USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > Evansville > A history of Evansville and Vanderburgh County, Indiana : a complete and concise account from the earliest times to the present, embracing reminiscences of the pioneers and biographical sketches of the men who have been leaders in commercial and other enterprises > Part 12
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Lamphear, Jerome, merchant, father of De Witt Lamphear of our city.
Lockwood, John M., merchant on small scale, but now the leading banker of Mt. Vernon.
Laey, Wm., merchant, relative of the Lewises of this city, moved to Cynthiana and died.
Lister, Samuel, $6,300.
Lyon, Patrick, farmer below town, $3,250.
9
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
Laughlin, Alex & Co., represented by Samnel Orr, at that time manager in the iron business and pork packer, $3,000.
Long, Simon, bayou farmer, $3,150.
Lofton, Siner, colored, $1,050; servant of General Robert M. Evans, who gave her a full lot, corner Third and Walnut, as a gift for kind services rendered during his life.
Lewis, Wm. and James, leading merchants and property holders.
Maidlow, E., $1,968 ; leading farmer in Seott township.
Maidlow, John S., $1,038 ; also farmer.
McGill, John H., leading merchant, $5,000.
Malone, Samuel, river captain, $607.
Malone, S. & S., $5,000.
Mathena, Morris, river pilot, $1,374.
Mitchell, John, first president of the Old National bank, $22,000.
McCallister, Wm. E., $2,050.
McCallister, John C., $3,100.
Mills, Brackett, for many years a contractor and carpenter, but having met with a severe accident, a fall, while building Carpenter's block, he was elected magistrate during the remainder of his life.
Miller, Daniel, sheriff of county, father of Calhoun Miller, river pilot at the present time.
Mansell, Samuel, owned large portion city wharf at that time, after- wards sold to Dr. L. Bray and others; has many relatives now living.
McCallister, Clar, $4,240.
Morrison, Wm., merchant tailor, prominent business man, $370.
McKnitt, Wm., then sexton at cemetery.
Newman, Jonathan, $1,000.
Nightingale, Robert, $1,000; Jesse Nightingale, his brother, prom- inent business men.
Nelson, Hiram, prominent merchant and auctioneer, $600.
Negley, David, then owned the Negley mill, a great place of resort for grain men.
Olmstead, Samuel, associated judge, $2,900.
Onyet, William, prominent farmer, moved to California.
Onyet, Thomas and John, prominent farmers.
Parrett, Robert, father of Judge Parrett and others, proprietor of Parrett's addition to the city of Evansville, Ind .; prominent Metho- dist divine, preached throughout the country.
Rowley & Sherwood, merchants, $3,000.
Royston, Barney, then treasurer of Vanderburgh county and mer- chant, $8,000 ; grandfather of the present Barney Royston.
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
Shanklin, John, leading merchant, father of the present editor of the Courier, $54,305.
Sherwood, Marcus, prominent hotel man and real estate owner, father of the present Wm. Sherwood, $16,200.
Stinson, John M., very large property holder, once owner of what is now known as the southern enlargement of Evansville, Ind.
Stinson, Thomas, lately deceased.
Stinson, Wm. H. brother of Thomas Stinson.
Sinzich, Jacob, father of all the Sinzichs that have left the city ; his wife was founder of the present orphan's asylum.
Scantlin, James, father of Thomas and James Scantlin, now of this city, tinner by trade, $1,000.
Scantlin, Thomas, now of this city.
Scott, Grandel, farmer near town, $1,300.
Satterlee, Varney, wagon and carriage maker ; he built for the pres- ent Thomas Scantlin the first buggy ever built in this city.
Stevens, Joshna, an extensive farmer of Stringtown; removed to California early in the forties and died.
Stevens, Silas, son-in-law of General Evans, father of the present Mrs. James Scantlin, of this city. He was the first saddle manufac- turer of Evansville, Ind.
Townsend, Leander, $2,000.
Thorn, Clinton, one of the Journal's attaches, $6,620.
Thurston, Wm. & Co., dry goods merchant, moved to Cincinnati, was the original proprietor of the Burnett house.
Trafton, Dr., one of the leading physicians of this country.
Tupman, James, farmer near town, $1,200 ..
Vann, John A. and Jesse L. The present 'Squire Vann is a de- scendant of one of these brothers and occupies the same old farm in Knight township.
Voorhees, Charles, civil engineer, laid out the Wabash and Erie canal, completed in 1837, $2,696.
Viele, Charles, of our city, a young man then, clerk for A. B. Carpenter & Co.
Wood, Luke, prominent farmer near city, $9,975.
Warner, Alanson, stage contractor from Evansville to Vincennes, at that time a very prominent man in the undertakings for the pros- perity of Evansville, afterwards composed the firm of Sctchell & Warner, livery stable men.
BOOK THREE.
BOOK THREE.
CHAPTER XI.
COUNTY OFFICIALS.
County Offices-Complete List of County Officials-Work of the First Meeting of the First Board of County Commissioners-Justices of the Peace as County Commissioners-County Agent-State Repre- sentatives and Senators.
Recurring to the period of the formation of Vanderburgh county under the act of the legislature passed Jannary 7, 1818, a condensed history of the various county offices and the list of all the county of- ficials to date is here presented.
The first board of commissioners for Vanderburgh county met for the first time March 9, 1818, and consisted of James Anthony, Da- vid Brumfield and George Surkles. All that was done at that meet- ing was to organize the board.
They met the following day and divided the county into two town- ships. Pigeon township of Warrick county had previously coutained all of that territory of the new county of Vanderburgh. The com- missioners at this meeting also passed an order for the election of two justices of the peace, and declared Hugh McGary's warehouse a pub- lic warehouse, and inspectors for the same were appointed. Over- seers of the poor, superintendents of school districts, and tax asses- sors were also appointed.
The opening of the first public highway into the country under the law was provided for by the appointment of Mathias Whetstone, Pat- rick Calvert and James Patton as road viewers. Some of the commis- sioners, viz., Arthur Harbison, John Stephenson and John Allen, ap- pointed by the legislature to fix the seat of justice of the new county, failing to arrive at this meeting, the vacancies occasioned thereby were
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
filled by the county commissioners appointing the following named gentlemen: Thomas E. Casselberry, Wilson Bullett and Elias Bark- er. These three acted in conjunction with Archibald Scott and Wm. Hargrove, the latter two also having been appointed by the legisla- ture.
The following day, March 11, these state officials came before the board of county commissioners and located the seat of justice, as else- where described. At this meeting the county commissioners proceeded to appoint a county agent and treasurer, and made the following al- lowances, viz., Archibald Scott, $21.00; Wm. Hargrove, $15.00; Wil- son Bullett, $9.00; Elias Barker, $9.00; Thomas E. Casselberry $6.00. The board then adjourned until May 11, 1818.
These gentlemen served as county commissioners until the legislature of 1823-24, passed a law providing that the justices of the peace in the county should organize and perform the duties of county commission- ers. Before this law went into operation in Vanderburgh county, how- ever, the following gentlemen served as county commissioners, viz., . Benjamin MeNew, Wm. Olmstead, Jay Moorehouse, D. F. Goldsmith Kirby Armstrong.
The first meeting of the board of justices to transact county busi- ness was held on the second Monday in September, 1824, at the court- honse. The members of board were as follows:
John Connor, president; Daniel Miller, Leon F. Ragon, Benjamin F. Parker, Eli Sherwood, William Bingham and James Kirkpatrick.
This board continued unchanged in its personnel until the next elec- tion, in September, 1828, when Nathan Rowley was elected in the place of John Connor, whose term of office had expired. At the end of a year's service Esquire Rowley was succeeded by James Ross, Esq., who in return was succeeded in 1830 by Esquire Rowley.
The legislature soon saw the impracticability of trying to do the business of the county in this manner, the justices of the peace having their court duties to attend to. Therefore in 1831, provision was made by law for the return to the plan of having a regular board of county commissioners in the state, and on the first Monday in September, 1831, the following were appointed county commissioners under the act of the legislature, viz .: James Ross, John B. Stinson and Amos Clark. They adopted a scroll as a seal and proceeded to business.
Those who have since served as commissioners of the county are as follows: C. D. Bourne, J. B. Stinson, Wm. R. Barker, Everton Ken- nerley, D. D. Grimes, Edmund Maidlow, Ezekial Saunders, John Bur- tis, Leroy Calvert, Alanson Warner, Alexander Maddux, Vicissimus
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
K. Phar, Edward Hopkins, Thomas F. Stockwell, Simpson Ritchie, Willard Carpenter, Everton Kennerley, Ira P. Grainger, Michael P. Jones, Simeon Long, Jr., Edward Maidlow, Cassimer Schlamp, (ap- pointed in 1853 to fill the vacancy oeeasioned by the death of Alanson Warner.)
William Pruitt, John Rheinlander, Michael Mentzer, James Neal, (appointed in 1855 to fill the vaeaney occasioned by the resignation of J. Rheinlander.)
Robert Parrett, John Hogue, (appointed in 1860 to fill the vacancy oeeasioned by the death of Robert Parrett.)
M. W. Foster, John Hogue, Charles Knowles, Philip Deeker, Henry W. Hawkins, John Brunb, Bernard Nnrre, Joseph B. Parrett, Thomas Bower, Samuel Barker, (appointed in 1869 to fill the vacancy eaused by the resignation of H. W. Hawkins.)
James Erskine, Clark Cody, George Peva, A. A. Swope, Samuel Barker, James D. Fair, Benjamin Young, Christian Hedderich, Jacob . Bennighof, John Laval, Wm. Dean, (appointed in 1882, to fill the vaeancy occasioned by the resignation of John Laval.)
Henry Brommelhouse, Henry Mesker, Christian Wunderlich, Jas. L. King, Herman Klamer, Samnel McDonald, William Elliott, Joseph Gibson, Wm. E. Bower, J. F. Saunders, Wm. Bower, Henry Boeke, Simon Hartig, Charles Lindenschmidt, John G. Paine.
COUNTY TREASURERS.
The first treasurer of the county was George W. Jacobs, who was appointed by the county commissioners, March 10, 1818. His bonds- men were General Robert M. Evans and Luke Wood. He was re- appointed regularly, serving until his death. He was succeeded by Major Alanson Warner, who was appointed January 21, 1829. War- ner served one year and was sueceeded by Alexander Johnson, who served during 1830, but in the following year Major Warner was again appointed, and served until 1841, except during the four years from 1833 to 1839, inclusive, when John M. Lockwood held the office. It should be borne in mind that there were no salaries of any conse- quence attached to the offices in those days, and it was a common oc- currence for citizens voluntarily to quit and ask to be relieved from duty, and it was equally voluntary on the part of those who readily consented to fill their places out of pure public spirit.
B. Royston, by appointment and election, served from September,
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
1841, to March, 1845. From this time on the county treasurer began to receive some remuneration for his services, and great interest was taken in the elections. The following citizens served in sneeession: Robert W. Dunbar, 1845 to 1854; Theodore Vennemann, 1854 to 1858; Leroy Calvert, 1862 to 1874; John Rheinlander, 1864 to 1866; F. Lunkenheimer, 1866 to 1871; Wm. Warren, Jr., 1371 to 1875; Emil Rahm, 1875 to 1879; Thomas P. Britton, 1879 to 1883; John Y. Hayes, 1883 to 1887; August Leich, 1887 to 1891; James F. Saun- ders, 1891 to 1895; Charles F. H. Laval, 1895 to 1899.
The death of Mr. Britton in July, 1883, caused a vacancy which was filled by the appointment of his deputy, Martin Mann, Jr., who served until the next election.
COUNTY AUDITORS.
The first auditor of Vanderburgh county was James McJohnson. He was appointed in August, 1841, and resigned in January, 1843. His successor was H. C. Gwathmey, who also resigned in June follow- ing his appointment. Wm. H. Walker was appointed in 1842 and was elected the following year, his own successor. He continued to hold the office until March, 1862, since which time it has been held by the following gentlemen: Vietor Bisch, from 1862 to 1870; Philip Decker, from 1870 to 1874; Joseph J. Reitz, from 1874 to 1878; Wm. Warren, Jr., from 1878 to 1882; Charles F. Yeager, from 1882 to 1886; James D. Parvin, from 1886 to 1894; Louis D. Legler, from 1894 to 1898.
It will be noticed by comparison of dates that this office is of more recent origin than the other county offices, and the fact that several of the first auditors of the county resigned before the expiration of their terms would indicate that the pay was but small in those days. Wm. H. Walker must have made a living in the office as he held it for a period of about nineteen years. Victor Biseh made perhaps more money out of the office, or at least through its medium, than any of his predecessors. Like all places of public trust, in later years it grew to be an office that paid the incumbent very well, as the emoluments increased, through the system of professional politics.
However, under an act of the legislature of 1895, which regulated the salary of auditors, it was regarded as doubtful whether it would prove a position that would be sought after by politicians. The legislatures of 1891 and 1893 also passed aets affecting the salary of
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
the office more or less. These acts, it may now be said, have not ma- terially endangered the emoluments derived from the office.
COUNTY AGENT.
This is an office that was created in March, 1818, and may have served a temporary purpose but the people became convinced that it was a sinecure and it was abolished in 1852. In an early day the bus- iness of "County Agent" was to sell property belonging to the county, make purchases for the use of the county. execute papers in its behalf, etc., and report his doings to the county commissioners. In other words, he did practically all of the work for the board of county com- missioners, a goodly portion of which the county auditor has perform- ed since the office of "County Agent" was abolished. The first "Coun- ty Agent" was Daniel Miller, who was appointed March 10, 1818. His bondsmen were Wm. Wagnon and Wm. R. McGary. His suc- cessors in their order were: Harley B. Chandler, Amos Clark, James Lockhart, Jacob Zimmerman, Levi Price, Jay Moorehouse, and oth- ers who were lured to do duty temporarily. The last to hold the po- sition regularly was the Hon. Thomas E. Garvin, who made his final report and surrendered his trust in December, 1852, the legislature having abolished the office in the month of May preceeding. When the new state constitution was adopted, the duties of the office, by that act of the legislature, were merged into the auditor's office.
COUNTY RECORDER.
The list of the citizens who have held this office is as follows, in the order named: Hugh McGary, 1818 to 1821; W. M. Lewis, 1821 to 1832; W. T. Jones, 1832 to 1836; C. D. Bourne, 1836 to 1843; S. T. Jenkins, 1843 to 1852; George H. Todd, May to November, 1852; Christian Bippus, 1852 to 1856; John Farrell, 1856 to 1860; F. Lun- kenheimer, 1860 to 1864; C. Tomhemelt, 1864 to 1872; S. B. Sansom, 1872 to 1880; Charles T. Jenkins, 1880 to 1884; Louis Sihler, 1884 to 1890; Otto Durre, January to November, 1890; (appointed on the death of Mr. Sihler;) Paul DeKress, 1890 to 1894; Ed H. Rasch, 1894 to 1898.
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
COUNTY CLERK.
The office of county clerk was held by Hugh McGary the same years that he acted as county recorder, viz., from 1818 to 1821, in- clusive. The clerks then came in the following order: James W. Jones, 1822 to 1836; C. D. Bourne, 1836 to 1843; Samuel T. Jenkins, 1843 to 1852; Ben Stinson, May to November, 1852; Jacob Lunken- heimer, 1852 to 1857; Louis Richter, 1857 to 1864; Blythe Hynes, 1864 to 1868; Soren Sorenson, 1868 to 1876; Jesse W. Walker, 1876, to 1892; Charles F. Boepple, 1892 to 1896; Charles Sihler, 1896 to 1900.
COUNTY SHERIFFS.
The sheriff's in the county in their order were as follows: John B. Stinson, 1818; Hazael Putnam, August 24th, 1818; Alanson Warner, 1822; James Newman, 1824; Alanson Warner, February, 1827; Daniel Miller, September, 1827, (Warner having been elected and having turned the office of sheriff over to Daniel Miller); Levi Price, 1831; Edward Hopkins, 1834; Daniel Miller, 1835; Thomas F. Stockwell, 1839; Wm. W. Walker, 1843; John Echols, 1847; John S. Terry, 1849; John S. Gavitt, 1853; John B. Hall, 1857; John S. Gavitt, 1859; Geo. Wolflin, 1863; Robert Early, Angust, 1865; Alex Darling, October, 1865; Jacob H. Miller, 1867; Adolph Pfafflin, 1870; Christ Wunder- lich, 1874; J. A. Lemcke, 1878; Thomas Kerth, 1880; Charles Schaum, 1884; Frank Pritchett, 1888; Andrew Richardt, 1892; Charles G. Cov- ert, 1894 to 1898.
COUNTY SURVEYORS.
The records of this office have been poorly kept. The first we find on record is Joseph M. McDowell, June 17th, 1819. Then there is a jump of many years, during which time it seems that everybody did their own surveying, or occasionally employed a surveyor to run lines or drive stakes. It seems that there was not a competent surveyor in the country until the time of George G. Olmstead, who served until 1853. Azariah Whittlesey, 1855; James W. Saunders, 1856; J. R. Frick, 1860; James D. Sannders, 1862; S. C. Rogers, 1864; Charles B. Bateman, 1870; August Pfafflin, 1872; James D. Saunders, 1876;
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
Robert S. Cowan, 1880; George W. Rank, 1882; George W. Saunders, 1884; Franklin Sauers, 1886; August Pfafflin, 1888; Ira A. Fairchilds, 1890; C. C. Genung, 1892; Fred. R. Puder, 1896.
COUNTY CORONERS.
Here is a list of the coroners of the county: Lewis Tackett, August 24th, 1818; Alanson Warner, September, 1819; Daniel Avery, 1822; Jesse C. Doom, 1824; Alanson . Warner, 1825; John Shaver, 1827; David H. Stevens, 1829; Seth Fairchild, 1831; Z B. Aydelott, 1836; Adrain Young, 1838; Seth Fairchild, 1842; Lewis Howes, 1844; John Cupples, 1847; Allen C. Hallock, 1849; John Frible, 1851; James G. Hatehett, 1857; John Wayman, 1859; George A. Fairchild, 1862; John Beschman, 1864; Samuel P. Havlin, 1866; George F. Sauer, 1868; Robert Smith, 1872; George F. Sauer, 1874; Fred Watsjer, 1878; John B. Hermeling, 1880; Dr. Elijah E. Carter, 1882; Fred Wahnsiedler, 1884; Alfred Andrews, 1888; Charles P. Beard, 1892; Charles Johann, 1894 to 1898.
REPRESENTATIVES IN THE LEGISLATURE.
Below is a complete list of our representatives in the state legisla- ture: Hugh M. Donague, 1821; Joseph Lane, 1822; Robert M. Evans, 1823; John McCrary, 1825; Thomas Fitzgerald, 1825; Charles M. McJohnson, 1827; William Trafton, 1828; Robert M. Evans, 1829; Joseph Lane, 1830; John A. Breckenridge, 1833; Christopher C. Gra- ham, 1835; Wm. T. T. Jones, 1836; Joseph Lane, 1838; Wm. B. But- ler, 1839; Amos Clark, 1841; W. B. Butler, 1842; Daniel Miller, 1843; James T. Walker, 1844; Conrad Baker, 1845; Charles I. Battell, 1846; James E. Blythe, 1847; Nathaniel J. James, 1848; Wm. R. Greathouse, 1849; Isaac Hutchins, 1850; Willard Carpenter, 1851; John M. Stock- well, 1853; Grampel W. Hardin, 1855; Charles Denby, 1857; Ben Stinson, 1859; Jas. E. Blythe, 1859;) Joseph F. Edson, 1861; Jno. S. Hopkins, 1861; T. E. Garvin, 1863; Jno. A. Reitz, 1863; E. F. Sullivan, 1865; Fred W. Cook, 1865; Emil Bischoff, 1867; Jno. S. Hopkins, 1867; Leroy Calvert, 1869; Jos. F. Welborn, 1869; Robt. P. Hooker, 1871; Wm. Heilman, 1871; James D. Riggs, 1873; Geo. Wolflin, 1873; Adolph Pfafflin, 1875; Wm. H. Miller, 1875; John Whitehead, 1877, John Dannettell, 1877; John S. Hopkins, 1870; Jacob W. Messick;
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
1870; John H. Roelker, 1881; John F. Pruitt, 1883; James W. Spain, 1883; John F. Pruitt, 1885; Christopher J. Murphy, 1885; Philip Klein, 1887; Robert L. Mackey, 1887; Jacob Covert, 1887; Jacob Co- vert, 1889; John J. Nolan, 1889; John K. Nugent, 1889; James Cal- vert, 1891; John J. Nolan, 1891; M. J. Niblack, 1891; John Foster, 1893; Albert Kamp, 1893; Fred Holloway, 1895; Albert Kamp, 1895; B. M. Willoughby, 1895; H. J. Peckinpaugh, 1897; Christ Kratz, Jr., 1897; B. M. Willoughby, 1897.
STATE SENATORS
The state senators have been representative men, socially and intel- lectually. The list to 1897 is as follows : Ratliff Boone, 1818; Elisha Harrison, 1819; Thomas Given, 1825; Charles I. Battell, 1833; Wil- liam Casey, 1835; Joseph Lane, 1839; Gaines H. Roberts, 1840; John Pitcher, 1841; Joseph Lane, 1844; Wm. H. Stockwell, 1846; Enoch R. James, 1847; Wm. R. Greathouse, 1853, Cyrus K. Drew, 1855; Mangus T. Carnahan, 1859; George M. Finch, 1863; Thomas C. Jac- quess, 1867; Daniel Morgan, 1869; Henry Morgan, 1860; Henry C. Gooding, 1873; William Heilman, 1887; Wm. Rahm, Jr., 1881; Thos. Kerth, 1889; A. J. McCutchan, 1893 to 1895; August Leich, 1897 to 1899.
COUNTY ASSESSORS.
This office was created by the legislature in 1891. After the act went into effect, the county commissioners appointed William Dean to fill the new office until his successor could be elected and qualified. He served from 1891 to 1892. Henry Haynie succeeded him in 1892 and served until 1896. His successor was William Diedrich, whose official term expires in 1900.
CHAPTER XII.
JUDGES OF COURTS.
Fudges of Courts-First Session of the Circuit Court-Associate Fudges-Characteristics of Some of Them-District Judges- Old Legal Forms of Procedure-Antiquated Legal Language Dragged Along Down from the Medieval Ages-The Fixity of Legal Principles Necessarily Operate Against Progress in Codes of Practice-Court Houses and Court Cases-Different Law Courts and the Judges.
The first session of the circuit court of Vanderburgh county was held in the residence of Hugh McGary, in the town of Evansville, on Monday, the 23rd day of February, 1818. This day was appointed by the legislature for the first court ever held in this county, under and by provision of the laws.
David Hart was the first presiding judge of the fourth judicial dis- trict of the state of Indiana, which embraced Vanderburgh county in its scope, and when he opened the court he appointed Hugh MeGary clerk of the same, out of consideration for the use of his house as a court-house.
The first associate judges of this circuit were elected in 1818. They were John McCrary and William Wagnon, both residents of Vander- burgh county. McCrary was a native of North Carolina, and had been here as early as 1813, when the rude hut of Hngh McGary was the only dwelling on the ground now covered by Evansville. MeCrary was a preacher and a conscientious man, in strong coutrast with his associate justice, Wagnon, of whom we shall have more to say in these . pages. Neither of these associate justices had ever studied law, and it is doubtful if they ever looked into a law book before their election to the bench, but in those days associate judges were expected only to arrange the preliminaries and get cases at issuc, in order that they might be tried with dispatch by the regular circuit judge in term time. The principle prevailed in their selection, that "a little learning is a dangerous thing." It was perhaps well for the litigants that the early
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HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY, IND.
associate justices knew nothing about the law, and all that was requi- site to make them competent and efficient was good judgment and conscientious seruples. It is needless to say that some of them proved to have neither, and being men of strong prejudices, perpetrated many a wrong against the state and individuals, deliberately. Judge Wil- liam Wagnon was a typical, uneouth, backwoodsman, whose principal characteristics were illiteracy and egotism-a true type of the immoral and profane elements of those times-a dangerous combination, espe- cially in a judge. He was moreover unscrupulous, and his selection as associate judge was only out of compliment to him as a man of some means, and in consideration of his liberality in entertaining his political associates. He himself had frequently violated the laws that he was called upon to enforce, and continued to violate them with im- punity after he assumed the duties of a judge. He sold whisky to the Indians, contrary to the law. He had been prosecuted for adultery. He abandoned his wife for another woman, and a divorce followed. He had been fined for fighting, and was regarded as a man who had no use for the truth in a business transaction of any sort.
In 1820, James R. E. Goodlett, the father of ex-Mavor N. M. Goodlett, succeeded to the position of presiding judge. He was born in Culpepper county in Old Virginia, and came to Indiana in 1816 and settled at Corydon, Harrison county, the first capital of the state. He lived in Princeton, Indiana, as early as 1818, and a few years later lived on a farm in the woods on the little Mt. Vernon road about three miles from the site of Evansville. He was slow to decide, but seldom made a mistake. He was conscientious, and what he laeked in the knowledge of the technicalities of the law, he supplied with principles of equity based on good judgment. He had, however, studied law and, after leaving the bench, he practiced.
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