you to map it out after I have done it. You
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are always talking about your military school, and what you have studied, and the like of you will be at school hereafter, and they will want to study Sullivan's Route to the Capital of Mexico; and if ever I should be Emperor, whom should I want for Secretary of War but my own Engineer ?"
Sullivan set out upon his march with no one to map his route. He penetrated forests where no man had ever been
before. He came out of forests where men least expected him. He appeared to be everywhere, and the inhabitants could make no calculation where he was not. They either all joined him, or fled before him. He had everything his own way, until, in his efforts to join the main army, he found himself in the fortified country. Here he missed his engineer and his military education. He was wounded, taken prisoner, marched into the Plaza, a bullet pierced his heart, and that was the last of Sullivan. But it just took a Chicago Irish boy to teach the Emperor Maximilian how to die the death of a soldier some twenty years afterward; and Sullivan had as much right in Mexico as Maximilian.
Cook County and Chicago in 1831-Sketched by Ex-Lieut. Gov. Bross.
The county of Cook, in 1831 (says Gov. Bross), embraced all the territory now included in the counties of Lake, Mc- Henry, Dupage, Will, and Iroquois.
At that time Fort Dearborn was occupied by two com- panies of United States infantry, under the command of Major Fowle.
The resident citizens were Mr. Elijah Wentworth and family, occupying a house partly log and partly frame, owned by Mr. James Kinzie.
Mr. W. kept a tavern, the best in Chicago.
In the vicinity of this tavern resided Mr. James Kinzie and family, Mr. William See and family, Mr. Alexander
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Robinson and family (afterward living on the Desplaines, two miles north of River Park, where he died only a few years ago), and Mr. Robert A. Kinzie, who had a store com- posed of dry goods-a large portion of them Indian goods- groceries, etc.
Across the North Branch of the Chicago River, and nearly opposite Mr. Wentworth's tavern, resided Mr. Sam- uel Miller and family, and with them Mr. John Miller, a brother. Mr. Miller also kept tavern. On the east side of the South Branch, and immediately above the junction with the North Branch, resided Mr. Mark Beaubien and family, who also kept tavern; and a short distance above him, on the South Branch, resided a Mr. Bourisso, an Indian trader.
Between Mark Beaubien's tavern and Fort Dearborn there were no houses, except a small log cabin, near the foot of Dearborn street, and used as an Indian trading house.
Near the garrison, and immediately south, on the prop- erty sold by James H. Collins, Esq., to the Illinois Central Railroad Company, was the residence of J. B. Beaubien and family, who was connected with the American Fur Com- pany in the Indian trade. He had near his residence a store, containing such goods as were suitable to the busi- ness. A short distance south of him on the lake was a house, then unoccupied.
On the north side of the river, and immediately opposite the garrison, stood the old " Kinzie House," as it was com- monly called, which was also then unoccupied, and in a very dilapidated state.
A short distance above, on the main branch of the river, and on the ground since occupied by the Chicago and Ga- lena Railroad Company, stood what had been the Govern- ment Agency house, and known to the "oldest inhabitant"
7
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as "Cobweb Castle." That was then unoccupied, Dr. Wol- cott, the Government Agent, having died the fall before.
In its vicinity were several small log buildings for the accommodation of the blacksmith, interpreter, and others connected with the Agency. The blacksmith then occupy- ing one of the buildings was a Mr. Magee, who afterward lived in Dupage County.
Billy Caldwell, the principal chief of the Ottawa, Potta- watomie, and Chippewa Indians, occupied another. He was then interpreter for the Agency.
Col. Thomas J. V. Owen, who had been, the winter be- fore, appointed to succeed the late Dr. Wolcott, had not then taken up his residence in Chicago; G. Kercheval, who was then Sub-Agent, was a resident.
Dr. E. Harmon and James Harrington had taken up their residence, and were making claims on the lake shore.
Here we have some dozen families in the spring of 1831, constituting, with the officers and soldiers in the fort, the entire population of Chicago.
In June following, the garrison, by order of the Secretary of War, was abandoned by the troops, and left in charge of Col. T. J. V. Owen, the Government Agent of the Ottawa, Pottawatomie, and Chippewa Indians; and by September the fort, together with the old Kinzie House and the one on the lake shore (formerly vacant), were filled with immi- grant families.
In the latter part of September the payment of the In- dian annuities was made by Col. Owen. There were pres- ent on that occasion about four thousand Indians, and among them was a deputation of eight Sauk and Fox In- dians, belonging to the band of the celebrated Black Hawk.
Their object was to induce the Ottawas, Pottawatomies, and Chippewas to join them in their contemplated invasion
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of the Rock River country, and wrest it from the whites, who, they alleged, had obtained it fraudulently.
Had it not been for the influence of Billy Caldwell, little doubt was entertained of the success of their mission. Cald- well was well advised of the weakness of the Indians and the strength of the Government, and by his influence and representations prevented the alliance.
After . the payment, a scene of drunkenness, debauchery, and violence occurred, such as is never witnessed except at an Indian payment.
During the fall, in the month of November, the schooner Marengo, belonging to Oliver Newberry, of Detroit, arrived. She encountered a heavy gale on Lake Michigan, which was just subsiding on her arrival.
There being no harbor, she anchored out in the lake, more than half a mile from the shore, nearly in front of the fort, where she remained until the lake became suffi- ciently calm to unload. This could only be done by the aid of small boats, crossing the bar at the mouth of the river, which then emptied into the lake near the foot of Randolph street.
The Marengo was commanded by Captain Stewart, a veteran sailor who had long been in the employment of Mr. Newberry. The Telegraph, which arrived in July, and the Marengo were the only arrivals during the season, except the one that transported the troops to Green Bay.
The principal part of the population of Chicago during the winter of 1831-2 occupied the quarters in the garrison, and were ministered to, in the way of creature comforts, by that estimable citizen, Geo. W. Dole, who was the only merchant then in Chicago, except Mr. R. A. Kenzie at " Wolf Point," which was the name given to the " settle- ment" at the junction of the North and South Branches.
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